Eating the Bible: Mortar and Memories

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Tonight’s post comes from Exodus 1:14

And they embittered their lives with hard labor, with mortar and with bricks and with all kinds of labor in the fields, in all of their work they worked with back-breaking labor.

I felt that this passage fits nicely with the journey of Lent. Maybe not in the literal sense, unless your Lenten observance is to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity (hey, that’s a good one!), but in the sense that honoring and serving God and the community does require hard work. Spiritual labor, although probably not physically taxing, can break you down and build you back up.

Rena decided to do a play on “mortar and bricks” by cutting meatloaf into the shape of bricks and stacking them, using a sauce as the mortar. I used my mini loaf pan to create mini meatloaves.

Mini Turkey Meatloaves

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 large onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 small carrot, chopped
  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1/2 C breadcrumbs
  • 1 tbsp ketchup, plus more for topping
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire
  • 1 egg

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat saute onions in olive oil for 2 minutes. Season with S+P. Add garlic and stir, 30 seconds. Add carrots and cook another 5 minutes. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl combine turkey, breadcrumbs, ketchup and egg. Add in the carrots, salt, pepper, and parsley.
  4. Form meatloaf into 7 mini meatloaves and place in greased mini loaf pan or on a greased baking dish. Top each with extra ketchup and bake 35-40 minutes.

*This recipe is modified from Eating the Bible by Rena Rossner*

Mini Turkey Meatloaf

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Baby Baked Beef Burritos

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments
Where it all began - this photo taken after graduation, 2010
Where it all began – this photo taken after graduation 2010

Stuart and I met working at Moe’s Southwest Grill in Auburn and whenever we go to a Moe’s we’re always silently critiquing the employee’s burrito rolling skill. On a full size burrito (not the baby ones in this recipe) we would always mix the filling ingredients by “shimmying” the tortilla around the filling. Not only does doing this ensure a perfect bite every time, but it also creates a nice shape to roll a mess-free burrito. Because the “shimmying” method isn’t often used, I don’t particularly like burritos. They’re usually too big for me and my bites have either only meat or only toppings. But when I saw this recipe for baked burritos I thought I’d give it a shot. I liked the idea of a crispy burrito. But when I went to make my grocery list I didn’t examine the tortillas I had on hand well enough – they weren’t burrito sized, they were taco sized. And let me tell you, these baby sized burritos were just perfect for me – every bite had everything!

It was a really long day at work and I was very tempted to forego Mexican Monday for something simpler but I am so glad I made these. Every meal the rest of the week failed to compare.

How to roll a Burrito

Baby Baked Beef Burritos

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp canola oil
  • 1/2 large onion, diced
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 lb ground beef
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 C corn kernels, drained/thawed
  • 1/2 C black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 C vegetable or beef broth
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 12 6″ flour tortillas
  • 1 C shredded Mexican blend cheese

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat saute onion and jalapeno in canola oil 3 minutes. Add garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add ground beef and cook, breaking up. Once cooked drain excess fat, if needed.
  3. Stir in 1 tbsp tomato paste. Add corn, black beans, and broth. Stir and add cumin, oregano, chili powder, brown sugar, and salt. Simmer until all liquid is absorbed.
  4. Assemble burritos with cheese and beef filling. (See photos above) Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Spray burritos with cooking spray and bake 18-20 minutes.
  5. Serve with salsa, queso, sour cream, or guacamole if desired.

*This recipe is modified from http://karmelowy.pl/chrupiace-burrito-z-wolowinacrispy-beef-burritos/*

Baby Baked Beef Burritos

Updated July 2016: I have made these burritos multiple times, often doubling the recipe to bring to a potluck or for serving to my extended family. The last time I made these, a couple of weeks ago, we had some new friends over for dinner. They were in the process of moving to Alabama. Having just completed a cross country move ourselves I knew they’d appreciate a home cooked meal before they hit the road, so we invited them over the night their belongings were being boxed up. We served them with salsa, guacamole, and taco seasoning spiked Greek yogurt. These mini burritos are definitely one of my favorite recipes here on the blog! They’re easy to do with little ones underfoot, too, as I can make the filling ahead of time, roll them at a separate time, and simply bake them before we’re ready to eat. Bonus: my kids have enjoyed them every time – eating only the filling.

