Lemon Chicken and a Heart Matter

There is a constant pressure to do bigger and better things with your life. This mindset and the pressure that stems from it is intrinsically American and has bled into the vernacular of the church. Words of wisdom, yet again, from Thomas Watson's Art of Divine Contentment sheds light on what is wrong with this mindset. "Every man is complaining that his estate is no better, though he seldom complains that his heart is no better." What if we spent more time considering the state of our hearts rather than the state of our day planners? What if loving more means doing less? Paul spoke to this matter directly when he said "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:1-3) We can do all the right things but without love, most notably a love for the Lord that branches off into love of others, nothing we do will last. The attitudes of our hearts lend value to our actions. Two stories in the gospels highlight how different attitudes of the heart cause radical life change for better or worse.

First is the story of the rich young man, some translations refer to him as a rich young ruler. The story is recorded in both Matthew 19 and Mark 10. Here was a highly respected, wealthy man who had done all the right religious things. The thing about this kind of life is that the heart knows that it's not enough. If the young man had posed his questions about what more he needed to do to inherit eternal life to any other religious leader he would have received the very answer we'd expect; either he would have been told to do more or he would have been reassured that he was doing enough already. Not wanting the typical answers that he had made due with his whole life, the young man sought out the radical teacher who was causing a stir in Judea. In a sense he should not have been surprised that Jesus' answer challenged his whole schema. Though Jesus answered him in love, the answer the young man received broke his heart. "Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor...and come, follow me." What he needed to do was remove the obstacle in his heart that was keeping God from being first in his life. The thing that he lacked was a heart fully devoted to the Lord. 

"And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, 'Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' And Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: "Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother."' And he said to him, 'Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.' And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him,'You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.' Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions."

Mark 10:17-22

Conversely we see the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19. Here was a man who also had great wealth but he had come by it through dishonest means. A tax collector, Zacchaeus was considered a sellout by the Jewish community at large. Tax collectors worked on behalf of the occupying Roman government to bleed the Jews of what little financial stability they had. It was insanely easy for tax collectors to cheat their communities and take a huge cut of the profits for themselves. As long as Rome got what percentage they had mandated they cared very little about any underhandedness perpetuated by their employees. 

Upon meeting Jesus, Zacchaeus' entire life changed. He had heard of the works and teachings of this Jesus and could not let this Great Teacher pass through his town without at least seeing him. As Christ passed the tree where the wee tax collector had stationed himself Jesus called him by name and invoked his hospitality. We are not told what they talked about at lunch that day but Zacchaeus was so transformed by simply being in the presence of Jesus that he radically changed everything about his life. He was still going to be a tax collector but he was going to be the most honest, generous and benevolent tax collector he could be. Zacchaeus was going to undo all the hurt he had done to his community as well as see to the care of the poor whom he had neglected. The result: "Jesus said to him 'Today salvation has come to this house'." Zacchaeus received Christ joyfully while the rich young man went away sorrowful. The attitudes of our hearts are revealed when we come face to face with the author of our salvation. The radical changes we are called to make in those moments are only hard when our vision is skewed by worldly cares. It was easy for either man to sell his possessions one simply held himself back from that which was greater.

Luke 19:1-10
"He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, 'Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.' So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, 'He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.' And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, 'Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.' And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.'"

In order to do anything of worth we must first be right with the Lord. If we go about with actions and religious trappings as the main focus of our life than we will eventually come to a place where we have a great amount but we know in our hearts that we still are lacking. If I do all I can but I have not love, I have nothing.

Original recipe credit to For the Love of Cooking http://www.fortheloveofcooking.net/2012/01/lemon-and-thyme-chicken-breasts.html

What you'll need:

Chicken breasts (I had 2 chicken breasts that I sliced up because of their thickness, you can choose to use 3-4 thin breasts to save time)

1/3 cup Chicken broth

5-6 cloves of Garlic

2 Lemons

1/2 tsp Oregano

1/2 tsp Thyme

To start grease a 9x13 baking pan and preheat your oven to 400 F. 

Zest and juice one lemon. 

You can go ahead and add the chicken broth, thyme and oregano to your lemon juice and zest.

Meanwhile, brown your garlic in 1/2 Tbs of oil on medium heat for about a minute. Add your lemon juice mixture to the pan with the garlic. Allow the whole mixture to heat evenly while stirring constantly. After about another minute pour the mixture into the cooking pan.

Lay your chicken breasts in the pan and season with extra thyme, salt and/or pepper. Slice up your remaining lemon and place it along side the chicken pieces.

Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Serve with brown rice and veggies.

This recipe was simple enough but I found it lacking. The dish needed...something. I could not put my finger on what would knock this chicken out of the park. Maybe using Italian seasoning instead of Thyme and Oregano? Perhaps it's because I used dry Thyme instead of the fresh Thyme that the original recipe called for. Until I can figure out how to jazz up my so-so chicken this recipe will have to hold a 3 star rating. If you have any ideas as to how this dinner can be improved please share them in the comments bellow.

Sweet Start to the Day

I promised a sweet recipe and this one is especially good because you can eat it for breakfast without feeling guilty: Peanut Butter Cup Granola! Quick, easy to make and clean up, this granola is something I frequently crank out batches of to satisfy my sweet tooth. 

Recipe adapted from the Minimalist Baker blog http://minimalistbaker.com/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-granola/

Quick side note: Honey is way too expensive. When I discovered how easy making granola was I started scouring stores for reasonably priced honey. It is absolutely crazy that most containers I found were more expensive than a gallon of gas. Maybe it's because I classify anything over $25 as expensive but I see no reason for this price inflation. Thankfully Colorado Springs hosts a number of farmers' markets throughout the year so I was able to snatch up a considerable amount of honey for a fraction of the cost.

(Yes that says 5lbs of honey. I really like granola)

What you'll need:

3 cups Old Fashioned Oats

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1/4 cup Peanut butter (I use natural, it has less sodium and costs the same as a jar of regular)

1/4 cup Honey

1/2 cup Dark Chocolate chips (or more if you want)

9x13 high-sided baking dish (you can also use a bigger dish to have more room to spread out your oats, this will help them cook faster)

(the mason jar is all I have left of my 5lbs...I may have a problem)

Pour your oats into your baking dish. No need to grease the dish, this will actually make the oats stick while they wait for the syrup.

Pour your honey, peanut butter and oil into a pot. Heat over medium heat stirring constantly until they syrup is consistent.

Mix the syrup into the oats and spread the concoction until it evenly covers the bottom of the dish.  

Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and stir the contents around. This will ensure that all the oats are baking evenly and keep the edges from burning. Put the dish back in the oven for 10 minutes or until it becomes a darker brown throughout. You may have to stir the oats again and put them back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes.

  
Add the chocolate chips to the hot granola and allow it to cool. 

Once it has cooled down you can spoon it into whatever container you choose. My batch made about two mason jars (actually a little more but I snacked on what wouldn't fit in the 2nd jar).

That's it! I love to eat this granola with plain yogurt and banana slices. It always gives me something to look forward to in the morning. 5 stars for this morning pick-me-up.

Hope this recipe helps you start your week off on a high note. See you later this week for more dinner ideas.

Spinach Pasta and Promises

I noticed that this is the third pasta recipe in a row. Sorry, I guess I like carbs. Next week's recipe will be more exciting.

In thinking about the future I get very anxious. By "future" I wish I meant 5-10 years from now, but what I really mean is next month, this summer and the abyss of time that exists under the label 2015. At times taking a step, any step, forward is a petrifying thought. Not because I want to remain where I am but because I live in fear of stepping onto the wrong path and being carried away by the current of life instead of walking up the path meant for me. I know that this is nonsense and God will direct my steps on the path that is laid before me. However, like many things in the faith I know this but believing it and living like I believe it are different matters entirely. I mentioned dancing on the void in my first post but what went unsaid is how terrifying staring into the void is. My goodness, even admitting that there is a void takes a certain degree of boldness and confidence that is not commonplace. The only advice worth anything that I can give you if you feel lost, devoid of purpose or just bored is this: go to the scriptures. Reading the Word and reflecting on the truths and promises therein provides the only unshakable confidence in existence. 

Here are the promises that have given me hope and strength this week:

Isaiah 41:9-10
"You whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, 'You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off'; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Hebrews 10:35-39
"Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, 'Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.' But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls."

We are not those who shrink back but those who have faith

Original recipe credit to My Life Well Loved blog http://mylifewellloved.com/chicken-spinach-pasta-bake/  The original recipe used chicken instead of meatballs but I had my fill of chicken this week so I mixed things up a bit. 

Also just a note: when I say 1-2 of something I mean you can use either 1 or 2 of this item. In making the dish I most likely used just 1 but I can see how 2 might be beneficial.

