Molly's GarCarbs (AKA Whole Wheat Garlic and Herb Biscuits)

I was originally going to call these “Whole wheat garlic and herb biscuits,” but then my GoCo (sort of like a youth group) started naming them. So they went from “Whole wheat garlic and herb biscuits” to “Molly’s Carbs,” to “Molly’s Whole Wheat Carbs,” to “Molly’s Garlic and Herb Carbs” to “GarCarbs.” I’m also supposed to have them in green packaging when I decide to sell them because people always assume that green stuff means healthy stuff and will be more likely to buy them. I’m also supposed use Helvetica font on the packaging.

So if you ever see a green packaged biscuit mix with the name “Molly’s GarCarbs” written in Helvetica on the front, you now know where they come from. But until I get around to this awesome business plan, I will share the recipe so that you can enjoy them now instead of later.

First, gather you ingredients. You will need 1 ½ cups of whole wheat flour, 2 ½ tsp of baking powder, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp dried basil, ½ tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp garlic powder, 6 Tbsp cold butter, and 1 cup of milk.

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and herbs in a mixing bowl.

 Cut in the butter (using either a fancy tool or two forks) until you have something resembling a coarse meal.

Pour in the milk and mix everything together.

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Place about a golf ball sized amount of dough on the baking sheet. This batter makes about a dozen biscuits.

Bake at 400 degrees for 13-15 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy your GarCarbs!

Yes, there is one missing. I had to try them and make sure they were good!

Molly’s GarCarbs

Ingredients

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

2 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp dried basil

1 tsp garlic powder

6 Tbsp cold butter

1 cup milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and herbs in a mixing bowl.

Cut in the butter (using either a fancy tool or two forks) until you have something resembling a coarse meal.

Pour in the milk and mix everything together.

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Place about a golf ball sized amount of dough on the baking sheet (you can use either your bare hands or a spoon). This batter makes about a dozen biscuits.

Bake at 400 degrees for 13-15 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy your GarCarbs!

Molly

Based loosely on Martha Stewart's Flaky Buttery Biscuits recipe.

National Pie Day

Image courtesy of Google Images.

Happy National Pie Day! Go eat some pie for me and let me know how it tastes :)

Molly

Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong Book Review

Image courtesy of Goodreads.

Two young girls have the ability to talk to the spirits and a duty to protect their people from angry, unresolved spirits. Does this sound appealing to you? Then you might just want to check out Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong.

I love the Darkest Powers trilogy and am I fan of the Darkness Rising trilogy, both of which were written by Kelley Armstrong. When I found out that Armstrong had written a “breathtaking fantasy,” I knew I had to read it. The conviction that I needed to read it was solidified when I read the synopsis.

“In the Forest of the Dead, where the empire’s worst criminals are exiled, twin sisters Moria and Ashyn are charged with a dangerous task. For they are the Keeper and the Seeker, and each year they must quiet the enraged souls of the damned.

Only this year, the souls will not be quieted.

Ambushed and separated by an ancient evil, the sisters’ journey to find each other sends them far from the only home they’ve ever known. Accompanied by a stubborn imperial guard and a dashing condemned thief, the girls cross a once-empty wasteland, now filled with reawakened monsters of legend, as they travel to warn the emperor. But a terrible secret awaits them at court—one that will alter the balance of their world forever.”

Forest of the Dead? Girls tasked with quieting the “enraged souls of the damned”? Monsters of legend? This book went right on my wish list. Thankfully Santa was nice enough to bring it for me and I was able to read it over winter break.

I will be honest: I expected more from Sea of Shadows than I actually got. The beginning and end were really intriguing, but I felt like the middle, even though full of interesting tidbits, was a bit slow.

Sea of Shadows jumps right into the action with Ashyn, the Seeker, heading into the Forest of the Dead to resolve the spirits of the damned. Spooky stuff happens; people disappear, things are seen, blood is spilled, and suddenly the dead are rising and wreaking havoc in the sisters’ town. Unfortunately, it’s when the sisters are separated and heading across the Wastes that things start to slow down. The death worms and the thunder hawks are interesting occurrences, but things are just… dull. And, might I say, a bit repetitive. The sisters are trying to find each other and both keep company with dubious individuals. They wander the desert. Things pick back up when the girls get into the Imperial City.

For me, a book can be intriguing by having one (or more) of the following: strong, believable characters; good romantic chemistry/tension between characters; great plot twists; an awesome ending. (I’m sure there are more things that I could add to that list, but it’s all I can think of for now.) I really like the ending of Sea of Shadows (and it also has good plot twists), so, even though the middle was a bit slow for me, I still like it. It’s a good story and I am eagerly anticipating the sequel, Empire of Night, which is supposed to come out in April (2015).

Molly

National Championship 2015

Being from Ohio means that I root for the Browns. Sadly, the Browns suck. It's so nice to have a team to root for that's actually good.

Let's go Buckeyes!

Motivational Monday 17 - Broken Crayons

GEUSS WHAT???

I am 20 years old and I still love coloring. I color with the kids when I volunteer in Sunday school. I color with my friends when they come over for a visit. I color when I’m by myself. The fact is, I love to color.

Over the course of my life, I have realized that even if broken crayons aren't as fun to use as brand spankin new crayons fresh from a brand spankin new box of crayons (the 96 Crayola pack with the built-in sharpener), they still do their job. Crayons are crayons, broken or not. They have a purpose and their purpose (usually) is to make beautiful artwork. I use them to color pictures. Other people use them to make awesome melted crayon artwork. It doesn’t matter if they are broken; they still have a purpose and they can still serve that purpose.

People aren’t crayons. No, people are more complex than crayons. The purpose of people is to do more than make art. (And honestly people can create a lot more interesting art than crayons can.) If crayons can function properly after being broken into so many pieces, then we, as people, can still manage to function no matter how many times we’re broken.

Is it fun to be broken? No. Does it happen anyways? Yes. Can we choose to keep ourselves from being broken? Probably not. Can we choose to function properly after being broken? Most likely yes.

Each and every person has a purpose. Whether it’s to love someone, care for someone, create something, do something… whatever it is, we all have a purpose. That purpose doesn’t go away simply because we feel incapable of completing the task. Our ability to complete our purpose is not taken away just because we feel incompetent.

If crayons can still color after being broken, then you can do your purpose, no matter how broken you feel.

So go out there and live your life, do your purpose, and maybe color a picture or two (or if you’re more creative, make some melted crayon art).

Have a good week!

Molly

Orange Cranberry Scones

GUYS.

This recipe...

is amazing.

So as you may or may not know, I've tried making breakfast for my family every Wednesday during the school year (no way am I waking up at 5:45 am over holiday break). Since I've had a couple weeks off, I wasn't sure what to make now that school is back in session. I was browsing Pinterest and I saw a recipe for scones.

I thought about it.

Most scones I've had are dry. But they were never homemade.

So I thought about it some more.

I looked up a basic scone recipe, adapted it, and tried my hand at making some orange cranberry scones. And they turned out awesome and Mom and Kyle love them!

First, in a large mixing bowl mix 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1/4 cup of oats, 2 Tbsps of brown sugar, 1 Tbsp of flaxseed, 1 Tbsp of chia seeds, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, and 1/4 tsp salt.

Next, cut in a stick of butter until you have a mixture that resembles a coarse meal.

In a separate bowl, whisk 1/2 cup of nonfat plain Greek yogurt, 1 large egg, and the juice from 1 orange (approximately 1/4 cup of juice). Add to the dry ingredients and mix. Your dough will be dry and crumbly, but you will mix it with your hands on a floured surface next and make it all stick together. Stir in the cranberries.

Put the dough on a floured surface and kneed until the dough sticks together. Flatten out into a circle, about ten inches. Cut into wedges and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup oats
1 Tbsp flaxseed (I used milled)
1 Tbsp chia seeds (I used milled)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold butter
1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1 egg
Juice from 1 orange (approx. 1/4 cup)
1 cup dried cranberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix flour, oats, flax, chia, powder, soda, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.

Cut in the butter until you have a crumbly mixture.

In a separate bowl, mix Greek yogurt, juice, and egg. Add to the dry ingredients. (The dough will seem dry; you will mix it better on a floured surface.)

Gently stir in the cranberries.

Dump the dough onto a floured surface. Kneed until it forms a dough ball that sticks together (ie you don't have a bunch of crumbly dough). Flatten into a circle (approx. 10 inches).

Cut the dough into wedges with a sharp knife (you might want to flour the knife).

Place the wedges on a greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Molly

The Sinful Nature

Disclaimer: I could say plenty about this topic, but to save time, I’m only mentioning a few basics.

Do you find yourself (or someone you know) asking if one is really a Christian if they still feel the urge to do sinful things? What about when one does sinful things? If a Christian has the Holy Spirit inside of them then they should only want to do (and then only do) what the Spirit wants, right?

Wrong.

The thing is, even though we may have the Holy Spirit living in us, we’re still human and, consequentially, sinners. The human nature is to sin while the Spirit’s nature is to do the will of God. Just because you invite Jesus to live inside of you doesn’t mean that all of your sinful urges are *poof!* magically gone.

Christians are humans, just like everyone else. What makes us different is that we realize that we are sinners, we realize that we need a savior to save us from our sins, and we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior. In return, we attempt to mimic Jesus in the way we live our lives; that’s why we are called “Christians,” or little Christs.

Even Paul, who wrote a lot of the New Testament, had the battle of God’s will versus sinful nature inside of him.

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” Romans 7:15-24

Jesus is the only man who does not have sinful nature. As Christians we might have Him living inside of us but that doesn’t mean we don’t have sinful nature. So the next time you start to wonder “Am I really a Christian?” because you [have the desire to] sin, ask yourself instead if you believe Jesus is the Son of God who came to die on the cross for your sins and if you are attempting to live your life as He did. If the answer is yes, then, chances are, you are, indeed, a Christian. Don’t worry: we’re all human here.

Molly

Tea Gallerie Giveaway (Open to US only, 18 years and older. Ends 1/20/15)

Welcome to the Tea Gallerie Giveaway

Hosted by Kelly's Thoughts on Things Sponsored by Tea Gallerie

I am an avid tea drinker. I can't stand the taste of coffee, so tea is my morning pick-me-up. It also helps curb my appetite, so if I'm feeling kind of hungry when I know I shouldn't be, I brew a cup of tea. If I'm feeling sad, tea is there for me. If I need something warm and comforting, tea is my go-to drink.

An added bonus? Tea is packed full of healthy things to help keep my body in tip-top shape!

With the New Year upon us, some of us are looking for ways to get healthy and live better - so why not drink TEA!  There are so many benefits in drinking tea.  Tea Gallerie has so many flavors and something for everyone..even the kids!

Please read Pam's Tea Gallerie Review....HERE

Giveaway: Two Bags Of Tea Gallerie 

This Giveaway is open to US  residents only, ages 18 and older. The Giveaway will run from  Jan 1 2014 until 11:59 pm EST on January 20, 2014. One entry/winner per household. This blog is not responsible for prize fulfillment. Enter using the Giveaway Tools Form Below. Good Luck.

Entry-Form

--
P.S. Thank you for all the blogs who are helping promote this giveaway.

Book of the Month - January 2015

Image courtesy of Goodreads.com

Reading is a magical thing. You can go to far off places without even leaving the comfort of home (or wherever it is you’re reading). You can forget your troubles for a bit and escape into the world of whatever book you’re reading. Sadly, there are a lot of people (myself included) who let life get in the way of reading and don’t do much of it. This year I’ve resolved to do more personal reading and read at least one book each month.

If you would like to join me in discovering the magical world of books this year, keep a look out for my “book of the month” posts; I’ll hopefully get a new one up on the first Saturday of each month.

This month’s book is Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier. Drama, romance, mystery – this book has it all! The perfect thing to start off the New Year. You can at least be grateful that your life isn’t as hectic as poor Gwen’s – at least you aren’t randomly traveling through time completely unprepared. Although, if you’re like me, you might be a little disappointed that there is a lack of Gideon de Villiers in the real world….

From Goodreads (because they can probably explain it a lot better than I can):

Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!

Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

 

Paperback cover of Ruby Red.
Image courtesy of Amazon.com

This book is full of drama as well as humor; even though I joked above about how it will make you feel better this New Year because poor Gwen’s situation is not your own, I do honestly believe that Ruby Red is a good book to start off the New Year. It’s a feel good book that leaves you wanting more.

So what are you waiting for? Go pick up a copy at your local library or bookstore and get to reading!

Cheers! (And happy New Year!)

Molly

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everybody!

2014 was been full of many ups and downs for me. I got to go to Florida (and Disney, Universal, and SeaWorld) after finishing my freshman year of college, which was probably the pinnacle of my year. Getting a scholarship and being nominated as a Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholar, celebrating my 20^th birthday at the Cheesecake Factory with my family, and “winning” my first NaNoWriMo are also included on the “Highlights of 2014” list.

Along with all of the good things, I’ve had some not-so-good things happen this year, like having one of my family’s two car’s die. Life is a rollercoaster ride – if it didn’t have low points it wouldn’t be a very exciting ride. The key is to make sure you focus on the high points and learn from the low points.

I hope that as you go into the New Year that you leave all of the bad things behind in 2014, only bringing their lessons with you into 2015. I hope your year is full of joy and laughter, precious moments that make you appreciate life, and great heights in the rollercoaster of life that offer amazing views. I also hope that you learn important lessons from the lows of the rollercoaster.

Have a happy (and safe!) New Year everybody!

Molly

P.S. I'd like to know, What are some of your resolutions? And how do you plan on keeping them?