Kalamity Katie's Border Benedict a la Wild Eggs

I was in Bowling Green, KY last weekend picking up some beautiful young ladies after their week at EFY. They weren't fed breakfast before being released back into the wild, so I took them to a spot my friend told me about for a very delicious breakfast, Wild Eggs. We saw lots of other EFY families breakfasting there too, and I'm sure no one left disappointed at all. 

I have a fathomless love of Benedictine egg dishes...and Mexican food...so this seemed like something right up my alley. Because I can't make a 4-hour pilgrimage to Wild Eggs I needed a copycat recipe or all the world would be dark forever more. (This breakfast is powerful, people!)

Ingredients:

• 1-2 one-inch thick slices green chili cheddar corn cake (recipe below)
• 4 Tbsp. finely crumbled chorizo, drained well
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. white vinegar
• 2 oz. queso blanco dip (bought, or homemade)
• sour cream
• pico de gallo (salsa would be yummy too)
• diced avocado
• sliced fresh scallions

Instructions:

• Cook chorizo over medium heat, chopping as you cook, until all fat is rendered.
• Transfer to paper towels and tamp with paper towels to drain and remove rendered fat from the crumbles.
• While chorizo cooks, slice your corn cake. Warm and lightly toast under broiler. Remove from oven and cover with foil to keep warm.
• Fill a 2-quart pan 2/3 full of water with vinegar.
• Bring to a light boiling simmer.
• Crack eggs into a dry mug. Place bottom of mug into water and gently tip, rolling the eggs into the simmering water. Cover pan with lid, return to gentle simmer, and poach eggs to desired consistency.
• While eggs cook, warm your queso in a double boiler.
• When all ingredients are prepared, place corn cakes on plate, spoon over chorizo. Use slotted spoon to drain eggs and place over corn cakes and chorizo.
• Pour warm queso over eggs.
• Garnish with sour cream, pico, avocado, and scallions.

Serve next to fresh fruit and/or skillet potatoes.

Corn Cake Ingredients:

• 2 c. cornbread batter (lightly sweet is perfect)
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 c. roasted green chilis (fresh or canned)
• Pinch of salt
• 2/3 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 2/3 c. sweet corn, lightly pan-roasted with 1 Tbsp. butter, cooled

Corn Cake Instructions:

• Mix all ingredients until combined.
• Place corn onto parchment lined baking dish.
• Line baking tray with parchment paper. Lightly butter.
• Spread batter onto parchment. Evenly distribute to about 1-inch thickness.
• Bake at 350 ° 15-18 minutes, until done. Test center with toothpick. When it comes out clean, the corn cake is done.
• Remove from oven. Allow to cool 20-30 minutes. 
• Cut into 3-inch squares.

The Face Across The Breakfast Table

When my Grandma Bertie wanted to marry my Grandpa Jim, her father asked a simple question. "Is his the face you want to see across the breakfast table every morning?" Grandma told me that story many times. When the right man came along for me, she asked me that question too. The truth is, I couldn't imagine a face I'd be happy seeing if his weren't also there...across the figurative breakfast table. He doesn't eat breakfast, but the sentiment stands.

In just a few short days, Nick and I will be celebrating our 18th wedding anniversary. It seems like a bigger deal as each year passes. We sure have seen a lot of couples not make it, and some of them more than once. I've been tucked safely into this one's side for half of my life now, and I'm just so awesomely content!

Our marriage was recently the subject of a research paper for a college assignment. A friend asked many thought-provoking questions concerning a marriage with some longevity. At the time, I felt like I couldn't give her very satisfying answers. All of mine were so simple. There was nothing complicated, no long stories. In the weeks since that interview I have returned to those questions many times. I conclude that a few simple, loving practices build a comfortable, fun, happy marriage.

1. Don't nag. Just don't. It really is that simple. Choose not to do it.
2. Let your spouse be him/herself!
3. Encourage his/her goals, ideas, dreams, etc.
4. Be happy for him/her!
5. Lay selfishness aside. Be quick to apologize and eager to forgive.

These things are the foundation for all the rest! They are elemental to a happy marriage. I often get the question how we get on so well when we are so very different. And it's true. My husband and I don't have too much in common. Our backgrounds are vastly different. Our interests are different. Our politics are different. Our spirituality can be unbalanced. Our sense of adventure vs. safety are quite different. We just aren't similar people. But we LOVE each other so much, and we chose one another. We still choose one another every day. We are really, really good at the 5 Practices above.

We've realized that we don't have to be alike to love each other, to do those 5 things for each other. I have followed Nick around the country as he followed his career, covering all 5 elements in just one shot. I have watched friends nag at their husbands/wives and felt so uncomfortable for both of them that I resolved never to nag, and some might say to a fault. Nick is not me. He has his own personality, his own history, and his own aspirations. It isn't love if you can't let him be an individual!

