Category: food

Full: Satisfied and Complete {Intuition Diaries}

Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
(Isaiah 55:2 NKJV)


One of the pleasures of vacationing for me is being creative with our food. As we travel from town to town, I am on the lookout for local fare and farmers’ markets. I love the challenge of cooking while we’re out on the boat; I am limited by space, two burners and the grill for our meals. I am always looking for inspiration for our menu.
Before this trip, I devoured the book, Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist. She served up appetizing essays surrounding her adventures cooking with her friends and enjoying life to the fullest around the table. Intermingled with her stories are recipes that are just as fun to read as the rest of the book. I copied a few down for our trip.
This morning, I made her Quinoa Breakfast, which is quinoa with apple chicken sausage and fried eggs on top. Les tried it and we both agreed the quinoa makes a very healthy and tasty alternative to hash browns.
At our first grocery stop I bought red plums, which were a bit bland even though they were from a local orchard. I wanted some fruit to go with our breakfast, so I cut the plums in half to sauté them in some oil with the fresh rosemary, some nutmeg and brown sugar. I kept the brown sugar to a minimum. Surprisingly, cooking the plums made them tart. I told Les I’d add more sugar for dinner to serve as dessert over pound cake (if we could find some in town today.)


On the advice of the folks from Gasport, we stopped in Medina to check out a local bakery. We each were going to get a pastry, when we smelled the bread. We already had bread on the boat, but the scent of freshly baked bread won us over. The loaf of cheese boule  was added to our ticket. I’d never had boule before, so I asked the baker about it. She said it was crusty bread with a soft inside. This loaf had cheddar cheese mixed into the dough.
We took our baked goods to the boat and headed over to Albion to find a place for lunch. We had hoped to find a diner or café right on Main Street, but nothing. So we regrouped and decided on sandwiches from our cooler.
With all this good eating and traveling, we made a commitment to be active this trip. We have our bikes along, so asked Les if I could ride my bike to the next stop while he drove the boat. The canal has a speed limit of 10mph, and most times you have to go slower because of the no wake zones. At that pace, we could see each other as I pedaled on the canal trail and he cruised the canal.
Tonight we ate grilled chicken and zucchini. We grilled slices of the boule and topped them with the sauteed plums, which I sweetened up with more brown sugar.

We were satisfied. 

Here’s some photos from the day on the canal, not food related. 

The Big Apple in Medina, NY

Les cruising the canal, while I rode my bike.
See Les, he’s right over there behind me.
Where are they headed now?
Posted on by kelrohlf 2

Bethlehem: Where the Kingdom Begins

Advent{ures}: Let’s Go to Bethlehem

 

 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
(Matthew 5:3 ESV)

 

Empty. Bitter. Hopeless.
 
A famine in the land, destitute and grieving, Naomi hears that God has visited her hometown with food. She starts out toward Bethlehem with her two bereaved daughters-in-law in tow. As they walk, she has second thoughts about bringing them along. “No, go back,” she tells them, “there is no hope, no husbands, no future with me.” One turns back, the other clings to Naomi. Her name is Ruth.

This love story gets me every time. Even though, I know how it turns out, the narrative action builds the anticipation. As Naomi expresses her bitterness, Ruth exclaims her hope. Ruth sees past the famine, the loss, the grief, the poverty and hunger. She clings to the news that God has visited Bethlehem with food.

When they first arrive in the little town, the hushed voices begin to stir. Naomi’s back. Who’s that with her? Did you hear she lost her husband and both her sons? What did she do to incur God’s displeasure? She should have never left Bethlehem. We told her, but she didn’t listen. Now she’s back with this foreigner. What good will come of this? They whisper and wonder.

Naomi laments, “I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. I am not that woman anymore; call me Mara, the bitter one.”

Even in her despair, God hears her cry.  They just happened to return at the beginning of barley harvest. Ruth volunteers to go glean in the fields. And Boaz, a relative, just happens to return to his fields to see how the harvest fares. He hails his workers with words of blessing, “The LORD be with you!” and they reply, “The LORD bless you.”

And the blessings begin to flow. Boaz notices Ruth and inquires about her, then offers her abundant access to all that she needs. She bows before him and asks him why such favor on a foreigner like herself.  He had heard of her. Her reputation preceded her.  So he invites her to sup with him, and she does and she is satisfied, with enough left over to take home to Naomi. God begins to fill up what had been empty.

When Naomi hears that Ruth has met Boaz, her hope revives. The kindness of Boaz stirs her heart to hope again. She cries aloud, “May he be blessed by the LORD, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” The blessings continue to flow.

I can almost see Naomi’s eyes dancing with delight, as she conspires with Ruth on how to approach Boaz. He was a kinsman-redeemer. She sends Ruth in hopes of seeking his favor in their plight, seeing that by law a relative was bound to keep the family lineage alive.

Ruth goes to Boaz in the night, hides until he has settled down for sleep, and rests at his feet. When he stirs in the night, she reveals herself and he blesses her with a promise. He agrees to redeem her.

He tells her not to fear, for she is publicly known as a worthy woman. He will go to the town square the next day to settle everything.  And he does, and they marry. And then they have a child, a child who becomes the father of Jesse, who becomes the father of David, who becomes the father of the Messiah.

Do you see what I see? The contrast of Ruth’s story with the tragic death of the last woman from Bethlehem, we met in Judges. The beauty of blessing and redemption in the way Ruth and Naomi relate, and Ruth and Boaz. I love the part where Ruth says, “Spread your wings (or cloak) over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” This request and her response to him earlier about his favor, do they not remind you of Mary? When she responds to the angelic message that she will be with child and give birth to a Savior.



The book of Ruth is chock full of God-bumps and God-incidences, so I’m linking up with Jennifer today at:

 
Posted on by kelrohlf 8