Crawford Family Reunion!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We leave tomorrow morning for my family reunion. I am so thrilled we finally get to go, it's been six years since we went to the last one. This one is at Myrtle Beach, as I mentioned before, because that's where the first one was held in 1979.

My paternal grandmother's maiden name was Crawford, a name that has stayed in our family. My father, older brother and my nephew all carry it as their middle names. My great grandfather, Audis Crawford, was a private investigator in Mississippi and I even have a book that was published called "Crawford Law" which is all about his crazy adventures as a PI. Maybe I'll share some of them one day - I remember when I was on bedrest I read every story twice.

In preparation for the reunion, I've already baked a pumpkin cheesecake, lemon chess pie, made a peanut butter pie and several pie shells. I'm going to make an apple/pear pie before the day is finished. I am just resting for a bit before "round two."

Sam had a great morning out at the library. I thought with all the craziness we are about to put him through, I might as well allow him to enjoy something more in his routine. We even got to see Sam's friend Trathan today (pictures to come later).

It's now the end of the month, and I know there are many of you out there praying specifically for our adoption through the end of November. The next time that referrals are "supposed" to come out is the end of the month - so we should know by early next week whether or not we were in this batch. Please remember the situation and I will update you when we return. We will not have internet in South Carolina.

Here's a great recipe for Butternut Squash Bisque that I have used before and adored.

1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup diced onion
3/4 cup diced carrots
4 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
3 cups vegetable stock
salt and ground black pepper to taste
ground nutmeg to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)



Heat the oil and melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir the onion in the butter and oil under tender.

Mix the carrots and squash into the pot. Pour in vegetable stock, and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are tender. I sometimes bake the butternut squash first - cut it in half lengthwise and put facedown on a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for about 45 minutes, or until tender. Then add it to the blender.

In a blender or food processor, puree the soup mixture until smooth. Return to the pot, and stir in the heavy cream. Heat through, but do not boil. Serve warm with a dash of nutmeg.


And, just for good measure, here's my Tuna Dip (since Shannon asked):

1 package cream cheese, softened
1 can spring-water packed tuna fish
1 T green onions
1 t curry

Drain the tuna and mix it with the melted cream cheese. Add the onions and curry. Put a little paprika on top. Serve with triscuits or some other type of nice light cracker. Not Ritz crackers, though.

Artichoke Dip

Here's the Artichoke Dip my family makes r at every get-together.

1 can artichokes, drained and chopped
1 small can mild green chili peppers, chopped (can find in the Mexican food section)
1 cup mayonnaise (Hellman's tastes best)
1 1/2 t ground black pepper (coarsely ground is best)
1 bag small shredded Parmesan cheese (maybe around 5 or 6 ounces)

Mix the first four ingredients together and add about 2/3 of the bag of parm cheese. Place all the ingredients in a small casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and add a little paprika for color. Bake at 400F (200C) for about 20-25 minutes. Serve warm with Wheat Thins or Better Cheddars.

This recipe can be easily doubled.

I have used grated Parmesan cheese before, and though it's not as good, it's cheaper and still works.

More to come...

Peanut Butter Pie and Shoeboxes

It's that time of the year when Operation Christmas Child is collecting shoe boxes for needy children around the world. I just wanted to remind everyone that you can put together a shoe box with your family to help a child overseas. Just click here to find out how. There are drop-off locations all around the US and even in other countries like Australia.


Here's another recipe for you to enjoy. This one is very simple and always a favorite at any time of the year. It is especially fun for our little ones (or grown-ups) to lick the bowl.


Peanut Butter Pie - from my Great Aunt Joyce

6 ounces cream cheese
6 ounces cool whip (I have often substituted whipped cream for this when I lived in China)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 T milk

Beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add peanut butter and milk. Then add the cool whip. Pour into a graham cracker crust and refrigerate. Serve with a sprinkle of finely chopped peanuts (I omit) and a dollop of cool whip.

(Crust: 1 cup graham cracker crumbs, 1/3 melted butter, 1/4 cup sugar - press into pie plate and refrigerate for one hour before using or bake at 375F for 8 minutes)

Let me know if you make it how it turns out. I made some for a party tonight and everyone seemed to like it. I didn't tell them that the graham crackers in the crust were from scratch too - it might have made their heads explode.