Nick has given me safe, sheltered space to grow into who I am. He has loved me unconditionally and allowed me to blossom without interference. I know that he has extended me grace much more than I deserve across the years. I have never been belittled or made to feel small, and I have seen pride in his eyes when I accomplish something that means a lot to me. He's supported me as I've built 2 businesses now, letting me pave my own way. While he doesn't fully understand the obstacles I have overcome, he knows that some were huge, and he respects the strength inside of me. He isn't afraid of a strong woman. He doesn't feel the need to take that away. I can't think of a more powerful example of selfless love than that which Nick gives to me, and I do not take it for granted.

I can truly say that fighting is so rare I can count it on one hand. We don't agree on everything. We employ the 5 Practices, find a compromise, and move on. I choose Nick. He chooses me. We don't sweat the small stuff.

City Grits a la Another Broken Egg

Next to these beautiful eggs that I collected from my very own hens is a delicious assemblage of City Grits. I have never been a grits girl. I still wouldn't call myself a grits girl...except I did try my friends City Grits at Another Broken Egg when we were brunching one late Saturday morning, and fell in love. I have since given other grits concoctions a try, and I still don't like grits. Except for City Grits. Friends, these are incredible!

I think I could eat City Grits at any meal, and on the side of almost any protein. For real. These would be amazing with shrimp or fish, I think, and so now...I'm going to have to give that a go. My mouth just started watering.

1 c. water
1 c. milk
1/4-1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. corn grits (I used yellow)
1/4 c. (or more) smoked Gouda, shredded or chopped
1 Tbsp. butter
Pepper to taste
Diced tomato
Sliced scallions
Crispy bacon, chopped

Bring water, milk, and salt to boil. Slowly whisk in grits. Cook grits according to package instructions. Stir in cheese and butter until melted and creamy. Garnish with bacon, tomato, and scallions. Pepper to taste. Enjoy!!!

Serves 2-3 people.

Skeetyjuice

My Skeetyjuice potion sells like crazy here in Memphis, and it has a lot of fans outside Memphis too. I do sell it. While I share the recipe freely, most people don't want to mess with it, or they don't want to invest in all the essential oils, but for those who aren't local the recipe has to do. For those who are local and don't like driving out to the 'burbs to pick it up, look for Skeetyjuice in the Trolley Stop Market really soon!!!

Why does the Skeetyjuice sell like crazy? Because no one who wears it gets bitten - EVER - as long as they apply it. All of that and no destroying the environment or your health with petroleum product and toxic chemicals. It smells great. And it is safe for your family. Pregnant women and children under 5 should consult with their physicians because...you know...I have to tell you that. Skeetyjuice does contain lemongrass, which pregnant women are typically warned about, so don't use lemongrass if you are pregnant! And I suspect this would still work because it has so many anti-skeety elements.

Our family of 5 goes through a quart or 2 of Skeetyjuice from April to October. That is with a lot of camping, outdoor concerts, etc. Oh, and we share it with others a lot too.

Anyway, without further ado, I give you the Skeetyjuice recipe.

•1 Tbsp. Shaklee Basic h2 (dish soap will also do well) 
•1 Tbsp.castor oil
• 1/2 c. witch hazel (or alcohol)
•water

Essential oils:*
•35 drops peppermint
•35 drops citronella
•15 drops cedar
•15 drops geranium
•10 drops clove
•15 drops rosemary
•15 drops lemongrass

Add Basic h2 (or dish soap), castor oil, and essential oils to a glass jar (essential oils can destroy most  plastics
within a couple days). Slowly pour in witch hazel (or alcohol) and then very slowly pour in water (it will foam if you go too fast). Shake.

Shake before each use to reincorporate.

I buy these these industrial spray nozzles on Amazon. They fit perfectly on Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar bottles, which are glass. If you store Skeetyjuice in clear glass, and you won't use it within a few days, wrap the bottle in a brown paper bag or two and twist at the top to protect from sunlight. Sunlight will destroy the properties of the essential oils. Amber glass is ideal.

My Daughter's A Teen - The Emotional Challenge of Parenting

Loving mothers love their children. I don't want to devalue another mother's love and devotion to her children by assuming that I appreciate my motherhood more because it didn't come easily. It took several years for me to have my first baby, and I experienced several difficult miscarriages throughout my childbearing years. That colors my every experience as a mother, and I mindfully cherish my role because I understand what it means.

My daughter turned 14 this month, and she has truly been off in the world (though not too far) with a great deal of fledgling independence this summer. This was her 3rd year at Young Women's Camp. 5 days there. She was able to attend Youth Conference because the cut-off date was her actual birthday. 3 days there. She is currently at EFY for 5 days, and this is the furthest she's ever been from me without at least her dad. None of our familiar local ward members are there supervising. It was a big step, and I encouraged her in taking it. Not without some heart flutters, mind you, but with excitement for her as she grows and finds her way. She has been so eager to go, and she saved part of the registration cost herself.

