Why I love Saturdays.

So this would be the time Baxter and I woke up yesterday morning. Don't think that's happened since at least college.

But in keeping with the unpredictable, "we're wild and crazy and anything can happen" feel of the day, I decided these were in order; Peanut butter and jelly muffins.


And whilst baking I decided to give this new recipe a go.


And while I was at it, why not these too.



And by then, it was time for this.



Which naturally needed to be accompanied by this.



All of which was followed by a hefty helping of this.


And that my friends, is what I call a good Saturday.

mas deliciousness.

This is another recipe that is a big hit at our house. If I can tell Triple B that there's bacon in whatever I'm cooking for dinner, he's a happy man. I discovered this recipe early in our marriage, and it has been faithful to delight our palates through the years. Quick, healthy and delicious - doesn't get much better in my book!

Bacon Parmesan Spaghetti
* And for the record, we typically half this, and it is plenty for my hungry dude and I, typically with leftovers.

•1 pound uncooked whole wheat spaghetti
•12 bacon slices, chopped (turkey bacon is good too if you can sneak it in)
•3 garlic cloves, minced
•1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk (1% or skim works too, it just will be less creamy

•1 teaspoon salt
•1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
•3 large eggs
•1 cup frozen petite green peas, thawed
•1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese (Lord only knows how much Baxter adds to his plate, the man LOVES him some cheese!!)

Preparation
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/2 cup hot cooking liquid. While pasta cooks, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in pan. Discard remaining drippings; set bacon aside. Add garlic to drippings in pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Combine milk, salt, pepper, and eggs, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add reserved hot cooking liquid to milk mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add pasta, milk mixture, and peas to skillet; cook over low heat 3 minutes or until sauce thickens. Add bacon and cheese; stir to combine.

Naturally.

This weekend Baxter and I decided to escape the winter wonderland that was the 'Ville and head South to Austin. This was our back deck:

While I was grateful for the snow days that allowed me a day and a half off of work and excuse to park it on the couch, we were looking forward to a weekend away to celebrate our SIX years of togetherness. Not that our faithfulness to one another or our marriage is really an issue that's up for discussion, but that we have entertained one another for six whole years we find impressive.

Now we love Austin, but feel like its the kind of city that is best enjoyed if you know local hot spots. A meandering tourist might miss some of the hidden gems that "Keep Austin Weird", and while we've enjoyed our visits there previously, we did our homework to make sure this trip was extra great. For whatever reason, I tend to kind of have a melt down on a trip/shopping excursion where there are TOO many options. I have this innate desire to want the ultimate overall experience; eat at the "best" restaurant of one particular genre, find the "best" (read: nicest for cheapest) hotel available, so needless to say it can make travel or special occasions a teensy bit stressful. (Sorry babe). Trip Advisor and such websites plague my dreams - what does it mean that the food was unbelievable on 2 Feb 2010, but atrocious on 9 Feb 2010?!! What am I supposed to do with this contradicting madness?! Why are Expedias booking fees more expensive than Travelocity?! WHY?! WHY?! Sigh. I'm learning to cope.

Because my doll of a husband knows me and this tendency quite well, he suggested planning ahead of time. Genius, that man! So, we started with dinner here:

This restaurant was recommended by friends, and it served Mediterranean fare which we LOVE. Our summer in Turkey introduced us to the deliciousness that is mezze, so we knew this would be bangerang. We were first hesitant when we found the place was nearly empty of customers, but decided to stick to the plan and try it out, and Lord have mercy aren't we glad we did! Hummus, Baba ghanoush, stuffed grape leaves, feta with olives, gyro schwerma - absolutely DELISH!! But perhaps the highlight of the evening, was the belly dancer. Yes, that's right - belly dancer.

