Why Christ is our True Comfort & Everlasting Hope & Podcast

easter eggs hanging.jpg

Now let the heavens be joyful,

Let the earth her song begin:

Let the round world keep triumph,

And all that is therein;

Invisible and visible,

Their notes let all things blend,

For Christ is risen, Our joy shall have no end! 

~St. John of Damascus

I find myself so anxious to share with you, my precious friends, the joy I find in the message of Christ this year, while deep in the mire of challenges and difficulties. Though I am not able to read or look at my computer or screens because of my eye injury, I have done my best to leave you a podcast message and this blog post that I hope will be of come encouragement to you. Know that you are all in my prayers.

Most of us have those in our lives who have wounded us again and again. We have all had to deal with "irregular" people; those who are self-centered, or always seem angry or harsh or critical, self-absorbed in their lives rather than willing to give. We may long for words of love, encouragement, and grace from them, and yet are met with harshness or impatience or passivity or withholding of love. Often it is a family member--a spouse, parent, brother, or child. Or it could be a neighbor or "fellow Christian." Our hearts cry, "It's not fair! I am not willing to be hurt one more time. How can I escape this difficult relationship?"

In reality, sometimes we ourselves are the irregular people. 

The tension of having to live with such a person (or ourselves!)  is very difficult to manage. Our desire is to run away, to leave, to not allow ourselves to continually be in that place where deep wounds may occur again any time.

At a couple of our mom's conferences one year, we found well over half of the women who attended came from alcoholic, divorced, or abusive families. Astounding--a majority of the people around me, though it is not evident in their outside appearances, have wounds, scars, deep insecurity, pain from the closest of relationships in their lives. 

This world is the broken place--the place where Satan is the ruler of the world, and yet ... there is the promise of Easter. 

As I approach each Easter season, I ask Christ to show me what He wants me to know, to understand, and how to love Him more. Each year I am surprised at the outcome.

One year, a group of my girlfriends got together for our traditional meetup on Easter weekend. After spending time talking and giggling, we noisily tramped downstairs and squeezed in together on an over-sized couch and began watching the movie which was made using just the words of the gospel of John. We quickly became immersed in the middle-eastern world of Jesus.

His words penetrated our souls. The lakeside waves, the tumble of personalities and antics of the disciples, the amazed blind man who received sight, the broken-hearted harlot who was caught in adultery, the tousling of heads of children as Jesus passed through, the compassionate feeding of the 5000, and through it all, Jesus' patience and forbearance in the midst of what seemed constant arguing, questioning, and accusing. 

I was surprised at how hungry my soul was for His message. The crowds argued with Him, the Pharisees accused Him; twice they sought to stone Him, His authority was questioned, His miracles were questioned. He was accused of being filled with a demon. Haunted by constant, pushy, demanding crowds and the relentless needs of lost, lonely, hungry souls. And yet, from the beginning, He was ever moving toward his death, His cross, His sacrifice.

Jesus' divine meekness and His gentle spirit was so beautiful to me as I watched Him enveloping all in His pathway with profound, true insight, healing love, and soothing, soul-felt words of life. In his writing of the gospel, John sought to give us a glimpse into the compassionate heart of Jesus.

The Creator stooped that final night to wash 120 dirty toes. He gently touched, cleansed and dried the feet of His most intimate friends--even those of the one who would betray Him.

His remarkable words washed over my soul:

"Just as the Father has loved me, I have loved you. Abide in my love." 15:9

"Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down His life for His friends." 15:13

"They will know you are my disciples by your love for one another." (5 times!)

"If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you." 15:18

"These things I have spoken to you that you may be kept from stumbling,..., an hour is coming  for everyone who kills you to think he is offering a service to God." 16: 1-2

"You will weep and lament, but your sorrow will be turned to joy." 16:20

"In the world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world." 16:33

And then, He went to the cross; willingly, humbly, generously, feeling all the pain and despising it, yet holding on for the joy ahead where redemption and healing and love would reign supremely for eternity.

With His dying breath: "Forgive them, because they do not understand what they are doing."

And so for me, the message from His spirit became clear. 

If I am to understand my God, I am to imitate His life, His love, His generous forgiveness and mercy, and His life of servanthood, of pouring Himself out for others so undeserving ... I have to change. There is no more room for the pointing of fingers or critical attitudes or the pettiness of hateful thoughts that rob my soul from grace. In order for a muscle to be built, it must be torn and then repair itself--and the end result will be strength. And so soul strength comes through the same process. 

When I practice love with irregular, irrational people, I am renewed as my soul builds strength, as I gain knowledge and deep understanding of the very nature of my Savior.

In this place, there is no room for bitterness, accusations, hate, or anger to overpower, because the light of His forgiving love overcomes all darkness.

In pondering, loving, and worshiping this man, my God; by exercising the same grace He lived when "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us," my soul is spiritually stretched in the fire of reality to begin to understand a little more of Him, and my heart is bowed down to worship more fully the One who is love, grace, and forgiveness. And in this knowledge, I, too, find generous, unconditional forgiveness and healing love.

A blessed Good Friday and joyous Easter to you all!

Storyformed Podcast, Episode #25 - Reading with Teens

Are you wondering how to navigate reading with teens? Today on the podcast,  Holly Packiam and Jaime Showmaker talk about how to stay connected with teens through books in this changing season of their lives.

Topics include:

  • The kinds of questions teens wrestle with-- from identity to purpose
  • The value in reading together in the teen years
  • Practical ideas for creating space to read together 
  • How to help teens recognize and choose good books
  • Book recommendations for teens

Click HERE to listen to this Storyformed podcast and to view the show notes. 

Spring Fever, Once Again!

tulip2016.jpg

As I'm eye-recuperating, I thought it might be nice to share an older post about Spring fever!

It all began in St. James Park, near Buckingham Palace, a couple of weeks ago. Sarah and I were meeting on her spring break from Oxford to write a book together. I was sequestered in a small hotel room with a computer and was supposed to be writing a profoundly insightful book. It was just 38 degrees outside, but the daffodils were telling a different story. I had to take a walk to clear my poor little overworked brain.

Every year, spring fever hits me hard. So now, I just give into it, because I am a smart girl! :) Truly, there are times when I can't do one more responsible thing. I am a driven person, you see, and I can get a lot done--as all the moms in the world I know do most of the time, but.....

I may never write or blog or do anything productive ever again! Mounting up over daily life right now in order to be responsible just seems impossible and overly demanding.

My house needs organizing. Groceries need to be bought. Meals must be made. Birthday presents for Clay, Sarah and Joy who have May birthdays, need to be gathered. Commitments are piling high as I ignore them.

It seems my brain is empty and I just want to play, nap, or watch a movie! I want to eat something wonderful without thought of calorie or fat or sugar--or washing the dishes-- all by myself, with no one else to even taste my piece!

Right now, I do think I am desperate for about a year off, with a maid to wait on me while I serve everyone else. Perhaps a long vacation or journey to a new place, uninterrupted time with the closest of friends to some place beautiful and restful where someone cooks all of our meals and cleans up for us (probably a beach!) and no responsibility or calls or demands, and no one needing me for one single moment. Maybe we could kidnap our children and escape to the mountains for a few days.

So, is anyone else having spring fever? Anyone else out there need a mid-year adventure?

Just wondering............Want to play hooky with me today?

What would you do to escape if you could?

Craziness & Life in London & a Podcast

IMG_1453.jpg

For a little while, I have been put out to pasture! Like my friend, here.

