Gluten Free & God Seeking: November 2019

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Jer D.'s Special Rub For Roast Chicken

The smell of a chicken roasting in the oven makes my house smell amazing! Last week I needed to roast a chicken for a bridal shower lunch so I tried out this recipe that my son-in-law gave me for one of his home-made rubs.

I didn't have any fresh spices so I used ones I'd dried from my garden. Also I didn't have any savory so I used parsley. I also threw in some lemon juice because he's done that before, and I saw it on another roasted chicken recipe.

I tried out this gadget for roasting chicken on the BBQ for my oven. All I had to do was set it on a cookie sheet in my oven, and it did the trick! This chicken came out succulent and delicious.

1. Prepare chicken:
(1) Rinse a 3 pound chicken with cold water. Don't remove the skin.
(2) Pat dry. Then brush the skin with olive oil.

2. Prepare herb rub - In a bowl put:
(1) 1/2 of a squeezed lemon.
(2) Then chop 2 T fresh rosemary, 1 T fresh sage, and 1 T fresh savory.
(3) Stir in 2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper.

3. Rub half of herbs underneath the skin and then on the outside..

4. Roast Chicken:
(1) Roast at 375 for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until it reaches 185 degrees and juices run clear.
(2) Half way through baste with the remaining herbs mixed with 2-3 T of olive oil.
(3) Then put foil on top and let rest for 5 minutes before carving.

List of other chicken recipes on this blog:

Asian:
Authentic Chinese BBQ Chicken (From my friend Rose)
The Real Deal GF Teriyaki Chicken (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Gluten Free Sweet & Sour Chicken (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)

Make Your Own G.F. Teriyaki Bowls  (From a collection of my recipes)

Italian & Greek:
Chicken Souvlaki (Marinade for chicken from my son-in-law)
Gluten Free Chicken Cacciatore With Peppers & Mushrooms  (Modified from my mother-in-law)
Delicious Gluten Free Chicken Parmesan (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
My Son-in-Law's Own Recipe for Greek Chicken (Another Jer D. recipe)
Delicious Chicken Florentine Lasagna (From my church cookbook)

Mexican:
Pollo Guisado (Mexican Braised Chicken)  (From a church friend in Phoenix)
Belizean Chicken, Black Beans & Rice, and Belizean Coleslaw  (From my daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook)
Make Your Own Chicken Burrito Bowls (From a collection of my recipes)
Jer D.'s Mexican Lime Chicken (From my son-in-law)

American Favorites:
The Best Gluten Free Oven Fried Chicken (From my sister-in-law)
Curried Mushroom & Apple Chicken (From my church cookbook Come & Dine)
A Gluten Free Twist on Tarragon Chicken (From my church Come & Dine cookbook)
Chicken & Mushrooms in Wine Sauce  ( From my church Come & Dine cookbook)
Summery Lemon Chicken - (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)
Pulled Chicken Sliders (Modified recipe from my daughter)

BBQ:
The Best Homemade Chicken BBQ Sauce (From my daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook)
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 reunion cookbook)
Country Style BBQ Chicken - (From my daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook)
Great for Summer BBQ - Lemon Rosemary Chicken Legs  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Fantastic Gluten Free Chicken Kabobs  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Jeremy's Original BBQ Rub For Thighs (My son's very own concoction)

Chicken Casseroles
Chicken Divan - (From my Come & Dine Cookbook)
Chicken Pot Pie - (A combination of 3 different recipes!)
Our Family's Fall Favorite - Chicken & Zucchini Casserole with Gluten Free Biscuit Topping - -( From my church Come & Dine cookbook)
Savory Chicken Mornay - (A classic chicken broccoli casserole from my Come & Dine cookbook)

Overcomers in Babylon - Why Didn't Daniel & His Friends Eat the King's Meat in Daniel 1?

Why did it matter that Daniel and his companions not eat off the palace menu? They realized long before dieticians coined the phrase you are what you eat that it mattered what they ate. As I was thinking about this, I saw that we're all consumers on all 3 levels--physically, psychologically, and spiritually. What we read and view becomes a diet of sorts and impacts us whether we realize it or not.

These four young Hebrew men understood that if they ate meat offered to idols, it would link them to idols. I was enlightened by what I read on pages 9-10 of chapter 2 of the Life-Study of Daniel:

"Nebuchadnezzar's devilish temptation was first to seduce Daniel and his three companions, the four brilliant young descendants of God's defeated elect, to be defiled in partaking of his unclean food, food offered to idols....For Daniel and his companions to eat that food would have been to take in the defilement, to take in the idols, and thus to become one with Satan. If they would have done this, God would have been finished and would have had nothing on earth for Himself and His interest. Then Satan could have boasted and said, 'God, You have been completely defeated. You have nothing on earth to represent You and to be one with You.'...But Daniel and his companions were for God....I am concerned that you may be eating the choice food provided for you by today's Nebuchadnezzar. If we are careless in our eating, in our shopping, in where we go, and in what we do, we may take in something related to idols, something demonic. We are what we eat. If we eat godly food--that is, if we eat God-food, God as our food--we will be one with God" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Daniel. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1991, Print).

         I saw that it was a big deal what Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azaraiah did.  God's purpose was hanging in the balance. Would they eat the meat without any reservation and cause God's defeat or would they reject that meat and take a stand? It touched me when I read that these four were God's overcomers in Babylon and through them God preserved His worship and testimony on earth!

     And that's exactly what God needs us do today. I really like these two songs about being an overcomer put out a few years ago by the New York City Young People--Choose To be a Living Overcomer  and God Needs the Overcomers.

Other posts on the Major Prophets:
Life-Study of Isaiah:

You can listen to excerpts of Witness Lee's speaking the Life-Study of Isaiah on Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. You can also read the online Life-Studies of Isaiah and check out other resources available to enhance your study of the Bible on Living Stream Ministry's website.

How Can the Son in Isaiah 7:14 & 9:6 Be the Mighty God?
Seeing Christ as the Great Light in Isaiah 9:2
Why is Christ Called the Cornerstone in Isaiah 28:26?
Taking a Closer Look at Isaiah 53 - Christ's Crucifixion Foretold - Part 1

Taking a Closer Look at Isaiah 53 - Christ's Resurrection &Ascension Foretold - Part 2 of 2

Life-Study of Jeremiah & Lamentations:

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Move Over Green Bean Casserole! This Thanksgiving Try Grandma's Country Green Beans

I've loved green beans all my life. Even before I lived for a year on my grandparent's 110 acre farm in Pennsylvania. They're always delicious. And this awesome green bean recipe comes from my dear mother-in-law. Over the years she's made this recipe for special occasions, probably because they simmer for about 2 hours.

Last fall when we were spending the night with her, she served these green beans with one of her stellar dinners. This time I asked her to tell me how she does it. When I made these a few weeks ago, I didn't have any bacon on hand, and they still came out fantastic tasting. Since I got diagnosed with celiac, I have to come up with runner ups for that famous green bean casserole I used to make every Thanksgiving. This time, I'm making Grandma's green beans!

Grandma's Country Green Beans

1. Prepare green beans:

(1) Rinse and snap 1 pound of green beans.

(2) Cut the beans 2 or 3 times lengthwise.

(3) Dice half of an onion.

(4) Cut 2 pieces of bacon into small pieces.

2. Put beans in a pot with water to cover and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the onion and bacon pieces. Bring beans to a boil, and then simmer for 2 hours.

List of Side Dishes & Vegetables on this Blog:

Grandma's Scalloped Potatoes
Savory Roasted Root Vegetables
Grandma's Country Style Harvard Beets

Looking at the Spiritual Meaning in Ezekiel's Visions - Why Does A River Flow Out of God's House in Ezekiel 47?

A sump failure is a homeowner’s nightmare. I know because it happened to us. Two years ago we had record rainfall, almost like Noah’s ark revisited with the days of rain almost hitting the 40 day marker. With the rising water table, a lot of people had sump failure.

