What's for Dinner Wednesday is all about what's after dinner this week. During my trip to Starkville, Mr. S. Holley was kind enough to make me some of his favorite dessert- tiramisu.
Ingredients: 2 cups espresso or strong coffee (he uses instant), 2 8 oz packages of Marscarpone cheese (softened), 5 large eggs (separated), 1.5 cups sugar (divided), 2-3 packages of lady fingers, 1/4 cup cocoa powder.
First make the coffee in a small bowl and allow it to cool. Beat egg whites on med-high speed with an electric mixer till soft peaks form, then add 3/4 cups of sugar. Continue to beat the egg whites till stiff peaks form. In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, cheese, and the remaining sugar until thoroughly combined and smooth:
Gently fold the whites into the egg and cheese mixture. Dip the lady fingers by twos quickly into the cooled coffee and place in a single layer in the bottom of a 9x13 pan (Note: the lady fingers are like sponges, and if they soak up too much coffee, they'll fall apart):
Spoon half of the cheese mixture onto the lady fingers, spreading it evenly. Top that with another layer of coffee-dipped lady fingers and then the remaining cheese mixture. Cover the top completely with dusting of cocoa powder, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Then cut, serve, and enjoy!
It's What's for Dinner Wednesday tonight on the blog! In honor of the Holleys, I'd like to share with you an easy, tasty salad introduced to us by Mrs. Holley.
Ingredients: cabbage, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper (not pictured).
Slice the cabbage thinly using a knife or food processor (about 1/5 of the cabbage*). Put the cabbage in a bowl, pour on olive oil (about 1 tablespoon*), lemon juice (about 1 1/2 tablespoons*), and salt and pepper to taste, and toss to coat:
We particularly enjoy eating it alongside my special green beans and chicken casserole:
What are you having for dinner tonight?
*for two people
If you're a frequent reader, you may recall the name "Holley" used quite often in my Theology Thursday posts. This week's Poe's Pals will reveal for you the face that goes along with the name. Meet the Holleys:
Although we've only known these folks for over three years, it feels like we've known them our whole lives. We first met Mr. T. and Mrs. Holley when they came back from Argentina to visit family; shortly after that, they decided to make Starkville their home. It has been such a blessing to get to know this wonderful family during the time we were in school!
Mr. T. Holley is the preacher here and one of the most knowledgeable and dedicated Bible students I know. Mr. Poe and I have learned so much from him- both directly about the Bible and about good Bible study habits. Mrs. Holley is his fantastic counterpart. She is so friendly and hospitable to everyone she comes across, welcoming them into her home and cooking them wonderfully delicious food. Mr. S. Holley is a great, puzzle-loving friend to us as well- he helped us move, sledded with us on our birthdays, and has given us his bed on more than one occasion. Ms. Holley is also one of our firends who always loves having us over for visits- when we leave, she sees us to the door with a big "thank you for coming!"
We look forwarding to visiting the Holleys every time we come to Starkville, and I suggest that you stop by when you're in the area too!
It's another Theology Thursday on the blog, so I invite you to open up your Bibles with me as we delve into God's word. Today we'll be looking at the "lost chapter" in Luke, Chapter 15. I studied this chapter earlier in the week with our friend Mr. Holley, and most of these ideas presented here came from that study.
The chapter opens with the Parisees and scribes complaining that Jesus was again receiving and eating with tax collectors and sinners. And Jesus responds to their complaints with three parables:
The Lost Sheep
Jesus points out than any man who lost one out of one hundred sheep would leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness in order to seek after the one that was lost. Upon finding it, any man would call together his friends and neighbors to celebrate its return to the fold. Jesus compares this scenario to the fact that there is "more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who have need no repentance."
The Lost Coin
Jesus says that any woman who loses one of ten silver coins would light lamps and sweep her house, carefully searching until she finds it. And when she does find it, she gathers her friends and neighbors together to rejoice with her. Jesus again compares this to the "joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
These stories show us that God cares about every individual, not percentages. Like the "any man" and "any woman" in these parables, we should realize that there's too much at stake to give up on those who are lost; we should continually be searching for opportunities to teach the gospel of Christ. One other thing we can see is the heavenly view of repentance- it is an occasion for massive amounts of rejoicing in the Lord.
The Lost Son
A certain man had two sons, the youngest of which demanded his inheritance early. When he had received it, this son took all his possessions with him to a far country and literally wasted everything that he had. After a famine in the country, the son winds up feeding pigs for a citizen of the country. Coming to the realization that he would gladly eat the pods he was feeding the pigs, the son decided that he would go home, repent of the sin he committed against God and his father, and ask to be one of his father's slaves.
When he was a long way off, his father saw him and ran to him, commanding his servants to bring his son clothes and to kill the fatted calf. While the celebration continued, the older son came back from the fields and refused to enter the party. The father pleaded with him, but the son refused saying that he was responsible and worked hard for his father all the time but never received even the smallest of festivities in his honor. The father responds that all he had belonged to the oldest son, but it was right to celebrate at the younger son's return for he "was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found."
There are so many lessons that this parable by itself could teach us. First, it's important to note that when the younger son wanted to leave, the father didn't try to get him to stay by changing the rules. (Example: the son wanted to spend money on harlots; the dad didn't say, "if you stay, you can bring one over occasionally.") This has application to us as children of God, as well as to those of us who are parents.
Another thought this story brings to light is the fact that if we take one step toward God, He will run to us, just like the father ran to the son when he was still a long way off. When we make the decision to turn our lives toward Him and to repent of the sins we've committed, He rushes to us, and helps us take up our cross daily (Luke 9:23).
Finally, while we must be careful not to be the younger son, we must also strive not to be like the older son. When one repents and returns to the church, we should embrace him/her and rejoice that he/she has been made alive again. Often times it's too easy for us to have a cynical ("he/she will just go back to his/her old ways soon enough.") or proud ("he/she doesn't deserve this; I've been more faithful than him/her!") attitude toward one who repents. These are the same attitudes that the Pharisees and scribes had toward the sinners and tax collectors at the beginning of the chapter- attitudes that we as Christians, saved by the grace of God, should not possess!
The parable of the lost son is left open-ended. I think that this is in part due to the fact that the Pharisees and scribes were left to choose whether or not they would continue in their holier-than-thou attitudes. If we struggle with this idea that heaven rejoices more over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine who don't need repentance, then we too are left with a choice- love our returned brethren and rejoice with the heavenly host or harbor our resentment, allowing the devil a firm foothold in our lives.
Our first night in Starkville, we stayed with our friends, the Holley's (more on them later). We (especially Mr. Poe) stayed up later than we should have working on a the left half of their 9,000 piece puzzle.
Just think - these 4,560 pieces take up two 8-person tables pushed together. That's HUGE!
Do you enjoy puzzles? What's the largest one you've attempted?