New friends who decided to say hello, on the edge of Port Meadow in Oxford. taken  by Joel

Dear Friends,What an incredible couple of weeks this has been. My accident, the serious eye infection, the multiple trips to the emergency room, holding my precious new grand-baby-Lily in between, walking Sarah through young motherhood, and hosting …

Dear Friends,

What an incredible couple of weeks this has been. My accident, the serious eye infection, the multiple trips to the emergency room, holding my precious new grand-baby-Lily in between, walking Sarah through young motherhood, and hosting our first Mumheart conference in London... in absentia! I was in a hotel room squirting eyedrops into my eyes! 

Through the ups and downs, I've been thankful for the graces of God to allow my sweet friends to be near me, my family to support me, and the thousands of letters from people saying they were praying. Your kindnesses often brought me to tears. 

 

Launch Team!

With the help of my friends, we are finally getting a launch team up for Clay's and my new book The Lifegiving Parent!

Sally Clarkson_LGP FB LAUNCH TEAM.PNG

You can pre-order the book here...

You can join the launch team here...

Because I will probably be out of commission for another 6-10 weeks, I am so grateful for all of you who will help me spread the word about this book. These lifegiving principles will inspire you, give you practical ideas, and lead you in leading your children down the path of life with Christ. I think you will love the book.

 

It would mean so much to me if everyone could help share this book with your friends and community.

Daffodil Stroll...

I just had to share these lovely pictures with you. Joel and Joy took me for my first outing since the injury to St. James park opposite Buckingham palace in London. I can't tell you how much this beauty reminded me that Christ is the source of all returning life and beauty. 

IMG_0061.jpeg
And then my heart with pleasure fills
and dances with the daffodils
— William Wordsworth
Fixing hair... once a mama, always a mama! 

Fixing hair... once a mama, always a mama! 

IMG_2517.JPG.jpeg
After being away from our new little home for five days, I returned to Joel's potato soup. And to hugs from Clay, Sarah, Thomas, and little Lilian.

After being away from our new little home for five days, I returned to Joel's potato soup. And to hugs from Clay, Sarah, Thomas, and little Lilian.

IMG_0080.jpeg

Baby yawns are best...

Again, my plead! Help with my launch, go here. :-)

Lots of love and hugs coming to you!

Sally

Problems Sometimes Require a Change of Perspective ... & a Podcast

earthfromspace.jpg

In the midst of dealing with this incredibly painful, discouraging issue with my eye, I am certainly finding it important to remind myself of times the Lord has spoken to me in the past. Thought I'd share one of those with you today ...

A number of years ago, I had been going through another extremely demanding season of life. Besides the normal needs of a family of six, little Joy had nocturnal asthma that woke the both of us up every night at just about 1:00 AM for long rounds of medicine and steam showers to help her breathe. Our church was also going through a split, and along with the exhaustion I felt from those long nights, there was a sense of pressure and trouble pressing in on all sides.

Now, I am not given to symbolic dreams and have only had two in my whole life. But during this time, on one of Joy's good nights when I fell deeply asleep, I found myself awake in a dream in which God was talking to me. In my dream, I was sitting in my living room considering all the problems that were in my life and in the lives of those I loved—and there were some huge troubles, many of which seemed beyond solution.

In the midst of this, God came to me, reached out His large hand, and asked me to climb intoit.I stepped into the palm of His hand and very slowly and gently He began to take me up into the stars and among the galaxies. I remember that it was unspeakably beautiful. He then told me to look down to the earth, where I had been stewing and fretting about all the issues in my life. God asked me a single question:

"How big do your problems look from up here?"

I remember glancing down, straining to see the earth and my corner on it. My house and the people in my neighborhood were tiny as gnats, so that I could barely even see. I told the Lord that they appeared tiny indeed.

"Indeed," He said. "That is how big your problems are to me. I want you to have My perspective and know that compared to the issues of eternity, they are tiny. I can take care of them"

Then the Lord gently took me down to the earth and placed me back in my living room. And then I woke up and realized I had been dreaming. But the sense of "all is well" was all around me, invading my soul and driving my petty worries into the oblivion where they belonged. Though not a single situation had changed during my amazing dream, my circumstances no longer seemed overwhelming. They no longer had their former potency because they had been so far surpassed by God's presence.

.....

I wanted to update you today about my eye injury, so my friends and I recorded a short podcast for you.  At the end, we briefly mention the new Lifegiving Parent Launch Community on Facebook.  I need many of you to help me as I walk through this valley and struggle through this eye injury.  Gretchen, Misty, and Jennie will guide you and provide ideas of how you can help me get the word out.  Since this is a book written for both mothers and fathers, I would welcome help from men on our launch team as well.  Come join us!  We will have lots of fun getting to know each other and strategizing how to change the world!  Expect the launch page to really get going after Easter.  Thank you so much, friends, I could not launch this book without you.

Fantasy Books for Teens

FANTASY BOOKS FOR TEENS

static1.squarespace.jpg

A Wrinkle in Time

OPD: 1962

I read this book by myself and aloud with my family and found new creative fascination and spiritual insight with each read. L’Engle’s classic tale of the stubborn Meg, her abnormally intelligent little brother, and their gangly, gallant friend Calvin is an adventure tale to begin with, as the children travel galaxies in search of Meg’s scientist father who vanished in the midst of an experiment. Guided by the amusing and rather awe-inspiring Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Which into the depths of the universe’s beauties, and its darkness, this is a story exploring the power of love to redeem, heal, and resist the power of evil. A book with humor, a tale rich in affirmation of the world’s beauty, this is a classic to be read again and again.

 

At the Back of the North Wind

BY GEORGE MACDONALD

OPD: 1871

“…though I cannot promise to take you home,” said North Wind, as she sank nearer and nearer to the tops of the houses, “I can promise you it will be all right in the end. You will get home somehow.” 
― George MacDonald, At the Back of the North Wind

One of my favorite fantastical children’s stories, Wind is the story of the little boy Diamond, and the night journeys he takes with the lovely and real North Wind. MacDonald, whom Lewis said was his “master,” imbued every story he wrote with his wonder in a God whose goodness will not leave us in the darkness. An exploration, through the adventures of a little boy, of suffering and pain and the promise of heaven, this classic tale is a fairy tale swift with the beauty of the marvelous North Wind woman, and rich with spiritual contemplation. One of my favorites.

 

3.jpg

Auralia's Colors

BY JEFFREY OVERSTREET

OPD: 2007

Jeffrey Overstreet (who I’m happy to say is a friend o’ mine), has created a fantastic, richly imagined novel about a world in which the glory of color has been dimmed and forgotten. Into this wintered land comes a girl named Auralia, gifted with the ability to find and weave color into a startling gift whose power could change the course of the kingdom.

 

 

4.jpg

Lilith

BY GEORGE MACDONALD

OPD: 1895

This is one of George MacDonald’s later books, the story of a young, leisured man who discovers a world within (or beyond?) his own where he is challenged to “die indeed” by a raven who seems to be the first man, Adam. Plunged into a fantastical world of little children living at peace with their beasts in the forest, giants, dueling skeletons, and an evil princess attended by leopards who terrorize the land, the hero must face not only the terrors, but his own capacity to act, choose, and love. A MacDonald fairy tale is a world of spiritual realities made flesh. Not direct allegory, nor yet mere fantasy, Lilith is a journey into the regions of the soul, into grace, sin, suffering, and the fresh-sprung waters that come when we learn to lay down what keeps us from dying in order to live.

 

5.jpg

The Book of the Dun Cow

By Walter Wangerin

OPD: 1978

This story took me by surprise. Here is an opening from Wangerin’s site: “At a time when the sun turned around the earth and animals could speak, Chauntecleer the Rooster ruled over a more or less peaceable kingdom.  What the animals did not know was that they were Keepers of the Wyrm, monster of Evil long imprisoned beneath the earth.  And Wyrm, sub terra, was breaking free…” I didn’t expect to be engrossed by a farmyard fable, or moved by the story of a slightly arrogant rooster who must learn to protect his people from evil, but I found this to be a powerful tale of humble, workaday hearts encountering evil and resisting its dominance. Fascinating. Excellent for discussion.

