Miscellaneous Thoughts

Excalibur HELP!

by ladypbwiggins

I have been wanting to return to more of a raw eating lifestyle but a lot of things I wanted to prepare could not be done on my dehydrater. I wasn’t sure we would continue this lifestyle so I bought a cheapy. I decided to use some of that stimulus money to stimulate myself. I bought an Excalibur. I bought a refurbished 5 tray. The size is enough for my husband and I and the price was great. My first goal was to dry onions, veggie burgers and to SAVE the mushrooms. I am tired of mushrooms going bad before I get to use them. Dried veggies are going to stock my pantry.

Today (Tuesday) I made 2 trays of crackers and 3 bread loaves. Tomorrow I plan to make croquettes. Yum,yum.

We have been vegan but the cold weather encouraged cooking. The Impossible Whopper and Beyond Meat Burger made it convenient so I got lazy. Now I am back and ready. We want be 100% raw because my husband wants some cooked meals but most will be. I can already feel the difference.

I have more planned, especially my weakness, baked goods.

Technique Mastered!

by ladypbwiggins

A few weeks ago I posted my desire to make a Chickpea Flour Omelette . The source of the recipe I used admitted that while the recipe is simple mastering the technique may not be. I burned the first attempt. The second was a mushy mess. Today I tried again. I achieved success. So what was the difference? The temperature or heat setting. However your stovetop determines a medium setting that is the one you want. I also used a tip from another source; cover the skillet for even cooking. My taste tester, my hubby, said it was good.

Now I can tailor the flavor profile to our taste. My first tip is to use leftover veggies already cooked. It saves time and avoids waste.

Egg-free Chickpea Flour Omelette

Salt Power!

by ladypbwiggins

Have you heard the phrase, “He’s worth his salt?” We learned that it meant he was valuable. But why? I knew it was important to commerce during Ancient Roman times but I didn’t know the power of salt spread farther than the Middle East and Orient.

I learned tonight watching Robert Irvine’s Kitchen Expedition that the Ancient Mayan kingdom was so rich and powerful because it controlled the salt. Then Mr. Irvine went to Senegal which is part of the Ancient Ghanaian Kingdom. Here he learned that an ounce of salt was equal to an ounce of gold. How did this happen? The kingdoms to the south of Ghana wanted salt. Those north of Ghana had the salt. The trade route went through the Ghanaian kingdom. Salt was so important that it was valued at an ounce of gold. The King charged a tax on these transactions. Additionally, an ounce of salt cost an ounce of gold. Salt was a very valuable commodity.

That takes me to Jesus saying those who follow his teachings,which are founded in the Law and the Prophets, are the salt of the earth.  Salt is a preservative, purifier, seasoning and a prosperity agent. Based on His declaration, I should be all those things. Not only for myself but for others as well. I will then be worth my weight in gold.

SALT POWER!

Humiliating Worship

by ladypbwiggins

This morning I woke up with King Solomon’s Temple dedication on my mind. It is clear from God’s response that the celebration was acceptable but what made it so?

Solomon made sure the Temple was built according to the specifications given to David. All the previous materials and workmanship were the best of the best. The priest consecrated themselves in preparation to go into that holy place. The priest, the people, and the King made sacrifices, too many to count. There was music and singing and praising the LORD. The LORD was the guest of honor and they made sure He knew that He was welcome.

Solomon stood on a scaffold to address the people. He could have said, “Look at what I’ve built. Look how grand I’ve made it. Instead he recounted the promises made to David by the LORD. He said the LORD had built the Temple and kept His word by making it His home. He viewed himself as an unworthy servant. Then he turned toward the Presence and laid prostrate. The people bowed low with their faces on the pavement. To an outsider this could appear very bazaar and humiliating. Seeing the mighty Solomon in such a public display. The priests should surely do this but the King? Solomon cared more about loving his God and being an example to his people than appearances. Can you imagine that day? All that singing and celebrating with a whole nation lying down before their God. Their God was worthy of all that and more. Oh that we would worship with such abandonment. That we would come before our God with one consecrated voice and lay ourselves low before Him. As a result God’s Presence overwhelmingly filled the Temple. Just thinking about experiencing that takes my breath. I have felt His Presence before which was overwhelming to me but nothing like that. I’ve wanted it and now I see I am the cause of not having it. I have work to do on my Temple and my worship. One of my spiritual sisters, Sharon, said to me today that we have strayed from graciousness to self-entitlement.

We say we know we don’t deserve His Presence, His blessings, His grace yet that is exactly how we behave. Yes we are The King’s children but we are priest(esses), servants as well. Servants bow down in complete abandonment. Let’s worship like Solomon did.

God’s Response To King Solomon’s Prayer

by ladypbwiggins

2 Chronicles 7:12 (NKJV)
12  Then the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice.

After all the people had gone home, Jehovah appeared to Solomon in the night to speak to him one on one. The very first thing Jehovah said to Solomon was I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place. Basically, He said, Son you have done well and everything including your worship I have found pleasing. If that wasn’t enough he was about to find out what Jehovah’s decision was for each request.

Just as Solomon presented his request with “if-then” clauses, Jehovah responded. However, when I checked the Hebrew for “if” I discovered the word could also be translated “when.” Some Bible translations have that. This made an impact on me because in my world, “if” is a maybe and “when” is a certainty. For all of you who have been taught that Jehovah does not cause bad things to happen, read this section of scripture. This will clear up any confusion you might have.

2 Chronicles 7:13 (NKJV)
13  When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people,

Notice Jehovah is saying when these things happen, He causes or commands it. He continues the statement with the scripture of my focus

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)
14  if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

I will try to quickly go through the chosen key words to explain why I think there is so much more than I usually think about. The study aids I used were Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, The Complete Word Study Old Testament-Zodhiates, and New Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies

Called – to be called by the name of a person denotes the standing in a peculiar relation to him or being his property, his people, city etc.

Name- 1. The name is supposed to correspond to the nature of a person or thing; or express some qualities or circumstances relating to them 2. to act in a person’s name is to act by his commission or authority; 3. to call by name is to single our and appoint a person for any work, is eminently qualified for it, or as the object of special favor.

Humble – to bend the knee; hence to humiliate oneself

Seek – to search out that which is uncertain and doubtful, with the desire of obtaining, and with care and attention

Face – the part that turns; a face or surface. This Hebrew word is also translated Presence, or Present

I substituted these definitions and the scripture reads

If My people, who cry out and express my nature, qualities and authority in their behavior would bow down to humiliate themselves before me, to search out the uncertain with a careful attentive desire to obtain my Presence, and pray, turn away from their evil ways, then from heaven I will hear them, I will forgive them and heal their land.

So the questions I had to answer for myself were

1. Do I reflect His nature, qualities, and authority in my behavior? I call myself by His Name.

2. Do I bow down truly with an attitude of humiliation or entitlement because I am His?

3. Do I truly search out His Presence, His Presence when I pray? Do I give that careful attention?

4. Have I turned from my evil ways or am I holding on to a few favorites just in case I need to handle someone?

He heard Solomon’s prayer because he did all these things. He then told him that if the people did this He would hear them. Can I then conclude that He will do the same for me?

Jehovah concludes His response with the statement that His eyes were open and ears attentive to the prayers made in that place. I know He was referring to the Temple but the principle and promises do not change. I believe just as He wrote the law on our hearts(minds), I believe the Temple refers to us in that the Holy Spirit resides in those who are called by His Name.

Chickpea Flour Tofu

by ladypbwiggins

The other day, I made chickpea flour tofu. The person’s whose instructions I used said, the recipe was simple but you had to master the process or technique. She wasn’t kidding. The first batch, I let get too firm. The second was just smooth enough to give me a firm, sliceable tofu.

I cubed a portion of the firm to bake and added it to some vegetable Lo Mein. The too, too firm I crumbled and added to a vegan pot pie filling to replace chicken. Normally, it would be vegetables only in the filling. Both meals were delicious. My husband said they were a repeat. It might be a while before I buy soy based tofu again. This was cheaper and convenient.

They say necessity requires you to get inventive. I doubt if I would have tried this if I had been able to find regular tofu in this grocery store wasteland.

If My People……

by ladypbwiggins

Lately, since the Covid-19 outbreak I have heard the scripture 2 Chronicles 7:14 repeated more and more. I began wondering if there was more to the scripture than what we seem to espouse. I mean was there more intensity or emphasis placed on anything that our English translation did not express as well. So I did my usual when in these kinds of quandary. I began to do a word study. I am not a Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek scholar but I have become pretty adept at reading lexicons, dictionaries and other study aids. So with that said I jumped into my research. As I was studying the thought came to me, “What is the context?” Why did God say this? Verses 11,12 says God spoke after Solomon finished the temple and his (Solomon’s) house and prayed. What did he ask in prayer? Was it just a prayer of praise or did Solomon ask something of God? Might knowing that offer added insight? I stopped the word study and backed up to read the prayer. My God, My God, that prayer and all that was happening is a study in itself. So I am going to back up and begin before the prayer.

