Monday, February 23, 2009

Tribute

The other day my friend Amy blogged about me. Yep. Little ol' me. It was totally unexpected and very flattering. But the really cool thing about the post is that it got me thinking about our friendship and what an amazing influence Amy has been in my life. We met in 1989 when we were 12 and in 7th grade. I still lived in Shoreview but my mom was dating Keith and we would go to his church on Sunday nights, the same church Amy attended. My mom married Keith as I was entering 8th grade and we moved to his town. I started attending the same small private school that Amy went to. What's really funny is that we could get together for coffee, say, this weekend, and call it our 15 year high-school reunion since we were the only two in our class. Anyway, we soon moved to a new house and I was delighted to discover that it pretty much backed up to Amy's house. We spent a lot of time at each other's homes and she became a part of my family. One of my favorite memories ever is the tradition that after every school Christmas program we would go to her house and make gingerbread houses. Ask Amy about Todd Proctor in the window! Riot!
Amy and I would talk about school and church and youth group and boys but I was, admittedly, much more boy-crazy than she was. We also talked a lot about spiritual "stuff". I grew up in a household of believers in Christ and knew all about God. One day, though, as Amy and I were chatting in her room, I mentioned that I had never had that conversation with Jesus that I wanted to start a relationship with Him. Amy made it very clear that I can ask Jesus into my heart at anytime (even when you are 14 years old), so there, on her bed, I asked Jesus to live in me and through me. Amy bowed her head and prayed for me too.
Even though Amy has faced some really challenging trials from typical teenage angst to losing her mother, Amy has always had a heart for God and an amazing faith. Amy has always been a fabulous friend even when life has taken us on very different paths. Amy is a wonderful mother and delights in her children. I believe Amy enjoys scrapbooking. She is insanely creative. She's always had a knack for writing and making me laugh. I think she may possibly like trying new recipes too so I will post a really easy and kid-friendly recipe at the bottom, since she asked so nicely! One more thing about Amy: She has incredible blue eyes and really straight teeth. I've always envied those traits of hers.
Amy, I don't think that I have ever taken the time to look beyond myself to ever thank you for being such a great friend so this is my "Thank You" tribute. I'm sorry I don't have any traffic to send your way other than my husband. But if anyone is reading this, check Amy out. You won't be sorry.

Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken

2 tbls olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 c dry bread crumbs
2/3 c Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp pepper
6 chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease a 9x13 baking pan.
In a bowl, mix the olive oil and garlic.
In another bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil and pepper.
Dip each chicken breast in the oil mixture then the bread crumb mixture.
Arrange the coated chicken breasts in the prepared baking pan and top with any remaining bread crumb mixture.
Bake 30 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Roasted Potato Wedges

4 large potatoes
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 c water
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cover the bottom of a 9x13 baking sheet with parchment paper
Cut potatoes into wedges (each potato should make 8 wedges)
In a small bowl, mix garlic powder, paprika, dry mustard, salt, pepper, rosemary, and sugar with a whisk.
In a large bowl, place potato wedges and water.
Pour oil and seasoning mix over potato wedges and mix to coat.
Place potato wedges in a single layer onto baking sheet and pour any remaining mixture over them.
Bake potato wedges 35-40 minutes until tender and golden brown.
Serve immediately and enjoy!

1 comment:

Amy said...

Thanks, Liz! I can't wait to try out the recipe and your "thank you" was very sweet.