Italian Hillbilly Wedding Themed Post...Seriously...

I am sure you must be completely shocked about that unfortunate-looking title. However, it was intentional and does carry meaning :)

At our church, different communities of people (friends) come together for worship and spiritual encouragement at each other's houses. We call these gatherings "Life Groups". Each family takes a turn hosting at their house and this week, it was our turn. Our Life Group likes to get creative and make themes for food (and clothing; if you're brave and can withstand advanced sarcasm ;) This week, my parents were throwing around ideas for a theme, and my dad texts my mom, "Italian Hillbilly Wedding Theme"! It was instantly adopted and thus, the title of my post is explained in a lengthy and probably unnecessary paragraph :)

I spent all morning preparing our main dishes. They were a big hit, so I have decided to share with the world! They are Rosemary-Olive-Oil-Sprouted-Spelt-Bread, Italian Wedding Soup (with heavenly meatballs) and Hillbilly Wedding Soup (also known as Chili) The Rosemary Bread, I had made the night before to save on time. Here they are...please enjoy!

Okay...this is really only a third of a loaf, but let's pretend that it's a whole loaf!

Sprouted Spelt Bread

(with Variations on the theme)

Spelt is a gluten-free wheat berry. No one in our family is allergic to gluten, but Spelt provides a lighter bread than whole wheat. The sprouted part means that the grains were soaked in water to "sprout" (they get little tail-like sprouts), then dehydrated. This process breaks down the different parts of the grain and makes it more digestible for our systems. We buy our sprouted grains from an Amish farm. But sprouting your own grains is relatively easy. I will post on that in a few days. 

 Ingredients:

9 Tbsp. Honey

  4 1/2 Tbsp. Lecithin (you can substitute 2 eggs)  

 3 3/4 c. Warm Water (not hot from the tap)

2 Tbsp. Yeast

9-12 c. Freshly-Milled Sprouted Spelt Flour 

(you can use Whole Wheat or Kamut if you want)

2 1/2 tsp. Salt

4 1/2 Tbsp. Wheat Gluten

 Optional:

4 Tbsp. Dried Rosemary

4 Tbsp. Cold-Pressed EVOO

Instructions:

1.) Preheat Oven 200 degrees Farenheit

2.) In mixer (like Kitchen-Aid or Bosch) combine honey, lecithin (or eggs), water, yeast and HALF the flour. Cover with towel for 15 minutes.

3.) Add the rest of the flour, salt, wheat gluten and, if applicable, rosemary and olive oil. You may need to add extra flour so the dough isn't sticky.

4.) Knead in mixer 5-7 minutes.

5.) On clean, floured surface separate the dough evenly into three or four loaves. Roll out each section into a rectangle, then roll them up into a log and tuck the ends under, slicing across the top. Place into floured pans.

 6.) Place in the 200 degree oven, covered with floured tea towel for 30-60 minutes to rise. 

7.) Remove from oven. Preheat 350 degrees F.

 8.) Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and delicious! Enjoy!

There isn't much left, but we're having it for dinner, so it shall be reimbursed with fresh meatballs and stock!

Apparently, the kids decided that the soup didn't need so may meatballs after all!

    Italian Wedding Soup

(my Variation of a FoodNetwork recipe) 

 My Mama found this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis on FoodNetwork for me to use. I altered it slightly (and doubled it) and it was one of the best soups I've ever had! Don't be alarmed by the fermented garlic. The stuff is so good, I eat it raw! It adds an extra punch of finger-licking flavor (not to mention how good it is for your body as a probiotic miracle). The Chicken Stock I used was also homemade. I suppose I shall also have to post on how to ferment your own garlic and make your own chicken stock, too :)

 Meatballs:

 1 small Onion, grated

1/3 c. Fresh Italian Parsley, chopped

  1 Large Egg

1 tsp. Fermented Garlic, minced 

1 tsp. Salt

1 slice of the AMAZING Rosemary Olive-Oil Bread you just made; crusts removed, crumbled into tiny pieces 

 1/2 c. Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated

8 oz. Ground Beef (we get ours grass-fed not grain-fed)

8 oz. Turkey Sausage, un-cased (or substitute pork)

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Soup:

12 c. Chicken Broth/Stock (homemade, if you can)

1 Pound Fresh or Frozen Spinach, coarsely chopped

  2 Large Eggs

2 Tbsp. Freshly-Grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese (plus extra for garnish) 

 Instructions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheight.

