Jer D's Fabulouso Greek Grilled Lamb Chops

This week when I was at the store, I saw that some Australian lamb chops were on special, so I picked up a 3-pack that was just shy of a pound.  I knew my son-in-law with his expertise in Italian and Greek cooking would know exactly how to cook them. We don't eat lamb that often, and for the price I wanted them to come out right! They had just done up a bag of Greek chicken and offered to help me with the lamb chops.  Of course, I keyed their directions onto my phone. 

I made some baked potatoes and a salad to go with them.  When my husband and I took our first bites, we were like wow, this is amazingly delicious!  The meat was so tender and bursting with flavor. Years ago we bought lamb at a Greek deli, and it tasted just like that! Yummy.

Greek Grilled Lamb Chops

 



1.  Prepare lamb chops:  Rinse and pat the lamb chops dry.  Then put them into a Ziploc bag.

2.  Prepare marinade:
(1)   Squeeze 1/4 of a lemon into the bag and  2 T of extra virgin olive oil. 
(2)  Add seasonings:  Then add 1  clove of minced garlic, 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, 1/4 tsp. dried oregano, 1 tsp. dried parsley, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. black pepper.

3.  Massage the marinade into the lamb chops for a few minutes.  Then let the bag sit out on the counter for 1 hour.  When you can, go back and give it a few more massages and turn the bag upside down.

4.  Get your grill going: 
(1)  Turn your grill on high about 450.
(2)  Sear the lamb chops.
(3)  Jer told us to grill the first side of the lamb chop for 7 minutes
(4)  Then turn the grill down to medium-high and flip it over to do the other side for about 4 minutes.
(5)  You can always carve off a slice and see how it looks inside and tastes.  Ours was perfect.

BBQ Recipes on this Blog:

American Chicken BBQ

Amazing BBQ Chicken    (From my daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook)

Blackberry BBQ Chicken - A Tasty Sauce You'll Have to Try! (Off a package of blackberries)
Ray's BBQ Chicken - (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)
Country Style BBQ Chicken - (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)
Great for Summer BBQ - Lemon Rosemary Chicken Legs  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Jeremy's Original BBQ Rub For Thighs  (My son's very own concoction!)
The Best Homemade Chicken BBQ Sauce  (From my daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook)
Fantastic Gluten Free Chicken Kabobs  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)

Greek

Chicken Souvlaki   (Marinade for chicken from my son-in-law)
My Son-in-Law's Own Recipe for Greek Chicken

Fish

Our Best Gluten Free Recipes for Grilling Salmon  - (Family & church cookbook recipes)

What Does the Imagery in Song of Songs Portray?

     It's evident that the Song of Songs is a love story. The imagery and romantic expressions are  beautiful. Without the help of the Life-Study of Song of Songs, I never would have seen that this story also portrays God's deep love for man. God had to lay aside His splendor to become a man to win our affections. In the same way, King Solomon had to lay aside his grandeur to court the country girl in this story.


    In the first chapter of the Life-Study of Song of Songs Witness Lee states that this book leads us through the progressive experience of an individual believer's loving fellowship with Christ. Then in the second chapter he says that the lover's journey of transformation begins with her being attracted and drawn by Solomon's love. What I see here is what brings us on in our spiritual journey always seems to be the Lord's love.

      How the seeker's journey parallels our own spiritual transformation is brought out on page 9 of chapter 2:

In 1:2-4a we see that the lover of Christ yearned for Christ, sought Him, and was attracted by His love and drawn by Him in His sweetness to run after Him.....In Song of Songs 1:4b-8 the Beloved answered His lover's yearning and seeking and brought her into the inner chamber (her spirit) to have intimate fellowship. That fellowship led the lover of Christ to enter into the church life, signified by the flock (v. 8; John 10:16). After the lovers of Christ enter into the church life, they begin to be transformed by the Holy Spirit....The church life is a very important means used by the Holy Spirit to transform us....The lover of Christ is transformed by the remaking of the Spirit (S.S. 1;9-16a; 2:1-3a)....This Spirit is actually God Himself doing the work of transformation by remaking us (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Song of Songs. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1995, Print). 

