Hospitality – Page 6 – Backdoor Hospitality

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Marshmallow Cream Filling

As I was perusing the internet I came across this quote:

Churches that have not nurtured a common life among members will find hospitality to strangers difficult. The table is central to the practice of hospitality in home and church. The nourishment we gain there is physical, spiritual, and social. Whether we gather around the table for the Lord’s Supper or for a church potluck dinner, we are strengthened as a community. Meals shared together in church provide opportunities to sustain relationships and build new ones. They establish a space that is personal without being private, an excellent setting in which to begin friendships with strangers.

I don’t remember where I got this or who wrote this, but I find the statement appealing. One it makes me wonder how my church family is doing in this area of life (and how I am doing within the church body). For me, it’s fairly easy to invite people into my home, or my life, to share a meal or drink coffee, in order to know one another. I have the ability to make friends wherever I find myself and (not boasting) if you were to ask Ben, he would tell you, “Kamille has an inquisitive nature to draw people out by asking questions and putting them at ease.” This type of hospitality and welcoming doesn’t scare me, but I know it scares other people (and that’s okay if it does).

However, what’s hard for me in my idealist/dreamer ways is seeing a need for hospitality & community meals in the larger church gathering; yet, it stays fairly idle. I get discouraged, because I read quotes like the one above and say, “YES, we need that to survive, to breathe, to truly know one another.” I get discouraged, because I see people on the fringes not knowing how to make their way in and I’m only one person (who just happens to have two little ones and by default it makes me less available). Does anyone else feel like this? Whether, it be the outsider trying to make your way in or the insider trying to find an opening?

But, in trying to live in the “glass half full” mindset, I see how amazing a meal can bring people together. It’s not HUGE; yet it is! I know I felt incredibly loved & cared for in my postpartum stage with my two girls through people bringing meals. For one, I was simply famished like any mother nursing a schizophrenic sleeper. And two, it’s something I didn’t have to think about. Blessing. We are community friends with four Japanese students who are studying at Western for about six months. We can alleviate some of the language barriers and anxiety by feeding our bellies, and ultimately our souls. Blessing. There’s a young adults gathering called ‘Soup & Story’ through our church body. People who don’t know one another are able to find friendship & be friendship through something simple as soup and bread. Blessing. And I got to make some wonderful pumpkin whoopie pie cookies last week for the new group of freshman at Western. A time when they’re possibly feeling insecure or fearful about being away from home, I can put my baking skills to good use. Blessing.

As I share this recipe with you, I hope you will see the many blessings in your life and ways to shower down blessings on someone else.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple-Marshmallow Cream Filling (printable version)

Adapted from this recipe by Two Fat Cats Bakery, Portland, Maine My changes were adding ground ginger and using rapadura sugar in place of the granulated sugar. I found this from Bon Appetite.

Ingredients

FILLING

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
2 teaspoons maple extract

CAKE

3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3/4 cup rapadura sugar (you can use granulated)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
15 oz pumpkin puree or 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1/2 cup milk (I used whole)
Nonstick vegetable oil spray

FILLING

Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add marshmallow creme and maple extract; beat until blended and smooth. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

CAKE

Sift first 8 ingredients into large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in another large bowl until blended. Gradually beat in oil. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Beat in pumpkin. Add dry ingredients in 2 additions alternately with milk in 1 addition, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Cover and chill batter 1 hour.
Arrange 1 rack in bottom third of oven and 1 rack in top third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment; spray lightly with nonstick spray. Spoon batter onto baking sheet to form cakes (about 3 level tablespoons each; about 12 per baking sheet), spacing apart. Let stand 10 minutes.
Bake cakes until tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through baking. Cool cakes completely on baking sheets on rack. Using metal spatula, remove cakes from parchment.
Line cooled baking sheets with clean parchment; spray with nonstick spray, and repeat baking with remaining batter.
Spoon about 2 tablespoons filling on flat side of 1 cake. Top with another cake, flat side down. Repeat with remaining cakes and filling. DO AHEAD Can be made 8 hours ahead. Store in single layer in airtight container at room temperature.

Juxtaposition

My mom is a woman who’s been through a lot of trials in her 53 years of life. We’ve bumped heads as we are similar in many ways, but we have also laughed, cried & encouraged one another through some pretty hard patches. And through our similarities there are of course the differences we hold. I (as you know) love love love to bake and love love to cook (bake is higher on the list), but my mom not so much. My mom love love loves to talk on the phone, and actually I’m not the biggest fan. I know she would say how I raise my girls, love my husband and tend to household duties is completely opposite to how she did those things when she was my age.

