food and thought

i totally stole this recipe from buildabelly.  but it was worth it because it is one of the best broccoli recipes that i have tasted.

streusel-topped cheesy broccoli

1 to 1 and 1/2 pounds of broccoli florets

Streusel Topping
2 tablespoons butter
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 -1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
@ three slices of fresh bread (I used oat) broken into smallish crumbs
Parmesan cheese, salt, and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Cheese Sauce
3-4 tablespoons butter
3/4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese
salt, freshly ground pepper, ground cayenne, and ground nutmeg, to taste

Cook broccoli in boiling water for about 3 minutes until slightly cooked but still firm. Drain and set aside.

Saute onion and garlic in butter over medium-low heat until onion is translucent. Add the mustards and the bread crumbs. Fry until crumbs begin to turn golden and then season with salt, pepper, and parmesan. Set aside.

For the sauce, prepare a basic white sauce by melting the butter in a pan and then stirring in the flour. Whisk in the milk and cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens, whisking constantly. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne and add the grated cheese. Stir until cheese has melted and is incorporated completely, forming a smooth sauce.

Layer the broccoli in the bottom of a baking dish and spread the cheese sauce on top before sprinkling the bread crumb topping over it all. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until the topping is nicely browned and toasted.

So we watched this movie last night called Into the Wild.  It came out last year and is one of those independent films that really makes you look at life and think.  It was really good, below are some of the inspirational quotes from the movie.  Basically this college kid goes on a 2 year quest to live in the wild and his journey ends in Alaska.  He has the mentality that Life is worth living and why waste your time wanting all the things that won't bring pleasure, namely money and stuff.

Mike and i have been talking alot about living more simply.  I want to raise my kids to Live and not to Want. In order for them to do that, they need to see that in us. I once heard someone say that the reason he thought so highly of his mother was not that she was perfect, but that she taught him how to love life.  She taught him by living it out.  To love Life is to Love God and to love people more than myself and to not get so consumed with daily tasks and frustrations that i let it get me discouraged and side tracked. To make the best of the life God has granted me and to Glorify him with my life.

*When you forgive, you love. And when you love, God's light shines upon you.

 

*Happiness is only real when shared. 

*Rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness... give me truth.

*"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greather joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun."