Literary Dinner: Robber Steak

"There are many odd things to put down, and, lest who reads them may fancy that I dined too well before I left Bistritz, let me put down my dinner exactly. I dined on what they called "robber steak" -- bits of bacon, onion, and beef, seasoned with red pepper, and strung on sticks and roasted over the fire..."
- Jonathan Harker in Bram Stoker's Dracula

As some of you may know, I really love the book Dracula. In fact, my senior capstone project is based on Mina Harker from the novel, so there ya go. Anyhow, Toby also loves the book and seemed to have a keen interest in the meals that Jonathan Harker ate in it. You may not remember, but on our 2nd anniversary he made Paprika Hendl which is featured in the first part of the novel. Earlier this week, he decided to make another dish featured in the book called Robber Steak. It's basically a kebab, but Hungarian Paprika makes a lovely Eastern European treat.

If you look up the recipe (which I just did) you will see that we took great liberties with it. This is in part because we aren't huge red meat-eaters and in part because we were on a tight budget...and also because we don't eat ham and turkey bacon is just NOT thick enough. However, our intentions were good and that counts for something. Right?

We are not super formal so this recipe is SUPER up for interpretation, haha. But, for the sake of having SOMETHING written down, here's what we did:

Ingredients:
1 pound(ish) of chicken, cubed
About half a pint of whole portobello mushrooms, halved (in lieu of bacon)
2 bell peppers, sliced thick
1 onion, sliced thick
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Dash of Hungarian Paprika
Kebab Skewers (is that how you spell it?)

The ingredients minus spices. Do excuse our crowded counter.

Directions:
Pierce all of the ingredients one by one in whatever fashion you please on the stick (see photo below). You can use whatever method of grilling you like, but we used our Foreman grill...well it's not actually a Foreman grill but, close. Anyhow, once all of the ingredients are on the stick, place them in the grill and cook them, turning every few minutes to even out cooking. Every grill is different, and we are still getting used to ours. It took us about 15-20 on medium heat and it was great.

And there you have it! So easy and quite filling. Very healthy too, which is definitely wonderful. We quite enjoy doing these literary dinners and we have more up our sleeves to share. Can't wait to cook (and eat) them!

Have a good day,

~ B ~

Our Weekend in the Mountains

Hello everyone,

A couple of weeks ago Toby and I decided "it's time for a break from being busy." Breaks don't come all too often during the academic year so we lept at the opportunity to go off on an impromptu trip to the mountains. At this particular time, we were soooooo ready to take a rest so we tried to book our trip at a friend's house in North Georgia.

But it was already booked.

I'm generally a person who keeps her cool most times, but not this time. I kind of lost it in a beautifully emotional and hysterical mess (by myself, of course). I was so ready for a break so this news was like a slice to my soul. It sounds dramatic but I know I'm not the only one who has made a mountain out of a molehill.

But this post is entitled "Our Weekend in the Mountains" so I'm sure you know where this is going.

After a week of brooding and listening to my sweet husband list in-town alternatives to what we could do, I had kind of given up and resigned myself to the fact that we would just have to make do staying home. And then Toby got a phone call. The people that were going to be at the house had to cancel so the house was back open for us. Needless to say, I kind of felt like an idiot for being so upset and not just trusting that God would bring good out of it. However, I now looked at the trip as a gift because it technically wasn't supposed to have happened. It made me thankful...even for the hard things...because it was out of a hard thing that this little happy thing came about. Seriously, I don't think I'll ever forget it.

It was beautiful and peaceful and I don't think I have ever felt so relaxed. Toby and I stayed in our pajamas pretty much the whole time. I think we changed clothes like one time. Yeah I know, it's gross. But I DON'T CARE. I actually wrote a paper while I was there. No internet = no distractions. Consequently, it was one of the highest grades I've made on a paper. All in all, God totally blessed this trip and it felt like a sweet gift from him. As soon as we walked in we saw a painting that said "I will give you rest" from Matthew 11:28. We knew that we really would be given rest. We can't wait to go back!

Sweet little den

And a sweet little kitchen

Gorgeous view of the forest

and I think Harry Potter might have been living in the hallway..
...in the cupboard under the stairs.

This is the tiny TV that we watched movies on. It was so fun! And yes,
this is where we watched the rest of Downton Abbey season 3.

breakfast

Yummy wine from New Zealand and a rainy Saturday.

Paper writing.

And more paper writing. In the outfit I never changed out of.

Bringing in Shabbat.

I will miss this spot.