My Little Elf

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Family Recipe: Lemon Chess Pie

Here's a Lemon Chess Pie recipe that I have of my grandmother's. She died when I was two, but when I got married, my Great Aunt Joyce (her older sister) gave me her original recipe card, with my grandmother's handwriting and smudges still on it.

I just made it a couple days ago, to "practice" for our big Thanksgiving meal. We are headed to Myrtle Beach for our Crawford Family Reunion - back to the original place it was held in 1979. I'm making a few family desserts for the reunion and hoping everyone will enjoy my own rendition of our pies.

Lemon Chess Pie:

1 2/3 cup sugar
1 T flour
1 T cornmeal
Grated rind of two lemons (don't get too close to the white rind)
Blend together with a fork in a bowl.

4 unbeaten eggs
1/4 cup melted butter (half stick)
1/4 cup lemon juice (juice from both of those lemons)
1/4 cup sweet milk (sweetened condensed milk)
Beat together with the sugar mixture until smooth and creamy.
I used a fork - don't over beat it.

Bake in an unbaked deep dish or 9 inch pie at 375 for 25-40 minutes or until set (doesn't wiggle a lot in the middle). It should be a nice golden color on top.

Another option, which I did the other day, is to roll out your dough into a muffin tin and spoon about two tablespoons of the lemon mixture into each cup. Bake for a little less time - about 20 minutes - and keep your eye on it.

Don't have a great crust recipe? Here's my favorite from a cookbook called "Apple Pie Perfect," the very best pie cookbook I've ever found:

Butter Crust
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 T sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 large egg yolk
About 3 T cold water

Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Scatter the butter pieces over the dry ingredients and cut them in, using a pastry blender or two knives, until the butter is broken into very fine pieces.
Place the egg yolk in a 1-cup measuring cup and add just enough of the water to equal 1/4 cup liquid. Using a fork, blend the water and the yolk.
Sprinkle about half the liquid over the flour, mixing it in with a fork. Lift the mixture up from the button of the bowl and press down on the downstroke. Add the remaining liquid a little at a time until the dough coheres. You may need 1 to 2 teaspoons more.
Makes enough pastry for one 9-inch deep dish pie shell.

Another Snowfall?

I guess this is the last time I'll title a post with the word "snow." We've had our fourth snowfall of the season and it's not even Thanksgiving yet. Back in New York, we would expect our FIRST snowfall around Thanksgiving. This is getting ridiculous.

The roads were terrible today too. I can't tell you how many cars I saw coming towards us, but their wheels were facing a different direction. They plowed our road by 8:45, and it was still very bad.

Sam and I had to go over to the pediatrician's office for a Synagis shot today. The kiddos who get this shot have to get it within 30 days of the last one, so we absolutely had to get over to the pedi's office for it.

Once we left the pedi's office, I actually sat in my car for a long time thinking about how to get home. The road wasn't plowed and the snow was pretty compacted. I am very comfortable driving in snow, but some of the folks out here don't seem to be. I was stuck behind one line of cars that had an older man driving 5 miles per hour with his hazards on at the head of it. That's dangerous in and of itself.

We made it home, by the grace of God.

I want to post a few more recipes, especially with Thanksgiving coming up. But, I'm not sure what everyone is interested in making. Here are some choices for you:

Peanut Butter Pie
Lemon Chess Pie
Butternut Squash Bisque
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Tuna fish Dip
Artichoke Dip

Any favorites? What are you guys making for the holidays?

Another Snow Day

The weather has been quite cold here the last several days. Today's high was 27 and the low was 19. We already have an inch and a half of snow on the ground and it's still snowing.

Sam has been feeling so much better and I am trying to incorporate play dates into his routine again. On Sunday, we had some friends over who have two little girls (one only six days younger than Sam). He had a blast with them and even learned how to crawl into the bathtub by himself and play with his bath toys (we found him and Madi in there after some silence).

Yesterday we got to see Elijah for lunch. Elijah can say Sam's name now, and lots of other words. It was fun to be able to hang out with them after a week's long break.

