the honorary swedish citizen: Archive

Dec 14th

Breakfast this morning....

Pumpkin Surprise Muffins Makes 1 dozen 1 beaten egg 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (Don’t throw the rest away, freeze the extra for later!!) 1/2 cup milk 1/3 cup canola oil 1 3/4 cup flour 1/2 cup sugar 1 tbsp baking powder 1/2 salt 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg 3 oz cream cheese Struesel topping: 1/4 cup sugar 1 1/2 tbsp flour 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1 tbsp...

Dec 8th

Where's The Beef? Not here, apparently. →

Nov 16th

“I was on acid and I looked at the trees and I realized that they all came to...”

– Harry Nilsson, on how he came up with the idea for his fable/album The Point! which came out in 1971. No wonder why it always sort of creeped me out a little.

Nov 11th

I feel like these should just be a given.... →

So I read this a while ago, and it just sort of made me laugh. I don’t really think it needs an explanation, but don’t you think this stuff is just sort of, oh, I don’t know, common sense?

Oct 28th

Buffalo Chicken Soup (This one's for you, Heather...

I posted this favorite recipe a while back, but received much flak from someone (HEATHERBRADBERG) about its use of Velveeta. I like me some Velveeta occasionally, but she was right, there was a MUCH better way to make this soup. Here goes. Jenah’s Buffalo Chicken Soup 2 uncooked, totally frozen chicken breasts 1/2 a red onion, chopped really small so Malin doesn’t find the bits...

Oct 19th

Malin's Double Chocolate Dream Cookies

Malin was a little bored today and she decided that she’d like to make cookies. By herself. She picked out the recipe all by herself. I don’t remember ever making these cookies- ever. But I figured, if she was going to make them, she needed to have ownership of them and I wouldn’t interfere with her choice. I was going to help her, and I did, a little, but Vienne had a...

Sep 24th

3 tags

Crêpes and Taco Soup- But Not at the Same Time

This morning I made crêpes for the first time ever, and I was nervous about it. Everyone always talks about how it is really “hard” and there’s a “learning curve” but that only lasted for about 2 crêpes (which, by the way, were completely edible) and then they we’re consistently awesome. I will post the recipe I used another time. But on to the second awesome...

Sep 18th

Two of my favorite things... →

Parenthood and interior design!

Sep 15th

4 tags

Fajita Seasoning Mix

The other day, I was looking for Fajita Seasoning at Aldi, but they only had Taco Seasoning. When I got home, I realized I had to think quick- and make my own. This recipe is SOOO GOOOOD. Really, its awesome. I used it for Chicken Fajita Melts to season the meat and also to cook the peppers and onions in. I know people say that you should make your own seasoning to save money, or whatever,...

Sep 14th

1 note

5 tags

Vanilla Rich Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made these today, for something different. I have never made them before, and I would again! They were not too vanilla-y, but more than regular old cookies. 1 1/3 cups softened butter 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar 2 eggs 4 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 1/4 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 12 ounces chocolate...

Sep 12th

4 tags

Sommar's Peanut Sauce

I just got a request for this recipe, and its just so good, I thought I would post it here, too. Its simple, inexpensive, and really glams up something boring. Sommar’s Peanut Sauce 1/3 cup natural peanut butter (the regular kind works just fine, just staying true to the recipe) 2 cloves of garlic, chopped 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon sugar 1/3 cup...

Sep 10th

2 notes

3 tags

Menu Planning

Over the last couple days, my Facebook status updates have been me either whining because I just couldn’t get my menu for the next two weeks done (to be fair, I messed up my back and just couldn’t concentrate) or whining because our bed we ordered in June is STILL NOT HERE. Its September now. I called several days in a row and then freaked myself out a little that they had a note...

Sep 2nd

10 notes

2 tags

David and Priscilla

Dear David and Priscilla, Of all the people who I have had the chance to meet in Winona, meeting you two was by far the most chancy-est. Let me explain. David and Priscilla don’t even live in Winona, they live in the Twin Cities. They grew up in Winona, but I’ll get to that in a minute. David and Priscilla might seem super rock-tacular to the untrained eye. And they are…...

