He Remembers…

This morning, Adam and I read Genesis 8-9.  In chapter 9, verses 8-17, we read something that stuck out to us in a new and exciting way.  When the Lord put the rainbow in the sky, He said it was to act as a reminder of the covenant between Him and mankind.  However, He doesn’t say that the rainbow is there to remind us of the covenant.  He doesn’t say that when we look on it, we should remember the account of Noah and God’s mercy on him.  He says this:

Genesis 9:14-16

When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.

(Emphasis added)

When we talked about this, I asked the hypothetical question: “So, when God puts the rainbow in the sky, does that mean He’s angry and He’s reminding Himself of His covenant?”  Although I don’t have a Biblical basis for an answer to that, knowing the character of God, the fact that He doesn’t forget but He chooses to remember, and the fact that He keeps His promises and restrains His own justice to do so is a comfort to me in a brand new way.

Of course, when we see a rainbow, that should be a cause for joy and worship within our hearts towards the Lord for His undeserved mercy towards mankind and our own hearts individually, but the concept of God choosing to remember every time He puts the rainbow in the sky gives me a new insight into the character of my Father.

Now I can’t wait to see a rainbow! 🙂

So, I know you’re all expecting me to write about food, since yesterday’s Talk about It Tuesday had nothing to do with food (physical food, that is… I felt pretty spiritually challenged and fed from the Word).  Well, …. :)…. you’re right. 🙂

This past Monday evening, I made chili.  Overall, I made it without a recipe, looking at a variety of chili recipes online, considering Adam’s detestation for beans, and doing a lot of taste-testing as I went.  It tasted really good. 🙂 I wouldn’t say it’s a recipe (or not a recipe actually 🙂 ) that I’ll try again, because Adam has a favorite chili recipe, but it was an overall success. 🙂

I didn’t know what to serve with the chili besides sour cream and shredded cheese.  I’m out of potatoes, so a good number of my sides were impossible to make, and Adam’s not a big fan of plain-Jane, white rice.  So…. I decided to try  my hand at gluten-free bread bowls!   They worked wonderfully!  I found a recipe online, but I didn’t have all the ingredients (it called for Pamela’s bread mix), and besides, where’s the joy in making bread out of a mix?  I want to make things from scratch.

The recipe I found was simple, and I stuck to it for the most part, just applying the baking method to making bowls instead of loaves.  Success!  Tasty, just a hair sweet, and perfect for a bread bowl!  Today, we’re having bacon cheese burgers for lunch, so I’m going to experiment (my new favorite word) with much smaller bowls to make some hamburger buns!  It’s been a long time since Adam’s had bread with his burgers, and I think these have the right consistency (airiness) to make a great hamburger bun!  I’ll let you know, and of course, I’ll post some pictures of the success (or failure..hehe).

Gluten-Free Bread Bowls:

(Originally taken from Gluten-Free Goddess)

Mix dry ingredients together and set aside:

1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup potato starch (not potato flour!)
1/2 cup millet flour (I didn’t have millet flour, so a little research told me that rice flour would do the same thing.)
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/ 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

Then, mix in wet ingredients:

1 1/4 cup warm water (at 110 to 115 degrees F)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
2 eggs

Pour into GREASED Pyrex bowls or other oven-safe bowls or a bread loaf pan (if you don’t want to make bowls). Let rise for 20 minutes covered loosely in warm location.  Then, bake at 350°, testing after 30 minutes, depending on the size of your bowls.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes (or more) before attempting to take out of the bowl/pan.  I tried rushing one of mine and nearly broke it.  After it’s sufficiently cooled, turn over to let slide out and let cool more.  When the bowl is cooled, turn over (so you’re cutting the base and not the top) and cut around the edge, leaving about a half inch of bread for the exterior of the bowl.  Keep the insides for some additional flavor for your chili/stew or allow to cool and make breading with it! 🙂  Be creative!

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For dinner tonight, I’ve prepped some honey-baked chicken.  It’s an old family recipe that I’ve taken and altered just a bit because of the lack of curry in my pantry.  With a little research and a pinch of this and that, I’ve prepped a meal that I’m excited to serve to my husband with some chicken stock-rice. Yum yum! (I’m waiting to post the recipe ’til I have a picture. 🙂 Tomorrow!]

With this week’s try for chili and the new-and-improved (I hope) recipe for honey-baked chicken, I’m excited to say “I’m learning my spices” (and yes, I told that to Adam last night in bed…and he laughed….a lot. lol).  I’m learning which ones add what tastes and how a little of some will go a long way, but others need more than I plan.  I’m learning that certain compliment each other in ways I never would have known.  Have you ever just taken a pinch of a few random and rarely used spices and tasted them? Have you ever tried a new variety of spices as a meat rub or as seasoning for a pot of stew or meat marinade?  This week I’ve been tasting, I’ve been smelling, and I’ve been trying new things and discovering new loves for new tastes and new combinations. 🙂

What have you tried this week?