The Fear of God in a Peach

Sunshine warming the floor and steam coming off the canner in billows, hair frizzed in the humid heat until it made to fly right out the window, sticky-sweet hands and the rich ripe perfume of peaches.  All of it so very sundry.

There is a danger in words...this strange power to almost thoughtlessly make poetic what is plain or trivialize what is transcendent.   The composer can do this too...write epic music without a real epic.  But there is more to the art of creativity than this, because there are real epics and real poems.  Sorting bright round peaches into jars can sort your brain.  They call tasks like these mindless...but I found that here, at least as much as at any other time, there is no room for mindlessness.  The Spirit has a way of using menial tasks that get your hands dirty to compel you to face the greater issues of life.  And when He presses we can face them without fear like Sarah or bend to the temptations of self-imposed martyrdom like Eve.  The daughters of men are especially susceptible to the latter temptation, I believe, so I had the great audacity to wish for a good conclusion on the matter that pressed while I steamed in the kitchen along with rosy golden fruit.  

What is the source of meaning and joy in a hot messy kitchen?  I knew that the knowledge of God is all the difference.  Taking thoughts captive grows into a habit of the mind and heart, a constant counterpoint to all the little melodies and great harmonies in life.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, His word says.  So ... the fear of the Lord is the hunger to know Him in everything, the insatiable desire to have the mind of Christ.  There is a greater power in this than in glorifying the trivial merely because poetry and music are tools that enable you to do it.  To some it is given to know the fear of the Lord among kings, to others, to know it among blades of grass.  Trivial, in fact, are all the issues of men, kings and grass alike are but small things.  Yet, wonder of wonders, neither are small issues in light of the kingdom of God.

Some take this merely as comfort.  But I was looking for more than comfort.  I didn't really need comfort, after all.  Comfort is the knowledge that one is spared the curse of death through the power of Christ's gospel.  Purpose is the working of that gospel into ever fiber of one's being like kneading leaven in a lump of dough.  There it was again, the mundane kneading of bread dough threads it's humble fibers through the master plan of the cosmos.  How does He do that?  How do the things that are small become great?  The knowledge of God again.  All at once I was overwhelmed by a sense of privilege...and shame.  What am I, mere dust of the earth, that He should stoop to give me pleasure in the greatness of the little threads of his plan.  Who am I to revel in the glory of a peach?

Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
The LORD has taken away the judgments against you;
he has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;
you shall never again fear evil.
On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Fear not, O Zion;
let not your hands grow weak.
The LORD your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.

Zephaniah must have been wondering at it too, when his heart overflowed with the poetry of God's faithfulness. The comfort of salvation we love...but there is the wonder too..."let not your hands grow weak..."? He knows our weakness...our tendency to fear everything but Him, to forget the glory behind the song.

Is the Lord God in your midst...while you can peaches?  Yes!  Mighty to save calloused hearts as well as hands and give joy to long days on your feet and pour quiet into your hurried tasks and exultation into your solitary work.  The unseen is beautiful in its own right...because it is seen by Him. Is this about as cliche as it gets?  Here my brain was sorting backwards.  I don't suppose most who use that "cliche" even know what it means.  The fact is, I don't presume to suppose that anything needs to be seen apart from the fact that He sees it.

There are serendipities every day in our lives that God makes to touch the eternal right before our eyes.  And here I was, a very small thing that He should notice.  He stoops to give us joy in the flavor of a ripe peach.  He bends His greatness low to carry my heart out the window on the sound of a violin.  Of course I knew David was right to wonder that the Creator of the Universe is mindful of us, but everyday wonders are used by the Spirit to teach us more and more how much of a wonder it is.

I was a little girl the first time I saw the Teton Mountains.  We were driving towards them across the vast western plains when Daddy pointed out their distant peaks and the car was filled with little gasps of excitement: "Mountains!"  There was wonder then...true wonder.  But I felt like I was growing up just watching those mountains get closer.  I had never seen anything that big before.  They became higher and more terribly beautiful with every mile, until, when we finally started climbing the foothills, I could no longer see the tops.  My little-girl gasp at the first glance was forgotten in absolute awe.  The truth is, I hadn't even known what awe was when I first looked.

I was climbing those mountains of awe over the peach peelings those few short days ago.  At first I thought to myself that you couldn't expect to go can peaches and have an epiphany every day.  That would be another cliche, right?  But again I wondered, why not?  Every day, the Spirit of the Living God is living in us.  And while we walk about and classify every act as "normal" or mundane, He is working His perfect and awesome will.

