Your Friday Four-Course Meal

Appetizer (a quick bite): Peanut Butter Granola Bars with Dark Chocolate over at Naturally Ella. Lookin' pretty delicious to me. I might need to make a batch of these for Macy and Grace's lunch boxes.

Entree (something to chew on for awhile): Contentment Isn't Natural, But It Can Be Learned by Michael Kelley. Always a good word from him.

Dessert (just for fun): This has been around for awhile, but it still makes me giggle.

Coffee (sip and savor slowly and repeatedly): "The true convert does not receive the gospel as an addition to his previous life, but in exchange for it."  ~Paul Washer

Edible Love Letters

Have you ever breathed in a symphony of aromas from someone's kitchen or beheld a plate of food so beautiful you almost didn't want to eat it? Ever savored such a carefully crafted bite of flavor that you never wanted the meal to end?

More specifically (and importantly), have you ever been served a meal and knew with no explanation beyond the meal itself that its creator loved you?

I hope so. Because I think that's how meals were meant to be be experienced. Maybe not every single meal of our lives, but most of them.

And if you've experienced any of the things mentioned above, chances are it's because the person creating that meal for you did so as an act of love. Spice combinations chosen as carefully as notes on a scale. Beautiful sear of fish created as delicately and precisely as the stroke of a brush against canvas. Every action designed to stir up affections and cause delight.

At least that's how it works for me.

I will never compose music that stirs your soul or create a painting or sculpture that brings a tear to your eye. I might write a few letters that make people smile, but none of them will be studied 100 years from now for their lyrical prose or brilliantly crafted turns of phrase. I am not an artist in any of those ways.

But I can pay attention to the people I love and learn their preferences. I can notice the way someone's eyes light up when they see certain ingredients in front of them. Or the way a precious friend instantly relaxes when she sees that I have her favorite tea in my pantry and hears the kettle whistle. Or maybe my favorite-- the delighted reaction I get to witness when I somehow rebuild a memory on a plate. So much fun!

Not just meals. Not just calories to use for fuel. Not even just enjoyable flavors. Food that says, "I notice. I'm paying attention. I care about you. I want you at my table. I love you."

Edible love letters.

The Good List

10. Rainbow Eucalyptus trees. Seriously? I want to go to these.

9. Old maps. I don't even know why I love them so much, but I do. They feel like an adventure just waiting to happen.

8. Received a shipment of 2 disassembled nightstands from Amazon last week. Grace said, "Mom, can I try to put one of these together?" "Sure," I said, thinking she'd be yelling for my help 5 minutes later. Next thing I knew, this happened:

(And she ended up doing the second one too.) Nice!

7. Heavenly Oils and Vinegars, the store that I pretty much just wanna move into. Every flavor of EVOO you can imagine lining the walls. And just as many delicious varieties of balsamic vinegar in the middle. So much YUM!

6. A good, sharp chef's knife. Changes the entire experience of cooking in my opinion.

5. A packed house Sunday night. Food, friends, lots of laughs. At some point, all of the ladies found themselves sitting in a circle on the floor of my kitchen even though the big comfy couches in the next room were completely empty (the guys were outside.) I don't know why it worked that way, but it is still making me giggle. It is the absolute joy of my heart to use my home this way. (I mean, not specifically the sitting on the kitchen floor detail. Just the full house. :-D)

4. Grace has been invited to her first birthday party tomorrow afternoon for her new friend Gracie. (Yep. There is also another Grace and a Gracyn in her class this year. I feel bad for those teachers.) BUT I am so grateful that God is building friendships for my sweet girls. So, SO grateful.

3. A recent "quick sketch" by Macy. I love her talent so much!

2. Watching Twitter flow with responses to Jared's messages at the For the Church conference earlier this week. Gospel, Gospel, Gospel. It's all he talks about. (And I'm not complaining.) So proud of his stubbornness for the Gospel.

1. Initial plans are underway to get my ENTIRE CRAZY FAMILY here IN MY HOUSE for a whole week during the Christmas holidays. I could cry. (Who am I kidding? I already have, and I'm sure I will continue to.) SO THRILLED to have the space and opportunity to host my family this way. I CANNOT WAIT!!!

Our Favorite Chili

It's football season. Which means it's chili season. That's just the way it works at our house. It's entirely possible we'll eat chili at least once a week from now until February, and no one will complain one bit. It's one of our favorite fall/winter meals. And this is our favorite recipe. Which doesn't feel much like a recipe at all since it's ridiculously simple, but it's also delicious, so why complicate things? :-)

Ingredients:

2-3 pounds ground lean ground turkey (93-95% lean; don't use 99% lean all white turkey meat as you'll need at least a little bit of fat to keep the meat juicy)

2 tablespoons homemade chili seasoning or 1 packet dry chili mix

1 (28 oz) can chunky crushed tomatoes

2 cans chili beans

1 jar of your favorite salsa (This is such a great trick for getting plenty of onions and peppers in there. It adds tons of flavor.)

any combination of your favorite garnishes: freshly shredded cheese, Frito's, sour cream, avocado, green onions, hot sauce, tortilla chips, diced onions, etc.

Instructions:

1. Cook turkey over medium heat until browned. Drain and return to pot.

2. Add chili seasoning and stir well to evenly coat meat and slightly toast seasoning. 

3. Add tomatoes, beans and salsa. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until heated through.

4. Serve with shredded cheese, Frito's, sour cream, green onions, and hot sauce. (or any of your favorite garnishes)

This freezes really well and tastes just as good leftover. Maybe even better.

Caprese Salad with Roasted Asparagus

Caprese salad is one of my (and my family's) favorite side dishes. I'm pretty sure I could serve it every day, and no one in my house would be disappointed. But I like variety way too much to do that, so I cut it back to just 3 times a week.

Just kidding.

But I do make it often enough to need more than one version, so here is one of my favorite variations. I love this version for lots of reasons, but mainly because it increases the nutritional value quite a bit and also because it is a great way to serve (expensive) indulgent asparagus without needing much of it. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

8 oz. fresh mozzarella

1 pint grape tomatoes

1/2 pound fresh asparagus

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

healthy handful fresh basil

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

balsamic glaze to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cut asparagus into 1-1/2 inch segments. Place on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until nicely browned. 

3. While asparagus is cooking, cut tomatoes in half and toss into serving bowl. Cube mozzarella and add to bowl.

4. Brown garlic in 2-3 tablespoons olive oil. (Watch carefully as it tends to burn quickly once browning has begun.) Set aside to cool.

5. Remove asparagus from oven and allow to cool slightly. 

6. Tear basil into bite-size pieces and add to salad. Add cooled asparagus. Drizzle garlic-infused oil (including garlic) over top. Salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with balsamic glaze to serve.

Simple, delicious, and so pretty! :-)

Broiled Tilapia with Pineapple

Macy is my fellow fresh pineapple-lover. It's a little like torture to her when I buy a whole pineapple and put it in the fruit bowl, only to tell her she can't eat it (yet). She sure likes to hang out with me in the kitchen when I finally do cut into it, though. Funny little coincidence... ;-) So I had lots of company when I made this dish last week. And sure enough, it's a new favorite for Macy.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups unsweetened pineapple

1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons coconut sugar

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

2 teaspoons peeled, freshly grated ginger root

1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon Tony Chachere's seasoning

1 lb. tilapia

1 whole pineapple

1 teaspoon corn starch

Instructions:

1. Combine first 7 ingredients and stir well.

2. Peel, slice and core pineapple. (Confession: I actually didn't core mine this time, since it's easy enough to cut with a fork, and my family didn't mind, but if serving company, you would want to core the pineapple.)

3. Layer fish and sliced pineapple in baking dish and cover with 1/2 of pineapple juice mixture. Marinate in refrigerator for an hour or two, flipping fish at least once.

4. Preheat broiler. Place fish and pineapple slices on baking rack fitted into shallow baking sheet. Broil on top rack of oven for 10-12 minutes, checking often so as not to burn.

5. While fish and pineapple are cooking, add second half of pineapple juice mixture to small sauce pan and bring to boil. 

6. Combine corn starch with 1 teaspoon water and mix well. Add to sauce pan and continue to boil until mixture begins to thicken.

7. When fish and pineapple are ready, remove from oven and place on serving platter. Drizzle sauce over top of entire platter and serve warm.

Your Friday Four-Course Meal

Appetizer (a quick bite): Whipped Coconut Cream. Gina over at Skinny Taste is one of my favorites. I use many of her recipes exactly as she presents them, and I've adapted a few others just slightly with great results. (I plan to try this with stevia instead of sugar.) 

Entree (something to chew on for awhile): You're Not That Busy I love this from Jenna Lusk at The Village Church. 

Dessert (just for fun): These bad lip readings are never not funny to me.

Coffee: (sip and savor slowly and repeatedly): John 1:16-- "For from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace." So amazing.

London Broil with Basil Butter

I have a weird confession. There's a strange little glee that happens in my heart when I have a big piece of red meat marinating in the fridge. Especially if I have the patience to leave it there for a day or two. The anticipation! It's like waiting for Christmas morning! So good. This is just such a recipe. And I love it.

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, softened (Don't get nervous. You won't actually eat all of this in this recipe, but just stay with me.)

1-1/2 teaspoons sweet basil paste, divided

2-3 pounds London Broil (flank steak)

1/4 cup pineapple juice

1/2 cup Burgundy cooking wine

1/4 cup olive oil

1-1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1-1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Tony Chachere's seasoning

1 splash Sriracha

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Mix softened butter with 1 teaspoon basil paste. Place onto piece of plastic wrap, roll up and secure ends. Place in freezer to become firm.

2. Place London Broil into shallow baking dish. Mix together all remaining ingredients and pour over meat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, but preferably 24+. Flip meat in marinade occasionally.

3. When ready to cook, remove meat from marinade and pat dry with paper towel.

4. Add marinade to small sauce pan and bring to a boil to thicken. (Never serve marinade that has had raw meat in it unless it has come to a full boil.)

5. Melt a coin of previously prepared basil butter in cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Sear steak on both sides for 3-5 minutes depending on desired doneness and thickness of steak. 

6. When meat is cooked through, remove to cutting board and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.

7. After resting, slice against the grain. Place several coins of basil butter on top and drizzle with reduced marinade to serve.

***I served this with wilted spinach and cauliflower hash. While we were eating, I noticed that Grace hadn't touched anything else on her plate. I said, "Grace, do you not like the cauliflower hash?" And she responded, "This steak is so delicious, I forgot all about it." :-D So there you go. Family approved.

The Good List

10. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Super fun movie.

9. Fireflies. Pretty solid evidence that God wants us to never grow old in our hearts.

8. Not being able to remember the last time I was bored. It was a loooooong time ago.

7. When Grace asks me every morning before she dresses for school, "Mom, what's the high and low for today?" (She's a planner, that one.)

6. The super sweet tiny little notecards Michael's sells in their bargain bins. Perfect for lunch box notes. :-)

5. Cumulus clouds. You know--the kind that make the sky look like a massive adventure-filled cartoon. I very much want to frolic in them.

4. Using old pictures as bookmarks. Doubles the fun of reading.

3. Gigantor! We discovered this massive frog living in our koi pond last week, and I'm kind of obsessed with him. Pretty sure he's the biggest frog I've ever met in person.