This morning we went to the library for story time. There were only a few people who braved the roads to get there, but we had a great time. There is this little boy named Bobby who Sam has fallen in love with. He had Thomas the Tank Engine snow boots on, for goodness' sake. Who wouldn't love him? And his little sister is adorable too. Sam played with both of them for a long time today.

In other news, Sam's been coloring like a mad man. He started drawing hippos on Sunday.


Here he is with his masterpiece of the day. These Magnadoodles are incredible. Sometimes I have to snatch it from him before he erases it himself, so I can get a picture of what he's drawn. Just today he drew a crocodile with a chin - he described the whole thing to me as he was making it and erased it so quickly I couldn't get the camera. To be honest with you, it looked like a crocodile. I'm not sure how much that hippo looks like a hippo (he told us that is what it was), but the crocodile was dead on.
Sam was so happy to see another snow day. I haven't let him run out and play in the snow yet. First of all, he doesn't have boots or a snow suit. Second of all, I'm paranoid he's going to get sick. I know he needs to have his fun in the snow, but I need to be ready to let it happen first. If and when I find a snow suit and boots, it will be the first step in preparing my heart to let him play in it.

Here's a pic of our backyard this morning. What a beautiful place we live in.

Graham Crackers and Odd Spaces

Have you ever actually watched a child learn something? I have been watching Sam closely this week, since we've been home together every day. He has been learning so much - he can recognize every letter of the alphabet, except T and V (he calls them I and Y). He's starting to put complete sentences together and enunciating words with more clarity.

I could tell that he was starting to feel better yesterday morning as he was moving a heavy wooden stool around the house. He rolled a ball under the couch, carried the stool to the couch and stood up to look behind it to find his ball.

Then I looked away for a minute. You realize a minute is all it takes, right?

This is the scene I ran to. He actually moved the stool to the side of the couch to help him get this ball. Then he fell in between the couch and the wall.

I couldn't stop laughing. I think he was a little upset at first, but with all my giggling, he soon came around. Obviously, he couldn't get out without help. I sure hope he learned some kind of lesson, but I'm not sure what it would be.

Here's a conversation I had with Sam yesterday, while he was coloring (for the four hundredth time in the day):

Me: Wow, is that a tree? It looks so much like a tree.

Sam: No, it's grass.

Me: Oh. Grass. And now you're drawing the sun? Wow.

Sam: No, Mama. It's a circle.

Well, duh. I feel so dumb sometimes.

On to the Graham Crackers, which some of you have patiently waited for.


This is from the Fannie Farmer Baking Book, with a few adjustments on my end.

4 T (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1 egg
6 T sugar
2 T honey
2 T molasses


1/2 t baking soda
2 t water

3/4 t salt
1 1/2 C graham flour (I used whole wheat)
3/4 C all-purpose flour


Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Combine the butter, egg and sugar in a bowl and beat until smooth and creamy.
Stir in the honey and molasses and blend.
Dissolve the baking soda in the water and add to the butter mixture.
Add the salt, graham flour, and all-purpose flour to the mixture and blend thoroughly. The dough should hold together and be manageable. If it is too "tacky" add a little more graham flour.

Liberally dust two cookie sheets with flour.


Split the dough in half or do 1/3 and 2/3 and roll out on each cookie sheet - I used my fingers to press it down. It should be about 1/8 inch thick - remember, the soda will make it rise a little.


If you want them to be as thick as I have in my picture, don't split the dough at all, but you will have a more chewy cracker.



Score the dough with a pizza cutter or knife, but not all the way through, into squares. Depending on the size you make you could have 20-40 per cookie sheet.


Prick each square a few times with the tines of a fork.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Gently lift out with a spatula and slide onto cooling racks. Once they are cooled, they'll be ready to eat - but Sam and I like ours warm.

Fasting and Praying

Have you taken a look at the poll on the left? There are so many people really praying and even fasting for our future family and present circumstances. Praise God!

For those of you who are fasting and praying during the month of November, I'm curious about something. How many of you have felt led to pray A LOT more over the last two days? I sure have. It is just like the end of last month - God led me to pray a lot more about our situation. I am talking about CONSTANT prayer. That's when He assigned the other families their babies. I wonder what's going on right now?

Since there are so many of you out there also praying specifically for this adoption - who all is being led to pray more? Please leave a comment about it, if you feel led. I won't publish it, if you ask me not to.

