Shricken Layuuhggss

Chicken Legs or as it is funner to say:

Shricken Layuuhggss.

This is only for those of us who really like a whole bunch of dramatics in each drawn out word.

It's a Texan thing, Maybe. Ya'awwll.

Ahem.

Meat with its own handle for holding.

Convenient.

Hand-y, (Haha!)

Super easy & delicious! 

I fixed these little daddies last night as they had held out as long as they could in the fridge before I HAD  to put them in the freezer and store them properly before they spoiled & where ultimately, they would languish, forgotten. 

Run on sentences are fun. Incorrect, but still fun.

I started by busting them out of the package and placing them in a real handy disposable aluminum pan. I remembered prettyyy quickly that I hate waste and decided that even though this pan was termed "disposable" and that I do have a REAL issue with raw poultry and its pesky bacteria reputation, I would be breaking out the Dawn and hanging on to it. I lined up the legs and drizzled some extra virgin olive oil over all of them. I used a mix of a Greek seasoning that I'd found at a Western store here in town (I KNOW!) and a seasoning that our family practically sustains our life on. It's found on almost all spice aisles and really makes my toes tweet. What I'm trying to say here, is that it's a keeper. I sprinkled and shimmied and decided to add some onion and garlic powders as well because it would require more shimmy and who, please tell me, WHO does NOT like an opportunity to shimmy behind a pan of soon to be deliciousness? I let the little guys hang out together while the grill heated up and I put together a side dish. My real cute husband showed up just in time from work and was all to happy to do the manly duty of grilling meat. I was glad because I just like to do the pretty and fun parts and all the shimmy type stuff. I'm thankful he is okay with that arrangement or doesn't even think about there being an arrangement or care or know......or something. The legs grilled up perfectly in about a hot hour or so and were the tasty dream I'd imagined them to be. So simple, so cheap. So glorious on a Tuesday! Here's a recipe:

- 1 package of chicken legs (aka: Shricken Leyuughhsss) or however much you need for the amount of folks who are eatin'.

- 3 Tablespoons or so of Cavender's Greek Seasoning. (This can be found anywhere just about but I found it one Saturday when I was looking for boot socks at Cavender's Western Wear and instead of leaving with socks, I left with seasoning. Life is so funny sometimes.)

-3 Tablespoons or so of Uncle Chris' Seasoning, a Fiesta brand. This can also be found at all grocery stores( In Texas for sure). It hangs out with all the other Fiesta seasonings and tries to look cool.)

-1 Tablespoon each of Garlic and Onion Powders. DO NOT forget to shimmy as you shake. It's seriously important. 

- 1/3 C. of good Extra Virgin Olive Oil so all yous seasonings will stick real right. 

Drizzle your legs with the olive oil, sprinkle all your seasonings right on there and make sure they are good and coated. Fire off your grill and start them off at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, then reduce your temperature to 350, closing your grill lid and "baking" them for an additional 40 minutes to an hour, depending on how large them legs are. Rotate them frequently and for the last 5 minutes or so, bump up your heat and leave the grill lid open so they get nice and crispy. 

Enjoy! 

Lots of love and a package of Chicken Legs,

K

October

October, hello darling. 

We've all been waiting on you!

You took your time and we sweated through summer 2015 but now we know that your mornings hold chilly promise of actual comfortable hoodie wearing (I've forced the issue prior to this day and shed many a hoodie) and that it is officially OKAY to reaallly start to look forward to the fun holidays that are all just around the corner! It's more than okay..it's a cause for celebration! Halloween is in 30 days! Thanksgiving is in..um. I'm going to have to Google a calendar to count the days...but it's soon!!

We love your oranges and browns and beige-y beauty. We love your promises of beautiful pumpkins, apple & cinnamon everything, gatherings with friends & family for any reason possible and sweet kiddos and babies taking to the streets that one fateful night in search of the wonderfulness that we ALL know a King sized Snicker candy bar to be.

