How Deep the Father's Love

Oh how He loves you and me!

I pray your Easter is full of meaning and joy.

Favorite Runza Recipe

I was introduced to Runzas several years ago while visiting my sister in Nebraska. Thy are best described as a bun stuffed with a ground meat and cabbage mixture. They are also known as bierocks, fleischkuche or Kraut Pirok. German? I think so. In short, they are very, very tasty and it is a shame there are no Runza restaurants anywhere near my current vicinity.

While pregnant and very far from a Runza joint, I found myself in dire need of one for dinner so I looked around for a recipe. Inspired by this recipe on Allrecipes.com | Pam's Bierocks -- I made my first pan of Runzas. They were so good and my German husband loved them so much, I have made them many times since.

I have a bad habit of revising recipes based on the ingredients I have on hand and/or in an attempt to reduce the guilt--uh, fat and calories, actually. So here's how I make our Runza's, but first a disclaimer...

GROUND BEEF vs. GROUND TURKEY

 Around here I usually substitute ground beef with ground turkey due to the fact that it is cost effective and healthier. I have learned to cook and season it in such a way that you don't miss the red meat. It's not a conviction, it just works for us and my husband likes it and so far all our guests do too... 

Runzas

Bread Dough:

2 cups warm water

2 (.25 oz.) packages active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)

2 Tablespoons white sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 egg

2 teaspoons salt

6-7 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I usually make 2-3 of those cups whole wheat flour)

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Mix in butter, egg, salt and 1/2 of the flour. Beat until smooth; add remaining flour until dough pulls together. Place in oiled bowl. Let rise for 1 hour.

Meat & Cabbage Filling:

1 pound ground turkey

1 onion, chopped

6 cups shredded cabbage

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

2 teaspoons garlic powder

steak seasoning (optional--I like the extra pop of flavor it adds)

Shredded cheddar cheese (optional--traditionally made without)   

Brown meat in large skillet. Add onion, cabbage, and seasonings. Simmer until cabbage is soft. Let cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

Punch down dough and divide into 12 pieces. Spread each piece of dough on a clean un-floured surface and roll out into rectangles. Sprinkle a small handful of cheese down the center, followed by a small scoop (approximately 1/4 cup) of meat/cabbage mixture. Fold dough over and seal edges. Place on prepared cookie sheet and let rise for 1 hour. 

Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush with butter and serve.

Dough, Cheese, Meat Mixture

This is how I fold the dough to make nice rectangular buns.

Best served to cute (albeit sad due to the ouchie molars cutting through) little boys who just watched an episode of Little House on the Prairie and now think straw hats are the latest and greatest in fashion statements.  

 (Pardon the photo quality--it was late at night and the lighting in my kitchen is neither abundant or attractive...)

Cousin-Love

These two are so funny together!! This series of photos shows the many expressions of their love.

Nehe & Martha Engagement Session

Oh my gawsh, this is the cutest couple ever. So playful... so happy to be together... so in love. This session is probably my favorite yet. We had so much fun going to a conservatory and taking photos amid the beautiful romantic setting of greenery and flowers. It was hard to pick just a few favorites amid the hundreds -- yes, hundreds -- of photos. There were a lot of laughs. I even made my record embarrassing moment of the biz to date when, demonstrating how I wanted to pose them, sat right in a puddle of water.

Book-Page Plaque

Since moving this past Winter I have had a hard time getting myself back into the creative groove with the lack of a craft/work area and my creating tools and accessories still in inconvenient boxes. But finally, fiiii-naaaa-llyyyyy, I have started creating again and I'm excited. My goal is to make our boring duplex look like home and I started this past weekend with our bedroom. I still have more plans for creating in this space, but for now I will show you how I created our A & B plaque without spending a dime... (while taking care of two very small and busy children, planning supper, and forgetting to photograph as I went along)

I used materials I had on hand--
:: a frame I had purchased for a few dollars a couple years ago off of a clearance rack; it had matting to hold 3 4x6 photographs
:: an old book I salvaged from a burning pile
:: letter cut-outs to trace
:: a scrap of red fabric
:: a strip of white fabric
:: 4 thumb tacks
:: pencil, scissors, glue, double-sided tape

I used a sheet of scrap paper to sketch out my letters. It probably would have been easier to print out a bold A and B off of Microsoft Word and cut them out, but I didn't feel like messing with electronics with two little ones chasing after me so I free-handed it. After cutting them out I used the wrong side of the page to trace them, like this... 

