Beef Lo Mein

Who doesn't love Chinese, right? Besides you picky eaters out there! Thankfully, you don't live at my house so here is one of our favorite recipes!

Lo Mein
1 pound beef, pork, chicken, or shrimp, sliced into bite-size pieces
Veggies of your choice: asparagus, broccoli, snow peas, carrots, squash, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, peppers etc
1/2 lb. spaghetti noodles
1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
3 tsp. soy sauce
3 tsp. garlic teriyaki sauce (I'm a little disturbed because they have apparently quit carrying this in stores. You can just use more soy sauce or regular teriyaki sauce.)
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 cup water
Olive or vegetable oil

Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat a wok or large skillet to medium and add small amount of oil. Combine the cornstarch, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, ginger, red pepper flakes, and water in a small sauce pan. Simmer over medium-low, stirring occasionally, while the rest of the meal cooks. Saute each vegetable in oil until crisp-tender. (I cook all my veggies separately because they have different cooking times, but you can double up if you want to speed it up!) Place cooked veggies into a large bowl. Once veggies are cooked, saute your meat until done and add the veggies back to skillet. Drain pasta and add to skillet. Stir and pour in the sauce. Stir and serve! Yummy!!

Linked up at Like a Bubbling Brook's Dinner on a Dime

My Boys

Justin graduated on Saturday with his Master's in Business Administration. He finished classes in December and I think he's been glad to not have classes for these past few months. I am so proud of all the work that he did for this! It was an 18 month degree and he even took classes while Micah was in the hospital in Cincinnati. He has such a great work ethic and loves the work that he does! I appreciate all that he does for our family! He really is the best!!

For my other boy this has been an interesting week. He had shots two weeks ago and these were live virus shots. He was fine for a week and then he started running a low-grade fever. We watched this closely because if his temperature gets to 100.4 we have to take him to Cincinnati. It never got close enough to that to worry too much. Then he broke out in spots. This lasted for a few days. He is also cutting at least three teeth, including two molars. All of this combined means that last week, Micah only slept about half the time he normally does. He seemed fine while he was up in the day and then he would cry and sleep on and off. Thankfully last night he slept great! And he's doing well so far tonight too. The only thing left is a local reaction on his leg to his shots.

I will have to say that we have a great metabolic doctor! He is on vacation in Hawaii and even though he said he wasn't checking his email, he did and he called to check on Micah and give us instructions in case his temperature went up. We are very thankful for him.

To My Mom

I know Mother's Day isn't until Sunday, but my mom is such a special lady that I wanted to talk about her today!

My mom has done way too much for me to list here but I want to mention a few things.

My mom....
-got up every night for years to take me to the bathroom because I was scared to go by myself
-homeschooled me for five years
-taught me to cook when I was small
-let us go crazy in the creek and the woods
-made us hot chocolate when we were done playing in the snow
-listened to my piano practice
-was up early every morning to get things ready for our family
-was always proud to have us at her work

My mom still...
-calls to check on my family
-is my best book supplier
-shares recipes
-makes me laugh with the funny things she says

My mom is a wonderful lady! I really appreciate all she has done for me over the years and the sacrifices she made that nobody noticed. You're the best, Mom! I love you!

And while we're talking about mom's. My mother-in-law happens to be pretty great herself! She has accepted me into her family and loves me. And she raised a great son that I was privileged to marry! I love you too!

Revelations of Motherhood

Micah now drinks his formula from a sippy cup; I know this is unusual because normally kids can just stop drinking formula. Well, Micah can't! Since he just started drinking all his bottles about three weeks before his birthday I was concerned about switching him to the cup. Thankfully, he just drank it from his cup the first time we tried it. Sometimes he needs to be coaxed into drinking it and that takes some time and patience. And I might have more time than patience.

Before bed tonight Micah just cuddled up against me and drank his formula while I sang to him. I was enjoying the baby cuddles and thinking about how much fun it was when I realized that wasn't the point. That baby needs my patience and my love even when he is doing irritating things. That baby needs me to be calm and train him when he is doing things I would prefer he didn't. I didn't have a baby so that he could adjust to my schedule and make life easier (all mothers can laugh here!). I need to forget about what I would want to do and think about why God gave us a baby. God gave us a baby to train up to serve Him. God gave us a baby to make us more like Him. Raising this boy is a high calling and I can't do it on my own.

While making me much more aware of my shortcomings, having a baby has also made me more thankful for some of God's attributes. God is never impatient with me when I'm talking to Him in the middle of the night. He's never trying to sleep or wanting to check His email. God is never frustrated me because He knows that I'm only human. God is patient in showing me something over and over and over and...you get the point. God is never grouchy because He's tired and it's time for bed. God never thinks that something else would much more exciting to do. God never incorrectly manages any situation of my life. How great God is!

Thankfully, He didn't throw me into mothering without any help. I have the instruction of the Bible, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and great advice from older mothers. There's a great quote from Mrs. Beverly Hyles that applies to mothering. She says "Believe that because of God's promises, you can do whatever you are called upon to do each day." Mothering is bigger than me, but it's not bigger than God!

