DSC_0122

DSC_0122, a photo by caitlinshirley on Flickr.

Vegetable Pot Pie Recipe

olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves, diced
1 large shallot, diced
2 small leeks, sliced
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 cup diced potatoes
2 cups diced crimini mushrooms
2 heaping tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
a splash of cream
2 teaspoons fresh or dried thyme
2 teaspoons fresh or dried parsley
1/2 cup frozen peas
salt and pepper, to taste
1 sheet of store-bought puff pastry, defrosted if frozen

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat and add garlic, shallots, leeks, carrot, and celery. Cook until shallots are translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add potatoes and mushrooms, then season with salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms reduce, about 5-6 minutes.

Sprinkle flour over vegetables. Stir to coat and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in broth and cream and mix until smooth. Bring soup to a simmer and cook for about 5-6 minutes, until slightly thickened. Turn heat off and stir in herbs and frozen peas. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.

To prepare pot pies I used Nigella Lawson’s method: Cut a 1/2-inch strip of puff pastry dough. Dampen edges of 2-3 large ramekins with water and curl pastry strips around the top of the pots. Fill each pot with the vegetable filling. Cut circles bigger than the top of each pie-pot for the lid. Dampen the tops of the pastry strips and top each pie sealing the edges with a fork. Prick with your fork or add slits in the top of each pie to vent. Cook the pot pies for about 20 minutes, until tops are golden brown and puffed. Cool for a few minutes before serving.

Note: If you don’t have ramekins, use an 8×8 baking dish for one whole serving of pot pie. Cut puff pastry dough to fit over baking dish.

Total Time: 45-55 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

about that

lat night was the night. my boys all piled in my living room amps and drums in hand. you'd think they won the lottery! and they jammed for hours. new songs, old songs, bad songs, good songs... everyone in a 10 block radius heard it all.

and then it was dinner time.

when they saw the meat, you'd think they had never eaten a day in their lives! it is all gone! leftovers: not a crumb. they even sampled the kimchi which I was very proud of them for!

but like the perfectionist that I am (at least about food), I have a few amendments to the kalbi recipe I posted Monday. I broiled the ribs which worked but didn't give them the depth of flavor I was hoping for. I think because of the pear purée, they didn't get quite crispy enough. If I broiled them again, I would wipe them down pretty good to get most of the marinade off.

also, I think I might recommend using only 1/2 of an extremely ripe pear, you know how the flavor gets more intense and sweet when they're super ripe? it just didn't have a rich enough flavor. to that end I might add a little more soy sauce too.

other than that it was 100% a success!

kalbi

i have a theory that the way to he heart of a true omnivore (male or female) is this special dish called kalbi. I think kalbi and it's cousin bulgogi are the top two reasons I have never been a vegetarian. it's nearly a ritual of a meal consisting of delicately marinated beef, Korean side dishes including, of course, plenty of kimchi, and rice. it can take hours over a table grill and beautiful conversations. but in the end the winner is the last man standing. how much meat can you eat? it's beautiful.

well Puyallup doesn't have any Korean BBQ restaurants yet so I'm getting in touch with my inner Korean mama and making kalbi for dinner tomorrow night.

if you're as lucky as I am to have daily access to an Asian market you might be tempted to make this everyday. just please be careful to put the kimchi in an extra bag because your fellow train passengers may not be too happy about the aroma of it wafting through the car... although the gentleman in the seat in front of me (our knees nearly touching) is Korean and I bet he'd be impressed with the contents of the grocery bags making themselves at home beneath my seat.

the other thing about kalbi (and any other delightful tasting food) is that there is a responsibility to share with those who've never heard the good news. so I'll be eating kalbi tomorrow night with my buddies in my band. having grown up in precious Puyallup I'd venture to guess that mama b and mama h have ever heard from their inner Korean mama so it'll be a new experience for the guys, officially making it a very important occasion. there will be a balance between exposing them to the glories of it and not putting them off too much by the unfamiliar sights of pickled radishes gleaming yellow in their brine or the kimchi soft and spicy still only a question in their minds. it's scary the first time, I'll have to hold their hands a bit but one day they'll be believers too.