 

To continue reading on storyformed.com, please click HERE.

Be Still, He Says ...

girl praying.jpg

“As mothers and fathers, it is so easy to get distracted by the details of our lives. We have so much to do! We must feed our children well and take care of their health. We must oversee their education and their training to make sure they will be able to take care of themselves and live in a civilized society. We train them in righteousness so they may understand how God wants them to live. We try to relate to them in mature ways and help them learn to have healthy relationships.” -The Ministry of Motherhood

And yet! He reminds us ...

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10

And of course, this being still and knowing is also part of what we are trying to impart to our children, perhaps one of the most important things we can pass along in the midst of such a distracted and hurried world.

It is a great responsibility to be a mother, a cultivator of beauty and nurturer of souls. If you are finding yourself overwhelmed in your mothering, in your homeschooling or with homework, consumed by anxiety, daunting tasks, and a serious lack of sleep, I invite you to take a deep breath at this moment. Relax, even for just a minute, and remember that while you may feel alone, God sees all of the work you do (the late nights, early morning, many meals, the lit candles and lovely flowers that no one else noticed). Don’t put unrealistic pressures on yourself, on your homeschooling agenda, or on your parenting, that God never asked you to do. Perhaps the most loving and healthy thing you can do for yourself and your children is to be still for a moment today and have a quiet time.

How can you prioritize your quiet time today and squeeze it into your busy schedule?

Find The Ministry of Motherhood, here ...

Harvesting a Godly Character to reap a Life of Integrity & a Podcast

yair-mejia-318376-unsplash.jpg

Reaping a harvest of character comes from planting seeds of faithfulness over a lifetime. What you sow you will reap. But the amazing result is that you will have fruit for your labor and be satisfied and gratified to see how God has worked with you as you walk in obedience.

Recently, I read this quote from Billy Graham, who has been in my mind since his memorial.

The greatest legacy one can pass on to one's children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one's life, but rather a legacy of character and faith. BILLY GRAHAM

Harvesting a Godly Character to Reap a Life of Integrity & a Podcast

C.S. Lewis is famous for his essay “Men Without Chests” (from The Abolition of Man). In it, he describes a generation of people without virtue or character because of the rise of relativism and loss of objective truth. In the style of the ancients, he describes the head as the place of knowledge, the heart as the place of passion, and the chest as the place of virtue and character.

Only when a person has a well-developed character can they properly put to use knowledge and passion. Without the strength of character developed in the chest, knowledge can become cruel and passion destructive. With character, knowledge becomes wisdom and passion becomes love.

It seems that there are many people without chests in our world. With the constant influx of information provided by the internet, and no effective ways to determine the objectivity or truthfulness of that information, people can develop keen opinions, but not be required either to validate those opinions or to act on them. In the same way, it is easy for us to voice emotional and idealistic claims without doing the hard work of validating our opinions objectively and putting them into actual practice in our lives. Opinion becomes a substitute for character.

If we are truly to be full-bodied people who act on the biblical ideals that we hold to be objectively true, then we must practice integrity and grow the muscle of character; we must become men and women with chests.

The essence of character is found in the habitual heart choices of an individual over a long period of time. Character is the constant work of a lifetime and the product of a heart engaged in wisdom, choosing the right thing over and over again. It is like practicing a sport. If you’ve ever taught a child to catch or throw a ball, you know the moment in which it “clicks.”

Suddenly, the catcher goes from awkward fumbles to being able to catch the ball almost every time; snagging the ball out of the air becomes an automatic response. Character is the product of good choices made over and over again, so that when the curveballs of life come your way, you can automatically respond in wisdom because that is what you have practiced.

