Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Theology

This was posted by Dan Thayer on the ACFI (Ancient Christian Faith Initiative) blog. I thought I'd also post it here because I want to eventually write my theology of food and this seems like a text I might use:

Saturday, January 16, 2010
Augustine on Jesus' Miracles and the Miracle of Creation

As I was preparing a sermon on Jesus' turning water into wine, I came across this great reflection on miracles by Augustine:

"The miracle indeed of our Lord Jesus Christ, whereby He made the water into wine, is not marvellous to those who know that it was God’s doing. For He who made wine on that day at the marriage feast, in those six water-pots, which He commanded to be filled with water, the self-same does this every year in vines. For even as that which the servants put into the water-pots was turned into wine by the doing of the Lord, so in like manner also is what the clouds pour forth changed into wine by the doing of the same Lord. But we do not wonder at the latter, because it happens every year: it has lost its marvellousness by its constant recurrence. And yet it suggests a greater consideration than that which was done in the water-pots. For who is there that considers the works of God, whereby this whole world is governed and regulated, who is not amazed and overwhelmed with miracles?

"If he considers the vigorous power of a single grain of any seed whatever, it is a mighty thing, it inspires him with awe. But since men, intent on a different matter, have lost the consideration of the works of God, by which they should daily praise Him as the Creator, God has, as it were, reserved to Himself the doing of certain extraordinary actions, that, by striking them with wonder, He might rouse men as from sleep to worship Him. A dead man has risen again; men marvel: so many are born daily, and none marvels. If we reflect more considerately, it is a matter of greater wonder for one to be who was not before, than for one who was to come to life again. Yet the same God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, doeth by His word all these things; and it is He who created that governs also. The former miracles He did by His Word, God with Himself; the latter miracles He did by the same Word incarnate, and for us made man.

"As we wonder at the things which were done by the man Jesus, so let us wonder at the things which where done by Jesus God. By Jesus God were made heaven, and earth, and the sea, all the garniture of heaven, the abounding riches of the earth, and the fruitfulness of the sea;—all these things which lie within the reach of our eyes were made by Jesus God. And we look at these things, and if His own spirit is in us they in such manner please us, that we praise Him that contrived them."

Indeed.
Posted by Dan Thayer at 6:42 AM 1 comments

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Cranberry Orange Turkey Breast

This recipe is modified from Easy and Delicious Turkey Breast on page 196 of the Fix It and Forget It crockpot cookbook. I made these changes based on what I had in the house and I think it will always make it like this in the future. Basically, instead of cranberry sauce and onion soup mix, I put in fresh ingredients.

Cranberry Orange Turkey Breast

1.5 lbs of boneless, skinless free range turkey breast
~ 1.5 cups of fresh, whole cranberries, bad ones thrown away
1 medium yellow onion
1/2 cup orange juice
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Combine in slow cooker. Cover. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

The funny thing is that I cooked it on high because I misread the recipe. It turned excellently. That being said, I would cook it on low next time. Also, the original recipe calls for 1 turkey breast. The other turkey breast recipes assume a 4-6 lb turkey breast. I think that free range turkeys might be smaller than industrial-raised turkeys. The free range turkeys will have much more flavor and you know that they can actually walk since they haven't been bred to have over-large breasts, so large that they tip forward and can't move. Anyway, my point is that you may be able to use a larger breast in this recipe. I cooked a turkey breast instead of chicken because I think it's always good to change the kind of meat we're eating. You get different nutrients from different foods. The free-range turkey was on sale this week at Whole Foods. As Micah would say, "Wee-oo hee-oo!"

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Split Pea, Ham, and Mushroom Soup

I have to thank both Emily Farrow and my parents, Allan and Eleanor Odden, for this soup. Emily Farrow gave me The Joy of Cooking as a wedding gift. The following recipe is based on the Split Pea or Lentil Soup recipe on pages 177-178. Some of the instructions below are taken word for word and I maintained the formatting. You'll have to compare to get a sense for what I changed.

My parents often made a split pea and ham soup around Christmas. I can't remember if they did it every year, but often enough to make an impression. I remember their soups being yummy and thick. Their soups had plenty of ham and veggies. The Joy of Cooking recipe is simply a split pea soup with the flavors of ham and veggies. I changed it to be a thick and chunky soup. A more descriptive name would be Ham and Mushroom Soup with Green Broth. :-) But that sounds strange.

Split Pea, Ham, and Mushroom Soup

Wash and soak in 8 cups of water
2 cups split peas
Drain the peas, reserving the liquid. Add enough water to the reserved liquid to make 10 cups. Adding peas again, cook, covered, 2.5-3 hours with
a ham bone
~5-6 slices of ham, depending on the size

Add and simmer, covered, 2 hours longer until tender:
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery (with leaves)
1 cup chopped carrots
2 cups crimini mushrooms finely chopped (twice through and egg slicer)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp thyme

Remove bones and bay leaf.
Season to taste

When we made this at Christmas we let it sit for an hour off the heat because we were watching the second Transformers movie and Micah was sleeping. We all added salt and pepper to our bowls. (As a general rule, if you want to add salt and pepper to the soup as you cook it, you can add 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper.) The soup was wonderful!