What you'll need:

1 box Pasta of your choice (I used whole grain Penne pasta)

1-2 14oz can diced Tomatoes

2 10oz packets of frozen Spinach (thawed)

1/4 Onion, diced

1-2 8oz container Chive & Onion Cream Cheese

1 bag frozen Italian Style Meatballs (thawed)

1 8oz bag Mozzarella Cheese

You'll want a deep dish to bake your finished product in.

The original recipe suggested cooking the onion in a way I had never tried before. Pour 1-2 Tbs of oil into the dish you plan to cook the finished product in, mix the onions thoroughly in with the oil and bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes. If you would rather cook your onions in a pan on the stove top feel free but I tried this method and it worked well. Also this saves you from having to dirty another dish.

Boil and drain your pasta. While it is still hot mix the noodles in with the cream cheese. This will melt down the cream cheese and make it easier to combine with the rest of the indigence. Be sure not the drain the tomatoes but use the juice along with the tomato pieces. However you should try to drain as much of the spinach juice off of the thawed spinach as you can. 

The next part is easy: mix everything together. 

That's it. Cover your dish with cheese and foil. Bake first at 375 for 30 minutes then again uncovered for another 15 minutes.

Enjoy with a few sprinkles of garlic salt or Parmesan cheese.

This recipe was an all inclusive meal: carbs, vegetables and meat. The cream cheese was a gamble but it paid off. This complete meal was delicious and I see how it would be good with chicken as well. I give this one 5 stars.

Stay tuned this weekend to check out a sweet bonus recipe.

Contentment and Stuffed Shells

Welcome back. This week's post will have far fewer pictures because I was hurriedly putting this meal together while there was a 1 1/2 year old was hanging on my leg. I went through a phase in high school where I was obsessed with Chicken, broccoli Alfredo pasta. I'd order it whenever I was out; I'd request it for my birthday dinners. I still love it but I eat it much less often. For today's recipe I followed a spin on this meal.

But first some thoughts.

I'm in a book club studying contentment. It's interesting because contentment is quickly becoming an out of date concept or a fairy tale to us. Something that is to be striven after but never attained. Our book is The Art of Divine Contentment by Thomas Watson. Working off of Paul's words in Philippians Watson pens a very convicting insight into just how destructive discontentment is to the Christian life and how contentment is possible when based on something more than tangible comfort. "Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need." (Phil 4:11-12) In chapter 7 of his book the Puritan writer states "The Wise God hath ordered our condition; if he sees it better for us to abound, we shall abound; if he sees it better for us to want, we shall want; be content to be at God's disposal." This is a hard lesson to swallow, especially in this culture that breads entitlement and promises comfort if one is willing to work for it. Placing yourself at the Lord's disposal in areas of life such as ministry, vocation and the like seems much easier than throwing your whole self on the Lord's mercy for your contentment. How is this done exactly? Like many crisis in life, this one is solved by reevaluating priorities. My highest priority should be my relationship with the Lord, my identity unshakably grounded in him. When our anchor is secure the waves may crash as they like. Later in chapter 9 he says "Every man is complaining that his estate is no better, though he seldom complains that his heart is no better." What's funny is that I am liable to complain about both, but that's neither here nor there. Perhaps my life seems stuck in neutral at the moment because I have not learned to base my contentment on the condition of my heart and its relationship with the Lord. 

Contentment an unattainable goal? I think not.

But back to cooking. Dinner today: Chicken, broccoli Alfredo stuffed shells. Original recipe credit to Taste of Home Magazine http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/chicken-broccoli-shells

What you'll need:

2 Chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (apx 2 cups)

2 cups frozen or fresh Broccoli (if frozen you'll need to thaw)

1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese

1 box Jumbo Shells

1 16 oz jar of Alfredo sauce (I used lite)

One of the frustrating things for me is that recipes never tell you how to do the basics. For instance, hard boiling eggs causes me great anxiety. Do you put the eggs in with the water initially or do you drop them in once the water is boiling? Is it a hard boil for 10 minutes or bring to a hard boil initially and then drop it down? This recipe tells you to cook your chicken breasts first, but for how long and at what temperature? I cooked mine at 425 F for about a half-hour, flipping them every 10 minutes. However, I live in Colorado Springs and altitude is a factor in my cooking. You may only need to cook your chicken at 400 F for 20 minutes depending on where you live and the thickness of the chicken.