Now this might not have been as awkward, if there were say, more than 5 people in the restaurant. But since there wasn't, Baxter & I were treated to a near-private performance. The lady was actually quite talented, but it was kind of hard to have conversation over all of the jingle-jangling, so we just observed and politely applauded. That is until she got me out of my seat and begin teaching me "the moves". So, ha ha, Katie and the half naked lady gyrating while giggling Baxter enjoys his Babba Ghanoush - but the BEST part, was when she decided BAXTER needed a turn. And just the jiggling wouldn't cut it, oh no, out comes the giant golden SABER - which one balances on their head while belly dancing. Naturally. To say I wished I had my camera for such a moment is a HUGE understatement, but let me assure you - Baxter is a ninja. He can roll those hips AND not kill himself with the saber delicately balanced on his pretty head - the man's got talent!

After a great meal and lots of laughs, we explored a little more of Austin and headed back to the Casulo Hotel. Check out these digs:


Very zen, right? I have to say the "rain effect" shower was perhaps my favorite. After sleeping in Saturday morning, we went for a stroll around Town Lake. Besides being just beautiful scenery, we LOVE to people watch, which this place is ideal for. But perhaps the CUTEST thing, was this:

The local animal shelter brings out some of its available animals, and you can borrow a dog to walk with you around the lake, all while he wears that cute little jacket!! Precious!! We are definitely starting closer to the pick up points so we can walk a dog next time - TOO cute!! After oogling funny people and dogs we headed back to the hotel, cleaned up, and went after lunch. We first stopped by the Austin Famers Market, which was UBER Austin-ish. While there I decided that I need to quit wearing make up, get a hemp beanie and a minimum of 3 tats. Naturally. Other than the tasty goodies available, there was a fantastic selection of lunch options as well. Nepalese, French Gumbo or Thai for lunch all while the bluegrass band plays and polite tree huggers kindly explain to you where to place your various lunch trash for composting or recycling. You're killing me Austin!

But of course my carnivore wasn't satisfied the the Nepalese Saag wrap and rice salad we'd selected, so off we went to Frank's; Purveyors of Artisan Sausage, where Baxter promptly devoured this:

Mom, you would have been in heaven. An ENTIRE menu, devouted to hot dogs. (Seriously, the woman LOVES her some hot dogs).

We left Austin feeling refreshed and adventurous. It was fun to spend a weekend exploring a great city and simply enjoying one another. Sometimes I forget amidst the daily grind how great it is to just get away and do something new and different, and I am so grateful for my buddy who loves to explore like I do.

So to my special dude who asked me out on that first date six Valentine's ago - keep the good times rolling (or belly dancing) baby!

my love/hate relationship with food blogs.

Like most of you, perusing blogs of both those I know and those I don't is something I enjoy. Sure, a lot of it is the aforementioned "blurking", but the rest of it I like to call "research". Research into your personal life or research into what to cook for dinner is irrelevant - its all important nonetheless. Right? Right.

But probably what I enjoy the most (and NOT saying your personal life isn't enthralling) is food blogs. But I do have to confess a level of disdain for these people. I mean, let's be honest. How in the WORLD can you take a picture of EVERYTHING you eat in a day, post 2-3 times a day, AND have a life? I assert, you cannot. So sorry to disappoint, but you won't be seeing photos of the 15.84 handfuls of cereal I stuff in my mouth throughout the day anytime soon. If you want to de-follow because of this, I'll understand.

The more instructional cooking blogs I'm all about. Especially when it comes with glossy photos and multiple jokes about how this recipe will make your butt jiggle. You know who I'm talking about - PDubya. This woman is hilarious, and yes, I am one of 25,368 people who enter her giveaways. My day is comin' - I promise you!! Don't worry, I'll send you all a photo of me and my new BFF cooking in the Lodge when it happens. Pinky promise.

What I find annoying other than the posts of every dribble that makes it into one's mouth - is the use of onomatopoeia (1,000 pts. for using that word in a blog post - ahthankya.) While I'm sure whatever it is you're cooking is in fact delicious, the use of "nom nom nom" is unnecessary and disgusting on many levels. Perhaps that's because of my EXTREME disdain for mouth noises made while eating, but that's another post entirely.

