Sarah J. Hauser | writer + omnivore
  • home
  • Recipes
  • This + That
  • Subscribe
  • Let's Eat!
  • About
  • Contact
  • Search
Sarah J. Hauser | writer + omnivore
  • home/
  • Recipes/
  • This + That/
  • Subscribe/
  • Let's Eat!/
  • About/
  • Contact/
  • Search/
Sarah J. Hauser | writer + omnivore

Giveaway

Sarah J. Hauser | writer + omnivore
  • home/
  • Recipes/
  • This + That/
  • Subscribe/
  • Let's Eat!/
  • About/
  • Contact/
  • Search/
  • home/
  • Recipes/
  • This + That/
  • Subscribe/
  • Let's Eat!/
  • About/
  • Contact/
  • Search/

Sarah J. Hauser | writer + omnivore

Hi! I’m Sarah.

SarahHauser-62.jpg

I'm a wife, mama, writer, and omnivore living in the Chicago suburbs. I eat too much guac and never follow a recipe exactly. I’m learning to taste that God is good, and I write words and create recipes to help others do the same.

Sign up for my monthly newsletter that includes blog updates, recommendations, and other goodies!

We respect your privacy.

Thank you!

| instagram |

I feel like I’ve been ping-ponging back-and-forth between about hundred different tasks today. I’ve made a millimeter of progress in a thousand directions.⠀ ⠀ Ever feel like that some days?⠀ ⠀ Time to regroup and refocus. The way the day started doesn’t have to be the way it finishes. ⠀ ⠀ Happy Monday, Friends. ❤️
Sunday night snack dinner is all about simplicity—grab what you have from the pantry and fridge, put it on a plate or tray, and voila...dinner. . Tonight, I just happened to have a bunch of homemade Roasted Red Pepper Hummus leftover from earlier in the week that I’d made for #summercookbookclub. . I’m not sad about that. 🙌 . [Not pictured: The Jalapeno Margaritas that’ll also be happening later tonight. ☺️ Hummus and margarita recipes are from @inagarten’s cookbook, Make It Ahead!]
This munchkin turns two today. It’s been a heck of a two years. Most chill and easy going baby ever. But toddlerhood? Well, let’s just say he’s kept us on our toes. 😂
My husband and I have been studying the Psalms of Ascent lately (Psalm 120-134). ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ I've been camping out in 120 for a while (at the rate I'm going it'll probably take me years to finish this study!). ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ In the very first verse, the psalmist cries out to God. He says God answered. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ So what was the answer? It’d be nice to have a bow to tie on the end of this poem. Many psalms, even those starting with lament, end with a joyful verse of praise. This one does not. It ends with the pilgrim still in a foreign land, still feeling far from God, still weeping over the realities around him. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ We don’t always have a clear answer. We don’t always know what God is doing or how he’s working. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ But here’s what we do know. God invites our crying out. He invites our mourning and wrestling. He invites us to call to him, and he will answer. He will make all things new and restore what’s been broken. And these seeds of tears we sow now? We’ll someday reap shouts of joy (Psalm 126:5). ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ This is not the end of the story.
This month, #summercookbookclub has definitely challenged me to get out of my cooking rut. ⠀ ⠀ Tonight, I don’t feel like cooking dinner. But I had all the ingredients to make this Quinoa Tabbouleh with Feta from @inagarten. It’s about the last day of possible freshness for the cucumbers and tomatoes, and I absolutely hate wasting food, so I threw the dish together.⠀ ⠀ Gosh, I’m glad I did. ⠀ ⠀ I still don’t really feel like cooking the rest of dinner. But now I’ve got this—delicious, feel-good, fresh, summery grownup food that my kids probably won’t touch. I’m kind of okay with that. ⠀ ⠀ Also, I’ll likely make hot dogs for the rest of dinner. Probably not what Ina had in mind. 🙈⠀ ⠀ P.S. This recipe lends itself well to afternoon interruptions. Cook the quinoa, then help the preschoolers share their toys. Chop the herbs, then go change a diaper. Dice the veggies, then turn off the hose the toddler keeps turning on outside. Assemble. Eat with a serving spoon while standing over the counter. Then refrigerate while you get the hot dogs started. ⠀ ⠀ [The recipe is from @inagarten’s cookbook, Make It Ahead.]