We left refreshed and already ready to go back!

Good times.

~B~

Currently

Currently drinking: Coffee

Currently doing: a few research papers that I'm oddly excited about.

Currently eating: a piece of cheese (no judgment, please)

Currently reading: The Castle in the Forest by Norman Mailer and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (rereading, rather). Both are school related but Gaiman's book is now part of my heart.

Currently awaiting: our trip to the mountains that we will be taking...TONIGHT! I am thrilled!

Currently watching: Downton Abbey, Season 3. DO. NOT. SAY. ANYTHING. ABOUT. IT.

Currently wearing: my blessed, blessed pajamas.

Excerpt from Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book.

~B~

Literature love: a new series

...And by new series I mean something that I may not continue but would still like to have a go at it.

I guess that's what all "new series" are at first conception anyway, right?

Well, as many of you know, I am a fanatic over literature and all things books...especially all things 19th century, so I thought it would only be fitting that I reccommend some of the things I've been reading lately..which is a lot of things! The first list of books are all within the Victorian/Romantic era so for those of you who are fed up with modernity, this one's for you!

Literature Love: Victorian Era



1. Bram Stoker's Dracula. This novel is truly an interesting and creepy read. NONE of the films do it justice or interpret it correctly. If you've never read it, you should. And for those of you concerned with the dark or evil represented it, spoiler alert, good wins and it's satisfying.

2. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Don't let the movies fool you, this book is LEGIT. It is full of intrigue, danger, life, death and the struggle between faith and science.You will be surprised by how attached to the creature you get!

3. Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. By far one of my favorite books and love stories, this is all about a girl who goes through unimaginable things, falls in love, encounters danger, and follows what she knows is right through it all. Ladies, if imperfect but passionate dudes are your thing...than look no further. Rochester is where it's at!

4. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. You simply must read these. If you liked the movies or the show (as I have emphatically declared love for) then you will be pleasantly surprised by how the dialogue is taken almost completely from the books. They speak as we do! If you like this, then you must continue on with The Hound of the Baskervilles, A Case in Scarlet, and more!

5. Thomas Peckett Prest's The String of Pearls. This story, which was originally a penny dreadful that came out in installments, is the original (or mostly original) story of Sweeney Todd. Don't expect the musical or film, it's its own bird, but it is quite worth the read!

Do you have Victorian era novels you love? What are they? And if you read any of these, let me know how you liked them!

Have a good one,

~B~







Life lately via Instagram

Hello dearies,

(anybody catch the Once Upon a Time Reference??) Hope everyone is doing well!

A lot of fun things have transpired in the last few months and instagram always aids me in showing you. These go back to January (further proof that my blogging has suuuuucked as of late) but hey, living life is better than writing it, right? Be in the moment...that's my advice.

So here is our life through instagram as of late!

Januray 2013: we got a Keurig! I am the only one in our home that drinks coffee so it made no sense to make a pot and then have most of it go to waste. SO we gathered up our gift cards and spent a whopping $30 on this little beauty. Pretty cool, huh?

February: I made hot chocolate from scratch. This is not particularly monumental as this was a very rough trial making it, but my favorite movie HAPPENS to be Chocolat, so I felt I owed it to the film to give it a go.

In December (I knoooow, its late) we saw The Hobbit and I died. A-MAZING.

February: I co-hosted my first (and probably only) baby shower for my dear darling friend, Lindsey! She now has a bouncing baby born on March 10 :)

We recently discovered that we can have the comforts (besides warmth) or a fireplace without the hassle of cleaning one. If you have Netflix, search for Fireplace For Your Home. We now go to sleep to it.

Spring has sprung! And oh it feels good. The South always gets sun early.

Sister Sarah (Toby's sis) came to town in February. We had a good time watching SNL, The Office, Community and laughing until the wee hours of the night. Miss her already.

In my Literature for the Adolescent class we ready the new Young Adult novel Meant To Be (which is so cute and fun to read). Luckily, the author of said novel, Lauren Morrill, lives in Macon so we got to meet her.. Lovely lady and super inspiring.

Of course I had adventures with Tobes.

With all the craziness...we still found some time to relaaaaaax.

Finally got a new tea kettle. Love it. And also cleaned my kitchen,

 

That's all she wrote.

~B~

Spring Cleaning for Passover

Well, it has been far too long!

I apologize for the lack of posting these days. School and life and all that jazz got the better of me. Paper deadlines and endless reading can wear on a lass. But, nonetheless here is a post!