What also is frustrating to me, is how it all looks so glamorous and easy. Now I'm all about a challenge and a new recipe, and probably 75% of the things I ever cook, are brand new. Needless to say if my mom's rule of "never cook something new for company" was a crime - I'd be a felon. So what I tend to do is scan a few blogs I enjoy, find a pretty picture, and decide it's what I should be cooking or baking that night. And 3 out of 4 times, I don't really read all the instructions, and then find myself trying to cut a 2.5 hr rising time into 45 minutes. It's happened, and tonight was no exception. I see a fun little project I think my friends would enjoy, so why not go for it? I blame this destruction of my kitchen you see below on my love/hate relationship with food blogs.


I mean, what else would you do after you've worked all day, have a dirty house, had to go to the dreaded place starting with a W and ending in a mart and it's already 9:00? Make little goodies for your friends for Valentine's day, right? My thoughts exactly! While these little gems did take up a good portion of my evening, I have to admit, they are quite possibly the most precious thing I've ever seen.


And because the blogosphere is so remarkable and FILLED with little ladies who just bake and bake and bake, OF COURSE there are labels to go with these creations, right? I mean - the whole project would just be worthless without perfect little labels!!


I know, I know - frickin' ADORABLE!! I still can't quite get over it myself. Not that I can take credit, this little creation could only belong to Bakerella - a magical woman whose cake pops and creativity truly astound me.

So for what its worth, happy reading, happy researching, and happy baking. While every now and then those stupid blogs get me in quite the pickle, I have to say this little creation was quite redemptive. Fun, tasty (of course Mr. Bentley had to make/eat his own batch for "testing" purposes) and cute to boot!

i feel OLD.

Whew. Ever have those mornings when you honestly think you will DIE if you have to get out of bed? Yeah, that was totally me today. I think my sweet husband honestly spent about 45 minutes trying to pry me from the clutches of our wonderfully warm bed.

The reason for this feeling I blame on the picture below. On Friday Baxter and I headed east to T-town, the East Texas suburbia where I grew up. My parents don't live there anymore, but seeing as how all of my memories from ages 0-18 were made there, I think it's ok to still call it my hometown. Baxter and I were conned (I mean cajoled) into leading a group for FBC Tyler's D-Now.

Now we love students . . . but we also love sleeping more than 6 hours in two days and eating things other than Doritos and Twinkies. (I know, we're finnicky people). We did a select few DNow's while in seminary, but it was after the last group of 17+ 8th grade guys and girls that we decided it was time to hang up the cleats. The city wide fast food scavenger hunt in a 30 passenger van was TOO much for Team Bentley. That and the atomic sit ups. We caved and went crawling into DNow Retirement.

I do have to confes though that I was one of "those" youth groupers, who spent weeks - nay, MONTHS - thinking of the perfect themed outfit for the DNow kick off party, dreaming up endless pranks with which to punk other groups (NO TESTIMONIES HERE MORGAN NUNALLY!!), and of course coming up with skits that were (and are still to this very day) EPIC. So when the saint of a youth minister who put up with me during those years called and asked if Baxter & I would lead a group, I knew I had no choice. I mean let's be honest - this couple put up with my 13 yr. old hyperactivity in church vans during long, LONG trips to places such as D.C. and El Paso - so I think I owe them a few. (And the fact that they were major players in my own adolescent spiritual formation doesn't hurt either.)

After promises of Starbucks delivery, Morgan Nunnally being present, and no middle schoolers to be in charge of, off we went. We had been assigned Seniors, which was super fun - especially when I realized most of them were born around 1992. Ouch. And sure, most of them I remember as 5 year olds, but it was great to reconnect with them in this phase of their lives and to get to know them apart from Children's Church VBS.

Throughout the weekend and my conversations with the students I realized certain dynamics seem to follow us through life - "who am I? where am I going? what am I doing? what really matters?" Some of these questions never change. I love looking back at that time in my own life, and reflecting on a season that quite literally opened up the world to me. It's remarkable how a new place and new people can completely shift a worldview that you once thought was permanent - and thankfully, in that shift new growth and understanding emerges.

