Sunday, April 11, 2010

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

The Ministry of Food! Pass It On!

Be prepared.... I might have been a little wordy tonight!

I have in the last 6 - 8 months wanted to bring more organic, whole grain, good for you foods to my table. With this task I have been researching various avenues in which folks bring quality meals to their families' table.

This week I was reading The Great American Supper Swap, by Trish Berg. Primarily, the book is focused on a supper swap among friends. I have to admit a supper swap sounds appealing. It does not work for me... at least not a regular basis. However, the point of referencing this book, is because of the authors reference to the Ministry of Food. So, what does Christianity have to do with food. Most folks may not put these two words together.

Fellowship - We are called to live our life in fellowship with one another. We unite our faith and family by praising our God. Food brings folks together in fellowship. Specifically, food brings folks to the table. Food is a gathering point!

Discipleship - Disciple one another! Teach and learn from one another. "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations" Matthew 28:19 Sharing knowledge about what we are passionate about helps others.

Servanthood - Give generously as you serve! "For even the Son of Man did not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as ransom for many." Mark 10:45

Stewardship - Give greatly to others. By preparing more foods at home from scratch, you will have more to give!

Evangelism - Share in God's love! Share the words that are spoken. "Shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life." Philippians 2:15-16

Join me in this ministry! Share in God's love... Pass it on! Passing on the flavors that you have come to know and appreciate in your family will benefit all.

When I started this blog is was to pass on what I am so passionate about. I have spent some time trying to remember who originally taught me to cook. Was it one person or a group? I can honestly say it was several people. My Aunt in the kitchen at Grammie's in Rhode Island making magic squares or my grandmother in Vermont (now in Maine) preparing an enormous Christmas dinner. The the wonderful ladies at camp. When I think about them, my eyes fill with tears and I remember the love and passion they had to prepare great food. Martha Liemer's homemade rolls..... topped with butter right out of the oven, or Beulah Byers' homemade potato soup. Beulah would not write the recipe down for her soup.... She said it was not about the recipe it was about the flavor. I stood by her side for 2 hours one summer morning just so I could meticulously write down everything she put into the pot. I still can't make it her way! Edith Puffinberger made these scrumptious cookies. The French dressing that until recently we could not duplicate. Mrs. (Blevins) Nicodemus (I think) at the Butler County Vo-tech, who said, you can do it! Because of her, I can make a mean Lemon Meringue Pie. My Pa Beach (Grandpa Johnson who lived at the beach) who created garden fresh memories each summer (4) I spent in Rhode Island. Pa told me once to go pick the tomaotes.... what he did not take into consideration was that I was about 10 yrs old. So, I literally picked all the tomatoes.... that's right the green one's to. Pa also made the best spaghetti sauce! No one could match it!

I could go on and on about my memories of folks passing on the flavors! My point in sharing these memories is that we need to create these memories with our children, friends and family. I won't say that the folks that I mentioned used all fresh products... I am sure most was not whole grain, but what I can say... they took the time to share. I am glad to be among a group of friends that are devoted to the quality of food. The time that this passion takes away from other things in our lives. Whether we work out of the home or not... there is always something else to do... We do it for our children.

I want to acknowledge the author, Trish Berg, of the book Great American Supper Swap. In referencing the Ministry of Food, I used some of her thoughts and references to share in the point.

Join me on this journey! Pass it on!

Enjoy!

Monday, April 5, 2010

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution



I have been reading Jamie's Food Revolution.

In his book Jamie issues a challenge to teach others to cook. In fact, the challenge is to pass it on. Sound familiar!

Originally, I started this blog to share with others about cooking / baking from scratch. I want others to acknowledge and benefit from eating foods prepared at home, not at a plant. This does not mean that you can't consume fried foods, soda, eat out on an occasion, enjoy those salty snacks. It just means that we need to reap the rewards of taking a step back in time a hundred years and cook at home. I was food shopping today and found my cart rather empty. I didn't need to buy much. If you think about it how far does a box of Au gratin potatoes go, one meal right! Now think about a gallon of milk, a pound of cheese, and 10# of potatoes. Just the potatoes alone will feed a family of 3 for about 8-10 meals. Just a thought! I figured about 5 ozs of potatoes per person per meal.

Getting back to the book - Jamie's Pass it on movement is to motivate each of us to provide recipes, cooking tips, lessons.... to 4 people. Then those 4 people will pass it on to 4 people. Each person commiting to pass it on again, again and again.

So, today I challenge each of you to find 4 people to pass it on. Ask each person to again pass it on to another 4 people, and those 4 people to pass it on to another 4 people.

Check back soon, I will pass it on!

Enjoy!