Dinner Party, Check!

Host First Dinner Party

 Tim and I invited over a couple from church for dinner at the beginning of October. I had so much fun planning and deciding on what to cook for them. Who would have thought before I got married that I would enjoy this so much!? As a wedding gift my bridesmaids gave me a basket with six bottles of wine or champagne. Each bottle represented an occasion in our marriage. The bottle in the above picture was to be used for our first dinner party! It was my favorite white wine, Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling. I ended up choosing to cook stuffed peppers. It was a great choice because it can be vegetarian or you can add meat depending on your guests! I found two recipes on pinterest and combined them for this yummy dish!

Stuffed Peppers

6 Large sweet peppers

2 cups cooked brown rice

3 small tomatoes, chopped

1 cup frozen corn, thawed

1 small sweet onion, chopped

1/3 cup canned red beans, rinsed and drained

1/3 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

3/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese

1 can (4-1/4) chopped ripe olives

4 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced (I used the ones right out of my herb garden!)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3/4 cup meatless spaghetti sauce

1/2 cup water

4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 lb lean turkey meat, cooked (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the peppers horizontally and remove seeds. Place the pepper halves in a rectangular cooking dish. In a large bowl combine, rice, tomatoes, corn, onion, beans, Monterey Jack cheese, olives, basil, garlic, salt, and pepper. If turkey is desired mix cooked turkey into bowl. Spoon mixture into peppers, packing tight. Combine spaghetti sauce and water. Poor sauce over peppers in dish. Top with Parmesan cheese. Cook for 45-60 minutes uncovered. For a softer pepper cover with aluminum foil. Yields 12 servings.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Vegetarian-Stuffed-Peppers

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/11/turkey-stuffed-peppers-45-pts.html

October Goals

As a newly married woman I want to make a habit of accomplishing tasks that need to be completed. My current attitude involves procrastination. Then months go by and the task is still not even finished.  I recently read Proverbs 31:10-31, which talks about a good example of a mother and/or wife that fears the Lord. Verse 27 states, "She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." When I was living alone, as in unmarried, being lazy was fine; I only harmed myself in the end. Now the home that Tim and I are creating will be greatly affected by my idleness. So, in order to avoid idleness I made six new goals for the month of October (I know I am posting a little late). My hope and prayer for these goals is that as I accomplish them I will be helping to build-up our home in "strength and dignity".

1) Host our first dinner party.
 However big or small (probably small because we only have four chairs) its time to invite people into our home. This could be really fun and very stressful for me since I am a new cook but I am excited for Tim and I to open our home.

2) Finish When Sinners say I do by Dave Harvey
I started this book while we were engaged and I still have not finished it. So far it has been a great book with some great theological insight on marriage. As the title states, it gives me a good reminder that even though we are married, we are not all of a sudden perfect creatures. We are still sinners in desperate need of God's grace and mercy.

3) Figure out the first holiday plans
The biggest part about this task is actually doing it. It is so easy to put off holiday plans until the week before but that would not be fair for our families. So we are going to figure it out!

4) Redo my desk/vanity
I recently obtained an old piece of furniture from my parents that was in my room when I was growing up. The desk/vanity (I am saying both desk and vanity because I will be using the piece for both things) was actually my grandmothers and my Dad grew up with it. I love it! Plus, it will really help out our bathroom situation. We only have one sink in our bathroom and being able to leave to go to do my hair and make up in another room will be very helpful when we need to get ready at the same time! It will allow for a more functional home.

5) Update my LinkedIn account
On a whim I put in my e-mail address one day and had a LinkedIn account. I am constantly getting e-mails of people asking to "connect" me. I recently just went on one day and realized there were some people that I did not know connecting me. I decided that it would be professional to at least put my picture up!

6) Finish our Wedding Thank You Notes
Someone told me that you had one year to write your thank you notes but frankly I think that is rude. For the main reason a lot of our guests mailed their gifts to us and until we send them a thank you note they don't know if we recieved it or if it got lost in the mail. I should have been more intentionally about writing these but the first month we were married we found other things to do to occupy our free time. Now I am going to crack down! They are going to be sent!

Understanding Marriage

"Marriage is not mainly about prospering economically. It is mainly about displaying the covenant keeping love between Christ and His church. Knowing Christ is more important than making a living. Treasuring Christ is more important than bearing children. Either way, it is short. It may have many bright days or may be covered with clouds but if we set our face to make of marriage mainly what God designed it to be no sorrows and no calamities can stand in our way. Everyone of them will be not an obstacle to success but a way to succeed." -John Piper Momentary Marriage

It is hard for me to believe that almost two months ago I was planning a wedding. Every detail got extreme thought and consideration while the actual thought of marriage did not get the same rumination. While at the time I would have said that marriage was my ultimate focus, after watching this video I know that it surely was not. Tim and I read marriage books and went through in-depth counseling but nothing can compare to truly understanding the covenant of marriage like this couple has. Marriage is not about sex, romance, or even love between two people. Marriage is the reflection of the "covenant keeping love between Christ and His church." God created marriage to reflect the true marriage that is between us and Him. Marriage on earth is momentary, but the marriage between us and God is for eternity.

I am excited to continue on in marriage with Tim but I am more excited to learn about marriage and grow more in Christ alongside Tim. I have decided to continue on in this blog to share the discoveries that I encounter through marriage; whether it be through truth or something as small as learning how to cook. Only being a two months into it, I know that I have a lot to learn about this continual journey to say "I do" and I am excited about every moment.