We are grateful that each year of this life, you come back around and we are reminded that there is so much beautiful life to be lived, looked forward to & expected and held close to our hearts. That in the ending three months of this year, we are blessed with God's Love and Grace as we always are and that we all have the opportunity to make the most of every day carrying, contemplating and serving love to each other in any way possible. It matters. Everything does! 

Challenge!! I am going to encourage you to literally pick apart each day of these next few months. Take time to be as fully present as possible. To notice all the little things. To tell people from the heart how thankful you are for them and how important & loved they are. To be weird, odd and happy. To buy Christmas gifts and stand in whatever store or aisle you are on and think about that person and why they mean so much to you. Write a card telling them so. Take time to sit and remember your favorite memories and take time to make brand new ones! Take time to serve to your biggest ability in any way that you know how to. Make a difference in someone's life and in this world we are all living in. Most importantly,

I'd like to encourage you to spend time seeking our Father God. The Creator who made all of this life possible. The One who loves us all in a way that is impossible to wrap your mind around. The One who cherished you before you were even born. The One who created you so special and worthy. I'm so grateful for Him. For His Grace. For His Love. For the chance He gives everyday to do and be and know something more.

If you are willing to take this challenge with me, I'd love to hear all the ways you are making each day count! I'd love to get to chat and visit and encourage each other! Leave me a comment here or visit me on FB @ https://www.facebook.com/kristin.davison.98

Love and many many happy days that include hoodie wearing,

K

A Post in Which I Go On About Meat Caramelization & Waffles

Well, well, well.
 I have had this blog for a while but have >peskily< popped in and out with absolute intentions in writing and being consistent and all the good things but here we are.

 Here we are.

 Here we are with an immediate case of writer's block. Isn't that fun? What on Earth can I talk about today? What do I feel passionate about? Am I going to write serious or silly? I'm in a strange mood. That should be unusual but it's actual PREETTTY usual because moods are so fleeting and what not. I'm listening to Kevin Bacon being interviewed on The Chew and thinking about how it might be that Mario Batali always gets SUCH a GREAT caramelization on ALL the breakfast meats that he ever makes and how quickly I can get my hands on some chorizo. Are these legitimate thoughts that carry enough weight to write about? I do care about these things. A lot. I do school myself in the art of meat caramelization. If I am at home with an opportunity to cook a meat of breakfast origin, you can count on it that I will be caramelizing it >just< so.

And why?

Because I have loved cooking with my whole heart ever since I became a wife some almost 12 years ago. It always hits harder in the Fall. There is no reason for this that I can come up with other than sheer relief that it isn't quite a blazing 123 degrees everyday anymore and the thought of turning on even the toaster as an additional heat source doesn't want to make me roll myself into a ball. It is TRULY a gorgeous time of year no matter where you live! I have been on a crazy kick cooking things that could possibly turn out terrible but so far have been hits. It's this kinda streak I'm on, ay. The perfect example would be a recipe I am SURE someone in this world has come up with wayyy before me but that just came to fruition in this ol' brain. An Orzo Caprese Salad. I am in the business of coming up with as many ways as possible to get Caprese anything in my mouth as soon as possible. It it all of everything, ever. Can I just go ahead and sustain my life on really good tomatoes? I'll share the recipe I used at the end of this post!

Another thing that has been catching my ear as of late is anything waffle. I hear that there are some very partial folks out there. A great divide between pancake lovers and waffle lovers. As for our household, we are waffle heads. We love that waffles carry tons of little pocket-y pockets that allow little pools of syrup or butter or a single blueberry or apple butter or any of the tons of different things that can sit atop a waffle to gather in there and become little beautiful bites of glory. I just bought a Belgian waffle maker after years of having a tiny one that I'd found and bought a garage sale. The thing was ROUGH but made many a Saturday morning waffle and many a Saturday morning happy fam bam. It'll be missed...but not that much because this newbie IS AWESOME. It's non stick, totally happening and I feel like I can challenge the world of waffles as I know it! Why should waffles just be all breakfast-y and not push the limits? How about a Cornbread waffle? A cornbread waffle with cheese and green chilies baked inside? A cornbread waffle with cheese and green chilies and Turkey Chili on top??!