What we practice shapes who we become, and the voices we listen to shape what we will practice. If we are to live lives of character, we must invest in wisdom. One of my mentors once gave me a great quote: “God forgives, but wisdom does not.” The heart of wisdom is properly understanding the impact and meaning of our personal choices. The book of Proverbs very clearly delineates good and bad decisions, a practice which is not popular in our day.

The purpose of Proverbs is not to create strict rules to live by, but to help the reader live a life of wisdom which brings peace. I do not tell my children “don’t go over the speed limit” because I like to impose difficult rules upon them, but because if they do go over the speed limit they will more likely have to pay a ticket or get in a wreck. Wisdom creates healthy hedges around our behavior of what we will and won’t do.

We obey God's commands in order to build our lives on foundations that will stand and not fail us in the storms of life. We live with virtue so that others can look to us as beacons that will show them the love and redemption of God. Our virtue should help in our outreach and draw others to us, not send them away.

When God called us to be lights in a lost generation, His desire was that, through the virtue of our purity of life and behavior, we would become guides to those who long to move from darkness into light.

Becoming the best you can be requires that you own your integrity and live the most virtuous life possible.

Because we reflect the character of God, Christians should be the most trustworthy, hardworking, truth-telling, dependable, moral, patient, and grace-filled people. This is our heritage from God.

Our integrity comes before our influence. 

Integrity comes from years of practicing living with godly character. Integrity is a lifelong fruit of determining to live faithfully. Christ is the model for what it looks like to have perfect integrity. But integrity brings the reward of living well into your life and watching God faithfully produce eternal fruit through the pages of your story.

Character is the constant work of a lifetime. and a product of a heart engaged in wisdom, and choosing the righteous option of obedience over and over again. 

Thank you so much for your many prayers.  I am having plenty of opportunities to practice this principle of character training in my own life right now.  I am still seeking answers from eye specialists as I continue to battle pain from inflammation and possible infection in my cornea.  My vision is still very impaired.  I would so appreciate your continued prayers for wisdom and healing.  I know that the One who is walking with me through this is faithful.

ahws #139.jpg

On Days That Are Difficult, I Wish I'd Known ...

girl in rain .jpg

In this world you have tribulation,

but take courage....

I have overcome the world.

Jesus

"No amount of ranting or complaining can change the fact that we live in a fallen world, a battleground for souls. I wish I had known sooner, or better understood, or earlier admitted that I needed to accept this reality, and to determine to grow up and determine to build up my strength little by little. It would have saved me so much emotional havoc in the long run." ~ 

Sally Clarkson  from Desperate

Today I find myself in need of prayer. Last week, as you may have seen on instagram or heard me mention on the podcast, I had a quite unfortunate accident involving a large exercise ball, a stairway, a glass, the corner of a dining room table, and my eye, which sustained the worst of the untimely combination. While I am being treated and trust it will continue to heal, my injured eye is causing a great deal of pain right now and I am unable to do the many things on my list, with company here in London, Clay only recently arrived (so grateful he is here!) and of course, sweet baby Lilian. I certainly didn't picture myself being out of order during such a busy time!

It is another day I must take my own advice and recall that in this broken world, I will be disappointed much more often than I like; that frustrations big and small will come my way and I must place all into the hands of the loving Father who cares deeply and is walking alongside me through it all.

Mamas can spend a lot of time wishing our lives were different, our circumstances different, our capabilities greater. As I look back over the various pressures I've faced during many years of parenting, I think ...

If only I had understood that this was a battle for allegiance to the One who is true, and not an issue of choosing the right activities, or the best curriculum, or the most promising educational situation.

If only I knew that the sacrificing of my life to God's design would be the making of my character; that the longer I loved and served and gave myself to the training of my children, the more I would understand His fatherhood of me,

and the complete sacrifice He was willing to make for me, His own unaware and shortsighted toddler child,

who often was blind to the workings of His ways and the wisdom of His voice,

even as my children were often blind to my wisdom given for their sakes.

