stop getting and start receiving

I'm really liking Joyce Meyer's Trusting God Day by Day devotional! 

1 John 3:22: "And we receive from Him whatever we ask, because we [watchfully] obey His orders [observe His suggestions and injunctions, follow His plan for us] and [habitually] practice what is pleasing to Him."

"When everything in your life requires effort, life becomes frustrating and exhausting - and that's not the kind of abundant life Jesus came to give us. No, God wants us to live with a holy ease, a grace that keeps us from striving and struggling through life. That doesn't mean everything will be easy, but it means even difficult things can be done with a sense of God's presence and help."

recipe: red velvet oreo crinkle cookies

These cookies. I made these this weekend and they're good. Mine turned out more palm-sized but red velvet and Oreo together is great friendship :) I haven't looked at anything else on Sprinkle Bakes blog but I'm sure there's plenty more awesome-ness!

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. liquid red food coloring
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
24 Oreos
1 cup confectioners' sugar

1. "Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat in buttermilk, vanilla and red food coloring. 
3. Sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Add to butter mixture and beat on low until just combined. The dough should be very soft and a little sticky. If it is very sticky then add 1/4 cup more all-purpose flour and stir again. Cover and chill in the freezer until the dough is very cold and easy to handle.
4. Place confectioners' sugar in a bowl and set aside.
5. Using buttered fingers (I used cooking spray) scoop out a 3-4 tbsp.-sized piece of dough and press the dough around the sandwich cookie.  Alternate method: flatten dough between the palms of your hands.  Place a cookie on the flattened dough and fold the dough around the cookie. (Butter hands between each dough piece.)
6. Roll lightly between the palms of your hands to make the cookie-stuffed dough a little more ball-shaped and roll in powdered sugar. Repeat until all the dough and cookies are used.
7. Place dough balls on a cookie sheet about 3 inches apart.  These cookies will spread, so I suggest placing no more than 5 per cookie sheet.  Tip: re-roll dough balls in powdered sugar just before putting them in the oven.  The crinkled appearance will be more prominent.
8. Bake until cookies are puffed and cracked on top about 14 minutes. Let cool on the pan about 5 minutes (cookies will be soft) then transfer to a wire rack to cool."

trust God through the hard times

I'm working through Joyce Meyer's devotional, Trusting God Day by Day and today's reading struck a chord with me. The title is "Trust God Through the Hard Times":

"Often when we think of trusting God, we think of trusting Him for things we need or want - financial provision, physical healing, the restoration of a relationship, or a promotion at work. A true relationship of trust in God extends beyond trusting Him for something and includes trusting Him through a situation. We need to learn to not simply look to Him for the results we desire; we need to learn to trust Him through the process of attaining them...because He is with us, we can go through trials in our lives with stable, positive attitudes, trusting God completely, even against seemingly impossible odds." 

recipe: peppermint pattie cookies

Oh my! I'm knee-deep with planning lessons, grading papers and all other things teaching! While I'm loving finally having my own classroom, I'm still working on finding the balance between my job...and the other parts of my life. Blogging has wandered to the sidelines since August but I want one of my goals for 2013 to be to get back to it! So I'm sharing an amazing recipe for peppermint pattie cookies I found today - I'm baking these super soon! 

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) of unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup loosely brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate chips

peppermint pattie cream
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

ganache
3.5 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
2.5 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions:

"Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix the flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix the cooled butter and sugars until they are combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir until mixed. Gradually add in dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms – it will look crumbly at first, but it will come together. I even used my hands to help at one point. Fold in chocolate chunks. Roll dough into 1-1 1/2-inch balls and place on a nonstick baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the middles are just set. Don’t over bake! Let cool completely. While cookies are cooling, add powdered sugar, butter, milk, vegetable oil, vanilla and peppermint extracts to the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until smooth and creamy. Use a spatula and spread the peppermint cream over the top of each cookie evenly."

 

book review: "belonging" by robin lee hatcher

"In the high desert town of Frenchman’s Bluff, Idaho, Felicia Kristoffersen has set out to create a future for herself that is better than her painful past. Alone in the world with only her faith to sustain her, she must prove herself as this tiny community’s new school teacher. She cannot, must not, fail. But there are those who never wanted her there to begin with.

Five years after the death of his wife, local merchant Colin Murphy cares about just one thing: raising his daughter, Charity. Colin wants to give her the educational advantages he never had. The new schoolmarm’s inexperience doesn’t sit well with him, and if this teacher up and marries like the last one did, Charity’s heart will be broken once again.

A woman who hasn’t known love. A man who lost the love he had."

As a first year teacher, I immediately was able to connect with Felicia. Even though there wasn't a lot of attention given to the ups and downs of her job, I liked having that in common with her. I wasn't overly impressed with the story but liked the side story of Kathleen and Oscar. I think I would've liked Colin and Felicia to get together sooner but it was an overall good read. I have a feeling the mention of Felicia's past might come up again - Gunnar doesn't seem to be the type to give up easily. I'm excited to see what happens next in Betrayal!

I received a copy of this book from Zondervan for my honest review. You can learn more about Belonging from Robin's website.

(in)spired deals review

 

Click here for info about (in)courage's (in)spired deals

I love Christmas time. Though battling crowds and traffic while searching for those "just right" gifts can sometimes threaten to steal some of that joy, it's still one of my favorite times of the year. I love finding cute paper to wrap my gifts and getting excited when I know I've found the "perfect" gift for someone! This is my first year teaching and we've welcomed December with making glitter snowflakes and cinnamon ornaments. I've hung up a jingle bell wreath and another jingle bell on my door, hearing the soft tinkle of the bell whenever a kiddo comes in. 

And I'm excited to add Dayspring's Redeemed Fabric Wreath to my classroom! I took it to school the other day and laid it on my desk, not quite sure where I would hang it. One of my first graders saw it, asking "You brought more Christmas stuff?" Yes, I did (smile). I love the colors of the wreath and have every intention of leaving it up beyond Christmas. When I pulled it out of the box, my creativity was immediately stirred up; I want to make one for the spring!

To me, redeemed can't be summed up in a word. It's living a life that embraces the forgiveness I've found in God. It's looking at others as He would. It's being His hands and feet to those who are hurting. It's me loving my first grade kiddos, investing into their lives the best I can. It's showing compassion and mercy to others and letting God to shine through me.

I received my fabric wreath for my honest review as part of (in)courage's (in)spired deals program.

recipe: peppermint pattie brownies

One of my goals while on Christmas break is do some major baking! These brownies are at the top of the list! They're from the amazing Jessica at How Sweet It Is. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup chocolate chips
peppermint pattie layer
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
ganache
3.5 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
2.5 tablespoons heavy cream

 

Directions:

"Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8 baking pan with butter or nonstick spray. In a large bowl, combine melted butter with sugar and vanilla extract, whisking until combined and almost smooth. Whisk in each egg one at a time, stirring until a smooth batter forms. Add in flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt, stirring until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Spread batter in the 8x8 baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes until set. Remove and let cool. While brownies are cooling, add powdered sugar, butter, milk, vegetable oil, vanilla and peppermint extracts to the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until smooth and creamy. Pour over brownies and spread in an even layer with a spoon or spatula. Place in the refrigerator until set, about 30 minutes. To make ganache, heat heavy cream until warm and pour it over chopped chocolate. Stir for a few minutes until totally combined, smooth and creamy. Spread over the top of the peppermint layer or cut brownies first and spoon over top. I love these refrigerated!"