If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:18)

I really want Big Man to enjoy being with me. To feel like I am his safe harbor from all the pressures out there in the world. To know that he can be 100% himself with me and trust that I love him. I really don’t want to be a nagging wife, a shrew,  a woman who makes her husband’s life more difficult. So I’ve been trying to make sure I actively create a peaceful environment and disrupt that peace only when there is a legitimate reason.

Sometimes, peace is disrupted because Big Man and I have a disagreement that we need to resolve. In those cases, being intentional about having a good, productive discussion (where I am not being overly emotional) is the best way to restore the peace. But there are quite a few times when our peace is interrupted for a silly reason; when one of us gets upset or argumentative with little or no cause.

For me, the biggest thing I have been doing to avoid those silly arguments is to give Big Man the benefit of the doubt and not look for trouble. Especially when I am feeling more emotional, I can easily overreact to something he says or choose to be offended by even the most innocent of remarks. So recently, if I’m feeling upset by something Big Man says or does, I’ve been trying to take a minute and think through it to see if that feeling is warranted. And sometimes it is, and then Big Man will apologize and we can move on. But there are quite a few times when I’m upset because I choose to be offended instead of just giving him the benefit of the doubt and extending some grace.

This makes a lot of sense when I think logically. I love Big Man and chose to marry him, and I know he is a good man who follows Christ. So when he makes a comment that seems a little off, instead of just reacting emotionally and getting upset, I try to be logical first. Ok, I’m not a big fan of what Big Man just said. But I love him and know he is a good man. Which is more likely, that he said it to intentionally hurt me, or that it just came out wrong? And when I’m honest, I’ll admit that it is much more likely that it just came out wrong, not that Big Man was intentionally saying something to upset me.

I’m far from perfect in this area and I still react emotionally sometimes. But the Romans verse has been challenging to me, because it doesn’t leave a lot of room for me to just sit back and hope for a peaceful marriage. The “as far as it depends on you” part means I should be actively working towards peace. So this process of evaluating the circumstance and my emotional response is something I’m working on. And even though it isn’t easy for me, the results are more peace and less discord. Life is so much easier when I’m not creating trouble that isn’t there.

There’s a humorous side to this idea too. I saw this on Pinterest a couple weeks ago and loved it. I try to remember this when I’m getting super-emotional about something that isn’t really worth all the trouble.

Anyway, this is where I am in my wife-journey right now. I’m doing my best to live in peace and understanding with Big Man, as much as it depends on me. And that peace is so much nicer than petty little arguments!

It’s Saturday morning! How did the week go so fast? Well, grab a latte and coffee-glazed cinnamon roll biscuit, and enjoy this week’s post round-up!

Kisses and Kiddos

35 Things I Hope My Kids Say About Their Dad - Becoming Minimalist’s inspiring and challenging post is a must read for any parent.

His Love – If you need some encouragement, this post from The Confident Mom contains a beautiful collection of Bible verses about God’s love for His children.

10 Ways To Have Fun With Your Best Friend – The Mars Hill Blog has a great list of activities to do with your spouse to grow the friendship side of your marriage.

But What If …? – A excellent three-part series on Biblical submission from The Generous Wife. (Part 2, Part 3)

Yumminess

Skittles Vodka – The ladies over at That’s What We Said posted a recipe for mini bottles of rainbow-colored alcohol! These are so cute and would be perfect for a Girls Night In party.

Cowboy Potato Chowder - The Tasty Kitchen Blog has a beautifully photographed step-by-step recipe for this hearty soup. I’m glad we still have a couple months of “soup weather” left!

Strawberry and Mascarpone Cream Puffs - Check out this perfectly sweet virtual baby shower dish showcased over at Pennies on a Platter.

Just for Fun and Giggles

Let’s Play Telephone – It’s amazing how many bakers are incapable of understanding simple instructions. So many, in fact, that there is an entire Cake Wrecks post dedicated to them.

Another Candle Stick – This tutorial over at the EPBOT blog gives easy instructions for re-branding your boring commercial candles with awesome old-fashioned “medicinal” labels.

Now, have another cinnamon roll and enjoy your weekend!