Next up: Graham cracker recipe. My post is almost finished...

Sam and a Rainy Day

UPDATE:
I just got an email about Melia. She and her mommy should be back on the mountain by now. The surgery went well and she's supposed to take it easy over the next few days. Thanks for praying. Keep it up!



My poor little boy is still running a low-grade fever. Very low, but still - it's obvious he's fighting something off. On top of that, it's been raining all morning.

At first, I decided to just turn on the television and let him watch TV today. He's been with just me for the last four days and I know he's missing his friends. They're all sick too, unfortunately.

But, a little into the morning, we decided to make some graham crackers. He always likes rolling out the dough and jabbing his fingers into it. I let him poke holes in it too, with his little plastic fork.

I think he did a great job.

After that, we decided to make corn tortilla chips. I used to make them when we lived in China, because we couldn't purchase them. My friend, Casey, gave ma bag full of avocados the other day and I really wanted to make some guacamole - but what good is guacamole without chips? And we couldn't go out, because Sam is sick AND it's raining...that's what led me to make them at home. For my friends who are still living in China - these are a little complex and take a long time to make, but they are definitely worth it. Make a little fresh salsa to go with them and you'll be on your way to having a Mexican meal.

He wanted to roll out all the dough at once (not the way to make tortillas). He's looking a little bit better though, isn't he? Those rosey cheeks are trying to make their way back.

We're continuing to pray for Melia today. I heard she made it into the operating room for her several-hour surgery. I'll let you know if I hear more.

Enjoy your rainy day!

Pray for Melia

A friend of Sam's is going in for a heart cath today in Charlotte. Please pray for Melia (who came over for a play date that I posted on once):

• that the procedure would go without incident
• that she would heal quickly from it
• that they would have safety on their way home
• that her mommy and daddy and brothers would find peace today

Thanks

My Favorite Yeast Rolls Recipe

For Kellie and Shannon:

Yeast Rolls a la Teesa

1 cup warm water
1/4 cup sugar
3 teaspoons yeast

Mix and let stand 5 minutes. It should be bubbly, if it's not, throw it out and try again.

3 1/4 cup flour (sometimes I use 1 1/2 cups whole wheat and the rest white flour)
1 t salt

Mix together. Create a well in the center and add yeast mixture plus:

2 T melted butter
1 beaten egg

Mix all the ingredients together and knead for about 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Or, if you're using an upright mixer, use the kneader for about 5 minutes. Either way, make sure the dough looks like it's got a smooth consistency.

Place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel for about and hour or two (until doubled). Make sure it's in a warm place (the oven, NOT on, is a great choice).

Punch it down and let it rest for about five minutes. Then shape into little balls - I grab pieces from the top and fold them underneath to create a perfect roll shape. Place them on a greased cookie sheet or muffin tins (should make about 15-18 pieces, depending on how large you make them).

Brush tops with melted butter, cover with a light towel and let rise about 30-40 minutes or until doubled. Oftentimes, I will not brush the butter on them, but cook them without it. Then the next day when I want to reheat them, I brush butter on them and put them in a warm oven for a short amount of time.

Bake at 375F for 12-15 minutes.


For those of you who are praying for my little boy, thank you. He has not maintained a high fever over the last few days, only a low-grade. He's got a runny nose, a small cough and his hair is crazy (indicative in my family of sickness or tiredness - odd, I know).

Thanks again.

My Sick Baby

Yummy...yeast rolls. I made these with whole wheat, as usual, but they are most tasty with all white flour. Try them hot from the oven with some homemade honey butter and you'll be in heaven! Want the recipe? Just ask...since there has been some sentiment of "fear" over my bread recipes lately (Carey, you're not the only one!), I didn't want to spend any time typing it out if no one is going to use it. But, let me say this - I have never found a roll like the ones I used to eat at Golden Corral (back when I used to eat there over 10 years ago). These rolls are so similar (especially when made with all white flour). They are certainly worth the effort.

On another note, Sam is coming down with a cold. The highest his fever has gotten is 101.2F, but it hasn't been consistent at all. Still, when it got that high, I started having flashbacks and began to worry that we were only half a degree away from a potential arrhythmia.

