Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Project Read, Extraordinary Faith

My sister loaned me her copy of Extraordinary Faith by Sheila Walsh, and she insisted that I read it. So, after much delay and procrastination, I picked it up the other day and began. I still have quite a ways to go before finishing it, but already it has been a good book, and here is quote that I wanted to write here and remember ...

On page xiv (yes, that's still in the Introduction chapter), Walsh refers to a quote from Charles Spurgeon, "It is not thy hold on Christ that saves thee; it is Christ. It is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee; it is Christ. It is not even thy faith in Christ that saves thee, though that be the instrument. It is Christ's blood and merit."

Anyways, there will be more to come, as I proceed further through the book ...


Other recent reads:

The Solitary Envoy T. Davis & Isabella Bunn ** :: I read this book more for the fact that it was a very light, easy read and set in one of my favorite time periods, the 1700s. There were some good messages in it.

Timeline, Michael Crichton **** :: why have I waited so long to read a Crichton book?! This book was excellent!!

Twilight, Stephanie Meyer ** :: Sorry to those who are fans, but I was a little bored with this book. Perhaps, the 2nd book will be better, but I am taking a break for awhile before continuing my journey though this series.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Various Recipes

I've been experimenting a lot in the kitchen lately, mainly because I have an assortment of foods that need to be used and lots of lentils (hence the 3rd recipe and also because they are a good inexpensive source of protein):

*PASTA SOUP WITH CHICKEN*
(sopa de fideos con pollo)

ingredients:
1" pieces of spaghetti style pasta, salt, chicken, sugar, onion, garlic, parsley, celery seed, turmeric, ital. dressing, cilantro

1. boil chicken for 15 minutes to cook through, used 4 cups of water for this. dice chicken. add 4 more cups of water. bring water to a boil.
2. stir in pasta. add chicken, various veggies (broccoli, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, green pepper) and seasonings: salt, sugar, parsley, celery seed, turmeric, basil, italian dressing. all seasonings to taste, approx. 1-2 teas ea.
3. bring to boil. then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, ten minutes.
4. Serve with a garnish of cilantro.



*LEMON HERB RICE*
a good side dish for fish

Ingredients: Long Grain Parboiled Rice, Lemon Flavor, Sugar, Salt, Marjoram, Thyme, Rosemary, and Turmeric (for color)

1. Combine rice, 1-1/2c water, *seasoning-see ingred* and 1 T of margarine in a small saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat (low, med-low), simmer 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, seat aside 5 minutes.

55 min | 15 min prep
Serves 3-4.

other suggested ingredients/recipe from Recipezaar.com #224188
1/2 cup brown basmati rice
1 cup vegetarian chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest, grated
1 teaspoon marjoram

In saucepan, bring broth & lemon juice to simmer.
In heavy skillet heat oil. Add garlic and cook until softened.
Add rice & stir, cooking 1-2 minutes.
Add broth, salt & pepper and bring to boil.
Lower heat and simmer 30-40 minutes until all liquid is absorbed & rice is soft. (Note: Rice may take more or less time depending on temperature, so check periodically until done).
Remove from heat, stir in herbs & lemon zest. Add additional salt & pepper if desired.



*LENTILS AND RICE*
(a combo of Egyptian Koshary recipezaar #232836 with Spanish Rice recipezaar #140550)

30 min | 5 min prep
SERVES 6
1 cup lentils
1 cup rice

(probably should double the remaining ingredients next time)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups chicken broth or beef broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
16 ounces canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup salsa
1/4 cup sliced green onion

1. Heat oil in a 2 quart saucepan, add lentils. Fry for about 2-3 minutes.
2. Add rice and garlic until rice is lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes. *maybe this step needs to be combined with step one.
3. Add broth, cumin, and oregano; bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and cover tightly. Simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in beans.
6. Let stand until all liquid is reabsorbed, about 5 minutes.
7. Stir in salsa (mine was homemade) and green onions (didn't inc this one, as it wasn't available at the time).


I thought these tasted good, but I will probably make some alterations for next and repost the new versions.

Saturday, March 07, 2009

From the Studio

I've recently made some updates to my web site, and have added a few paintings. See them online: