Your identity in Christ (Recipe: Cardamom Tea)

When someone asks us who we are, the normal response would be to say our name,

or what we do for a living, or whose wife we are, whose mother we are….this is our identity. With the technology at our finger tips today, we are always displaying our nicknames or onscreen ids, sometimes as a projection of who we believe we are, for example, a few friends on my list go by the names Canadian girl, heart smilz, the heart break kid….all these names show us what their personal view of their identity is.

But the one person that I would love to be like is the disciple John. When you read the gospel of John, it is so clear how in love with Jesus he is. He was so in love with Jesus, so obsessed with Jesus, that he gave up his own identity completely. He identified himself simply as ‘the disciple who Jesus loved’. He was so certain, so confident of who he was in Jesus’ life….he was the one Jesus loved!

When we read the other gospels and compare it with the gospel according to John, we are able to see the difference that this relationship created. While the other three gospels do a good job of accounting for Jesus whereabouts, actions and teachings. John is the one who reveals some of the profound teachings of Jesus. In fact one of the most significant verses in the entire bible, the verse on which much of what we believe is based on, can be found in John’s gospel,

John 14: 6: Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

None of the other gospels mention this. You see, John knew Jesus so deeply, he knew what was important to Jesus. John was able to identify the portions of Jesus teachings that were spiritually significant, simply because he had a better understanding of Jesus. And this understanding came from his love for Jesus.

Do we love Jesus like this? Are we able to understand when God speaks to us? Do we recognize in our spirit, the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit and what He tries to tell us? If we do not, then we need to work on our relationship with God. You cannot understand someone or sense their needs, unless you deeply love them! This is an easy concept for mothers to understand! Most of the time, when your child barely says a few words, sometimes even a look is enough to let you know how they feel or what they want. If you love God with all your heart, you will be able to have a relationship with Him that allows you to do the same!

Matthew 22: 37: And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.

This is the kind of love that the word of God commands, if we do not have it yet, then let us ask the Lord to enable us to develop the kind of love and devotion that he so richly deserves.

I am putting up a very simple recipe today. But it is one of my very favourite drinks.

Cardamom Tea

Ingredients:

Tea bag – 1

Milk – ½ cup

Water – ¾ cup

Cardamom pods – 5

Sugar – as required

Instructions:

1. Pour in the milk and water into a saucepan and place on the lowest flame till it begins to boil.

2. As the flame is low, the milk will not boil and spill over. To the boiling milk add the teabag and crushed cardamom pods.

3. Allow this to simmer for five to ten minutes, depending on the strength you require for your tea.

4. Add sugar as required and serve hot. This measurement is for one cup of tea, if you are making more, then increase the ingredients proportionally.

The Words of your mouth (Recipe : Onion Fritters/ Baji)

How careful are we about what we say? How easy is it for us to make fun of someone else? How easy is it for us to talk about the fault of others and gossip endlessly? How easily does that lie slip out of our mouth?

Very often, we do not understand the power that lies in our tongue.

We see in Proverbs 18: 21: Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Wow! How strong these words are….do we really think that our tongues are this powerful before we use them? We quite often say things without really thinking them through, even to our children and those we love. When we are angry, how easy it is for us to say, “You’ll never learn!” or “You will know when learn your lesson” or “You will never prosper” or “I wish you were gone!”? Other times, when we receive a phone call we do not want to take, how easily do we dismiss the simple lie, “Tell them I’m not home or Tell them I’m in the shower!”?

I say this with complete experience. Many of these things I have sadly, done myself! But when we are children of God, with a heart like Jesus, guided by the gentle Holy Spirit, our words must reflect this! Even when it is not easy to say things politely or nicely!

Jesus says in Mathew 12: 33-37: Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

This is definitely bad news for many of us! Imagine giving account for every careless word that we said? Every rude name we called someone, every rude word we used when we were upset, every curse we hurled at someone, every gossip we readily spread and every unkind word we said! I don’t think I can even remember most of them anymore!

Our mouths were meant to bless, and to praise God….we cannot use the same mouth for evil! We see in

James 3: 8-12: but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
Let us confess to the Lord for the evil that our tongues have spoken, and ask him to forgive and renew us to speak only blessings and praise as we are lead by His Holy Spirit.


Today’s recipe is an easy snack.

