Volcano

Today I am learning about volcanoes.  It is a show on the History channel.   They are thinking that a certain volcano in Italy may have already be triggered to go off by an earthquake that has taken place recently.  There are other places too that have large volcanoes all over the world.  The volcano that is Yellowstone park is also due to erupt according to the scientific community that study such things.

Luke 17:28-30

New King James Version (NKJV)

28 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyedthem all. 30 Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

I does make me wonder if we are closer than ever to the return of Jesus.

this does encourage me to pray...even so come quickly LORD

Peppers

So today's food has everything to do with peppers.  And dolling up some quick and easy pantry items.

Had a red roasted pepper from the olive bar at the store and cut it up and added it to a macaroni and cheese and it was quite nice.

Also have had a couple of cans of cream corned (yuck) in my pantry for a few months.  Cut up two fresh jalapenos sauteed in olive oil, added corn and heated through.  It added some nice heat to the corn and livened up a very boring and uninteresting can of corn; the sweetness of the corn played nicely with the heat of the pepper.

You gotta love peppers!!

The other thing I am trying to do today is make some vege stock from all the veges from the garden that I had in the refrigerator.  This includes some interesting items.

cucumber,( i thought why not we cook pickles,) egg plant, celery, carrots, onions,garlic, bay leaf, sweet and hot peppers and cabbage...i am interested to see what the flavor profile will be like when it is done, i am somewhat concerned that it may be bitter...but here is to the fun of discovery!  Stock is a wonderful way to use up veges that are stocking up from the garden faster than we can eat them.

Jalapeno Jelly

Canned jalapeno jelly
large jalapenos = approximately 1 oz per pepper from the garden
the jelly turned out delicious
Troy helped me with the making of the jelly
we used liquid pectin and followed recipe from the canning book
planning on sending these for Christmas gifts

read some devotionals about grace today, and was reminded about how the LORD taught me so much about grace and how I am completely dependent upon Him for my right standing with Him. No matter what I do (or don't do) it doesn't change how HE feels about me.

Yesterday He told me again how much He loves just spending time with me.  When I think about that, my heart just is overwhelmed.  How does this God who is so good, look past all I've failed in and love me anyway.  And love me enough to pay the price that was mine to pay.  Amazing love how can it be that you my LORD died for me?

I shall rest in the complete work of the cross.

Homemade Turkey Soup

Turkey Soup from leftover roasted turkey thighs

leftover turkey
onion
jalapeno
sweet pepper
celery
carrot
sweet peas
rice
leftover gravy
vegetable stock
olive oil
stock pot
fry pan
salt and pepper

I cooked the bones from the thighs with carrot tops, celery tops and added 1 cup veg stock, I also threw in the bacon that I had cooked with the turkey in the oven.  drained stock and threw out bones etc.  seasoned with salt and pepper all of the vegs and sauteed onion, peppers, celery, carrots,and sweet peas in olive oil until al dente. (all pieces cut up to bite size).  cubed meat, added hot stock to vegetables and the leftover gravy as a thickener.  Brought to a boil and reduced to simmer.  After reduced heat added cut up turkey.  started white rice in rice cooker, when white rice was done cooking put in the bottom of bowl, ladle over turkey soup.

this turned out really delicious with enough to put in the freezer for another day.  It did have more fat due to the bacon, but the flavor was out of this world! yum

Deuteronomy chapter 8
10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

this was spoken to Israel when they were getting ready to enter into the promise land, but I think it is certainly a good warning for all of us as well.  We must not forget who it is that has delivered us from all manner of sin.  He alone went to the cross:

Do not be far from me,
    for trouble is near
    and there is no one to help. (Psalm 22:11)

It was not us who paid the price for our sin, it was Him.  Thank you for the wonderful reminder to not let our hearts be proud, but remember what you have done.

Luke 22:18-20

New King James Version (NKJV)

18 for I say to you,[a] I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

he is the one who makes us free from all sin!  Thank you!

Blueberry jam
I tried to make blueberry jam today
won't know if it gelled enough
but it was a beautiful color and quite shiny when i stopped cooking it
if will either be a jam or a sauce if i didn't boil it long enough
i followed the directions in the canning book, but they don't give you a "time" to cook it is all technique...so this really was an adventure

God uses the foolish things

Yesterday I went for a walk in the morning and I was pondering about the passage speaking about how God uses the foolish things of the world.