    I saw while reading this that the Spirit is also bringing me through all the stages  portrayed in this book.  In the beginning Solomon's lover is likened to a mare among Pharaoh's chariots (1:9) so naturally strong, and then after that she's a lily with dove's eyes (1:15).  She's a lily trusting God like the Lord brings out in Matthew, and she has  a single heart because dove's can only look at one thing at a time.

      A few other striking landmarks of her transformation occur later in chapter 3 when Solomon calls her a palanquin, a means to carry her Beloved. Wherever we go, we bring the Lord to people.  Then in chapter 4 he calls her an enclosed garden that grows precious spices only for His satisfaction. I like to garden, and so I can easily understand the imagery here. We're the  Lord's garden, and He delights to prune and cultivate our hearts so that He can grow within us. 

     But the seeker's transformation isn't done.  After further transformation Solomon likens his beloved to his palace at Tirzah and Jerusalem (6:4a). This makes me think about how the Lord likens the believers to His spiritual habitation.  After this she becomes an army with banners (6:4b). This reminds me of how the church is also considered as the warrior in Ephesians 6.

     After this long journey Solomon calls his lover Shulamite in 6:13. Witness Lee brings out in this Life-Study that Shulamite is the feminine form of Solomon, and it means that after all the stages of her transformation, she is now his duplication. Wow!  That's exactly the picture revealed in Revelation where the believers are now revealed as the bride of the Christ!! I hope you can take the time to read these Life-Studies on line.     



Posts on the Books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, & Song of Songs

How Do You Read the Book of Proverbs?
Why Did God Put Eternity in Man's Heart in Ecclesiastes 3:11?

Family Brunch Favorite - Blueberry GF Coffee Cake

    Our family likes to do brunches because you can showcase so many delicious combinations of foods.  Normally we go with a baked egg dish, bacon and sausage, coffee cake and muffins, and yogurt parfaits.  This past winter I was on the list for a gluten free alternative.  I went with a coffee cake that came from one of my daughter's home ec recipes from the '90s.

     This blueberry coffee cake was easy to make gluten free.  With all gluten free baking I've found out that a lot hinges on the types of flours you use.  This combination came out not too dry or off tasting which can easily happen when you're using GF flours.  I could tell it was a hit when I found the pan with just a few pieces in it!  Of course who can resist blueberries in anything.  They made each bite moist and delicious!  

 Blueberry Coffee Cake

1.  In a medium-sized bowl mix together:
 1 1/2 cups of gluten free flour (I went with 1/2 cup of sorghum, rice, and tapioca flours), 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon.

2.  In your mixer bowl put:
(1)  1/4 cup of butter or coconut oil (that's what I used)
(2) 3/4 cup of yogurt (I used almond probiotic drink with 2 teaspoons of tapioca flour because my son is dairy free, and it came out great still).
(3) 1 large egg or 2 small and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
(4)  Beat for 30 seconds with electric mixer.
.
3.  Prepare pan:  Grease a round layer cake pan.
(1)  Spoon the cake batter into the prepared pan.
(2)  Scatter blueberries across the top.

4.  Make streusel topping - In a small mixing bowl put:
(1)  1/3 cup of brown sugar (I always put a little bit less.)
(2)  1/4 cup of rice flour, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
(3)  Optional:  Chop 2 tablespoons of walnuts.
(4)  3 tablespoons of butter
(5)  Mix all ingredients until crumbly. Scatter over the top of the coffee cake.

5.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

Breads & Coffee Cakes: 
Gluten free & Low-fat Banana Bread    (From my daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook)
Celebrate Fall With Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread  (A friend's recipe)
Delicious Gluten Free Zucchini Bread (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
My Favorite Gluten Free Cranberry Nut Bread  (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)
Claudia's Blueberry Coffee Cake (Made Gluten Free!)   (From a former neighbor)
Here's a Zucchini Bread with a Hawaiian Twist! Gluten Free Pineapple Zucchini Bread (From my Syre School Cookbook)
Dot's Old Fashioned Pumpkin Bread   (From my father's friend)

Why Did God Put Eternity in Man's Heart in Ecclesiastes 3:11?