should you choose to forego the kimchi and pickled veggies, kalbi is still the most wonderful marinade on the planet. do it. you won't regret it. and your inner Korean mama will thank you for letting her out!

kalbi:
1. make a purée of the following:
-a pear (if you don't have pears you could probably use apples)
-a few cloves of garlic
-an onion or so
-some fresh ginger
-just enough water that it'll blend

once you have a nice creamy looking purée add it to the following:
-soy sauce
-a splash of sesame oil
-honey or agave nectar
-black pepper

mix it up and let it do it's magic.
I like to let it marinate as long as possible... probably over night at the most.
traditionally kalbi and bulgogi (which isn't as sweet as kalbi) are served grilled, hence the American term Korean BBQ. but really it's just the best marinade ever and I'm probably going to do some in the croc pot tomorrow.

now you know.

ps. I just almost lost a head of cabbage down the isle of the train. that would have been a great story!!

posting pics of our meal soon

10 from 2010 continued

I was reminded last night that I have yet to finish the list of the things I've learned in 2010. I've had a draft sitting in a blank notebook here on my iPod but just haven't found the time to update it.

PLUS... I moved out my parents house a week or so ago and my roommates and I have yet to have out Internet installed so I haven't had access to normal things like Facebook and email outside of work which (shocker) has been very disorienting. anyway I'm on the train right now so I'm goi to seize this opportunity to continue this very important post.

and just so you're aware, I'm bored of this blog so I'm considering a makeover... but that'll come later.

in 2010 I've figured some stuff out....

6. continuing where I left off last time, I feel hat this post is especially significant to me because my sixth lesson learned in 2010 is reflection. I've always been a fairly goal oriented person, often thinking hours and days and years into he future. but I always fall short when it comes to assessing my achievements. I usually move onto the next goal, the next excitement, the next project but I hardly allow myself the luxury of reflection. I think I scares me. what if I didn't do all that I had set out to do? what I in the end I feel as though I've failed? it's scary!! assessment is not easy. George has coached me in this a lot during our 1 on 1 meetings and what I've come to understand is that without assessment, even if you feel like you failed, you will never feel like you've won either. so rather than success and failure, we use the words wins and challenges. it's a little watered down, but I think it's a gospel centered approach to looking at life. I believe that Jesus already died for all my failures! and he doesn't require me to be successful as a child of his because he already won the battle. his reputation is already set I'm stone. his plan can't be screwed up. but what I can do is to partake in the celebration of his victory which plays out in my life day to day and year to year. and I do believe he has called me to take a hard look at his standards and strive to please him with honoring and seeking after them. that's where the challenges fit into the process. so as I enter 2011, this series of posts is particularly important because it's both forcing me to examine the last year and see the challenges ahead of me as well as giving me the freedom to rejoice in the victory of the kingdom in my life.

7. growing up costs a lot of money! I bought my own car this past year! it's crazy to be grown up. no one thought it was weird when I went to the bank and applied for a loan. the whole time I was expecting someone to say, "we don't approve car loans for little girls, honey." but I guess when you have a good job and a little credit they want you to apply for a loan! (and as a side note because it happened technically in 2011, I have officially paid off the whole loan as of one week ago!!!!)

8. I've learned that a song is just a clean canvas, ripe for creativity to take it and turn it into music. I've had the wonderful pleasure of spending this year collaborating with musicians diverse in both experience and talent. some love to play guitar and others prefer the ukelele. the two that have had the most profound effect on me are Trenton and Evan. both only sophomores in high school, they have taught me more in this one year and challenged me beyond what I thought I could manage and experience that it amazes me. together we have wrestled with worship. we have found that it dwells in the hearts and minds of God's people and that it's hard to draw it out sometimes. they've been a beautiful energy added to challenging church plant situation. they are an example of freedom and joy to me every week at our rehearsals and at church on Sunday. they are always challenging me to do things that I've never done before (like play electric guitar). never satisfied with mediocrity, they spur me on to higher levels of creativity, harder practice, greater capacity in leadership, more patience in friendship, and more love for people around me. they are the most unexpected answer to prayer I've ever experienced.
this past week at rehearsal we played one of our favorite arrangements, Yahweh by Shawn McDonald (our arrangement inspired by Arcade Fire's song Rebellion) and the words are simply this, "you alone are worthy of all that I am. beautiful is your name, wonderful is your name. you alone are worthy of all that I am" and all I could do as I sang my heart out to Jesus was think that only he is worthy of these young hearts. only he is worthy of their creativity, of their loud amps and drums, of the joy they express when we nail a Sunday service, of their insightful questions, of their faithful dedication, and of their worship.

9. I'm going to cheat a little bit and say the number 9 is something I've learned that I need to learn. working at Russell has been a huge part of this year. I have learned so much about being in the workplace. I've almost converted into a morning person... almost. but I've learned that I need to start learning more about our industry. it's such a part of the daily lives of people in our culture and yet we don't even know how it affects us. the financial industry, the economy, the political issues in the world, they are all intertwined and they all affect our lives daily. my goal for 2011... and one of the challenges i've identifies is that I need to stretch my brain and learn more. maybe a part of my blog makeover will be a financial industries for dummies column. might be fun.

10. I plan on saying this every year of my life, but I really have to finish by saying that I've gotten a tiny glimpse more into the heart of Jesus for me, the heart of Jesus for his people, for my community in Puyallup, for the northwest, for the world. it's exciting to think of the possibilities of the discovery of more of that. more Jesus, more experiencing his love, more learning to worship in his presence, more seeking his face, more desiring his kingdom come, more seeing him do all sorts of cool stuff. bring it 2011, Jesus is going to blow us all away AGAIN!!

ten from 2010 (# 1)

I can't believe 2011! it's like every year that comes is another year that seems it should still be future.

I'm older, I'm busier, i'm learning more and more everyday... and 2011 reminds me to stop and think about all that has happened in the last year (well, really year and a half since graduation from biola).

so here are 10 amazing and important things I learned in 2010...

1. I've learned how to play ukelele! my friend Danielle who I often enjoy collaborating with taught me on the fly for a gig we had. it makes me giggle because it's so ridiculous, but it is a very beautiful instrument and I'm looking forward to incorporating it more into my music.

2. that community is more than just the people you live near, but the people God has called you to. I had a conversation with a woman at work yesterday and when I told her I was staying in Puyallup for another year because I didn't want to leave my community, she looked at me pike I was speaking another language. she said, "well can't you just make new friends when you move?" I suppose I could, but the bottom line is that I'm called to my people. I can't just choose to leave them unless Jesus releases me from that calling and gives me a new one.

3. my sister Jillian is pretty much a woman. it's weird since I remember her being born. it seems like people who were born when I was a pre-teen/teen shouldn't be women yet. but I'm reminded by our frequent conversations that 14 is the age where girls do a lot of working out womanhood and deciding what kind of a woman they're going to be. Jillian, you're going to be a stellar one!!

4. trains get the right-of-way! thankfully!! that cuts about 20 mins off my commute! and I get to do things like write this blog the whole way home.

5. that mission is something that doesn't only take place in other countries but also right here at home in Puyallup with people who don't know Jesus. since whitewater began, 7 people have come to know Him and be immersed in community with us. I'm not sure i've ever been a part of a church that not only challenged it's body to evangelize but also gives them the tools, the encouragement, and the opportunity to see fruit for the kingdom.

there is the first 5 for you. i've got someore good stuff up my sleeve to share. stay tuned!

dec.

whoa.  it's december. 

happy winter from the 14th floor in downtown Seattle.