Baby Baked Beef Burritos Sew You Think You Can Cook

 

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Eating the Bible: Gifts of Contrition?

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Rena created beautiful chicken packages filled with pistachio and almonds to complement Genesis 43:11.

“And Israel their father said to them: If it be so, then do this: take from the best of the land in your vessels and bring the man a gift: a little balsam, a little honey, some gum and resin, pistachios and almonds.”

The definition of contrition is sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation.  The gifts given to Joseph from his brother were not gifts fit for a king, but rather a care package from home. The foods native to Israel are considered to be a symbol reminding Joseph of his betrayal; an effort to make him feel guilt.

Contrition is not a concept I agree with. And a God to be fearful of is not one I want to believe in. I can understand that religion and God is often used to impart “right” and “wrong”, especially on children, but I do not believe in using fear as a way to teach morality.

One of my favorite quotes is, “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” by C.S. Lewis. And that philosophy is how I view God. I don’t make my decisions based on fear of God, I don’t do what I think it right because God would want it to be that way. I’d like to think that God is judging me on who I am, not who I am because of a fear. I think genuine actions are the most important.

Pistachio Almond Chicken Parcels

Ingredients:

  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/2 C ground toasted shelled pistachios
  • 1/2 C ground toasted almonds
  • 1/2 C plain breadcrumbs
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 C honey, plus more for drizzling

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Cut chicken breasts in half to create 6 thinner breasts.
  3. Combine the remaining ingredients.
  4. Spread 1-2 tbsp of nut mixture on each chicken breast. Roll chicken and place in a greased baking dish. Top with any remaining nut mixture and drizzle with honey. Bake 30-35 minutes.

*This recipe is adapted from Eating the Bible by Rena Rossner*

Image

The nut mixture would be great placed in crescent rolls too!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. 

Easter Mantle

~ lk529 ~ 1 Comment

I consider Ash Wednesday to be the beginning of the Easter season. As such, I decorate the first chance I get immediately following Ash Wednesday. Today was that day.

I love having a mantle to decorate and our mantle is located in the family room so I get to see it every day!

Last year my mother-in-law found an old window for me to use. And as many Pinterest projects there are, I’ve chosen to leave it alone. It’s such a beautiful piece of architecture and makes me love my mantle decor even more than I did last year!

There is a cable hook up and a square hole above the fire place where one could hang a TV, so I always have a piece of art over it. (Detour – hanging TVs scares me. Like, seriously, makes me nervous. And also, hanging TVs puts them at an awkward angle so you always have to look up to watch a show.) The size of the window meant I had to take down the art which also meant I’d be stuck looking at the hole in the wall. (I’m always afraid there’s going to be bugs coming out of it.) I was about to be disappointed and then I saw in my box of decorations a light blue gingham piece of fabric that lines an Easter basket. I hung that from the bolts in the wall and laid the window against it. I thought it’d look strange, but I am loving it!

When Stuart was little his parents gave them tiny rabbit figurines over the years and I now have them to add a little bit of sentiment to the decorations.

I have filled glass jars with Easter straw and plastic eggs and transformed a spring candle holder by using it to hold more eggs.

Easter Mantle

Hummus Chicken

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

My mom came to visit last weekend and while Stuart was off Adventure Racing.

We enjoyed a very girly weekend. We got our nails done, which I never do – I even picked a pink polish color!, we watched chick-flicks and ate popcorn, we went shopping, and she knitted a hat and booties while I worked on another baby quilt.

Oh – and after a trip to Home Depot we changed 7 light bulbs in my house.

Mom and I are perfectly happy with simple snack-style dinners – hummus with pita, popcorn, salad, cheese and crackers, etc. However I did plan to cook at least once while she was in town. I picked out a recipe that I thought she’d not only like but would make back home. Something healthy and simple. And this Hummus Chicken is exactly that. You could even add variation by simply using whatever flavor hummus you like – red pepper, basil, spicy, original! I served the chicken with asparagus. The original recipe suggested serving  roasted squash, but as that would kill me (allergies) I chose to omit the dangerous vegetable.