So for many of you, you are embarking upon the season of lent. That is a beautiful time of reflection and purging in order to see what God can make better in your lives. For those of you doing this, more power to you and I respect you! As for me and my family, we are soon entering the season of Passover that is coming up in a couple weeks. As some of you know, from previous posts like this one, Passover is one of my very favorite holidays....I think it's my MOST favorite holiday. It's not only about my favorite story in the bible (Moses and the Exodus) but it is the new year for the Jewish people and represents spiritual deliverance and freedom. It just don't get better than that, folks!

So, in preparation for this season, we gotta get ready. What does that entail? Glad you asked.
During this time we:

1. Remove "leaven" or anything with yeast from the house. In a spiritual context, leaven represents sin or all the ugly things we hold onto in life. By removing it from the physical house, it makes us reflect on what "leaven" we have in our own spiritual houses. Like lent in some ways, we take this time to purge ourselves of anything that hinders us from being close to God with a physical act of obedience.

2. Clean, clean clean! Part of this time of year is cleaning out leaven, but also just junk! This week was my spring break (hallelujah!) and I cleaned our entire apartment for most of it. It was hard, but man was it worth it. As I went through each room, I prayed that God would do the same in us...clean us up and make us new. I know He will honor that...because He's good :) It felt amazing to do it...and for you health nuts out there, cleaning with vinegar, water, a little soap and some essential oils (rosemary in my case) is the most amazing thing ever. Oh the smells....

3. Do your homework. Now, this one is a personal one for me. Every year leading up to Passover I read back through Exodus and the story of God's deliverance. It has always been my favorite story because I so admire the faith it took for Moses to stand in the face of adversity and trust God when it looked terrible. I need this faith in my every day life and I don't have issues like saving a million people from Egypt! So I use the time up until (and during) Passover to study, pray, and practice my faith.

The cool thing about these holy days for me is that they are a total joy! I have never felt like I HAD to do them...the minute I feel like that it wouldn't be right. God's appointed times are not obligations but a total blast...at least that's how I feel. Every bit of it has meaning and makes me feel valued and loved by my heavenly papa. I love it.

Hope you all are doing very well and I'd love to hear from you! Have a great week!

~B~

History + Instagram = Us

Hello all,

Toby and I both have a healthy (and sometimes unhealthy) interest in history. He, being a history teacher, is all about certain events and time periods and is keenly interested in wartime eras...specifically the Civil War era and events. I, on the other hand, am an English major and my history interests are based on the books I've read and the time periods they came from (such as the Victoria and Edwardian eras...in British history of course).

Well, Toby has been watching a documentary on The Civil War by Ken Burns and has therefore been kind of obsessed with all things 1860s. Some of you may remember this obsession beginning this summer on our road trip to Delaware. So needless to say it has been months of researching Lincoln, Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and the various jackets that they wore (because he LOVES jackets) and boy has it been entertaining. In light of all this, we embarked on a little instagram project: #civilwarportrait.

We basically posted photos of ourselves that we edited to look like old photographs and made up stories about who we were. They were not serious, just kind silly/funny. Whether others laughed or not, we were totally dying making this stuff up. Before anyone gets all bent out of shape, just know that we are not like "yay we loved the horrific war where many died and there were horrible things happeneing". No. We just like the time period and are fascinated by certain individuals. We are an interracial couple so let's not even go there with the race card.

Just had to say that, so you guys know what's up.

Anyways, here are out photos!

In January 1862, Colonel Theodore Manolis led the great charge up old Pike's
Hill, only to fin there was no one there to fight.
"Some said it was God's providence, others said it was just poor map navigation.
Either way, they took the hill and won the day."
--Colonel Theodore Manolis

As the war raged on in the winter of 1862, the wife of Colonel Theodore Manolis
kept the home fires burning and hope alive on the homefront.
"My Dearest Theodore,
although I hear the cannons and shudder at their power, I think to myself,
"well, this washing won't do itself," so I do it. And that gives me hope."
--from the letters of Brooke Manolis

Colonel Manolis and his wife along with his officers and staff of the 25th regiment took this photograph prior to the assault on Old Pike's Hill. All pictured survived.
"Although joined by war and not by blood, we were a family. But when we got to the top o' Old Pike's and realized
we were on the wrong hill, Old Manolis nearly had a mutiny on his hands...which of course was all pretend...in reality
we were happy to still be breathin' the Lord's good air for another day."
--PVT Gabrielle Basa, 25th  Regiment

Haha! And there you have it.

~B~