Taste and see...Devo Ap

First course the appetizer  enjoy this plate of 3...

Psalm 63:2

I have seen you in the sanctuary

and beheld your power and your glory.

2 Corinthians 5:7

For we live by faith, not by sight.

John 11:40

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

Miracles are not always visible to the naked eye, but those who live by faith can see them clearly. Living by faith, rather than sight enables us to see God's Glory.

Just believe, and listen and look and taste and see and share ...release that Glory...think about that with Jesus in our hearts...it is a matter of releasing Him...Letting Him go...Like God's Word never returning void ...rest assured  Jesus will "return"  we are not throwing away we are letting go ...releasing Glory!  And its coming back  ;)    

Get ready to receive!

Are you ready?

With the upcoming holiday speeding towards it is time again to reflect on ..well...what it is....    

 Happy 4^th!  

Happy Independence Day!  

No matter how you label it… It means something special to us who not only live in this country but who have fallen in love with a country and served even unto death for that connection to the founding spirit that makes patriotism real.  We have shared the same faith walk of the founders of this country…and found God in our Love and devotion to our country.  Yes like politics they argued…that religion and politics sometime meet and agree so we also  in our walk testifying and sharing the Good News…the same good news I may say that the founders of this country came here to express…each group in their own way But one thing…one thing remains from that day…what we have in common is the journey and legacy of religious freedom to worship, and a new beginning …It would seem to be very hard to express what that means in one thought.  After reading writings from the Founding fathers it occurred to me that it’s all about one thing …a person named Jesus.  They were all  called out to be Christians…and what they believe in is justification by faith - that through their belief in Jesus as the Son of God, and in his death and resurrection, they can have a right relationship with God whose forgiveness was made once and for all through the death of Jesus Christ…as revealed in the Bible and testimony of many followers who have gone before us.    They believed God in His Word and when they read in Psalm 33:12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.” They knew the key to success of this fledgling country was in founding it firmly on His principles …they felt God had brought them here …that they were chosen for His own inheritance… God So loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…Jesus so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  

     Now I was blessed to live for a season near the Jamestown colony and got to visit and study the cuisine of those first settlers. Also ate colonial inspired dishes in Williamsburg.  So I humbly submit this recipe as it is one of my favorites.  I hope eating something like this could inspire dinner table conversations about such a time when people who made gigantic sacrifices to be free...and how God was there  working His plans for us, and seeing the Love for country begins with true Love …and we know God is Love…Independence?  Yes! but by Dependance on Our Father’s provision... “O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”  Psalm 34:8. 

This colonial recipe is called Apple Tansey.  If you have cooked an omelet this will be helpful.  But I have some tips to make this recipe more…user friendly?  I quote from the original,  The Compleat Houfewife: Or, Accomplished Gentelwoman’s Companion,1742 ( the first cookbook published in the US)

 “Take three pippins, slice them round in thin slices, and fry them with butter; then beat four eggs, with six spoonfuls of cream, a little rosewater, nutmeg, and sugar; stir them together, and pour it over the apples; let it fry a little, and turn it with a pye-plate. Garnish with lemon and sugar strew'd over it.” 

The tips being: 1) if no pippins are available any sweet apple with a little tartness.  Core them before slicing.  ;)

2)Over a Medium Hot burner in a large (10"inch) straight sided saute or cast iron pan

3) Use 3 tablespoons of butter & heat till melted and starting to get to the "tan" stage... add apples and turn often till apples start browning.  

Now making a custard…beat eggs and heavy cream. Don’t worry about the rosewater it is a delicate flavor if you have some make sure it is CULINARY rosewater only about 1/2 teaspoon.  About a third of a nutmeg or a good teaspoon of already ground, and 2 Tablespoons sugar.  OK so now you are making an omelet or frittata... reduce heat to medium and stir it often till it starts to come together, check for brownness on the underside.  Flip it or turn it by putting a pie plate over the Tansey and turning it over in one quick motion, then sliding it back into the pan. Make sure it is very brown.  You want this a little darker than Golden)

For a no flip option place it under your oven’s broiler until the top is very brown. remove and slide off onto a plate. 

 Now personal tips...( If you are at home) since I had to get a ½ pt minimum of cream for the 6 teaspoons for the Tansey, whip the rest of it as sweet as you like and top the Tansey with that or powdered sugar and serve with small lemon wedges to garnish. 

Ask your guests to squeeze a little lemon over the Tansey…And remember the struggle where a well cooked meal or treat, dessert made your life special.  Love food!  Oh yeah...Don't forget the Fireworks!  Oooooooooo  Ahhhhhhhhhhhh  

Thanks to Tori Avey and her blog/website "The History Kitchen" for the pic...

Feed me Seymour!

A great line from a funny movie "Little Shop of Horrors"  the movie version was great ...and the recurring theme of an alien plant gone crazy with hunger for human blood....well as unappetizing as that sounds  ...we all cry out both as babies for food that helps us grow into adults, and spiritually as adults to be fed to be fed what Jesus stated in John 4:32 as  “I have food to eat you know nothing about.”  That sustenance that comes from God(As Jesus said in verse 34) "The food that keeps me going is that I do the will of the One who sent me, finishing the work he started."   OK now Food eternal  that is quite a jump from milk that grows us physically...and in the Gospel of John we read about His growth into what His Father and ours.     My wife Cat and I were sharing from John 21  and we would like to share this with you all...and expound on it in future posts...