So...Its not every day I climb spiritual mountains over the canner, but as the Lord enables, I will.  And all the while, I'll turn, again and again, in His merciful kindness and at His continual prompting to live in the light of the kingdom...where even a peach is epic.  This is the fear of God all the day long...the perpetual awareness of His presence.  The ever-turning of our hearts to Him...the seeking of His face continually.  A few will know what I mean when I say that "I am just stating the facts."  The more whimsical and intangible one's thoughts are, the more matter of fact one needs to be, as I am daily proving.  So here I have perhaps even trivialized the matter with my words... so that I will not forget and complain.

"...but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”

Jeremiah 9:24

The Tuesday Kitchen

The Tuesday kitchen has been woefully neglected on the blog, but nobody is famishing here at home in the meantime...for the most part.  :)  This Tuesday we added some guests to the gathering around the table and to the hearty dinner we prepared together I added this finale of homemade chocolate pudding with another fantastic recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe!

The more the merrier!

What beats rich chocolate and light fluffy whipped cream?

The Tuesday Kitchen

What do you do when you forgot to think about dinner until after noon?  This tuesday I pulled a couple of pounds of venison stew meat out of the freezer after lunch, "quick-thawed" them in cool water for a couple of hours and made a stew that was ready to eat by 6:30.  Garlic, onions, oregano, thyme, turmeric and salt and pepper dressed it up and potatoes and carrots in hearty amounts served to stuff the corners of some hungry stomachs!

Mama made her big batch of excellent baked beans and froze nine pounds of them as well.  They seasoned the house with their sweet savory fragrance all night!

Chocolate Cake: The Final Verdict

 A few months ago, in anticipation of Ben's party, we set out to find a quintessential chocolate cake recipe. For years, we have been less than satisfied with two recipes, one simple, dry and dull and the other requiring an everlastingly long series of details for a fairly fluffy, deep chocolate, relatively moist cake.
The weekend before last, the Lenz ladies from different generations (you know who you are!) gathered around a table and savored two cakes contemplating between exquisite mouthfuls what is "quintessential" Chocolate Cake. What is the shape of the crumb? Is it small and dense or large and moist? Is chocolate supposed to be sweet or a little bitter. What is the effect of vinegar as a leavening vs. eggs?

In the end most of the ladies concluded Whacky Cake is quintessential cake but The Best Chocolate Cake was the best cake they had ever tasted. :o) If I seem to slight the gentlemen's opinion on the subject, they must acknowledge comments such as, "I like this plate because it has the larger piece" were hardly scientific.  Our reticence in regard to their opinions cannot be taken as a reflection of our estimation of their critique of food in general. :o)

To continue with our review, Whacky Cake was popular during WWII and because of it's wonderful moist texture and light sweetness it was often served with milk for breakfast! It has no eggs and is leavened with vinegar. We'll keep this one in our repertoire because it is incredibly easy to make. Often called "Cake Pan Cake", it can literally be mixed in the cake pan with a fork in a matter of minutes and is simply delicious.
On the other hand, The Best Chocolate Cake is distinctly "desert", according to our connoisseurs.  Still easy to construct, it is rich and moist, with a tastefully intense chocolate flavor and a large light crumb.
If you are bored with cake crumb, pardon the interruption from dinner reports; we'll continue with our regular broadcast next week. :o)
But not before addressing the frosting! Honestly, it was hard to properly analyze a cake covered with the most sumptuous creme you have ever tasted a half inch thick. The fact that Miracle Frosting originated in the South may have something to do with our favoring it, but not any more than its flour based thickening allowing for 1/3 of the sugar content usually required to thicken frosting. Be sure to follow the links next time you require a chocolate cake and benefit from our gracious panel of tasters!

Heritage around the table...

An abundance of food has passed through the house in the last few days along with a large company of extended relatives.

Daddy's father, Charles Lenz, passed away before any of us six Lenz children were born, so we relish any opportunity to hear about him.

His brother, Uncle John, along with around fifty cousins and aunts and uncles, came here for a family reunion on Saturday.  

The food gathered together for the day was plentiful and, of course, as varied as it was delicious.  The company was even better and stories were told and memories recalled in like abundance.  

