Food Is Love!

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day! A day for romance, a day for love, a day to celebrate. While preparing some divine chocolate raspberry creme brulee today, I was thinking about food and it's relationship to love. To me they are inseparable. 
Food is frequently associated with love. Chocolate is given on Valentine's Day to show your love. Aphrodisiacs are foods that are eaten to increase your libido and get you in the mood for love. On special days, we slave away in the kitchen to prepare food for those that we love. How many of you have made that special birthday meal or a favorite dessert just to say "I love you."?
For me, food is the epitome of love. Love soothes and comforts. So can food. I unabashedly love food. The flavors, the textures. Every birthday and Mother's day, my husband (who is NOT a cook) pulls out the flour, butter, and cream to make my favorite breakfast treat, Lemon Blueberry Scones. Over several years, he has learned to make an awesome scone, light, fluffy, and flavorful. This treat shows me how very much he loves me because he steps out of comfort zone, takes over my kitchen, and slaves away to produce something wonderful just for me. It says "I love you" in one wonderful pastry! For Reid and my boys' birthdays, I make their favorite meals and desserts just to say "you're special and loved."
So many of our special memories in life are associated with food, because it was an offering of love. I remember my grandmother dishing up another helping of chicken and dumplings for me because I loved them and that's how she showed me she loved me. She always made me my favorite cake for my birthday. My Grandpa would pick me up from school and have a Pepsi in the car waiting for me. Again a small way to say "I love you."

Tomorrow, we celebrate love. Show someone you care with a special treat, even if you don't make it yourself! Reid's getting chocolate raspberry creme brulee... :D

The Flu Epidemic of 2011

They were dropping like flies. Fever, chills, body aches, tummy aches, coughs, sore throats... No one was safe. Man, woman, child, teacher, student... were all the same. It took out a full 1/4 of the population. Cans of Lysol, Clorox wipes, hand sanitizer... nothing seemed to destroy this beast. It struck randomly and indiscriminately. This is the Flu Epidemic of 2011.
4 out of 5 in the Harmon house have been hit. Chase was first. Then me. Ian came down with it at school and I got the dreaded "your child is sick" phone call from the office. Matthew's temp went up an hour after coming home. Will Reid succumb to the virus? Only time will tell.
For now, the rest of us are pitifully wrapped in blankets and living from dose of Motrin to dose of Motrin. Chicken soup and o.j. are our friends. Rest and letting it run its course the only weapons... Will report from the trenches later... But for now, it's time for some Motrin and hot tea...

Girl Time!

I reside in the testosterone sea! My life is full of potty humor, burps, and belly laughs from all the men in my home at said things. We fight, we wrestle, we run wild. And I wouldn't trade my sweet boys for anything. They are the delight of my days, especially when one (usually my sweet Ian) takes time to stop running at 78 mph to kiss me and say "I love you, Mommy!"
However there are days when I simply must be with my girls. I need a respite from the enclosing maleness. Even the cat is male!! (Note: we do have a girl cat, but she stays outside) This past week I got to finally have some much needed girl time!!
Dinner with my big girls had been postponed and postponed, but we finally got to hit The Lazy Goat for some food, some wine, and some amazing fellowship with some of my dear sisters in Christ. These ladies are very dear to me. They make me laugh, they make me smile, but most of all they know me for me and have supported me through the deep valleys of my life. Love you, Annette, Lauren, Jenn, and Kathryn!!
Also this week I got to spend some time talking shop (cooking) with Jenn's sweet 12 year old, Rebekah! We had a great time talking about life, cats (my kitten has a crush on her), food, and books. It does my heart and soul good to have moments where I can mentor to a younger generation of girls. Rebekah always has a sweet smile and hug for me anytime she sees me. She's fun and intelligent and I will happily let my Chase marry her someday! :)

So my time on the estrogen islands is brief, but the return to the testosterone sea is even sweeter after some time with my girls. And we will visit those islands again, VERY SOON!!

And the Next Food Network Star is...

For many years, I've had a longing and a dream... to be in the spotlight. For years, my own self-esteem and self-confidence held me back. I was way to concerned about being the fat girl. I didn't want to draw attention to myself. Yet, I always loved performing. From the time I was really little, I wanted to be on stage. Acting, singing, performing. I loved sharing the gifts I had been given. That all came to a screeching halt when I was severely obese. I was terrified of being laughed at, ridiculed. Well, thanks to some surgical help (more on that later) and lots of hard work, the weight is gone and my self-confidence is at an all time high. Thank you to our Heavenly Father for that!!!
For 6 seasons, I have watched The Next Food Network Star on TV. I simply love that show. What's not to love about a show that gave the world Guy Fieri. He's so cute and so much fun. I've also thought many times about how I would love to go on TNFNS. But I've talked myself out of it every year. They must receive thousands of audition tapes. What chance would a little girl from Anderson, SC have to be chosen??
Well, friends, after some wise words from a good friend, I decided that I have absolutely nothing to lose and I could gain much. It's time to break out of my comfort zone! A cooking show would allow me to combine two of my passions: cooking and education. So I'm venturing forth!!! Starting some local classes that will allow me to share my passion for food with others as well as helping some friends build confidence in their own culinary skills and allow me to practice cooking and demonstrating to an audience. So what if I don't get chosen?? No big deal! Half the fun will be in preparing and submitting the audition tape. So until then, I'll continue to share my love for food with the people of Anderson. This summer, I'll have the chance to finally submit that tape and who knows next winter we may hear that the next Food Network Star is.... me!
Until then, I'll thank God for the talents he has given me and share those with the world in the hope that I can use them to glorify Him.
 So taste and see that the Lord is good... Psalm 34:8

As If I Have Time for This!

I am certifiably insane! My life is one hectic moment after another. I am a wife and domestic engineer (although goddess or diva are my preferred terms), the mom of 3 wild and crazy boys, a volunteer math tutor (what was I thinking!!), and the culinary inspiration (and owner) of my own catering company. Some days I barely have time to eat, let alone shower. And yet, here I am starting a blog.... Hmmm.... Where are the men with the strait jacket?
However, I am beginning a new journey in many aspects of my life this year. The past year had been full of ups and downs that caused me to re-evaluate my life. I want to share so much of my past and future with my boys and this seemed a logical way to start. I am so excited about what God has in store for the future. "I will bless you with a future filled with hope--a future of success, not of suffering, " states Jeremiah 29:11.
Food, my family and friends, and my God are my passions in life. By creating "Bites of Heaven," I hope to share with you some bites of heaven. They may come in the form of recipes and cooking experiences, the joy of family and friends, or my very amateur insights to God and the glimpses of heaven I see on earth.
My hope is that you simply enjoy this and that you may experience your own bites of heaven!

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Psalm 34:8