PinterTest Kitchen: July

pinterest. 

did your heart just skip a beat

and a smile come across your face?

we all love this site that fosters creativity and laughter.

i love getting a chance to try some of these things out at least once a month with my friend's linky party, "pintertest kitchen." if you haven't tried something off pinterest or haven't linked up, you should!

this month, i tried another recipe (since this white girl don't craft).

open face chicken caprese sandwhich.

are you drooling yet?

i love all things caprese so this was a natural selection.

here's the original post:

 

so good right???

so promising, so easy.

ingredients:

-2 small chicken breasts (or 1 large breast)

-salt & pepper

-4 slices hearty bread (french or country)

-butter

-2 vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into 1/4″ slices

-4-5 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces

-2oz fontina or mozzarella cheese, cut into slices

 pre-sliced cheese: genious.

the author recommends fontina cheese, but i couldn't find it.

i also used flaxseed bread from the farmer's market and heirloom tomatoes.

SO GOOD!

okay, here's what you do:

1) slice the chicken in strips, season with salt and pepper on both sides and grill/cook until cooked through. set aside.

2) set oven to "broil." slice the loaf of bread to make cool looking diagonal pieces. put them on a cookie sheet (with foil for easy clean up), butter one side (lightly for a lower cal option), and place under broiler until crispy/toasted around the edges. (if using white bread, this would be "golden brown. not the case with the flax bread).

3) slice the tomatoes and cut the basil into strips. 

4) layer your ingredients on the cooked bread: chicken, tomato, cheese, and basil. (i REALLY like basil, so i put some in between the chicken and tomato, too).

5) place in oven and broil until cheese is melted.

 my sister helped me enjoy the final project. 

perfect since it serves two!

honestly, you're a fool if you don't try this recipe.

so easy, so good, so fresh!

perfect for a summer meal!

it would be great as an appetizer using smaller slices of bread.

eat up while i link up!

sobering July 4th

my job is pretty fantastic.
amidst the lack of sleep and super busy nights
lies absolute amazingness.


i work in one of my favorite cities in the world
doing what i was created to do,
and i get to do it with some stinking amazing people!
the Lord has been gracious to provide such perfection in my job
and i am grateful!


however, my job can be very sobering.
i work with an extremely underserved and
all-too-often forgotten group of people.


"support our troops."
you see it everywhere these days.
bumper stickers say it,
politicians say it,
celebrities say it.


but i don't think we fully grasp how much
support this group of people need.


i joke more than i should about how all of my patients,
although hospitalized for medical reasons,
have psychiatric issues:
post traumatic stress.
substance abuse.
depression.
anxiety.


so many are homeless.
so many live without hope.
this is sobering to me.
working with broken, hurting people brings reality
crushing down on all too often.


as we celebrate our nation's independence today,
i hope we not only remember those who have helped this country gain and maintain its political freedoms,
but we would remember those same men and women who live in captivity to themselves and horrors of the past.
and may we remember the only One who can truly bring freedom.




"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."
Ephesians 2:1-7

10 on 10: it's been awhile

Happy 10th of June!

i got a friendly text this am reminding 

me that it was the tenth of june.

thanks, kim. way to help me reach my blog potential.

this is not a trick.

went to the gas station this am, but couldn't get the pump

 to work for more than 5 seconds at a time.

so i pumped less than a gallon.

oh well.

headed to the clover next to meet up with some of my faves.

kim let's me put my feet near her stuff

and jason buys me venti iced waters.

win win if you ask me.

 such a beautiful, summer-like day in the bay!

glad i got to spend it worshiping with the Body of Christ!

 it was sudan sunday at hope

as we got to hear how the Lord used some of our local body

to minister and support the local body of sudan.

the resource table was sporting our global side today.

 the keys got locked in the van at church

which means clean up was delayed a bit.

no worries.

this lady and i enjoyed some sun and conversation.

always a pleasure.

 after church, took a few to veg.

literally. 

a lunch of vegetables and watching other people be athletic on tv while the exercise ball stares us in the face.

 my one living grandparent celebrated her 

94th birthday this past week.

today, we celebrated her as a family.

happy birthday, gammy!

 people may wonder why i was always the fat kid.

one factor: my mom is a BOMB cook.

i'd be surprised if you're mouth is not watering.

 after dinner, i got a text from a coworker telling me 

i was scheduled to work tonight.

as you can see, this was not what i expected.

thankfully, there was enough staff and i didn't have to go in.

sadly, i had to use my sick leave.

maybe one day i'll learn to read the schedule.

 we came home after family dinner.

i've been exhausted much of the weekend i think in part to my excessive carbohydrate consumption.

thankfully, i had an ISA shake with my name on it!

it tasted super good and was a nice prep before cleansing tomorrow.

hope you enjoyed this sneak peak into my tenth of june!

and hey, i'm actually linking up this time!

PinterTest Kitchen-June

is it really june?

i'm having a hard time believing it.

a new month means a new chance to put pinterst to the test.

my friend jessica hosts a link-up party on her blog for such an occasion.

check it out and join in on the fun!

this month, i'm trying to eat healthier,

so i decided to try out a fresh and healthy main course.

i like fish and it's packed with healthy goodness.

i know, i can hear the "boos" and "hisses" across the blogsphere.

but the good news is, i'm pretty sure this would work with chicken or pork too.

anyway, here's the original posting:

Grilled Salmon 

w/Avocado Salsa

delish, right?

here's what you'll need to season the fish/chicken/pork:

2 lbs salmon, cut into 4 pieces

1 tbs olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika powder

1 tsp black pepper

and for the salsa:

1 avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced

1 small red onion, sliced

3 mild hot peppers, seeded and deveined, diced or sliced

Juice from 2 limes

3 tbs olive oil

2 tbs finely chopped cilantro

Salt to taste

first things first:

mix the spices and olive oil.

coat both sides of the salmon fillets with the mixture

  refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

while that's chilling,
let's make the salsa.

i excluded the avocado until i put the salmon in the oven.
i also used 2 avocados because i'm an addict.
chill in refrigerator until ready to use.


heat the oven to 350 degrees.
 it's supposed to be grilled, but this single, apartment
living chick ain't got one.
 baking it is!
i put the salmon into a pyrex dish with some cooking spray.

cook for about 25 min


remove your cooked fish from the oven
and serve the avocado salsa on top.

my friend, angela came over for dinner and the giants game.
she approves.

this was a pinterest win!

i recommend this yummy combination of spices on the fish

and the salsa was ridiculously good.

try it out, yo!

linking up!

the Great Physician!

well, i'm on the front side of a five-day stretch off of work. 

and let's just say, i'm pretty stoked.

i just worked a four day stretch and some overtime.

phew, i'm tired.

but a good tired.

a fulfilled tired.

it was the most consistently busy shifts i've had in a long time,

but it felt really good  to be so productive.

all of my patients were pretty sick.

it broke my heart to see them suffering 

despite my efforts to help them.

one of  my guys had fairly advanced lung cancer.

and pneumonia on top of that. 

and had hypoglycemia in the morning.

and an irregular heart rate that required some intervention.

and we were ruling out tuberculosis.

sick, yea?

a couple nights ago we were transfering him and 

i noticed a Bible in his room.

i said, huh, interesting, but didn't pursue it any farther.

well, every shift i worked with this man, his heart would go into this irregular rhythm.

his heart would go really, really fast and 

we had to get it to slow down.
every time this happened, i followed protocol to 

slow down his heart beat.

but this morning, something changed.

his heart rhythm kept changing from regular rhythm to this accelerated rhythm.

and even though i was following protocol, it wasn't working.

i was just sitting there talking with him,

(we were kinda bff after four shifts),

and i saw the Bible.

the Spirit impressed upon my heart to pray for this man.

to pray that the Lord would heal this irregular rhythm.

i tried to say no; the medication should be working, right?

why can't i just learn to be obedient?

the urging to pray for this man was too strong *thankfully*

and so i asked if i could pray for him.

he was ridiculously receptive.

as i was praying for him, his heart rate slowed down and returned to a normal rhythm. 

and it stayed there for the rest of my shift.

doesn't the Lord blow your mind?!

one simply act of obedience can do so much!

i am always amazed that the Lord uses me, his most stubborn child, to reveal Himself to others.

what a privilege!!

 "Bless the Lord, O my soul,

    and forget not all his benefits,

who forgives all your iniquity,

   who heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit,

   who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy"

Psalm 103:2-4

mind over matter

fight on with determination 

in all areas of life's battle!

mish-mosh

there are a few things i want to blog about, but not sure i have enough content for separate blogs. 

so here we go, the mish-mosh kinda blog.

(which isn't that uncommon for me, now, is it?)

i've been convicted lately how little i pray. 

when did i forget how powerful and utterly 

important communion with God is?

i had this wicked headache last night at work. 

first thing i did? 

go in search for advil.

the Lord provided it and i was grateful,

but not as grateful as when 2 of my coworkers asked 

if they could pray for me;

seriously, so blessed. so convicted.

later, i was trying to draw blood and was having a hard time.

i finally prayed, simply and to the point, that the Lord would allow me to get the blood i needed.

and He did. 

the Almighty God provides, even in small ways.

amen?

*  *  *

i encountered a patient at work the last couple of nights.

he'd watch the scifi channel nonstop.

literally, he'd be asleep with it on.

kinda had a quarky personality that comes with constantly watching the scifi channel,

which, by the way, is crazy disgusting at times.

the man probably has lung cancer.

probably not just in his lungs anymore.

no. words.

i get why so many nurses abuse substances.

the reality of death looms around,

but thinking about it, i mean, actually thinking about it

 can be so damaging.

but then again,

"It is better to go to the house of mourning
    than to go to the house of feasting,
for this is the end of all mankind,
    and the living will lay it to heart."

Ecclesiastes 7:2 

*  *  *

i started this new cleanse/lifestyle. 

gimmicky? maybe.

working? we'll see.

feeling good so far, but i'm only on day two.

*  *  *

i graduate college 2 years ago.

whoa.

and i can't believe it's been 2 years since i was last in south asia.

Lord, when will you allow me to go back?

excited for my friend maragaret who heads to one of my fave south asian countries next month. pray for her and her team.

also excited for my friends who just got back from sudan and those who are headed to lyberia later this summer.

 *  *  *

pretty random, yea?

well, what else did you expect?