Playing Chicken

Do you ever get tired of eating the same thing, over and over again?  Despite the different permutations, it's still the same old thing.

This is would be my relationship with chicken.

It's tasty, it's healthy, it's cheap, and it's easy.  So we eat chicken A LOT.

Chicken with garlic, chicken on pizza, chicken with peanut sauce over rice, barbecued chicken... I'm getting quite proficient with the permutations.  And yet, they get old.

So, what do you do when life gets boring?  Add coconut.

Here is tonight's dinner.  And amen.

Coconut Chicken Strips
from Budget Bytes

Ingredients

2lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 eggs

¼ cup coconut milk

½ cups flour

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 cup shredded coconut (though I pulsed mine in my food processor a bit to get finer pieces)

½ tsp salt

Sweet chili sauce to taste

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350⁰

2.  Cut each breast into ½ inch-wide strips. I cut them diagonally to prevent the end strips from being really short.  

Eww. Raw. 

3. Grab three bowls. In the first bowl, combine the flour and salt. In the second bowl, combine the eggs and coconut milk. Whisk together until well combined. In the third bowl, stir together the bread crumbs and coconut.

4. Dredge the chicken strips. (Isn’t ‘dredge’ a cool word?)  First, coat each strip in the flour and salt mixture. Then dip each into the eggs/coconut milk and finally coat each in bread crumbs and coconut. I find it easiest to coat all of them in the flour then go back and then do the egg wash and panko/coconut for each before moving onto the next.

5. After breading the strips, place them on a cookie rack (which is then placed on in a jelly roll pan) This keeps them from becoming too soggy in the oven.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350⁰, then broil for 1 minute on each side, or until coconut browns.

7. Serve immediately with sweet chili sauce to dip in.

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My Heart

My heart is so very fickle.

All it takes is a few tough days at work and a few weeks' worth of sunless days, and I'm ready to pack up my bags and move outta here!  The very next day, I could be driving across the bridge into downtown or staring down a fire-y orange fall Maple tree and my heart wonders how it will ever say "goodbye" to this place.

See? Fickle.

My parents could have told you that early on, and my husband would easily identify that in me now. I suppose it's taken a few years' distance between high school and now for me to realize that it's more than just "Oh, I'm an emotional woman, so this is my prerogative."  It is lack of discipline.

I'm so thankful for the man that I've been given - who reminds me Where my foundation is when I am blown and tossed by the proverbial wind.

I'm even more thankful for the One who is never-changing, always constant, and who holds my heart despite its faults.

So very humbling.

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Tigers and Pumpkins and Burgers, Oh My!

I’m overwhelmed.  That’s all there is to it.  My heart is full and my head is swimming.  I feel blessed beyond belief.

This weekend, my mom drove 14 hours – roundtrip – to spend the weekend with us.  That’s a lot of driving.  She got in on Friday night and, because the Mr. was playing in a golf tournament, she and I got some special one-on-one time to catch up.  I love my mom.  She is ridiculously wise.

Then, we made Chicken Holy Basil together.  And it was near divine.

Saturday morning was perfectly laidback, complete with a luxurious walk around the neighborhood in the perfect fall weather. It was exactly what I needed as I recovered from a nasty cold/flu thing.  Then, we were off to Helvetia Tavern for lunch where the Mr. put away the JUMBO burger.  What a man.  After that, we went on an adventure to find the little people in the big world.  And pumpkins.

And we found both.

We had a great time tromping around the Roloff farms, staring at Bengal Tigers, and playing King of the Mountain on the hay bale pyramid.  Well, we would have played if there weren't like a zillion little kids around.  I mean really, what are little kids doing climbing all over a pyramid of hay bales... don't they know that that is adult stuff?!  ;)

We had SUCH a wonderful weekend with my mom.  The only thing missing was Dad at her side...  :)  It was the kind of weekend that left us truly refreshed and ready to face the week.  Also, it may just keep the homesickness at bay until we can make it home at Thanksgiving!

Also, we were able to check #4 off of our Forest Grove Bucket List. (things to do before we move)



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My Best Friend

This weekend was one for the books, ladies and gentlemen.  I'm quite certain that it was a glimpse of heaven on earth... ish.

Because the Mr. was run ragged these last two weeks (having had 7 tests in as many days), this weekend was set aside for NO studying, just US.  Friday and Saturday night were both date nights!  Two in a row... wowza.  And, though Cole had to work on Saturday, I reveled in the opportunity to deep-clean our house.  My inner-Monica-Gellar rejoiced.

