A coat returned and recognized

2 great stories from one of yesterday’s CommuniD BBQs:
1. I loaned my coat to a drunk girl trying to keep warm by the grill at the Ann Arbor BBQ. She then left unknowingly stealing my coat. A homeless man had overheard her talking to someone else and had an idea where she might’ve gone. So he left the BBQ, found her (and my coat), got my coat back from her (she no longer needed it) and brought it back to me. So awesome on so many levels!

2. Another homeless man came to the BBQ for the first time. After a few minutes he looked at one of the banners with our logo that says “Everybody’s Welcome” and said, aren’t these in Detroit too? I said, “Yeah they are. Have you been to them there?” He said, “No, but I saw you guys on the news and wanted to check it out. On the CBS morning news. Was that you? I knew you looked familiar. This is a great thing!”

The best 4 bucks

On Saturday a homeless man came by one of the CommuniD BBQs. He asked not for food, but to be able to help on the grill for a few, then he had to go. Help he did and then he left. 
A couple hours later he returned offering to buy a hamburger. I told him he can’t buy them, they’re free. He asked if I’d take a tip. I said no, but we accept donations. He pulled out his wallet and had $5 in singles. He handed me $4 and said, “I just need to keep one for myself. I thank God for what you guys are doing. Praise Jesus.”

Reminds me of this story: Mark 12:41-44 NIV
http://bible.com/111/mrk.12.41-44.NIV

Combined Heritage Dinner

German + Italian + American + Tropical = Delicious goodness.

For a quick, cheap and YUMMY dinner:
Simmer (added in this order):
Sauerkraut
Sweet Onions
Coconut Oil
Hot Dogs
Basil
Oregano

Once on the plate, top with:
Shredded Mozzerella
French Fried Onions

Stuffed meatballs, sautéed veggies & Alfredo sauce

Stuffed meatballs, sautéed veggies & Alfredo sauce

Italian stuffed meatballs:
Ingredients:
1 ½ pounds of ground turkey (or lamb)
8 oz. block mozzarella cheese
¼ cup parmesan cheese
1 large slightly beaten egg
½ cup Italian breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
2 teaspoons of sea salt (can use less)
1 teaspoon of black pepper
½ cup of milk
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons of dried chervil

Cooking Instructions:
1.  Mix all of the ingredients except mozzarella into a large bowl.
2.  Cut mozzarella into ½” – ¾” cubes.
3.  Shape the mixture into small-medium sized meatballs around mozzarella cubes.  At this point if you don’t want to cook these right now you could put them in the freezer for later.
4.  Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees, and place the meatballs on a baking sheet.  As you can see, I had to use pizza pans.
5.  Put your meatballs in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.  Another cooking method is to simmer the meatballs in pasta sauce for about 40 minutes. This will give them great flavor and texture.

Sautéed veggies:
Sautéed in butter:
― Mushrooms (sliced)
― Cauliflower
― Green onions
― Fresh basil
― Sun-dried tomatoes
― Roasted piquillo peppers

Alfredo sauce from scratch:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 cup half & half
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon garlic powder (optional)
Add pepper, to taste

Cooking instructions:
1.  In a medium saucepan, melt butter.
2.  Once butter is almost melted, add the package of cream cheese. It’s easiest to cut it into 4 pieces so that it melts quicker.
3.  Once butter and cream cheese are mixed well together, add the cup of half and half, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and then shake pepper on top. Stir all together until well mixed.
4.  Once it’s mixed well and sauce-like, take it off the burner and set aside so it can thicken up. Stir every few moments.

Rice:
White rice cooked per instructions.
Season rice with chervil and oregano to taste.

Asparagus:
Pan grilled in butter or olive oil.

Stuffed meatballs, veggies and alfredo sauce

Loaves and Fish

Loaves and fish

This will probably be refined and expanded soon. Maybe into a full chapter. But these are just initial thoughts I wrote while driving away from a meeting.

Jesus didn’t seem to make a big deal out of food. It’s just something that was there. We all need to eat. We’re people. People need to eat and to eat we need food. Jesus encourages us not to worry about the food; not to pay attention to it. He points to the sparrows and says, “See, they don’t worry about food. You don’t need to either.”

When you look at the stories of the loaves and fish, the feeding of the 5000 or the 4000, you don’t see him telling people he’s going to make alot of food. He doesn’t advertise it. Only the disciples know a miracle is happening and they only know because of proximity. For Jesus, maybe the point isn’t the miracle and it’s not the food. Maybe the point is the gathering of believers and non-believers alike. It’s the gathering of people and as they gather together they learn how to love; how to follow God.

I don’t think Jesus fed the poor because they were poor. I think he fed them because they were there. And he fed the rich who were there just the same. He made no distinction. Everyone ate not knowing the miracle that had happened behind the scenes, but right in front of their eyes.

What makes a miracle special is not its publicity, but its secretness. Maybe when Jesus healed the sick and told them not to tell anyone, it wasn’t for himself, but for them. Maybe it was so that they would know he healed them for their own sake, rather than for his own publicity.

Walnut pasta

Made this recipe up last night. It turned out pretty good so I thought I’d share in case anyone wants to try it too. All amounts are approximate.

Half a package of angel hair pasta
Dried chopped onion
Basil
Minced garlic
Rosemary
Chili powder
Chopped walnuts
Olive oil

Cook angel hair pasta normally. Drain.

In a frying pan heat up a good layer of olive oil.
Add onion, basil amd rosemary until nearly boiling. (Amounts vary to taste, I suggest about a teaspoon or a little less.)
Add about 1 1/2 teaspoons of minced garlic and mix well. This should start the pan sizzling if it’s not already.
Add 1 1/2 – 2 cups of walnuts chopped to frying pan. As well as 2-3 dashes of chili powder and mix well.
Cook for a few minutes. Be careful not to burn walnuts.

Mix pasta and walnut sauce mixture in large bowl and serve.

May also add fresh chopped Roma tomatoes to sauce mixture right when removing from heat. (I didn’t actually try it with the tomatoes yet, but it sounds really good.)

Enjoy!