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.

Christ Crucified Is God’s Power and Wisdom

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
    the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”[c]

20 Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”[

I was pondering this yesterday as i considered my life currently and how the LORD is moving and directing me in my life.  From the outside I am nothing to look at, most people don't even give me a second glance and i am most forgettable.  Ordinary, very ordinary, and I would say foolish.  Not of noble birth, not influential and not wise by human standards, yet I have in my life seen great victories through the power of God in my life.  The Spirit has enabled me to do extraordinary things through prayer and God has fought battles for me I didn't even know He was fighting, until the fighting was over.  I have been healed and seen others healed.  both physically and emotionally.  Lives have been changed through the power of God.  It is awesome.

I just had to smile yesterday as i realized all that God has wrapped up in this most ordinary of vessels.  The Spirit of God lives within me, I am his temple because of the finished work of the Cross and yet I can pass by and most people won't even know I am there.  I don't understand the mysteries of how He does what He does by putting His Spirit within us, but I do know that I am a fool for Christ! and what a wonderful life it is!  Praise be to GOD for HIS mercies endure forever! What a promise.

Tried and new wine:  Black Stallion Napa Valley Cabernet- we both enjoyed this wine, not too sweet and not too strong, it would be worth buying again

Didn't do any cooking yesterday, but will be putting together some soup from the leftover turkey dinner today.  Spent the afternoon looking at what we need to try and make jalapeno jelly this weekend. Gathering the jars and pectin, sugar, vinegar while Troy picked the peppers from the garden.

Italian Vegetable Bake

today I made a vegetable bake from the egg plants and other vegetables that are producing abundantly in the garden

Egg Plant
Banana Peppers
Onion
kale
fresh basil
goat cheese
white cheddar
roasted tomatoes
marinara sauce
oven 350
large baking dish

Slice egg plant  1/4 inch , salt egg plant for a few minutes prior to assembly to draw out extra moisture
layer all ingredients in the bake pan
i did it like this: roasted tomatoes, eggplant, marinara sauce to cover egg plants, onion, peppers, kale, goat cheese,basil, next layer of eggplant, remaining marinara, onion and grated cheddar on top
make sure you cover the egg plant completely with the marinara sauce, this gives it a wonderful flavor

this dish was pretty tasty, i actually served it with angel hair pasta, i cooked it for one hour at 350 and that made the eggplant done just right.  my onions i did in rings, but they seems kinda chewy, so i would either pre-cook or maybe chop them up next time.  i did the rings thinking it would complement the round egg plant

This dish was very pretty and tasted great.  I put some in the freezer to see if it will hold up being frozen and reheated.  I will update once we try the dish from the freezer.

I also read the book The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
this book is a fictional work about the civil war as lived through the thoughts and actions of one young soldier

It reminded me of myself in some ways.  The character was always trying to figure out everything in his head and when he didn't try and figure it out and just did it he seemed to have a much better outcome.  Lately that is something the LORD has been speaking to me about.  About being less in my head and more in the doing.  Sometimes we can be the opposite, too much doing and not enough reflection about what our life is about.  The LORD is trying to help me find this balance.  If we look at the life of Jesus as recorded in the gospels he was certainly a man of great action, but he also had times of prayer, when he would go off alone to pray.
the word talks often about feeding the hungry, like when Jesus fed the 5000.  I find that He was very practical in the ways that he helped people.  Not with great ceremony, He just helped people and was concerned for them.  This drove some of the religious leaders to hate Him.  That is one of the traps of religion the great "ceremony" of it all.  This book touches on that as well as we see the young soldier going off to war and the great and swelling words and hospitality shown to the men and how it impacted the pride of the young man.  They love the greetings in the market place Jesus would say of the religious leaders of His day.  Do we also love the greetings, the long prayers, the ceremony of our chosen religion.  Or are we content to reach out to those around us and let those around us reach out to us in ordinary ways.  I believe that the most extraordinary events have happened to me in the normal course of my days.  Very rarely have these things happened in a formal church setting...although some have happened there too.  We have the opportunity to be Jesus' hands and feet everyday he gives us breath.  Won't you let Him show you how amazing your life can be?

super fine sugar for ice cream

made some soft serve ice cream in my home ice cream maker...I added frozen blueberries that didn't work out so good because they stayed frozen, but the vanilla ice cream was good and creamy

I didn't have the superfine sugar, I put regular sugar in the food processor and that seems to work fine.  the sugar didn't have a bad texture...so that is a good trick to remember

Turkey with Beets and Kohlrabi July 22

Decided to try and combine turkey, smoky bacon and beets and kohlrabi.

