And again....

So again, I find myself reflecting on HOW ON EARTH I am AGAIN totally irritable, totally worn out, totally defeated in the sense that I feel unhappy and agitated at everything and everyone.  It is, of course, the end of the school year, and for those connected to public schools education, you know the treachorous terrain known as the END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
  And I am sad that I feel that I am NOT the person I began this year as....I am NOT the person I had hoped to be at the end of the school year....I am NOT myself.  I know this. I can feel this in every sense of my being.
  I have lost direction. I have stopped asking for direction. 

  It is time to have hope again.

  It is time to renew, refocus, and rediscover what there is to be truly grateful for again.

Enjoy what today holds....

A repeating thought, off and on, in my heart and mind lately has been to enjoy what I have NOW.  Being a high school teacher, I know that it will not be long until my kids, who are all elementary ages or younger, will be zooming through their four years of high school.  I woke up this morning and thought about how Logan, who will be ten year old this summer, has lived more than half the amount of time that he'll probably reside in my house, assuming that he moves out for college when he is eighteen.

  A friend of my wife and mine has a daughter that turned eleven this week. Eleven?!?!  Where is time going?!?!?

  So the other day, when my brother Tim "facebooked" me about going sledding on a mid-Winter holiday, I knew that I had to put aside my qualms about having to carry Sawyer up a hill, which would most likely destroy my back.  I had to not think about that cold, sharp window scratching my face. I had to find a way to go. Not just for spending time with my kids, I also wanted to hang out with my brother, Tim.  I have allowed life to become a raging river in the deep canyons of busy-ness.  It has been totally my choice, and it is not that I am not enjoy the many things I participate in. I love directing drama, working with the youthgroup, going on trips with my family. Still, I'm feeling that call to SLOW DOWN.

  So on Monday, February 21, 2011, Tim, myself, Logan, Sawyer, Quaid (Scout was at a friend's birthday party), Abby, and Grace all ascended the mighty (little) hills of Palmer Park in Port Huron.  We descended the hills a few times, wearing in NEW tracks into the hills. Not suprisingly, the kids became more interested in playing "snow war" on the outdoor jungle gym than sledding.  Afterwards, we headed to Tim Horton's for donuts and hot chocolate.

  These are the days I love and cherish.

50 NEW Recipes Challenge- #7 Garlic Crusted Chicken from Jamie Oliver's

I pretty much stink at keeping up with my little challenges.  Nearly a year ago, I became convinced that I could cook and blog about fifty (50) NEW recipes.  I've always loved to cook, but my skills were mainly confined to El Ortega Taco kits and short order cook extroardinaire (I cook some mean hamburgers or grilled chicken.) 
  My love for cooking stems from time with one of the GREAT cooks I knew, my grandma  Russell. Well, as with other challenges I did not do so well in keeping up with the challenge. I DID cook a number of new recipes, but I did not keep up with my blog. 
  Fall 2010, with the hectic nature of my schedule, saw a slump in home cooking.  Now that my schedule is slightly slowing down, I'm hoping to be more in the kitchen. Last night I returned with a Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution cook book. 

It was an "interesting" experience.

The recipe called for a coating mixed up in my NINJA food processor.... unsalted crackers, garlic cloves, lemon rind, parsley, and butter.  The lemon rind was my first challenge because I have never done anything with lemon rind.  I actually had to google what this lemon rind thing was all about. Using a potato peeler, I peeled the yellow "rind" part off the lemon. 

  After processing the coating for the chicken,  I had to pummel the chicken breat filets with my "cooking hammer". I was suppose to (and usually) put the chicken into a plastic bag, but wanting to keep moving, I just whacked the heck out of that chicken with bits and pieces flying around the room.
  After the chicken was prepped, the "fun" began.  The chicken is suppose to take a "voyage" from a plate of flour (being entirely covered) to a bowl of beaten eggs to a plate with the parsley/garlic/crackers mixture.

I NEVER do well with coating chicken.  By the time the flour and egg are "coating" the chicken I already have a huge mess on me, the floor, the counter.  Then, I'm suppose to COAT THE CHICKEN WITH THIS GREEN, CRACKER, BUTTERY mix?!?!?  BUTTERY MIX on top of EGG COVERED RAW CHICKEN?!?  Somehow , I managed to somewhat "cake" the green mixture onto the chicken breast. 
  From there I lobbed, the chicken into a frying pan coated with a few dribbles of olive oil. 

  I was nervous how all this would taste (and had a battle with cooking without burning the chicken).  Surprisingly, the chicken turned out very good....more parsley tasting than garlic but still very good.

  When Logan discovered the breading was greenish (from the parsley ), after finishing off a bowl of salad WITH the chicken in it, he was done. Still, Amber and I, and the kids for the most part, enjoyed this new dish.