~ A warm and cuddly Little Man who enjoys sitting on my lap and giving hugs and kisses

~ Fuzzy slippers

~ Big Man coming home from work (he works nights)

~ Checking my RSS feed and finding yummy recipes and challenging marriage posts

~ Little Lady wiggling and squealing with excitement at something only she can see

~ Coffee with sugar and half and half

~ A renewed patience for Bob the Tomato and 236 rounds of Pat-a-Cake

~ Any and all types of breakfast food, especially sweets.

One of my favorite breakfast foods is cinnamon rolls, but they take a lot of time. Even though I’ve had success making them the night before and letting them rise in the refrigerator, there is still too much time involved for regular weekday breakfast. These cinnamon roll biscuits are the perfect solution! A flaky, tender dough, rolled up with a cinnamon and brown sugar filling and topped with a sweet coffee (or vanilla) glaze. The recipe is simple to put together and doesn’t require any special ingredients or rise time so sweet, cinnamony, home-baked goodness is only about 30 minutes away, even on the sleepiest of mornings. This recipe is originally from my mom, and I just spruced it up a bit by adding the glaze. I hope you enjoy these special little rolls as much as I do. They’re a sweet addition to any morning routine and the perfect accompaniment to a cup of coffee. Matter of fact, bake them up tomorrow morning and savor along with my Sample Saturday post roundup!

Cinnamon Roll Biscuits with Coffee Glaze (adapted from my mom’s original recipe, biscuit dough from Allrecipes.com)

Biscuit Dough*

2 cups flour, plus extra for dusting/kneading

1 Tbs. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbs. sugar

1/3 cup cold shortening

1 cup cold milk

*You can also substitute your favorite biscuit recipe

Filling

3 Tbs. butter, melted

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

Coffee Glaze

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

1/8 cup espresso, or strongly-brewed coffee (to make kid-friendly, substitute milk and a splash of vanilla extract)

1 Tbs. milk (if needed)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and lightly grease (or spray with cooking spray) one 9×13 pan or two 9-inch round cake pans.

To make the dough, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Cut in the shortening (using a pastry cutter or two knives) until the mixture looks crumbly. Stir in the milk to form a wet and sticky dough. Turn out onto a very well-floured surface and knead until a smooth ball forms (about 20 times). You may need to add more flour while kneading to prevent the dough from sticking.

Roll out dough into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Brush on the melted butter and sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon. Crumble the brown sugar evenly over the dough. Starting on one of the long sides of the rectangle, roll up the dough tightly and pinch the edges to seal.  Slice at 1 inch intervals and place rolls cut side up in the prepared pan (you should get between 16 and 18 rolls). Bake at 425 degrees 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

To make the glaze, whisk together the coffee (or milk) and confectioner’s sugar. If needed, add up to 1 tablespoon of milk to get desired consistency. Drizzle the glaze evenly over the biscuits when they come out of the oven, and then let cool in the pan about 5 minutes before serving.

Despite the lack of introduction for this post, but this dish is just so good that I had to share it anyway. I originally found this recipe for Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas over at The Well-Fed Newlyweds and Big Man and I absolutely loved it! The flavors are so bright and unique and it’s a nice change from normal enchiladas with red sauce. I love how the sweet honey and gooey cheese balance the zing from the lime juice and chili powder. However, rolling the individual enchiladas was a little time consuming (and messy) and I was never able to serve them out of the pan without at least one unrolling so I decided to just make a casserole version instead. It’s layers of yumminess! After playing around with the ingredient amounts and casserole assembly, I finally came up with the perfect way to get these awesome flavors into an easy to make and serve form. That leaves just enough time to stir up a batch of margaritas to enjoy as well!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchilada Casserole (Adapted from The Well-Fed Newlyweds)

In a bowl, whisk together the honey, lime juice, chili powder, and garlic powder. Add in the shredded chicken and stir thoroughly to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

To assemble the casserole, first cut the tortillas in half. Then, remove the chicken from the marinade and stir the enchilada sauce and half and half into the remaining marinade. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spray an 8×8 square with cooking spray (or lightly grease). Add 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce mixture and turn the pan so the sauce coats the bottom. Layer in 4 tortillas halves, with the cut sides against the pan walls and the curved sides toward the middle, as shown. If desired, you can add another tortillas half at the center to cover the gap.