Sourdough Bread

This is my favorite bread! My favorite way to eat it is right out of the oven with butter melting on a (large) slice. It's also great for making grilled cheeses and French toast. It looks a little more complicated but it really isn't! Just make the starter and keep it in your fridge.

Starter:

1 package (1 tbsp.) dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 cups warm water

Starter Food:

1/4 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water; let stand 5 minutes. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a medium-size non-metal bowl and stir well. Gradually stir in 2 cups warm water. Add yeast mixture and mix well. Cover starter loosely with plastic wrap or cheesecloth; let stand in a warm place for 72 hours, stirring 2 or 3 times daily. Place fermented mixture in a refrigerator and stir once a day. Use within 11 days. To use, remove sourdough starter from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for at least one hour. Stir starter well and measure amount of starter needed for recipe. Replenish remaining starter with starter food; stir well. Return to refrigerator. Use starter within 2-14 days, stirring daily. When starter is used again, repeat above procedure for using starter and replenishing with starter food. (Never cover the container too tightly as gas needs to escape and air needs to get in to react with the yeast.)

Sourdough Bread:

2 packages (2 tbsp.) dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 cup sourdough starter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
5 1/2 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large non-metal bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in sourdough starter, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, sugar, salt, and 3 cups flour. Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in a well-greased bowl turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in bulk. Punch down dough and divide in half; place on a floured surface. Roll each half into a 12 by 18 in. rectangle. Tightly roll up dough starting at narrow edge; pinch seams and ends together with seal. Place loaves seam side down in 2 greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place free from drafts about one hour or until doubled in bulk. Bake at 375º for30-35 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when lightly tapped. Remove loaves from pan and let cool.

(I don't bake my bread that long. I bake it until the tops are brown, then cover with aluminum foil and bake about 7 minutes longer. But my oven bakes hot. Just watch it the first time and check the middle.)

What a Difference a Year Makes

I distinctly remember...

Sitting on the couch holding my baby listening to Justin call the doctor’s office
The tenseness in the car as we tried to joke around on the way to the doctor’s office
The panicked look on the nurse’s face when she weighed Micah and took his temperature
The nurse practitioner leaving the room to get the doctor
Not checking out…just going straight to the ER

Watching them hook Micah up to IV’s and monitor’s
Being told different times that the helicopter would be there to get him
The doctor repeating what he was being told to do by UK
The lady in the hallway asking me if that was my baby in the room
Trying to eat the hamburger that our pastor’s wife brought me
Standing outside the ER watching them load Micah onto the helicopter

Trying to decide what to pack for a stay of indefinite length
Thinking about posting something on Facebook to let people know what was going on and then realizing we didn’t know what to post

Being told we couldn’t see Micah yet because they were still working on him
The nurse that very solemnly told us that Micah was very sick, nothing else
Crying as I watched my baby struggle to breathe
Seeing my parents in the waiting room

Sitting with Justin in the parent room we got to stay in that night wondering
Pretending to eat the next day while hoping that before Micah died they unplugged everything and let me hold him
Reading over the information on IVA that we were given
The resident that told us that she wasn’t going to leave Micah there to see what happened, instead she was going to send him to CCHMC
Realizing that Micah was only managing to maintain his heartbeat on his own; they were doing everything else for him
Sitting with our pastor and pastor’s wife while the transport team from Cincinnati got Micah ready to travel
Seeing the resident cry while she was watching me cry when we saw Micah before they left with him

But God was still there.

I also distinctly remember...

Justin asking me if I wanted to go to the doctor’s office or the ER and me answering the doctor’s office
Micah’s newborn screening coming in while we were in the room at the doctor’s office
Micah’s doctor setting everything up with Corbin and UK
Micah’s doctor praying with us before we left the office
The information given by UK to help the doctor at Corbin
The presence of our pastor and pastor’s wife
Knowing that our parents were on the way
The resident saying she was sending Micah to CCHMC because they could help him
The phone calls from people letting us know they were praying for our family
The comforting words in my Bible that helped carry me through
My husband’s support and the comfort of our marriage

(We took him to the doctor’s office Wednesday morning, April 28, 2010, one year ago today.)

Chili Pasta

After a long day, Justin and I wanted something quick to eat after church. After searching through the cabinet, we didn't come up with any of our normal meals. I finally found some favorite ingredients and thought I'd try something new. Why not? This was the birth of our chili pasta.

3/4 box penne pasta (or pasta of your choice)
1 pound hamburger
1 can black beans
2 cans crushed tomatoes
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. taco seasoning blend (I have one a lady from church gave me; it has much less salt)
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Brown hamburger in skillet with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. When hamburger is browned, add beans, taco seasoning blend, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Cook for five minutes. Add tomatoes and vinegar, cook for 5-7 minutes or until mixture simmers. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add sauce and stir! Serve with parmesan cheese.

We also thought this would be good served over corn chips or tortilla chips instead of pasta. I might would make it spicier next time too. In case you hadn't noticed we love spices!