Yesterday the snow whipped around our windows all day. This morning, I looked out and the world was frozen- so still and sparkling. A blue sky and a backyard blanketed with with glittering hard snow. I don't know what it is about this March, but I'm really content with it. Loving the gray days, the blustery days, all of it. Like I mentioned last week, I'm not tired of the winter weather here in Minnesota and was excited to see more snow coming later in the week. (!!!) So thankful the Lord gives grace to outlast an average 5-6 month winter. Not that I won't be thrilled when it's sunny and 70.

I think this contentment is all part of a gift I've been given from the Lord recently. A season of peace. Quiet days at home, an abundance of time with my husband. Not all parts of the year are like this, and I'm stopping a minute to let it sink in.

This is awesome.

Thank you, Lord. This is from You.

To top it all off, I feel like dinner has been getting freshened up around here. We've found a few new favorites and this red curry over rice is one of them. I think we'll be having it at least once a week for awhile. It's made with delicious grass-fed beef, red curry paste, and soaked brown rice, and has just the right amount of mild heat- warm enough for us grown ups and not too spicy for Hadley. She loves it. Big thanks to my sweet friend Erin for her recipe, which she assures me is not authentic, but it's yummy! I know absolutely nothing about curry, but I'm learning that there's the Indian kind of curry and there's Thai kind of curry and this is Thai-ish. For you guys who know more than me, I think it might fall somewhere between panang curry and pad gra pow? Regardless, it's delicious and really fun (easy, just stand at the stove and stir one pan) to make.

peanut butter toasts with honey, while watching the leaves fall. 


the peanut butter is this kind. the raw honey is from a place just a few miles down the road. (yay for local. i wish i had my allergies right now. i bet the honey would heal me. instead i have a sore throat. but i bet the honey will heal that too!) and the toast is from a loaf of bread i made last night, which kind of reminds me of ciabatta. or maybe an english muffin. either way, i'm liking it. (recipe below!!)


my favorite part of the weekend was..


sitting outside saturday afternoon. i read a book while grant caulked our new front door.
or maybe it was the seminar i went to on biblical nutrition. i ate up every word.
or maybe it was slicing tomato while grant cooked our burgers.
or maybe it was sweating. i'm really happy when i'm not cold.
or maybe it was watching community with grant.
or maybe it was picking out this dehydrator, after reading lots of great reviews.
or maybe it was making roasted red pepper sauce with julie & julia in the background.
or maybe it was scooping out soft butternut and buttercup squash flesh for soup later on.
or maybe it was baking this bread. and then eating 3 slices of it immediately.




soaked whole wheat ciabatta-like bread 
loosely adapted from sheena 


1 1/2 cups warm water
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup ground flax seed


1/2 cup warm water
1 package active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/3 cup honey
heaping 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted (or butter)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt


1. the day before baking: thoroughly combine flours, flax, and water. make sure flour is completely moistened. add another tablespoon or two (or more!) of water if there are still dry spots. when you're done combining, it should look like a dough. cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap, and let sit on the counter for 24 hours or so.
2. when you're ready to bake: mix yeast with 1/2 cup warm water and 1/3 cup honey in your mixer bowl. let sit for 20 minutes to bloom. scrape soaked flour mixture into mixer bowl and add coconut oil and salt. using the dough hook, mix all together for 5 minutes or so. while it's mixing, sprinkle 1/2 cup or so more flour down the sides of the bowl to help a dough form. dough will still be very, very wet- don't worry. 
3. scrape/pour dough into a greased bowl and let rise for 1 hour. preheat oven to 375 degrees. pour dough (it will still be wet! almost like a batter. weird, i know.) into greased loaf pans and let rise another 45 minutes. bake for 40 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches about 190.(if you take your bread's temp like i do). let cool in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. crust will be chewy and crumb will be open and airy. eat immediately with butter!


this bread is perfect for toasting and making a panini. seriously. 


ps. i poured my bread 'batter' into two loaf pans, one large and one small. but the small one came out very short. not that i mind. i like mini toasts. but next time i might pour it all into my large loaf pan and just have one big one. you can do whatever you like!


happy monday! the leaves are sinking past my window in a constant stream today. looks like a movie scene. what kind of breakfast did you have to go with the falling leaves?