2. This ridiculously handsome little stud muffin is coming to see me in just a few weeks!!! (And he's bringing his parents too, so that's pretty cool. :-D)

1. This is one of Grace's textbooks. I could cry. (Have I mentioned how grateful I am that we found this school?)

Shrimp and Grits

I asked each of my girls to choose a recipe for me to make during the first week of school. Something that would give them something to look forward to at the end of the day. This was Grace's choice. :-)

I don't cook with grits very often just because they're a little higher in carbs and a little lower in nutrients than I prefer for every day meals. But sometimes a southern girl just needs some grits, and a little bit of a splurge was in order anyway after a successful first week of school in a whole new state. So: Shrimp and Grits! And what better way to enjoy them than with plenty of cheese and a little bit of bacon? I mean, really... If you're gonna do it, you might as well do it right!

Ingredients:

3-1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth, divided

1 cup half and half

1 cup grits

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic paste

1/2 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan

splash of Sriracha (optional)

4-6 slices bacon, cut into lardons

1/2 lb. portabella mushrooms

2-3 green onions, sliced (save a small handful for garnish if desired)

1 can chopped green chiles

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and de-veined

generous pinch (or two) coconut flour

generous pinch (or two) corn starch

freshly ground black pepper

Tony Chachere's seasoning to taste

salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Begin browning bacon pieces over medium heat.

2. Combine 3 cups chicken broth with half and half and 1/2 teaspoon salt in sauce pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add grits and reduce heat to simmer. Stir often until they begin to thicken.

3. Sprinkle shrimp with coconut flour and corn starch, and season with salt, Tony Chachere's seasoning and freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat evenly. (You don't need much flour or corn starch. This is not intended to be a batter, just a small bit of added texture for the shrimp and a thickening agent for the sauce which will be built from the pan drippings.)

4. Once bacon is fully browned and crisp, remove to paper towels to drain. Discard all but a thin pan coating of grease. 

5. Add shrimp to bacon pan and cook over medium heat until mostly pink and almost done. Remove from pan.

6. Add mushrooms to bacon pan and cook until liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic, green chiles and green onions and saute until fragrant. Pour in 1/2 cup chicken broth and use to deglaze pan. Increase heat slightly until mixture barely begins to boil. Reduce heat and allow to thicken, stirring occasionally.

7. Add cheeses, garlic paste and Sriracha (if desired) to grits.

8. Add shrimp back into pan with sauce and toss to coat and warm through.

9. Serve shrimp mixture over grits and top with bacon pieces and chopped green onions (if desired.)

***For the record, I'm planning to try this using finely processed cauliflower in place of the grits. My kids are skeptical, but I think I can make it work, which would mean we could eat this a little more often. ;-) I'll let y'all know how it goes.

Raw Summer Salad with Mozzarella and Bacon

Simplicity is a beautiful thing. And this is about as simple as it gets. You can throw it together in minutes, and it works as a side dish for almost anything or even as a complete light lunch. Also, it is one of the most versatile dishes ever. I am listing below the ingredients I used, but honestly you could use any combination of your favorite veggies and cheese and even throw in some nuts and seeds if you like. The key to this salad (in my opinion) is to have plenty of crunch in the veggies you choose, and don't skip the dressing. It's just the right amount of sweet, tart and creamy for all those veggies. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 broccoli crown, cut into bite-size pieces

1 small head of cauliflower, separated into bite-size florets

1/2 lb. coarsely chopped portabella mushrooms

1 large orange (or red or yellow) bell pepper, stem and seeds removed and coarsely chopped

6 oz. mozzarella, freshly grated

1/2 lb. bacon, diced and fried very crispy (Dicing the bacon before cooking helps it to cook more evenly and become more crispy, but you could certainly just crumble leftover strips if that's what you have.)

3/4 cup light mayonnaise

2 tablespoons powdered stevia

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Combine all veggies in large bowl and toss together.

2. Sprinkle cheese and bacon bits over top.

3. Combine mayonnaise, stevia and vinegar and whisk to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle a bit over top of salad, reserving some to the side for those who would like to add a bit more.

4. Toss and serve while everything is nice and crisp.

***Suggestions for other great veggie additions include fresh carrots, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, edamame, and grape tomatoes. (I would avoid chopped tomatoes or canned vegetables since they tend to add too much moisture.)

