Monroe Farms Chicken

I cooked my first whole chicken tonight! Big, whole anything has always intimidated me in the kitchen, and since I am usually cooking for 2, it is usually unnecessary. That being said, a family friend has recently started raising organic chickens, and this one came straight from his Rowland, NC farm. I couldn't resist. My mom loaned me her "Tipsy Chicken" ceramic baking dish to get me started. 

It was quite the experience...but, 3 calls to mom, 2 gags, and 1 glass of wine later, it was an overall success! My pictures spare you the gruesome details of a whole raw chicken. I am so thankful for, but often forget, the modern conveniences of buying boneless skinless and 99% fat free chicken breasts at the grocery store...

The first step (after the unpacking, washing, and patting dry) was getting it situated correctly on the pan. There is a cup in the middle to fill with your wine of choice (hence the name "Tipsy Chicken"). This was phone call #1 to mom...I couldn't find the hole!!

 Next, I used an olive oil to baste the skin. I chose my cousin Scott's homemade rub for seasoning.

This is the foil plug for the neck...phone call #2 to mom...

 In the oven it went...

In the meantime, I made Boone Hall Farm's Sauteed Kale. I usually make kale with chicken broth and garlic so this was a nice and flavorful variation. Cole liked it too, except for the red bell peppers that kept appearing on my plate!

Boone Hall Farms Sauteed Kale

1 lb. fresh kale (stemmed and washed)

1 sweet onion, julienned

1 red bell pepper, julienned

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

4 slices of bacon, diced

salt and pepper to taste

Brown bacon in a large skillet. Add onions and peppers and saute for 1 minute. Deglaze with balsamic vinegar. Add kale, and continue to saute until kale is tender, but not overcooked. Season to taste. 

An hour and a half later (with a run squeezed in), the chicken was perfectly cooked, and we enjoyed it fresh off the farm and hot and juicy out of the oven. The initial drama was quickly forgotten as I took a bite. 

Other things on the menu this week...
My recreation of Trio's Penne-Goat Pasta (downtown Greenville)
Cooking Light's Shrimp with Lemon Saffron Rice
Chocolate-Chip Coffee Muffins (I am treating myself one morning!)
Chicken with Pepperoni-Marinara Sauce
Panko and Parmesan Tilapia

Rest for my soul...

There are a few common threads that work themselves throughout the book of Acts. This is especially good for me because I have learned that often I need to hear things more than once! One of these themes is the persecutions of Paul.  If you know anything about his missionary journeys, you are aware that they were full of physical, verbal, and spiritual hardships and battles (2 Corinthians 11:16-30). Not only do we see these persecutions, BUT the best part is the Lord continually provides Paul with comfort and rest when he needs it most. The Lord is sensitive to his needs, and when the Lord knows that Paul can't take another beating or trial, He provides rest for his body and soul... examples from Acts include Lydia's house, a furlough in Antioch, a community of believers (Aquila and Priscilla) in Corinth, letter/ words from a city that encouraged him, the literal voice of God, cities eager for the gospel and without persecution like Berea, and many more.

I have loved seeing this over and over again in Scripture. What a great reminder that the Lord does provide rest for me when I need it! Just like Paul, many times this week I felt like I couldn't do another day of class, tests, cases, etc. Just in time...I have spring break (my last one...ahh). I recognize this time as a gift of God and a sign of His provision!

"And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast."

1 Peter 5:10

"Praise be to the God our Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken."

Psalm 62:1-2

"Praise be the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens."

Psalm 68:19

"In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength."

Isaiah 30:15

"My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

Exodus 33:14

I am heading to DeBordieu with Alison, Molly, and Lesli for a restful week and couldn't be more excited!!

My Latest Project

If you don't know this interesting fact about my family yet, you are in for a treat! My dad has a small alpaca farm in Dillon. He got the idea after one of our father-daughter trips to Peru...a little over 6 years ago now (whew...time flies!)

They alpacas spend their days grazing on the fields. They have a few acres of free range, and only eat organic grass and hay. Every once in a while Dad takes them to shows, where they have won ribbons for their looks and behavior. Each spring the alpacas are shorn...don't worry, this process does not hurt them! Their coats are then spun into yarn. No dyes are used, so the yarn color is exactly the color of the alpaca. . ..that is a good sales pitch, huh?!

We have a ton of yarn...and it needs to be sold! This week I have made labels to attach to each skein. My favorite part about the label is that the picture on each one is of actual alpaca the yarn came from. The work has paid off, literally, and this week marks our debut into the retail market. Check out Knit on Wentworth Street in downtown Charleston.

Obviously, it would be more profitable to take out the middle man and sell the skeins directly to customers. We have looked into a few ways to do this, including the Charleston Farmer's Market. They are already full for the 2012 season...can you believe it?!

Local fibers are all the rage right now, so hopefully they will sell fast!

Cute, aren't they?!

Adelyn McCall Rogers

This is our new baby cousin/"niece", Adelyn. We had the privilege of meeting this sweet bundle of joy this weekend!

My long-awaited rotation schedule is here!

My 4th year rotation schedule was finalized this week! It is hard to believe that I will be finishing up the didactic portion of pharmacy school in a few short months. My rotations run from May 1, 2012 until April 30, 2013. I have 9 rotations during this 12 month period, so I have 3 months off...July, December, and April. 

I was pleased with my schedule for the most part! I am most excited about going to Barney's pharmacy in Augusta, GA. They are at the forefront of many new things in pharmacy, and I anticipate that I will learn a lot. Barney's also has a huge patient counseling and community education program that I hope to be involved with during my month there. The thought of leaving Cole for a month is heartbreaking, but at least I will get to see him on the weekends. I am very thankful for my friend Caroline and her family for offering to open their home for me. I will also be spending a month at Deyten's Pharmacy at the shipyard in North Charleston. This pharmacy is connected to Harvest Free Medical Clinic, where both Cole and I have enjoyed volunteering while we have been in Charleston. It is owned by some great family friends, and I am looking forward to being a part of it! Maybe Cole can swing a rotation there at the same time too! My other community pharmacy experience will be at Plantation Pharmacy. I have two acute care rotations at MUSC. I will be working on the internal medicine floor with Dr. Bohm and on pulmonary medicine with Dr. Bullington. I have 3 ambulatory care rotations, two of which are at the VA clinics and the other one at Dr. Durrence's family practice on James Island. My institutional rotation is going to be with a Mt. Pleasant home infusion company. 

I am really looking forward starting these rotations, but I do not want to wish away my student schedule too fast. (Rotations will be more like a "job" with homework). During the waiting process before this schedule was released, I took comfort that the Lord has total control over the details of my schedule. I trust His placement and timing, and I am anxious to see what He has to teach me! I pray that most of all, I will learn and further develop the skill-set I need to be a competent professional and a compassionate pharmacist. 

Mountains

This post is about a week late, but I couldn't help but share our fun weekend in the mountains with Ruthie and Sam. 

Despite the cold frigid air and whipping wind, it warmed up just enough during the day to hike, fish, and grill.

Sam is an expert fly fisherman. He taught Cole the basics on the lake, but I think the fish were too cold to bite. Ruthie and I settled for a walk to keep our bodies moving and warm!

 We had too much good food all weekend, and needless to say, our coolers went back nearly empty!

Grilled pork skewers

Ruthie and I also did a little baking. We improvised and got creative with baking tools. They must have worked because our pastries were very tasty!!

Beer bottle as a rolling pin 

Grill tool

 I told you it was cold...

Hiking, cooking, eating, reading, napping, and games...sounds like every trip we take to the mountains...and that is what I LOVE about it!

Ruthie is teaching me how to make homemade sourdough bread. My first batch goes in the oven this morning. Hopefully it will turn out good!!

Another Favorite Unique Kitchen Tool #3

Vidalia Chop Wizard

A night rarely goes by in my kitchen when I don't pull this thing out.  Maybe it is just supposed to be for onions (note the name and picture on top), but it cuts through anything and makes any recipe calling for a little chopping much easier (and safer). The green part comes in a variety of sizes so you can choose what size it chops. The bottom part also serves as a measuring cup. It cleans easily in the dishwasher.

Above I am using it to chop pears and apricots for Pear Chutney Bruschetta.

I use it for onions in my favorite Summer Tomato Pie.

It even cuts potatoes for Potato and Pesto Soup.

Black-Eyed Pea Dip, or any other salsa, is easy to make at home. I chop the peppers and onions.

And many, many, more...

If you are hooked, and you should be, I believe they sell them at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. You won't regret it.

To see my other favorite unique kitchen tools, click on the name: Pineapple Cutter and Cherry Pitter