     At first glance the book of Ecclesiastes might be a bit discouraging.  Like where was Solomon going with all his complaints about human life?  He was a king who had more wealth, more splendor, and more wisdom than any king then or since. So it could look a bit baffling why he said that everything is vanity of vanities.
 
     I learned when I read the Life-Study of Ecclesiastes that Solomon wrote this book after returning from falling away from God. Surely God let him go to the heights of success and pleasure and then to the depths of emptiness so he could write this book with full conviction. I found Witness Lee's explanation of the central thought of Ecclesiastes on page 2 of chapter 1 especially helpful:

Man was created by God with the highest and most noble purpose, that is, to express Him in the resemblance of Him in His life, nature, and expression. But God's enemy, Satan the devil, came in to inject himself as sin into the man created by God for His purpose.  Through this fall of man, man and all the created things that had been committed by God to his dominion were brought into the slavery of corruption, made subject to vanity (Rom. 8:20-21). Thus, the human life in the corrupted world also became a vanity, a chasing after wind. The writer Solomon had fully realized this and stressed this to the uttermost in his description. Yet he was not fully disappointed in this, but rather he instructed men that there is a way to get out of this vanity, that is, to come back to God and take God as man's everything, redemption, life, wealth, enjoyment, pleasure, and satisfaction, that man still may be used by God to fulfill His original purpose in man for the fulfillment of His eternal economy (Eccl. 12:13-14) (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Ecclesiastes. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1995, Print).

I caught this snowflake studded web on my deck this week.

    What I see here is in every kind of human experience that Solomon lists in Ecclesiastes, he's pointing out that although you may enjoy every kind of pleasure under the sun, it cannot fully satisfy you. 

   And this Life-Study points out that it cannot satisfy you because of the way God created you. Solomon touches this in Ecclesiastes 3:11: He has made everything beautiful in its own time; also He has put eternity in their heart, yet so that man does not find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.  

My footnote on this verse references the Amplified Bible's translation of this verse which is really good!  Listen to this:  "...He has planted eternity in men's heart and mind [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun, but only God, can satisfy],...."  This is actually the God-shaped vacuum spoken of by the famous mathematician Pascal.  Here is a short video put out by Bibles for America that talks about Solomon and this verse in Ecclesiastes: https://biblesforamerica.org/videos/the-meaning-of-life-and-mans-third-part/



Posts on the Books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, & Song of Songs

How Do You Read the Book of Proverbs?
Why Did God Put Eternity in Man's Heart in Ecclesiastes 3:11?
What Does the Imagery in the Song of Songs Portray?

How Simple Can It Get? Try Some Oven Baked French Toast This Weekend!

 Over winter break I made some oven baked French toast for my grandkids.  Of course, they loved it.  This recipe is super easy, which I needed that morning with two toddlers in the house!  While I was getting other things ready for breakfast, I flipped the French toast a few times, and then let the oven do the work of baking it to perfection. I served it with some homemade applesauce, yogurt, and maple syrup. Yum!

 This recipe comes from my Heritage School Cookbook, full of recipes from the moms of the 5th and 6th graders at the school where I got my first teaching job. It is one of my favorite cookbooks! You can see it in the second picture, totally dog eared and dripped on. You can find a few more from that cookbook in the list below as well as some favorites from family and friends.  Let me know how it goes!

Oven Baked French Toast

1.  Bowl #1:   Whisk together 4 eggs.  Then beat in 1/4 cup of maple syrup (or a blend of agave and maple) and 1/8 tsp. salt.

2.  Bowl #2:  Then whisk 1/4 1/2 cup milk with  1/2 tsp. baking powder.

3.  Combine Bowl 1 & 2:  Beat the milk mixture into the egg mixture. 

4.  Soak bread:  Place 8 slices of bread in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan and pour egg/milk mixture over the bread. Let soak for 30 minutes, turning frequently.