Picture this.

There standing on a hill in Jerusalem believed to be Mt Moriah, was this magnificent temple and the King’s house. In the courtyard stood the brazen altar and a bronze scaffold. A multitude of people were there with all their animal and grain sacrifices to offer as they dedicated the temple, the House of God.

At the dedication of God’s house stood the elders of the tribes, the priests and the Levites. All the Levitical singers were present, Asaph, Heman, Jeduthum with their sons and relatives. They had a variety of instruments: cymbals, psalteries and harps. Across from them stood 120 trumpet blowing priests. There was going to be some seriously loud praising going on.

Solomon stood on the bronze scaffold and addressed the people. He blessed the whole congregation as they stood. He praised God. “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel….who made a promise to David and today has fulfilled.” Then Solomon knelt down before the people, spread his hands toward heaven and prayed.

Can you see it? Solomon, the King, let the people see him, humble himself before the altar of God. And he prayed.

Tomorrow: Solomon’s prayer.

My Amazing Finds

by ladypbwiggins

Just because I couldn’t find soy tofu.

In one of the vegan food groups I belong to, it was mentioned that there was a scarcity of tofu. I had not experienced that then but a few days later it happened. I went to my local market where I could always find a variety of tofu. There were only two packages of firm tofu. I bought one and used it for breakfast, tofu scramble. A few days later I went to that same market and there was none. I went to another market and there was none. I really wanted to try that frittata recipe. I went online and made two amazing discoveries: chickpea flour tofu and a chickpea flour frittata recipe.

In order to make the frittata with this recipe, I needed another unfamiliar ingredient, black salt, also known as kala nanak. Black salt turns out to be a middle eastern salt that smells like egg yolks. It gives the mixture an eggy taste. Where do I find this? First I checked Whole Foods and then Trader Joe’s. Not there. Well to shorten this story, I found it in a local Indian market. This market had not only the black salt but a plethora of other spices and products usually used in vegan recipes. I want have to search for chickpea flour either. This market, another amazing find. It’s near my home. Yes!

Back to the frittata. I made it this morning and it was good. I had to cook it longer than stated but I guess it’s because of that Houston humidity.

Chickpea Frittata, Grapes and Bananas
This morning’s breakfast.

Note:

Black salt powder is pink like Himalayan sea salt. It is also called kala nanak.

Vashti, Wrong and Wronged!

by ladypbwiggins

Vashti, I found nothing in my research to explain or support your behavior. You may have had a legitimate reason for rejecting King Ahasuerus’ request. I may never know. I can only guess based on what the scriptures tell us.
1. You both were probably drunk and feeling quite emboldened. We know he was.
2. You may have decided to become a feminist at that moment. Were you tired of parading around in front of a bunch of drunken men so the king could puff out his chest?

3. Were you just tired? You had been partying for seven days also.

Whatever your reason, it wasn’t a wise move. Girl, you knew your man. You knew he was a proud man who would be drunk and showing off. You also knew those princes. After all, the wives were at your banquet. I’m sure they had some input. Did they put you up to it? 🤔

That said, I did see how you were WRONGED!

I don’t believe you thought or knew you were in danger and here is why. When you denied  the King’s request, he asked his advisors what did the law say regarding your behavior.  They never answered that question and the King was too drunk and angry to notice. Instead, for their own fearful and selfish reasons, they convinced the King to be harsh in punishing you. Why? So their wives would not oppose them. Got to keep them in their place.
King Ahasuerus did not respond to you according to the law. He created a new one that he later regretted.

Vashti, you were Wrong and you were Wronged!

Frankenstein Vegan Pot Pie

by ladypbwiggins

Today I made a vegan pot pie again. I found a recipe I liked but I didn’t have all the ingredients at least not exactly like the one’s called for.

She used all purpose flour and I used oat flour. She used almond milk and I used cashew milk. She used vegetable stock and I used a little water and herbs.

I did think I had a stroke of genius when I decided to make it. Last time my crust was too thick. I thought why not use the store-bought pie crust that I had bought for sweet potato pies. One for the bottom, the second for the top. I thawed the pie crust but I couldn’t get it out of the tin without it falling apart. I pieced it together and hoped for the best. Hence, the Frankenstein vegan pot pie.

The results didn’t look so bad.

The taste was good but I may change the herbal profile. My husband said it was a little sweet. I’m very satisfied.