rare pearls

Charles Spurgeon said: "Those who dive in the sea of affliction bring up rare pearls."

The greatest thing about prayer journaling is the ability to look back at them after a few years. It's neat to see what I considered to be the most important things in my life at different stages. But mainly I like to see how God is glorified in my brokenness. I like to be reminded that my life and all its wretchedness is the perfect place for God to work. Not being honest about our struggles actually does a disservice to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Here's what God says to you:

Your weakness and brokenness draw me ever so near to you. You can open up to Me because I understand you perfectly. My compassion for you is overflowing. As you open yourself to My healing Presence, I fill you with Peace that transcends understanding. So stop trying to figure everything out. Instead, lean on Me, letting your head rest on My chest. While you rest, I will be watching over you and all that concerns you.
Trust Me in the depths of your being, where I live in union with you. My healing work in you is most effective when you are actively trusting Me. Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet My unfailing Love for you will not be shaken. This is the essence of My compassion for you: No matter how desperate your circumstances, the one thing you can always count on is My unfailing love.
(Jesus Lives, Sarah Young)


Thank you Lord for knowing me and loving me. Please help me to lean on you and trust you always. Rid me of my selfishness. My prayer is that you would be glorified in me!

Sea of Galilee!

Baingan Bharta (Eggplant Curry)

Someone was talking about eggplant today. And after the favorable outcome of the Moroccan Meatballs, I decided to persist in my Indian cuisine.

Eggplant Curry over parmesan couscous!

This was soooo good! And totally vegetarian!

First I cut a large eggplant in half lengthwise and put it facedown on a baking sheet in the oven on 450 for 25 minutes.

While that's cooking, saute one chopped onion with 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds until the onion is tender.

Mix in 1 teaspoon minced ginger, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 can rotel, 1 teaspoon chopped jalepenos, 1/2 cup plain yogurt.

When the eggplant is done, spoon out the flesh and cut it into cubes. Add it to the mixture along with 1 cup frozen peas. Cover it and cook on high for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

Then I made some 5-minute couscous to go with it. YUM.

This is the abridged version because SYTYCD is on TV. And I gotta go watch!!!

I WANT MO' SKETTI

We had a sophisticated meal at the Moody house tonight: spaghetti tacos and fried corn fritters.

Rhonda!

Ok so, maybe not sophisticated... but it sure was tasty!

Malori

Marleigh

Yeah, just like iCarly.

And then there were fried corn fritters. SUUUUUPER delicious.

I made two different batches. One sweet and one spicy.

To make the batter, combine 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar. Then beat in one egg, 1/2 cup milk and a couple tablespoons of melted butter. Now if you want to make two different kinds, split this batter in half. In the sweet one I added about 1/4 cup more sugar. In the spicy I added some shredded cheddar cheese, some chopped jalapenos, a little more salt, garlic powder, and whatever other kind of seasoning you want. Would also be good with bacon bits, but I didn't think about that until after the fact. Then split the can of corn between the two.


Put 3 cups of canola oil in a heavy pot and heat it up. I'm not sure the exact temperature it's supposed to be. 350 degrees maybe? I don't know. Mine got way too hot and my first fritter turned black in a millisecond and caused a massive smoke scene in Rhonda's house (sorry Rhonda). So I had to let it cool a little.

Anyway. just drop little bitty spoon fulls into the hot oil and take them out when they're a good dark golden brown.

The sweet ones are good dipped in honey or syrup. And the spicy ones (my favorite) were really good dipped in ranch.

No leftovers!!!!!!!

Fried Corn Fritters
1 cup flour
sugar
salt
baking soda
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsps melted butter
1 can corn
whatever other ingredients you want

Kale Chips

It's 2:30pm and my salty craving has rudely interrupted my day. I've been hearing about these kale chips for a while now and finally decided to try it. Best decision I've ever made! Seriously, these are a great alternative to potato chips. They're salty, filling, cheap, easy and extremely low-calorie.