And although she didn’t necessarily teach me how to organize like Martha Stewart would have to her daughter (thank God), I would say my mom gave me gifts through her actions (those that surpass magazine covers or tangible sensibilities in Better Home & Garden magazines). Instead, she taught me what hospitality looked like (even though I didn’t know it was called that). Because my mom wasn’t the (and isn’t) type to say, “see, what I’m doing is called this…(fill in the blank).” She was simplistic in her love and grace to others (she’d probably disagree being hard on herself and call herself judgmental, but she always asked us kids for forgiveness when she was in the wrong).

I can recall my mom being the only parent who welcomed in kids to our home who were unwelcome in other “church” families’ homes. She had/has the knack of befriending just about anyone and “the least of these” are drawn to my mother. She loves without pretense and gives the benefit of the doubt. It’s the people who most of society, if they were honest with themselves, wouldn’t really want to hang out with or associate with. It’s what some might call ‘white trash, Walmart shopping, trailer park residing, welfare living, food stamp eating’ sort of people. I’m thankful for her goodness as she loves like Jesus, while providing me an example of how to love. She is so good about this and I find it to be a virtuous trait.

Christine Pohl, author of Making Room wrote:

Followers of Christ should offer a generous welcome to “the least of these,” without concern for advantage or benefit to the host. Because hospitality is a way of life, it must be cultivated over a lifetime. We do not become good at hospitality in an instant; we learn it in small increments of daily faithfulness. Hospitality is difficult because it involves hard work. People wear out and struggle with limits. Our society places a high value on control, planning, and efficiency, but hospitality is unpredictable and often inefficient. We insist on measurable results and completed tasks, but the results of hospitality are impossible to quantify and the work of hospitality is rarely finished.

One thing I think Pohl left out was, “Hospitality is messy.” It’s untamable, much like Aslan being described in the Chronicles of Narnia (who is the Christ figure in the series). We cannot guarantee that we will love every minute. We cannot control who it is that we are being called to show hospitality to in reality. And this is why hospitality is not entertainment. It’s not about having matching silverware and placemats, a fancy meal, or the best home to showcase it all in. That’s what Fine Living would tell you, but it’s the picture Jesus painted in his parable of having a fine feast inviting all the finest people in the land. However, none of them came. So the host went out & invited the ‘least of these’ from the streets to wine & dine at his feast (juxtaposition). He took any focus off himself to lavish it upon his guests. Making them the star.

So I ask myself (and my family), ‘how do we live in juxtaposition?’ I choose messy & unfinished, much like parenting right:) What do you do to live in juxtaposition? live in the messy & unfinished (‘rarely finished’)?

Pull out the recipe box

As I mentioned a couple posts back about my cooking class and all the wonderful food I enjoyed, but didn’t have the recipes quite yet. Well, I do now and I would love to share some of them with you. But before I do that…I have to tell you a rather sweet & lovely morning I woke up to.

First off, I had a date with Ben last night and dominated the conversation (thanks for listening). I dumped on him about how I’ve been feeling as a stay at home mom (ie trying to feed the kids in a fashionable time frame, wanting to enjoy a hot cup of coffee for once, trying really hard to run the inner workings of our house while spending quality time with my girls, etc etc etc). As he was listening, he asked, “what would your ideal day look like with the girls?” I think I repeated about three times, “well it would look like, no but that would be unrealistic,” while he would continue to say, “I didn’t ask what’s realistic, but idealistic” (here my realistic hubby telling his idealistic wife to stop being realistic–gotta love it).

So one of my answers was being able to enjoy a hot cup of coffee, sit down for breakfast all together and come home from Thursday playgroup with lunch already made to serve when we walk in the door (and a little bit more I’m leaving out, maybe it was a massage?). Well, listen he did. He took care of the oldest breakfast, had an americano for me and when I thought it couldn’t get any better…”here,” he said diverting my attention to a clear rubbermaid container, “a grilled cheese sandwich that just needs to be heated up and apple slices for the girl’s lunch.”

This is what hospitality looks like to a mother with two young children, who just the day before wanted to drive far, far away by herself. I’m blessed to have such a guy and I try really hard to not take it for granted. And as you read this and maybe make one of the recipes, I hope you will find someone you can bless through the simple act of hospitality, in the form of a meal.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

adapted from Thomas Keller, Ad Hoc

I personally am not a big fan of fried chicken, but I do believe some of you are…specifically Liz S.

Ingredients:

1 gallon cold water

1 cup plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey

12 bay leaves

1 head of garlic, smashed but not peeled

2 tablespoons black peppercorns

3 large rosemary sprigs

1 small bunch of thyme

1 small bunch of parsley

Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons

Two 3-pound chickens

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons onion powder

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

2 cups buttermilk

Vegetable oil, for frying

Rosemary and thyme sprigs, for garnish

In a very large pot, combine 1 quart of the water with 1 cup of the salt and the honey, bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme and parsley. Add the lemon zest and juice and the lemon halves and bring to a simmer over moderate heat, stirring until the salt is dissolved. Let cool completely, then stir in the remaining 3 quarts of cold water. Add the chickens, being sure they’re completely submerged, and refrigerate overnight.

