Cooking has been SUCH a blast recently! When I first got married, I was dreading learning to cook. Seriously. I was afraid of my abilities and scared that I would burn everything and mess it all up. But, I've gotten over that, just went out there and tried it, and now I love cooking (sometimes). I love following recipes. That's the difference between Tony and I. I like cooking when I can measure the ingredients, when cooking is planned and easy and works the way it is supposed to! This is why I like baking so much.
Tony, on the other hand, likes to add different ingredients and change them and experiment with temperatures and tastes.
This is not how I cook. :) But I love being married to him. His ability to go with the flow and take risks and be adventurous is something I need and will always have him for. I love this about him!
All that to say, my cooking experience, confidence, and ability is growing. And I actually like being in the kitchen now! I want to share my easy, fun recipes with you. I hope this helps all my friends who are future wifeys out there. I promise: you can do it!
This has been one of my FAVORITE recipes: it's black bean chili! YUM. I made this on the stove but you could also put it in the slow cooker as a throw-in-the-crockpot and go recipe!
1. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat; cook onion and garlic until onions are soft and less white/ more clear.
2. Add turkey and cook, stirring, until meat is brown.
3. Stir in beans, tomatoes, chili powder, oregano, basil and vinegar.
4. (This came from Tony's help): Taste the chili and add the following ingredients until you achieve the taste and kind of spicy you want: Cumin Seed, Red Pepper, Paprika, Tobasco Sauce, Minced Onion, Garlic Powder. If you like it really spicy: add more red pepper, cumin, and tobasco sauce.
5. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer (bring to a steady bubbling temperature, a continuous bubble not a boil) for 60 minutes or more, until flavors are well blended. (Or just put in the crockpot on low when you leave for work in the morning!)
Now, for our next recipe! Seriously, I cannot rave enough about this recipe- it's amazing. So, Tony and I LOVE tortillas and anything you make with tortillas: enchiladas, tacos, breakfast burritos, you name it. And ever since we started cooking together, we always buy tortillas at the store.
That has CHANGED FOREVER. NEVER BUY TORTILLAS ANYMORE EVER! Trust me- once you try making this recipe, you will never again buy them. These tortillas are so easy to make and absolutely delicious. I will use this recipe for any meal I want to make with tortillas now.
I got this recipe from an amazing cookbook called: Homesick Texan, by Lisa Fain. I changed it a bit. You can visit her blog for yummy Tex-Mex recipes at http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/.
Flour Tortillas
Some keys to this recipe:
1. Patience. You have to give the dough time to rise! It makes them taste better. It takes about an hour for the dough to be ready to cook.
2. They are best made fresh for your meal (not stored for the next day).
Ingredients
1/4 cup butter (shortening or lard can work too)
1 cup water
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1 teaspoon salt
Directions
1. Place the butter and water into a pot on medium heat and cook until butter has melted.
2. In a bowl on the side, stir together flour and salt. Pour in the melted butter mixture and stir until a loose ball is formed.
3. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead for 2 minutes until the dough is smooth.
4. Divide the dough up into 8 (1.5 inch-2 inch) dough balls, put into a mixing bowl, and cover. Let the dough rest for an hour. (It's tired and needs a nap).
5. After an hour, take each ball out and pat out into a 4 inch circle. Use a rolling pin to to roll into a thin 8 inch circle. Don't overwork the dough.
6. In a cast-iron skillet (if you don't have one of these, get one pronto! They are a must for cooking I have come to find), cook each tortilla on high heat for 30 seconds on one side, flip it, then cook for 1 minute on the other side. It will puff a little bit. Flip it again and cook for 30 more seconds.
7. Place cooked tortillas in a basket or bowl lined with a cloth to keep warmer!
Serve and enjoy :) Mmmmmm..... YUM!
I even eat these plain with just a little butter! Make this recipe now. You will not regret it.
I got to experience, for the first time, the Iditarod Sled Dog Race here in Alaska! I got to watch the ceremonial start in Anchorage and the actual start to the race in Willow. It was incredible, and absolutely a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Because I'm from Texas and really had no idea what the Iditarod was and what it was like, I loved getting to learn more about the race, its history, and what it's like in reality. I wanted to write about my experience watching the Iditarod start, but I also wanted to provide a little history and facts for everyone who doesn't know that much about the Iditarod (which includes myself!).
What is the Iditarod?
You can’t compare it to any other competitive event in the world! A race over 1150 miles of the roughest, most beautiful terrain Mother Nature has to offer. She throws jagged mountain ranges, frozen river, dense forest, desolate tundra and miles of windswept coast at the mushers and their dog teams. Add to that temperatures far below zero, winds that can cause a complete loss of visibility, the hazards of overflow, long hours of darkness and treacherous climbs and side hills, and you have the Iditarod. A race extraordinaire, a race only possible in Alaska.
From Anchorage, in south central Alaska, to Nome on the western Bering Sea coast, each team of 12 to 16 dogs and their musher cover over 1,049 miles in 10 to 17 days. (iditarod.com)
Check out http://iditarod.com/ for more information about the Iditarod, its history, videos, race standings, and more. It truly is such an amazing sport!
Discovery Channel did a documentary on the Iditarod and this is one of the trailers. If you watch it, you can get an idea of what it really is like to be a musher in the Iditarod.
This map shows the Iditarod Trail, from Anchorage (WIllow) to Nome.
This picture was taken in Willow, Alaska where we saw the mushers (racers) take off!
One thing I loved seeing was how excited the dogs were to start racing! Some animal rights activists protest this race, saying that it is cruelty to the dogs, but if you saw these dogs at the beginning of the race, you would know how much they love it! They are seriously excited to start and they jump up and down and bark and can't wait to get going. These dogs were born and breed to run and they love it.
How did the Iditarod get its start?
For six thousand years, sled dogs have served as the principal form of transportation for the native peoples of the north. As white settlers, gold miners, and fur trappers moved into what is today Alaska and the northern territories of Canada, they, too, used the dog team for winter transportation. When gold camps boomed in the interior, the request for mail and supply delivery during the winter months were answered by the hearty dogs and musher. One of the major routes followed by the teams was the Iditarod Trail, which crossed Alaska from Seward on the Kenai Peninsula to Nome on the Bering Sea Coast.
In the winter of 1925, a diphtheria epidemic struck Nome. The anti-serum required to stop the epidemic needed to be quickly transported to Nome, but no roads to Nome existed, ships could not sail through the pack ice, and air travel was too dangerous. The Iditarod Trail was the only answer, and a group of 18 dog teams and musher’s relayed the serum 674 miles from Nenana to Nome. This is the well-known story of Balto – the lead dog of the initial serum race.
Clearly sled dogs were a key part of Alaska's early history, but they began to disappear as snowmobiles, airplanes, and roads arrived in Alaska during the middle 20th century. In response to this disappearance, Joe Redington Sr. and a group of musher worked together to start a race across Alaska that followed the old Iditarod Trail. This race was the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, and it has become the world's premiere sled dog race since its first running in 1973.
This picture was taken in Anchorage, at the ceremonial start. It was like a festival- there was music, and reindeer dog stands (eaten like a hot dog!), and furs were being sold. The whole city comes out to see the sled dogs and their mushers begin the race. The times that they receive this day translate to their placement in the real beginning of the race in Willow.
Mushers (the sled racers) wave to the people in Anchorage as they make their start! It is an exciting start of the race.
Tony and I at the starting line!
What kind of dogs are used in the Iditarod?The most commonly used dog in the Iditarod is the Alaskan Husky. The Alaskan Husky is actually a mixed breed, or mutt, dog that is born and bred to love to pull. Alaskan Huskies are a descendent of the original northern sled dogs (mostly domesticated wolves and wild dogs) used by the native peoples of the North Country.
This picture was taken in Willow, and these dogs are ready to go!
How do they create the Iditarod Trail Race?The Iditarod Trail Breakers are some of the most hard-core snowmobile drivers in the world. They make a 1,100-mile "highway" across Alaska every winter. About 10,000 pieces of surveyor's stakes with orange paint and reflective tape are used to mark the trail. Additional ribbons and tripod markers are used in places like the Alaska Mountain Range and the Bering Sea Coast. The rules require musher to stay on the marked race trail. Despite such a heroic marking effort, winds, passing dogs and snowmobiles, and even wild animals can knock down markers. Musher still must know how to find their and search the snow for signs of other dog teams.
A man in Willow created this fire pit in the snow to keep himself warm while watching the mushers!
Even the little babies come to watch and are all bundled up!
While we were visiting friends in Willow, I got to ride a snowmobile for the first time! It is a lot like a jet ski, but more fun!
In Willow, we got to see the mushers a little bit further on down the trail, beginning their 1,500 mile trek.
What does the winner of the Iditarod receive?
The Iditarod Champion receives over 68,000 dollars in cash plus a brand new Dodge Ram 4x4 pickup (Alaska Dodge Dealers is a major race sponsor). A total of 600,000 dollars is distributed to the top 30 finishers in the race each year, and every musher who finishes the race is awarded $1,049. A few other smaller prizes are awarded along the trail to the first musher into the checkpoints of McGrath and Unalakleet, as well as the first musher to the half-way point and the Yukon River.
In Willow, a lot of people camp out and set up shop to watch the racers pass by. There are barbeques and yummy food and a fun, fellowship atmosphere.
What is the weather like?The weather is always an unknown variable. From November to early March, when the amount of daylight ranges from 10 to less than 4 hours per day, the lowest temperature readings will fall below zero. Low temperatures of -40 to -50°F or colder occur each winter. Long periods of five to ten or more days of extremely low temperatures occur during the winter months. Nome is the exception, with Norton Sound moderating the local temperatures. While Nome’s overnight winter temperatures typically fall to near zero, readings lower than -20°F are uncommon. From October through April, snow cover is persistent in most areas, without interruption. Colder weather is easier on the dogs, which generally run best in a range from 20-below zero to 20 degrees above. The coldest temperature ever recorded on the Iditarod Race was in ’73 when the temperature with wind chill plummeted to unbelievable –130º F.
Everyone setting up to watch the racers go by!
My favorite part was seeing the dogs and how excited they were to start the race!
This year, Dallas Seavey, 34 years old, became the youngest person ever to win the Iditarod race.
Overall, this was one of the most incredible events I have ever witnessed. I am so thankful to live in Alaska and get to watch it year after year!
The Luiken Lowdown is my new way of telling you what's been going on with Tony and I! You know The Haps, What's New, What's Up, What's been shakin' bacon- We have had so many new things happening around here and I love it!
After seeking a church home here in Anchorage for awhile, we have finally found a church home that fits us so well. Our new church home is Cornerstone Church and it has been such an amazing experience finding community and fellowship. We love the teaching pastor, Brad, and our young married life group that meets every Sunday night. It is beautiful to begin to build genuine relationships- based on truth about sin and grace and redemption.
My love for the state of Alaska and its beauty is growing tremendously. Everywhere I look, the Lord's work surrounds me. His fingertips, His creativity, His nature, His majesty envelopes me. There are no words for it. I find myself continually praising the Lord for His work in my life and His ceaseless love. The beauty of the snow and mountains and oceans and sunsets are beyond explanation. They bring me so much peace and remind me of my Creator, my Father.
While Tony was in the Forge and while we were dating, we started a tradition of reading together. This time, it was my turn to pick so now we are reading The Hunger Games! Ah, it's so good! And now I'm taking Tony to the movie coming out. Yesss.
One of my favorite experiences so far in Alaska has been getting to watch the start to the Iditarod Sled Dog race. I have never seen anything like this in my life! One "musher" (which is what they call the person who takes care of the dogs and that the dogs pull on the sled, the racer) trains their dogs for months and prepares them for the 1,000 mile race from Willow, Alaska (near Anchorage) to Nome. It can take anywhere from 10-13 days. We got to see the "ceremonial" start in Anchorage and the actual start that took place in Willow! It was amazing. I will blog more about my experience later :)
Something else I've been getting used to is the sun patterns! Now that it is March the sun is coming up earlier and going down later. I'm still getting used to this change and can't wait to see what the summer is like. To me, more sun time= more time to get to go hiking, fishing, hunting, and camping!
This is our new Betta fish, Mr. Miyagi. Bettas are siamese fighting fish so that's why we named him Mr. Miyagi, after Karate Kid! Our apartment is pretty small so a dog is not really an option right now. We try to cover his eyes when we cook salmon and halibut ;)
We got a membership to the gym up here, The Alaska Club! Wintery weather + being married + wanting to cook yummy stuff all the time = weight gain. But, Tony and I have been trying to continue to motivate each other to make it a priority. I'm discovering the joy of the swimming pool as of lately and have been learning how to swim for good exercise. It's actually super fun! And, I can't wait to start Zumba classes.
This last weekend, we went skiing and this was our view from the top of the mountain. Amazing.
The sun peeking through our apartment window! Come on sun, keep shining and bring on the spring!
At Cornerstone, we have been volunteering with the middle school youth group (6th-8th graders). We get to lead a small group every Wednesday night and this month we are teaching Sunday school. Please be praying for us. We are praying that the Lord uses us in this ministry, that the kids can see Christ in us and that we can seek opportunities to share the gospel. Middle school is a hard age but my heart and passion is geared towards these crazy kids.
Cooking in our apartment is something I look forward to every night. Last week, we made Black Bean Chili with ground turkey meat. YUM. It was so good. And we learned how to make homemade tortillas! Never again will I buy tortillas. Seriously. More recipes to come on the blog!
I have been trying to challenge myself to make one dessert a week. I know, this conflicts with my Alaska Club and losing weight desires, but hey everyone needs dessert every now and then! Last week, I made this Pineapple Upside Down Cake, which I've never made before and it turned out so good. This week, I'll be making a crispy marshmallow lemon pie.
As far as work goes, I am currently in training for the next 2 weeks for my job as a social worker. As soon as I get finished, I will get my first case. Please be praying for me for compassion and to be a light to families in need. I know that the work I will be doing is going to be tremendously hard, but I also know the Lord has me here for a reason and to work with specific families for a reason. Hot chocolate is one of my comforts! :)
And I can think of no better way to end than a quote that I found recently from Dietrich BonHoeffer: “In a word, live together in the forgiveness of your sins, for without it no human fellowship, least of all a marriage, can survive. Don’t insist on your rights, don’t blame each other, don’t judge or condemn each other, don’t find fault with each other, but accept each other as you are, and forgive each other every day from the bottom of your hearts…”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison
