Gleanings from an inspirational sister’s meeting
Thou preparest a table before me… Psalm 23:5
O taste and see that the Lord is good… Psalm 34:8
Eating is such a basic thing. God made food and created us with a need to eat. Like my husband says, God could have made us with a hatch to simply open up and dump in the food! Less than five minutes and you’re back to work! Instead, God made us to enjoy the actual eating of food, with all its variety of tastes, colors and textures. What a blessing it is to sit down with our families and have fellowship around the table! However, as wives and mothers, we know that a good meal doesn’t just happen automatically! There’s preparation involved! Maybe we like to cook but we’re out of ideas! Perhaps, cooking doesn’t come as naturally to us, yet we know it’s something we must do. Our family might not notice the cobwebs in the corners, but they will notice when supper’s not on the table! When my son comes in from the shop wondering, “Mama, are you going to have dinner ready at 12:00?”, I don’t want to disappoint him! Maybe we find ourselves scrambling for last-minute ideas of something quick to make because we’ve failed to plan ahead. Many times, I’ve found myself there and it’s not a pleasant situation to be in!
Cooking – maybe it doesn’t sound very spiritual – but can it be? The Bible says, Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. -1 Corinthians 10:31. So, we actuallycan glorify God as we prepare food and serve it to the dear ones He’s given us. Our Lord Jesus is a perfect example of caring, by preparing bread and fish, then serving His disciples when they were hungry after a long night. (John 21:9-13) Among many other examples in Scripture, the virtuous woman rises early to give meat to her household (Proverbs 31), Abraham and Sarah prepared a meal for their guests (Genesis 18:6-8), Rebekah made savory meat for Issac (Genesis 27:9), and Peter’s mother-in-law, after Jesus had healed her, arose and ministered to them, which quite possibly involved the serving of food (Matthew 8:14; Mark 1:30; Luke 4:38).
At times when we don’t know what to make, we can ask God and He is so faithful to give us ideas! Our husbands and children may also have suggestions. Thinking ahead and having a plan can be very helpful. Here is one possible weekly plan – soup on Monday, beef on Tuesday, something quick like a freezer meal or sandwiches on Wednesday (to allow extra time to get ready for church); Mexican or Italian food on Thursday and chicken or fish on Friday (or one night could be “leftovers” night). Perhaps you’ll decide to cook a big batch of beans on Monday and make a variety of dishes with that throughout the week – Black beans with chicken and rice; a bean and hamburger dish; beans and tortillas; maybe even a yummy chipotle supper. On Saturday, our family looks forward to our son’s pancakes for brunch and our daughter’s pizza for supper. When deciding what to have for meals, both family favorites and what is available can make a difference. Planning days ahead might not work for each person, but even deciding the night before what you’ll have the next day can be very helpful. That way you can start soaking the beans ahead of time or get the needed items out of the freezer to start thawing. Another helpful practice is to keep basic ingredients on hand such as eggs, milk, and bread for those times when you find yourself in a pinch. Simple egg sandwiches have bailed us out more than once.
Maybe you’re getting ready for a new baby or just feel a need to cook ahead. Like our grandson says at times, “Let’s get some food going!” Preparing hamburger patties ahead of time and freezing them for 30 minutes on a cookie sheet before transferring them to a freezer bag, can be a delicious, quick meal. Home-canned soups are also convenient to have on hand. Pizza (prepared with your little ones helping to put the toppings on) is a tasty treat to pull out of the freezer. Breakfast egg casseroles, or breakfast burritos wrapped in foil are delicious and freeze well. It’s a great idea, when you’re preparing a meal, to purposely make extra to put in the freezer for later. This saves time and energy in your cooking.
Unexpected company is coming for supper! Pulling out hot dogs or those hamburgers you’ve frozen earlier, and cooking up some noodles or pasta, makes a quick, yet tasty meal. Here are some more ideas for those times when you’re needing something on short notice. A canned Dressing Mix (cooked/cut up chicken, potatoes, carrots, celery, 1 tsp. salt in a quart jar with water to fill, then hot-water-bathed for three hours or pressure-canned for 90 minutes at 10 lbs. pressure) can be made into savory chicken rice soup. Another easy and appetizing dish is to put seasoned, raw hamburger in the bottom of a baking pan, next a layer of green beans, spread mushroom soup over that, cover it with tator tots, and bake. An idea for a delicious pizza-like meal is: Place bread slices close together in an oiled 9×13 cake pan. Sprinkle oil on top, then add pizza sauce, and cheese. Top this with hamburger that has been fried with onions and seasoned. (This can be prepared ahead of time and frozen.) Then add other toppings such as peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes, then broil for several minutes until onions and peppers are tender.
Children enjoy being involved with cooking too! Allowing them to experiment in the kitchen is a good and educational experience for them. I recall a special treat that our five-year-old son made for a date night we were having with him. He took slices of bread and topped them with plenty of butter, honey, cinnamon and raw sugar! He was so pleased to be able to serve it to us, and I still remember how good and crunchy it tasted! Another time our six-year-old daughter came up with her own creative recipe: Soak navy beans, kidney beans, black-eyed peas, pumpkin seeds, macaroni, spaghetti, parsley flakes, and popcorn kernels overnight, then cook on high in a crockpot for four hours. Add ketchup, mustard, soy sauce, salt, pepper, seasoned salt and brown sugar, to taste! It was very spicy and good, especially on butter bread! We were delighted that she had made it by herself and we consumed it all, except for the popcorn kernels which didn’t get soft!
Working together in the kitchen can be a wonderful time of building relationships and making memories as you talk and sing together. Also, sampling the food you’re preparing is fun and helps children learn the art of “cooking by taste” as you season that soup or stew! Allowing enough time to prepare the food can avoid a stressful last-minute rush and will contribute to a peaceful meal time. Teaching boys basic cooking skills can be a great blessing to their wives for years to come. After we got married, my husband taught me to make really good eggs – the “dunky” kind that are lightly fried on both sides, in browned butter – yum! Our young grandson enjoys frying eggs; he also does a good job of pouring batter on the griddle, then flipping the pancakes!
What about leftovers? Maybe water and seasonings can be added, turning that casserole or stew into soup. My mother would make extra chicken & noodles, so she had leftovers to fry, since my father was so fond of them that way. When we were newly married my husband introduced me to “surprise eggs” made with those smaller amounts of leftovers. Over the years our family has had fun trying to guess what was in those eggs. It was especially surprising how good they were, when discovering they contained a less than appetizing leftover! Of course, there were the “interesting” combinations we came up with which we didn’t care to repeat! Many times, leftover food can be very tasty heated up just the way it is, and we are grateful to God for it, knowing that so many are going hungry every day. After feeding the 5,000, Jesus instructed His disciples to Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost -John 6:12. What a wonderful example for us!
We all have had those cooking disasters – a major mess to clean up like unbaked pizza landing upside down in a hot oven! – or a glass bowl dropping on a tile floor, splashing spaghetti sauce everywhere – even up on the ceiling! At such times we can be thankful that, like my mother would say, “At least it’s not blood!” God uses experiences in life to allow us to see our reactions. What do our children see in us? Can we give God thanks in all things, even in situations like this? Maybe something happens that God uses to humble us. I well remember the day I wanted to fix a really good meal for a crew that came to help us build our house. As the hamburger vegetable casserole was on the stove heating up, suddenly I smelled something that made my heart sink! I rushed to the stove and to my great disappointment discovered that my nose had not deceived me! Even though I quickly poured it into a different kettle, an unappetizing burnt taste had permeated the whole casserole! Needless to say, serving it was a humbling experience which I’m sure I needed! At other times God will spare us those undesirable happenings. Recently my daughter was ready to pour what she thought was cinnamon into the granola, but “happened” to smell it and discovered it was cumin! What a blessing that her whole batch was not ruined!
Keeping it simple will help keep cooking from becoming a burden. My husband has been a great encouragement to me in this area. Remember that Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox [steak dinner] and hatred therewith. -Proverbs 15:17 In the Old Testament, God provided manna – a very simple, yet tasty food that could be ground or beaten and prepared in a variety of ways, such as cooking, baking, etc. (Exodus 16:23; Numbers 11:8). Simple meals will also make it easier to have company. People will not remember the food nearly as much as they will the warm hospitality and fellowship. Don’t compare your meal with what you think others might prepare or get bogged down with making a large variety of food. Our Lord Jesus does not want us to be anxious or troubled with much serving. He said of the woman in Mark 14:8, “She hath done what she could,” and He was pleased with her. Jesus wants us to remember the one thing that is needful – to sit at His feet and hear His Word. (Luke 10:39-42) It’s amazing the difference this priority makes in all of life, including cooking for our families, friends, and others the Lord brings our way. He who fed the 5,000 with five loaves and two small fishes will bless what we give to Him (Matthew 14:19; Mark 6:41; Luke 9:16; John 6:9-11).
How thankful we are for our husbands who work to provide food! Fixing tasty, nutritious meals and making special, healthy treats for them can be one way of saying “Thank you” and showing them how important and valued they are. One day our daughter was making treats for the dog to aid in his training. My husband came in and was ready to take a bite. He was quickly informed that they were dog treats! With a twinkle in his eye he inquired, “Do you ever make any human treats?!” We decided it was high time to do so! As wives, our goal in cooking should be to please our husbands. (I Corinthians 7:34)
God is the ultimate Giver of our daily bread. (Matthew 6:11) God… the God which fed me all my life long unto this day -Genesis 48:15. The eyes of all wait upon Thee; and Thou givest them their meat in due season -Psalm 145:15. What a privilege to be laborers together with Him as we make nourishing meals for our families! Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s -Psalm 103:5. There are some of us who have food allergies and can’t eat what others are able to. God bless all of you who need to make adjustments and do without foods you would otherwise enjoy. May we all remember that we should “eat to live”, not “live to eat”. Praise God for His precious Word – our Bread of Life – that renews our inward man day by day! (II Corinthians 4:16).
Cooking can be an inspiration as we do it out of love for the Lord, and our dear husbands and children! Jesus said to the righteous, I was hungry and ye gave me meat -Matthew 25:35.
There is a banquet coming that none of us wants to miss – we want all our children and grandchildren to be there. It’s the marriage supper of the Lamb! May this thought of partaking with Jesus Christ at the marriage feast which He has prepared (Matthew 22:4), inspire us to joyfully serve our loved ones here until He comes again. Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb -Revelation 19:9.
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