the sosebee's

A few weeks ago a letter came in the mail that I couldn’t stop Kristen from seeing. It was our confirmation letter to Sourwood Inn… the big surprise I had for her birthday.

As Asheville has become one of our favorite cities, I found a little bed & breakfast tucked in the mountains that would be the perfect place to stay for her birthday. It came complete with a wood burning fireplace in every room and a huge waterfall bathtub overlooking the (still) snow-covered mountains. It was beautiful.

Check out the photoset here: Sourwood Inn

And since we were going to be in Asheville, we decided to hang out in the city some. This took us to the boyhood home of Thomas Wolfe. The famous local author of Look Homeward Angel, which Kristen is currently reading. We paid the hefty admission price of $1 to get the full 45 minute tour of the house and the history of the Wolfe family. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Here are a few images from the tour:

Thomas Wolfe House

We had a wonderful trip and I’m wishing I’d made our reservations for one more night! Here are a few more pictures of Kristen and her cake before we headed out of town.

Kristen’s Birthday

Counterfeit Gods is the title of the book I just recently finished by Timothy Keller. As you can see, if you click the “Books” category to the right, we haven’t really written too much about what we’ve been reading lately. This isn’t for lack of reading that’s for sure. In fact, I meant to post something about the previous book I read too (Hudson Taylor & Maria by John Pollock) It too was a great read.

Timothy Keller’s book was eye-opening. I highly recommend you pick up a copy that you may have revealed to you the truths that this book proclaims. The title is appropriate because what the book really deals with is idols. But as he mentions in the opening, the word idol brings a lot of imagery along with it. It can easily be passed over, cast off to the side. “This book isn’t for me.” he could hear one saying.

But that’s just it. That’s exactly what this book reveals.

We ALL have idols. We have all set up things in our lives that have become counterfeit gods. Things that we look to that we want find satisfaction in, things other than God.

This is a very convicting book. If you want to be challenged, then you should read this book. If you want to grow in your affections for Christ throughout every area of your life, then you should read this book.

But especially…. especially if you just said to yourself… “I don’t have idols or counterfeit gods in my life.” then you should read this book.

it began around 4 and is still going strong. here’s a little look outside our window at the winter wonderland. it’s definitely hanging around this year. loving it! there’s just nothing like a fresh blanket of white on the ground.

the ingredients and the process for making this dessert was about as long as the name of it. it was a tedious recipe, much more than i had anticipated. and i’m sure it would’ve tasted as good as it looks too. note: all purpose flour is not the same thing as all purpose baking mix. this seems obvious. well, i missed it. i didn’t have my proof-reader working with me. another note: read the whole recipe before you start for any helpful tidbits (i.e. “we used bisquick all purpose baking mix for our recipe”).

it really didn’t turn out all that bad. you could definitely tell there was something missing in the cake part, though. and as good as it was this way, i can’t imagine how good it is if you make it right. try it out:

Upside-Down Caramelized Apple Cake

Hands-on Time: 38 min.; Total Time: 1 hr., 38 min. To get a true reading of doneness, insert the wooden pick only halfway through the cake when testing.

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients

* 1/2 cup chopped pecans
* 2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
* 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
* 1/2 cup butter, softened and divided
* 2 teaspoons brandy
* 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
* 2 large eggs, separated
* 3/4 cup milk
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 2 cups all-purpose baking mix
* 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring after 5 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 375°.

2. Toss apple slices with lemon juice, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.

3. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over low heat. Remove from heat; stir in brandy. Sprinkle with brown sugar.

4. Sprinkle pecans over brown sugar mixture. Arrange apples in 2 concentric circles over pecans.

5. Beat 1/2 cup granulated sugar and remaining 1/4 cup butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add milk, sour cream, and remaining 1 tsp. vanilla, beating just until blended.

6. Whisk together baking mix, nutmeg, and remaining 1/4 tsp. cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add nutmeg mixture to butter mixture, beating just until blended.

7. Beat egg whites in a large bowl at high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter. Spread batter over apples in skillet.

8. Bake at 375° for 50 to 54 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted halfway into center of cake comes out clean. Cool in skillet on a wire rack 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of cake to loosen. Invert cake onto a serving plate, replacing any topping that sticks to skillet on cake.

Note: We tested with Bisquick Original All-Purpose Baking Mix.