Eclectic Birthday

Amanda's mom usually provides an eclectic menagerie of gifts, little treasures that she finds on the beach or in storage or from friends or things she spots in a local store. The first couple of times receiving the cornucopia I thought it was a little strange. I still think it's strange but there's something about getting gifts that have a story and thought behind them!

The outside of the box stated that items inside were liquid, fragile and perishable causing the post office worker to wonder what was inside. He wanted us to open then and there to satisfy his curiosity, especially as he realized it was shipped from Alaska. Alas I didn't comply and took the box home.

This years assortment includes:

A video of Amanda when she was a kid (movie time anyone?)
2 Jars of figs - one in a sugary syrup and one not
1 Large jar of blackberry or raspberry jam (not sure yet and Amanda's mom didn't remember)
1 Small jar of blackberry or raspberry jam (see above)
1 container of homemade cookies with a few loose (not as part of the cookies) chocolate pieces thrown in
1 "The little book of reflexology"
1 ladies watch face (no bands included)
1 package of drTungs Snap-On Toothbrush Sanitizer
1 Fresh Peach soap from the San Francisco Soap company
1 Village Naturals "Therapy for the Bath Aches & Pains"
1 Village Naturals "English Lavender Foaming Bath Milk"
1 Chadwick Tea Bag Mug (Amanda remembers this mug from her childhood)
1 Pacifica "Mexican Cocoa" candle
3 single serve bags of celestial seasoning "sleepytime tea"
5 single serve bags of traditional medicinals "organic echinacea plus"
1 two-pack of celestial seasonings "perfectly pear white tea"
1 four-pack celestial seasonings "mandarin orchard green tea"
4 single serve bags of mystery tea (didn't come in a wrapper, just the tea bag itself!)
2 bottles of "miracle bubbles"
1 Alpenglow Skin Care "Forget-Me-Not Massage & Body Oil"
1 Alpenglow Skin Care "Alaska's Best Insect Repellent"

Smoked Salmon Chowder

Tonight's dinner was this delicious smoked salmon chowder. Although I did not add the tarragon (I didn't have any) and I forgot the garlic, it did turn out very tasty.

Thanks to our good friends Anthony and Christy in Fairbanks, we made this with some very nice smoked salmon that was caught and smoked by them this summer. Thanks guys!

For those of you in the lower 48 I would not use the salmon you find next to the tuna, but if the seafood dept of your local grocery store has some refrigerated smoked salmon, I suspect that would work fairly well.

Enjoy!


Smoked Salmon Chowder
(serves 6-8)

Ingredients
2 strips bacon, chopped
2 teaspoons tarragon
¼ cup parsley, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3 large celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1 10-ounce bag frozen corn, thawed
2 14-ounce cans chicken stock or broth
4 cups red potatoes, diced with skin on
3 cups half & half or whole milk
8 to 12 ounces smoked salmon, cut into bite-sized pieces with all the bone and skin removed
salt & pepper to taste


Directions:
Use a thick-bottomed stock pot over medium-low heat to sauté bacon until approximately half done. Add herbs and vegetables, except potatoes and continue to cook until vegetables are tender. Stir often. Do not brown.

Add chicken broth and potatoes. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until potatoes are tender. Reduce heat to medium. Add half & half and bring to a simmer while stirring. Add smoked salmon and continue to simmer for 5-minutes. Stir and season to taste.

source: www.seafoodsteward.com

Ian Thomas Revisited

Thank you all for your support. Amanda and I are grateful to have such a great community of friends! Each day is easier and we've come to grips with the situation, though I can't claim there won't be poignant times in the future. We know that God took baby Ian before he was born and we both are excited that he got there just in time to meet Grandpa. This doesn't mean we wouldn't have thoroughly enjoyed life down here on earth with him but this life is temporary anyways, we'll see him again.

The doctor's report is in and we're thankful that it seems to have been just a "random" happening. The baby was growing fine but there was some sort of infection in some connection between mom and baby. Since I don't know what the infection is or where it was I just call it the "cucamunga infection" (we can get the official report tomorrow with the "real" terms). The good news is that the doctors said it wasn't something genetic and it's not something that we need to worry about in the future. Of course the possibility is always there but we're not predisposed.

So, someday we'll extend our family, either by having "biological" children or by adopting from the Philippines. Ideally we'll have both!

Double Chocolate Layer Cake

Most who know me know I enjoy baking. And like most bakers I love trying new recipes. So, I thought I'd share some of my favorites with you. We'll start with chocolate cake. A lot of cake recipes aren't worth the effort, but trust me, this one is.


Double Chocolate Layer Cake
Gourmet | March 1999

Serves 12 to 14.

For cake layers
3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

For ganache frosting
1 pound fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

Special equipment
two 10- by 2-inch round cake pans


Make cake layers:
Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper.

Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well. Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

Make frosting:
Finely chop chocolate. In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth.

Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable (depending on chocolate used, it may be necessary to chill frosting to spreadable consistency).

Spread frosting between cake layers and over top and sides. Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Bring cake to room temperature before serving.

Source: Epicurious.com

Psalm 139: 13-16

Today's Scripture reading included Psalm 139: 13-16, which is interesting in light of the past week.

If you change "I"/"my" to "he"/"his" (representing Ian)

13: For you created his inmost being; you knit him together in his mother's womb.
14: He praises you because he is fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, he knows that full well.
15: His frame was not hidden from you when he was made in the secret place. When he was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16: your eyes saw his unformed body. All the days ordained for him were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Ian's days were numbered, it wasn't a surprise to God, just to us. God has Ian right where he planned.

One thing Amanda and I have realized as we go through this ordeal is how devastating this would be for those without faith. We can't imagine how they would get through each day.

Ian Thomas

This past weekend was heartbreaking for us. We've been praying and dreaming of starting a family for two years and God was graceful and gave us baby boy for 18 weeks, all in utero, but we were hoping to spend much much more time with him. We never got to see his smile or get to know his cries or teach him how to play basketball. Despite all of that we are comforted that God has a plan, his ways are not our ways. Our beautiful baby is already in the arms of God.

We gave him the name Ian Thomas Crandall.
Ian : Gift from God
Thomas : Divinely Preserved
(name definitions provided by The Name Book)

Ian is our gift from God that is divinely preserved in Heaven.

Ian, we will see you some day. We love you so much and can't wait to get to know you.

My great grandfather, Garland Edward Markham (aka Grandpa Markham) also passed away this weekend. We are overjoyed that they get to experience and learn heaven together (though we admittedly are a little jealous that Grandpa Markham gets to know Ian before we do).

On the way home from the hospital the first two songs on the radio were "Praise you in this Storm" by Casting Crowns which says:

I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

and "All my praise" by Selah which says:

I will follow You through green pastures
And sing hallelujah to Your Name
I will follow You through dark disaster
And sing hallelujah through the pain
And even in the shadow of death
I will praise You

The last song we heard right before arriving home was "Held" by Natalie grant which starts out:

Two months is too little
They let him go
They had no sudden healing
To think that providence
Would take a child from his mother
While she prays, is appalling
Who told us we’d be rescued
What has changed and
Why should we be saved from nightmares
Were asking why this happens to us
Who have died to live, it’s unfair
This is what it means to be held
How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was that when everything fell
We’d be held

These songs were so tough to hear and are tough to even type, we know that they're true but it's hard, we're holding on to each other and holding on to our God. We've also been blessed with a great support network of family, friends and even coworkers. Thank you all for your prayers and for providing us a forum to vent and cry.