Church and hospitality

We've been looking for a church for a while.
One to serve at, invite people to, put our tithe toward, be part of a homegroup and be discipled in.
We like try out a new church nearby every Sunday unless we're invited to a specific one by friends.

The biggest thing that stands out to me the most, and the most disappointing, with the churches we've been to is the lack of extended hospitality towards newcomers.

In a small church or a church with mostly regular attendees, it's quite obvious who the newcomers are.
But too often no one extends their hello to us until we are nearly leaving. People saying hi to their own friends or getting morning tea on their own; a little difficult for us to wedge ourselves in the conversation.

When you go to your church tomorrow, please notice the new faces.

If you're sitting too far away to shake their hand, give them a smile.
If you're sitting next to them, tell them your name. Ask for theirs.
You never know, they could be non-Christians visiting church for the first time. And you'd want to make them feel comfortable and welcomed right?

After the service, tell them where morning tea is served. There is something about food that breaks down social barriers. (Trust me- I've served strangers food and we instantly became friends)
If you personally go with them and serve them coffee, it is guaranteed you have already made them feel welcomed!
Introduce them to one of your church friends if small talk on your own isn't your thing.
Is it so hard?

Say hello. Tell them your name and invite them for tea after the service.

A little bit about kale crisps!!!

I feel like America and the entire middle/ upper class First World women are best friends with kale.

I didn't know kale existed til this beauty/ lifestyle youtuber made a kale smoothie in her vlog. It looked pretty gross tbh like celery juice.

BUT THEN
I went to Street Eats a couple weeks ago (it was crazy. Auckland, we need more of these events) and I had one of Mexico's beef tacos and there was this curly crispy green thing on top. I didn't know what it was but it tasted so good! Turns out it was KALE... Also I think kale is a nice name for a boy.

So I went on youtube, searched kale crisps and made some of my own!
It was so simple and so yummy.
15 minutes in the oven and you're happy.

Kale is a healthy superfood full of pretty much every vitamin in the alphabet. It also apparently contains more iron than beef, so if you're anaemic, this is it!
You can make salads, put it on pizza, juice it, or turn it into crisps.

I bought a bag for $3.99 from Countdown. There were also red kale and tuscan kale but I wasn't sure of the differences, so I just got curly green ones.

 This is all you need! Kale, olive oil and salt.

First, you're going to want to take off the stalks. They are too tough to eat.
So with one hand hold the stalk firmly, with the other, grab the leafy greens and pull apart.

Next, wash them. I found a tiny slug in my bag, so that was a good call to wash them.
Then dry them thoroughly. This is important! You do not want water because it will end up steaming rather than drying and crisping up. I put them on a tea towel to dab them dry

Tear them into small pieces, be mindful that they shrink a lot, and put them in a single layer. You might need 2 oven trays. Rub olive oil and salt through them

15 minutes in the oven and done! Look how much they shrunk! I think I needed just a few more minutes in the oven so the bigger pieces get crunchier.

Crispy, slightly salty, healthy kale crisps. Great replacement for potato chips.

Kale Crisps

A bag of kale

2 Tbsp olive oil

salt

1. Take the stems of the kale

2. Wash and dry kale thoroughly and shred into small-medium pieces

3. Sprinkle olive oil and salt, using your hands making sure each leaf is well coated

4. Spread on a single layer on an oven tray

5. Bake at 150 celcius for 15 minutes

And to conclude,


I have been really into makeup because of youtube. I love LOVE doing my makeup because I like the act of applying it (not necessarily how I look with it). I need some models to play with.


Signed,

Elisa

Breakfast in Town Basin

I lived in Whangarei, did you know that?
I moved to a boarding school in Auckland in year 10 and prior to that I lived in Whangarei...

We went to a cafe for breakfast in the iconic Town Basin- being tourists in our hometown.

There were vintage cars on display, cute.

We went to Riverside Cafe...

I got a key lime cake to takeaway for morning tea later that day. It was pretty average... Looked and sounded better than it tasted. The chai latte was great though.

But the bacon and egg croissant with relish was SO AMAZIIING!!
I skipped lunch because I was still full from this. It was perfectly toasted and delicious.

Papa had the french toast, and the bread was so good.

Mama had the pancake stack with bacon and fruits. It was alright, my croissant was definitely better.

This is the outdoor seating. The checkerboard used to have chess pieces on it, so you could play lifesized chess.

Sailboats...



And to conclude,

I am going to start ballet again!

I did it last year (or maybe even the year before) with MEBA, but with my class at 10am on tuesday, I am going to do a lunchtime one with City Dance!

Join me?
http://www.citydance.co.nz/timetable2.htm

Monday 12.30pm

Signed,
Elisa

A little bit about nacho crumbed chicken

I got given a huge bag of corn chips- like a school camp sized one.

After snacking on them at uni and eating 4 meals of nachos, there was still a third of the bag left!!

So I googled 'meals with corn chips' and it came up with a recipe that uses corn chips as a crumb coating for chicken!

I made it for dinner tonight and it was actually DELICIOUS!

I like the crunchy texture, the cheese sprinkled on top and the mayo sauce that keeps the chicken tasty and not dry.

Corn chips make great crumb coating.

Nacho crumbed chicken

some corn chips (maybe half a bag)

1 cup grated cheese

1 cup mayonaisse

1 tsp onion salt (or garlic salt/ chicken salt, anything that will give it a salty flavor)

1 tsp paprika powder (or peri peri, anything that will give it a nice zing)

2 tsp lime juice

500 gr skinless boneless chicken breast

1. Crush the corn chips. You can do this by putting it in the food processor for fine crumbs, but I just bashed it with a rolling pin.
2. Combine in a bowl with the grated cheese.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together mayo, onion salt, paprika and lime juice.
4. Slice chicken breast pieces to portion sizes.
5. Dunk chicken piece in mayo bowl and coat thoroughly with chips. The easiest way to do this is using tongs.
6. Place on a lined tray and bake at 180C for 25 mins, or until the chicken is cooked and not pink.

Serve immediately with salad and potatoes.

I also had garlic bread with this, it was still in the oven when I took the photo.
Oh and I had another piece of chicken beacuse it was just SO GOOD!!!


And to conclude,

I'm contemplating subscribing to GoodieBox! Not only do I enjoy baking, I also love doing makeup as a way to be creative and work with colors.
GoodieBox is a monthly box you receive with 5 'deluxe sized' beauty samples in it- it could be cosmetics, hair care, food- for $25 a month plus $5 shipping.

Do you think it's worth it? Is anyone a subscriber? Let me know!! I'm planning on subscribing next month after I move in to my new house.

Signed,
Elisa