#21

If you watched the Carolina vs. Tennessee game yesterday, then you saw the terrible injury received by our beloved Marcus Lattimore. 

Marcus is a wonderful person, a great role model, an inspiration to us all...and he just happens to be one of the greatest running backs in all of college football.

After suffering a terrible knee injury last season, there was speculation that it was career-ending and he would not be returning. And if he did return, he wouldn't be the same player as before.

He proved everyone wrong by his incredible work ethic and his undying faith in the Lord. He came back just as strong.

He's had a great season so far, and then this happened. I was at the game so I didn't see the slow-mo, up close of the hit that caused his injury. And I cannot bring myself to watch it, even though we have the game recorded. My friend and I cried in Williams-Brice Stadium yesterday. We cried for Lattimore's pain and we cried as we watched one of the most amazing examples of true sportsmanship displayed for Lattimore on the field.

I am praying so hard for Marcus, his family, and his teammates. This isn't even about football, this is about a great guy who deserves all the best in life and in his career. Please pray that he recovers and is able to continue his career. No matter what the outcome, God will continue to use Marcus in ways we can't even imagine. 

We love you, #21.

Fall means pumpkin bread and football

Well, hello there.

I'm back. 

If you're a long-time reader(and by "long-time" I mean about a year since I'm still pretty new at this) you know how much I love Fall. If you're a new reader, well, I love Fall. 

And, finally, the temps here in Charleston are lowering and it's starting to feel like Fall. And I'm loving every bit of it. Even standing at the door of my trailer learning cottage every morning greeting my kiddos in the crisp 50* chill is amazing. As long as I have my Pumpkin Spice coffee in hand, I'm one happy teach. Speaking of "learning cottage", I still owe you a "finished product" picture of my room. I'm actually pretty happy with the way it turned out. It's small and isn't perfect, but it's cozy and welcoming which is all I hoped for. I'll get on that picture after I clean my desk :).

Well, speaking of teaching and Fall, a few weeks ago I was completely burnt out and grouchy. I love my job, but you teachers out there know how stressful it can be with all the "extra" stuff that gets piled on our plate. So, what did I do to regroup and recuperate? Took a personal day and baked. What did I bake, you ask? Pumpkin Bread for my wonderful second grade team.

I was so excited to get in the kitchen and bake up some mini-loaves when I realized I didn't have eggs. Simple solution: Drive the 5 minutes to the store to buy some eggs. 

Lazy solution/my solution: Look up a recipe that does not require eggs.

And I stumbled upon this recipe from Joy the Baker. Her version is vegan, mine is not. She uses oil, I used Greek yogurt (hence the "non vegan" change).  Everyone said how much they loved it!

makes 2 loaves, or 4 mini-loaves

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups light brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

1 15oz. can pumpkin puree

1 regular size Chobani apple-cinnamon Greek yogurt 

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup water

Preheat oven to 350. Place a rack in the center of the oven. Grease and flour loaf pans and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices.

In a medium bowl, carefully whisk together pumpkin puree, yogurt, maple syrup and water.

Add the wet ingredient to the dry ingredients and use a spatula to fold all ingredients together. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl well. 

Divide the dough between the 2 loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes (30-35 minutes if using mini-loaf pans), or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven. Let rest in the pans for 20 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack. 

I hope you all are enjoying Fall as much as I am! 

And, I leave you with some images of my favorite thing about Fall...

Tasty Tuesday--Senegalese Chicken Soup

It's finally a Tasty Tuesday post! And this one might be one of the best ever. 

I had a craving for Thai and this soup did not fail. Please don't let my terrible photo deter you from making this amazing soup!

Senegalese Chicken Soup
adapted from food.com

1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup curry powder
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 quart chicken stock
1 quarte diced tomatoes with juice
1 deli rotisserie chicken (or 4 cups cooked chicken), shredded
3/4 teaspoon red chili paste (found in the Asian foods section in your grocery store)
1 cup chunky peanut butter
1 (14 ounce) can lite coconut milk
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
lemon juice, to taste (I used to juice of one small lemon)

1. Saute onion, garlic, and cayenne in oil until onion is translucent in a large stockpot.
2. Stir in curry powder and curry paste; saute 1 minute.
3. Add chicken stock and tomatoes in juice; bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add cooked chicken and red chili paste; simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Whisk in peanut butter a little at a time until incorporated; add coconut milk and stir to incorporate.
6. Turn soup to low and add cilantro and lemon juice; check seasoning.


I am telling you...this soup is restaurant quality!