Aug 16th

2 tags

Trish Johnson

I know it seems ridiculous that I have the time to blog in the midst of insanity. (Or Banana Land, as I like to call it.) I vacillate between feeling like I’ve got this and complete panic attacks at 1am. But for the most part, I’ve got this. I am the type of person that doesn’t feel like I am making any progress until I have something...

Jun 24th

1 tag

one of those "92 things about you" things

NAME: Jenah Marie Hensel AGE: 32 BIRTHDATE: 25 February 1979 PRESENT ADDRESS: SE MN (Soon to be Lansing, MI- yeah!) WHAT WAS YOUR: 1. Last beverage: Water 2. Last phone call: I don’t know, but I called my dad for Father’s Day yesterday and that was fun. Before that, I called my sis for her birthday. 3. Last text message: Jen Boucek 4. Last song you listened to: Umm, I...

Jun 21st

3 tags

An Update

And a sigh of relief. What a crazy few weeks its been. I am overjoyed to announce that Craig has landed a really great job at The Riv in Holt, MI. (http://rivchurch.com/) It may seem that I am excited about this because Craig finally has a job for real, but I am also super excited because Craig is going to really, really love his new job. We had a super fun opportunity to be with the staff...

Jun 4th

2 tags

Oh, the interesting stuff you find when you're not... →

May 21st

4 tags

buffalo chicken soup (last night's dinner) →

At the end, the soup seemed VERY thick so I added a lot more milk (probably about 1 1/2 cups.) Also, to feed my bleu cheese addiction, I put a dish of crumbled Gorgonzola on the table. I also had celery and cucumbers for a cool garnish. The kids loved it and Craig ate FOUR bowls.

May 19th

2 tags

More "Avoidance of Packing" schemes

Today I am packing the office, or shall I say, not packing my office, or maybe its more like avoiding packing my office. Packing offices blows. I have so many amazing friends around town. You want to know why? They have given me boxes. Tons and tons of boxes. A special thanks to Heather, Tove, LeAnn, and John. Keep ‘em coming, homies. Did I just say “homies?” Ugh. ...

May 17th

2 tags

what school lunches look like around the world →

May 16th

3 tags

garment house →

This is my sister Elly’s blog. Its really cool, and you should check it out. I know that when people link to her blog, she usually gets a lot more traffic, sorry, Elly, that won’t happen with me linking to your blog. This dress is from her clothing collection. To be honest, I haven’t worn it in quite a while, mostly because I couldn’t make it mine. However, I think I...

May 15th

1 tag

its friday!

May 13th

checking in, or, i am trying to put together a...

Today is Friday and I am completely spent after my let’s-pack-six-days-of-cleaning-into-four-hours-to-get-ready-for-a-surprise-showing day yesterday. I went to my Nia class (which is awesome, by the way) and that’s about the biggest thing I’ve done all day. We had the FIRST AND ONLY showing of the house last night and hopefully something positive will come of that. At the...

May 13th

just standing here

Trying to figure out what to do. It just feels like one of those mornings where you just stand around, looking at everything you have to do, and say to yourself, “huh.” And then you keep standing there. Today I feel like I am overwhelmed by the unknown. I told Craig last night that I feel like it should be a time for clarity, but things feel as uncertain as they have ever been. ...

May 5th

3 tags

chicken with mustard-tarragon sauce

serves 4 prep 15mins cook 20 mins 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon dijon mustard salt and pepper 1 orange, peel and pith discarded, cut into segments 1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast 1/3 cup heavy cream 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon 1 head red-leaf lettuce, torn 1. In a large bowl, whisk...

Apr 29th

pressure

I don’t typically write personal “bloggy” type things on my blog. Typically, its how-to type stuff or food. Some times the occasional anecdotal story. Yesterday, I was feeling so full of, yes, I’ll admit it, feelings. You see, we are in the midst of major life change. Because of certain circumstances, Craig resigned from his job about a month ago. In that time,...

Apr 28th

4 tags

family style rolled omelet with spinach and sharp...

olive oil, for pan 1 cup milk 1/3 cup flour 8 large eggs 1 tablespoon dijon mustard coarse salt and ground pepper 2 packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a 10-by-15-inch rimmed baking sheet or jelly-roll pan with oil. Line bottom of pan with parchment, leaving a 1-inch overhang on...