Turned out pretty good.

Turkey with Beets and Kohlrabi

Two turkey thighs
fresh red beets
one purple kohlrabi
5 slices smoked bacon
salt and pepper
cumin
smoked paprika
large roasting pan
oven 350

chop up fresh red beets and kohlrabi into 2 bite size pieces, season with salt and pepper put some olive oil to coat vegs (lightly) toss and place in single layer on the bottom of the pan, season turkey with skin on with salt pepper cumin and smoked paprika, place turkey thighs on top of beets and kohlrabi, lay bacon on top of turkey skin.  cook in oven at 350 until internal temperature reaches 180.

the problem that happened tonight is that I couldn't tell if the juices were running clear because the beets give off a red color that is close to the color of juices that the poultry gives off, so you need to rely on the temperature to know if the turkey is done

the beets and the kohlrabi had a good flavor added by being the bed for the turkey, the combination of both vegs looked pretty and the kohlrabi lighted up the dish with a different texture and color,

i made gravy from the drippings of the turkey and the bacon which was well received and had a wonderful color due to the red beets and the cumin added a nice warm undertone to the gravy, i just served it over some bread and the turkey
the turkey was moist and good flavor even without the gravy

Beginning

Today is the beginning of a new journey for myself.  I am going to start the journey of my two favorite things.  Good food and the Word of God.

I will be testing and trying new dishes and I will be trying to share good truths from the Word.

Today's food for thought.

Psalm 22

This Psalm moved me to great emotion today as i pondered how Jesus suffered for us.  How everyone was against him and the word said sneered at him.  The took his only possession, his clothing and divided it among themselves.  The stared at him.  All this and the word says his heart melted like wax.  How painful this was for him.  To be rejected.  He suffered so much for us.  My emotion overtook me when I realized, I probably would have been among those who rejected him.  How at times in my life I have rejected him.  I have gone my own way, sought my own selfish gain.  But in all of that he did not waiver.  He still was faithful to the promise.  He allowed the Father's will for him.  And now HE LIVES!  My redeemer LIVES!  Such hope we can have in Christ!  He did not fail.  If we seek Him we will find Him.  Just like Mary.  She went to the grave to find her LORD, to grieve her loss of the one she loved.  To find HIM alive!  What a wonderful surprise for her that morning.  That is how it is when you spend time with the LORD...always a wonderful surprise.  My surprise was this blog name...it is from Psalm 22.

The humble will eat and be satisfied.

I pondered on that, I am satisfied...in fact I live a life of abundance, my heart is full of love and joy.

and today's menu...barbecued turkey and homemade ice cream with blueberries

I will let you know if they turn out

This past weekend hits:

Jalapeno Poppers- easy and addicting!

fresh jalapeno peppers
plain goat cheese
smoked bacon
sheet pan
oven 350

cut jalapenos in half lengthwise, remove seeds and ribs (i wear gloves to keep hands safe for this part)
stuff each pepper with goat cheese until flush with pepper sides, cut pre-sliced smoked bacon in half, wrap half strip of bacon around pepper place on sheet pan, bake at 350 until bacon is cooked, remove from oven and serve warm (we had this with eggs for breakfast the next day re-heated, they held up pretty well)

Smoked Salmon Appetizers- easy no cooking required

smoked salmon ( i buy the scraps from the meat department, cost much cheaper)
crusty bread or crackers
goat cheese
basil
cucumber

spread goat cheese on to bread
slice cucumber thinly place on top of cheese
put a leaf of basil over cucumber
top with small amount of salmon

Troy enjoyed these more than I did, go easy on the salmon if it is stronger in flavor, but i did enjoy the nice coolness of the cucumber for a summer snack