John 21:15

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

What are you doing to help someone else? Are you making a difference in someones life? Because that is how you show your love for God. The cycle of love God pours into your life is not complete until it is pouring out if you to meet other peoples needs.
If love has no action to back it up, then it becomes empty words with no power. God proved His love for us by giving His only Son to die for our sins. And we can prove our love for God by letting Him use us to help other people (His sheep). Don't wait until you feel like being a blessing; rather, start doing it on purpose, and you will realize that it will add joy to your life.

Have a blessed day and Rock and Roll! 

Jesus is the Rock and we Roll!

Hello Sisters and Brothers in Christ our true food...The fresh Hot bread of life!  I am glad to share a little each day about what is going on in the ministry and lives of the Christian Culinary Academy.  Today at the Christian Culinary Academy's lesson on International Cuisine took us on a trip where we landed in India!  Spiritual home of many of the worlds religions namely Hinduism  Christianity, Buddhism and Islam.  A very religious country...it is also the mother country or region where for 7000 years what has influenced us all...Spices!    indeed the spice of life...Seasoning...We are encouraged to be seasoning in this world we live in...In Mathew, Luke, and Mark  we are told about Salt and to be salt...and the historical heritage of Indian food  is full of such seasonings  to tickle please and stimulate the palate. Indeed Salt's main partner in seasoning is Pepper  some call it the king of spices.   Culinary herbs work hand in hand with medical , healing herbs...the basis of modern medicine...Food that restores and rejuvenates,   Taste and See that the Lord is good  we are also told to "Chew on" or meditate on the Word and on the very presence of God in our thoughts mind and body...one sister shared "Cows spend about one-third of their day eating, consuming 45-90 pounds of food and 25-50 gallons of water daily. Yes, they eat a lot and often."

      The challenge to Christians is to likewise, eat a lot and often from the Living Word and drink deeply from the well of life! When Jesus was hungry after fasting forty days and nights, the devil tempted Him by saying He should turn stones into bread.  Jesus answered “It is written ‘Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God!”(Matthew 4:4)  We are “man”!  We live by every word which comes from the mouth of God therefore we must spend our time eating His Word and we should eat a lot and often, taking huge bites of His Word to get it into our spirits!  Spices are mentioned in the Bible as precious things to be tithed,..  in Mathew 23:23 You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cumin.   and suffice it to say many spices and herbs are mentioned in the Bible  for food seasoning healing and in worship...from eating to balms and salves, to incense ....enjoy that search!    

So today starts a new journey into what God has for me  After experiencing Resurrection Sunday, Easter ...I am reminded that I like to share that each and every day is Easter, and Christmas, and Pentecost...and each day another chance, another opportunity to repent, to adjust course, to fly right and carry the message of the Good News of Jesus Christ...let us share that and thank you for allowing myself and my wife to share the Word and hopefully encouragement and insight.  Love is the main spice....Jesus the bread of life....Amen?

Thank you 

Leo and Cat

April 2014

From the Burner
 Life Lessons from Christian Chefs?

"When you work, you work hard!
When you PRAY, God works."
                              - Hudson Taylor

    "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." -James 15:16

Boy, I know about "WORK," as I am sure you do too. I have always been a 110% person. What do you think Hudson Taylor was talking about? I know my Lord has directed, and continues to direct, my life and career as a cook and as a servant of Christ. But, I must confess, an awful lot of my work was done by "self" at work. I knew my Lord was my strength and source of wisdom BUT I often was so BUSY I left Him on the back burner, so to speak. How easy it is to skip that one quiet time and most of all the precious time of prayer. How PRIDEFUL it is for us to think WE can move in our own power. Only the Lord can give us the wisdom and strength to carry on.

I have a prison story to share to illustrate my point. I retired from being a Prison Chef a few years back. I used to work with up to 70 inmate workers and maybe, if I was lucky, a fellow paid cook. We had no guards in the kitchen with us. Needless to say, this was a very stressful job at times. Consider what it would be like in this kind of setting if shipments didn't arrive on time, workers rioted, food did not get out on time, or equipment malfunctioned. So many factors can affect the stress level in the kitchen. It was MY job to keep things running smoothly.

One day, it seemed everything that could go wrong did. Then to make things worse, my boss was having a real difficult day himself dealing with all the challenges. He got on my case. Well, I just could not take anymore pressure so I slipped into the walk-in and started to cry out of pure exhaustion and frustration. I have been a Christian for many years, but I had been too busy to spend time with my Lord that day. Low and behold, the Lord sent my fellow cook in to me. My dear friend, Cory, was also a Christian. He whipped out his trusty New Testament with Psalms and began to read to me. He gave me a gift of scripture which was just what I needed to hear. As Cory read, he would stop after each verse and say a sentence prayer about the content. This incident changed my life. Let me share that precious gift of scripture with you.

    "1 I love you, Lord; you are my strength.
    2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
    my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
    He is my shield, the strength of my
    salvation, and my stronghold.
    3 I will call on the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
    for he saves me from my enemies."
    -Psalm 18 (New Living Translation)

Since that day, I carried a pretty little polished stone in my uniform pocket to remind me of Christ, my rock. When I would be dealing with the various situations at work, I would often have my hand in my pocket and hold onto that rock, my reminder of who my real boss was. Jesus Christ!

Have you ever prayed back scripture to God? What a blessing it is. Have you ever thought of sharing scripture as a "GIFT" with a fellow worker? He might be a baby Christian in need for just such a gift. Or, he could be a mature Christian like me, in need of encouragement at that moment. What Cory did for me that day was a "gift" beyond measure. We were allowed to carry little testaments in our uniform pockets as long as we did not bring up the subject. The inmates always wondered what made Cory and I so different from most of the other "paid cooks." We could then share and pray with them when they asked questions, as long as it did not interfere with getting our job done in a timely manner. Often my men would ask me about the pretty shiny pebble I always carried. Word got around about my faith in Christ. I prayed with many men in that walk-in myself.

"Thank you Jesus, for your gracious, faithful, care of this servant of yours."
Amen


Diane Boone

March 2014

From the Burner
Life Lessons from Christian Chefs


When life gives you lemonade, make lemons. Life will be all like "What?!"
When life gives you lemons use as an all-natural, organic astringent…
When life gives you Lemons make…a world of fantastic things! 

Wow…as my mind reels and my taste buds begin to drool, I think of how immense the smallish fruit can be. It’s like the ant who can lift 50 times its body weight, and we gain a respect for that little creation. As a food lover I see God’s creations in all its diversity of texture, color, and flavor.  When we look at the lemon, it is beautifully bright and yellow; the healing color of the sun, the color of brightness, and inspiring lemon flavor. Yet, beneath the beauty, the freshness of aromatic brightness is the taste of….sour. A flavor profile that moves the very muscles and tendons in our faces into a scrunch, and yet, in the twitching musculature, a smile usually erupts.

Yes the lemon is a source of an acid—ooooo… sounds dangerous! Citric acid, sharp and powerful; yet, even before the knowledge of vitamins, lemon juice was a known source of healing. No scurvy no more! It cleans, it whitens, and brightens! It cooks proteins like fish to make them tasty and safe!  Vitamin C has shown cancer healing properties! The lemon was used even by the ancients to lighten, exfoliate, and tone skin. I’m beginning to wonder, is there anything this fruit can’t do? 

Yet, when we get a “lemon” the association is something that leaves a sour taste in our mouth, but why is that? It seems to me that ALL things work together for the good for those who are called to His purpose, amen?  But sometimes we have to go beyond the many levels of who, or what, we are. So much of the lemon is on the surface: scent, flavor (in the oils), color (that pleases the eye). Similarly, also we have a “presentation side,” and our attitude becomes a sweet smelling sacrifice unto the Lord, and the essence of flavor seasoning, and infusing those around us.

But then we go a level down, to the fruit. Now there is another wow factor. If I had tons of room to talk about the fruit mentioned in the Bible, we’d be here for quite a while. I encourage you to look up fruit and marvel at the depth of teaching and lessons; from the very beginning of the Bible to the very last book fruit is mentioned. Jesus Himself mentioned it with a depth of meaning. One example is in John 15:16:  “You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.”
 
Let’s go back to our lovely lemon. As the old song bespoke, “Lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet. But the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat.“  We shouldn’t say impossible, for as “With God ALL things are possible,” we can make that sour fruit and use it, create with it, sweeten it.

Fruit is the describer of what the Holy Spirit indwells us with. The Fruit of the Spirit sweetens all things with love. And so when life gives us lemons, don't ask why, but ask God how He can use them to cleanse and exfoliate us of the oily, greasy buildup in our lives, and sweeten us with Love. 

"I'm never quite confident I can do what God wants me to. In fact, I'm certain I can't unless God does something. But the beautiful thing is, he does do something. … Time and again. -- Carol Cymbal
 
Chef Leo Griego

February 2014

The Soul of an Apprentice 

We all know people who are difficult. We meet them where we work and where we live. They make everything, well, difficult.

It is hard to get things done when we have to work with difficult people. Instead of smooth sailing, our boat seems to be stuck in a perpetual storm, and we have to spend inordinate amounts of time keeping excess water out of the boat, lest we drown. 

What causes people to be difficult? The Bible identifies two reasons: self-seeking and envy.

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive [literally, easily entreated], full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness (James 3:13-4:1, NIV).

Those who are self-seeking think about themselves more than others, and as a result they are unwilling to help others when needed. Instead of being easily entreated and considerate, they consider their own interests above all. It is not a recipe for harmony.

Paul provides a solution how people can become easy to work with:  

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus (Phil 2:1-5, NIV).

Humility is the answer to self-seeking. Humility causes us to consider the interests of others and as a result we become one in spirit and purpose. Thus united, we are always ready to help others as we seek to maintain that unity, instead of seeking to please only ourselves at the expense of others.   


Susanna Krizo
Editor