If anyone knows any tricks to getting jumbo shells from sticking to each other please let me know. I tore plenty of my shells trying to separate my cooked shells from each other in order to stuff them. I've heard that adding olive oil to your water as you boil your noodles helps with the sticking problem but I have never tried it. Perhaps I should in the future.

This is a simple throw-everything-together-and-bake-it recipe. After cutting up your chicken, mix all the ingredients together (as seen bellow) and stuff your shells. Place your shells in a greased 13 x 9 pan.

Bake your shells at 350 F for 30-35 minutes (until they're hot the whole way through). That's it!

Though I have some critiques of this recipe, it did manage to please my hardest critic.

This recipe is simple and that is reflected in the taste. I would advise adding garlic, Italian spices and/or black pepper to jazz up this dish. Also, I would recommend using two jars of sauce: one to mix in the filling and one to cover the shells before they bake. Otherwise the shells bake up a bit dry.

Over all I give this one 4 Stars. One or two adjustments would easily jack it up to a full 5 Stars though.

Until next week my friends

A Starter

Well hello and welcome to my blog. Today marks my inaugural post. Here's a brief introduction to me: I am a (soon to be) 24 year old living in Colorado Springs. Currently, I am working as a nanny for my niece and not so patiently waiting to see what's on the horizon. Funny how no one tells you that your life post college looks and feels very much like staring into a void. Thankfully I took two philosophy courses during my time at Geneva College and I remember learning from my professor that life is about learning to dance on the void (shout out to my Philosophy Prof Dr. Ester Meek). Cooking has become one such way that I completely unwind from the stress of an unpredictable future. Now that I'm an adult I've expanded my culinary skills outside the realms of holiday desserts and dorm room concoctions that involve few ingredients and a lot of prayer. Though I have cookbooks, I prefer to find new recipes online. This is where Pinterest comes in handy. The thing about following online recipes however is you're taking a gamble, especially if you do not scroll the bottom of the page to read the reviews or comments. For this reason, that and an ample amount of free time, I have decided to review such recipes for the benefit of all.

Thank you for joining me on my maiden voyage into the realm of recipe reviewing. 

We're starting with something simple: soup. 

Soup is one of my favorite things to cook; you throw everything in the pot and it's done. This particular recipe is a cross between a pasta dish and soup. Spicy Spinach Italian Soup is the subject of today's inquiry. This one is a combination of a recipe I like very much and my own ingenuity. By "ingenuity" I mean I did not measure certain ingredients and adjusted other ingredients to make up the difference. 

Original recipe credit to Closet Cooking blog http://www.closetcooking.com/2014/10/creamy-parmesan-tomato-and-spinach.html 

So here we go!

What you'll need:

3 Tbs Butter

1 Whole onion or 1/2 Large onion, chopped

1/4 Cup flour

2-3 cloves Garlic, minced

1-2 (28 oz) cans diced Tomatoes (I used basil, oregano and garlic flavored so I don't have to add spices down the road. Do not drain the liquid)

1 can Tomato paste

4 1/2 cups Chicken or Vegetable broth

1 bag Cheese Tortellini

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

2-2 1/2 cups chopped Spinach

2/3 cup Plain Yogurt (Yes yogurt)

Crushed Red Pepper to taste

Since my brother does not believe in a meatless meal, I added Bratwurst. I know what you're thinking, "Wouldn't Italian sausages be better?" Well, probably but I don't care for Italian sausage.

The sausage of your choosing needs to be cut, browned and added whenever you wish.

To begin you'll need a pot large enough to house all the ingredients. This way you do not have to dirty any extra cookware. On medium heat melt the butter in the pot. Next add the onions and cook until tender. Add garlic and stir for about a minute. Pour in the flour and continue to stir for another minute.

After this we pick up the pace.

Pour in the chicken broth, tomatoes (with liquid), tomato paste and tortellini. You can add the sausage at this point as well. Bring the whole mixture to a boil and then turn down the heat to let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Continue to stir everything during this time so that nothing burns or sticks to the bottom of the pot.

 It will look something like this at this point.

Blend in the Parmesan cheese until it is melted. Then toss in the spinach and give it enough time to cook down. Lastly stir in the yogurt until it is completely combined with the broth.

Add the pepper or additional cheese whenever you fancy. Best enjoyed with a crusty french bread and/or salad.

As I said before, I love making soup. Naturally I give this recipe (both the original and my personal concoction) 5 stars. Try it for yourself and leave a comment down below to let everyone know your thoughts on the subject.

I hope you have enjoyed our first day. See you next week!