Apr 27th

4 tags

peperoncini beef sandwiches

i don’t post about food enough. and i love food. a lot. here’s the recipe for what was in my crock pot today. it sounds so weird, but it was good. soooo good. craig said this was “top 5.” he’s pretty easy going about food, but i don’t get that compliment too often. maybe like once a year. the funny thing is, this was like, no work whatsoever. ok here...

Mar 2nd

2 tags

Feb 15th

3 tags

daisy love →

I had a big old rambling blog post about boring crap 3/4 of the way done… Then I traipsed over to this blog. When my life gets really challenging, or I feel like there is nothing else that can go wrong, Christ brings to mind families like this one. I just felt like I needed to share a link to this blog instead, and if you think of it, spend a minute lifting sweet little Daisy Love up in...

Jan 18th

Watch

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone has had a great year… I have started to see Christmas cards roll in and I love the little “non fb” catch-ups on your lives. As far as our actual cards go, the number was getting so out of hand that I had to cut back significantly on the cards I send out. If you did not get one, don’t despair. It only means you are not a grandmother,...

Dec 16th

6 tags

The people want food

I just got back from my massive Twin Cities/Montana/Portland/Montana/Twin Cities trip. I high fived Craig and he took off this morning for Seattle. This was the first time he was not really excited to go, and I was not envious of the rainy/cold weather he is headed toward. I got to spend an amazing week with my sister and her family. I also had the privilege to accompany her to the Little...

Nov 11th

“You have been on a long, uphill journey, and your energy is almost spent. ...”

– October 9 entry in Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

Oct 14th

Sep 20th

squibnocket photograhpy →

Jul 11th

notes on a sunday morning

We’ve had a crazy couple weeks, well, to say that is a gross understatement. This weekend was jam-packed with meetings and outings and events. Vienne is protesting by taking the worlds soundest nap… Conveniently still sleeping at 10:52 on a Sunday morning. I just don’t have the heart to wake her. So I am tending to my sorry excuse for a blog. I’ve been blogging for...

May 24th

saturday shout out

I was supposed to head to the cities today because I needed to collect the kiddos after our long week apart. But, our super rad friends David and Priscilla agreed to bring them down for us. (They are coming for the Easter weekend.) It is making this Saturday, that was supposed to be harried and packed to the gills with running, very relaxed. I even made gluten-free chex mix and a gluten free...

Apr 3rd

wednesday update

Here was my list from Monday: -Roast 2 lbs of garlic -Turn 10 lbs of potatoes into Garlic Mashed Potatoes to freeze -Pull out some clothes for Vienne in the next size bracket (growing like a baby dandylion) -Finish my bio and first two blog entries for clutchtalk.blogspot.com, a blog for pastor’s wives. Whoo hoo! Does that make me an “offical” writer? -Finish editing photos for my...

Mar 31st

a week with no kids... well, 2/3 anyway...

Wow, I have been a really bad blogger. My goal during vacation was to blog once a day, which happened until Craig’s laptop was attacked by the baby monster otherwise known as Vienne. She yanked it to the ground, and just so you know, tile floors are not forgiving. Since I have come back, (Ok, it was almost two months ago… I am so embarrassed) my photos have become digitally...

Mar 29th

Mar 4th

A Story by Malin

Malin brought this home from school today and I thought it deserved to be preserved till the end of time. Enjoy. One day, a chinchilla came to my house. Her name was Snowflake. Snowflake was elected President. She ran around the White House. She was white. That’s why we called her Snowflake. I liked her. Snowflake liked me. She went to school with me. She sometimes was...

Mar 3rd

Feb 6th

Feb 5th

Feb 4th

Feb 2nd

One Week To Go... Pack those Suitcases!

I knew the countdown to our long anticipated vacation would go extremely fast after Christmas, but this has been really fast! Over the last three weeks, I have gotten done so many of the details of the packing, that I have not even had one anxiety dream about flying yet! In this last week before we leave, I am going to concentrate on packing our suitcases. This may prove to be a challenge as...

Jan 25th

Jan 22nd