Filed under: food
I was going to make this Moroccan dish I found, tonight – this one:
Tagine, Beef – with dried fruits
Ingredients
Serves 6 – 8
1.5kg oyster blade steak cut into chunks
4 marrow bones
1 tablespoon ground ras-el-hanout
1 large brown onion chopped
4 threads of saffron
Couple cloves of garlic
about 400mls water
1 large cinnamon stick
extra virgin olive oil (evoo) for frying
24 dried apricots
18 large prunes – pitted
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoon rosewater
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup of roasted almonds
Method
Mix the chunks of meat and ras-el-hanout together and leave to marinate for about an hour. Heat a little oil in a heavy based frying pan, and sauté the onion and garlic until translucent. Add a few strands of saffron. When cooked remove from the pan and set aside.
Put the apricots, prunes & rosewater into a small saucepan with the brown sugar and a little water to just cover the fruit, bring to the boil and reduce the heat to a simmer until the fruit plumbs up. The fruit will absorb just about all of the liquid.
Heat a little more evoo in the frying pan and fry off the meat in batches, until it’s sealed and golden on all sides seasoning with salt and pepper as you go.
Place the meat, onion, water, cinnamon stick and marrowbones into an oven proof casserole dish or a cast iron pot with a tight fitting lid and put into an oven pre-heated to 150˚C. Cook slowly for about 2 hours until the meat is just softening.
Add the dried fruit mix at this stage and mix through the meat. Continue to cook for another half hour to an hour until the meat is soft, but not falling apart. You may find that there is a lot of liquid over if you’re not using a tagine so strain off the liquid and reduce until a little syrupy, add all of the other ingredients back to the pot / tagine and adjust seasoning if necessary.
The ‘tagine’ can be served immediately, but the flavour does improve if made a day or two before use. This also allows you to remove any excess fat that may rise to the surface overnight.
Serve with a little chopped parsley, some roasted almonds and if you like, topped with the marrow from the marrowbones.
But then I looked at the process, at 3pm, and realised that I wasn’t going to have time. The meat was only partially defrosted, and it wouldn’t have time to marinate, and the recipe says it is better the next day, anyway, so I think I’ll do it tomorrow and have it Sunday night. We’re going to an engagement party tomorrow night, and won’t need much dinner beforehand, so I think this will be perfect after church tomorrow evening.
Tonight, instead, we’re having a scotch fillet each, with sweet potato wedges (drizzled with olive oil, sea salt and a little smoked paprika), broccoli and some bruschetta. We ended up with a glut of roma tomatoes this week (they were on special) so I’ve chopped up a few, added a couple of cloves of garlic, some olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar. I’ll serve this on some Italian bread.
Pudding will likely be a bit of dark chocolate – we’re halfway through this sublime block of Lindt with flecks of orange. Mmm.
This new theme is called ‘Almost Spring’. It definately is almost spring, here. About a week ago there was that almost indiscernable shift in the air, a sudden softness that comes with the change in seasons. It is still drizzly and rainy, but the air smells completely different and many flowers are beginning to bloom. The trees are misted over with soft green leaves. We have been blessed, this year, to be a part of two springs, one in Europe and one here.
We worked on the garden all day on Saturday, and it is slowly changing from being a fairly barren patch of grass with a garden bed on either side, to a lush patch of green, with a promise of colour to come. I simply love flowers, and have thrown in all kinds of seeds. I hope they all come up; it should be a veritable cacophony of colour and life. The garden has become a place of afternoon solace, for me. I come home from school, and on fine days take out a cup of tea and a book and savour the sunshine and solitude. The contrast between the noise and bustle of school and the quiet of the garden is so soothing to the soul.
We celebrated our two week anniversary last weekend. We had planned the weekend a few months ago – drive down to the beach house, lots of nice snacks, wine, walks on the beach. We talked about where we would eat our special lunch, and what we would do for breakfast and our other meals. We packed our hiking shoes, eager to do a really long walk in some of the stunning Margaret River scenery. My husband did extra-long hours all week, just so we could leave soon after lunch on Friday, and so we could have a nice long afternoon and evening on Friday at the beach house, rather than on the road. We packed books and games and a movie. We just knew we were going to have the best time.
All through the night on Thursday I felt this funny tickle that would not go away. On Friday, I woke with a scratchy throst. I dosed myself liberally with fresh lemon juice in water, garlic, and any other remedy I could think of. By the time we got in the car, my nose started to run.
Let me just say that by Friday evening, I had a raging case of the flu. I was cold and hot and sneezy and achy. I went through two hundred tissues during the weekend. I couldn’t believe it. Romantic it was not.
