Culinary Reformation: A Good Blog

Hear that? Rumble. It's inside us all. A hungry tummy. It's that small nudge inside each of us, that proves the wisdom of our Creator in His ordering of the universe. It reminds us that we are dependent creatures. We were made to hunger, in order to eat, in order to be nourished, in order to survive, to thrive, to realize that all things come from His kind hand, for in Him we live, move, and have our being.

Food is a gift from God. Not just a necessity, but also a pleasure. He created us to eat, then hid all these diverse, creative flavors in foods that not only nourish, but delight us. But somewhere along the last century, we lost something. We became out of touch with the truth that in His wisdom, our Creator intended our bodies (His temple), to be nourished, and in being the most nourished, we would be the most delighted.

So we left the old paths, left behind true nourishment in exchange for convenience and saving some dollars (and therefore making some dollars), and we pursued in our Age of Technology shortcuts, fast-food to keep up with our fast lives, and we've ended up with hosts of modern fake foods and all manner of modern diseases. The irony is that we haven't saved much time or money when so many today find themselves inconvenienced in a hospital. It's a costly price to pay.

The good news is that the old paths are still there, waiting to be rediscovered. My dear friend, Renée DeGroot, is out to help people find them, rethink their philosophy of food, and live healthier, happier lives. She is the author of the book, Health for Godly Generations, and blog, Culinary Reformation. Both are good resources with lots of interesting insights and wisdom from her studies. In her own words from the blog on why she chose to name it Culinary Reformation:

Culinary: of or relating to the kitchen, cookery, and cuisine. 

 Reformation: the act of abolishing errors and putting into a better form or condition.

All things having to do with food and the kitchen need to be renewed—purposefully established according to their value for our lives. This culinary reformation includes learning about old, traditional ways and incorporating them into our modern lives in a manner that promotes wellness with simplicity.  ... Most of all, I want to see people cared for, healthy, and happy. That includes you, and I hope you’ll join me for this adventure!

I love food, and by food I don't mean a hot dog from the gas station. I mean real whole food, minimally processed, traditional, wisely and creatively prepared to delight the senses and nourish the whole body. Because real food is healthful, and also incredibly important, it tastes good! So I believe it's important to be educated about eating wisely, for health now, for future generations, all to the glory of God.

So study, then eat, and give a toast to real food and culinary reformations!

Cheers!
ak

Les Misér-apples

If a picture is worth a thousand words, here's a three-thousand word story of how this Sour-Cream Apple Pie came to into being. Too bad we can't share aromas online yet. (Try not to drool on your keyboard, it isn't good for it.) :)_

First Act: The Apples find out things aren't as they seem.

Second Act: Adversity slices through their lives.

Third Act: [The ending of this story is rather predictable, and left to
the theater of your imagination's tastebuds.]



Fin

The Aroma of Gratitude

Ah, Thanksgiving Day. One day of celebrating and giving thanks is 364 days too short. We're WAY too blessed not to do as Paul exhorts us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18:

"in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Today we remember the first Thanksgiving Day, and the providence of the Lord working through the faithful pilgrims. They risked their lives for freedom to worship God in spirit and truth over 350 years ago. We remember the blessings we are still experiencing thanks to them.




Today, we feasted. Two tables end to end, tablecloths of golden wheat, floating candles, the aroma of a cornucopia of hearty food, all melding together to create an ambiance of warmth. Green beans/bacon, cranberry salad, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, corn, sweet-potato-marshmallow casserole, homemade rolls, and of course, turkey, all laid out buffet-style.





I'm so thankful for my friends and family seated around the table. Conversations and fellowship were lively and words of wisdom spoken. Once bellies bulged to capacity, the "under 40 crowd" sunk to the cool of the basement and played a pretty intense game of Dutch-Blitz; fast paced for everyone being so engorged. Of course, I finished the game with -65. ;) We resurfaced for 3 kinds of pie and sparkling cider. T'was good indeed.

During dinner, we read snippets of wisdom on the spirit of thanksgiving, and warnings on ingratitude. I'm not sure of the sources of some of these, but I'll share some with you. I hope they encourage your heart like they did mine...

"Ingratitude is the mark of rank worldliness. It is the mark of an unbeliever. It is the character of an infidel to be ungrateful. Paul, in describing a lost world, said in Romans 1:21, 'Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful.' You are never more like a lost man, an unbeliever, than when you are ungrateful." -unknown

"Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving." - Colossians 4:2

Shakespeare described ingratitude as a "Marble-Hearted Fiend." That is, he said that an ingrate had the heart of solid marble. Shakespeare went on to say, "I hate ingratitude more in man than lying, vainness, babbling, drunkenness, or any taint of vice, whose strong corruption inhabits our frail blood."

"The key to unlocking a heart of gratitude and overcoming bitterness, ugliness, disrespect, and violence is a strong sense of dependence on God the Creator, Sustainer, Provider, and Hope-Giver. ...Remembering our dependence on past mercies kindles gratitude. Pondering the promises of tomorrow's mercies kindles faith. Gratitude is past-oriented dependence; faith is future-oriented dependence. Both forms of dependence are humble, self-forgetting, and God exalting... O that we might guard our hearts from the arrogance that unleashes a thousand evils in the world! Humble gratitude for all God has done for us in the past and humble trust in all He promises to do for us in the future --- this is the key." - (John Piper, A Godward Life, 46)

Matthew Henry, the famous Bible teacher, was once accosted by theives and robbed of all his money. He wrote these words in his diary: "I am so very thankful. First, because I was never robbed before. Second, because although they took my purse they did not take my life. Third, because although they took everything I had, it wasn't very much. Fourth, it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed."

Someone else has written these words: "The thief may have some streaks of honesty in him, the deadbeat spots of honor, the liar hours when he loves the truth, the libertine occasions when he has impulses to be pure; but there is nothing redemptive in the ingrate."

"Thus out of small beginnings greater things have grown by His hand Who made all things out of nothing, and gives being to all things that are; and as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light enkindled here has shone to many, yea, in a sense, to our whole nation; let the glorious name of Jehovah have all the praise." - William Bradford, circa 1630

The sun is down now, and the last streaks of purple have faded from the rafters of the sky, and all is mellow inside. I see His rich grace as I look around the room at all I have that I don't deserve, and I see His kind mercy as I don't see what I do deserve. Past and present and future, the faithfulness of our Lord is astounding...and I know I don't even know the half of it. I'm so thankful for His grace to give thanks in everything, His mercy when I fail, and His ability to keep me from falling into ingratitude. May His mercy and grace continue to turn us into a grateful people!

"When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you." - Deut. 8:10

A Happy Thanksgiving to you, today and everyday!

~A

Serving Size: One

I was thinking the other day about food. Well, so what's new, right? :) I was pondering serving sizes, actually. Most packaged foods tell you how many serving sizes are in the box, or can, or whatever. We usually eat the more than the suggested serving size on most foods. Fast food joints feed you a meal that is easily more than one serving size, not to mention a pet peeve of mine: the "straws" they give you to slurp your super-sized soda seem more closely related to a garden hose than a straw. But I digress...

When my siblings and I make cookies, we typically double or triple the batch 'cause in larger families like ours, there just isn't enough cookie to go around otherwise. Plus, factor in a few big boys (and little ones for that matter) who think the serving size of a cookie is 5 per person and suddenly 24 cookies don't seem like that many. ;) And occasionally the overdose of cookies leads to heartburn.

But there is another way of getting heartburn. The serving size of a human heart, contrary to what popular culture says, is only one. Like Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." - Matthew 6:24. You can't serve God and sin, God and personal peace and affluence, God and selfish ambition, God and anything else. That doesn't mean go join the local monastery or nun cloister. We serve God by loving one another, dying to self, doing our best in business, etc, and by enjoying Him forever! The human heart was made to serve one - The One. Anything else causes heartburn. Thankfully, He helps us keep our hands out of the proverbial cookie jar, and in His service!

Peace,

Audrey