The thousand word project: …the clouds are the dust of His feet

 

Elephant Stew for 3600

 

Elephant Stew for 3600
Contributed by Steve Van Nattan

Dress one elephant and tenderize it with a four wheel drive Land Rover.

Soak the elephant in salt water for two days.

Kill and dress two rabbits (Not absolutely essential).

Cut the elephant in bite size pieces.

Add ten gunny sacks of onions and a pick up truck load of potatoes.

Cover with water and simmer over low heat for two weeks.

Serve with all the zinc tubs you can borrow.

Garnish with half an acre of parsley.

Serves 3600 guests

If unexpected people show up, add the two rabbits.

Thoughts from the Past -- A Challenge In Isaiah

June 22, 2006
A Challenge In Isaiah

I have really enjoyed reading and studying Isaiah of late. Two things have been standing out to me this time that I had not noticed so much before.

The first blessing is how much Isaiah writes through the Spirit about Jesus Christ. I am thinking about reading Hebrews next because its theme has been said to be that "Jesus Christ is so much better," and that seems true. The theme of Isaiah could, in some sense, be said to be that a better thing is coming - meaning Christ Himself. This aspect makes Isaiah a great blessing.

The other thing I've been noticing is how much God says about other people being saved besides Jews. I had begun to notice the Lord's comments about the nations and people in general not long ago in Psalm 117, and have noted other references as well.

In reading Isaiah, the Lord has brought to my attention different things that He said about the nations worshipping Him or being saved, or the Jews bearing witness to Him (presumably to the world). This has been a great blessing too, because it shows that although God dealt specifically with the Hebrews in the Old Testament, yet He also desired other people to be saved as well. Now through Christ Jesus - who is spoken of so much in Isaiah - the way is made so much easier for us Gentiles to come nigh to God! The Lord makes a number of references to this coming day in Isaiah, though I didn't count exactly how many.

Ephesians 2:11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

I think that we have so often heard how God dealt with the Jews in the Old Testament that we don't notice all the ways He dealt with Gentiles then, and the things He said that were to the nations or looked forward to a time when they would be in the one fold (John 10:16). It would make an interesting study. When we stop and think about it, there were quite a lot of Gentiles who were either brought into Israel or actually believed in their own culture in the O.T. times - an early Pharaoh of Egypt (Gen. 12), Abimelech king of Gerar (an early Philistine, Gen. 20-21), Rahab, Ruth, Naman, Nebuchadnezer, Uriah the Hittite, Ittai the Gittite, the 600 hundred men who came with David from Gath, etc.

My challenge to you is to notice these things particularly the next time you read through Isaiah. It is a blessing and joy to meditate upon our great Savior in this book, and to see God's desire to save the Gentiles as well as Israel!

Psalm 104:34 My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.
Psalm 25:6 Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.

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Post Script 2012

There are so many Gentile believers today caught up in “Torah Observing” and “Hebrew Roots” that it is all the more important that we reconsider God’s dealing with the Gentiles outside of Israel in the Old Testament as well as the New.  Naman could not be an observing Jew.  He could take a little soil with him to worship on, but he could not keep the Torah.  There is no indication that Nebuchanezer became a Torah keeping Jew, but history confirms his conversion with the fact that after a specific point he ceased to be the warring, brutal, arrogant king he had been.  And, before the Law was given on Sinai Abimelech, a Philistine and Pharaoh, an Egyptian were apparently believing and God fearing men and the fear of God was in their countries.  It is sobering and thrilling at the same time.  Thank God that He is big enough to break out of the boxes that men create for Him – even “good, godly Torah Observing boxes”! :-)

The thousand word project: Country life - rough and sweet

A Linky Kind of Day

Random links for your perusal.

Here are some recipe posts from my Australian friend Joluise at “Stop…Have A Chat”. They looked good and I thought I’d pass them on. :-)

Bread and Butter Pudding

Five Favorite Potato Recipes

J Is for Jam

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More canning and preserves recipes:

Canning and Preserves from Mennonites Girls Can Cook.

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Cake decorating:

How to Cover a Cake in Fondant

How to Make Icing Roses

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Basil – growing, preserving and using it.

Basil is one of the things that grows well here in Central Texas as long as it’s watered. It grew so well a couple years ago that I haven’t grown any since. I have loads of dried basil, some our own and some that was purchased previously. I haven’t yet tried growing it in a pot inside during the winter. Fresh basil is so nice that maybe I should try that next year. Personally, I prefer herbs fresh, unless they are the sort that has to be dried for best flavor.