Isabel and 2 other girls from our ward set off on the 4-hour drive with the other girls' dad Monday morning. By 4:00 I was hearing from Isabel and she was crying and having a tone that was so far from her bright, adventurous spirit that I was ready to jump in the car and go get her. Nick and I prayed for and with her, and I was restless all night hoping she'd feel better after a good night's rest. She wasn't home even 48 hours between Youth Conference and EFY, so I thought it was possible she was just exhausted. By this morning, she sounded slightly more hopeful, but I still felt something was off. She called again when it was time to settle into their rooms tonight and there was a clear shift for the better in her mood. I felt so much relief. I knew I couldn't leave her there through the week if she didn't come around, but I wanted to give her the chance to rally. She shared about her day and some of the fun they had, and I mentally put my keys away for the night.

Isabel has always been a steady thing. Happy, content, easy-going. "Seeing" her out of sorts really turned my world on its ear. I find myself wondering if I struck the right balance of protectiveness and faith in her that she would find her way. I am not a helicopter parent, so I'd hate to startle her by suddenly squashing an opportunity for her to learn and grow free from my intervention. But what if I fail her by not coming to the rescue when she really needed it? I think I succeeded, but I won't be surprised if this comes out in therapy someday. There has to be some therapy fodder in here somewhere.

I've spent the last 14 years mindfully parenting in precisely the opposite manner to which I myself was parented. I'm hoping to minimize the damage to my own children, but I feel almost as if it is impossible that they won't be angry at me for something someday. How can someone with so much baggage not shove some of it off on their own kids, right?

The Humble Stragglers Dinner

It's 3:41am. I can't sleep. I hear the cicadas, crickets, and tree frogs, and the occasional barred owl or coyote outside. Summer sounds. The sounds of the oppressive heat. Longing for cooler weather and life outside of climate controlled confinement have me thinking of all the things I love in the Fall and Winter months. One of my favorites is the humble Stragglers Dinner. My grandmother used to refer to this sort of event as "scruffy hospitality."

Though I am an introvert, I enjoy being around good people. I enjoy observing and listening. Occasionally, I enjoy interacting when I feel I have something meaningful to contribute. As an empath, I can sometimes wear other people's energy like a cloak. It can be dark and heavy, or it can be light as gossamer. Selfishly, hosting a Stragglers Dinner gives me a chance to surround myself with people who are bright, humble, compassionate, mindful, happy, generous, open, and loving. It also brings me back to my childhood in rural Illinois. People visited. It was okay just to pop in somewhere, or for others to pop in at our house. It didn't matter if there was laundry being sorted and dishes in the sink, and when a mealtime came around, we'd scrounge something together to feed everyone. It could be buttered rice, sausage patties, and cornbread. It could be chili or soup, spaghetti, or whatever we could cobble together out of the pantry and fridge. It was never ever fancy. The adults would sit about and chat, or sometimes work in the garden or at some other project, helping each other out. The children would run free in the fields or small-town streets and alleys, only coming back when the moon was all the light left, or when the streetlights shone in town.

Longing for those simple feelings of friendship and community, wanting my children to have some of that experience, I began hosting what I call Stragglers Dinners. It's slightly more formal. I do invite people. I don't even know anyone who just drops by anymore. I cook up a big batch of soup or something, maybe make a salad or dessert. Everyone brings something to share, and I encourage them not to be fancy. We make a fire in our fire bowl in the backyard and put out the s'more makings and Skeetyjuice (my homemade mosquito repellent). Everyone is invited to bring their hula hoops, glow sticks, camp chairs, musical instruments, singing voices, and leave their worries at home. The children run free in the backyard. The adults gather in the living room, in the kitchen, or outside around the fire. Sometimes people will sing and play their instruments, sometimes not. Sometimes someone will be inside playing the piano, which mostly becomes background noise.

This is a social scene I cherish. It's good energy by design. I can sit quietly and mind the fire, enjoying the interactions around me. I can sing or hum along. I can strum a ukulele or clap out a beat. I don't worry people will judge my week's worth of laundry sorted and unwashed in the laundry room, or a freshly utilized litter box. They look over our bookcases, overlooking the dust, and we have a good conversation about literature. I marvel at how their babies are growing. We hate to call it a night, but slowly people straggle away to put their little ones to bed, or to snuggle up in a warm bed themselves. Me, I tidy up whatever is left to tidy, pray with my family, tuck my babes in bed, and cuddle into bed smelling of woodsmoke and a crisp evening outdoors. All is well.