Cilantro Chicken

I remember when I first moved here.  I ate a lot of chicken. 

At that time chicken was super cheap.

This has to be another favorite recipe of mine....

Cilantro Chicken.

It is supposed to be grilled but you can bake it in the oven on a wire rack. 

I don't remember how long I cooked it in the oven. 

Maybe 350 degrees for 40-45 mintutes?

Cilantro Chicken
2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless thighs or I do 5-6 small chicken breasts
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
swee chili sauce to baste at the end.

1.  Place chicken in a large zip baggie
2.  Place olive oil, garlic, cilantro in a blender or food prcessor.  Process until the mixture is combined and smooth.  Scoop the marinade into the bag with the chicken, press the air out of the bag and zip it closed.  Knead the marinade into the chicken until it is evenly distributed.  Marinate overnight or all day long.
3.  Cook the chicken until done.
4.  At the very end baste the chicken with the sweet chil sauce and cook a few minutes more. 

I do mine in the oven and turn it on low broil at the end to make the sauce cook a little on the chicken.  Yum!

Abstaining

I Peter 2:11

"Dearly beloved, I beseech [you] as strangers and pilgrims,

abstain from fleshly lusts,

which war against the soul;"

I read this verse tonight and it stuck out to me like a big sore thumb.  God beseeching me to do the right thing even though my attitude might stink a wee bit in certain departments.  Sometimes I feel like I am in a battle.  I know what I am supposed to do, but the voice in my head tells me not to.

This verse talks about warring against the soul.  A war tears apart people, it devastates, it kills, it mames and so much more.  A war has causualities. Period.  You can not go to war and not have losses.  Is that why God beseeches me, he calls me, he beckons me to his side, he admonishes me to abstain from things that will only hurt us in the long run?  So that it protects you and keeps you from being hurt or hurting someone else?

While I don't feel I have big things that I fall for, I battle myself from within.  One of my personal battles I would like to "abstain" from is to stop letting myself think I know what others are thinking, which can destroy relationships with those that you care for.  

I want to trust God to show me his plan during this time and let him take charge so that I don't ruin something that is He could be cultivating in me.  In the meantime, God can you give me a glimpse of what I am needing right now?  You know what it is. 

Saint Basils' Cathedral is more beautiful in person than anyone could ever describe. 

 Pictures will never fully display it's beauty.

You have to see it in person to know its worth.

How well manicured it is.

The brightness and depth of its color.

The history that gives it meaning.

The same goes for friendships,

you have to tend to it to let it grow. 

To know it's worth.

To manicure it.

A history that gives it meaning.

Letting your friendship grow.

Give a friend a hug today and see how she is doing.

It is woman's day. {laughing}

Let her know that you value your friendship

Give a friend a call.

Today is "Woman's Day".  I heard them talking about it over the radio and it jogged my memory that our interpreter Sasha brought me roses that day 6 years ago while we were waiting to bring a precious bundle of energy home.  It made me think about March 9th.  Our Family Day.  Hard to believe 6 years have gone by since we adopted Asher.

I have often thought about searching for his birth family.  Wondering if his mom or brothers would want to know him and look for him.  I wonder if his brothers are just like him.  I can't imagine several bundles of fast paced, knock-em-down, and I can't talk quiet enought boys in one room.  Oh what a picture!  If you know of Oksana Valevich's, post a comment.  I would love to see a photo of the woman who had a part in us having our son.

Maybe someday...

The picture above was at our stop on the way home to the States.  It was a exhausting day.  Little did I know that within a short time, I would be sick as a dog in our hotel room.  Sight seeing came abruptly to an end.  Sigh.  When I felt like eating I ordered off the kids menu and we found out kids eat free when ordering with an adult meal.  So we ate in.  A lot.  I guess Asher had a big appetite during that stay.

**Oh and one fun tid bit about Saint Basil's cathedral.  Or not.
It was rumored that Ivan the Terrible put the eyes out of the architect who built the onion domes so that he could not build another building to rival this one.