While I hope that our time in Tyler was positive for the students who were obligated to listen to our meanderings and expositions on life, I know that for me, I left with a heart full of gratitude (and yes, the inevitable sugar overload and utter exhaustion as well).

I am grateful for students who reminded me that there is much to anticipate in every day - and to embrace each day and the unknown with gusto.

For a church that taught me to love the Lord, His word and His world through simple things like missionary dioramas and felt boards.

For friends and mentors who walked with me through the years of awkardness and questioning, and love me in spite of myself both then and now.

For a husband that would come out of a well deserved D-Now retirement to know me and the world in which I grew up in just a little bit better.

For a God who doesn't leave me the same, but continues to push and to change me.

This my friends, makes the bags under my eyes and endless playing of Ke$ha's "Tick Tock" song in my head absolutely worth it.

because it's deeee-ricious.

As a kid I remember finding it odd that other kids laughed at me when on my first day of school "About Me" sheet, I put salad as my favorite food. They also found it funny that I wanted to be an elephant when I grew up, but that's another story. Somehow or another I have always loved healthy foods, and that love has only grown into adulthood. I don't know if it was the collegiate development of my lactose intolerance, but somewhere along the way beef just no longer did it for me. Cutting into bloody meat honestly makes me vomit in my mouth a little, so I tend to avoid the stuff when I am the one cooking.

Thankfully I married a man who eats like a goat - meaning he will eat anything, anytime, anywhere.

Exhibit A:



Fish eyeballs in Nicaragua. And yes, that is a fu man chu.

Now if you add a distaste for raw meat to a newlywed budget, inevitably - a different palate will emerge. My love of all things veg seemed to be just the ticket for our poor(er) seminary years, as well as my growing interest in health and nutrition. Now I'll spare you a lecture on the evils of hydrogenated oils or the benefits of flax for menopausal women (THIS TIME), but I do find nutrition quite fascinating. I have learned a lot, particularly from here, here, and here. And if you're feeling brave, I would recommend this.

Inevitably, all of this has shaped the way that I cook, and if I'm entirely honest, the ways I look at food in general. (What, are you saying it's NOT normal to accuse your husband of not loving your unborn children by clogging his arteries with refined sugars or fast food ? Anyone? No? No one?) Call a therapist?

But seriously, I love discovering ways of cooking that are both delicious and healthy. While I am hesitant to call myself a foodie because of my borderline painfully frugal nature, I will say that I love to cook, and I love to try new foods. I mean, what's not to love about polenta and chia seeds?! Am I right, or am I right?

And thankfully yet again, I am married to a darling, darling man who has not once turned his nose up at a dinner consisting of tofu, sprouts or primarily legumes. Because of this, I can occasionally overlook the sausage biscuit or slab of red meat that may meander its way into our grocery cart.

Now I was hesitant to post recipes on this little blog o'mine, but decided to anyways because I am not foolish enough to think that many men poor over blogs each day, let alone my miniscule corner of the blogosphere. So ladies, below is a recipe that Baxter & I both happen to love - I for health reasons, and Baxter for reasons primarily related to cheese. Regardless of why, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Couscous with Chickpeas, Tomatoes, Edamame & Feta
adapted from Cooking Light


Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 cup fresh or frozen shelled edamame (soybeans)
* 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 1/4 cups water, divided (I use low-sodium chicken broth)
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
* 1 (16-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
* 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup uncooked couscous
* 2 cups coarsely chopped green onions
* 1 cup crumbled feta cheese (Bx goes to TOWN when adding this to his plate!)

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add edamame, red pepper, and garlic; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in 1/2 cup water, basil, chickpeas, and tomatoes; simmer 15 minutes. Add 1 3/4 cups water and salt; bring to a boil. Gradually stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in onions and feta; toss well.

Enjoy!

Vamos a la playa.

It's official.

Team Bentley celebrating 5 years.

For 5 days.

HERE.



Stupid February. Is it March 25th yet?