I'm happy to report we are settling in! I feel about 60-80% settled...and the percentage will definitely increase when a certain husband will take a certain mattress out of a certain dining room. :) Seriously, we have been in our place almost two months and it's beginning to feel like home. The more times I run my neighborhood loop, walk Main Street, and pull in the driveway; the more it feels good to call Middletown home.

How are things going you ask? Good I guess! Fall is slowly creeping upon us here in New England, and every day the leaves are looking more golden than green. This morning it was 55 degrees...I'm wearing a long sleeve shirt & vest today! (with sandals of course). Pictures are finding their place on our walls, I'm discovering new running routes, and our everyday activities are turning more into a routine. Sundays are a little nuts...it was nice to move here during the summer when the Youth have their break from Sunday/Wednesday activities, but after the fall kick off Sundays haven't been the same! Andrew gets up and gets out the door to church at about 8:15am and I join him for the 11am service. We get home about 1:00pm, have lunch, and chill. He goes back to church at 4 or 5pm for youth group and gets home about 9pm. Yes, WOW! What a work day! Needless to say, he loves it...which makes me so happy to see.

As for me, work is also picking up. Fall in ministry=busy! Last month I had a revelation to "simplify"! As you can see from my pictures, it was a busy summer of weddings, a trip to the UP, and Jasmer babies! As my trips wound down; I toned down the amount of things I was volunteering for, suspended my NYC marathon registration until 2012 and went "ahhhhhh!". This is what I have really been needing: a season to be renewed, refreshed & rest!

I guess many of you don't really know that yes, I have a job! I am the Office Manager for the East Coast Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church. I handle all administration for our office, as well as brainstorm the direction of our communication methods (website, design, etc). My office that is the umbrella for all the Covenant churches in the East Coast from Maine to Washington DC. So, my job is a new kind of "busy": there are no city-wide service days to plan and no toy stores to brainstorm for as Christmas approaches. While I do miss being "in the trenches" of ministry, administration and communication design is my gifting! And I get to do both of those things here! I also have been doing a lot of freelance graphic work at home (hence why my blog has been so neglected). It's a good creative outlet for me outside of work. So...that's the long and short of what I do.

Last weekend we had some friends over for dinner...this is something I have been dying to do but just have been too busy. I like to get to know people over food.

pollo el pastor
1 pound chicken tenders or breasts
1-2 canned chipotles in adobo sauce
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin

What you need:
Glass bowl
Fry pan
If you don't have a fry pan that can go from stovetop to oven, you'll want a small sheet pan.
Tin foil
Cooking spray

1. Open the can of chilies and mince 1-2 depending on your spice preference. I find 1 gives the flavor I want, but two gives them the kick of spice.

2. Combine chicken, chilies, olive oil and spices in bowl and cover. Place in fridge to marinate for at least 30 mins or longer.

3. Preheat oven to 325 when your ready to start cooking.

4. Spray pan and set on high heat. (We are just going to sear the meat to lock in the juices so don't worry about burning.)

5. Place each piece of chicken you have in the hot pan. Sear for 1 minute on each side.

6. Cover the pan with foil (use oven mits...hot!) and place in the oven for 25 minutes. (if your using a sheet pan, line the pan with foil for easy clean and cover chicken with foil too).

7. Remove foil and cook for 5 minutes longer.

8. Remove chicken from the oven and cover with foil on a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes.

9. Slice and dice the chicken. Return to the pan on medium heat. Add the pineapple with juice and sauté until juice is evaporated.

10. Toss with fresh chopped cilantro and lime juice. Eat on warm corn tortillas topped with diced onion, queso fresco, more chopped cilantro, and lime chaloula hot sauce.

Saturday — we prepared for Hurricane Irene.

Part of me was all like, “THIS IS MY FIRST HURRICANE!!”
Part of me was like, “ahhhh this is my first hurricane.”

As I started to write this post, I was anticipating the lights flickering off, our marathon of “50 Best Documentaries to See Before You Die” to end, and the rain to really pick up.

I have to say, this little Yooper girl knows how to handle Midwest thunderstorms and even a “Snonami.”

But a hurricane? No clue.

We stayed up until 2:30 a.m. in anticipation. What we got wasn’t a hurricane — it was a 500-mile-wide thunderstorm and a Sunday morning free of church and responsibilities.

And then Sunday morning, we went out and explored… while it was still raining with 50 mph wind gusts. But if you have ever walked between the Hancock Building and Water Tower Place on a cold, windy Chicago day — you have felt worse wind gusts than Irene produced, trust me!