Finished product!

Katie loves kale.

Preheat the oven to 350. Take a head of kale, wash the leaves, break the big stems off to discard, and tear the leaves into big bite-size pieces (they shrink when baked). It's very important to dry the leaves off really well. I let mine sit on the counter for a little while to air dry.

Transfer the leaves to a bowl and add 1 tbsp olive oil (or olive oil spray) and, with your hands, make sure all the leaves get coated. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil and spread the leaves on it. Shower them with a nice coating of salt and bake them in the oven for 10-15 minutes! I take them out halfway through and stir. When they're done, let them cool for a few minutes so they can crisp up.

In the end, you'll have a nice bowl of crunchy, salty chips! I even dip mine in ketchup. Then they taste like crunchy french fries.


Kale Chips
1 head kale
1 tbsp olive oil
salt

Moroccan Meatballs over Couscous

So...

It's been months since I've posted on this thing! School has been kicking me in the face and it's hard to find time to cook AND blog about it. But hopefully I'll start doing this again more often.

Things that have happened since my last post:

I went to Israel for the 2nd time! This is my Dad and I at Beit Shean. 

My nephews grew!

My best friend got married!

Nose piercage.

I think that about covers it.

Back to food, my parents are leaving for Wales in the morning for a mission trip so I decided to cook a good sending off meal tonight. And it was one of the best things I've ever cooked!!!!

The basic idea: Moroccan style meatballs in a "North African sauce" served over couscous with dried dates. Spicy and sweet. OMG. Delish.

For the sauce, I sauteed half a small onion (chopped) with a couple tbsps of minced garlic and a couple tbsps of olive oil.This is pretty much the foundation of all my meals. 

Then I added 1/2 cup of chopped green olives and lemon zest (from 1 lemon) and let that cook a few minutes. After that I deglazed the pan with 1/2 cup of white wine and let it reduce for a couple minutes. Then I added a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, 1/4 cup chicken broth, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes and a pinch of cinnamon. Let that simmer for 10 minutes and add salt & pepper.

Now for the meatballs. In a medium bowl, combine one egg with 2 tbsps of tomato paste until smooth. Add 3 tbsps of fresh chopped cilantro, 1 tbsp fresh minced garlic, 1 tsp cumin and a pinch of cinnamon. Stir in 1 pound of ground beef or turkey (I used turkey, and it was wonderful!) and 1/3 cup fine bread crumbs. Add salt and pepper and gently combine the ingredients with your hands, but don't overmix. Then, using your hands, start rolling the meatballs! Mine made about 30.

Warning: The hot oil can cause severe pain when it pops in your eye.

In a large saucepan, heat up 3 tbsps of vegetable oil on medium heat. Brown the meatballs in batches until golden dark on all sides. As they finish transfer them to the sauce and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Note to self: take the picture BEFORE you start eating it so it will look more appealing to others.

While that's a-cooking, pull out some couscous! I used a 5-minute box of garlic herb couscous. In a saucepan, bring to a boil 1 cup water, 1 cup chicken broth and 1 tbsp olive oil. Finely chop about 1/4-1/3 cup dried dates. When the water starts boiling, add the dates and the couscous, cover tightly, remove from the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes.

When it's finished, fluff it up with a fork and serve the meatballs/sauce on top of the couscous. The spicy/sweet combo is amazing. Truly. The prep time took a while with all the chopping and dicing but it was well worth it. My parents loved it and it was different from anything we've ever eaten!

North African sauce:
2 tbsps olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
2 gloves garlic, chopped
1 lemon, zested
1/2 cup pitting and chopped green olives
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
pinch ground cinnamon
salt & pepper

Moroccan meatballs:
1 egg
2 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp freshly chopped cilantro
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tsp cumin
pinch cinnamon
1 pound ground been or turkey
1/3 cup bread crumbs

Couscous with dried dates:
1 cup water
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped dried dates
1 cup quick-cooking couscous
salt & pepper