Bourbon Glaze for Meat or Fish (and Book Review)

posted in: food | 0

Bourbon Glaze

You know those little samples of chicken with a toothpick stuck in them that you get from the fast food place in every mall across America…I gobble those up.  Well, I decided I wanted to make my own.

For Fathers Day, instead of going out and overpaying at every quality restaurant you go to – we usually decide to dine in and pick up good seafood from the counter at our local Whole Foods.  I decided I wanted to make my own bourbon glaze and boy did it ever satisfy.  I think I could drink the glaze – but instead chose to put it on fish – then put the leftovers on chicken for the next couple of weeks.

And, soon after that, I got the chance through Blogging for Books to review the book The Art of American Whiskey.  I found it interested because I know nothing about whiskey or bourbon except that the good stuff is made in KY or TN (usually).  This book told me the history of it through the art of it.  I loved learning how people made their craft and how they learned to live when prohibition hit our country and what brands are surviving and thriving today.

Bourbon Glaze
Author: 
Recipe type: Sauce
Cuisine: American
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 1½ cups
 
This perfect glaze is a hint of spicy and sweet
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup bourbon of your choice
  • ⅔ cup dark brown sugar
  • 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 T worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp honey
  • ½ tsp brown mustard
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
Instructions
  1. Combine everything in a small saucepan.
  2. Whisk together and bring it to a boil.
  3. Reduce the heat and simmer for about ten minutes until the glaze reduces.
  4. Pour over your fave meat or salmon
  5. This glaze is great on salmon, chicken, pork chops, ribs, etc.
 

Cold Soba Salad with Red Chili Salmon

posted in: food | 0

Asian Soba Salad

I absolutely love trying new foods.  I had never had soba noodles before so this was a new experience for both my husband and me.  It was a delicious recipe that I tweaked over from Laura at Blogging Over Thyme and she had sweet comments to say about the photos too!

So, be adventurous in this new year – eat this salad!

And, this is not a sponsored post from Gourmet Gardens, but I absolutely love their bottles spices.  So easy to use and tasty.  And as a cooking mom, who doesn’t need convenience!

Cold Soba Salad with Red Chili Salmon
Author: 
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Asian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Delightful noodle salad with salmon
Ingredients
  • 1 pkg soba noodles (Japanese Buckwheat Noodles)
  • 2 T sesame oil
  • 2 T reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 1 T sugar
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves
  • 8 green onions, sliced thin
  • ½ cup chopped, dry roasted peanuts
  • 4 4 oz frozen wild caught salmon fillets
  • 1 tsp gourmet gardens chunky garlic
  • 1 tsp gourmet gardens ginger
  • 1 tsp gourmet gardens red chili
  • 1 T coconut oil
Instructions
  1. Heat water to boil for noodles and cook according to pkg instructions.
  2. Rinse under cold water.
  3. Combine sauce and whisk together.
  4. Pour over noodles.
  5. Add onions and cilantro.
  6. Let chill for at least 30 minutes
  7. Heat coconut oil in separate pan.
  8. Add spices and heat for a few seconds.
  9. Cook salmon in pan until done.
  10. Plate and top with more onions, cilantro, and peanuts.
Next time I will add snow peas or carrots.  Something to give the noodles more oomph!

Female Theologians and the Church (Guest Post)

posted in: Books, Women | 0
There is a really sweet couple in my life who I have had the privilege to minister with, get to know, hang out with, serve with over the last 8 months. Brittany is a joy and a blessing to me. I am hoping her blog post will be a blessing to you:

A few weeks ago I was on a Q&A panel at SEBTS for prospective students and I was asked a really good question that sparked my thinking. Before I jump into the topic, let me give you a little background information.

Since marrying the Hubby, I’ve switched churches. When we first started dating, we were at two different churches and neither of us wanted to switch until our commitment was official. Once we were engaged, I slowly started letting go of responsibilities at my church and started “merging” over to Ben’s church. Now that we’re married, we’re fully at his church and I’m working on switching my membership over to his. During this process I’ve been searching for a solid older married woman (30+, but preferably 40+) to disciple me.

A few weeks ago, we heard one of our church’s pastors speaking and I turned to Ben and said, “I want to be discipled by him, but I’m a girl… and that would be awkward.” He quickly agreed. But this pastor is a phenomenal thinker and his knowledge of Scriptures consistently impresses me. I love how he is consistently reading a variety of books and how he relays pertinent information in such a way that everyone can understand. He is such a gifted teacher and I would love to sit under his teaching! Ben and I both agreed, me being discipled by an older man would not be the wisest of situations, but it brings me to my topic… Where are the brilliant female theologians in our churches?

While on the panel at SEBTS I was asked a question about being female at a Southern Baptist seminary. In summary the lady wanted to know whether or not women were treated as second class citizens. Were women viewed solely as future preacher’s wives? I’m not going to delve into that question here, but the short answer is no. But regardless, even if the opposite was true, should we allow an unbiblical idea stop us from becoming good theologians? There is a shortage of good female theologians in our churches and I’m wondering why.

Regardless of your stance on whether women should be “teaching” in the pulpit, in Sunday school rooms, deacons, etc., we can all agree that older women are called to disciple others, the Great Commission is not gender exclusive. So in light of this, I’m trying to process a few thoughts… Humor me and help me develop my thinking.

1. All Christians should be Christian Theologians. We should all be “studiers of God.” If we believe in the Gospel, shouldn’t we all be good learners of the Scripture and strive to think and live rightly in this world, both men and women alike?

If this is true, then…

2. The studying of Christian theology should NOT only take place in seminaries. It should NOT be only taught from the pulpits. It should not only be well understood by men. It needs to be taught in our homes, in our friendships, in our families. This practice must permeate every sphere of our lives. Shame on us if we push off our responsibility to “academia” or solely to men. The Bible is for the rich, the poor, the young, the old, the brilliant, the not-so-brilliant, and for male & female. Each of us have the responsibility to be good stewards of Scripture.

Therefore…

3. Christian women, you are called to study Scriptures and to disciple others. It’s not optional. The Great Commission was not for men alone. If you feel called to seminary and you let a few men who have an inappropriate view of complementarianism get in your way of learning, shame on you. Who cares what they think? You have a responsibility to learn Scriptures well.

Which leads me to point #4…

4. In regards to learning Scriptures well… Ladies, no offense to Beth Moore (and seriously, I mean no offense), but we are fully capable of reading the same books that our brothers in Christ are reading. Our understanding of the Gospel needs to be equally robust as theirs. Be well rounded in what you read.

And lastly, this final point is mainly for me…

5. For those of you who are working through women’s issues in a more conservative church than you’d prefer. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, but make sure your attitude is in the right place. Recognize that you, like every other member, have submitted yourself to the authority of the church. Ask good questions, learn from the leadership that you’ve placed yourself under, and try to develop a spirit of humility. Pride is a dangerous thing and it seems to show itself frequently in Christian debates. Be open to the Holy Spirit changing your heart just as you would pray that the Holy Spirit would change the hearts of your pastors and elders.

Alright yall, those are my thoughts… I’m still growing, learning, failing, and then starting the process again so feel free to reprimand my thinking if I’m off.