With a New Year....A Refreshed Focus

   I've already found the beginning hours of 2011 to be surprisingly reflective.  To sum up the events, emotions, memories of 2010 would be nearly impossible.  Overall, many hear-breaking circumstances have transformed to renewed hope.  Even with this breath of fresh life, healing hearts, I recognize that life never makes itself....PERFECT.  I also believe that what is really PERFECT is the PERFECTION that trials and hardships bring.
   In these infant hours of a new year, I've reflected on the reality of who I really am.  I'm committed to really plant my heart and soul into what I TRULY believe in.  More and more lately, I've reflected on the fact that were given one life.  What do I want to accomplish with this life?
   And it is fine to keep mulling over this question of one's purpose in life, but it is ENTIRELY different to ACT upon it....to really SEEK and MOVE towards living life with purpose. 

  I've reflected again on the need to simplify....to find that FOCUS on what's most important in life.  We can say it, but do we mean it.  It's easy to say God, my family, integrity at work, being a solid, dependable friend are my priorities, but are they really?  And again, I can sit and ponder how I am and am not REALLY reflecting these proposed priorities, but am I really doing anything about them?

  I think the larger urgency/"call to action" is to stop pondering and dissecting every morsel of the past.  There comes a time to transcend pain, transcend hurt, to look above, to simply trust, to simply trust, to SIMPLY TRUST God.

  I have often thought about what I feed into my heart and soul.....what is informing me, guiding me.  There comes a point where I cannot EMBRACE every ideology.  And I believe that recently I have really been swayed by consumerism...by what will "supposedly make my life easier....better".  I have always looked ahead to the future, the NEXT BIG EVENT...again my spirit and heart have been nudged to consider the wonder and greatness of the simplicity of today.

  May this be a remarkable year where I'm swayed by the right guidance. May the focus be straightforward, heading the direction always intended for me....."Brothers, I do not consider myself to have embraced it yet. But this one thing I do: Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead....." Phillipians 3:13.

Moving Beyond Frozen

Well, it is the second snow day in a row, so I have some of that elusive "free time".  I always find a rich irony in the fact that I teach reading and writing, encourage students to write whenever they can, and I've taken courses on writing "blogs and wikis", but when I look at the last entry, it's from nearly nine months ago.
   It's 10 degrees out right now and the wind is really stirring up the now that fell on Sunday and late last night.  Once again, we're in the midst of the busy holiday season.  All of our kids are fully into the "magic" and "wonder" of the season. We've been observing Advent with a calendar, minus the chocolates, each night.  Each door reveals a section of Scripture, mainly Luke 2 snippets.  It's been really cool to spend a few minutes discussing the magnificent importance of Jesus' arrival over 2,000 years ago.  At 36, I'm still trying to fathom the huge significance of God coming down to our human planet.

We had a visit from Santa at my brother Jon's house. It's become an annual tradition, although Santa was sick last year and only Mrs. Claus was able to stop by.  Watching the wonder and childlike innocence thaws the maturity of my own heart and reminds me of the fun of being a kid during the holidays. It was really sweet watching Logan, Scout, Quaid and Sawyer interact with Santa.

I've been thinking much about goals and dreams, God-given visions.  I was looking at the ministry of Josh Seller in Ontario...seeing all of the great and creative things he is doing for the kingdom.  Heading over to Jars of Clay's website,  I see how they have finished the building of their 1,000 clean water well in Africa.  Reading Max Lucado's OUTLIVE YOUR LIFE, I've been considering what legacy I'm leaving. 
  SELFISHNESS--While I'll write this, I certainly have not mastered it...."I'm pretty selfish."  Even in my daily procedures and choices, I realize that I'm pretty concerned about my own needs and desires.  I don't want my selfishness to dictate the type of legacy I leave behind. How often I'm focused on my own entertainment, what sounds good to eat....and I realize that there are GREATER things to devote my money, time, and dreams too.  Even directing the drama club at my school has been a consideration lately.  What is the LEGACY I'm leaving behind with the drama group?  I know the "greater good" that CAN come from directing this group, but is it really happening?  There have been shows that I felt really made a connection/impact to the audience and to the cast and crew (ANNE FRANK, LEAVING IOWA), and I'm NOT against entertaining for entertainment's sake.  Still, I worry that I'm going after what I THINK is my life's purpose and NOT God's.  Theater is great, but there are people hungry, hurting, and aching for God. Am I doing what GOD WANTS me to do??
  And I've thought a great deal about "spinning my tires in the frozen slush of life".  I feel a little bit like I"m lacking VISION, so I'm praying that God gives me a clear vision.  I don't want to just meander through life.  I know that legacy living HAS TO BE MORE than just wishing, dreaming, or talking about it....it's about living it out today. 

50 NEW Recipes In 2010- #6 Olive Garden's Homemade Alfredo Sauce with Chicken

My Grandma Russell always did an odd thing when went to restaurants of a "finer dining". Usually, and I cannot recall at this moment exactly where, these restaurants would feature a little bit of parsley next to the entree.  While conventional approaches to this garnish would be to simply admire its "decor" on the plate, my Grandma would snatch up everyone's parsley, wrap it in a napkin, and place it in her purse.  I don't recall totally why.  It may have been simply to provide a garnish on her own plate. 

