Forging My Own Frontier: Confessions of a Home Cook

So some of you know that in the last few years I have become quite the active home cook. Hubs swears my food is delicious (I'm not sure if he's being entirely honest, but I'll go with it), so I just keep coming up with new ways to experiment in the kitchen. Sometimes I get it way wrong, but the days when I get it right, there really is nothing better!

I'm fairly certain that the catalyst for my love of cooking was the same as many women...becoming a wife. When you're engaged, you register for all of this professional-grade cookware, you start watching Food Network with reckless abandon and dog-earing (or "Pinning") Pottery Barn-esque scenes like a junkie. And then you get married. Something about becoming a wife triggers a chemical release in our brains that tells us (no matter how much of a feminist we are...or aren't), we want to make our man happy. And what better way to a man's heart than through his stomach!?!

Since moving to the South, I've started to expand my repertoire to include some southern classics. I've started watching more Paula Deen than Giada and adding about twice the amount of butter to my dishes. (Mom, ignore that...and the 5 lbs. I've put on in the last month or so when you come to visit).

But my true inspiration, recently, has been a woman many of you fondly refer to as The Pioneer Woman -- the one and only Ree Drummond. I'll spare you the excessive gushing over her fabulousness, as it really speaks for itself, but her recipes and overall outlook on life have really taught me about being "an accidental country girl". I've been reading her blog and watching her shows religiously and she inspires nearly every decision I make in the kitchen these days... from wearing my cowboy boots to whipping up some homemade spinach and artichoke dip for gameday. 

Her cookbooks (the second of which just hit shelves in the last few weeks) arrived today and I couldn't be more excited to dive into them!

I've been actively cataloging my most successful kitchen endeavors via Instagram the last few months, so here is a look at some of my recent homeruns!

Baked Potato-Inspired "Loaded" Filet

 

The Best Beef & Veggie Stir Fry Ever

 

Asparagus Soup & Pan Roasted Halibut

 Fish Taco Night! (One of our favorites)

w/ blackened tilapia, corn tortillas, lime cumin sauce, and all the fixins!

 My (almost) Famous Chorizo & Veggie Fritatta w/ Goat Cheese

A crowd pleaser every time!

 On the fly, gluten free chocolate bread pudding w/ whiskey sauce

(Note: For this one, I was watching an episode of Paula Deen where she was making bread pudding, I pushed Pause, trotted into the kitchen, grabbed what I had on hand, and whipped up this magical deliciousness! Good gracious it was tasty!)

 Pan Roasted Sea Bass & Scallops 

w/ Garlic Rosemary Polenta over Zucchini Ribbons

 Caprese Caesar Salad 

w/ Homemade Dressing and Parmesan Crisps

 Cowboy Ribeyes w/ a Cocoa & Coffee Rub

Bruschetta on Sourdough Boule

(this was one of Ree's)

 

Steak Pizzaiola

 Gluten Free Skillet Cornbread

 

Pasta w/Leeks & Pancetta

(also one of Ree's that Hubs saw on the show and casually said, "So Babe, you're making that for dinner tonight?" And so I did.) 

Apple Oat Muffins - so Fall-y & Delish-y (& Healthy) 

 

Four Cheese Ravioli with Italian Style 

Chicken Sausage & Homemade Tomato Basil Sauce

 

Wings Two Ways

Traditional Buffalo and Sweet & Spicy Asian Glazed

(also inspired by Ree) 

 

Roasted Beef Tenderloin Au Poivre & Peppercorn Cream Sauce

(inspired by Hubs' favorite dish at The Capital Grille) 

 Game Day Pizza Dip

Before

  

After

Homemade Coleslaw

 

Ree's Spinach & Artichoke Dip

(She's right, it is the best ever! No, seriously.) 

Before

  

 After

 

And finally...the most southern of southern dishes...

Pulled Pork 

(This one deserved a play-by-play)

The Dry Rub: The usual suspects

 

 

 

 

Building the Crust: Brown on all sides

Friends of Flavor: Garlic & Onions

Getting Cozy in the Pot

Full Disclosure: Used the bottled stuff this time

 Everybody in the Pool

 And then we wait.....

and wait...

But it is so worth it, because the finished product...amazing!

(Note: when I served this to Hubs' b-school friends, many of whom are from the South, they said it was the best pulled pork they'd ever had...I'll take it.)

 

Well, there you go. I just ate dinner and somehow, I'm starving again from looking at those! While I promise NOT to turn this exclusively into a cooking blog, I'm fairly certain this won't be the last you see of my food! If anyone is interested in specific recipes, feel free to reach out!

TODAY in Tennessee - as in the Show!

