How To Vary A Bowl Of Oats

Oats are awesome. I love them. They make me happy. There are ten bajillion things that you can do with them, but the best thing to do with oats is make porridge of them.

Yep, porridge. I made a post ages ago about mixing oatmeal with yogurt, but since I rarely buy yogurt anymore, I had to come up with other ways to vary my bowl of morning oats.

ANYHOW! Porridge. Seriously. What a cool word! According to Wikipedia, porridge is grains, particularly oats, that have been boiled in water or milk. Here's a few more suggestions to jazz up your oats:

-peanut butter-
-butter and fruit preserves-
-peanut butter and jelly-
-butter and pancake syrup of various forms-

I've been in the butter and strawberry preserves mood lately. I also prefer to cook my oats thick and then thin them with additional milk, rather than cooking them like runny soup.

Oats have some seriously major benefits. They're frugal. They're whole grains. They're naturally sweet and they are fantastically full of all sorts of neat things that God uses to clean out your blood, your liver, and even increase a nursing mother's milk supply. Oats are my friends; I'm glad to introduce you to them!

Savory Sweet Potatoes

Normally, my husband eats sweet potatoes a grand total of once a year, and that only because I get a hankering for the occasional baked one with butter. However, I got tired of being disappointed with sweetened vegetables - I've never been a fan of sugar on my savory foods. SO, today, I got brave and made up a recipe for sweet potatoes. I don't think I'll ever go back to the old way.

Savory Sweet Potatoes
(this-n-that style)

Peel and cut a couple of large sweet potatoes into dice. Put into a microwave-safe, covered casserole with a quarter-cup of water and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and cajun seasoning (I use Tony Cachere's) to taste. Microwave, covered, on full power for 6 minutes.

In a deep skillet or medium saucepan, sauté a medium, thinly-sliced onion in adequate mild olive oil over medium heat until they start to be translucent and caramel around the edges. Lower heat.

Pour the potatoes into the onions and stir, coating completely. Cover and raise back to medium heat, and simmer for about fifteen minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

All done; these are great with a pork roast. Let me know what you think!

The Word

So, while attempting to take a nap today, I was thinking about how the gospel according to John refers to Christ as "The Word." I started playing around with verses in my head, interchanging "Jesus Christ" for "the Word" or "thy word," etc., and vice versa. Here are some that I came up with just at nap time:

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. ~Psalm 119:105~

[Jesus Christ] is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. ~Psalm 119:11~

[Jesus Christ] have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. ~Psalm 138:2~

I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified [Jesus Christ] above all thy name.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. ~John 14:6~

Jesus saith unto him, [the word of God] is the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by [the word of God].

Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. ~John 15:3-5~

Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in [the word of God], and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in [the word of God]. I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in [the word of God], and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without [the word of God] ye can do nothing. ~John 15:3-5~

I ask you, HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!

Granted, it's not a perfect model, and I'm not going to go translating the whole Bible like that, but isn't it amazing how, especially when it comes to abiding in Christ, how that simple exercise makes it so much easier to understand?

Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. ~Psalm 119:18~