Monday, January 4, 2010

Curried Lentils

This recipe is originally from Hannah Heis. She and her family eat vegetarian and I asked her for some recipes to help us cut down on our meat consumption. We are not vegetarians, but we only buy high quality meat from ecologically, sustainably, and ethically raised animals. It's more expensive so we just don't eat meat everyday. Anyway, here's the lentil recipe as I make it:

Curried Lentils

1/4 cup olive or safflower oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
2 Tbs curry powder (Badia or Penzey's or other high quality brand)
1 cup lentils
2.5 cups water
2 beef bouillon cubes or 2 tsp Better than Bouillon
1 bay leaf
2 Tbs lemon juice or juice from one whole small lemon
~1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/4 each of two types of dried fruit (currants, raisins, sweetened cranberries, prunes)
1 medium apple peeled and chopped (less is OK)
~ 4 crimini or button mushrooms finely chopped (twice through an egg slicer)

Saute together oil, onion, and garlic until onion is translucent. Add salt and curry powder, saute for another minute.

Combine lentils, water, bouillon, bay leaf, and onion mixture together. Bring to a boil and simmer (covered) 20 minutes.

Add lemon juice, parsley, dried fruit, apple, and mushrooms. Simmer another 15 minutes (covered) or until lentils are tender. Add 1/4 cup water if it's dry. Serve over jasmine rice.

It freezes well.

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A note about the curry powder:
The quality of the curry powder will make or break this dish. If you look at the ingredients on different curry powders, they vary. I'm not sure what the difference is exactly, but I can tell by smelling which ones will work well. You want a curry powder that smells sweet. You will have to compare to know what I mean.

A note about the fruit and mushrooms:
This part of the dish I vary all the time based on what I have in the house. I never do more than 1/2 cup of dried fruit total. My most recent version used currants and diced prunes, 1/3 of a large apple and I didn't have any mushrooms. The mushrooms add a more meaty flavor. You don't want to add too much fruit and mushrooms or it will overpower the lentils, but some variation will work well and it adds nice flavor.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Coleslaw

The original coleslaw was made with green cabbage and pink lady apples. Pink lady apples have a very bold sweet flavor. I can't remember if I put sugar in it or not. This version was the perfect combination of sweet and tangy without being tart.

The second time I made this I used red cabbage and some kind of apple similar to a wine sap (I forgot the name...black something, maybe black twig). When I was making the sauce I thought it needed sugar (it wasn't in my original recipe as I wrote it down originally). I added 1 Tbs of sugar. This version was more tart and didn't have the same sweet and tangy flavor that the original did. It was good but not as good as the first time.

The difference in flavor could be attributed to some combination of the following: the red cabbage, or the type of apple, or the amount of sugar. I would possibly add 1/4 of sugar to a future recipe instead of 1 Tbs because I remember a mound of sugar in the pot the first time I made it.

I think what makes this recipe so good is rice vinegar substituted for white vinegar. Rice vinegar is my favorite vinegar. I think white wine vinegar has a similar flavor.

Anyway, here's the recipe:

Sarina's Coleslaw

Chop finely or grate into a large bowl:
1/4 large green or red or combination cabbage
1/4 large white onion
4 medium carrots
1/2 apple

Combine in saucepan and heat until hot:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 Tbs cider vinegar
1 Tbs sugar or honey (or perhaps 1/4 cup)
1 tsp salt
Pour over veggies, mix well, cover and refrigerate.
Serve cold.

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Taken from the following two recipes:

1) www.kretschmannfarm.com
Sweet-and-Sour Red Cabbage and Apple Salad--Slice cabbage thin, cut 1 apple into 1/2" cubes, slice 1 green pepper into thin strips, chop 1 small onion finely, toss. Cook 1/2c wine vinegar, 1T honey, 1/2t caraway seeds,1/8t black pepper and cloves until mixture just begins to boil. Pour hot mixture over salad and toss well. Let stand for 30 min. before serving.

2) (I don't remember the website.)

Colorful Coleslaw

Ingredients:

* 3 pounds grated cabbage
* 1 diced green bell pepper
* 1 diced red or yellow bell pepper
* 1 small white onion, thinly sliced
* 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
* 3/4 cup white vinegar
* 1 cup Splenda or sugar
* 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
* 1 tablespoon salt

Directions:

Combine all vegetables in a large bowl. Mix the other ingredients together in a saucepan
. Heat over a medium heat until hot. Pour mixture over vegetables. Mix well and refrigerate for at least three hours. Serve cold.

Variation: Use cider vinegar instead of white vinegar

I should be getting my LOTR cards...

But instead, I'm posting my first post on my new recipe blog. A coleslaw recipe coming soon. If I posted it now, Brett and Lauren would be annoyed. ;-)