Just giving ya’ a little sneak peek of these Chicken + Peach Skewers with Lemon-Basil Dressing. 🍋⠀ ⠀ They’ll be on @coffeeandcrumbs later this month! ⠀ ⠀ What’s on your grill this weekend?
I'm thinking Monday mornings should really start with cookies. Who's with me? 🙋🏻‍♀️⠀ ⠀ I know that's not super healthy or whatever, but they're so, so good. And some weeks, you just need something a little indulgent.⠀ ⠀ There's a new recipe for Chocolate Dipped Almond Shortbread on the blog. Click the link in my profile for the recipe and some fun behind the scenes photos! ⠀ ⠀ P.S. These cookies pair really well with a good cup of coffee while the kiddos nap. 🍪☕️⠀ ⠀ [Thanks to @taylorraephoto for capturing all the shots for this post!]
You are not behind. ⠀ ⠀ Anyone else ever feel that way? I fight that thinking regularly, especially in my writing life. I'm not accomplishing what others are doing. I’m not checking off to-dos quickly enough. My words will be useless if I take too long to say them. I haven't reached a certain follower count or submitted enough guest essays.⠀ ⠀ I can’t help but feel behind sometimes, and nothing short of a month-long stay in a remote cabin would help me catch up. As nice as that sounds, lack of solitude isn’t entirely the problem. Let's be honest...if I had that massive block of time I'd probably end up finding a way to waste much of it. ⠀ ⠀ Part of the problem is my belief that creativity (and life, for that matter) will run ahead without me. If I don’t run fast enough, I’ll be left in the dust, pen and paper in hand but with nothing left to be said. ⠀ ⠀ I don’t know if you feel behind like I often do. Maybe it’s not with writing projects. Maybe it has to do with a job search or a move or good and godly desires still unfulfilled. Maybe your checklist or one someone else makes for you leaves you discouraged and disheartened. You hoped you’d have done ________ by now. You hoped you’d be in _________, or that you’d have ________at this point in life. ⠀ ⠀ In episode 7 of her podcast, @emilypfreeman said, “Your pace if your pace.” It's different than someone else's, and you may not even be running toward the same goal, anyway. ⠀ ⠀ So friend, maybe you've got deadlines to meet or chores to be done. We can't shirk our responsibilities. But when work and life and family don’t look like the next person's and you're tempted to compare progress like a third grade sticker chart, repeat this phrase with me: ⠀ ⠀ "I am not behind." ❤️⠀ ⠀ [📷: @plushdesignstudio]
This image called, “How many shots can I snap before the toddler eats the cookies?” 🍪⠀ ⠀ I’ve seen a lot of food photographers with elaborate setups. At this stage, I gotta keep it simple. I’m usually shooting in panic mode trying to get a recipe done before nap-time ends. I don’t always succeed, and then it’s a frantic race to finish before tiny hands get in on the fun. 😂 It’s definitely an added food photography challenge!⠀ ⠀ P.S. This chocolate dipped shortbread recipe is coming soon!⠀ ⠀ [📷: @taylorraephoto]
You know what I’ve noticed? ⠀ ⠀ Every time anxiety and darkness seem to close in tight, every time I start to feel locked in a room where I can’t get out, my temptation is to keep secluding myself. I don’t want to bother anyone with my dumb little problems. It’s no big deal, right? ⠀ ⠀ But the devil tries to corner me that way. He tries to get my alone so no one can hear my cries. ⠀ ⠀ Not today, Satan. ⠀ ⠀ I’ve got friends who are battling for me and with me. I follow people posting gospel truth daily, so even my bad habit of picking up my phone ends with the gospel being preached to my soul.⠀ ⠀ God is good. And Satan, you will not win.
Taste-testing some honey-basil marinated chicken. Gotta make a few tweaks, but it’s super easy and so tasty! Stay tuned for the recipe! ⠀ ⠀ 👉🏻Also, I’m debating about making these into skewers for the grill or keeping them as whole chicken breasts to be cooked on the stove. So I need your opinion...⠀ ⠀ 🍗Which would you prefer? Grill or stove? Let me know in the comments!
Meet my grandma. ⠀ ⠀ She passed away a number of years ago, and I still think about her often. She laughed hard and made hilarious comments. ⠀ ⠀ She went to Disney World with her sister and rented electric wheelchairs so they could cut in line (they were elderly but both perfectly healthy). Then they had to return them halfway through the day because they ran out the batteries racing around the park. ⠀ ⠀ Pretty much the only movies (VHS of course) she owned were Billy Graham sermons, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Dumb and Dumber—her favorite. ⠀ ⠀ I wish you could have known her in real life. She was the epitome of joy (as you can see).⠀ ⠀ This. This is what I want to be like when I’m 80...literally overflowing with so much joy that everyone around me can’t help but soak it up. ⠀ ⠀ I’ve got a ways to go in that. But gosh, I’m grateful for her example. ⠀ ⠀ So if you feel lacking in joy or you just need a Friday boost, save this image of my grandma. My guess is you can’t look at her without smiling. Her joy is even contagious in a years-old photograph. 💛⠀ ⠀ “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” -Romans 15:13
Anyone else needing an extra cup of coffee today? 🙋🏻‍♀️⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ Here's your Thursday pick-me-up...⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ Cold Brew + Pomegranate Soda⠀⠀ Yields 1 drink⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ¼ cup pomegranate juice (make sure it’s 100% pomegranate juice)⠀⠀ ¼ cup cold brew coffee (such as @fgroast's Black Ice Brew)⠀⠀ 2-4 teaspoons simple syrup⠀⠀ 1-2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice⠀⠀ ½ cup sparkling water⠀⠀ Ice⠀⠀ Lemon slices for serving⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ Add the pomegranate juice, coffee, 2 teaspoons of simple syrup, and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to a glass filled with ice. Stir well until all the ingredients are fully incorporated. ⠀⠀ Top with sparkling water to taste. (I use about a ½ cup of sparkling water.) Stir gently, and add more simple syrup or lemon juice if desired. Serve with a lemon slice and enjoy!
“We chase after fast results only to feel inadequate when they don’t happen...We often think of slow growth as flawed growth.”⠀ ⠀ That quote has stuck with me ever since I heard @laracasey say it in one of her early podcast episodes (I think episode 4). I don’t like slow growth. I want instant gratification. Even looking out at my tomato plants today, I found myself slightly annoyed they didn’t stand taller and look more ready to produce fruit (which could be in part due to my poor gardening skills). I want what’s quick and easy. ⠀ ⠀ Is that really even growth at all? If it’s quick and easy, did we stretch, bend, and change through it? Maybe sometimes, I suppose. There are always exceptions and outliers. But more often, growth comes slowly. It comes through careful tending and painful pruning...and plenty of time. ⠀ ⠀ I’m not where I want to be in many areas of my life, but as I look back on the last year has there been growth? Undeniably. So I’m rejoicing in that and pressing onward. ⠀ ⠀ 👉🏻What about you? Where have you seen growth, even if it’s been slow? Because sometimes what feels the slowest has actually been the deepest. 🌱
[New blog post!] Ginger + Honey Sparkling Lemonade...and some reflections on learning slowness. ⠀ ⠀ Click the link in my profile for the recipe and post! 🍋⠀ ⠀ “In our harried and hurried world, I think we’d do well to practice the art of slowness—maybe even stillness. I’m (slowly) learning what it looks like for me, and even that’s bound to change with the seasons of life. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ It can be scary practice. As we calm and quiet our bodies, we start to see the unrest of our souls. Slowing down forces us to stop hiding our inner chaos behind a wall of to-dos. ⠀ ⠀ But I think that’s when we really start to learn slowness and stillness. Our bodies no longer run like a machine but as a sacred gift that points us to an infinite, tireless, omnipotent Giver. As as we rest in him, our souls become calm, our spirits quiet.”
Wednesdays have ended up being a day when I can do a little non-parenting work. I've been sitting here at the computer for a couple hours typing and clicking away...with little to show for it. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ Ever have those days? I know the time has been productive, but sometimes it's frustrating when you feel like you haven't "produced" anything.⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ I suppose the one thing I've done is updating a few images on my blog and social accounts, so here you go. Apparently the one thing I have to show for today is my face. Now I shall crawl inside my closet and hide, because this showing your face on the Interwebs thing scares me. 🙈⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ Happy hump day, friends. Here's to showing our faces online and in life. 🎉🍸⠀ ⠀ [Thank you to @taylorraephoto for the headshots!]