After very little sleep, we both woke on Saturday, me bemoaning in my subtle way the crashing of our weekend’s plans. My husband was his stoical, positive self. (Which is so great when you just want to scream and whine and complain about the unfairness of it all gently wish aloud you were well.) “Let’s just enjoy what we can. We’re here now, let’s make the most of it according to how you feel.” In between coughing and spluttering and shivering and blowing, we went on a brief walk, looked Canal Rocks (one of our favourite places) ate out and relaxed in the sun. Despite my misery, I had as good a time as I could. We were together, it was our anniversary, we were rejoicing in two very happy years. There have certainly been better times, but, we did what we could with what we had. We made the most of a frustrating situation.
Sometimes, we make plans which come crashing down. To paraphrase the Word, man makes plans, but God orders his steps. I don’t believe that God sends bad things our way, but He is in every circumstance. He is with us in the time of trial. He uses every situation to mould us into His image and in order to bring glory to Himself. Sometimes life is just plain hard. It doesn’t match up with our hopes and dreams. The bible promises us we will have times of trial, but it makes a greater promise: that we have a Redeemer who will part the waters, walk through the fire with us, go with us through the valley of the shadow of death. I’m talking, of course, of far greater trials than a bad cold on a weekend away.
It is not for us to question why, or doubt the goodness of God, but for us to set our hearts towards him, learn what in means to have His strength in our weakness, for Him to be the author and perfecter of our faith. It takes courage to honour God in every situation, even those that involve the annihilation of our hopes and dreams and plans. It takes courage and perserverance to praise Him anyway; to give Him glory despite our circumstances. He is good, and His love endures forever.
Filed under: marriage
On a sunny late winter’s day two years ago today, I married the one I love the most. Every day with this man is a gift. He is my friend, my lover, my encourager, my cheersquad, my spiritual advisor, my bible concordance, my in-house clown, the one I turn to first when life suddenly twists and turns. I couldn’t imagine going through life with anyone but him. We will face what is to come hand-in-hand, as one. I love you, dearest.
Filed under: Uncategorized
I learn a lot from my students. As some of you know, I teach ESL to (mostly) refugee students from places like Africa, Burma, Thailand – all over the world. Many of them have not had much formal schooling in their home countries, and of course, they all come from different countries and different cultures, so what comes out of their mouths is often humourous, refreshing, poignant or wise.
Last week, some of the (African) girls were complaining to me about how they are studying human reproduction in health. I asked them why they didn’t want to learn about this topic, and they said that they were too young. They said that when they turned sixteen or seventeen, then it would be fine to learn about this stuff, but for now, at age thirteen or so, it is not necessary. I told them they should tell their health teacher how they felt, and they said that they already had, but she just said that it was on the curriculum and that everyone learnt about this at their age. I could not help but marvel at their maturity and wisdom and natural modesty. They were uncomfortable learning about a topic that they felt was not age-appropriate (which it isn’t!). In many ways, they still behave and think like children, playing active games at lunchtime, talking of innocent things, when all around them the Australian culture is a polar opposite to theirs.
It is hard not to compare, and for our culture to fall far short of theirs in this sense. I can’t help but feel that our children lose their innocence at such a young age, and their minds are filled with things that are really only meant for those who are ready and old enough to participate in such things. I don’t know that I advocate a sheltering mentality – it is always best to hear such things at home, rather than on the playground (having had first-hand experience of this), and if our children go to school, it wise and prudent to prepare and arm them for the world that is all around them. It is just a shame that little girls and boys are pushed into an adult world at such a young age.
Another difference between our culture and theirs is that there is less abuse of children. I was giving my students some tips about appropriate and safe behaviour in public places, such as when they are lost, and they knew what I was talking about even though I was being oblique. “I don’t know what is wrong with you people.” one of them said. “Nobody does that kind of thing in my country.”
Apart from their value system, many of my students do not display the teenage angst and latent insolence that characterises nearly all some of western teens. None of them look at adults with that ‘What’s your problem’ glance, or think that the universe revolves around them, and exists to meet their needs. (Is this a global-western-teen-mindset?) They are usually polite, helpful and friendly, and they seem to be able to share with each other, solve problems in a relatively amicable way, communicate with adults and enjoy adult company. I have some theories on why this is so.
1. Many of them come from large families.
2. If you don’t work together with your family to bring food to the house, no-one eats.
3. Work is an accepted and unquestioned part of each of their lives. Most of my students (happily) go home and cook and clean and launder the family’s clothes. There is never a hint of sullenness about having to do this.
4. Respect adults such as parents and teachers or you will get a beating. (I do not advocate beating!)
5. Be very grateful for all you have. Be thankful to the God who has provided for your needs.
These are just some of the things I have noticed. Not every African/Asian teen is like this, and they do have other faults. I just find it interesting to note the differences. After teaching high-school for fourteen years, I have a vague understanding of teenagers and teen behaviour. I am always intrigued when I see a deviation from the norm. I wonder if my students wonder why I ask them questions about how things are in their homes?!