Welcome to this blog. This place where I get to say what I'm probably thinking right in this moment but would NEVER expect anyone to stand there and listen to in person. I want to thank you for reading to this point and ask you to come back for the next installment of weird. Here's a recipe!


ORZO CAPRESE SALAD

2 Cups of cooked Orzo style pasta (looks like little big-ish grains of rice but is really pasta) I found mine at HEB. You will get these all over your kitchen as you cook them, Just go ahead and get your dust pan out now.

1 Pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 Cup of Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing. I used a bottle that I've had forever from Panera.

Fresh Mozzarella cheese. You can buy the little pearls floating in water or the balls that are not floating but PLEASE don't buy pre-shredded mozz or cut the rectangle hard stuff up for this. You want fresh!

Basil Pesto. Make your own or grab you a little container from the refrigerated section! I usually add about 1/2 a cup.

Salt & pep pep to taste!


Boil your Orzo pasta according to package directions, drain and rinse with cold water,  Toss with a teaspoon or so of olive oil to keep the grains from sticking.
Halve your tomatoes and pour in your Balsamic dressing, cubed mozzarella, basil pesto, Salt & pep pep in your mixing bowl. Stir to combine all that beauty. Add your cooled pasta and mix. Practice self control to keep from getting out the biggest spoon you own and making like it's a shovel.

Love and all the waffle happiness in the world,

K

Veg-eh-tableeeh Beef Soup & Kitchen Sink Convo

Today we are having a snow day and it has been all you can hope for one to be. School was cancelled, I took a day from work, made soup and spent the day with my sweetest & only offspring. She really hits me in the heart, that one. Such a pesky tween at times..such a pookie sweetie pie at others. It's like a fun game of " Who In This House Is In What Mood." It's a pretty fun game.

Mostly.

I wanted to share my Veggie Beef soup recipe wit ya because it's not like you can't just Google it yourself. Plus..  I took a picture of my hand holding carrots and I though it was semi - artistic.

See:

Veggie Beef Soup:

1 lb. Diced steak pieces or stew meat

1/2 lb. Lean ground beef

1 28oz. Can of crushed tomatoes

1 16oz can of petite (oh, we fancy..huh?) tomatoes

2 cans kitchen cut green beans

2 zuccinini, sliced

1 sweet onion, diced finely

2 stalks of celery

4 carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal (still bein' fancy)

3 yellow potatoes, diced in cubes all the same size

1 carton or a few cans of beef stock, any brand!

2 cups of aqua

salt n pepp or your favorite seasoning to taste!

The rules of this soup:

Brown the steak or stew meat & ground beef with the diced onion. Once it's allll good, add beef stock, crushed tomatoes, petite (fancy) diced tomatoes, and season. Bring to a slow simmer and add allllll veggies and the rest of the ingredients! Let them chill together until all are tender & totes BFFs. 

This is the GOOD stuff. Serve with crusty bread or if carbs are the devil for ya, just watch others eat crusty bread with their portion! Jus' kiddin'!!

As I was telling you before, we had a snow day today. Like everyone else! We spent ours defrosting a tiny pipe to the water well with a blow dryer, braving the grocery store and catching up on laundry and chores. I find as much as I stand at the kitchen sink to do dishes, this is turning out to be where some of the most fruitful discussions in this family come out. Today, this pookie tween helped me dry and we waxed over Meghan Trainor, mascara and dried on egg. It blessed my heart to talk about things that are important to her in this season and to talk about the importance of rinsing dishes so mommy doesn't have to scrub dried egg off plates because it gets her real cranky. She talked about wanting to grow up and move to Hawaii which isn't going to work. She'll be to far away and I don't know about her, but I'll always always need her kitchen sink conversation. 

Stay Warm! 

Loretty

The other night I checked one off the ol' bucket list and saw The Queen of Country, Loretta Lynn! She came to visit in our town and I was beside myself with excitement! I really love classic country and just the era in general! Time is slipping by, we've lost so many greats! There is nothing on Earth quite like live country music. Guitars, banjos, fiddles, steel guitars..it's a twang that long long ago set up shop in my psyche. Can't get enough.

We arrived after a run by Rosa's-ing (we was hangry) I ate grilled chicken, it was good... and settled into our seats! Soon enough, Miss Loretta emerged like an angel in one of her billowing trademark gowns, sparkling like the sun! I've never seen a dress glitter so much! OF course, it was everything and I wanted to borrow it. Borrow it to work in my oilfield office and run my tween around.

Practical.

She was her sweetest, fiestiest Loretta self and charming! Her voice is still beautiful and strong! She sang all the faves and a few Gospel hymns. She even sang a Patsy Cline which had us swooning, like woah. It was a beautiful evening with the cutest husband I know of. He even put on his cowboy hat for the occasion aaannnddd hiney tingles. I only had two mishaps which need to be documented to keep me humble. I wore the prettiest flowy bouffant skirt thing with cowboy boots and well...it kept getting stuck in the crease of my Spanx panty band. I wanted to go to the merch table real bad but thought I better stay put as to avoid any indecency. The need to get to the merch table got real pesky so I went. I scored two screen print tees and a pink Loretta Koozie. Of course. When one is at a concert, any concert, you must purchase a Koozie emblazoned with the star's name & likeness. I don't have a reason why (since I don't drink much at all), just...go ahead and do it. I scooped up my stash and made my way back to the auditorium. It was an interesting set up as it were, the ushers were guiding people by blinding flash lights and red lights on their wrists. It was a little dizzying which spells trouble for some of us. I found my row (W) and started down the aisle of people who were plenty done with people "starting down the aisle". Sorry aisle mates. Sorry forever. I got mid ways and there was a lady with pointy boots that stuck into the aisle even with attempts to tuck her feet under her seat while I passed.

Well.

I was wearing pointy boots to.

 Our boots met, tangled and I basically crashed into her like a defensive tackle. After the chaos of the landing in her lap, we summed it up that we were both at fault and smiled politely at each other. I'm so thankful for people who will let you tackle them and then smile politely. It is all that is right with the world. So..like I said, two instances that remind me that much like Loretta's Legacy in country music, it's important to be YOU because there is truly only one and you never know where it'll get you to! Loretta started out picking a guitar and singing her babies to sleep. She has never changed for anyone, honed her talent, stayed polite and worked her tail off. What an incredible influence she's been in my life. A beautiful example of loving when it's hard to love and staying humble. And pretty dresses <3

My Girl

My baby returned home from church camp last week after being gone 4 days. It was her first time and we weren't sure how any moment of it would go. We weren't sure the emotions we would feel...she would feel. Would we pack all her things and add extra bottled water in every available pocket in her luggage in case there was some sort of chaotic water shortage? Would we arrive at the church to stow away her suitcase and help her get on the bus, only to violently break out of the crowd, snatch her up and declare she is only but an infant with gums, sharpei legs and is in no way capable of navigating this world without me along for the ride?

 Turns out...my girl is more than capable. My girl is growing up.

                           She blows me away.

We did let the bus pull away with our only and spent four days pacing the floor, existing in silence with no FROZEN songs or sounds coming from anywhere. We cooked food we liked and went to bed at 8:30pm. All the while, my baby's heart was being so solidly poured into by leaders of the church camp and leaders of our church. She came home and told of all the fun stuff...the swimming,  the zip line, the friends. She also held her new bible closely and read the verses highlighted by her leader that I know she'll always carry in her heart. She told about the amazing worship and how she's definitely ready to go back next year. I was still reeling from her bus exit. I never wanted to get to my child more. I promised I wouldn't cry but the tears came under my aviators. I let her out of our hug and she looked at me. She had something to tell me. Her voice sang while she told me she had be saved! She had asked Jesus into her heart.

