Temptations as Hunger Pangs

Some thoughts as the Orthodox Christian Church finishes the second week of Lent. As a youth I was heavily influenced by the parachurch organization, The Navigators. For the Navs, the solution (the very good solution, I will add) to most spiritual problems was to pray, memorize scripture, and get together with your trusted group of like-minded people to …

It’s Not Enough to Have a Great Idea

John Arena, over at Pizza Quest, is writing a series of articles warning people who love to make pizzas how difficult it is to start a pizzeria. Today he talks about the nuts and bolts of starting a business, where he says, Math is the spot where art and commerce meet.

Thanksgiving

I hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving Day. My thinking always goes in the direction of the Eucharist on Thanksgiving day because the Greek word eucharistia is translated "thanksgiving" in English. Alexander Schmemann once wrote, talking about the sacraments in general, not the Eucharist in particular, that we do not ask God to make things …

One-upping the Almighty

I like great writing. I especially like great writing when it says something I agree with. Eric Fry, over at the Daily Reckoning, offered up this tidbit today: That’s right; the same folks who brought you Agent Orange and other delightful dioxins have created a vast array of food products that are even better than …

In Praise of Ketchup

Chutney is exotic. Salsa is sexy. (Have you ever gone "ketchup dancing"?) Ketchup is probably little more than the stuff you unthinkingly glob onto your fries at the local burger emporium. Shame on you! Making an egg sandwich with cheese and ketchup the other morning, I wondered how it had happened that ketchup had been …

Bay Leaves

I've made no secret of my disdain for dried bay leaves in cooking. My general advice is "fugetaboutit." But I had the opportunity to do a scientific experiment yesterday with fresh dried bay leaves. (I know, that's a contradiction of terms. A good rule in cooking is never use an ingredient which forces you into …

More Adventures in Cooking

I know. I'm in danger of turning this into a food blog! Oh well, I guess that's what fascinates me at the moment. I was with my brother and sister-in-law last week, and Marc mocked me and gave me no end of grief for my revised Basque Lamb Stew recipe (which replaced the lamb with …

Adventures in Cooking

Tonight was nearly the sort of disaster that causes one to throw up the hands in defeat and go out to eat. This morning I pulled a sirloin steak out of the freezer for tonight's dinner. We buy grass fed, grass finished beef from the One Stop Meat Shop in Sioux City. (I prefer my …

How to Roast a Pepper

I remember the first several times I tried to roast peppers, I found it pretty daunting. I tried the oven, the barbecue grill, and the stove top at various heights before I finally began to get the hang of it. Since my recipe for Basque stew includes roasting peppers, I thought it would be helpful …

Basque Lamb Stew with Bison and Poblano Peppers

Someone asked for the Basque Lamb Stew recipe I mentioned back here.  The original recipe can be found over at Simply Recipes. We had a 1 lb package of lamb stew meat in the freezer and cut the recipe in thirds. I would also recommend one roma tomato per pound of meat instead of the …