So in case you didn't hear, Kathie Lee and Hoda of the 4th Hour of the TODAY Show came to the University of Tennessee today to go "back to college".

Since moving here, UT has had several national news moments including ESPN's College Game Day and now this! What fun!

But with KLG and Hoda coming to town, my work colleagues and I were especially excited! So this morning, we all got up at 3:30 (ouch!) and were on campus by 5am to see our company featured in a segment on WBIR, the local NBC affiliate. We then parked ourselves near the stage to await the 4th Hour - which begins at 10:00 AM mind you. Needless to say, it has been a long, albeit super fun day!

Below are some photos from our morning on campus! Kathie Lee and Hoda even picked up my tweet and featured it on their blog! I can't wait to watch this on my DVR later!

That's my tweet!

Watching Kip Moore warm up - "somethin bout a truck!"

An early, rainy morning - but so worth it!

On set with Sarah!

Kip Moore rockin' out!

Kathie Lee & Hoda!

Filming our segment on WBIR at 5:30 AM!

Hanging out on The Hill waiting for KLG & Hoda

Bad weather can't stop us!

Home Sweet (New) Home - A Photo Tour

In the interest of sharing with you all that has taken place in the last few months, the following is a brief photo tour of some of the highlights...

At the beginning of August, we took a family vacation to my favorite place in the world, Hilton Head Island, SC.

Then, we shared a final hoorah with some of our friends at the Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw Concert!

 We sent our little sister off to college!

Then came the move... packing was a nightmare, but Allie was super helpful :)

Then the long drive from New Jersey to Tennessee.

And since then...

 

So there you have it, our life for the last two months in a nutshell...or a photo!

Freedom in Obedience

A while back we talked about discipline being the theme of my 2012. When I wrote that post, I could never have imagined the plan God had to take that resolution and reveal the fullness of what it meant.

Over the last 12 weeks, Hubs and I have been taken on a ride that has completely changed life as we knew it. At the end of June, we traveled to Cincinnati / Louisville to celebrate my beautiful sister-in-law’s 30^th birthday. My brother hosted a surprise party for her and we had the rare opportunity to represent “our side” of the clan and spend time with her parents and many siblings – all of whom we love dearly. It was a fantastic weekend of simple family fun.

On Sunday, after church, we all sat around eating lunch and chatting before heading to the airport. One of the sisters brought up a topic that had been discussed hypothetically several times in the past – that I should work for their father’s company.

He runs a broadcast shopping network that sells jewelry and gemstones exclusively. Taking into account my love of fashion, accessories, and all things sparkly, I had always indulged this “what-if” conversation with a hopeful heart. However, the company is based in Knoxville, TN and I lived in New York, thus, it had always just been a fun idea to imagine.

…until that weekend in June.

The conversation started as it always did – “Dad, you should really hire Jaclyn to do marketing for your company – she would be perfect there.”

But this time, instead of the expected “Wouldn’t that be nice” response, he said, “Well, actually, we are hiring for that position.”

From there a full-on discussion took place regarding the merits of moving to a state in which neither Hubs nor I had ever stepped foot. Two weeks later, we were on a plane headed to Knoxville to take a look around.

We spent the weekend interviewing, meeting with the University of Tennessee MBA Program Admissions Director and taking in the sights. We returned to New Jersey exhausted and confused.

The very first thing we did when confronting this unimaginable decision was to call on the Lord. We recognized that this was “one of those moments” – the kind that define your future. We prayed for guidance and clarity to see His will in this decision. More than anything, we wanted to be obedient to what He was calling us to do.

We made lists, sought wisdom from family and friends, and prayed… a lot.

And let me tell you… it is AMAZING how the Lord will respond when you call on Him in prayer. Truly amazing.

Undoubtedly, Hubs and I will be faced with life altering decisions again in the future. But having gone through this process together, and at such an early stage in our young marriage, has made our relationship stronger and built a solid foundation for how those decisions will be faced in the future. Not since our wedding day had we felt and understood so deeply what it meant to be “a cord of three strands” (Ecclesiastes 4:12). We were completely relying on God and each other and were willing and eager to be obedient.

Two and a half weeks later, on August 1^st, I gave my notice at work. Two weeks after that, Hubs began school at the University of Tennessee, while I labored to pack up our home in New Jersey. And another two weeks after that, we moved into our new home in Knoxville.

To say this experience has been a whirlwind would be the understatement of the century. It has been dizzying, exciting, challenging, and at times overwhelming – in both good ways and bad. Throughout this time, though, we have continued to seek God and have never before felt more of His pleasure in our response. What a beautiful thing to walk in His presence by asking for His guidance and responding obediently when He reveals Himself so clearly.