My goodness. Praise Him!! All glory to our father in Heaven!!

Proud is not a word that measures up. My heart exploded. There just weren't words adequate for the moment.

What an incredible honor to have this beautiful girl that emerged 10 years ago from my unsure 19 year old womb, that I fed until her legs grew longer than mine are now, that will be entering the FIFTH grade, that wins my heart everyday with her strength and wit...run up to me and tell me she's chosen Jesus. Her decision to know and follow Jesus is the most important one of her life. It is the one decision that will take her EVERYWHERE.

She turns 10 years old this Sunday. A decade.
A decade of Christmases, birthdays, learning together, failing together.
A decade of ponytails, missing teeth and homework.
A decade of smiles, tears, knock knock jokes and more Barbies than I can ever count.


It all goes to quickly. It's easy. It's so hard. It's joyful. It's tiring. It's laid back. It's hard work.
Being Mama to my girl is hands down the best thing I will ever do. The most worthwhile and only second to being a Godly wife, one of the ways I feel the closest to God in my own life. I am only capable of love in the capacity of my "human suit". God IS LOVE. It is what He is. Sometimes I just soak that in. I know how much I love my daughter. My family. He loves me MORE. How?? It's incredible. It's wonderous. It's true.

Daily I am in awe of what is possible when God is the leader.

Psalm 54:4

Hi ya'll and a list!

So.
First post on this new blog. Feels GREAT. I have literally tossed the idea of writing around for more than a year now. I would start and then decide not to. I would legitimately be very busy or wonder if my thoughts were important or funny enough to 1. say out loud. 2. have to explain to everyone when I see them in person "what I meant". I felt strongly convicted enough that I talked about the idea with my friend and her words of encouragement were the final push and are why these little letters find themselves scrolling across the screen today and hopefully for many more days to come.

So HI!!

I'm so happy that blogging is such a fun and popular medium for writing. I LOVE writing. I love photography among soo many other things and generally have worthwhile opinions and views. I think we'll have a good time here. Come often!

A few salient things about myself would be:

1. I am a christian woman. I'm conservative and mostly hair-brained in this season of life. Its just the way it is. No sense in hiding my light under a basket. (Name that movie!) I find the chaos of this world amusing on a good day and absolutely atrocious on a bad one or maybe......that's just because I'm a female with hormones that change my mind every 4 1/2 minutes.  I believe with all my heart that God created me to spread His Word and tell the good news of His Son Jesus. Everything I do, to Him be the glory! I also know that I am 100% a sinner in a fallen world. I am not perfect. I have nothing together in any way and I know that He still loves me and created me to be exactly the way I am. He must have had a lot of fun creating my brain is all I can say. I like to think that because He loves me so much, the roller coaster in my head must give Him lots of joy and hopefully some laughter!

2. I am a wife. I have been married nearly 12 years and I just turned 30. I'll let you break out your calc and do the math if that's something you wanna do! We were BABIES when we married and like, totally knew life would just be a dream 4evr. Turns out life is ROUGH and I'm so grateful God gave me a husband just as tough enough to not only handle the craziness of life in stride with me but also to balance out this girl. He's a good egg and he's super cute to.

3. I'm a mama. Our one and only is nearly 12 years old! She is an absolute treasure. God's priceless gift to her daddy and I. I'm not sure how I deserve to be her mama but God thinks I'm equipped. When I'm not or don't believe I am, He equips me. My girl is FUN. A little quip I like to toss around is that I know God has a great sense of humor because daddy and I are NOT SERIOUS about ALMOST everything. We are laid back to the "umpth" degree. Everything on Earth is funny, isn't it? It works for us. So...of course, our baby would be absolutely literal and have a dry sense of humor. It's an interesting mix of folks up  in our house.

I plan to share lots of pics, recipes, really deep thoughts and pieces of me and mine here. I hope you'll check in from time to time!

Aye-dee-ohhs!