Vicki Stewart

You know the expression, ‘You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family’? Some of my closest female friends are like sisters to me. We encourage one another; we tease one another when we do something stupid (which we often do), and we cry with one another when one of us goes through a difficult time.

Life can be whatever you make of it, and it’s much more enjoyable when you surround yourself with people who you care about and who care about you. Tori, Ben, Piper and Logan have been together since their days at the FBI academy and have formed such a deep bond; they would willingly give up their own lives to protect each other. And as most close friends do, they also tease each other like siblings.

Children from the Light, Chapter 16 “…Giving Tori a raised eyebrow grin, Ben asked, “And how is that a healthy breakfast option for you and the twins?”

“They have zucchini in them! That’s healthy!” Tori argued, trying not to laugh.

“Zucchini in a cupcake, that’s chick food,” Logan snorted, derisively.

“Don’t worry, buddy, I’ve got you covered,” Ben advised. “We also have scrambled eggs, bacon and hash browns.”

Logan nodded in approval and said, “Awesome. Now that’s man food!”

“Man food? Since when did eggs, bacon, and hash browns become man food? Women eat bacon too, you know. You’re both such dorks,” Piper sighed, rolling her eyes.

“Remember who drove here today, Pip,” Logan teased.

“Don’t worry; I would drive you home if he bailed on you,” Tori promised.

“Thanks, Tori! See? That’s how you treat a friend, Logan. You should take notes,” Piper joked…”

Sweet Zucchini Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 zucchini, grated
1/3 cup olive oil
2 eggs

For the Frosting:
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin pan with paper or foil cupcake liners.

2) In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

3) In a smaller mixing bowl, combine the grated zucchini, oil, eggs, vanilla and lemon zest and then add the mixture to the larger mixing bowl. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined.

4) Divide batter evenly into the muffin pan, filling each liner 2/3 full.

5) Bake the cupcakes 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

6) Remove the cupcakes from the oven and cool the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then remove the cupcakes from the pan and allow them to cool completely.

7) To make the frosting, blend the cream cheese and butter together in a mixing bowl until creamy.

8) Mix in the vanilla and gradually stir in the confectioners’ sugar.

9) Pipe a generous swirl of the frosting on top of each cupcake and serve.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. ~Joshua 1:9

Those are pretty powerful words, wouldn’t you agree? How successful are you at following them? Yeah, me either.

I can usually handle the little things pretty well, like being late for an appointment or finding out there’s a new process at work that’s completely opposite to what I’m used to. It’s other times I need to remember not to worry and to ask God for a little help. For example, when your spouse loses their job and you go into instant panic mode. Or when a loved one gets injured, and you wait for what seems like forever for the doctor to tell you how serious things are.

Either way, it all boils down to one thing, the agonizing feeling of not being in control. Unfortunately, my life is all about control, so I really struggle with offloading my worry to God. Sometimes I think, “He’s too busy for my little problem. I don’t want to bother God with this.” The irony of course being He’s already well aware of my ‘little problem’ long before I am.

What about when someone asks you what’s wrong? Is your first response like mine because you don’t want to sound like a Debbie downer, “Everything’s fine!” (Even though the little voice inside your head is screaming, “No she’s not, look closer, she’s a complete mess!)

We’re all guilty of it, even Tori. Her faith is very strong, but there are days she forgets too. Today she realized there are times even cooking therapy doesn’t help, not even when making one of her favorite soups.

Children from the Light, Chapter 14 “…“The baby’s heart rate is dropping, doctor.”

“We’re going to lose them both!”

“Somebody do something!”

Tori shuddered as she replayed the end of her dream again in her head. Blinking back the tears clouding her vision, she felt a small twinge in her back that lately was a sign that she’d been on her feet too long. A quick glance at the clock revealed she had just lost fifteen minutes standing in front of the kitchen counter, lost in her thoughts.

“Okay, enough of that!” she exclaimed, frustrated at how easily she was being distracted today. She stared down at the ground pork resting on the bottom of the mixing bowl in front of her and sighed.

“Is Tori okay?” she heard Goliath ask, who as usual, was holding a vigil on the floor by her feet, hoping for something edible to fall off the counter.

She gave him a small smile and quietly replied, “Everything is fine, Goliath…”

Pork Meatballs in Parmesan Broth

Ingredients:
1 pound ground pork
8 ounces of low-fat ricotta cheese
½ cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
1 egg
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 generous pinch each of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1 cup shredded aged Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons of grape seed oil
32 ounces low-sodium, natural chicken broth
1 cup chopped, canned artichoke hearts
2 cups fresh baby spinach
16 ounces old-fashioned egg noodles

Directions:
1) Combine the first six ingredients in a large bowl, including ½ cup of the shredded Parmesan. Form the mixture into 2 inch round meatballs and stage them on a plate.

2) Working in batches, heat 2 tbsp. of the grape seed oil in a deep pan and sear the meatballs over moderate heat, turning every 2-3 minutes until they are browned on all sides. This step is important as the meatballs need to be browned and firm enough to hold their shape without falling apart in the broth. They will cook all the way through in the next step.

3) Return all of the meatballs to the pan and add the broth and the remaining ½ cup of shredded Parmesan. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, to cook the meatballs through.

4) Meanwhile, cook the egg noodles according to package directions, drain and stage them nearby.

5) Add the artichoke hearts and spinach to the soup and cook a few minutes longer until the spinach has wilted. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.

6) Spoon a generous helping of the egg noodles into bowls and gently ladle 3-4 meatballs into each bowl along with enough broth to cover the noodles. Sprinkle the soup with additional shredded Parmesan and serve.