Lots of travel and time spent in remote areas this summer has meant lots of time to read! I thought I’d share the list with you all and some thoughts in case you’re in need of some good book suggestions.

The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeanette Walls (Not a huge memoir fan, but I couldn’t put this down and finished it in 2 days!)

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick (this book has somewhat of a dry start and is a bit repetitive, but is fascinating and definitely worth the read).

Manning Up: How the Rise of Women has turned Men into Boys (just started- I’ll give an update later!)

Slow Love: How I Lost My Job, Put on My Pajamas and Found Happiness by Dominique Browning (yet to read)

Scott and I love this BARBECUE RUB

*adapted from Martha Stewart New Classics Cookbook

1 cup chili powder

3 tablespoons paprika

3 tablespoons thyme (fresh or dehydrated)

2 tablespoons coarse salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Place all ingredients in a large bowl; whisk to combine. Store in airtight container at room temperature. Apply rub at least 1 hour before cooking.

Asian Peanut Slaw with Pork

I made this a few weeks ago as a main dinner dish for Scott and I. He loved it so much I decided to make it for a recent going-away party. The dish was a HUGE hit, so I’m posting it here for everyone who requested the recipe. This recipe is adapted from Sunset magazine.

Serves 4

1/4 cup each canola oil and fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons each soy sauce and sugar

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

4 boneless pork chops (about 6oz each)

2 cups each thin shreds savoy cabbage and red cabbage

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup thinly sliced red pepper

1/4 cup sliced green onions

1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts

About 1/4 each salt and ground black pepper

1. Preheat broiler. In a small bowl, mix oil, lime juice, soy sauce, sugar and chile flakes. Put pork in a medium bowl and coat with 3 tablespoons dressing (If I have the time, I like to marinated the pork in the fridge overnight).

2. Broil pork chops, turning once, until done the way you like, 7 minutes for medium. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing 1/4 inch thick.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine savoy and red cabbages, cilantro, bell pepper, and green onions. Add remaining soy-lime dressing and peanuts to slaw mixture and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide slaw among 4 plates and top each with the slices pork.

Buttermilk Pancakes

These pancakes have been a Friday morning tradition since Scott and I got married. I made them for our pancake feed yesterday and decided to post the recipe after a few requests for it. Hope you enjoy!

1 cup all-purpose flour (I use Pamela’s gluten free pancake flour-so yummy!)

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk OR 4 tablespoons buttermilk blend added to dry ingredients first + 1 cup water added when liquids are added

1 egg

2 tablespoon vegetable oil

Stir dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Add beaten egg, water (or liquid buttermilk) and oil. Beat just until batter is smooth, being careful not to overbeat! Use a ladel to drop mixture onto hot, greased griddle and cook until top is full of tiny little bubble and underside is brown. Turn and brown on other side. Makes 10 4-inch pancakes. Serve with butter and syrup! Yum!

Post-pancake feed smiles

Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

Adapted from Sprouted Kitchen by Sara Forte - You can see the original recipe at Lottie +Doof.

Scott got me hooked on a cooking blog called Sprouted Kitchen. So far I’ve tried my hand at the Salted Caramel Ice Cream (so amazing) and the Baked Blueberry Oatmeal. The blueberry oatmeal was so incredible and the presentation so fun, I knew I had to share it.

2 cups Blueberries, plus extra for garnish

2 cups Old Fashioned Oats
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

2 cups Whole Milk
1 1/2 tablespoons Melted Butter
1/3 – 1/2 cup Maple Syrup
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

1 cup Toasted Chopped Almonds
1/4 cup Turbinado Sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375. Divide the berries between six small mason jars.
2. Mix the oats, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Divide the dry mix between the jars, just layering on top of the blueberries, about 1/3 cup.
3. Mix the milk, butter, maple and vanilla together. Pour a 1/2 cup on top of the oats, letting it seep through to the bottom. Place all the jars in a baking dish, sprinkle a few fresh berries on top, and bake on the middle rack for about 30 minutes until the liquid is absorbed, tops are just browned but the oats are still moist.

Your house will smell so delicious you’ll hardly be able to stand waiting to eat your oatmeal! Sprinkle the tops with the toasted almonds and a pinch of turbinado sugar and serve warm. VERY delicious!

“The grace offered and the righteousness bestowed at the cross is what makes you a godly wife who willingly subjects herself to her husband. Dying to yourself because the Savior died for you is the call for the biblical wife.”

http://theresurgence.com/2011/05/10/being-a-wife-is-all-about-jesus

So, now onto wedding stuff. Our wedding was just simply amazing and I owe a HUGE THANKS to so many of you! I feel like I don’t even know the half of what so many of you did to make the wedding come together, but I know it was a lot and you’re all a huge blessing to Scott and I! It was quite literally one of the best days of our lives. I have a few (like 150!) favorite pics from the day that I will share on here soon. You can also see the gallery at http://gallery.michaelfisk.net/p811428753. The day after the wedding, Scott and I flew off to Kauai, Hawaii and had the trip of a lifetime! I have never been to any of the Hawaiian islands and Kauai has got to be one of the most beautiful, romantic, amazing places in the world. I will also post honeymoon pics soon!

There have been a lot of thoughts in this head during this whole transition and I would like to share a few with you. The first few days after the wedding brought many mixed emotions. There was complete ecstasy and excitement (and a bit of infatuation that I get to be with Scott ALL THE TIME now! , thankfulness to God for making this union happen, wonder at what God is going to do with this marriage, a bit of grief about leaving behind childhood, a bit of homesickness (this emotion really caught me off guard since I’ve lived on my own for 5 years now!), uncertainty about the unknown and honestly, joy that wedding planning is over! As we walk more and more into the thick of marriage each passing day, it gets both sweeter as intimacy growns and we learn about each other and more challenging as more sin and selfishness is uncovered in each of our lives. I really am not sure why, but the Holy Spirits voice has seemed unusually loud the last few weeks with the same two messages multiple times a day- run to the cross and be completely relient on Jesus, not myself, in every moment, word, thought, action. This message has been such a sweet sound in my ears, knowing that Jesus is right here in the thick of this new marriage with us, but I’m still disgusted by my tendency to just not listen and fall into the same trap despite that loud voice directing me. Thankfully, Jesus’ and my husbands grace and forgiveness runs deep- I need it!

There is much more to say about these first few weeks of marriage, which I will get to, but I will leave it at this for now. Goodnight, everyone!

I’m really happy to have a dining room!
Scott & Jackson showing how done they are with moving .

SO excited about our new place !