food for thought

A recent dinner of ours:

fresh snapper and ingredients

stuffed with lemon and thyme

covered in 3 lbs of salt and egg whites

out of the oven and salt crust removed

skin removed

raw kale salad, ale and white wine

nothing left

It was one of those occasions where every flavor was simple, elevated and perfectly blended.  Lingering over our food and drink encouraged better conversation and appreciation for all things--great and small. 

Preparing an entire fish was (strangely) nice as well.  It was working with real food--fresh, humanely caught and delicious.  It felt wholesome to resist the world's trend of cheez-whiz and chicken paste.  In my opinion, if you can't handle working with the real thing you shouldn't eat it at all.

B

Little Debbie better watch her back

I was in serious need of comfort food last night.  This winter weather is dragging on. and. on. and. on.  I had to have something warm and soothing.  Did I make thick beef stew (yuck)?  A hearty loaf of bread?  Warm pumpkin pie?

No.

I fiddled around with a couple of oatmeal cookie recipes and sort of made my own.  I wanted them to have some depth and spice.  Here's the recipe as best I can remember:

1 c butter, softened
1 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
1 1/4 c flour
1/2 t baking soda
3 c quick oats
pinch of all-spice
dash of cardamom
touch of nutmeg
splash of cloves

Combine in usual fashion (ie cream butter with sugars, add eggs and vanilla, combine dry ingredients-except oats-and add slowly to wet mixture, stir in oats).  Drop on ungreased cookie sheet by the tablespoon.  Bake at 325 F for about 15 minutes.
So simple.

We were completely out of cinnamon, which is why I made up such a mix of spices.  Truth be told, just cinnamon would have been boring.  The husband thought it could use some chocolate chips.  I accused him of heresy.  Chocolate-no.  Marshmallow cream-yes!

I could have just gone out and bought some of these:

...but that would have been disgusting.  And our insides would have slowly petrified.

Sidenote: I eat most (if not all) of the raw cookie dough before I even get around to baking.  Always have, always will.  My husband knows better than to automatically assume he's getting cookies if he sees me making cookie dough.
THIS is the most addicting dough I have ever made.  It took every ounce of determination I have to bake any at all.


B

Frodo, fairies and faith

 1. We've had Tolkien's Lord of the Rings on our minds (as we've been rereading The Hobbit and the trilogy AND trying to figure out when the extended version films are being released on BluRay)


2. The Imaginative Conservative blog is a conglomerate of essays by some wonderfully true conservative thinkers (Dr Brad Birzer esp).  A fantastic piece was recently posted and has since given us reason for much meditation.  St. Augustine and (hopefully, someday "St.") J.R.R. Tolkien is the name of the piece...we highly recommend taking the time to thoroughly read it--it has our world-view beautifully condensed.


3. We finally got around to watching this gem and our only disappointment is that it took us so long to find.  We've watched it 3 times in 3 days and are contemplating a 4th tonight.


Here's the trailer:



The movie retells (fantastically, in the typical Irish blending of myth, fairy and truth) the making of the Book of Kells.  This is an actual book, handwritten by Celtic monks, containing the four gospels.  The illustrations are truly illuminated.


So our week was full of points 1 + 2 + 3. Which leads us to these rough conclusions (rough because we hope to be sharpening these thoughts for the rest of our lives).

Our world has obviously been broken since the fall.  However we fear that, even in our short 20+ years, it has grown more mechanized and cruel (with world wars and genocides filling the 20th century).  Technology is increasing our capacity for evil.  Despite living in an evermore globalized society we are becoming more removed and more anonymous.  It is in this society that we have grown detached from the atrocities happening all around us:  senseless massacres, 50 million US abortions  factory farming, dog fighting etc etc etc.  'We are the hollow men, we are the stuffed men.'   

Fight it.  Pore over the Book of Kell's illustrations.  Wonder at the beauty and detail given to the Word so many years ago.  

Watch the movie.  Notice that nature has a face (Aisling).  Quite a pagan concept.  'Modern' man had done its best to debunk this concept, defining nature in terms of laws and psychology and utility.  We have relinquished our heritage as heirs and guardians of Mystery, and coldly proclaimed ourselves to be its conquerors.  

With that in mind, we resonate with C.S. Lewis (from aforementioned Imaginative Conservative's article):

"I sometimes wonder whether we shall not have to re-convert men to real Paganism as a preliminary to converting them to Christianity."  

Read some Tolkien (or CS Lewis fiction).  Marvel in the majesty of myth and the mystery of creation within the pages.  Sit in the sunshine that streams through cold winter windows.  Watch the seasons change.  Live a simple, honest and hearty life.  Love your neighbor and feed the sheep.  

We'll raise a pint to that.

Come Lord Jesus

T & B