Religion vs Spirituality

Often people don't understand the difference between religion and spirituality; usually, they think they're the same. And that's fine, but I personally see them different. There can be connection, of course, but there is a difference. I consider myself more spiritual than religious, and I'll explain why.

I'm a Christian, born and raised, and I've chosen this faith even after maturing and realizing that it's my own individual freedom to choose what to believe in. I see fellow Christians, in churches especially, who blindly follow scriptures from the bible and will be 'good' because the words say to be good. I'm the kind of person who yes, reads scriptures, but often disagrees with some of them - and often more unable to fathom them. What I'm trying to express is that instead of wanting to be good, for the sake of being good, Christians will often choose to do good out of fear of going to Hell, or because the rules say they have to be good.

I stray from that notion because I don't 100% agree with what's written down; I question the words, mainly because they were written by man, and the Bible itself is a piece of literature like anything else, so its context must be taken into consideration. It's composed mostly of contradictions and figurative language; a lot of it is based on interpretation. Thus is why if a piece of literature says it's alright to stone, say, someone who has had sex with every guy in town, I will disagree because it's my personal freedom to do so. To me, spirituality is the notion of my relationship with the universe; the striving to do good because I want to do good, not because a book tells me to do so, or a priest. Spirituality is everything apart from religion; religion tells you what to do and what not to do, and spirituality is something embedded inside all of us from which carries out how we make choices and how we perceive things. Consequently, religion are the rules - spirituality is our individual tranquility.

Please don't confuse this with bashing Christianity, or religion in general, because it's not. Spirituality is with everything and everyone - Jewish, Islam, Christians, even atheists; it's our own moral standards, our own believes between what's right and what's wrong. Our convictions, to think for ourselves, to follow our own hearts. Everyone has that, some just choose to ignore it, or feed the darker side of us more than to hear it. And I'll leave you with this:

A Quote by Cherokee Indian

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between 2 "wolves" inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Bars

Source: http://www.recipegirl.com/2008/10/01/chocolate-chip-pumpkin-spice-bars/

I made this yummy treat yesterday - very easy recipe with delicious results! Excuse my poor food presentation, but here's how mine turned out (the chocolate chips on the frosting are all smashed but it still tastes orgasmic):

Here's a better picture, from the site.

INGREDIENTS:

BATTER:
1 3/4 cups unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup mini- chocolate chips

FROSTING:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 Tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar, measured then sifted
1/2 cup mini- chocolate chips (for topping)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare batter: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 10x15-inch baking pan with nonstick spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs and sugars until combined.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger and cloves. Toss in mini chocolate chips and stir to combine. Add dry ingredients to the wet and stir until moistened.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan coated with nonstick spray. Bake until the center springs back when lightly pressed in the center- about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove and place on wire rack to cool completely.

5. Prepare frosting: In a large mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, butter, milk and vanilla. Slowly add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, and mix until smooth. Frost bars and sprinkle with additional mini chocolate chips.

Strawberry Rolls with Vanilla Glaze

Source: http://bakerbynature.com/strawberry-rolls-with-vanilla-glaze/

So I made this delicious little treat last night. I've been on a low-carb diet for a couple weeks now, and doing good - no cheating or anything - but after taking a bite of this, I had to have a piece. The homemade dough makes such a difference; these are basically like cinnamon rolls, but with strawberry filling instead AND IT'S OH SO DELICIOUS. TRUST ME. Here's how you make 'em (and the pic below is the one I took):

Aaand here are the more professional pictures from the site:

Ingredients

• For the Strawberry Filling:
• 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped into tiny pieces
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• For the Dough:
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided, plus extra for dusting
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast (1 standard package)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup milk (I used almond milk here but any milk should work fine)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• For the Vanilla Glaze:
• 1 cup of confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons of milk OR heavy cream, more if needed to achieve desired consistency.

Instructions

1. To make the Strawberry Filling:
2. Place the chopped strawberries in a small saucepan over medium-heat. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring constantly, or until the strawberries are very soft and their juices have been released. Add in the sugar and cornstarch and continue to cook - and stir - for another 1-2 minutes. The mixture will thicken up dramatically during this time. Remove pan from heat and transfer the filling into a small bowl. Chill filling completely before use.
3. To make the Dough:
4. In a large bowl combine 2 1/4 cups of the flour, the granulated sugar, salt, and yeast; mix well to evenly combine. Set aside.
5. In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the water, milk, and butter until the butter is completely melted and the mixture is hot to the touch but not scalding (it should be between 110-115 degrees F). Stir the liquid mixture into the flour mixture. Add in the egg, then add in at least 1/3 of additional flour. You may need to add up to 1/2 cup of additional flour. Your dough is at the right consistency when it gently pulls away from the side of the bowl and is slightly elastic in consistency.
6. Scoop the dough out and transfer it to a lightly floured work surface; gently knead the dough by hand for 3 minutes. Lightly spray a clean bowl with non-stick spray, then set the ball of dough inside. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to rest for 20 minutes.
7. After the 20 minutes have passed, roll the dough out into a 14x8" rectangle. Spread the cooled strawberry filling on top, leaving a 1" boarder around the edges. Roll the dough up tightly along the edge (jellyroll/cigar style), letting it rest on the seem. Cut the roll into 10-11 pieces (I got exactly 11), then arrange them in a lightly greased 9" round or square baking dish. Loosely cover the rolls with plastic wrap and set them in a warm, draft-free place to rise for 1 1/2 hours.
8. Once the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375 degrees (F). When the oven comes to temperature, bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes, or until slightly browned. After 15 minutes, you'll want to rotate the pan in the oven and cover the rolls with aluminum foil, to avoid heavy browning.
9. To make the Vanilla Glaze:
10. In a small bowl combine the confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and cream; whisk until smooth, adding more cream as needed to reach desired consistency. Drizzle over the rolls right before serving.
11. Unglazed rolls can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Fall Weather

Here in South Texas, it's a resounding 82 degrees, and a cold front is supposedly coming in by late Sunday - Monday. I'm already so excited for Fall to come, one of my absolute favorite seasons!

True story - No Shame