So what did I do instead of hide from Irene? I cooked (and cleaned a lot)!

I made a giant pot of my potato leek chowder.
I made banana bread.
I made donuts.
I made chocolate sauce to dip the donuts in.

If you are gluten-free, well then this is your lucky day! I’m going to share with you this absolutely delicious banana bread recipe from Babycakes NYC.

And there is also a surprise… I dare you to make the chocolate dipping sauce and drizzle it over the banana bread to make it the most decadent, home-style treat.

🖨 Print Recipe

Erin's Favorite Banana Bread

A gluten-free, dairy-free banana bread inspired by Babycakes NYC — moist, sweetened with agave, and topped with a luscious vegan chocolate drizzle.

Yields: 12 servings | Weight Watchers Points+: 5 points per slice

Ingredients

Banana Bread

• 1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour (no substitutions)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 2/3 cup agave nectar
• 1/2 cup rice milk
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups mashed bananas

Sugar-Sweetened Chocolate Drizzle Sauce

• 4 tablespoons vegan chocolate chips
• 1/2 tablespoon canola oil
• Pinch of salt

Directions

Banana Bread

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C).
2. Brush your loaf pan with oil and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt, and cinnamon.
4. Add oil, agave nectar, rice milk, and vanilla; mix until smooth.
5. Fold in mashed bananas until evenly distributed.
6. Pour batter into loaf pan, filling only halfway.
7. Bake for about 20 minutes, then check for doneness. Continue baking until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Remove from oven and cool for 30 minutes before slicing.
9. *If you have extra batter, bake as muffins or doughnuts — texture will be moist but delicious.

Sugar-Sweetened Chocolate Drizzle Sauce

1. In a double boiler or microwave, melt chocolate chips until 85–90% melted, with some pieces remaining.
2. Remove from heat and stir until smooth.
3. Add oil and salt, stirring to combine.
4. Drizzle over banana bread and allow to set 3–4 hours for a firm glaze, or enjoy immediately for a soft, drippy texture.

Weight Watchers Points+: Add 1 point per slice when topped with drizzle.

Alicia Sturdy | www.aliciasturdy.com

ok: so I am 5 days over the date I wanted to blog. Woops. I wanted to blog 50 days after we left, but between work, church, my freelance gig, and exploring new england; my blog got lost somewhere in between.

Some of you may be wondering, why are you blogging here? I thought you moved to Tumblr.

Well, it was a fake out. I was trying out Tumblr, but after a few weeks of playing around on it, I am not loving it. So sticking with what I know, I'm staying on Wordpress and giving my blog a new, fresh feel. So stay tuned...things are going to get a little bit more lovely around here.

Some of you may also be wondering what I have been up to!

Let me give you a brief synopsis.

June: drove to New England, got a flat tire, day trip to New York City (cue Empire State of Mind playing in my head), Andrew starting his new job, Me starting my new job, our nice tidy space saver bags exploding in our 10x10 room at the Freemans.

July: 4th of July at Pilgrim Pines, Iowa for Matt & Molly Bauman's wedding, Chicago book-ending our trip (side note: i LOVE being a visitor in chicago...life as a visitor means no job and 24 hour acccess to fun, friends, shopping and delicious eats in a carefree manner), Friday night trip to Boston, HARRY POTTER!, Day trip of eating & shopping to New York with Lil' Erikka, skyping, skpying and more skyping with wonderful friends and family, weeknight trip to have dinner & cupcakes with Suz who is working in NYC through September, and finally last weekend we spent Friday & Saturday in Rhode Island at the Freeman's beach house. ahhhhhhhHHhhhhhh....so relaxing and I am delightfully tan for my upcoming trip to Chicago for wedding #2 of the summer.

So you are now up to speed with what we've been up to these past 55 days (yes, I know I go to New York too much but many of you know that I am a MAGNETIZED to big cities!)

Present day: we are moving into our new place next week!

Let me tell you a little bit about 31 Broad Street. :)

It's in wonderful Middletown, Connecticut; located right on the Connecticut River. It's a historic town that once was "destined" to be a large port city like Boston and New York. Long story short; it didn't. (boo).
We will be occupying the first floor of this house, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths. Exactly what we were looking for! It's one block from the main street that is filled with tons of independent coffee shops, local restaurants, and businesses. It. Is. Idyllic.

We are so looking forward to moving in and hosting many dinner parties, movie nights, and weekend visits of friends.

Oh, and regarding this being a blog about food...that is in the works. I haven't been cooking that much this summer, but I have a few things up my sleeve and I cannot wait to share them with you!