Distribute half of the shredded chicken over the tortillas. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese, and spoon 1/3 of the sauce mixture evenly over the top.

Repeat with another layer of tortillas, the rest of the chicken, and another 1/3 of the cheese and sauce.

Add the last layer of tortillas. Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the tortillas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly. Let cool for about 5 minutes before cutting to make serving easier.

It’s Saturday morning again! I hope you have a hot drink, a yummy pastry, and a few minutes of peace and quiet to enjoy this week’s roundup of my favorite posts.

Kisses and Kiddos

Repay with Blessing – A challenging post from from The Generous Wife on choosing to follow God’s word in all circumstances.

Ten Practical Ways to Honor Your Hubby- Grace Driscoll’s short and sweet list of great marriage advice.

Fun Frugal Family Valentine Ideas – The Confident Mom shares some great ideas for celebrating Valentine’s Day with the little ones.

Yumminess

Five Minute Chocolate Fudge S’Mores Mug Cake - Really, what else needs to be said? I might make an extra trip to the store for marshmallow fluff just so I can make this recipe from How Sweet It Is.

Tomato Soup – If you are looking for a beautiful red-and-white recipe for Valentine’s Day that isn’t a dessert, this soup from Add a Pinch seems perfect.

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies – And you can follow up that Valentine’s Tomato Soup with these awesome red and white heart-shaped cookies.

Just for Giggles

Taking a Chaperone with You on a Date – Jon from SCL shares a hilarious list of awkward possibilities inherent in a dating courting practice that is popular on certain Christian College campuses (*cough, cough* Bob Jones University *cough*)

Valentine’s Day Bonus Funny: I can’t wait till the Little Ones are old enough to give Big Man and me a Valentine’s card  like this one.

Enjoy your weekend!

I think one of the ways to be a good wife is to involve yourself in your husband’s life: his interests, hobbies, and passions. (The same goes for being a good husband). This is something Big Man and I have tried to practice throughout our relationship. It doesn’t mean that we like all the same things, or pretend to. But it does mean we take an interest in each other’s likes and hobbies and try things that the other wants. And we respect each other’s opinions, even if we don’t always agree. And it has worked out really well for us! We have both come to enjoy quite a few activities we never thought we would, and learned new things about each other and ourselves.

When Big Man and I got married, the most exposure I’d had to sci-fi was Star Wars. And while I enjoyed Star Wars (the original films), I never had any big desire to experience more sci-fi. Then we got married, and Big Man got me hooked on Stargate. We watched all of SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe together during our newlywed years. And then we moved on to the recent Star Trek movie. And Firefly. And Serenity. And we have more sci-fi on our “to watch” list that I am just as excited about as he is (Doctor Who, here we come!)

The same works for Big Man. When we started dating, he “hated country music.” But when he was deployed during our engagement, I sent him quite a few mixed CDs of my favorite country songs. And once he gave it a try, he discovered the awesomeness that is country music. We’ve been to a couple country concerts together (the Toby Keith/Trace Adkins show rocked!) and enjoy discussing artits and songs with each other.

Those are just a couple examples, but there are many more. And I know that we will continue to learn from each other throughout our marriage. Because we are both open to trying new things with each other, and because we both respect each other’s opinions and interests. He will probably never like baseball as much as I do, and I’ll probably never be into zombie movies. But we appreciate each other’s interests and treat each other with respect, even if the subject isn’t our “thing.”

So what about you? What things has your spouse taught you to appreciate?

But sadly, until the consulting gig works out, the masterminds are here in my house, working their devious schemes against the only available targets: Big Man and me. It seems like their most of their designs revolve around sleep-deprivation, pointy-plastic-toy booby traps, constant interruption of any grown-up conversation, and noise-induced insanity. And the kids are good. Little Man got a head start when he was the only kid around, but since Little Lady has come along, they tag team.

