The Gift of Another Day

"Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, 

God's Sunrise will break in upon us,

Shining on those in the darkness, 

those sitting in the shadow of death,

Then showing us the way, one foot at a time,

down the path of peace."  Luke 1:77-79 (The Message)

This morning,  my husband gave me a gift.  I am not a morning person so I can count on my fingers the number of times I have seen the sunrise.  If I have seen it, I am usually too ill about being up to even be in awe of its beauty.  However, my husband is a very early riser and captured the sunrise for me this morning.  He emailed it to me after 8:00am.  This morning, my husband gave me this magnificent gift through his eyes... 

I love the above picture because the sunrise looks like a "consuming fire."  

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire'"  Hebrews 12:28-29

Thanks to my husband, my day began by seeing God's glory because he stopped to take these pictures for me.  Knowing, that I would love this, encouraging me in my quest to see God, seeing Him for me.

Starting the day like this, makes it hard not to see God's love throughout the rest of the day...

The gift of imagination...It was 40-something degrees this January day, but that did not stop this one from putting on her surf shirt, kicking off her shoes, and surfing on the see saw.  Oh, to be seven again!  The next best thing is living through her eyes, her imagination.

With her, we just never know...always up to or into something.

Tonight, I got to fix one of the girls' favorites...mac and cheese (Jess said that was her gift from God today).  Last year, I got serious about our family eating more whole, natural foods (okay, a little serious...I absolutely cannot give up Cheetos and if I quit buying Little Debbies, I think my family would send me into exile).  I figured that we are going to eat processed foods some, but if I took the time to cook, I would try to focus on cooking with real food.  I read a great book called Real Food Has Curves (by B. Weinstein &  M. Scarbrough).  These two guys give a really practical overview of getting off processed foods (at your own pace and comfort level) and it is full of information of the yucky/fake stuff that is in a lot of processed foods.  The best thing about this book was that it included recipes (they both have written several cookbooks). The mac and cheese I made tonight, I adapted from their recipe (their recipe has mushrooms, onions, and broccoli...yum to me, not so much to my girls).  I love this because it literally takes minutes to make.  It is packed full of protein and can stand alone as a main dish.  It is a skillet version and if you grate the cheese the night before, then you could probably make this in 20 min (10 of that will be boiling pasta).  

Ingredients...

Pasta of choice (I buy the whole wheat (less processed) penne variety because it is full of fiber and since it will be drowned in cheese, you really can't taste the difference)

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (it is always better to buy in wedge or block form and shred.  Plus it tastes so much better.  It is pricey but it will keep for a long time and you can use it in other recipes or salads.

Cheddar Cheese (I choose cabot smooth sharp because they don't add animal rennet).  Again, whatever cheese you choose, buy in block form for a much better taste.  Feel free to add your own favorite cheese to the mix or substitute.

Butter (always real butter, never margarine)

Unbleached Flour (minimally processed and you cannot taste the difference)

Dijon Mustard

Whole Milk (or low-fat)

Black Pepper and Salt (I use Kosher Salt)

To make...

Shred approx 4 oz. (half the block) or Cheddar Cheese and 2-3 oz. of Parm-Reg. cheese (feel free to reduce or add to this, you can always shred more or save the excess).  Mix together in a bowl and set aside.

Cook about 1/2 a box of pasta (8oz.), drain and set aside.

Melt 1 tbsp. of butter (you can get away with reducing this if you are making a lower calorie version) on medium-high heat in large, high-sided, oven-safe skillet.

Add about 1.5-2 tbsp. of flour.

Whisk in about 1.5 cups of milk in a steady, thin stream until creamy.

Whisk in about 1/2 to 1 tbsp. of Dijon Mustard, salt (I guess, but about 1/4-1/2 tsp), and pepper (I just sprinkle enough pepper to sparsely cover the top).

Continue whisking until the mixture starts to bubble and the liquid thickens (about 3 minutes).

Remove the skillet from the heat.  Stir in three-quarters of the shredded cheeses until smooth.  Stir in cooked pasta.

Preheat the broiler after setting the rack 4-6 inches from the heat source.  

Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese over the top of the skillet.

Broil until lightly browned and bubbling (around 5 minutes).

Handles will be HOT!

Cool for about 5-10 minutes 

It is so creamy, delicious, filling, and full of fiber and protein. It easily makes 4-5 portions.  What we don't eat, we  heat up for left overs.

I serve it with some steamed broccoli (I just put a handful of frozen broccoli in a bowl in the microwave, sit an oversized lid on top, and microwave for a minute and a half.  Reagan requested a salad with hers topped with Ranch (see, only a little serious about the whole processed thing).

Thank you God for sunrises, a husband who captures them for me, time to play, and for macaroni and cheese...all found on a path of peace.  God, thank you for the gift of another day!