I didn’t end up making this either Friday night or Saturday while Stuart was gone, and we had plans to go to Sushi on Sunday for dinner so I decided to make the chicken for Sunday’s lunch. And as it was a most beautiful day I knew I’d get to take advantage of some natural light for once! Before plating the food I brought it over to my standard photography site to find that the window panes create shadows that are smaller than my plates. So much for that idea. (Next house – the windows and sunlight will be greatly scrutinized.) But I’ve read up on food photography tips and every blogger and book says to take the food outside. So, I did! And I think it turned out great! (Although we did have to shoo away a bumble bee!) As my schedule doesn’t allow for me to photograph meals outdoors I don’t have a set up or anything, so… my food was put on the sidewalk. But hey, it’s on a plate which is on a placemat. It did greatly amuse me though to be picking food up off the ground to then go inside and enjoy.

Hummus Chicken

Ingredients:

  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 8 tbsp hummus
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 tsp paprika

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Season chicken with S+P. Top each breast with 2 tbsp hummus. Place in a greased casserole dish.
  3. Squeeze chicken with lemon and sprinkle with paprika.
  4. Bake 25 minutes.

This recipe is adapted from Ali at http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/hummus-crusted-chicken/*

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Eating the Bible: Eternal Dust

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Each year during Lent I try to reconnect with my faith. I am not the most religious girl, and I don’t often enter into conversations regarding religion and in no way offer to convert someone. I have an almost all-encompassing view of God. I was raised Catholic and when I do go to church I attend the local Catholic Church – I like the rhythm of mass. And while I don’t always agree with the Catholic viewpoint, I still get something out of each homily.

I see religion as a human’s way to understand life, as a way to provide a purpose to human existence. I do believe that there is a God – I don’t have an image of God, and I definitely don’t provide Him with a human quality – more of a giant ball of light and energy. I believe that every religion is actually one in the same (not I’m not trying to spark a debate here), and that different cultures and peoples choose to understand and believe in their vision of God differently.

With my blog I have decided to take a different outlook on my Lenten journey this year. It’s been a long time since I’ve given something up (candy, soda, fast food, etc) and instead I look to adding something to my life – usually it’s going to Church each Sunday (as I don’t do that weekly) or reading the New Testament. But with the blog I thought it’d be great to add a food aspect to my journey. I’ve never failed a Lenten promise and I don’t want to set myself up for failure here, so two times a week (Wednesdays and Sundays) I plan to cook a recipe from Rena Rossner’s Eating the Bible.On those days my posts will be in the evening after supper.

Rena took it upon herself to enrich her bible study through food. These recipes are inspired by the Old Testament. And even though Lent is about the 40 days Jesus spent wandering in the desert, renouncing the Devil and Temptation and ends with Holy Week which marks the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Easter!), I can still find Rena’s cookbook to help me slow down and think about God. While she references many stories from the Old Testament, she provides “food for thought” both in recipes and in questions to ask about God.

The first recipe that I’m trying from Eating the Bible is Eternal Dust which was inspired by Genesis 13:16. 

“And I will make your progeny like the dust of the earth: so that if a man could count the dust of the earth, then your progeny could also be counted.”

I feel this recipe applies greatly to Ash Wednesday. During Ash Wednesday mass, ashes are placed on our forehead in the shape of a cross while the words from Genesis 3:19 “Remember that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return.” are said.  Ash Wednesday serves as a reminder of earthly mortality and repentance to God.

Rena decided to make a spice rub, or a spice “dust”, as a compliment to this bible study. She titled her spice blend “Earthly Seasoning”.  I used this “Earthly Seasoning” on roasted shrimp and broccoli which I served over rice.

“Earthly Seasoning” is a mix of 1 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp dry mustard, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1 tbsp cumin, 2 tsp black pepper, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp cayenne, and 1 tbsp sugar.