Filed under: me
1. My husband brought me a cup of tea in bed – one of my favouritist things in the world is to sip tea luxuriously in bed in the morning.
2. I met a friend for coffee and did a little bit of shopping.
3. I was given a voucher for a hydrodermie facial (this is a fancy-schmancy facial, for those of you who don’t know) which I had at one o’clock. One and a half hours of pure pleasure.
4. I had my hair done at three o’clock.
5. We had curry for dinner.
I wish I could say we are staying home and relaxing tonight – that would be the cherry on top of this cake of a day – but we are venturing out into the big wet for a prayer meeting.
This has been a Very Nice Day. Did I mention I now have Fridays off?
Filed under: God thoughts
Here is a very quick expose of how we view giving. This may raise more questions than answers!
Three vital principles of giving
- Always give in vision (where there is no vision, the people perish)
- Always give in faith (Galations 6:9; Ecclesiastes 7:1; Luke 6:31)
- Give cheerfully!
First fruits:
These we give to the leadership. They are not the same as tithes. First fruits honour our pastors or leaders. The Father gave Jesus the first fruits, and He in turn became first fruits.
On that day men were appointed over the chambers for the stores, the contributions, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them the portions required by law for the priests and the Levites according to the fields of the towns, for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who served [faithfully]. Nehemiah 12:44 And [we obligate ourselves] to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the first of all the fruit of all trees year by year to the house of the Lord, Neh 10: 35
Honour the Lord with your capital and sufficiency [from righteous labors] and with the firstfruits of all your income; [Deut. 26:2; Mal. 3:10; Luke 14:13, 14.] So shall your storage places be filled with plenty, and your vats shall be overflowing with new wine. [Deut. 28:8.] Prov 3: 9-10
Interestingly enough, the first fruits offering is known as the ‘more than enough’ offering. I like that. First fruits are like a ‘thank you’ offering to God. The bible speaks of it as giving out of the increase. What they did in the Word was they gave first fruits of the crop to the Lord, and when the rest came up, they tithed to the church out of that. The bible says that if we give the first fruits to Him, the rest of the crop will be blessed. Tithing is different – we’ve heard a million tithing messages, but first fruits are always treated separately in the Word.
Giving to the poor is also spoken about. The bible speaks abundantly on this sort of giving. It tells us that when we lend to the poor we are lending to God. It tells us to store up treasures in heaven. Jesus said that if we feed and clothe a needy person it is as though we feed and clothe Him. There are many, many verses relating to this. In the Word it speaks of giving ten percent of our income every third year to the poor, the widows, the lame and so on, which works out to 3.3% per year.
One thing we do not do is fear giving. We give in faith and the confidence that God is our provider and we do not need to fear lack when we are obedient to Him. I can speak in all security and truth that we have seen this to be so. We should live not in a state of ‘crisis management’, but in a state of leadership and confidence in the truth of our Father and the Word.
Filed under: food
I like to talk about food. You may have noticed. Tonight we are having a leg of lamb which has been slow-cooking all day with a whole bottle of red wine poured over it. It promises to be tender and juicy and to fall off the bone. With that, I’ll do polenta with parmesan, some roast parsnips and broccoli. Dessert will be left-over lemon cake which I made yesterday for bookclub. I’m looking forward to being home tonight for what seems like the first night in aeons. I’m tired and droopy and probably not much fun to be around, but a nice glass of red and a quiet evening will do wonders, I’m sure.
Filed under: God thoughts
I’m ‘doing’ the offering message today. We’ve been thinking lately about the way that quite often Christians have these uber-spiritual ideas about how God operates. We ask Him things and pray about things and wonder why He does not answer. Many of us seem to stay in the same spiritual and ‘natural’ place for years, and we wonder why God does not shift us. What I think is that He has already laid out so many clear life principles in the Word. If we are living by these principles, we will live a fruitful Christian life. We will see our character grow and change and we will see shifts take place in our hearts. Giving is an integral part of that. The bible is clear that we give to the house, the leadership and the poor. It does not take prayer to determine whether or not to give in these ways. We just do it. Giving should be one of the fundamental principles we live by.
Now, I am not talking about over-and-above giving – offerings. Those are different. Sometimes the Lord prompts us to give extra amounts, sometimes beyond what we think we can ‘manage’, but if He has decreed it, He makes the way for us. This is the type of giving we should pray about. I love that my husband and I often come together and have the exact same amounts on our hearts to give. I am referring to the daily, weekly, monthly lifestyle of giving that should be an unquestioned part of our walk. From being a somewhat inconsistent giver to being changed into someone who just does it, I have seen my walk with God grow and be blessed. It is a good thing.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Today was my last Friday at work for quite some time. As from next week, I am part-time again – four days, for now, but I’m still pushing for three! I cannot tell you how much of a difference this will make to our lives.
Off now to continue the regular Friday night zombie routine.