If only I had known that the miracle of my children's long-term faith and love for Him, was not an issue of our being righteously mature and perfect in performance,

but rather our dependence on Him working according to His power and mercy--

that He was the one who made our paltry sacrifices enough to reach the hearts of our children,

because He cared more than we did about loving and redeeming our children out of darkness into His light,

and that all He wanted from me was to give it all up to Him and to live by faith and to enjoy the gift He had given into my hands--

the gift of mothering these children, living this story, and seeing His miracles right before my eyes.

Commit your way unto the Lord, trust also in Him and He will do it. Psalm 37:5

If only I had known, it would have saved me so much emotional havoc, worry, impatience, and stress, 

And I would have lived restfully in peace, and enjoyed each day more, letting Him take the weight of my fretting and worry.

And so today, as I find myself in need of grace and patience for my slightly battered body and the limitations this trial places on me, I am praying that you, too, will place yourself and your life and concerns into His wonderful, capable hands.

May the peace of the Lord be with you today, the Lord is near.

St. Patricks Day Tradition--Feckle Bread Recipe & A New Podcast!

irishsodabread.jpg

Irish Blessing

 May the road rise to meet you.  May the wind be always at your back.  May the sun shine warm upon your face.  May the rains fall soft upon your fields.  And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of His hand!

Celtic music has been playing here the past few days as we approach St. Patrick's day. Usually our family actually goes to a favorite Irish Family Pub in Colorado Springs to watch the local teams of dancers perform, to eat fish and chips and to hear Celtic bands to delight us all. We have some Scotch-Irish relatives and Scottish as well as those from the middle of England. We have celebrated this day since we read a great biography many years ago about St. Patrick and his evangelizing heart.(Sorry, I can't find the book now and don't know which one it was.) What a fun tradition for us this has been. 

I couldn't resist putting some St. Patrick Day favorite quotes and recipes on my blog today. His story is one of my favorites of the many biographies I read to the kids over the years. Be sure to research him and tell about him at your dinner table in the next couple of days!

One year not too long ago,  we spent the day in one of our favorite cities. The girls and I always loved spending time in Asheville, NC--the place that, as Sarah says, "feels so much like home to us!" We did this for a number of years, going back to all of our favorite places to rest and restore. Sleeping, eating, sleeping, walking, sleeping, eating--that always seemed to be the order of our days there!

The Early Girl Eatery, recommended by Rachel Ray, was a first stop--lots of great veggie dishes--black bean and sweet potato cakes, spinach salad with apples, goat cheese and pecans. Then on to the Biltmore to hike, and the next stop was crab and corn chowder at the Corner Kitchen--and splitting a Reuben sandwich.

We also often went to our friend's home for a St. Patrick Day cooking demonstration. She does this several times a year and while they were home, we'd never miss. I wanted to pass on a bread recipe that I love! It is Irish and if you want to delight your children, you can even put just a tiny bit--few drops--of green food coloring and make it green bread.

 

Irish Freckle Bread

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

In the Bosch bowl (or any mixer) with dough hook, place:

2 cups hot water           

1 cups unbleached white flour

2 Tbsp. yeast                                    

1/3 cups maple syrup or honey

Mix thoroughly.  Then add:

2 slightly beaten eggs   1/2 cups dried currants

1 Tbsp. Real salt              1 cups of grated carrots

1/4 cup oil                          1/2 cup dried pineapple snipped in small pieces

3/4 cup golden raisins

 

Add 4-4 1/2 cups freshly ground flour to very slightly clean the sides of the bowl.  If you add too much, it will be too dry--so just slowly add it at the last until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl as it is mixing. The dough should be a bit sticky.  Knead 5 minutes.  Shape into a free-formed loaf, or place in loaf pan.  Brush with egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp. water.)  Let bread rise until double in size.

It makes a lovely, large round loaf.

Lower heat to 350 degrees.  Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Enjoy!

Also, thought I would catch some of you up on my eye (the fall I had) and a little bit from Joel and Clay for a fun podcast today.