Earthly Seasoned Shrimp and Broccoli

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
  • 3/4 lb broccoli florets
  • 3 tbsp olive oil, divided use
  • 2 1/2 tsp “Earthly Seasoning” (recipe above), divided use

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Toss broccoli in 2 tbsp of olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Season with 1 1/2 tsp “Earthly Seasoning”. Roast for 10 minutes.
  3. Gently toss shrimp in remaining olive oil and seasoning. After broccoli has been roasting for 10 minutes flip broccoli and add the shrimp to the baking sheet. Cook another 8-10 minutes, turning half-way.
  4. Serve over rice with a squeeze of lemon.

*This recipe is modified from Adam at http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2009/02/roasted_shrimp.html*

Roasted Shrimp & Broccoli

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Mardi Gras Ice Cream

~ lk529 ~ 7 Comments

As a food blogger I feel obligated to present a dish on Fat Tuesday. I’ve never really celebrated Mardi Gras in all it’s glory and never had a King’s Cake until a few weeks ago when a coworker brought one into the office. As luck would have it I found the plastic baby – which means I’m responsible for bringing in next year’s cake. Unfortunately for them we’ll have moved to Ohio by then. So I thought I’d bake a treat and bring it in this year. And of course blog about it – two birds, one stone.

I was hoping to find something simple and these King’s Cake Bars caught my eye. Unfortunately my execution of said bars was abysmal. I think I over mixed the dough for the base and I managed to forget both the vanilla and cinnamon in the cream cheese filling. I used a smaller casserole dish than recommended so my baking time was considerably longer (2x as long!) and came out domed which caused the glaze to run down to the sides of the casserole dish. But, it did flatten out once it cooled. And even though I sprayed the pan and the dough is almost half butter it would not come up.

After the frustration subsided, I thought it’d be fun to make an ice cream. The cream cheese filling reminded me of cheese cake (cream cheese, egg, sugar) so I decided to try a cheese cake ice cream base with cinnamon. I garnished the ice cream with purple, green, and yellow sprinkles to play up the holiday. (I was too nervous to stir sprinkles into the ice cream machine for fear of resulting in streaky brown coloring.)

I have to admit, I was worried I messed up this recipe too. I used too small of a pot and didn’t temper the eggs enough so my custard had a few lumps. But, I decided to strain it and keep going. I’m glad I did because this ice cream is so delicious – it’s rich and creamy with great flavor from the cinnamon.

Cinnamon Cheese Cake Ice Cream

Ingredients:

  • 2 C half-and-half
  • 1/2 C heavy whipping cream
  • 1 C milk
  • 1 1/4 C sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature and cubed
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Steps:

  1. Heat the half-and-half, cream, and milk in a large saucepan over medium heat until it reaches 175 degrees F, but do not let boil. Whisk in sugar until dissolved.
  2. In a small bowl whisk eggs. Take about 1/4 C of the hot milk mixture and whisk into eggs to temper them. Constantly whisking, add eggs to milk. Cook over low heat, whisking, until the mixture thickens and reaches 160 degrees F.
  3. Pour custard through a fine strainer (I opted to line mine with a coffee filter, but I don’t think it was necessary) into a glass bowl. Whisk in the cream cheese until melted and smooth.
  4. Place the bowl of custard in a bowl of ice water to cool and stir for two minutes. (Don’t let the water into the custard.) Stir in vanilla and cinnamon. Remove from ice bath, cover, and place in fridge overnight.
  5. Follow ice cream maker instructions and freeze.

This recipe is modified from Taste of Home.

Mardi Gras Ice Cream Mardi Gras Ice Cream 2

Spicy Taco Cheese Soup

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

Over the past year or so my husband has gotten into adventure racing. Last year the obsession was Tough Mudder, and he even got me to join in one. (To watch the epic youtube video click here!) He completed his first (another video) with friends from work Nov 2011 and proceeded to do 3 more solo runs in addition to the one I did with him!