2.) Mix up the first six ingredients with a fork in a metal or glass bowl (don't use plastic). 

3.)Add cheese, beef and sausage or pork. Form into 1-inch balls with 1/2 Tbsp. as scoop. Place on baking sheet covered with aluminum foil.  

4.)Bake for 30 minutes. Set aside.

 Soup:

1.) Bring the broth to a boil. Add the meatballs and spinach.  

2.) Whisk eggs and cheese together. While the broth is still boiling, start stirring the soup, then slowly drizzle the egg mixture in, stirring with a fork to create thin strands of egg, about 1 minute. Season with Salt and Pepper. Perfection!

What's left of the chili after last night plus lunch today!

 Hillbilly Wedding Soup

(also known as the Rosen's Famous Chili)

My parents came up with this recipe for one of my Dad's birthday parties about four years ago. It was an instant favorite! We make for a lot of people, so you might need to cut the recipe down a bit :) But remember! All spice amounts are approximate. You may adjust to your taste. This Chili is not spicy; it's sweet!

Ingredients:

1 Large Onion, chopped

2 or 3 Cloves of Garlic (regular garlic)   

4 lb. Ground Beef (grass-fed)

2 Large Cans of Tomato Juice

2 Large Cans Diced Tomatoes (not drained)

2 Cans Black Beans, drained (or Chili Hot Beans)

2 Cans Red Beans, drained (or Kidney Beans)

1-2 Tbsp. Chili Powder

1-2 tsp. Cumin

1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

1 Tbsp. Cinnamon

1/3 c. Brown Sugar

Instructions:

1.) Start cooking the onions in a large skillet in a few Tablespoons of EVOO over medium heat. About halfway through, add minced or pressed garlic.

2.) When the onions are translucent, add the meat in, stirring and breaking it up continually.

3.) While the meat is browning, mix together in a large pot the remaining ingredients. Adjust amounts of spices until desirable.

4.) Once the meat is browned thoroughly, add it to the pot. Simmer until nice and hot!

 Please send me pictures of your own concoctions to missmckennaray@gmail.com . I would love to see what you come up with!

  

VisionaryDaughters.com Presents...

How Exciting!!

Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin are hosting a webinar

(that's an online seminar ;)

on their website

www.visionarydaughters.com 

starting September 25th!

Please check out the link and participate. Anna Sophia and Elizabeth are wonderful women of God who have encouraged me so much over the years. Our family has been so blessed by their ministry!

I also strongly recommend their other products...

  

This film The Return of the Daughters has been so pivotal in my life! I can't count how many times I've watched it! In this documentary, Anna Sophia and Elizabeth travel the country, interviewing daughters who are living happily under their father's (or, in some cases, husband's) roof, living godly, productive lives and blessing their families. This is a must have for all girls!

     I'm in the middle of reading So Much More. In this book, the Botkin sisters address issues of biblical father/daughter relationships. There's also a chapter in the back of the book by their father, Geoff Botkin for fathers. I am thoroughly enjoying it!

I have not yet read It's (not that) Complicated, but I don't hesitate to recommend anything by these girls. It's the next thing on my reading list (oh, so long and ever expanding!) 

I urge you to join Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin this Fall for their webinar. I shall be there, sitting at their feet (on my computer) with my pink felt-tip pen and a fat notebook to fill!

The Early Worm Gets the Bird?...

Surprise this morning! I got up before eight! That's not the surprise, though...just a nice little tidbit that moves you into the surprise :) 

My sweet, precious Mama went outside on the front porch to water our hanging plants and after dousing the first one, decided to peek at the pile of twigs inside. She had seen a mother bird fly in and out before and was curious as to what the nest looked like. She lifted the plant off its hook to investigate and discovered:

Three Baby Birds!

Here's the plant at first glance

My sister Marley took this one!