So we have been living in Knoxville for exactly 1 month now – and we love it! Surprisingly, our transition has not only been smooth and easy, but also tons of fun! We cherish and miss what we left behind in New Jersey, but are so hopeful for what we’ve already seen here. We have dared to imagine a future vastly different than the one we had previously expected to live and have opened our minds to pursuing it.

We feel so blessed and are so grateful for the love and support that surrounded us during the decision-making process.

In our new life, I promise to reinvigorate this Blog. I will continue to update you on everything from what I am experiencing here, to what I’m cooking, to what I’m pondering in the depths of my soul and plenty of what is in between.

Please re-join me or be welcomed for the first time on this exciting journey!

Timeless Elegance or It Never Gets Old

As many of you know, I often share memories from November 6, 2010 - my wedding day! It was a magically thrilling experience and I love to recall it.

This past week, almost exactly 18 months after we said our vows, the photos captured from our special day were featured on the famous wedding blog Style Me Pretty in the New York section. It is such an honor to be included on a site that has helped so many brides craft and execute their vision for their own dream wedding day.

As someone who dreamt of her wedding since she was a little girl (and isn't afraid to admit it), I feel blessed that my dreams not only came true, but were far exceeded by the actual experience I had as a bride. As such, it feels only appropriate that I should share that with others.

No matter if you're a little girl dreaming of a far off day, a bride-to-be in the midst of wedding planning, or a seasoned veteran of marital bliss, I hope you enjoy this post!



 

Healed: A Good Friday Reflection

Every year, it is the same.

Lent begins and I start thinking about how to get my heart in the right place. I ask myself what God is doing in me this season and how I am to respond.

Palm Sunday rolls around and we sing "Hosanna in the highest!" and we rejoice as Jesus enters Jerusalem. During worship, I lift my voice, my heart and my hands to sing His praises and we celebrate!

And all that emotion continues over the next week. I find myself reflecting on scripture and feeling moved to tears as I think about my Lord, my Savior being ridiculed and beaten mere moments after the celebration has ended.

On Maundy Thursday we are convicted by Jesus' humility as He washes the feet of His disciples. I ask how I can humble myself and serve others with the love that Jesus called us to have for one another.

And then it is Good Friday. I feel my heart severed in two and my emotions at odds. I consider the scene of Jesus' being humiliated, beaten, mocked, bloodied, and lead to a rugged cross where He will endure an agonizing death. I find myself in tears as I place myself into the scene, and imagine what terrifying desperation His disciples must have felt to witness this horror.

But before I allow the grief to settle in, I turn to Isaiah 53 and read what truly is the Good News of this Friday. I remember and internalize that Jesus was fully human, fully God, and fully blameless in the life He led on this earth. I consider His obedient, selfless behavior and the way in which He used those on the margins of society to proclaim the glory of God. I stand in awe of His ultimate sacrifice and take to heart that it was for me! All of the ugliness of the sin in my life (and trust me, there is plenty), He took off of me and placed it onto Himself. His sentence was what I deserved and yet, He so freely gave Himself over to it on my behalf!

For a long time, I carried with me the crushing weight of sin and guilt. I knew the Lord loved me but had never experienced the freedom of grace and forgiveness. But as I have grown closer to the Lord, it has become abundantly clear that when Jesus said "It is finished", He meant it. And so it is by His wounds that I am healed.

So this year it will be different.

I may still cry in service tonight, but they will be tears of joy and thanksgiving at what Jesus has given me. A clean slate and the opportunity to know my Heavenly Father. Dear friends, take to heart today the sacrifice of the living God. You are healed. You are forgiven. It is finished.

Who has believed our message

and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

He grew up before him like a tender shoot,

and like a root out of dry ground.

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,

nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by mankind,

a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.

Like one from whom people hide their faces

he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

Surely he took up our pain

and bore our suffering,

yet we considered him punished by God,

stricken by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,

he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

each of us has turned to our own way;

and the LORD has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted,

yet he did not open his mouth;

he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,

and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,

so he did not open his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away.

Yet who of his generation protested?

For he was cut off from the land of the living;

for the transgression of my people he was punished.

He was assigned a grave with the wicked,

and with the rich in his death,

though he had done no violence,

nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,

and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin,

he will see his offspring and prolong his days,

and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

After he has suffered,

he will see the light of life and be satisfied;

by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,

and he will bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,

and he will divide the spoils with the strong,

because he poured out his life unto death,

and was numbered with the transgressors.

For he bore the sin of many,

and made intercession for the transgressors.

Isaiah 53 (NIV)