Dirty "Rice" with Spicy Shrimp

Yeah, we're not making rice. Too many carbs. ;-) But at least it isn't quinoa this time for those of you who are sick of hearing about that. It's my other favorite food crush: cauliflower! (To be clear, quinoa and cauliflower are some of my food crushes mainly because they are just so helpful in keeping me happy without so many carbs in my life. If you wanna talk true love, we'll have to discuss chocolate and bacon and things like that, but that will be a discussion for a different day. :-D)

Anyway--riced cauliflower. Have you ever tried this? You should. I submit that not only is it a much healthier option than white (or even brown) rice, it honestly tastes better than rice to me if prepared correctly. And I would never lie to you about something like this. Ever.

Ok. Dirty Riced Cauliflower with Spicy Shrimp. Y'all hungry? Let's do this.

Ingredients:

1 medium head cauliflower, riced (just do a rough chop and process in a food processor)

coconut oil for coating pan

1 chicken bouillon cube

dash cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon garlic paste

splash of Sriracha (optional)

1 onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pound lean ground beef

Tony Chachere's seasoning to taste

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

chopped green onions for garnish

Instructions:

1. Warm just enough coconut oil to coat the bottom of a pan over medium heat. Add bouillon cube and stir until melted. Add riced cauliflower, cayenne pepper, paprika and thyme, and stir until cauliflower begins to soften.

2. Meanwhile in separate (larger) pan over medium heat, saute onion, garlic, green pepper and celery in just enough coconut oil to coat bottom of pan.  Once vegetables have softened, stir in ground beef and cook until fully browned. Drain and return to pan.

3. Stir garlic paste, Tony Chachere's and Sriracha (if desired) into cauliflower mixture and stir until garlic paste has completely melted into the mixture.

4. Dump cauliflower mixture into ground beef mixture and toss together until well-combined. Turn heat to low and keep warm.

5. In the same pan that you used to cook the cauliflower mixture (you might just want to give it a quick wipe with a paper towel if needed), warm just enough coconut oil to coat bottom of pan and add shrimp. Cook until pink and firm, tossing a few times to make sure all sides are cooked. Season to taste with Tony Chachere's seasoning and a Sriracha (if desired).

6. To serve, pour entire cauliflower/beef mixture onto a platter and layer shrimp over the top. Garnish with chopped green onions

Can Savoring our Food be an act of Worship?

I sure hope so! Let's work through this together and see if you agree.

My favorite definition of savor is "to give oneself to the enjoyment of." I love that. A lot.

But are we really supposed to do that? Give ourselves to the enjoyment of food? Well... I think yes, but before you get mad and label me a glutton or hedonist, let me explain. By no means am I suggesting that we are to worship the food itself, nor to over-indulge in food or obsess about it. The food itself deserves none of those forms or levels of attention.

But now let's consider the Creator of food. Why do you suppose He gave us such a gorgeously diverse menu to choose from when we feed ourselves? Couldn't He have fed us simple manna every day? Or maybe even more boring, couldn't He have designed our bodies to be fueled by simply swallowing a super-mega vitamin daily? I'll answer that. Yep. He most definitely could have. He's God. He can do whatever He wants. Which means...

He must have wanted us to have a delightful sensory adventure every time we eat. Why else would He create so many colors and textures and smells and flavors? Consider the boundless variety of sensory experiences available to us through food. The colors we see, the aromas we smell, the textures we feel, the sizzles we hear, and OH the flavors we taste!

Why would He do that? I think there are many reasons we could talk about which would all be true, but for the sake of this brief discussion, let's focus on this-- He loves His children. (That's us.) He delights in our enjoyment of His gifts to us. Any and all of His gifts, including food. So can we worship (offer adoring reverence or regard to) God when we bite into a perfectly ripe, lusciously fragrant, sweet and juicy strawberry, remembering who created it for our enjoyment? Or when we smell and taste that first sip of coffee in the morning? What about when we hear bacon sizzling in a pan on that rare Saturday morning we have nothing on our calendar? Yes, I think we can. But more than that, I think we should. 

The Good List 8-19-15

10. Colorful kites

9. Bare feet in warm, lush, green grass

8. Tony Chachere's seasoning. I use this stuff almost every single day, and it makes pretty much everything scrumptious.

7. The sound of a box fan at night. Nostalgic. Takes me back to church camp in the miserably hot south.

6. Honey roasted peanuts. Sometimes they're just enough sweet to keep me out of the cookies and brownies. ;-)

5. The perfectly decadent combination of lemon and ginger.

4. Van Gogh's Starry Night interpreted with dominoes. This is brilliant.

3. The colors of nature:

2. This conversation-- Macy: Mom, can we paint something on our wall? I promise it'll be awesome. Me: Well.... as long as it's awesome. ;-)

Which led to this:

I'd say she delivered on her promise. ;-)

1. Grace. Exquisite, extravagant, lavish, eternal grace. 

Baked Eggs in Quinoa with Mock Mole Sauce and Queso Fresco

Did you just roll your eyes because I'm talking about quinoa again? You did, didn't you? I can't help it. It's pretty much my food crush. But listen! I have good reasons! I mean, besides the fact that it's delicious and so good for your body (which should really be enough), it's also so amazingly versatile! You can use it in breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, whatever, and you can make it taste a million different ways with just a few ingredients. So really you should probably get used to hearing about it, 'cause I've only given you like 4 recipes so far, which means I have at least 999,996 more to go. So. ;-) 

Oh, but also, I should tell you why I'm calling this "mock" mole sauce. It's because I've been told that a good, authentic mole takes hours to make. I'm not sure if that's true or not, but I'm not pretending to be some awesome little Mexican grandmother who has slaved over her stove top all day long. I just think this tastes an awful lot like many of the mole sauces I've tasted. But it is actually pretty quick and easy to make, so I'm calling it "mock mole" out of respect. Taste it and see what you think. 

Ingredients:

2 cups pre-cooked quinoa 

1 small jar chopped green chiles

1 medium onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

coconut oil for coating pan

1 teaspoon garlic paste

4-6 eggs

3 white onions, quartered

4 plum tomatoes, quartered

3 cloves garlic, peeled

2 anaheim peppers, stems and seeds removed

1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (these are quite spicy, so feel free to use less than the whole can or substitute mild green chiles or something along those lines if you don't like the heat)

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups chicken stock

1 lime, juiced and zested (always smart to zest first)

Instructions:

1. Start by preparing the mole sauce. Raise oven rack to highest position and preheat oven to broil. Put quartered onions, tomatoes, whole garlic cloves and anaheim peppers on sheet pan and spray with olive oil or coconut oil. Broil until all vegetables are bubbly and tomatoes begin to blacken, stirring at least once. (Watch closely as this process happens fairly quickly, but don't be afraid of some black edges. That means flavor.)

2. When nicely charred, remove veggies from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. 

3. While these veggies are cooling, in an oven-safe skillet (cast iron would work perfectly), begin caramelizing chopped onions in coconut-oil coated pan over medium heat.

4. Dump broiled veggies into blender or food processor. Add chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and blend until smooth. Transfer mixture to a sauce pan. Add chili powder, cocoa powder and chicken stock and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5.When onions are nice and brown, add minced garlic and green chiles and cook until fragrant. (This smells so crazy, I kind of just wanna eat it with a spoon. But please don't do that.) 

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

7. Add cooked quinoa and garlic paste to onion mixture and stir until all ingredients are well-combined. Spread quinoa mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan, then make a "well" in the quinoa for each egg. Carefully break one egg into each well and sprinkle each with salt and pepper. Bake in 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until eggs are set but yolks are still runny.