Drain the chickens and pat dry. Scrape off any herbs or peppercorns stuck to the skin and cut each bird into 8 pieces, keeping the breast meat on the bone.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne and the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt. Put the buttermilk in a large, shallow bowl. Working with a few pieces at a time, dip the chicken in the buttermilk, then dredge in the flour mixture, pressing so it adheres all over. Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet lined with wax paper.

In a very large, deep skillet, heat 1 inch of vegetable oil to 330°. Fry the chicken in 2 or 3 batches over moderate heat, turning once, until golden and crunchy and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of each piece registers 160°, about 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to paper towels to drain, and keep warm in a low oven while you fry the remaining chicken pieces. Transfer the fried chicken to a platter, garnish with the herb sprigs and serve hot or at room temperature.

Mile High Buttermilk Biscuits

adapted Cooks Illustrated

These are truly a phenomenal buttermilk biscuit, which are super quick & easy.

Ingredients:

2 C flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 1/2 C buttermilk

Additional flour

2 Tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 500ºF. Spray a 9 in springform or cake pan with some nonstick spray.

Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt to a bowl and mix the ingredients together evenly. Using a fork or pastry blender, cut in the butter until the pieces are no bigger than a small pea. Fold in the buttermilk until everything is just blended, and there are no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix, the mixture should still be lumpy.

Line a plate or tray with some flour and using a 1/4 C measuring cup or 1/4 C ice cream/cookie scoop or eyeball it & use your hands, scoop out balls of the dough onto the tray of flour. Flour your hands and roll each ball around in the flour to evenly coat them in a layer of flour. The dough is very wet and very sticky. Place the dough balls into the prepared pan. Place 9 balls around in a ring and 3 balls in the center of the pan. Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter.

Bake for 5 minutes at 500ºF (middle rack) and then lower the temperature to 450ºF and bake for another 15 minutes.

Apple Tarte Tatin

Pate Brisee

12 oz flour, sifted

1 tsp salt

8 oz unsalted butter, diced

1/4 C club soda (more or less)

Put flour, salt, and butter in food processor. Mix until it looks like grated parmesan. Add club soda a little at a time until pastry forms a ball and does not stick to sides. Dump dough onto a flat surface and push it away from you using the ball of your hand. Do this two or three times. Combine into a disc using your hands (don’t worry it will look pretty crumbly, which is normal). Put dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Let it rest on countertop for 10-15 minutes, till a bit pliable. Then roll for your pie pan.

Ingredients for Apple Tarte Tatin

8 tart (granny smith) apples

3/4 C sugar

1/2 stick unsalted butter

creme fraiche to serve

You need an oven proof frying pan – cast-iron ovenproof frying pan is fine.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Peel, halve, and core apples. Melt butter in pan on stove. Add sugar (just sprinkle it on top of the butter) and place the apples decoratively on top (cut side down). Cook slowly until caramelized. This can take up to one hour. Do not stir! (Clearly, low heat here.)

When cooked (check by lifting an apple and seeing what’s going on), remove from heat.

Roll the pastry, put it on top of the apples. Tuck the sides in. Cook in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove, take a flat dish and turn the tarte upsidedown. Serve warm with creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream. You can also scrape a vanilla bean into the apples at the beginning of the caramelization and let the pod sit in there with them, too, but it’s not totally necessary.

Poached Pears

Ingredients

2 cups Orange Muscat
1 medium red beet (1/4 pound), peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick
2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
7-8 small firm-ripe pears (3/4 to 1 pound total), peeled, halved lengthwise, and cored

Bring wine, beet, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and bay leaves to a boil in a 1 1/2- to 2-quarts saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved.

Add pears and cover with a round of parchment paper. Simmer, turning occasionally, until pears are tender and liquid is syrupy, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer pears to a bowl. Discard cinnamon stick and bay leaves and pour syrup over pears. Cool completely in syrup, about 30 minutes.

Poached pears can be made 1 day ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Heirloom Tomato Soup

Well, the week of Kamille is officially over as of a week ago. And although I was richly blessed by my husband for allowing me to take a three day cooking class, spend a couple evenings away from home and be creative away from typical mommy duties, it still made me feel like I wanted (and possibly needed) more time away. Is that horrible to say? I think I needed time to take in everything I learned, in order to apply it. But for anyone with small children knows, finding time to debrief is near impossible because life is always going.

However, after a couple days, I was able to apply some of my newly learned skills. My top priority being cutting apart a whole chicken and then making a stock out of the leftover chicken parts. So far I have two whole chickens cut down under my belt and about 100 more to go. It was great to make such simple dishes for dinner (using the chicken I cut up) and have Ben rave over them. He said of last night’s dinner (of roasted chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese & basil under the skin & roasted squash), “Mama, you did a good job! This is is what you would eat at a fancy restaurant.” I replied, “Are you teasing me?” Ben, “No, I’m serious!” What a great way to win over my heart (if you want to hit my soft spot you simply have to praise my cooking & baking…it doesn’t take much)

And I guess that’s what I have enjoyed about baking & cooking. It’s not only a simple (but big) way to show my family & friends I care for them—it is a means to allow the stresses of family, church, life, mommyhood to be taken from me for a short window. To simply peel potatoes & carrots is not an arduous job, but a time to think and let the cares of this world fall off my shoulder. To cut apart a chicken is not a complicated task, but a time to achieve something simple in a world so complex & difficult to grapple. To beat butter & sugar together at the mixer is not simply formulaic & mindless work, but a chance to watch the world unfold as freshly baked sweetness comes out of the oven. All of this is done to know myself in the midst of chaos and to know how to extend my world of blessing to someone who needs it most.

At my cooking class I made an Heirloom Tomato Soup. It was one of my favorite dishes, because it was a melding of complex and simple, much like life. It took only a handful of ingredients, but turned my mouth upside down as the flavors danced around.

Kamille’s Heirloom Tomato Soup (printable recipe)

Make a roux, which is a ratio of 55 flour to 45 fat (butter for this soup). Mix the ingredients together in a pan over medium high heat, constantly stirring until the roux forms a ball or it begins to smell like popcorn & hazelnuts. You can cook it as long as you like, but I cooked mine till it formed a tan color.

Ingredients:

Roux (transfer your roux from pan to a bowl to stop the cooking)

1 lb Heirloom tomatoes

1 garlic clove, minced

1 shallot, minced

about 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock (if you want to make it vegetarian than use vegetable stock)

Salt to taste

Freshly cracked pepper & olive oil drizzled on top

1. Score the bottoms of your tomatoes with an X mark.

2. Blanch your tomatoes for 30 seconds in scalding water, then submerge in an ice bath to stop the cooking.

3. Peel the skin off (as much as you can) and dice up your tomatoes.

4. Add about a tablespoon or more of olive oil to your pan and saute your garlic & shallot until fragrant, but not browned. Add your tomatoes and chicken stock to the pan. Cook over medium-high heat to produce a boil, then lower heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

5. Take pan off heat and use an immersion blender to process tomato mixture (if you don’t have an immersion blender then use a regular blender, but blend in a couple batches). Take your roux and add about a tablespoon to your pureed tomato soup. Mix and taste. Add salt. Mix and taste. Pour into bowl and top with freshly cracked pepper and olive oil.

**Most important item in all of this is to taste during every process. Taste your pre-cooked and cooked roux. Taste the tomatoes, shallot, garlic & chicken stock mixture. Taste so you know how much salt you need to add. Also, don’t be afraid of the salt, it is an essential ingredient that makes food “pop,” especially tomatoes. Serve with some crusty bread and enjoy.

Some Redemptive Love & Sour Lemon Scones

While I was doing an internship with a college ministry called UCM a couple years back, I went with my fellow interns to the house of Dr. James Houston. He is the founder of Regent College and is from the UK. He is a wealth of knowledge, wisdom & insight. He is full of grace, hospitality and a breath of fresh air.

The UCM director would take the interns every year to Dr. Houston’s house to simply glean from his years of living with God. We were welcomed into his home with scones, breads, jam & tea. His wife Rita (who is Scottish, so don’t happen to ask her if she’s from England, because she’ll definitely put in her two cents on the subject) busily made the lunch while we were in the living room listening & asking questions.

Now, when one becomes an intern it isn’t uncommon to know of the specialness of visiting the Houston home. I can recall former interns stories of Dr. Houston speaking prophetic words into their lives and of Rita’s wit & hospitality. You expected that he would speak a special word to you personally and walk away holding a gem. You also knew that Rita would shower you with hospitality. Both of which made me very excited to be apart of this day. However, our intern day was a bit different. In fact, it was so different that he didn’t really speak a prophetic word to anyone, except me.

He spoke of a myriad of things from Romanticism to the Psalter to real spirituality. There was a key moment in the morning while he was talking about our ministries failing when we peg them as our own. And as he was talking I asked him a question. You know, I don’t remember what question I asked him or even remember completely what he was talking about. I do remember that I was genuinely seeking an answer to this question. I remember wrestling with the idea of ministry and church and how that all looked. Through my questions & his answers two things happened.

One was this deep penetration of his eyes locked on mine. It was probably one of the most powerful moments I’ve experienced. He knew I was struggling and wrestling, so as he answered me…it was as though everyone else in his living room disappeared and I was the only one he was tending. He was showing me hospitality at that moment. He was unveiling a glimpse of what it meant to be present to not only your guest, but the person made in Christ’s likeness sitting before him. I felt completely loved and cared for by his attentiveness to me and my earnest heart.

Second, was what came from our question & answer. I believe he asked me what I did with UCM, which I replied that I oversaw Evangitality, which is the hospitality ministry and expanded a bit about what we did and my vision for the students (meaning opening up ourselves & our stuff to anyone we encounter, in order that they would know they are a valued person of the Most High; as well as, giving them a hope).

He then had this, “AHHH” sort of expression and said something to the effect, “Well, you must have come from a home that was immersed in love, parents married…” Of course, my answer was,”No, actually it wasn’t, my parents are divorced and it was hectic at times.” Then, he said, “Oh (pause), well then, (with a look of reassurance) it’s a re-DEM-ptive love, isn’t it! It’s like Samson reaching his hand into the carcass of the lion pulling out sweet honey.” With that he left his eyes locked on mine as to give me a sense of my worth and out of a horrible beast of a past, God can still redeem it for sweet, nourishing ending.

That day I walked away feeling nourished by his hospitality, because although his wife was busily making the meal and too many times in our world (Christian and non) we associate the food with hospitality. But the problem with that is I was not so much nourished by the food, grateful yes, but by the care, counsel and genuine love I was shown by Dr. Houston. I saw a glimpse of God that day, through his act of loving this downtrodden 26 year old. He spoke God’s words upon me, “You’re my redeemed!” What a beautiful, glorious jewel to behold. So as I try to intertwine food with lovingkindness, (which is hospitality to the nth power) here are some delicious scones to share with a friend or a stranger as you give them a glimpse of God’s heart for them.

Sour Lemon Scones (printable recipe)

Adapted from Baked. I have made some minor changes, as I’m always experimenting to see if I can add whole wheat flour. And I must say that everyone at playgroup said these were great. As my friend Biz said, “they were better than bakery-awesome!” The whole wheat pastry flour makes a softer crumb, so these scones are not as biscuity in texture, but still very good.

Ingredients:

4 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup rapadura sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, cubed & cold

1 large egg

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup grated lemon zest (from about 3 lemons)

1 teaspoon lemon extract (use the kind that is the real lemon essence, not artificial)

2 Tablespoons raw sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ginger. Whisk until combined. Add the butter. **The recipe says: “Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until the butter is pea-sized.” However, I use my kitchen aid and mix to the same consistency and see no problem.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, 3/4 cup of the buttermilk, and the lemon zest. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and then gently knead the dough with your hands until the dough starts to come together. Move the dough to a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to shape the dough into two discs (about 1 1/2 inches in height). Do not overwork the dough.

Put the discs on the parchment lined pan. Make a 1/8 inch indentation to make 6 wedges, but do not cut all the way through. Brush each scone with the remaining buttermilk and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake in the center of the oven for about 25 to 30 minutes (rotating the baking sheet halfway through the baking time) or until the scones are golden brown.

Transfer the scones to a cooling rack; they can be served slightly warm or completely cooled. Optional top with glaze below.

Scones can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Lemon Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

squeeze juice from half to 3/4 of a fresh lemon

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl. You should come out with a not too thick and not too thin glaze that will be great for putting on top of your cooled (or slightly warmed scones, if you’re like me and trying to hurry out the door to playgroup).

Something Quick

So I made this yummy Salmon Chowder last night for our small group gathering, but I don’t have the recipe as it was a do it as I go sort of thing. The greatest part to me was the pureed celery root, which if you’ve never tried it you truly must and this is the season to do it. Quick, go do it before time runs out.

Aside from the salmon chowder, I have to say that I love my small group and how it’s made up. We are in this transition period. You know the transition of figuring out how to meet together, have adult conversations, while seven little monkeys all under the age of 3 are running, crying, & shouting around the house. Nonetheless, we’re figuring out our rhythms and it just might be working.

We meet twice a month as a large group where we share dinner. I make the main dish and everyone brings something else to share. It’s this beautiful meld of hospitality at it’s finest. We see each other as we are, much like the dishes we bring. The food doesn’t have to compliment one another, be exquisite, or honestly, it doesn’t even have to taste the best. What it is is that we are simply taking time to breathe, love, & enjoy one another.

