In The Kitchen With Christ and Feasting on God’s Word What a blessing meditating on God's Word can be! Why let the mundane things in life steal way our precious time that we could be using to meditate on Him and His wonderful attributes and commands? We call cooking in the kitchen "mundane" merely because it is a small unimportant thing compared to our relationship with Christ... And we know you all would agree! =) So let's all be sure that Christ is with us in our kitchens today! - Ed. The following 2 recipes were submitted by Hayley Weikert of Waterloo, IA... - Ed. Healthy (Meat Free) Meals - Lentils! The magic “mock meat”! Now, if you try lentils for the first time you might say, “Huh?! Lentils taste like meat?! You’ve got to be kidding!” But the more you use them, the more they will resemble *hamburger*. We use lentils most in spaghetti. Following are two recipes using lentils. Lentil Spaghetti Cook 2 cups lentils in 4 or 5 cups water until done (20 min. or so). Chop 3 carrots, one onion, 1 clove of garlic and put in pot with cooked lentils and 3 qts. tomato sauce. Add seasonings and simmer till carrots are cooked. Serve over hot spaghetti noodles! Yum!-One of our favorite meals! Lentil Pizza (a *rare* treat — French bread is hard to make! Some in our family like this (including me), but one doesn’t. (my brother) He’s a rather picky eater, though!) One loaf of French Bread, sliced lengthwise in half. (homemade is best) Cooked lentils, spread over top of: Pizza sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake until cheese is all melted and slightly brown. "Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." - Matt 6:11-12 Rice Meal - Jana Baldridge, Richland Center, WI Cook 3 cups of rice in 6 cups of water and also 4 cups of garbanzos in separate dishes. Sauté’ 2 cups of onions. Mix ingredients and place in a baking dish. Use salt as needed! Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes. Serves 5 or 6 *Note - This may sound like a rather “blah” meal, but it’s delicious...as well as quite healthy. =) "Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God: Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains. He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry." -Ps 147:7-9 Zucchini Casserole -Mary Ueland, Mansfield, MO Zucchini Cheese Bread croutons Butter or oil (I didn’t write down any amounts, because you can add as much or as little as you want. And you can make whatever size pan you want, etc.) We usually make a 9x13 pan of this, so I’ll write the “directions” for that. :) Slice 2 or so large zucchini. Boil till tender. “Fry” bread croutons in a bit of butter or oil. Grate as much cheese as you wish. Put a layer of the bread croutons on the bottom of pan, then a layer of zucchini, then bread, etc., ending up with bread on top. Sprinkle cheese over the top of that. (You can add some salt, too, if you wish.) Put in the oven (at 350 degrees) for a few minutes, until cheese melts. Enjoy! This is our favorite casserole, and is wonderful for using up zucchini in the summer. "He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant." - Ps 111:5 Shepard’s Pie -Jana Baldridge, Richland Center, WI Make gravy: 1/4 c. almonds 3 c. water 1/2 c. flour 2 T. oil 1 t. salt Mix all ingredients in a blender and cook in a saucepan, stirring until thickened; then cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. 2 c. cooked peas 2 c. sautéed onions 2 c. diced, cooked carrots 4 pounds of potatoes, cooked 2 c. of gravy above Divide cooked potatoes in 2 dishes; whip up 1/2 for mashed potatoes. Layer peas, then carrots, then potatoes (*not* mashed potatoes) until dish is full. Pour gravy over. Spread mashed potatoes on top as icing. Cook at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. *Note - Try this! Our family *loves* it - and so will yours. =) "The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing." - Ps 145:15-16 Turkey or Chicken Divan -Rebekka Guyer, Sumas, WA Cook a package of egg noodles; drain. Put in bottom of 9x13 pan: 1 can of cream of chicken soup 1 can of milk 1 small package of broccoli (cook in microwave a few minutes) 1 cup of carrots (cut in small pieces and cooked in microwave) 1 1/2 or 2 cups of chicken (cut in small pieces) Combine above ingredients and add to noodles. Use salt and pepper, Thyme and some poultry seasoning over all. Make filling or stuffing and place over all. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or till hot and brown. Filling: Cut up bread - 6 or 8 cups or less. (We like filling). Sauté an onion and celery. Season with salt, pepper, Thyme, and poultry seasoning. "The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want." -Prov 13:25 - Thanks so much , girls, for submitting your recipes! Ummm! They look so healthfully delicious!! =) For the next issue, please submit soup recipes. We are waiting at the mailbox..=) - Ed. ***Recipes Anyone?!*** Dear Sisters, My name is Crystal Rae Nelson, and as many of you already know, I’m a happy, glowing, and excited young wife-to-be who’s keeping herself busy-as-a-beaver preparing things for her new home! This is a special and exciting time in my life, as I’m spending my last days here at home as an unmarried woman, and looking forward to the day when I will be the wife of my beloved and my identity will be his. I’m doing doilies and dishcloths and shopping for curtains, and I’m starting to create my own file full of good, wholesome and tasty recipes to give me a foundation for my lifetime of cooking for my Jared! I know that each of you have your own very favorite tried-and-true family recipes that you just couldn’t live without, and I’d love to have them! If you’re willing to share them with me, along with any little bit of scripture or other encouragement to help me as I’m learning to be a godly wife, I would be ever grateful to you for sending them to me. My full name and address is: Crystal Rae Nelson / 13 First Avenue SW / Faribault MN 55021-6024. I know that I will need many reminders of God’s grace and faithfulness throughout my days as a married woman, and as much as these recipes and bits of encouragement, I would yearn for and cherish your prayers.=) Thank you so much, and may the Lord bless you richly and abundantly as you continue faithfully In The Kitchen With Christ! Mealtime Episodes My little brother, Ezra Jack (age 3 1/2) came to the table rubbing Velcro against his teeth. (It made a LOUD noise.) Seeing our questioning glances, he paused a moment, stopping the Velcro “action”. “I’m sharpening my teeth”, he announced, arching his eyebrows. He gave a few more swipes with his Velcro. Then he continued in a wise voice, “so I can eat faster,” he said and soberly resumed “sharpening his teeth” ! =) -Hayley Weikert, Waterloo, Iowa Buckwheat cereal isn’t exactly a favorite with some in our family, and my little brother, Samuel, proved this one morning by failing to eat his portion. “Ironically,” it was served to him again at lunch. Watching him stare in dismay at his bowl of buckwheat, and knowing of his love for broccoli, I suggested that he mix some broccoli with the despised cereal. Not believing he would really do it, I was shocked when he actually took up on my suggestion! Chuckling with amusement on the inside (But not on the outside!), I then watched him down his entire bowl of buckwheat... and broccoli, spoonful after spoonful... till the bowl was empty! =) - Summer One evening as the family sat down to dinner, my younger brother, Wayne, decided he wanted to tell everyone about anything and everything that happened to him during the day. In doing this he had neglected eating his food, and when everyone else was done, and Mom was clearing the table, he exclaimed that he was full and didn’t want anymore to eat. Mom insisted he sit at the table and not leave until every bit of food was off his plate. He ate it all, and giving his now empty plate to my Mother, very humbly told her she needed to ask his and the Lord's forgiveness because she had just made him commit gluttony. =) - Racheal Eaton, Dandridge, TN YWSH Main Page