Christmas-Eve Salad

~ Emily ~ Leave a comment

ATTENTION: 90 days until Christmas!

Three months from today is THE day.  I am almost tempted to wear my Charlie Brown Christmas tree t-shirt or the one that has a Rudolph nose that actually glows red.  Needless to say, Christmas and I have a tight relationship. I listen to Christmas music the minute it becomes socially acceptable (no, tolerated…) and look forward to Christmas craft magazines hitting the shelves.

In order to celebrate the nearness of Christmas without overwhelming people with yuletide cheer, I am expressing my enthusiasm via today’s salad recipe.

The original recipe came from Southern Living, but it’s been long enough since my family first tried it that I don’t remember whether Christmas-Eve Salad was the original name or became the name after we ate it on said date.

My mom has tweaked it over the years and now it’s a go-to in our salad repertoire.  In fact, it was the first meal I made for The Hubs in our new place!  The colors are festive and there’s enough protein from bacon and cheese to make it a light entree.

A note on the cheese choice: string cheese may seem like an odd option, but it creates the perfect size pieces of mozzarella with little hassle.  Plus, the discs add visual contrast to the otherwise diced ingredients.

Christmas Eve Salad

adapted from Southern Living // serves 4

Salty bacon, creamy avocado, and toasty walnuts are what set this spinach based salad apart.  Not only do the colors reflect the festive season, the ingredients truly create a holiday in your mouth.

Give this salad an even lighter touch with a few simple substitutions.  Use light string cheese and fat free Catalina (Kraft makes a great one!)

The ingredient amounts listed below reflect my preference for salads with a pretty even greens to mix-ins ratio.  Feel free to play around to get it perfect for your salad palette.

1 (12 oz) bag baby spinach, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, diced

1 avocado, diced

2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half

4 sticks string cheese, sliced 

1 cup walnuts

8 strips bacon

Catalina salad dressing  

Cut bacon strips into 1/4 inch wide pieces.  Fry until crispy.  Let excess grease drain off on paper towels.

Toast walnuts in a skillet over medium heat.  Stir occasionally.  Remove from heat when they become fragrant and lightly browned. Let cool while you prep other ingredients.

Chop spinach.  Dice red pepper and peeled avocado.  Cut tomatoes in half, discarding seeds if desired. Unwrap string cheese.  Slice horizontally to create thin discs.  Chop cooled walnuts.

Place spinach, red pepper, avocado, tomatoes, string cheese, walnuts, and bacon in a serving bowl.  Toss with Catalina dressing.

Vine Life: Abiding

~ Emily ~ Leave a comment

For church bred folks like me, the fruit of the Spirit are nine attributes we are taught at an early age.  I could recite all nine in order with ease after learning a catchy song about them in VBS.   However, the personal challenge lurking behind those attributes (which I hadn’t quite internalized in first grade) isn’t in memorizing, but in doing – putting those fruit to the test on a day to day basis.

Coeur d’Alene Bible Church started a new series called “Vine Life: Attitudes and Attributes of Spirit Filled Living.”  Pastor Kurt is  taking an in depth look at Galations 5:22-23 and started off with an introduction of sorts to the vine life concept.  One of his comments in this primer has really taken up residence in my heart.

The spiritual life is the abiding life.

I’m a word nerd, so immediately went to the dictionary when we got home from service to unpack the meaning of abide.  The basic definition of abide (thank you, dictionary.com) is to stay, remain, continue, endure, or wait.  The abiding life continues to be present, maintaining unbroken fellowship with Christ.  He dwells in us and we remain steadfastly in Him.

Abide in Me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.  {John 15:4}

Abide is a pretty fancy verb – one that can be both transitive and intransitive.  (My degree is in English and I still had to look up the difference…)  A transitive verb applies its action to one or more objects.  An intransitive verb expresses an activity that can be done but does not attach its action to a specific object.

Maybe the differentiation is only significant to me, but I love that there are two distinct ways to abide.  One takes action and the other takes consistency.

Abiding is remaining fixed in Christ, leaning in to His life giving spirit.

Abiding is continuing on the journey, accepting His provision and presence along the way.

Abiding is enduring the bumps in the road, withstanding the pressures and detours  with His help.

Abiding is bearing the burden of an unpaved path with patience, pushing forward with joy.

The Christian walk is certainly primitive – full of potholes, loose gravel, and narrow shoulders.  It isn’t enough to simply be spiritual.  Primitive roads take commitment.  Most of the time, there aren’t many off-ramps or exits to take along the way.  You have to get back on the same road,  traversing the terrain with only trust to keep you moving forward.

We can only do that by abiding in Him, receiving life giving love and sustenance from the One who travels with us.  There is shelter and comfort in being connected, rooted deeply in Christ.

The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.  {1 John 2:6}

Music to My Heart

~ Emily ~ 2 Comments

For the longest time, my car’s CD player has been defunct.  Woe be unto you if you hit the eject button.  A concerto of discouraging noises will announce that your request has been rejected.  Not only does the player hold my six CDs hostage, it also refuses to play them most of the time.

However, yesterday was one of those joyous occasions when I pressed the CD button and music started to play.  Changing the CD is also a no-no, so I was pleased when JJ Heller began to sing.  A friend of mine introduced me to her a couple years ago and I’m a huge fan.  Her songs are infused with vulnerability and an emotional insight that generally leaves me sniffing instead of singing.

Music and I have never had an overtly intimate relationship.  It’s more of a pastime than a passion, but, as the inevitable JJ Heller sniff fest ensued, I realized there were certain artists I gravitated towards when traversing particularly primitive roads in my life.

Here’s a few of my go to artists and songs that, for various reasons, stir something deep in my soul and keep me going when I feel bummed out:

Reality San Fransisco – Songs Of Our Youth: This EP is a collection of 4 worship songs written or rearranged by the worship team over at Reality San Francisco in their beginning stages as a church.  Psalm 23 could be them most moving worship song I’ve heard. I can’t listen to it on the treadmill anymore because closing my eyes throws me off balance…  Bonus – you can download the EP for free!

You prepare a table in the presence of my foes and You anoint my head and my cup it overflows.  Surely I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  {Psalm 23}

The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset:  My brother introduced me to The Kinks and this song.  He generally tears up when listening to it, which I never understood until I witnessed a Waterloo sunset.  Both of us studied abroad in the UK and have a special place in our hearts for England.  There’s something about the melody that I find hauntingly beautiful and I am instantly transported overseas to a fun, growth filled season in my life.

People so busy, makes me feel dizzy, taxi light shines so bright.  But I don’t need no friends.  As long as I gaze on waterloo sunset, I am in paradise.   {Waterloo Sunset}

The Beach Boys: I can’t help but smile when I hear The Beach Boys playing.  I am a Southern California girl, after all…  Just a few chords and my feet tap, my voice sings out, and my primitive road doesn’t seem so daunting. Tim and I exited our wedding ceremony to the triumphal strains of Wouldn’t It Be Nice. 

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could wake up in the morning when the day is new.  And after having spent the day together, hold each other close the whole night through.  You know its gonna make it that much better, when we can say goodnight and stay together.   {Would’t It Be Nice}

JJ Heller: Like I mentioned before, Mrs. Heller knows how to craft meaningful and honest songs.  Her lyrics make me cry, laugh, Amen!, and sigh.  I own Painted Red and Only Love Remains.

I’m losing my vision, I’m fighting the doubting with all that I am.  It’s been awhile since you last gave me something to go on.  Tell me it’s not the end.  {Everything Is Changing}

What music gets you though the days that seem particularly unpaved?

His Love Is Wide

~ Emily ~ 12 Comments

At first I’m suspicious.  Wide isn’t the good path.  Our path should be narrow, tough, intentionally walked with care.

But, God’s love is wide.  His arms encompass us with a breadth we can’t comprehend or imagine.

It’s like He purposely juxtaposed the slimness of our journey – the narrow way we must traverse – with just how wide his love, grace, and mercy stretches around us.

He deals with our sin in the same way.  As far as the East is from the West…

Our Savior made a “narrow” choice to die on the cross for us in order to fling our transgressions away from us with such strength that they will never be seen again.

His love is wide.

His love is deep.

It covers us.

 

*This post was part of Five Minute Friday over at Tales From A Gypsy Mama.

Thankful Thursday: Unpacked Treasures

~ Emily ~ Leave a comment

Our stuff arrived on Tuesday evening! Tim and I watched our empty spaces become stacked high with boxes and furniture.  The resulting landscape was a bit daunting, but the idea of having an actual bed to sleep on, kitchen equipment, and bikes to ride overshadowed much of the foreboding linked to having cardboard mountains in our living room.

Eight hours of unpacking later and our mountains have become hills.  Progress is being made.  Our little abode is slowly becoming a reflection of its two occupants.  In the process, I unearthed some things that put a smile on my face.  I am grateful for these little treasures, reminders of people, pastimes, and pleasures that make life sweet.

  • Owl Salt & Pepper Shakers: It all started with a purse – a purse shaped like an owl.  Once I started toting it around, I became an owl girl.  I have owl earrings, owl clothing, and owl measuring cups.  By far my favorite owl objects are these vintage salt and pepper shakers.  My mom bought a whole box of owl figurines at an auction in Central New York for a dollar.  The cache included this set.  I adore their expression and brownware-esque color.
  • Keurig: We are coffee addicts and have spent way too much money purchasing our caffeine out on a daily basis.  My coffee with almond milk and sugar-free vanilla syrup has never tasted so delicious as it did this morning.
  • Books:  A solid third of our boxes are filled with books.  We had credit at an amazing bookstore in Pasadena (Archives Bookshop) and added to our large library the week before we left for Idaho.  On my growing “to-read” list, these have moved to the top.
  • Goggles: Tim and I can’t wait to swim at the Kroc Center!