I love the way one picture evokes a thousand memories.  Uncle John was asked to identify everyone in this photograph and as soon as he saw it, although he didn't speak all the words, you could see the day come back to him with almost more strength and vividness than yesterday's hours.  Our Grandpa Charlie was the youngest in the family...that little guy with his dog Pal in the middle.  The day the picture was taken, their mother rounded them up for hair cuts out on the drive (three of these were cousins, so no-one missed out on the fun).  As soon as Uncle John started describing, I was smelling the warm dusty summer air and hearing the laughter and the snip of the scissors...seeing the reflections of loved faces in his eyes.  There was a general burst of delighted laughter as he recalled how the dog Pal taught our Grandpa Charlie how to walk by pulling him around the house by the arm.  The gift of these memories stored up is a precious treasure of history.  For us they are a heritage of rare glimpses of the hand of God reaching into our mundane, human moments to touch them with the divine gift of meaning and continuity.  It was a privilege to read the pages of remembrance and enjoy the fellowship of family camaraderie.

Last Tuesday's meal came again out of the wonderful abundance from our garden.  Stuffed peppers with cole slaw and, yes, more beans!

In the busy rush of preparation for the family gathering, an easy and speedy recipe like this is ideal.

And yes, everything but the cheese on this plate was produced on our farm!

On the Subject of Food...

As summer progresses the supply from our garden only increases thanks to our Creator's abundant providence! We never cease to be amazed at the amount of food on our plates that comes from our own garden or was raised on our farm and produced by our own hands. Daddy regularly asks the question, "Where did this come from?" From our garden, from the woods, from the deer the boys harvested last fall, etc. We are blessed to often see first hand how God feeds His children.
Green beans and zucchini are particularly productive right now.  Mama finds new ways to prepare the latter fruit so we haven't tired of it, yet.

Simply fried in olive oil and seasoned with fresh herbs, tomatoes and pepper this time...

Beef Stroganoff, Green Beans and Cabbage Salad:

Actually, the meat was venison, I believe; it was deliciously tender. The sauce is quite simple... fry about 6 oz. of bacon, brown a few pounds of sliced meat, garlic, onion and salt in the bacon grease, add 3 rounded tablespoons flour, a few tablespoons tomato sauce, a cup of beef broth, a tablespoon or worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon paprika and simmer a few minutes. Just before serving, add 1 cup of sour cream and a tablespoon of parsley. 

Of course, green beans cooked till just tender with butter and salt are unbeatable, to quote a favorite cook book, and cabbage, carrots and lettuce with sesame oil and rice vinegar add the essential uncooked element.

Mama revived an old family tradition last week, serving the invariable midwest "tuna salad" (updated with mangoes this time :o) ) on a lettuce leaf.  She remembers her grandma insisted serving salads on a lettuce leaf as part of the dinner presentation on the family farm in Nebraska. 

Em and I were inspired by a picture on the front of King Arthur's Baker's Catalogue. As an aside, checking the mail when you're hungry is generally a torturous ordeal at our house and not recommended... :o) We compiled our own version of Turkey Avocado Strawberry Sandwiches, fruit and salsa for a picnic.  The zesty, lemon dressing on the sandwiches added a lively tang to the turkey and avocado while the strawberries and spinach were sweetness and crunch, respectively.

And now for tradition's sake, we'll finish with the last course; desert!

On a typical summer's night the Lenz family can usually be found outdoors finishing projects till well after dark. After a particularly long day, we will occasionally (not so often it becomes common which is the essential secret to preserving the value of any delicacy) treat ourselves to this most rare and wonderful of all foods, chocolate.

Of course, it must be prepared properly... melted in butter and and brown sugar and whisked in thick, fresh cream, with a small optional float of ice cream for glorious contrast.

The Tuesday Kitchen...

Our family has been away from home two weekends in a row; re-enacting the War Between the States...and cooking over an open fire.  Culinary endeavors of this kind are unique adventures for the palate...we dine on historical American food staples flavored with fresh air and more than a little camp-fire smoke.  One "period-correct" viand that invariably meets the hearty approval of the whole camp (especially after a battle in the heat) is watermelon.

In between sojourns into the 1860s, I managed to cook some old favorites while touching them with new flare that freshened the sameness.

Daddy came in one afternoon with a bag of peaches and requested a peach pie.  I couldn't resist his confidence in our ability to master one of his favorites, or the opportunity to try a new addition.

I made Grandma's enigmatical, yet unrivaled crust recipe, but used our lard for the shortening this time.

Peach MANGO Pie turned out to be a grand success.  It was a bit sweet, so I will be cutting back on the sugar even more than I usually do, but the overall result was delicious.

Another standby around here is of course chicken.  Inventing new ways to dress it up is always inspiring, but if time is an especially precious commodity, the crock-pot is a good resort.  

I used a marinade from a Grilled Island Chicken recipe as a kind of rub and ran the same ingredients/flavors over into the steamed fresh green beans.

 Since I couldn't bring myself to make our Zucchini hot dish yet again with that tenacious and ever-abundant vegetable, I tried a new zucchini dish (again from Mel's Kitchen Cafe...love that blog!) Cheesy Zucchini Rice.  It was a hit as far as the family was concerned, although I discovered that it does not improve upon acquaintance after a trip to the fridge and reheating, so don't make enough for leftovers.  The secret is that, while the rice is hot enough to melt the cheese, the zucchini is fresh and uncooked, yielding a varying and exciting texture.

Crisp salad is a good start to any meal, and my favorite summer foods are avocado and cilantro, so into the fresh lettuce they go and dinner is served!

The Tuesday Kitchen (A week late)

In spite of the fact that my blogging end of the new endeavor is...less than consistent, the actual meal-makeing is advancing rapidly towards the habitual stage, albeit not yet with the degree of excellence I aspire to.

Last week's family time around the table was augmented on Tuesday night with family friends.

Lessons learned? Lessons I heard before, but was obliged to learn the hard way nevertheless.  Don't get me wrong; the company was of the best kind and the fellowship blessed, and that makes all the difference.





I simply didn't maintain the stress-free environment I could wish to.  In this case, more preparation time was required...as we learned from Chef Francis Foucachon at the Food Conference.

The food itself, I am told, left little wanting.  This was largely due to the fact that I "cheated" by having Daddy do the grilling (another genius suggestion from Chef Foucachon), and of course everyone else helping get the other food on the table.
The finished product?










Grilled Caprese Chicken with Salad (again the lime cilantro dressing served us well) and Zucchini "hotdish" and green beens again as sides (they are in season!).

Our homemade whole wheat bread rounded off the meal and Blueberry Fool (which was consumed so promptly that it escaped the camera) sweetened our palates as dessert.  I made a double recipe and decided that I will make more of the cream mixture and less blueberry next time.

From the Lenz Family Kitchen...

Our family is glad to be home after a week-long trip to San Antonio, Texas for Vision Forum's Reformation of Food and Family Conference.  The event was wonderful on so many levels, and I think all the Lenz's came home stuffed with "food for thought."  One of my intentions following the lessons learned there is to post weekly food creations I contribute to the family diet.  The primary purpose will be to keep a record of successes, failures, discoveries and old favorites.

Many friends and customers have asked our family to explain the method we have for maintaining a healthy diet.  In some ways, we are not the best people to ask because we are spoiled.

Living on a farm means the fresh clean ingredients for any meal are literally at our fingertips.  Watching families we know source good food from multiple local farmers while we grow it a short walk from the back door has often forced me to question whether I would be as diligent and consistent about my food sources if I didn't live on a farm run on principles of health and land stewardship.

Ultimately, I believe an attitude of gratefulness for whatever God chooses to give us for food is essential.  At the same time, being purposeful about the food we eat is, as I am learning, an act of obedience and worship to our Creator and should not be taken lightly.

Our method?  The inspiration for most meals comes from whatever is in the garden and freezer.  Meal planning is established around a few seasonal ingredients on a daily or weekly basis.

This week we had cabbage and we were tired of cole slaw.  So I made big salads.  A Six Arrows Farm chicken went into the crock pot Tuesday morning and Daddy brought home a few ingredients we don't grow, like a lime and an avocado.

I tried a new dressing...Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, a recipe site we love.

Next time I will be adding more lime a bit more pepper than the recipe calls for and cayenne pepper (something we were out of at the time.)  It was very good, even so, and we don't have any leftovers!

An excellent piece of advice from Chef Francis Foucachon at the conference concerning cooking was to be prepared ahead of time for a meal.  This meal was not even planned until noon of the same day.  My "excuse" for being less than prepared was the fact that we arrived home from the Food Conference about 1:30 Tuesday morning.  Things missing, in retrospect, were a little red onion and black beans (I had them and forgot until we were past the first few bites.)  :)

After clean up Tuesday night, I mixed up a batch of a family favorite, baked oatmeal, to have for breakfast Wednesday morning.  I love the recipe because of the make-ahead style.  Because I put it together the night before, I can stumble into the kitchen half-awake and turn the oven on and breakfast is ready about fifty minutes later.  Ingredients in baked oatmeal are also inspired by whatever we have in the house.  Some favorite additions are coconut, raisins, apples, walnuts or almonds, and dried dates.  This time we ate it with delicious Apricot syrup Aubrey canned last fall.