Quortes

No, the title is not a typo. It's a tribute to my hursband, who enjoys joining me in adding unnecessary r's to words. Why text someone when you could terxt them? Oh, the potential that little extra "r" has! In case you were wanting to incorporate the extra "r" into your vocabulary, as a rule, adding the "r" works best in words with long vowel sounds in the middle of them and in words that don't already have an "r" in them. For example, "plant" easily becomes "plarnt" but "chair" doesn't work because it already has an "r" in it.

Now, on to some quortes I just had to share:

The funny:
The FOX News weatherman referring to the 100% humidity outside tonight: "The air is juicy out there."

The sweet:
A groomsman to the groom at the rehearsal dinner of the wedding I was in this past weekend: "I hope you love her the least tonight."

The sentimental:
Me: "I miss Chattanooga." (Said to myself after going to Chattanooga for the wedding and seeing all the BRILLIANT leaves at the peak of autumn, driving by the Tennessee River, driving through mountains, and seeing my precious family.)

Pray, please. Part II.

Baby Joseph went to be with Jesus this morning. Please pray for  Joe and Melissa. I don't even know how to ask you to pray, but pray, please.

Pray, please.

Our friends, the Denticis, gave birth to their firstborn son, Joseph, this week. They were only 23 weeks along when he was born. I started to write about this earlier, but my friend Melissa did such a perfect job of capturing the Denticis' story on her blog that I'm sending you there to read about it. Please take a moment to read their story and to pray pray pray for baby Joseph.

Cooking Therapy

After the last post, I had yet another I-can-barely-keep-my-head-above-water week. Last weekend was the first time, maybe since school has started, that I actually enjoyed my weekend and didn't work straight through it.

I take that back.

I did have a painting day with a bunch of 7th graders for about 3 hours on Saturday, but at least I wasn't grading essays until the words ran together.

I wanted to write. I really did. But my brain was too spent and too overwhelmed to even think about making any flying thoughts sit up straight and make proper sense on paper. So, instead, I cooked.

I made homemade granola, homemade bread, stuffed shells, sweet potato fries, and probably a few other things I'm not remembering. I tried new recipes, adjusted old ones, and actually planned out our week's meals. It was as if all the weeks' (and months') stress and pent up energy came out in one big flurry of creative cooking that actually made me feel more sane. Strange? Maybe. But it gave me space to think, to process, and to think up blog topics for when my brain was ready to put them on paper. So, for now, here's the stuffed shells recipe. Enjoy!

Spinach and Ricotta-Stuffed Shells
(from Real Simple, May 2010)


20 jumbo pasta shells (about half a 12-oz. box)
1 24-oz jar marinara sauce
2 15-oz. containers ricotta
2 cups baby spinach, chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 oz.)
Kosher salt & black pepper
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1. Set an oven rack to the highest position and heat oven to 400. Cook the pasta according to the package directions; drain and run under cold water until cool.
2. Spread marinara sauce in bottom of a large broilerproof baking dish.
3. In a bowl, combine the ricotta, spinach, Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spoon the mixture into the shells and place them on top of the sauce. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and bake until the shells are heated through, 10-12 minutes.
4. Increase heat to broil. Broil the shells until the cheese begins to brown, 2-5 minutes. Serve with green salad.