Tonight, I returned to my cookbook, America's Most Wanted Recipes, and found myself cutting up that one green garnish my grandma loved to snatch off the table...Parsley.  The parsley mattered very little in the grander scheme of things because my past experiences with sauces that involve melting cheese into them has not always been great.  I've made a few nacho cheese sauces and sauces for homemade Macaroni and Cheese that were more reminiscent of sawdust gravy than anything remotely I was attempting. 
   And tonight's cheese ingredients were not in the usual McCulloch family dining budget.  Last night, while my wife was perusing the bread at Meijer's, I snuck in a a little bar of Romano cheese.  Romano is NOT a cheese that sits next to the American cheese slices that we use for grilled cheese sandwiches.  I found the Romano in the "expensive cheese section" near the deli.  This little wedge of Romano cost me $6.24.  For the McCulloch budget, this is expensive.  The alfredo sauce also included Romano, Parmesan, heavy cream (my first time working with "HEAVY" cream), milk, egg yolk, garlic powder. 

   I didn't double check the amount of cheese to be put in, so instead of putting a 1/2 cup EACH of Parmesan and Romano, I put in a FULL cup EACH.  So the kids and Amber got to have a little "cheesier" version of the sauce.
   One of the BEST parts of making dinner tonight was getting help from my "little chef" Logan.  Usually, Scout is the only one that I can tempt into the kitchen to help me.  She LOVE helping me, and surprisingly, she never surfaced the whole time Logan helped me.  Logan grated cheese, turned over the grilled chicken. mixed ingredients, used the colander to strain the angel hair noodles, and peeled the potatoes.  It was a great time just having him there to help, and he was very, very eager to be my assistant (Of course, he has my dominant personality.)  I loved it.
  So recipe #6 I'm reporting on was a HUGE success and enjoyed by everyone....Homemade Alfredo Sauce over Angel Hair noodles with breaded chicken...yummmmmm!

50 NEW Recipes In 2010- #4 Applebee's Chicken Grande Quesadilla and #5 Chili's Salsa

Again, catching up here....last Tuesday (March 9), I began cooking out of a new little cookbook I bought from Barnes and Nobles, America's Most Wanted Recipes: Delicious Recipes from Your Family's Favorite Restaurants.  In this book, you can find "copycat" recipes that claim to have broken the sacred, secret codes of famous recipes from national food chains, like Chilis, Outback, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Applebees. There are countless books out there that cover this topic, and it occurred to me tonight that I have actually gotten many of these types of recipes from online sources.  I could have saved myself a little bit of money.
   Having been out of the kitchen for nearly two weeks due to Tech Week rehearsals at the East China PAC for TO  KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, I went a little crazy in the kitchen that night.  Not only did I help my little daughter, Scout, make cupcakes for her First grade class, but I also made three new entrees.  Two of those are featured in this blog (#4 and #5 for my yearly challenge), and the third will be in the next one.
     Having not a great deal of time to round up supplies from our local Krogers, I was limited in what I could take on for my first slew of recipes.  Also, I did not want to make anything that would have long prep times.  We usually eat between 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. due to the fact that our children usually go to bed by 7:30 p.m.  With all of this into consideration, I decided to tackle Applebee's Chicken Grande Quesadilla and Chili's Salsa.  I am a huge fan of Chili's salsa, and I discovered that it probably has more to do with how fresh their chips are when eating their salsa than just the salsa.  The salsa has a great deal of canned tomatoes that are pureed.  Also, I got to add "cumin" to the salsa as well as diced jalepenos (which were a suprising part of the supposed recipe).  I fired up my Ninja food processor I received this past Christmas, and I was very happy with how the salsa came out and seems to be very much like the original Chili's salsa (except without the awesome, salty, deep-fried chips).
    I have made quesadillas many times before.  They are a quick dinner at the McCulloch ranch, but I have never followed such an extensive recipe.  Diced tomatoes, jalepenos, bacon (which I cooked and crumbled fresh for this dish), grilled chicken, and then came the interesting ingredient (among others)....chipotle sauce. Once again I found how much I wished I was closer to a Meijers or even Super Walmart, as finding a bottle of Chipotle sauce became a quest of its own at Krogers.  I DID find some, but I'm not sure if it is ACTUALLY authentic chipotle sauce. The bottle claims to have something to do with buffalo wing sauce, but much of the wordage on the bottle is in Spanish.  I assumed I found what I needed.  The chipotle (buffalo?) sauce coats the flour tortilla. 
   It was very cool making and eating both new additions to the McCulloch canon of recipes.  My kids stuck with the simple chicken and cheese jalepenos, while Amber and I struggled to put down the monstrous (due to the fact that you use 12" shells filled with a ton of ingredient) quesadillas.  Very, very yummy.  I'm anxious to try more of these "secret" recipes this week!!