Their first tactic is sleep deprivation. The last couple weeks Little Man has decided that “morning” comes at 5 a.m. Really? And while I get them to take their afternoon nap at the same time on some days, there are plenty of days where they alternate sleeping so at least one of them is up all day. It’s like they plan it. And I don’t know how, but they have some magical powers with toys. I swear, it is only the fluffy, soft toys that are left out on the floor at night, but inevitably Big Man and I end up stepping on something hard and plastic and painful when we are walking around bleary-eyed at 5 a.m. I think the Little Ones must have some fairies on their payroll who come in at night and rearrange the toys.

And the kids love noise! Between endless iterations of “The Farmer in the Dell,” Veggie Tales songs, Little Man practicing his words, and Little Lady babbling, it feels like silence will never again exist. Although the up side of this is that Big Man and I are becoming masters of carrying on a conversation despite the typical 2568 interruptions.

I think the kids’ most devious plan is to infringe on any “grown-up time” Big Man and I can squeeze in. If I decide to use their naptime  to do laundry or work on the household budget, they’ll give me 2 hours of absolute quiet. But when Big Man is home and we decide to use naptime to have a little *ahem* playtime of our own, some little voice interrupts us after 10 minutes. It like the kids have a sensor for that!

Now, Big Man and I love our kids beyond words. And while all the things I described above do happen, the whole “mastermind” thing is obviously written in jest. I know the Little Ones don’t have an evil plan or do (most) things deviously. But as irrational as it is, I sometimes feel like they do. When Little Man wakes up crazy-early after Little Lady has been up twice at night, or I feel like my head is going to explode from hours of constant noise, I blame them. I get upset, as if they are purposely making my life hard. Which I know is silly, but still something I struggle with.

I’m trying to be better at remembering to pray as soon as I start feeling upset. I know if I can calm my mind for a couple minutes I’ll come back into rational thought and not treat the kids as the enemy. Sadly, I don’t always succeed at this. But, I’m praying and trying my best, and I have faith that God will bless my effort.

And who knows, maybe that whole consulting plan will work out in the future. Watch out, Matt Damon! You’re going to have to do a lot of running to bring down this conspiracy!

I only made one change to the original recipe and that was to bake it in a 9×9 square pan instead of a 10-inch tart pan. Once I had the tart dough chilling in the refrigerator, I searched high and low for my tart pan but couldn’t find it.  Sometimes Big Man unloads the dishwasher and finds new cabinet “homes” for my baking equipment. And sometimes I let Little Man play with my not-sharp-or-dangerous kitchen tools. So. . .there are quite a few possibilities for where the tart pan is actually located right now.

Anyway, I just used a square pan and called it good. The tart doesn’t look as fancy on the whole as one made in a tart pan, but tastes just as good. Regardless, this dessert was fantastic and definitely a winner for Valentine’s Day or any time you get a serious chocolate craving.

You can check out how other PPQ members put their spin on this recipe by clicking here.

Silken Chocolate-Walnut Tart (from The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather)

Tart Crust

Filling

To make the tart dough, combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add in the butter cubes and mix on low speed until the dough looks crumbly (about 1-2 minutes). Whisk the egg and cream together in the small bowl, then add to the dough. Mix on low speed just until the dough comes together (you may need to add a little more cream, do so 1 tbs. at a time). Form the dough into a disk, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the chilled dough and press into a 10 inch tart pan. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Place the nuts on the sheet in a single layer and toast in the oven 7 to 9 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant. Set aside to cool.

To make the filling, place the chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl and melt in the microwave, heating 30 seconds at a time and stirring in between. Alternately, melt in a double boiler or in a saucepan over very low heat. Once the chocolate and butter are melted, remove from heat and add the sugar, stirring until smooth. Add in the eggs, one at a time, whisking until smooth. Add in the vanilla, salt, cream, and whiskey and stir until smooth.

Spread the nuts in a single layer in the dough-lined tart pan. Pour the chocolate mixture evenly over the nuts. Bake for 50 minutes. The tart should still be slightly loose in the center, but will firm up as it cools. Allow to cool completely before cutting (refrigerate to speed up the process). Use a sharp knife to cut thin slivers (it is rich!). Enjoy chocolate bliss.