Regardless of the goings-on of the weekend, I sit here - on Sunday night - basking in the glow of 2 1/2 days spent with my best friend.   Having Cole in grad school has proven challenging for both of us, so a weekend free of homework may as well have been a holiday.

Any time that I get to spend with my husband reminds me how blessed I am.  To have a man who, from the time I wake up until the time I fall asleep, works tirelessly to make sure that I know that I am loved... to have a man who, though he has a million other things he needs to do, takes time out of every day to wrap his strong arms around me and remind me that he thinks I'm beautiful.... to have man who sings the Johnny to my June and the Lionel Richie to my Diana Ross... to have a man who prays for me, with me... to have a man who dreams with me... to have a man who pursues me...

Yep, I'm pretty darn blessed.    I just love life with this guy!!



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1000 Gifts: 21-40

-The second installment of 1000 Gifts-
While it is important to focus on the gifts for which we are thankful, I don't intend to cheapen them by putting them in this list.  Regardless, it is my desire to discipline myself to focus on the blessings with which we have been so richly showered.  And so, here are the second 20 gifts... 960 to go!   :)

21	My dad's job - which allows us occasional run-ins (like this and this)
22	Our GPS, without which, I would be utterly lost
23	Retail therapy
24	Sarah's homemade hummus at Bible study.  Amen.
25	Sweet fellowship with new friends
26	The way food turns strangers into friends
27	Sunrises in Sunnyside
28	Catching up with old friends over lunch
29	Pine-scented candles
30	Answered prayers
31	Bubble wrap
32	Great relationships with extended family
33	Patience
34	That moment when I can finally take off those high-heels
35	Safe travelling
36	Cell phones
37	Mount Bachelor. What a beauty!
38	Steak dinners
39	Flowers from my love, welcoming me home
40	Gift certificates

And, oh, how blessed we are!

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Transformation

Driving through the Deschutes National Forest today, I passed an area decimated by the Newberry Volcano. It was eerie to see how much destruction it caused; it was awe-inspiring to see how powerful the lava was; and it brought tears to my eyes to see the new birth rising from the ashes.

You see, on top of the now-hardened, black-as-night lava, signs of life were beginning to emerge.  Where before, it had only known the death brought on by the volcano, life had begun to blossom.

I was quite awestruck as I stood there for a moment, fascinated by the stark contrast of the bright green sprigs of life against the black lava.  I couldn't figure out why it struck me like it did until I got back into the car and began driving.

That is was me.

"Dead in transgressions and sin. Without God, without hope in this world.  Then, the glorious light of the Gospel broke in.  The Father stood up from His throne.  Opened His arms as He called out my name.  Grace, irresistible, drew me... opened my eyes to see."  -You Are the Way

I was dead.  There was no sign of life in me.  It was only by His grace that life came.

What once was complete darkness and death now has light and life.  Only because of Him.  What a beautiful, blessed transformation.



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Weekend, er, LIFE Update

It has been brought to my attention by more than a few out-of-town friends and family that it has been far too long since an update. Part of that is due to the pace of life... (See this post) and part of it is due to the lack of interesting things to report.

No one wants to read a boring blog.

Anywho, activity at the Boboth household has revolved - in large part - around his studying, my travelling, and football season. *Can I get an "Amen!"?*   <---- That was a lot of symbols in a row. Such is the price of grammatical correctness.

This last weekend found me bouncing between the Tri-Cities and Dayton, Washington, as I was in a friend's wedding on Saturday.  The setting was the Running T ranch in Dayton. SO beautiful.  But, perhaps the best gift of the weekend was getting to see old friends from college after nearly a year and a half! I had SO much fun catching up with these (and other) clowns.  What a sweet thing friendship is!

Sweeter still, however was the reunion with my sweet man.  Two nights apart was TWO too many!  Last year, when I left for travel season, it was so hard to leave my brand new husband.  This year, I figured that it wouldn't be as bad... afterall, we've been married for over a year, he'd need to study, blah,blah,blah.......  WRONG.   I miss him even more now than I did then.  Distance, and time, truly does make the heart grow fonder.

So this week, I'm on the road touring beautiful Southern Oregon. (pictures forthcoming)  And the Mr. is studying. (pictures not forthcoming.  Because that would be boring.)  But for reals, keep him in your thoughts and prayers... this amazingly smart man has had 3 tests and has 2 more to go.  All in 2 weeks' time. Phew!

Well, that's all to report for now...  we are sure growing excited to be heading home for the holidays!  Can't wait to see our wonderful family!!

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