Jen Russum

Pumpkin Penne

Pumpkin Penne

I've been making sweet treats left and right this fall, especially pumpkin flavored goodies. Due to the fact that we are going to Australia in a month and I would like to not gain ten extra pounds before we go, I decided I should probably lay off the baked goods and try something a little more wholesome with the cans of pumpkin sitting in my pantry... So I decided to make pumpkin sauce, and pair it with penne and chicken for dinner. Pumpkin on pasta, you say? Yes. And it was quite delicious. What you need: 2-3 chicken breasts cooked {I boiled mine while I made the sauce} 1 lb. penne pasta Olive oil 2-3 cloves garlic 1/2 of a medium onion 1 can chicken broth {14.5 oz.} 1 can pumpkin puree {15 oz.} 1/2 tsp. hot sauce 1/2 cup cream or half and half Dash of flour {if needed for thickening... only if you use half and half} Salt Pepper Nutmeg Cinnamon Red Cayenne Pepper Sage 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese {split} What you do: 1} Cook your chicken. I think boiling and then shredding it is easiest. 2} Drizzle olive oil in pan and brown chopped garlic and onions over medium heat. 3} Start pasta at this point. You know what to do... 4} Add chicken broth and pumpkin and hot sauce. Stir until smooth and bring to a low boil. 5} Add cream and a dash of flour if needed. Continue to stir and keep at a low boil. 6} Add each spice. I recommend two dashes of each, except for the Cayenne pepper. Only one of that! 7} Simmer for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. 8} Add 1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese and stir until melted and smooth. A whisk can be helpful for the stirring. 9} Top pasta with shredded chicken and pumpkin sauce and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese! ENJOY! P.S. Rumor has it you can substitute sausage for chicken in this recipe for spicy/sweet treat. I haven't tried this yet, but it sounds delicious! |Linking to: Stonegable, Rattlebridge Farm, Something Swanky, Blessed with Grace,  and Tatertots + Jello| ... Read more

Lovely Little Things

Lovely Little Things

Here are some tidbits from the past few weeks. Our days have filled with friends and fun, but I am starting to feel the pressure as the end of the semester grows near. We leave for Australia in less than a month and I have 60 essays to grade and two papers to write before we get on that plane! Hello new Neon and Nude bracelets. You are so cute. // Hello Smashburger. Welcome to the neighborhood.  {This could be problematic for my hips…} Hello Jade-a-kiss. This is one of my old YoungLife girls and I love that we are still so close after all these years. // Hello gift night. Micah and I surprised each other with random gifts on the same night. Dri-fit running shirts for me, a porcelain hunting dog for him… so he’s not tempted to get a real dog! J Hello new blog calendar. Trying out something new for scheduling blog posts. // Hello neurotic shopper. I re-wrote this list THREE times to get it perfectly organized by section of the store. Hello precious friends visiting from out of town. Hello overtime win for TCU. We are now bowl eligible, even without our starting QB. Did you know I’m obsessed with college football? // Hello November??? No one’s thermostat should say 103 degrees in November, but mine did, just last week. Hello trying to usher in fall, despite the warm temps. The season for boots and eggnog lattes has arrived! Oh, and hello San Diego! We've enjoyed spending the weekend with you! |Linking up with Lisa Leonard, Hello Hue and InstaFriday| ... Read more

Flowers Fade Friday: Encouragment

While Paul suffered greatly for the name of Christ, and often found himself pursued, imprisoned, abandoned, beaten or left for dead, he was also continually supported by faithful friends and fellow ministry workers. Throughout Paul's letters, he at times detours from his writing to mention those friends who have been helping him. He will list all sorts of names like Timothy, Luke, Justus, Clement, Epaphroditus....and all kinds of other names I can't even pronounce. Sometimes I feel kind of like I do with the genealogies of the Old Testemant. The "I'm tired of reading all these names; let's get back to the good stuff" feeling... But recently I've realized that these names of Paul's friends and co-laborers ARE the good stuff. These are the people who visited him in jail, sometimes even finding themselves imprisoned alongside him. They would bring him food and clothing. They would house him. They would travel with him, experiencing hardship, hunger, and persecution. They would painstakingly pen his letters for him (remember they didn't have computers or even ballpoint pens). They would carry his letters to churches abroad, often taking long and dangerous journeys to bring the word of God to various cities throughout Asia Minor. They would pray with Paul, weep with Paul, enourage Paul, and eagerly soak up his teaching and live by his example. So when Paul praises "Timothy's proven worth, how as a son with a father, he has served me" (Phil. 2:22) or when he rejoices over Epaphroditus who "nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life" (Phil. 2:30) to help Paul, I am learning to realize how essential this encouragement was. When Paul says that Aristarchus, Mark, and Justus "are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers...and they have been a great comfort to me" (Col.4:11), I can only imagine how nice it must have been to have just a few Jewish friends in the midst of being imprisoned in the foreign culture of Rome. So I ask myself, how can I encourage those around me who have devoted their life to ministering to God's people? How can I support and encourage my pastor and his family? How can I serve my friends who serve abroad as full-time missionaries in some of the most remote or poorest places in the world? How can I labor alongside them as Paul's fellow workers did, even though I am halfway across the world? Can I suport them financially? Can I send a care package? Go visit them? Send them a letter or e-mail of encouragment? Pray for them often? Pray for the culture in which they live and the people to whom they minister? Instead of finding myself bored with Paul's thank you lists in his letters, I am finding myself inspired to encourage my own pastor and missionary friends in new ways. Praising God for His constant transforming of my mind, and I am thankful for the friends who co-labor beside me in my own ministries as well. ... Read more