A couple of the bloggers I follow do this cool thing where every week they post a list of their favorite posts of the week from blogs other than their own. I really enjoy it because I get a quick sampling of several blogs and usually find a couple new blogs I really like. It’s a ready-made reading list and a nice way to get a mix of content without having to Google 20 different blogs and read through their archives.

I thought I’d do the same thing: give you a sample of my favorite blog posts (they’re even categorized!) from the past week. And what better time than Saturday morning? So grab a cup of coffee and maybe a muffin, and start your weekend off with some fun and insightful reading!

Kisses and Kiddos

Pantry List for Him – Awesome organizational idea from The Generous Wife so you’ll always have a nice stash of “blessing-the-hubby” things.

Close Your Marriage’s Emotional Bank Account – A challenging post from Assume Love about the danger of keeping score in your marriage.

Why I Cried When We Made Love – A beautiful description of one of the many reasons God created sex to be a necessary part of marriage.

10 Ways to Love your Kids – An insightful parenting post from The Resurgence

Yumminess

Malted Milk Chocolate Pots de Creme with Malted Dark Chocolate Ganache – This decadent dessert from Bakingdom looks perfect for Valentine’s Day

Mini Pretzel Dogs – It seems like 75% of the Super Bowl Party recipes out there this week had “Buffalo Chicken” in the title, so these little snacks from Joy the Baker look like a great change of pace from the usual dips and wings.

Cookie Dough Dip – If you really must have a dip at your Super Bowl Party, make it sweet! Two Peas and Their Pod have a step-by-step recipe for this dessert dip over at the Tasty Kitchen Blog

Just for Giggles

Chasing Shadows, Part Deja Vu – An entire Cake Wrecks posts inspired by Groundhog Day

Church Greeter Ninjas – Stuff Christians Like shares a humorous look at the ubiquitous church “greeter.”

Enjoy your weekend!

Little Lady is getting so big! She is starting to crawl, babble, and she finds the world utterly fascinating, especially her big brother. She really enjoys trying out new foods and her hair is finally starting to grow (slowly)!

In the midst of all this, we still have all the rest of the normal life stuff, like Big Man’s job, church, grocery shopping, cleaning, and cooking. It can be a bit overwhelming, and I am learning that it is not only OK, but necessary to admit that I can’t do everything all the time. Not that Big Man asks me to do everything; he helps out so much. But there are days when we are both pretty tired and everything just feels a little off kilter.

This past week was a little rough, so when my mom called and asked if I would like her to drop off some homemade chicken soup for dinner, it was a wonderful treat! A yummy, healthy meal (even Little Man loves that soup) that I don’t have to cook? Yes, absolutely. Thank you, Mom! Since the main course was taken care of, I figured it would be nice to make some dinner rolls to go with the soup. I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen and tweaked it a little to our tastes, and to account for the high altitude.

These rolls were a perfect accompaniment to the soup. Soft and fluffy, with just the right amount of garlic and spices on top. And the recipe was super easy: you don’t even need a mixer! I mixed the dough with a wooden spoon and kneaded by hand. I especially liked that the recipe only made 5 rolls, so I didn’t have to worry about having too many leftovers. I’ll definitely be making these rolls again soon, and I hope you will too!

Garlic Knots (adapted from Tasty Kitchen)

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Add the olive oil, milk, and water, and mix with a wooden spoon until a dough forms (it will be quite wet and sticky). Turn out onto a well-floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic (you may have to add more flour). Transfer to a bowl that has been lightly oiled or sprayed with cooking spray and turn dough once to coat. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise for one hour.

Turn out risen dough onto floured surface and divide into 5 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope (about 3/4 to 1 inch diameter) and tie into a knot, tucking the ends under. Place rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Cover with a clean towel and let rise 45 minutes, until the rolls look puffy.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To make the topping, combine melted butter with garlic and herbs. Brush the topping onto the risen rolls, and bake until golden brown, about 16-20 minutes. Enjoy warm with your favorite soup or chili.