Our meal last night was salmon chowder (which I took inventory of what I had and threw it in the pot), leftover salad from the previous night and some corn thrown in on top, freshly picked blueberries with sliced strawberries, and sliced watermelon from the day before. Then, there’s our group, a campus pastor, stay-at-home moms, linguist, financial advisor, nutritionist & physical trainer, baker & cook, horse instructor, engineering, & economist.

There is a realness and understanding that we don’t have it together, that we might come grumpy and distraught, that marriage isn’t easy when you have toddlers and babies, and we might even say some stupid, “why did I just say that?” sort of things. It’s not perfect, it’s not polished, and sometimes it’s not always fun, but I would say that there is a mutual appreciation, respect, honesty & love, which permeates through our gatherings.

Here’s something quick you can pull out with company, your family, or give to someone who needs it. It’s a combination of sweet, tangy & crunchy.

Cabbage-Apple Salad (printable recipe)

This recipe is adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients:

half of green cabbage, sliced thinly

2 apples, sliced thinly

1 cup chopped pecans

2 teaspoons butter

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

pinch of cayenne pepper

pinch of kosher salt

1/8 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

2 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Prepare:

Put butter in a skillet over medium-high heat till melted. Add pecans and stir to coat them. Cook while stirring for about one minute. Add brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne & salt; stir till nuts are coated, about 1 minute. Transfer nuts to foil or parchment paper to cool.

Combine olive oil, rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, & dijon mustard. Stir to combine & set aside.

Put your sliced cabbage & apples in a bowl. Add your nuts and pour dressing on top. Combine and serve.

Not All in the Name: Part 1

Last month, Ben and I were able to attend a public lecture at Regent College in Vancouver, B.C.. I was browsing through the college’s website when I stumbled across a lecture entitled, ‘Food, Culture, & Formation of Christian Identity.’ I thought, “Oh, I totally want to go to this!” So I immediately emailed our sitter to see if she was available and checked with Ben if he would want to go with me.

We’ve both been to a couple of these public lectures and they’re really fantastic. You get to listen to a theologian or an expert in their field of study (but they weave it with theology) lecture for 50 minutes on their topic and then questions. I have always gone away from these events a bit more enlightened on the way the world works. This time it would be on food and what better way to glean about food than from a theologian who will most likely exposit a text, then apply it hermenuetically. The lecturer was Dr. John Barclay. If you google him, you’ll find that he studied under N.T. Wright (an Anglican bishop of Durham and one of the most influential theologians today of the New Testament), which is quite impressive and made me more excited to hear him speak.

So when he got to the platform and began to speak I was ready to take notes. However, some of the first words out of his mouth were not what I expected in the slightest. He said that although his lecture was entitled, ‘Food, Culture, & Formation of Christian Identity,’ his goal was to address global warming. What! What!!! Seriously, how can you title your lecture this and then talk about something so far fetching? Well, I wasn’t about to get up and leave, since we did drive an hour with a border crossing just to get there.

What he said was he proposed to argue that due to our food consumption we could either help or make worse global warming. However, I felt like it wasn’t solely on global warming, but also about how we as Christians consume in regards to food. How do we lead the way when 20% of the world is taking 80% of resources from the world, especially considering we live in the 20%? I will break this up into two posts, as to avoid being long winded. There are lots of thoughts, so please add your input. Ultimately, I believe this topic is about hospitality, because as you read on, you will see that it raises the question, “how do I care for my brother and sister with thanksgiving to God?”

His topic of outline went as the following:

Setting the Scene
Food does not matter — or does it?
Food and the Challenge of Multiculturalism
A Call for a contemporary Christian Food Taboo

He spoke of how many of the major religions have food taboos. When you look at Judaism, you see many food taboos given to them, which made it hard for others to enter into their community. Food taboos create boundaries of sorts in any of these religions; thus, it restricts who can come in and who cannot. However, the one major religion which breaks away from these food taboos is Christianity.

In the first century church, there is an “abolition of food taboos as a symbol of social boundary-crossing.” In Acts, Peter is told in a vision from the Lord that he is to eat unforbidden food. Peter argues with the Lord, but Jesus continues on to tell him to eat of this food. It was at this moment we can see that the food taboos put upon the Israelites were being reconstructed for the new church.

However, we see in I Corinthians the dilemma of whether a brother or sister should eat (or serve) unclean meat if it makes their brother or sister stumble in their faith. The apostle Paul at first makes it sound as if it does not matter if a brother or sister eats meat used as a sacrifice to an idol, because it was created by the Lord. He cites Psalm 24, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it…,” as a means to back up that this food was created by God, so it cannot be bad, even if it had been sacrificed to idols.