8. Add lime zest and lime juice to sauce and stir to combine flavors. Salt and pepper to taste.

9. Serve by plating each egg with a nice bed of quinoa. Drizzle mock mole sauce generously over the top and crumble over some queso fresco. Yum!

Eating To Make God Happy

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. --I Corinthians 10:31

What do you suppose it might look like to eat or drink to the glory of God? We're commanded to do so right there in Scripture, so it seems like a concept worth figuring out. Could it be that God designed food to do so much more than fuel our bodies? Could it be that maybe He wants us to actually enjoy food? Let's break this down a bit:

One definition of the word glory is "adoring praise or worshipful thanksgiving; a state of absolute happiness, gratification, contentment."

Simply put, if we eat and drink, we're to do it as an act of adoring praise or worshipful thanksgiving to God. 

Or, if you prefer, let's look at that second phrase, that stuff about "absolute happiness." At first glance, what I'd love to do is apply that to me and say that as long as I am absolutely happy and content while I'm eating, I'm in full obedience. I so wish that's what that meant! Bring me all of the chocolate, some crispy bacon, and a loaf of rosemary bread with every meal. The Bible says! I'm soooo happy and super content!

Unfortunately, and contrary to my hearty appetite, I don't think that's what it means at all. Let's look at it again, guided by the biblical text: "...to the glory (absolute happiness) of God." Ohhh. Not my absolute happiness. God's. Ok.

How do I eat and drink in such a way that makes God happy?

I think we start by going back to that first definition. With "adoring praise or worshipful thanksgiving." Grateful to God for the gift of food and the ways he so lavishly provides so much of it in such creative ways. (Eventually I want to explore that entire topic in much greater detail, but that's a discussion for a different day.) For now, let's stay with this idea.

So we're eating and drinking thankfully and worshipfully, grateful to God for his provision. How might we make God happy with the way(s) we eat? What makes God happy? Our obedience, right? Our hearts. Our desire to honor him. Part of that is certainly expressing our thanksgiving to Him for the good gifts He gives us, but I think we should carry that a step further as well to consider his commands about how we care for our bodies, His temple. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, "...do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."

Ok. So if we are to make God happy with the way we eat and drink, smart decisions about what we eat and drink certainly play an important role. We are commanded to take care of our bodies as temples that don't even belong to us. That's something to consider.

If we combine those thoughts, we land pretty much right in the middle of a broad spectrum of approaches to food. On one end, joyless consumption of only the most essential nutrients to keep our bodies fueled. On the other end, gleefully gluttonous indulgence. Somewhere in the middle lies obedient and responsible but joyful consumption of delicious foods that are useful to our bodies and help us care for them in ways that please God. I think that can look just a little bit different for everyone, but we should all land somewhere in that middle ground, where we are worshiping God through our choices and enjoying them to His glory.

What particular ways do you eat and drink to the glory of God?

Scotch Eggs with Dijon Cream Sauce

Well... Not exactly Scotch eggs. Because I baked them instead of deep frying them. But I don't think you'll mind. These are utterly delicious. After one bite, both of my daughters declared these their new favorite food/birthday meal for the rest of life. Alright then.

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 pound homemade chorizo

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1 cup crushed crispy fried onions

2 Tablespoons butter

1 Tablespoon coconut flour

3/4 cup milk (any kind--I used 1%)

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan

1 generous Tablespoon of your favorite mustard--I used horseradish

splash of Sriracha

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Soft boil eggs any way you like. My favorite method is to bring to a gentle boil. As soon as they are boiling, remove from heat, cover and let sit for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, dump hot water and submerge in cold water. Continue to dump and replace water as it will warm up from the heat of the eggs and pot. Once the eggs are nice and cool, they are ready to be peeled.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Create prep station by putting beaten eggs in one dish and mixing bread crumbs and crushed onions in second bowl.

3. Wrap each egg in a layer of chorizo, taking care to seal any seams so they won't fall apart while cooking.

4. Dip each wrapped egg into egg wash and then bread crumb mixture and place into seasoned or sprayed oven-proof dish. (Cast iron works great for this, but any metal or glass pan would be fine as well.)

5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.

6. While eggs are baking, prepare sauce by melting butter in pan on stove top. Add coconut flour and stir until well incorporated and browned. Add milk, Parmesan and mustard and stir until all is well-incorporated. Add Sriracha, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust as you like.

Homemade Chorizo

A few weeks ago my local grocery store had a huge protein sale during which almost all of their pork products were on sale for under $1 a pound. I picked up a 17-pound $50 roast for $16, but my favorite purchase was quite literally ALL of the lean ground pork they had in stock that day. I'm not even kidding. I bought all of it. Six or seven 2-pound packages if I recall correctly. This is what freezers and homemade chorizo recipes are for. :-D

And speaking of homemade chorizo--

Ingredients:

1 pound ground pork (Most chorizo is made with very fatty meat like pork butt, but I actually like it even better with leaner meat like ground loin. There is every bit as much flavor due to all the spices. The only thing missing is the grease.)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons chili powder (That's not a typo. Don't be scared. It's chorizo. It needs a lot of spice.)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon Tony Chachere's seasoning

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Instructions:

In medium bowl, mix all ingredients together, cover and chill in refrigerator overnight. (Or freeze for later use.)

(adapted only very slightly from a recipe by Bobby Flay)

Bacon-Wrapped Sriracha Shrimp

I submit that if the words bacon, Sriracha and shrimp are in the title of a recipe, it needs no further explanation. I mean, honestly...

So. Without further ado...

Ingredients:

1 pound large shrimp

salt and pepper

1 pound bacon

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

2 Tablespoons lime juice

2 Tablespoons Sriracha

handful of coconut sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In medium bowl, whisk together coconut oil, lime juice and Sriracha. Peel and de-vein shrimp, season with salt and pepper and place in bowl with marinade. Toss to coat well and put in the refrigerator for about an hour. (They're already so pretty, it's hard to be patient. I understand. Really I do. But if you let them soak up all the flavors of that gorgeous marinade, it will be worth the wait. I promise.)

3. Cut bacon slices into 3 equal pieces. Wrap each shrimp in one piece of bacon. (You can secure with toothpicks if you like, but if you place them seam-side down on your pan, it's really not necessary.) For best results, use a broiler pan or an oven-proof cooling rack inside a sheet pan.

4. Sprinkle generously with coconut sugar and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, increase heat to broil in order to crisp bacon and finish caramelizing coconut sugar. Watch very closely at this point so as not to burn them. I typically broil for 1 minute, then rotate pan and broil for 1 more minute, but results may vary. Please don't burn these!!! Wasted shrimp and bacon just hurts my heart. I can't handle it.

For something so incredibly delicious, these are really deceitfully easy to make. Super impressive as a finger (or toothpick) food for dinner parties or a rock star main dish for your family any time!

The Good List 8-12-15

10. Ambigrams. Words that read the same upside-down as they do right-side up. How fun is that?

9. When every sock in a load of clothes has a match. How sad is it that this happens so seldom that it's noteworthy when it does? ;-)

8. Airports with free wi-fi. Which in my opinion should be all airports at this point in life, but since that isn't the case, I'm grateful for the ones that get it right.

7. Mini Babybel white cheddar cheese. Quite possibly the most delectable 70 calories you'll ever consume. Also: it's fun to peel off the little wax shell. ;-)

6. A brand new box of crayons. Right? I know y'all know what I'm talking about. 

5. Constellations. Isn't it fun that God is so creative?

4. Eye contact. Sometimes I fear that the ongoing increase in non-face-to-face communication will make it a thing of the past, but I hope to do my part to make sure my family values its importance and keeps it alive.

3. Bare feet in lush green grass.

2. When Macy and Grace are playing together unaware that anyone is listening, and they are making each other belly laugh like the very best of friends. Best. Sound. Ever.

1. The delicate yet powerful sound of a room full of Bible pages being turned.