For us two of our three sumps failed. Most of our basement had between a quarter to half inch of water, and we and some friends spent hours shop vacing it out. You can imagine the mess. Then we had to rent a humidifier to remove moisture out of the walls so mold wouldn’t start growing, which is another Northwest nightmare.

That’s my backdrop for the vision in Ezekiel 47:1-12 where the prophet sees a river flowing out of the threshold on the east side of the temple (Ezek. 43:2). Unlike us, God likes water in His house. In chapter 26 Witness Lee says that the east side is the direction of God’s glory—think about the sunrise! After doing the study on God's glory the last two weeks, I see this a bit differently now. In this chapter it said when we care for God’s glory, it causes the flow of water to increase.

In this vision we see again the man of bronze measuring, but this time it's the flow of water. At first, it was just a trickle, and at the next measurement of 1000 cubits, the water was at the ankles. The man measures the water four times, and at each 1000 cubit increment, it goes higher until all you can do is swim in it. This river didn’t just happen, certain things caused it, and I found this explanation insightful on page 302 of chapter 26 of the Life-Study of Ezekiel.

Several crucial factors brought in the flow of the river. The first was the building up and the completion of the house. Following this, the people began to have their living according to the house. Their daily life and all their conduct began to be according to the form, fashion, pattern, statutes, and laws of the

house (43:10-11). Next, the serving ones, the priests were serving the Lord in a proper way. Finally, there were all the offerings…There were yearly offerings, monthly offerings, daily offerings, and all the solemn feasts. We need to realize that the experience of all these matters brought in the flow of the river. When the Lord saw all these things, He must have been very happy. He had a house--the place of His throne, a place for the soles of His feet, a place where He could dwell for His rest and satisfaction [43:7]. He saw the house with its forms and statutes, and He saw the priests and the offerings. Therefore, He sent the flowing of the river, and the river began to flow out of the house (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Ezekiel. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1998, Print).

What I got from this chapter is everything in the church hinges on the building. And he mentions later in this chapter for us to experience this flow, we ourselves need to be measured. I learned that the man of bronze symbolizes the Lord's judging of our motives, goals, and desires so He could possess us for His house. And that the four

measurements signify the number of the creature (think about 4 living creatures). These four measurings show us that we are in a continual process of being taken over by the Lord. Doesn't that give you another view of your Christian life?
Other posts on the Major Prophets:

Life-Study of Isaiah:

You can listen to excerpts of Witness Lee's speaking the Life-Study of Isaiah on Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. You can also read the online Life-Studies of Isaiah and check out other resources available to enhance your study of the Bible on Living Stream Ministry's website.

Taking a Closer Look at Isaiah 53 - Christ's Resurrection &Ascension Foretold - Part 2 of 2

Life-Study of Jeremiah & Lamentations:

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Grandma's Country Style Harvard Beets

Besides being pretty, beets are good for detoxing your liver. Do the extra work and make them from scratch. It is well worth it! Sometimes if I'm short on time, I'll just scrub up some whole beets and let them slowly simmer until they're done and then cut them up.

This is one of my grandmother's favorite ways of serving beets. It's one of the recipes I wrote up from her recipe box years ago. They also make a delicious side dish during the holidays.

Harvard Beets

1. Prepare beets: Scrub and cook 2 medium beets enough to make 2 cups sliced. Save 1/4 cup of liquid.

2. In a saucepan:
(1) Mix together 1/6 of apple cider vinegar, 1/8 cup of brown sugar, 1 tsp. tapioca starch, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 cup of reserved beet juice. Stir until smooth.

(2) Then add 1 T butter and cook until thickened.

(3) Add the beets and cook 2-3 minutes more.

Other Vegetable Recipes on This Blog:

Savory Roasted Root Vegetables (This recipe also has beets!)

Grandma's Scalloped Potatoes

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Looking at the Spiritual Meanings in Ezekiel's Visions - The Vision of the Return of God's Glory to His House in Ezekiel 43 - Part 2 of 2

During the time of Samuel, even the priesthood had become degraded. God couldn't even speak to Eli the high priest, He only spoke to Samuel who was just a child at the time. Things were so upside down, the Israelites even took the ark of God with them into a battle with the Philistines. What were they thinking?!

     And we know from 1 Samuel 4 that God let it be captured because of how far the Israelites had fallen away from God. When Eli heard that the ark was captured, he fell off a rock wall and died (1 Sam 4:18). Also, when his daughter-in-law heard the news of her husband's death and the ark's capture, she went into labor.

   And as she was dying, she named her child Ichabod which means no glory (1 Sam 4:19-22). From that time until the ark's return, God's glory left Israel. This means that God had no expression on earth.  And that was a big deal.

     Listening to the dialog between King David and Nathan in 2 Samuel 7 is quite touching. David's heart mirrored God's own heart's desire to have a dwelling place on earth for His glory to dwell. We know from the Bible that after Solomon built and dedicated the temple, God's glory filled it:

And the priests were not able to stand and minister because of the cloud, for the glory of Jehovah filled the house of God. 2 Chronicles 5:14

Not long after this dedication God speaks a sobering word to Solomon that's recorded in 1 Kings 9:6-7. He warns them that if they worship others gods, he would cut them off from the land of Canaan. As the Bible sadly recounts, the idolatry of the surrounding nations gradually ensnared many of the Israelites. Again, what were they thinking?!

Finally things got so bad, God gave up on His people. God allowed the northern kingdom to be taken captive by the Assyrians, and later the Babylonians took the southern kingdom. After Nebuchadnezzar laid a siege on Jerusalem, he destroyed the temple and burnt the city's walls. I learned from the Life-Study of Jeremiah that the prophet Jeremiah wept when he saw this happen, and surely he was saddened when he realized that God had again lost the place for His glory. What a tragedy!

This now bring us up to where I'm reading in chapter 24 of the Life-Study of Ezekiel. In the opening of this chapter, Witness Lee goes over verses recorded earlier in Ezekiel that show the gradual departure of God's glory from His people. The first step is recorded in

Ezekiel 9:3 "And the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub on which it had been to the threshold of the house...." Then in 11:23 Ezekiel sees God's glory gradually leave Jerusalem before returning to heaven--"And the glory of Jehovah went up from the midst of the city and stood upon the mountain which is east of the city."

Then later in Ezekiel's life when he was 50 years old and seeing the vision of the man measuring the temple, he saw the glory returning through the east gate!! This is recorded in Ezekiel 43:2, 4 "And the glory of the God of Israel was there, coming from the way of the east, ....And the glory of the Jehovah came into the house through the gate which faced toward the east," I enjoyed reading this chapter a lot, and here's some excerpts from pages 275-276 in chapter 24 of the Life-Study of Ezekiel that explain why the glory returned:

"We need to be deeply impressed with the fact that the glory of God returned only after the building of the temple was completed....God wants to have the church built up on earth because He desires to have a dwelling place on earth. He, the God of the heavens, wants to live on the earth. The place where He lives, His dwelling place is the church....Our main burden in this study of Ezekiel is to see the dwelling place which God desires to have on earth. If we have the grace to be built up in the church, the God of glory will live among us" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Ezekiel. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry. 1998, Print).

By doing this word study on glory relating to the tabernacle and temple, I saw in a whole new way that God needs a place for His glory to dwell so He can reign on the earth not only in the heavens!!! And this verse in this chapter means a lot more to me now:

And He said to me, Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever....Ezekiel 43:7a

Other posts on the Major Prophets

Life-Study of Isaiah:

You can listen to excerpts of Witness Lee's speaking the Life-Study of Isaiah on Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. You can also read the online Life-Studies of Isaiah and check out other resources available to enhance your study of the Bible on Living Stream Ministry's website.

Taking a Closer Look at Isaiah 53 - Christ's Resurrection &Ascension Foretold - Part 2 of 2

Life-Study of Jeremiah & Lamentations:

You can listen to excerpts of Witness Lee's speaking the Life-Study of Jeremiah & Lamentations on Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.

Insights from Jeremiah - What Does God Consider Evil in Jeremiah 2:13?
Insights from Jeremiah - Taking A Closer Look at the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:31-34
What Lessons Can We Learn From the Book of Lamentations?

Life-Study of Ezekiel:
You can listen to excerpts of Witness Lee's speaking the Life-Study of Ezekiel on Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.

Looking at the Spiritual Meaning in Ezekiel's Visions - What's Does the Wind, Cloud, Fire & Electrum in Ezekiel 1:4 Symbolize?
Looking at the Spiritual Meaning in Ezekiel's Visions - The 4 Living Creatures in Ezekiel 1:5
Looking at the Spiritual Meaning in Ezekiel's Visions - The Man on the Throne in Ezekiel 1:28
Looking at the Spiritual Meaning in Ezekiel's Visions - What Ezekiel 14:3 Tells Us About Israel's Captivity
Looking at the Spiritual Meaning in Ezekiel's Visions - What's the Valley of Bones All About in Ezekiel 37?
Looking at the Spiritual Meaning in Ezekiel's Visions - Why So Many Measurements in Ezekiel 40?
Looking at the Spiritual Meaning in Ezekiel's Visions - The Vision of the Return of God's Glory to His House - Part 1 of 2

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Distefano's Pasta e Fagioli

Last week our daughter who's married to a guy who's half Italian invited us for dinner. I always anticipate going there for dinner because most of the time it's something Italian. This time when we walked in, our daughter was at the stove stirring a pot of her own recipe for pasta e fagioli. Just imagine that aroma.

   When it was time to eat, my spoon was poised, and you well know that feeling when you take your first bite of a new recipe; it's like your taste buds are quivering if there is such a thing! Then as you swallow, your brain is registering that wow factor, this is delicious, and then the immediate I must find out how to make this!

   So, of course, as I savored every bite, I asked her all the questions. And all of her answers are in the recipe below. I did check a few other pasta e fagioli recipes to see if they seasoned with anything else but salt and pepper, and I found out a few used a bit of basil and oregano, and so I sprinkled a bit in at the end to pizzazz it up.

1. Prepare vegetables:
(1) Dice 3 carrots.
(2) Chop 2 stalks of celery.
(3) Dice 1 onion.
(4) Mince 3-4 cloves of garlic.

2. Cook beef & onion and celery - In a large skilled put:
(1) 1 pound of Italian sausage or pasture raised ground beef
(2) When partially cooked, add the diced onion and celery and cook until everything is done.

3. In a soup pot or crock pot put:
(1)  1 carton of chicken stock, one 15 oz. can of tomato sauce or whole tomatoes, plus 2 cups of water.

(2) Add the beef with cooked vegetables.
(3) Then add the carrots and garlic.
(4) Stir in 1 can of kidney beans and 1 can of cannellini beans.
(5) Seasoning: Stir in 1 tsp. of salt and 1/2 tsp. of black pepper. I added 1 T of Better Than Chicken Bouillon to make the broth more flavorful and some basil and oregano.
(6) Taste and make adjustments.

4. Meanwhile: Cook 1 1/2 to 2 cups of small pasta and set aside until ready to serve the soup.

Serve up the soup into large bowls, then top with noodles and let everyone add their own freshly grated Parmesan.

Other Bean Soups on this Blog:

Vi's Best Chili (A Bible study friend's great recipe)
Bethany's Crowd Pleasing Tortilla Soup (One of my daughter's friends special soup)
Country Style Lentil Soup (From my Heritage School cookbook)
Kathy's Texas Chili & Chips (From my Come & Dine cookbook)
Spicy Cuban Black Bean Soup (From a store recipe card)
Marilyn's Make It From Scratch Chili (From my mother-in-law)
Lisa's Red Lentil Soup - From my friend Lisa
Texas Pinto Beans & Rice
Curried Lentil Medley (From my Come & Dine Cookbook)

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