cajun chicken pasta.

tim gave me my first under-4 rating (out of 5 stars)! i whipped this together using a recipe on a blog i follow. yummmMmm. it looked delicioso on the original post. but my cajun chicken pasta looked NOTHING like it was supposed to. i don't think it was supposed to be as saucy as it turned out to be, and the colors were supposed to be much more vibrant. also, if computers had taste-o-vision, i'm sure it didn't taste anything like it was supposed to either.

but no worries! i liked it because of the kick from the cajun & cayenne spices. however, as mentioned in a previous post, the hubs bubs has very different taste buds from mine, sSooooOo tim gave it a 3.5.

whoa!!! i think the only reason he rated it so high was because the parmesan garlic bread was the bomb diggity - i'll definitely be making that again.

cajun chicken pasta (cajun spice, cayenne pepper, heavy whipping cream, linguini pasta, onions, bell peppers, veg oil, butter, garlic): al dente pasta - nom nom nom, spicy cajun chicken sauce - up for debate. it was too spicy for tim, perfecto for me.

parmesan garlic bread (parmesan flakes, garlic, butter): delishiouzz!! crunchy crust, chewy bread, savory - did i mention bread is THE ultimate? i can eat an entire baguette in one sitting. so good - especially the costco la brea bakery breads when they've JUST been baked.

oven-roasted broccoli (broccoli, salt, pepper, garlic): soft & chewy, mild. this was the healthy portion of the meal.

=) i haven't been posting up too many of our cooking adventures lately because we've been going on mini-vacays & attending weddings. photos from those will probably go into one massive post. also, we've been getting busier & busier lately. our meal planning, scheduling, & budgeting is getting more organized out of sheer necessity - there are some nights both of us have stuff to do & can't eat dinner at home.

strangely enough, it's during this busy time that God is quieting my heart & reminding me of the need to meditate on His truths to take me through the day to day in a way that is pleasing to Him and a blessing to my husband. it's by His superabundant grace that the meditations of my heart and the words of my mouth don't act as poison, but a healing balm.

it's a little known fact, but we trekked through the valleys very early on in our marriage. for a while, the shadow of my sins & struggles suffocated & paralyzed me. it's true that we had our honeymoon phase in exploring places & hobbies together & being excited about the novelties, but in our young marriage, God has already begun to form conviction in our hearts regarding love, church, children, finances. i openly admit that i am not a great wife - our house is always in slight disarray, i'm forgetful, i constantly prioritize work over the things that i need to do at home, i'm a spitfire & argumentative (though i know i seem lighthearted & calm to most).

but it's amazing how the Lord works all for good - we're hugely imperfect, but most certainly, there have been signs of growth and a deeper appreciation for how the gospel of Christ is one of mercy & not merit. we're resolved not to pursue just happiness in our marriage. we're being taught to strive to see the overwhelming greater-ness and faithfulness of God in all of life's joys & hardships. may we always become lesser and Him greater - this is the growing desire of the Yu's!

"real gold fears no fire..." - safely home by randy alcorn.