We're not sure yet what kind of birds they are. The current general consensus is Robin. Thus, I've named them, Allan, John and Will. After Allan a Dale, Little John, and Will Stutely. The mother bird, we shall simply call Robin, since she is their leader! 

Let me mention, that "Robin Hood" by Howard Pyle is by far, in my opinion, the very best and only version worth reading (and I've read quite a few). It is written much in the style of Old-English complete with "Thee"s and "Thou"s. Yet it flows so well, you never would have guessed that it was written by an American. Our edition is from Vision Forum. I highly recommend it! 

 Please pray for them (the birds). We are concerned because of the unexpected shower they received this morning...wait! I just checked up on them and saw the mother bird there among the flowers. Then she flew away and I saw that she was brown...I couldn't see her belly...she is smaller than a normal robin, so we think she's actually a Sparrow

All this makes me ponder verses like,
"Yea, the sparrow hath found her a house, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young," Psalm 84:3

And, "As a bird that wandereth from her nest, So is a man that wandereth from his place." Proverbs 27:8 

I looked up on biblegateway.com the words "sparrow" and "birds" . I was shocked at how many verses there are on birds!

Above is a quick sketch I drew of a robin. My Mom had some really helpful tips on technique, etc. She's an amazing artist...especially painting. I do more sketching, but she paints beautiful things like scripture and flowers all over our house! She's so talented! Now that my brother helped me figure out how to scan in my drawings, I'll be posting those more often, I think.

Ye shall have no idols...

"Wow!" you might think upon seeing this strange picture, "Someone is grilling a meteor..." Actually, it's the product of my not thinking ahead and getting pictures before we were half way done. This meteor-looking object is a salmon-colored scarf someone gave us as a present. "What does it have to do with burning idols?" Well, I'll tell you. Upon taking the scarf off it's hanger and opening it up (a thing our friend had, understandably, not thought to do) we saw strange images and symbols on it. I won't burden this post with pictures, but, come to find out, they were images of a false goddess. What a shock! After pondering for a few days what to do about it, my mom gathered us together on the back patio with the scarf in her hand. She explained to us what the scarf was and meant and gathered us around the grill to see it burned. She lit it and we began to sing "Amazing Grace". I felt like, aside from the fact that some of us were still in PJ's, it was a scene straight out of the Bible...1 Kings 15:11-13 ¹¹ And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, as did David his father. ¹² And he put away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. ¹³ And also Maacah his mother he removed from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; and Asa cut down her image, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.

And..."Ye shall make you no idols, neither shall ye rear you up a graven image, or a pillar, neither shall ye place any figured stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am Jehovah your God." Leviticus 26:1

It felt very sacred and solemn

Then, whilst it was burning steadily, Mama had us get paper and crayons. We sat around the picnic table and wrote (or drew a picture of) one (or a few) of our faults.

Some of us writing our weaknesses, some of us burning them.

                     Then, we burned them in with the scarf and sang "Our God". It was a beautiful time!

This is all that was left...

It made me think...what other kinds of idols do we have in our homes? Maybe not literal idols like false gods made of minerals, but things that take the place of God in our hearts...things like television, internet and even...I must say it...BOOKS. I have a tendency to worship books. I can't just read a few pages...I must read a few chapters to be satisfied! I have to constantly check my reading habits because it cuts into time with my family, chores and most importantly, my time with God. I might breeze through a few verses in the morning as an excuse for Bible time, then devour several chapters of Emma. Last night I read Proverbs 10. I think it was written specifically for me! It addressed all of my faults and gave practical wisdom. Praise the Lord! It filled my cup of joy in those few carefully read verses much more than chapters of even Elsie Dinsmore could have done for me.

Be encouraged today. The Lord triumphs over ALL and makes us victors! Burn your idols and give back to the Lord what belongs to Him...our affections and worship and honor. What freedom comes in the end to those who obey when He calls!

Blessed Femina Blog Lamplighter Giveaway!

I encourage you to visit this website. Just found out about it tonight. I love the Lamplighter series of books. They're great Christian books and I haven't read the ones that are in the giveaway!