The other night when I was getting ready for bed, my one-year-old woke up crying. I can't remember why—maybe a bad dream or thunderstorm or something. ⠀ ⠀⠀ I brought him in my room and sang to him until he calmed down. Then he rolled to his side, laid his head on my arm, and curled up in a little ball. He fell asleep, completely content and at peace. (And I took full advantage of this snuggle time, since this kiddo never stops moving!)⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ I was reminded of that image after reading Psalm 131 this morning. My soul usually feels more chaotic and loud than calm and quiet, especially on Mondays. But our God invites us to know a peace that we can't even fathom, a peace that comes from resting in the arms of God.⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ 🌿 When's the last time your soul was calm and quiet? Not your circumstances...your soul? ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ 🌿 How can you calm and quiet your soul this week? ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ I'm thinking through those questions myself and starting by meditating on Psalm 131. If you need to pause for a minute and do that, too, you can read the whole chapter below. Have a wonderful Monday! ❤️⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ "O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;⠀⠀ my eyes are not raised too high;⠀⠀ I do not occupy myself with things⠀⠀ too great and too marvelous for me.⠀⠀ But I have calmed and quieted my soul,⠀⠀ like a weaned child with its mother;⠀⠀ like a weaned child is my soul within me.⠀⠀ O Israel, hope in the LORD⠀⠀ from this time forth and forevermore."
Happy Friday! Nothing says summer like a dish full of berries and a scoop of ice cream. This morning I let my normal snacktime rules slide and my kids dove into this dessert. Now I’m fighting to get berry stains out of clothes. 🤦🏻‍♀️⠀ ⠀⠀ What's your favorite summer treat? Let me know in the comments! 🍦🍓⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ [This is @inagarten's Tri-Berry Crumble—with a few tweaks because I can't manage to follow a recipe 100 percent. So good and perfect for summer! More on this to come with the #summercookbookclub starting July 1!]
New blog post up—"How to Brew Coffee with a Chemex"!⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ I'm not up with the latest gadgets, fads, and gimmicks. I've talked in the past how I'm a late adopter of things. And brewing with a Chemex is no exception. It may be in vogue now, but did you know it's been around since 1941? And there's a reason it stuck around this long.⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ Read the full post and get the instructions by clicking the link in my profile! I also share my coffee order from my high school days. It’s definitely changed since then! ☕️⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ [Special thanks to @fgroast for helping me out with this one and @taylorraephoto for the pics!]
Friends! Who needs some cooking inspiration? Who wants to learn some new skills or add a few recipes to their repertoire? Who wants to exercise their creative muscles and cook with a new ingredient? 🙋🏻‍♀️ ⠀ ⠀ If that’s you, I’d LOVE for you to join me for my #summercookbookclub! Throughout the month of July, we’ll be cooking a bunch of recipes from the cookbook queen herself, @inagarten. We’re going to use her cookbook “Make It Ahead” to create incredible cocktails, sides, main dishes, and desserts. ⠀ ⠀ I’ll be sharing recipes, tips, and tricks on social media in July, but the bulk of the fun stuff will be happening via email! So make sure you sign up by clicking the link in my profile! When we start in about a month, I’ll be sending you an email with resources, a video, shopping lists, and lots more goodies! ⠀ ⠀ (P.S. I love having physical copies of books, but if you don’t want to get this one, don’t let that deter you. Lots of the recipes are already online and I’ll be linking to some of those in my cookbook club emails!) ⠀ ⠀ Sign up with the link in my profile, and then comment with your favorite food emoji. 🍔🌮🥑

| reading now |

| privacy policy, cookies, and other fine print |

Subscribe

Sign up for my monthly newsletter that includes blog updates, recommendations, and other goodies!

We respect your privacy.

Thank you!

© 2018 Sarah J. Hauser. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy and Terms + Conditions.
Logo design by Graham Hauser and Hillary Hauser.