This year the thing is adventure racing. He does these events with the same friends who did the first Tough Mudder. There’s even a blog, Team Disoriented, that narrates their training, racing, and other related activities – you should check it out!

Last weekend they did a big training day biking for 32 miles after working on their canoeing skills for an hour. I offered to have dinner for them when they returned. I’ve been given a lot of slack for not attending their races as a spectator – especially when one team at their last event had a group of supporters who made them grilled chicken!

I knew that they’d be exhausted, sore, and cold by the time they finished so I decided to serve them something warm and filling. Additionally, I was working on a baby quilt so decided to take advantage of my trusty slow cooker. I have a CrockPot® cookbook and decided to take a look through that. I found a recipe by Kimberly Taflinger that sounded good. I changed some things and made it my own – the result was a thick, warm, spicy soup. I was drawn to this recipe because it closely resembled my Award Winning Chili. The leftovers were just as good in my lunch too. I recommend adding Fritos as a complimentary crunch factor to this soup, although Tostidos work perfectly well too.

An Original Recipe

 Spicy Taco Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lb ground beef, cooked and drained
  • 1 lb processed cheese, cubed
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with green chilies
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) sliced stewed tomatoes
  • 1 can (15 oz) corn, drained
  • 1 can (15 oz) dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 1/2 C chicken broth
  • 1 jalapeno
  • 1/4 C taco seasoning (or 1 pkt)

Steps:

  1. Place all ingredients, cut slits in the jalapeno and leave whole, in the slow cooker.
  2. Cover and cook on LOW 4-5 hours.

Taco Cheese Soup

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Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken

Aside ~ ~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

Chicken and Hummus Pita

My mother-in-law was visiting a couple of weekends ago for a “sew-cation” so I planned the weekend menu in advance to stay organized. Knowing she loves chicken thighs, this recipe was sure to be a hit. The fact that it’s a slow cooker dish is an extra bonus when we want to maximize sewing time and minimize kitchen time.

Additionally, the recipe calls for 12 chicken thighs.  Normally I’d halve a recipe of this quantity but it provided extra chicken which I used for the best pizza ever the next night. And for lunch the next day we enjoyed pita pockets with hummus, chicken, banana peppers, olives, and cheese while sitting on the back porch in the sun.

I served the chicken with another Roland product I got from Food Blog South, Roasted Garlic Israeli Couscous. Rice or orzo would be other great side options.

Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

  • 12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, divided use
  • 1 lemon, sliced
  • juice of one lemon
  • 1 C chicken broth
  • 1/4 C flour
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 3/4 C pitted green olives

Steps:

  1. Season both sides of chicken with S+P. In a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat sear thighs in olive oil – about three minutes per side. Unless your skillet is massive, this will need to be accomplished in two batches.
  2. Transfer chicken to slow cooker. Add lemon slices and olives.
  3. Whisk together broth, lemon juice, flour, and cumin. Pour over chicken.
  4. Cook on LOW 6 hours.

*This recipe is adapted from emeals at http://blog.emeals.com/slow-cooker-clean-eating-meal-plan-lemon-chicken-thighs-with-olives-recipe/*

Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken

Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing

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It’s always fun to see what people come up with during the Crazy Ingredient Challenge. I’ve pinned a few recipes but I’ve never made someone else’s CIC recipe.

Until now.

For this month’s Mustard and Strawberries challenge I had considered doing a salad with strawberries and honey mustard dressing, but that wasn’t creative. It never occurred to me to make a dressing! Pure genius. And pure deliciousness.

 

Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 C (5-7) fresh strawberries, stems removed and cut in half
  • zest and juice of 1 clementine
  • 2-3 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/3 C extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 1/2 tsp poppy seeds

Steps:

  1. In a food processor combine strawberries, clementine juice/zest, honey, and mustard until smooth. With the machine running stream in olive oil. Season with S+P to taste, if desired.
  2. Remove the blade from the food processor and stir in poppy seeds.

*This recipe is adapted from Cindy at http://www.hunwhatsfordinner.com/2014/02/strawberry-poppy-seed-dressing-crazy.html?m=1*

Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing