Curried Pumpkin Bisque (Revised)

A couple years back, I posted a recipe for Curried Pumpkin Soup, which, while amazing, called for cream-of-something as a base - which is unusual for me.  I made this season's first batch today, and it was basically awesome.  So, without further ado, here is my Curried Pumpkin Bisque, Revised Edition.

Note:  If you're making this for one person, use the first amount.  The second amount is enough for two-three small portions, or an adult and several children for lunch.

1-2 cups of pumpkin puree
2-4 tablespoons of butter
1-2 small onions, minced
several cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1-2 cups of milk or cream
2-4 tablespoons of white flour or cornstarch
curry powder
cracked pepper
salt, preferably sea salt or kosher salt

Melt the butter over medium heat and stir the minced onions and garlic into this.  Cook until tender and starting to caramelize on the edges.  Add flour or cornstarch to make a roux, stirring until fully blended.  Cook for a few minutes, until the flour has become fragrant but has not browned.  (This is not necessary with cornstarch.)  Pour the milk or cream into this,slowly at first, whisking constantly.  You are trying to keep from having any mini-dumpling lumps, so this step is important.  Season liberally with salt, cracked pepper, and curry.  Start with a half-teaspoon for a small batch and a full teaspoon for a double batch, and adjust accordingly.  I always use more, as I tend to be heavy-handed with my herbs and spices.  Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium-low.  It should be thickened like cream gravy by this point.  Stir into this your pumpkin puree, and allow to cook over medium low or low heat for at least another 10 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.  Just before serving, I like to finish this with a teaspoon or two of oregano-infused oil.  This is gorgeous when served in china teacups with crackers on the side.  Kid-approved.

A Long Time in Coming

After 5 years, Young Living has finally decided to file a lawsuit against  dōTERRA.  Rather than making any comments, I will just provide the official link to the information page.  You can verify this information via dōTERRA's own website, as well as through the Fourth Judicial District Court in American Fork, Utah.



For more information, visit Young Living's legal information site.

[Book Review] How to Hang Loose in an Uptight World by Elizabeth Baker

How to Hang Loose in an Uptight World by Elizabeth Baker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An excellent primer on the history of "stress," how it affects our bodies, and how to combat it naturally and scripturally. Also contains self-check tests for personal stress levels, and several different lists of "stress-busters," organized by time-required. A must-read for all who walk in modern times.

View all my reviews

To Love Mercy

He hath shewed thee, O man, what [is] good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? - - Micah 6:8, KJV

This afternoon, I had a unique opportunity to show mercy. About 3:30 pm, two of my neighbor ladies knocked on my door, informing me that they had just witnessed two young hispanic males stealing my husband's ten-speed bike. As the story goes, when they hollered after them about calling the police, the young men dropped the bike on the road and ran into the woods nearby.

One of the ladies' husbands is on the reserve with the police department, and he went home and got his badge, et al, and went after the two young men, along with a deputy who came from the county. Eventually, the young men were apprehended and put under arrest, and brought back to my property in a squad car, handcuffed.

I was presented with a decision. I had called Charlie earlier and asked his opinion on legal matters before the boys were caught, but I had not expected to need to make a final decision alone, while my husband was at work. After weighing all my available information, I decided to have the officer issue a citation, rather than booking them for a full arrest, jail, arraignment, and so forth.

One of the boys was 14; the other was 17. Because they were minors, they legally had to be released into the custody of their guardians. This gave me an opportunity to not only speak with the younger one's mother, but hug her. She was embarrassed, and rightly so. The young man came to me and apologized, looking genuinely sheepish; he had been left alone to do chores while his mother went to buy groceries. Imagine his mother's surprise when she received a call from the deputy! I gave him my forgiveness.

The older young man was released into the custody of his pregnant older sister, who was also his guardian. His sister expressed her gratitude towards my expression of mercy, and also her embarrassment regarding her brother's behavior. As for him, he also came to me and apologized for trespassing, for stealing, for everything. He expressed his gratitude, and this is what I told him:

"God shows his mercy to us, and so I am giving mercy to you. I forgive you."

He extended his hand to me, and I shook his hand. Yes, there were tears in my eyes, because I told him to be safe. As I told him, "if it had been anyone but me, he might not have been safe. So be safe." I also laid hands on his sister, expressing my forgiveness to her, telling her that it was going to be okay, when she apologized again.

There are some people who have expressed that I was too merciful. To this, I only say that I did not allow them to go unpunished. I upheld the law, insomuch as was appropriate to the situation. The stolen property had been returned, and was of little value when it was stolen. Yes, I could have prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, but instead, I chose to show mercy. They were issued a citation, which, if not addressed, would land them in jail just as if I had chosen to prosecute.

I can only pray that my few words and my act of kindness would affect the hardness of their hearts, and turn them towards a loving Savior whose forgiveness runs deeper than mine ever could. I genuinely ache for them. I pray for them.

So, instead of criticizing my actions, I ask that you do the same as I do tonight - pray. Because what is required of us, after all, but to do justly, love mercy, and to walk with humility in the path of our God?

Missionary Lizard Valentines!

Since Ethan has to pass out valentines this year for the homeschool party and for AWANAs, I thought I would create a special valentine just for my little dinosaur man to pass out.

I got the dinosaur part for free from a clip-art site, and added in the details.  Underneath, I put the dinosaur's (current) scientific name and his classification in the Creation order.  You could do something similar for your child.  In what way does his or her interests fit in with an evangelistic mindset?

Share God's grace with your neighbors!

Rosemary Chicken Cassoulet with Baby Bellos

I made this recipe last night for my family, as a change from my usual preparation method for beans.  You'll need:

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary

salt

oil - I usually prefer light olive oil

1 pound baby portobello or other mushrooms

2 cups of cooked navy beans; I used one-half pound of dried beans and cooked them until almost tender.

hot water

Heat a deep cast-iron skillet or dutch oven about medium-low, and coat the bottom of the skillet with oil.  When the oil is fragrant, snip the rosemary leaves into the hot oil.  Salt this liberally, and then fit the chicken breasts into a single layer in the skillet.  Cook on one side until a golden crust develops, then turn.  While this cooks, cut the mushrooms into quarters and put into the pan with the chicken.  Using a sharp spatula, cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks.  Cook for about ten more minutes, stirring occasionally; be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to distribute the crusty goodness and keep it from sticking.

When the chicken is cooked through and the mushrooms have softened, pour in the cooked beans.  Barely cover this with scalding water; I keep a teapot on the stove at all times for this purpose.  Stir well until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.  Reduce heat to a simmer, and cover.  Allow this to continue cooking until the broth has reduced to a thick gravy and the beans are cooked through.  I like this to be thick as a stew, but you could make it more like a soup; it will just be soup, not a cassoulet.

This serves 4-5 comfortably.  We also had parmesan griddle bread and buttered corn.

Book Review: The Gift of Forgiveness by Charles Stanley

The Gift of Forgiveness by Charles F. Stanley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is not just another book on why we ought to forgive one another. Rather, Dr. Stanley takes the time to first explain what forgiveness is, and what it is not, and then shows us our own position of forgiveness in Christ. Throughout the book are practical applications on how you can forgive not only others, but yourself, based on your own forgiveness in God through Christ.

This is the first time I've ever found a preacher who actually bothers to give valid biblical reasoning for the popular idea of the times, "forgiving yourself." Someone gave this book to me in hopes that I would learn forgiveness in regards to another person, but when I read it with an open mind, it allowed me to recognize an unforgiving spirit toward myself. I highly recommend it.

There is something here for everyone, not just the newly converted or the seasoned theologian.

View all my reviews

Almost Peach Ice Cream

1 lb bag frozen sliced peaches
1/4+ c. raw honey
3/4-1c. organic skim milk (you could probably sub almond or coconut milk with good results)

Just before dinner, use a canister-style blender, pulse or blend on medium until smooth.  Season to taste with cinnamon, ginger, or other spices that suit you.  Pour into an appropriately sized dish and put back into the freezer while you eat dinner, then surprise your family with this healthy, ah-mazing dessert.

You're welcome.

Virus Scan: Initiated

I attended a meeting recently about natural health, and spiritual goals for the upcoming year.  During the course of the event, a single idea kept repeating itself in my mind:  emotions which are buried alive remain alive.  The facilitator gave an example of how, when she would respond in anger, she would find herself thinking and acting as a child, rather than the adult she actually was.

In light of scripture, and in light of a world view which looks through scripture to examine reality, I realized that somewhere within me lies the answer to the reason I respond to people the way that I do.  Why is it that I repeat myself many times when I speak, saying it a little different each time, trying to ensure that the listener understands exactly what I am trying to convey?  Why is it, when someone is angry or unhappy with me, I become physically uncomfortable and try all means possible to run away from the situation?

I have come to understand, over time, that like a computer, our body stores information that can be recalled later, both voluntarily and involuntarily.  So, I prayerfully asked God to bring to my memory the reasons for my actions.  Over the course of several days, I would ponder on those emotions, and scroll back through the history of my mind, trying to find the first time I encountered those feelings.

What I am talking about is not self-hypnosis, repressed memories, or any such thing.  I am simply talking about consciously recalling active memories, reaching back historically to a place that I could identify as a starting point.  I did not meditate on these emotions, or involve any other person; rather, I presented a query to my mind, and let my memory do the rest, over a period of a few days.

As I was riding back from a date night movie with my husband, looking quietly out the window onto the familiar eastern sky, I realized the beginnings of much of my neurosis had occurred before I was even five years old.  For example:

• I was taught that children are to be seen and not heard.  My step-father was often displeased with my inquisitive nature, and I received many beatings for talking too much.  On one such occasion, he had taken me to see my grandmother, and I tried, with as much as a four year old can try, to remain calm, and quiet, and not speak too often or freely.  Desperate for his approval, when we climbed into the truck afterward, I asked if I had "talked too much this time."  He informed me that I had, in fact, talked "too d*** much," and when we got home, he held me up by one arm and beat me with the wire end of a fly swatter.  It is from this experience that I learned the concept of failure.  This, and many many other examples, taught me to believe that no matter how hard I tried, I would never succeed at following the rules, and I would always be deserving of any punishment set before me.

• Soon after this incident, I tried to explain to my grandmother that I was afraid to go home with my step-father.  She tried to ask the right questions, and I tried to give her the right answers, but it wasn't until many years later that she understood what my four-year-old mind had tried to convey.  Needless to say, I went home with the abusive step-father, and spent the rest of my life, even now, repeating and re-repeating my words, making sure that my listener is absolutely certain of what I am trying to convey.  In fact, when I feel like I am being misunderstood, the same feelings of panic well up within me, as if I am once again that trapped little girl, about to be sent home with the man who hurt her.

• My birth mother spent much of my young childhood trying to avoid the way I looked.  She would try to bleach my freckles off with lemon juice, or tell the photographer at the preschool to "make sure and snap the picture before she smiles all the way," so I learnt to cover my freckles with piles of concealer and smile in a sort-of down-turned way that didn't show my teeth - - that was before I forgot how to smile altogether.  In fact, when I was in musical theater, I had to sit in front of the mirror for over an hour, which chapstick on my teeth, teaching myself how to smile and memorizing how the muscles felt, so that I wouldn't fail my class for neglecting to smile on stage.  I have spent my whole life lamenting the body that God put me in, and trying desperately to change it.

• At some point during this stage, my birth mother was admitted to a psychiatric institution for suicidal tendencies.  I seem to recall that she cut her wrists in the hospital, and then called the nurses for aide.  I learned that mental problems were either a joke or a stigma, and a sign of weakness rather than a need for healing.  While she was hospitalized, my step-father informed me that I was not to call him "Daddy" any longer, since he wasn't my father, after all, and he left me with my grandmother for many months until my birth mother came home from the hospital.  I learned that no one wanted me, and that love is something that is subject to change at any time.  I would spend my whole life trying anxiously to be loved, only to mistrust and push away those who loved me, in fear that they would abandon me.
  

These are only a small sampling of what I uncovered when I sought to find the origins of my strange behavior.  In this, though, I have found not defeat, but victory.  Though I am responsible for each of my sins, I can rest in the fact the God is my avenger, and he does not take kindly to those who abuse children, especially those who love God.  (Matthew 18:6, Mark 9:42, Luke 17:2)  Though I have a long path ahead of me, I can take comfort in knowing that God is a physician to those who are sick (Matthew 9:12, Mark 2:17), and that those who mourn will be comforted (Matthew 5:4).  

I have posted before on the ability of our body to respond to repeated emotion in the same way that it responds to repeated intake of foods, medicines, environmental toxins, etc.  I recognize that the vessel I dwell in, that is, my body, has been marked, and carries with it the reminders of the pain that I relived and recalled, as well as the joys.  It is my goal, then, to seek out and heal the damage that has been caused, as I uproot and neutralize each source of fear spiritually, and seek to heal the physical damage caused by carrying it around with me.

Virus Scan:  Initiated.