Foodie Friday

   Yep, another alliteration. Foodie Fridays.

   I have a confession...I am a wanna be chef. I love making (and eating!) food. My husband and I also enjoy pretending like we're "Chopped" judges whenever we go to restaurants. So on Fridays I plan to share something of this sort with you.

   My husband, Jonathan, is usually not found in the kitchen. He likes to say that he "mixes" things, but he doesn't "cook" food. Contrary to what he may say, he is actually a great cook and can make a mean Chicken Marsala :)  This summer while we have a little more time on our hands, he's expressed an interest in learning to cook more. So one goal we are trying to accomplish this summer is to cook dinner together at least once a week.

  One of the things Jonathan makes that could win an award is his Chicken Salad. It's my favorite! So tonight we made a meal that puts a little twist on chicken salad. It's a bit of an adaptation from Rachel Ray's (love her!!) California Chicken Club Wraps. Here's the recipe for our twist which we'll call "California Chicken Club Salad Pitas" or maybe a cooler name is C3SP?

Ingredients:
-Canned Chicken
-Salt & Pepper
-1/2 an Avacado
-1/4 Onion diced
- 1 Celery Stick diced
-1/4 Mango diced
-Juice of 1/2 a Lime
-Bacon chopped like Bacon Bits
-Pita Pockets/Bread
-Lettuce
-Tomato

Instructions:
1- Mix ALL ingredients besides pita, lettuce and tomato.
2- Warm Pitas
3- Slice Pitas in half and stuff with Chicken Mixture, Lettuce and Tomato
4- ENJOY!

*For a healthier option cut out the bacon and use whole wheat pita or lettuce leafs to wrap Chicken Salad instead of Pita.

Awesome, Amazing Alliteration...

   I've got a plan. A plan for blogging this summer, that is. I shared in my previous blog post about a goal to blog at least three times a week. So today is (brace yourself for cheese...) "Theology Thursday". More alliteration is coming to a computer screen near you, but I'll leave ya on the edge of your seat for now :)

  For my first "Theology Thursday" let's just talk about what theology actually is... I don't know about you but usually things that end in "-ology" either scare me into apathy or put me to sleep. But a few years ago I took my first theology class (shout out to Southeastern) and something happened. My interest was piqued, and a love was cultivated here:

  Theology simply means the study ("logy"- from the Greek word logos which means word) of God ("theo"- Theos in Greek is the word for God). There are of course all types of theology. This blog will focus more on what is called "Systematic Theology" which engages theological areas and "systematizes" them into a formula to grapple with contemporary issues. My hope is that each post would also offer "Practical Theology" so that what is learned can be applied to one's Christian walk. The fact of the matter is, God changes people. His word cannot be read without a seed being planted that either stirs an unbeliever's heart or encourages believers to align their lives more with Christ's.

I'm excited about talking more about theology in the future. Here are two insightful articles about theology and why it matters for the church.

http://betweenthetimes.com/index.php/2013/05/24/teaching-theology-in-the-local-church/

http://thomrainer.com/2013/05/21/7-steps-to-teach-theology-in-the-local-church/

Until next time...

Twenties

    Hey Blogosphere,
Well... I know it's been a while. I've been a little busy finishing school (Hallelujah)! Maybe I'm the only one who feels this way, but...finishing college is weird. There, I said it. Haha. Don't get me wrong, it's exciting. And, I know it's a big accomplishment and all, but it just feels...weird. For many college grads, we've been in school since we were five years old, so there is this big gaping hole that asks, "what now"?

Well I have some ideas, but I won't go into a lengthy, philosophical answer right now. I'm still trying to figure it all out myself. But here is a pretty cool article I stumbled upon on one of my favorite online magazines "Relevant" that discusses "What to Know at 25-ish". Check it out.

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/whole-life/features/25956-11-things-to-know-at-25ish

 In addition to listening to the wisdom in scripture, the wise people around me, and some of the wisdom in the above article... I've developed a little (non-exhaustive) post-college bucket list.

-Blog more! I'm shooting for three times a week...
-Read at least 5 books this summer. Right now I'm reading "Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them".
                                                               
-Enjoy the summer with my Husband! Right now we have blocked off a few days as a "Staycation" to just relax, enjoy spending time with each other, and to celebrate our two year anniversary!!
-Hone in on some homemaking skills...develop some new recipes, have a cleaner apartment, etc.
-Be more people focused... this is a toughy sometimes. I am so quick to be caught up in tasks and to dos. So I'm shooting to put people first more, especially now that papers aren't always reminding me they need to be written :)

Is there anything you wish you would've done in your twenties? Or, that you look forward to pursuing in your twenties?