I then folded several pages in half and made them into a stack of hearts (9 total). It would have been much easier if I had a stapler, but since I didn't I carefully swiped glue onto the crease of each heart and stuck them together to make a book.

After cutting fabric to size, I laid across the frame backing and covered it with the matting. With a little dab of glue to keep letters in place, I centered the A and B where I wanted them.

I then assembled the plaque--frame, matting, glass, fabric, backing. (I wanted the glass to keep the fabric flat, hence the matting on the outside.) With a piece of double-sided tape, I attached the heart book to the glass.

With the white strip of fabric, I tied a bow and put a few stitches in the knot to keep it in place. I attached it to the back of the frame with 4 thumb tacks. After hanging it above our bed, my little project was complete.

(pardon the messy pillows and crooked lamp shade--I did mention I was not done with this room, right?)

(this is how it fits into our family first thing in the bouncety-bounce morning)

An after thought I have is to put "est. 2008" on the matting. I also want to incorporate "A true love story never ends" somewhere in this room (perhaps a plaque on the night stand?) I would love your thoughts!

Linking to:

Blue Cricket Design Linking fun time!
The Shabby Creek Cottage - interior design and home remodeling on a budget: Spring Linky Party! 

Makes Me Want to Lose Myself

Four years ago today I first laid eyes on the man that would become my husband. It may not have been love at first sight -- a crush, yes -- but love was just around the corner and I was in no way prepared for the way it was going to absolutely sweep me off my feet. So completely and quickly, in fact, we were standing hand-in-hand at the altar five months and one day later. The first time I heard the song "Feels Like Home", it brought me back to those days when Andy would come and see me... When he told me he loved me... When he held my hand... When he stood loyally by my side when the road got rocky... The first hug, the first kiss...  When his beautiful blue eyes caught my gaze, making me oblivious to everything else as I walked down the aisle towards him in my pretty white dress...

The last four years certainly dealt its blows to us, each blow only made our love stronger. I love being married to the love of my life. I love the adventure our life together has taken us on. I love that he still makes my heart beat fast. I love that marriage is until death do us part, because I am so twitter-pated with that man I want to spend a couple dozen lifetimes with him!

Pardon me for being cheesy, but the words to this song completely describe my feelings for my husband. I love him so much and I'm so grateful to the One who created us for each other and then brought us together.

There's something in your eyes, makes me want to lose myself
Makes me want to lose myself, in your arms

There's something in your voice, makes my heart beat fast
Hope this feeling lasts, the rest of my life

If you knew how lonely my life has been and how long I've been so alone
If you knew how I wanted someone to come along and change my life the way you've done.

If you knew how much this moment means to me, and how long I've waited for your touch.
If you knew how happy you are making me, I never thought that I'd love anyone so much.
 

It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
Feels like I'm all the way back where I belong.

(lyrics by Randy Newman, 

sung by Chantal Kreviazuk at this link:
  "Feels Like Home" [youtube])

Jimmy, Easter Portraits Sneak Peek!

These are Jimmy's Easter 2012 pictures. He moves constantly and is inquisitive of everything, therefore I should have waited to do this for when his daddy was around to help me keep him adorably in one spot for more than 5 seconds. Doing this on my own made it more into a series of candid shots... But I personally think they turned out pretty classic Jimmy.

Puppy Love

I bribe Jimmy with marshmallows... Here he bribes his puppy.

Little Drummer Boy

These are just a sneak peek... There will be more on facebook!