Cooking with my Wi-Wi

If you haven't seen this You Tube clip from "Toddlers in Tiaras," then you are not living life.



Makenzie calls her pacifier her "ni-ni." Whenever it's not around she wails for it, screams for it, calls out for it. It's frightening, sure. Horrifying, absolutely. A good form of birth control? You got it! But overall, I find this little nightmare of a child downright hilarious.

So naturally, my Greenville BFF, my "Wingwoman," Mollye went from being my wingwoman to my "wiwi" pretty quickly.

Anyway, my Wiwi came over to cook with me tonight. Most of you remember, I hate and despise cooking. But we had actually had a BLAST! And what we made actually tasted so fab, I'd probably have eaten the leftovers had I not been going out of town tomorrow. Even more perfect - I'm going to Barrier Island (i.e. the BEACH) so seashell pasta just seemed perfectly apropos!

I'm sure posting the recipe is kind of violating some kind of bloggy copyright law, because I got it off another blog - but we added some of our own touches so I'm gonna risk it. I wish I had thought to take a picture, but we gobbled it up too fast!!!

Seashell Pasta Bake with Chicken, Spinach, and Tomatoes

1 lb. seashell pasta
1 pack pre-cooked chicken strips, chopped (you could use real chicken but why go to all that trouble?!)
1/8 c olive oil
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
5 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes, including the juice (I used a can with basil included)
1/4 cup white wine (I might have added a little extra to make it saucier)
1/2 container ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350°. Set a large pot of water to boil. Once it comes to a rolling boil, salt it and cook the pasta until just al dente. Drain.

While the pasta is cooking, set a large skillet over medium heat. Once it’s hot, heat the olive oil then add the chicken. Let the chicken cook 2 minutes and then add the garlic. Simmer with the chicken until it’s fragrant and begins to turn golden – about 3 minutes.

Add the salt. spinach, and white wine to the skillet and cook for an additional 3 – 5 minutes, or until the spinach begins to wilt. Add the diced tomatoes and juice. Let it simmer for 3-5 more minutes. Add 1/2 container of ricotta. Stir gently until it is all well combined.

Toss the contents of the skillet with the pasta and place in a casserole dish. Cover with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake for 20 minutes.

Makes about 8 servings.

Now I know:
Friends make everything more fun. (Duh).

The Bead Project

When I was 7 I met my first best friend in Liza Morgan. Today is her 27th birthday, and it's only fitting that I pay tribute to Liza and to our 20 years of friendship!

Liza has heart like a radiator. She brings warmth to any conversation and has never met a stranger. She is a true friend to SO many people, and I have been lucky to always count her as one of my closest confidantes. Whenever we talk, she has this incredible way of making time and distance disappear. Liza's stories are hilarious, her encouragement is sincere, and her adventurous, gypsy spirit is an inspiration.



Well, Liza recently just got back from spending time in Uganda with Fount of Mercy, an organization that helps to empower the widows and orphans in this impoverished country. True to form, she made distance disappear by bringing the mission of the organization home with her. Just reading about her special project brings a huge smile to my heart.



Read about it here: http://yayalulu.blogspot.com/2011/02/here-it-is.html


Liza, I am so proud of you and can't wait to see where this project takes you!

Now I know:
You couldn't pick a more fashionable way to show love than to buy some of these widows beads.

A Star is Born

Today I had the sweet privilege of holding a newborn baby girl. It was most definitely the highlight of my week, so I had to share a picture.

While I was holding Stella today, I silently wished babies would never grow up.

I am a sucker for those fat little feet. Those itty bitty fingernails. That death-grip reflex that connects their hand to your finger. I love their fantastic toothless smiles and butter smooth skin.

To me, babies are perfect. They are in a constant state of bliss. Sleeping and dreaming and eating is their world. Their mama is never more than a few steps away, ready to meet their every need with constant loving care. Babies are unblemished, unscathed by the upsetting, hurtful, broken world we live in.

But when I think about how much goodness Stella will add to this world, I know for certain that she has to grow. With her dad's free spirit and her mom's hilarious sense of humor, she will be a light to the world. She will bring joy and fun and caring wherever she goes.

So naturally this made me think about why God wants us to grow. He wants us to use our life experiences to enrich the lives of others around us. He allows us to make mistakes so we can learn from them. He allows us to face hard things so we can learn to trust Him fully. He allows us to be in darkness so we can be lights. And best of all - He is never more than a breath away, ready to meet our every need with constant loving care.



Welcome to the world, Stella Rae! Let that little light shine!!!

Now I know:
Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. -Philippians 2:14-15-