(Note: No I do not wear head coverings all of the time. I wear them when I want to keep my hair clean, when my hair is dirty and I don’t have time to wash it, and when I’m having a bad hair day. ;-) I just wanted to clarify this because I know some women are very sensitive about this subject and can make false assumptions in either direction. I need to write something about the subject sometime. I do wear dresses and skirts almost exclusively, however, with a rare exception for exercising with friends or perhaps some difficult outdoor project.)

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And, last but not least, a couple of easy sewing projects! :-)

Mix and Match Napkins

Make your own cloth dinner napkins! My family used cloth napkins a good portion of my life at home. We each had our own napkin ring and my mom kept a nice selection of cloth napkins. Some she bought, some she made herself.

I tried to switch to cloth napkins since we’ve been married, but last summer when our well started giving us some trouble, I realized that paper would be better as extra laundry needed to be avoided. I haven’t switched back to cloth yet.

I like the mix and match idea here of using fabrics from the same line. You could use any line or complimenting group of fabrics you wish, just consider whether they are a type of fabric that would be absorbent and useful as a dinner napkin. If you made a pile from one line – or say from complimenting ginghams or solids, you wouldn’t have to consider whether or not you had enough matching ones for a situation, they would all blend. Consider selecting several colors from your dishes if you go with solids.

From 3/4 of a yard of fabric you can make two napkins. If you order fabric online, I suggest you focus on quilting type cottons as they tend to have the texture and absorbency that would be good in a cloth napkin. This would be a great project for a beginner.

Quick and Easy Table Runner

This table runner is easy to make and, as you can see from this lady’s tutorial, you can add some changes to make it more interesting if you are adventuresome. I would top stitch across the bottom of the triangle at the corners if I were making this rather than leaving them open. To me that seems more finished. You could also add embellishments to tack the open ends of the triangle closed – a row of small buttons or one large button, a fabric “yo-yo”, etc. Use your imagination. You could even make napkins to match you table runner.

The thousand word project: Itty bitty kitty

 

Squirrel Recipes

Ok, so this post definitely qualifies as “adventure cooking” for some. :-)  I have not made any of these recipes myself, but I’ve heard that squirrel is quite good.  If you have a problem with them where you live, and you’re allowed to shoot or trap them, this might be a good way to put them to use – and perhaps get some of your nuts, fruits and plants “back” that they devoured.

If you’re too tenderhearted to eat a squirrel that’s fine.  Maybe someday if you get hungry enough and they are a handy source of protein (if you can actually get them), you may change your mind. :-)  I’ve been thinking that we should try to eat one just so that we know how it tastes and how to do it in case we ever find we need to to supplement our diet.  Besides, since we have pecan trees, we tend to have too many squirrels to “share” with around here.

I don’t know for sure where these recipes came from.  I moved them here from an old recipe site that I had at one time.  They were probably collected from other places on the web, though possibly there was someone contributed one or more.

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Broiled Squirrel

1 squirrel
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fat
Lemon wedges

Clean squirrel. Rub with slat and pepper. Brush with fat and place on a broiling rack. Broil 40 minutes, basting every 10 minutes with drippings.
Squeeze lemon on squirrel before serving.
Serves two to three. [That sounds rather hopeful to me, having seen a dressed out squirrel once before being cooked.]

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Fried Squirrel

1 young squirrel, cut in pieces
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Mix salt and pepper with flour. Shake pieces of squirrel in flour mixture and brown in melted shortening in a heavy skillet. Lower the heat after browning and cover the skillet tightly. Cook over low heat for 1/2 to 1 hour or until well done. Remove cover during the last 10 minutes to crisp outer surfaces.

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Squirrel Fricassee

1 young squirrel, cut in pieces
3 slices bacon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sliced onion
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup beef or chicken broth

Rub pieces of squirrel with salt and pepper and roll in flour. Pan fry with chopped bacon for 30 minutes. Add onion, lemon juice and broth and cover tightly.

Cook slowly for 2 hours. Just before serving, remove squirrel and make gravy by adding water or milk and flour to the pan drippings.  Replace squirrel or serve separately.

Variations: Add 1 tablespoon paprika, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne, 1 sliced tart apple and 2 cups broth instead of bacon and lemon juice called for in this recipe.