5.  Bake French toast:  Place bread on a lightly greased baking sheet. Melt 3 T of butter and stir in 1/4 tsp. nutmeg.  Brush over bread.  Bake at 425 for 8 minutes.

 Other breakfast recipes on this blog:

Pancakes
Fantastic Gluten Free Blueberry Pancakes  (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)
Gluten Free Banana Split Pancakes  (Another recipe from my daughter-in-law's family!)
Outstanding Gluten Free Oatmeal Pancakes  (From my Heritage School Cookbook, where I worked 3 1/2 years)
Family Favorite Gluten Free Buttermilk Pancakes (From my daughter's home ec teacher)
Crunchy & Delicious Potato Latkes  (From a flier in my sweet potato bag)
Tasty Gluten Free Swedish Pancakes    (From my Syre School Cookbook)
Protein Packed Gluten Free Ricotta Cheese Pancakes  (From my daughter-in-law's family)


Waffles, Crepes,  Fritters & Dutch Babies 
Rachel Ray's Pumpkin Spice Waffles Made Gluten Free & Dairy Free   (This is one I adapted from Rachel Ray)
Easy to Make Gluten Free Waffles  (From my Syre School Cookbook)
Incredible Gluten Free Crepes  (Mix of 2 recipes)
Old Fashioned Gluten Free Banana Fritters   (My grandmother's recipe!)
Amazing Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Dutch Baby  (From home ec recipe plus Internet search)

Egg Dishes
Sweet Potato Hash With Poached Eggs  (From my daughter's Internet search)
Hash Brown Egg Casserole  (From my friend Lisa)
Mexican Migas Breakfast Casserole  (Modified from a recipe from an airport cookbook)
Baked Zucchini Frittata  (I picked this up from a Whidbey Island farmer's market)
Jan's Sausage & Vegetable Frittata  (From a friend who was a home ec teacher)
Huevos Rancheros - A Fantastic South of the Border Breakfast  (I learned this years ago!)
Beautiful Eggs Florentine (Adapted from an Internet search)
Gluten Free Crustless Zucchini & Spinach Quiche  (From my Syre School Cookbook) 

Cereals
 Honey Almond Granola   (From the Heritage School Cookbook)
 Gluten Free Baked Oatmeal   (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)

How Do You Read the Book of Proverbs?

      If you could ask God for anything what would it be?  Maybe a new car or a better house? When Solomon was crowned king, God came and asked him that.  And unlike what you’d think, Solomon asked God for wisdom. The book of Proverbs contains some of that wisdom.    

       I learned when I read the Life-Study of Proverbs that Proverbs shows God’s people how to behave and build up a proper character. So when people read all these wise sayings, they can take it in two different ways. If you like rules, you may take it as a code of conduct, or Proverbs can be a book of spiritual nourishment. But as you can see on page 5 of chapter 1, Witness Lee shares what Proverbs is to you will depend on the way you read it:

If we study the Bible by the way of letters, not by the way of the Spirit and of life, we make the Bible, regardless of what part, a book of letters....To Paul the apostle even the Old Testament was like the New Testament, of the Spirit and of life [John 6:63] Too many Christians have made the New Testament proverbs, precepts, exhortations, and instructions of letters. Our life-studies have made all of the Old Testament as the Word of God books of the Spirit and of life. By this we have to realize that what the book of Proverbs would be to us depends upon what kind of persons we are and by what way we take it.  (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Proverbs. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1995, Print).

     Throughout the eight chapters of this study, he repeatedly points out that for the word of God to be Spirit and life to us we need to read it prayerfully.  He says that when we do this, each proverb becomes a gem that strengthens our pursuit of Christ for the spiritual building up of His Body. I have noticed that whenever I pray over a verse, it become more personal to me. 

  

Paradise Ahi Tuna Teriyaki Bowls

   The first time I had ahi was in Maui at my in-laws 50th anniversary dinner.  So good.  Now and then I'll buy it and reminisce.  A few weeks ago I bought a package of wild caught ahi already cubed. I've been trying bowls lately.  And so I thought I'd be adventuresome and make an ahi bowl. 