In spite of this, Paul speaks of the danger of eating any food in context of worship of daimonia, which is food under that of idols and gods, or moreover, the issue is not the food but context in consumption. It’s the orientation of food consumption, which means if it’s oriented to daimonia (food under that of idols & gods), than it’s blasphemous, because it’s not under Psalm 24. And Psalm 24 is about thanksgiving to the Lord. Key note here is that everything for the Christian is at stake in orientation, which is, “whether it’s directed in thanksgiving to God?” This was one of the main points throughout the whole lecture, “what is the orientation?,” and “Can this action be given in (Psalm 24) thanksgiving to God?”

Hence, why Paul raises the concern for the weaker brother or sister, because he knows their loyalty to Christ could be weakened by partaking in these daimonia meals. Paul’s ultimate question is that of Christ’s found in the gospel, which is to care for their brother & sister. Are there food substances we enjoy which inhibit or place a barrier between us and them? This is why Paul says, “if food is the cause of my brother’s falling, I will never eat meat.” He is willing to refrain from meat, in order to give thanksgiving to the Lord and care for his weaker brother or sister.

We then see the Lord’s Supper as the epitome of both of these principles: orientation to the Lord and concern for the weak (Note: Dr. Barclay would also call the weak, ‘the hungry’). Christ invites all to come to his meal. He invites all to commune with him and partake of the bread & the wine, in order to find true life. Although the Lord’s supper is an open invitation for all, the wealthy Christians in Corinth were becoming drunk while the poor were left hungry. This infuriates Paul, because they have defiled the very essence and spirit of the Lord’s Supper, which is inclusivity and made it about exclusivity. How than am I like the wealthy? Am I making it easy for all to come, or am I leaving the hungry outside left to their own devices?

My Soul Finds Rest

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Have you ever walked through a trial wondering if you could make it through to the other side? It feels as though you’re swimming in the ocean sea and you’re barely able to keep your head a float. It’s the feeling of pure hopelessness. Your heart is wretched right from you. You can barely breath. When you finally muster some words up, all that comes out are tears. Or when there aren’t tears, there is anguish, anger & pain.

Recently my family has gone through this sort of wretched pain. The kind that makes you wallow with those deep guteral sobs of relentless agony type of pain. And then the things in which normally give me solace, like cooking, talking, coffee, reading, or writing, barely scratch the surface of healing the wound.

Then, I think about hospitality and I think of all the four letter curse words I want to yell out at people who complain about how their technology isn’t serving them well, or how they’re uncomfortable in the heat, or some other half-assed reason to moan about how their lives aren’t exactly perfect. I don’t want to serve these people. I don’t even want to serve my own family, because my soul feels as though it has been ripped from me and then smashed down with a sledgehammer. Even trying to make dinner last night was impossible, as I stared aimlessly into the fridge then sat on the floor and started to sob.

And without going into details about the nightmare my family is going through (specifically my brother & sister-in-law), I began to realize a lot as I sat there crying with my fridge door wide open. I was carrying this burden of disaster upon myself and it was way too huge. I was listening to my mother grieve, listening to my sister-in-law grieve, and trying to help my mom make sense of it as well. The reality of this nightmare finally hit me a couple days later as I sat with the cool air rushing out of the fridge hitting against me. I couldn’t listen to another ounce of troubles, or I would explode. I needed to let it out, and the best seat in the house was my kitchen floor.

I realized that hospitality is about giving a voice to people, through listening to them when no one else will, but there are times when it’s good to stop listening. I found myself hearing this song, “My soul finds rest in God alone, My Rock & My Salvation.” What I realized is I kept trying to listen and help, while bearing the brunt of the burden on my shoulders. Finally, my shoulders gave way and the floodgate of tears began to pour, along with my heart. I kept singing this one line from the song (because that’s really all I knew) and understood that God was calling me to rest in Him. Well, what does that look like–right?

It dawned on me that I needed to take a Sabbath from listening and dealing with the pain. I could take a day to rest in God alone and not deal with being a hospitable daughter, sister, and friend. I can take a day, in order to be a host who guides my guest to the cross. So today as I rest in God alone and in my Sabbath of rest, I can walk confidently in knowing that there is hope for the future. I can sit and cry on my kitchen floor, but it won’t always be a puddle of tears, but a puddle of spilled milk will come in the future. I don’t think it will necessarily be tomorrow, or maybe it will be a mixture of spilled tears and milk (because I do have a 2 1/2 year old running around) for a while. But for the current moment I have to rest in knowing that my soul finds rest in God alone, in order to stay a float.

Vegan Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I lived in a house in college where I lived with 9 of my best friends. Well, no, they weren’t my best friends, but I did live in a house full of girls (10 of us total) for two years. The second year I lived there, one of my housemates had a gluten & lactose sensitivity. I remember thinking, “well that’s not fair that she can’t enjoy baked goods!” (at that time gluten-free products were not nearly as common as they are now). Part of my make up is creating food that people like, enjoy & can eat without irritability.

I have since become acquainted with words, xanthan gum, teff, quinoa, buckwheat, millet & so many more sources for gluten-free living. I find that this is a way I can contribute a portion of my hospitality to my non-gluten loving friends. They need some baked yummies–dontcha think! Well, tonight I made these cookies from my new cookbook The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook. I wanted a something sweet like chocolate chip cookies, but I didn’t have any eggs and I didn’t want to have cookies leftover in my house. So, I had the ingredients to make them, I could eat a couple and give the rest to my friends Laura (gluten, egg & lactose intolerant) & Tina (gluten intolerant).

Vegan Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (printable recipe)

These are gluten-free, egg-free and if you use coconut oil than they’re also lactose free. And as for a non-allergic individual, I find them to be pretty darn good. Note: I wouldn’t call these chewy, but still good.

Makes about 1 1/2 dozen cookies

1 cup medjool dates, pitted

1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup melted virgin coconut oil or organic butter

1/4 cup whole cane sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups brown rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon xantham gum (I used 1 teaspoon agar agar)

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup (or more–I used 1 cup) organic chocolate chips

I also added 1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Place pitted medjool dates into a small bowl, cover with boiling water. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Then place soaked dates and water into a blender and puree.

3. Scoop out date puree with a rubber spatula and place into a bowl. Add melted coconut oil, whole cane sugar, and vanilla; whisk together.

4. In a separate bowl, mix together the brown rice flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, and sea salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix together with a fork or wooden spoon. Fold in chocolate chips.

5. Drop by the spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet. Gently flatten each cookie with the back of a spoon. You don’t want to flatten them too much, only slightly.

6. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes. Baking time will depend on what size the cookies are. Larger cookies need a little extra time and smaller cookies a little less. Let cool slightly then enjoy! Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Rhythm of Grace

You know that phrase from Jesus where he said, (and I paraphrase) “When you gave clothes to the naked, when you visited the prisoner in jail, when you gave food and drink to the needy, when you visited the sick and needy…you were doing it to ME!” When I think of what this looks like in my life, it makes me wonder a bit. First, because I don’t have much time to do much outside of taking care of my two young girls and tending to family life. Second, it’s so easy to get caught up in an idea and envision what you’ll do; rather, than actually follow through with a plan, because life happens, it’s complex.

But even though life is full of complexties, I still am not, nor cannot be satisfied with either number one or two standing as an excuse to not love through tangible means. It’s not part of my design. I think it goes back to who God designed me to be and what does that mean. What does that practically look like in my current situation? Do I put certain things on hold? What are non-negotiables, regardless of station in life? How do I dance in the rhythm of God’s grace while teaching others the dance?

I think this is where hospitality can come in for me. And as I’ve realized more and more over the years that this notion is far reaching and more all-encompassing than we let it be most the time. It’s beyond the food. It’s beyond an immaculate house. It’s beyond a perfect picture family. It’s beyond answering the “right” way. In my small part of the world, at this moment in time, it means walking alongside someone and making them feel more dignified upon leaving. It’s like Jesus said, “it’s giving the very thing that the person you encounter the thing they need most at that moment (paraphrase again).”

So for some it may be a cooked meal (family with a new baby), for another it could mean watching their kids (single mom in desperate need to get some personal time), while for another it’s simply looking at them in the eye and acknowledging their presence (the beggar on the side of the street). I do think hospitality can include food, because food really does bring people together, but if I simply serve food without love–it’s a lost cause. In fact, this reminds me of a time when friends came over many years ago and there I was bustling about serving our guests and ensuring their needs (more like their bellies) were tended. By the end of the evening, while I was thinking I had been a great hostess, one friend said something to me that pierced my heart and forever made me question the true meaning of hospitality. He said, “Kamille, thanks for the food. Ben, thanks for your hospitality!” Ouch!

What? I prided myself in hospitality. I WAS hospitality. I mean, when people thought of me they think hospitality–right?! Well, not that night and possibly not many nights before that. I started to ask myself why he said that to us. And it dawned on me that I wasn’t being hospitable. What I was doing was more like being a waitress, but I wasn’t stopping to inquire and draw out our guests. However, Ben was doing just that. So at the end of that night began my journey in this very expansive word hospitality.

So, how is it played out at this point in my life? Well, I’m still searching for some more tangible ways, but I do know this. I have been given a great task & call on my life to parent two girls. And I know those two girls have been welcomed into our home, so I ask myself this, “how do I show them the hospitality of Christ in the ordinary goings of life (potty-training, nursing, playing, conversing, etc)?” I’m not 100% sure, but I do know this, I’m trying to move to the rhythm of God’s dance and I think that’s a great place to start.