Recipe of the Week

It's almost spring break at Indiana Wesleyan. Almost. Thus, life is crazy, busy and complicated. But in the midst of this crazy, not very spring-like time, I made one last recipe of the week before heading home. I've spent a lot of time at breakfast this week, studying and getting work done in the (somewhat) quiet that is a college dining hall before 10 in the morning. But since the self-cook station is always equipped with bread and eggs, this is a recipe you can make whenever you are in the mood for something sweet.

Cinnamon Raisin French Toast!

I put the whole eggs in the picture for dramatic effect, but I just mixed the liquid eggs with some of the 2% milk and soaked the cinnamon raisin bread in it. I've actually made french toast with bagels and english muffins before, so if you're feeling adventurous (or bored) feel free to try whatever you can find on the bread bar. Blueberry bagel french toast...now that sounds fabulous!

What's Up Doc?

...is actually a really good movie. You should watch it sometime.

But really I'm here to let you know what's up. What's up is four weeks to work on senior show. Four weeks, and then it has to be done. Crazy. But here's what my concept has become: I think it is important to spend time with God. Every day. And I think that honestly, it would be so helpful to our spirits if we just took a few minutes every day to sit in God's presence, to remember who it is we worship. So I am taking pictures of landscapes, of peaceful places God has created, to try to help facilitate these moments.

So maybe I sound like a preacher, telling people to spend more time with God. Or maybe I just sound like a hypocrite; because I am. I realized yesterday, my goal is for people to keep up their spirits and their faith by remembering their God, and yet I have almost completely ignored him for the past few weeks. Life just gets so busy and so crazy and there are so many things coming at you from every single direction, you end up not wanting to care about anything. It's miserable and magical. But actually just miserable. Even if you are 22.

So today, I finally started working on printing for my show. And the first test that I made didn't come out at all. Naturally I freak out. And then I remember what I'm doing. I'm taking time to focus on God. Even in my printing process, I can be patient and calmly focus on him. So I did. I took some time to praise him and remember that he is greater than all of this earth and our ridiculous lives we try to keep so busy so that we can avoid really living. And once I got up again to start printing, I realized my rather silly mistake and was able to make a real print.

Why is it so hard for us to spend time with God every day? Especially when we feel more burdened down and depressed, wouldn't that be the best time to turn to God? What I want people to experience through my show is the peace of God that transcends all understanding, that can touch their lives when they are at their busiest, hardest point. And they will know that peace and joy are possible, even in those crazy miserable and magical moments. Maybe they really will feel magical.

Recipe of the Week

I love pancakes. IHOP is, consequently, my favorite restaurant. There is a ridiculous amount of recipes you can make by just mixing whatever the heck you want into pancake batter. And then the toppings. Oh the toppings! This is why you go to IHOP. Pancakes stuffed and smothered with cinnamon, butter, and icing. And whipped cream. Mmm! Healthy.

But there is one choice on the IHOP breakfast menu that stands apart from all the goodness-filled pancakes. Chicken and Waffles. An odd but perfectly edible combination of food.

And since Baldwin is equipped with a waffle iron, in which you are not allowed to mix extra chocolate chips and delicious things, the next best choice is to cover your waffle in ranch and barbeque sauce!

So, make a waffle on the iron, and then locate the chicken. The type of chicken depends on the day (or if you're at home, what's in your fridge). One can always find chicken on the rotisserie line, but today they had chicken patties on the grill. This works best with fried chicken, because it lends to that unhealthy taste that college kids love. I cut the chicken patty into four strips to top my waffle, and drizzled barbeque sauce, ranch dressing, and syrup over the whole menagerie.

And you know what? It was good! Even the two other brave souls who tried some of it agreed, chicken and waffles is a combination that is worth trying. One of them approved of my new idea of nixing the barbeque and ranch and trying it with honey, so next time, I will have warm waffles covered with chicken and honey! Charlee always eats hers with tabasco sauce. With the different sauces you can try, there is no end to the combinations of chicken and waffles that you can make! Enjoy!