    I have a great recipe in my church cookbook for ahi teriyaki marinade that comes from a Japanese believer and it's amazing! In fact you can see it below in the pan grilled Tuna steak recipe from a Japanese believer.  Then in my Heritage school cookbook is my favorite teriyaki sauce recipe. which I made a few modifications from Veggies Save the Day.  When I took the first bite, it was definitely that flavor explosion I was hoping for!  Needless to say, I savored every  bite! 

A few weeks ago  a friend gave us some wild caught ahi that his neighbor had caught in September. I decided to make ahi bowls again for a lunch with my son's future in-laws.  They were a total hit, of course! 

With all Asian cooking, it's important to chop veggies ahead and get the teriyaki sauce made up before you start the stir-frying!
 
 

.
Ahi Tuna Teriyaki Bowls - for 4

1.  Marinate 10-12 oz. ahi
(1)  Cut 10-12 oz. of  ahi in 1" cubes.
(2)  Put in a marinade made from:   2 T tamari, 2 T rice mirin, 2 T lime/lemon juice, 1 tsp. minced ginger, 1 tsp. brown sugar, 1 clove of minced garlic, and 1/4 tsp. Sriracha.
(3)  Let marinate from 30 minutes to 2 hours.

2.  Prepare vegetables:
(1)  Cut an onion in half and then slice it across the dome.
(2)  Slice 1 large carrot on the diagonal.
(3)  Slice half of a zucchini in half and then again on the diagonal.
(4)  Slice half of  a yellow crook neck squash in half and then on the diagonal.
(5)  Slice 1/2 of a red bell pepper.
(6)  Add 1 cup of pineapple chunks

3.  Prepare teriyaki sauce:  In a small bowl combine 1/2 cup tamari, 2 T rice vinegar (My Heritage book had 1/4 cup) , 1/4+ cup sugar (Heritage had 2 T sugar), 1 T minced ginger (Heritage had 1 tsp ,  1/2 of a clove of minced garlic, and 1 tsp. of tapioca starch. 

4.  Stir-fry ahi and vegetables:
(1)  Put 2 T of oil into a wok or stainless skillet and warm up; stir-fry ahi until done, just a few minutes.  Remove and put in a covered bowl.
(2)  Wipe pan and add 2 more T of oil and add onions and carrot.  Stir-fry for 2 minutes. 
(3)  Then add the bell pepper and squash and stir-fry for 1 minute.
(4)  Add 1/4 cup of water and cover for 2 minutes.
(5)  Add back the ahi and stir  the teriyaki sauce and add to the pan and let cook for 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens.

5.  Serve over rice.

List of Other Fish Recipes on this Blog:

 

American Favorites:
Our Best Gluten Free Recipes for Grilling Salmon  - (Family & church cookbook recipes)

Crispy Gluten Free Oven Fried Fish Sticks   (From the box of Albers Cornmeal)
Marilyn's Alaskan King Crab Legs  (My mother-in-law) 

Pasta Dishes with Fish:
Whidbey Island Crab & Noodle Bake  - From my mother-in-law's beach friend
Gluten Free Comfort Food - Downright Delicious Tuna Noodle Casserole - (my Heritage School Cookbook)
Easy To Make Gluten Free Shrimp Linguine - (From my Syre School Cookbook)
Fantastic Gluten Free Salmon Fettucine - (A modification of a few Internet recipes)

Chowders & Soups:
Almost Like Ivar's Clam Chowder - (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
 Northwest Salmon Chowder  - (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
A Vietnamese Cooking Lesson - Lien's Vietnamese Sweet & Sour Soup with Salmon - (An aunt of one of our  international students)

Salads:
Jackson Square Fish Salad - (From my Syre School Cookbook)
A Northwest Salad Favorite - Cobb Salad with Blackened Salmon & Shrimp - (my own take)

Asian:
Salmon & Vegetable Curry    (Modified from Internet search)
Make Your Own Sushi!    (A Korean church friend taught me how to make this)Tasty Gluten Free Sweet & Sour Fish   (From my Heritage School Cookbook)

Pan Grilled Teriyaki Tuna Steaks  (From my Come & Dine Cookbook)