My poor baby. Can you remember getting wrapped up like this when you were little and sick? He's eating great and drinking really well too. We're just trying to keep him away from other kiddos and continuing to give him vitamin C. He only just started having symptoms this afternoon - a runny nose and funny-sounding cough. Sam is peacefully sleeping right now, so here's to hoping we all have a good night's rest...

Dancing

I came across a video today that I want to share with you. Not because I know anybody in it, but because it somehow moved me.



After watching the video - no scratch that - WHILE watching the video I started thinking about this man starring in it. How can one person have such charisma that he affects hundreds of people around the world enough to dance with him? I read about his story on his website, and I realize that his trip was paid for by Stride Gum, but I also think there's something more to this guy. He's got something that's contagious - heck, I even felt like dancing with him.

Then I started thinking, how can I affect so many people but in an even more positive way? Is the joy I have in Christ being shared through my charisma (defined: "the ability to develop or inspire in others a...commitment to a particular point of view") every day? Is yours?

And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.

2 Samuel 6:14

Let's dance like David, but with our words and actions as Christians!

The Best Parts of Fall

I love Fall. It is my favorite season. I was somewhat saddened when we lived in China during the Autumn months, because the geography didn't lend itself to beautiful bright colors. The trees mainly consisted of pine. I have great memories of raking leaves and burying myself or my brother in them (or even the random friend).

So, I decided to make some Fall memories for Sam this week. I grabbed our rake and went out to our Sugar Maples, whose leaves have almost finished falling and...



I created this. He doesn't look happy in this photo, but mark my words, he was thrilled. He loves running and jumping into the leaves, as any boy should.

I am also a huge fan of the hydrangea flower. To be honest, it is my favorite. When it first blooms, I love to gather as many as I can and put them into a small vase. It thrills me to no end to have a vase full of pink or blue blossoms. I was so excited to learn that we've got our very own hydrangea plant at our new house.




I love the way the flower dries up, the brown shades seem so crisp and "Fall-ish" to me. You can imagine how tickled I was this morning when I got a close-up view of our now brown hydrangeas.

We've been experimenting with food this week. Last night we had grilled marinated steak with an amazing mushroom, sun-dried tomato, and roasted red pepper topping. Don't worry, it was buy-one-get-one-free at our local market. For dessert, I made "fried" ice cream. I've never had "fried" ice cream before, so I wasn't exactly sure how it was supposed to look.


I think it looks pretty tasty, if you ask me. Crushed cornflakes mixed with cinnamon and sugar coat the vanilla ice cream, along with a drizzle of honey on top of a cinnamon-sugar sprinkled fried tortilla. Okay, not the most low-cal dessert I could have chosen, but dessert's not supposed to be low-cal.

I have no regrets

Any requests on the recipe-front? We've been making homemade graham crackers this week and have almost finished working the kinks out of the recipe. They're really delicious!

Thanks to everyone who has committed to praying for our little girl. I appreciate all the emails and comments. I'm looking forward to hearing how God has touched your life during the month of November as we all join together in intense prayer!

Big Request

As many of you out there know, we are in the process of adopting a little girl from China. We don't know who she is or where she is from, but we have been in love with her for many years. Her name will be Carolina.

I would like to ask you guys a big favor. We appear to be very close to receiving our referral, though we do not know for sure.

I want to ask my Christian brothers and sisters - will you please join me and my family for the month of November (and beyond, if needed) in fasting from something you love in order to pray for this situation?

Every time that "item" is brought to your mind, please pray for:

1. Carolina
2. The officials making decisions
3. For our referral to come this month
4. Our future as parents to her
5. Sam's future as a brother to her
6. Our adoption grant
7. Anything else God brings to your mind

You don't have to tell me what you're fasting from, but just that you've committed to praying for us for this month - I will post a poll on the left for anonymity. Hopefully God will bring this subject to you many times a day every day.

Fasting is a very personal experience. I am not taking my request lightly, and I would like it if you would pray about it first as well.

"Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you." (Matthew 6:16-18)

He does answer prayers, please pray with us! Also, one of my profs at seminary once taught me in the Old Testament the priests used to cleanse themselves before coming to the presence of God Almighty, and we ought to also consider this as we pray.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

"…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (James 5:16)

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." (Ephesians 6:18)

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." (Romans 8:26)

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)