Onion Fritters (Onion Baji)

Ingredients:

Diced onion – 1
Diced ginger – 2 teaspoons
Diced Curry leaves – 2 tablespoons
Diced coriander leaves – 2 tablespoons
Diced Green chilly - 1
Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
Asafetida – a pinch
Salt – as required
Gram flour (Besan) – ¾ cup
Water – as required
Oil for frying – as required

Instructions:

1.In a bowl add all the ingredients, except oil for frying, and mix well. Make sure to add only enough water to get a thick pasty consistency. You should be able to spoon out the thick batter into the oil for frying.

2.In a frying pan, heat oil for deep frying and with a tablespoon, take out one spoon full of the batter and drop into the hot oil. Repeat this for the entire batter.

3.Flip over the fritters in between to make sure both sides are evenly cooked. Keep the flame low to ensure that the insides are cooked as well.

4.Drain the fritters from the oil when they are a deep golden brown colour and serve hot.

Seeking heavenly glory (Recipe: Butter Chicken)

Sometimes, we get tired of our Christian calling. Some days it really seems so hard to stay faithful to living the way Jesus has asked us to live. Other days we will be under a barrage of attacks from the devil in his bid to shake us up and discourage us. I know this to be true from personal experience, there are times when I just sit and think, “This is so hard!” Smiling when I don’t really feel like it, praising when I feel discouraged, encouraging others when I am hurt inside, seeking God when we’re tired…..but the word of God promises us in

1 Corinthians 15: 58: Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

These are the words we need to focus on when the going gets tough, that our work for the Lord and our labor in the Lord is not in vain, it is not without reward. Even though we don’t feel like it right now, we will see the fruit of our efforts one day. We see in

1 Corinthians 15: 39-42: For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.

The heavenly bodies that we will be raised with, will not all be the same, but we will reflect the fruit of our lives on earth, our faithfulness to the cause of the Lord.

As women, this should have great significance for us! We are ever concerned with what our bodies look like in this temporary world. We adorn it with jewelry and expensive clothes, we try to keep in shape (most of us…I am sadly not part of that group), we take care of our hair, cut it, straighten it, perm it, style it….the list goes on….all this for a body that is ever decaying and on the fast track to the grave.

How much more should we be concerned with our heavenly bodies….the ones we will have to keep around for eternity. Should we not want to make those bodies as glorious and beautiful as we possibly can?

The Bible says in James 1: 12: Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Wow! What a wonderful accessory that would make for our heavenly bodies! Let us pray to the Lord for the grace to keep striving faithfully and steadfastly, even when things are hard so that we can claim that crown of life from him!


Today I’d like to share my sister’s famous butter chicken recipe in her own words! It’s been raved about far and wide so enjoy!

Butter Chicken:

Chicken Breast - 500 gms

For chicken marinating:
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
Lime juice
Salt - to taste

Keep for half hour

Mix the below spice with Yoghurt (1cup) and add to marinade – keep for half hour again
Coarse Spice Mix
Cloves - 8
Peppercorns – 8 to 10
Cinnamon - 1”
bay leaves - 2
Cool and add the cardamom seeds – 3 to 4

Heat a flat pan or griddle on medium heat and gently roast (stirring frequently) the cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, bay leaves and almonds till they darken slightly. Cool and add the cardamom seeds. Now grind into a coarse powder in a clean, dry coffee grinder.


For Gravy:
jeera - 1 tsp
Onion (medium size) - 2 nos
(chopped)
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 1/2 tsp
Tomato - 3 nos (boiled – peeled and pureed)
Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Kasuri methi - 1 1/2 tsp
Cashew nut - 10 nos & Poppy Seeds (optional) in ¼ Milk for 1 hour and grind to a paste
Butter - 1 tbsp
Tomato ketchup - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Single cream - 200 ml

Preparation Method for Butter Chicken :

1)Cut chicken breast into small cubes, wash and drain.

2)Marinate the chicken pieces with the remaining items mentioned marinade as explained above.

3)Leave the chicken for a minimum of 1 hour.

4)Then fry the chicken pieces and leave aside.

5)Take the oil used for frying(3-4 tbsp) along with the browned masala particles sticking to the pan.

For Gravy:-
1)Add Jeera, and when it splutter, add chopped onion, saute for 2-3 mins.

2)Then add the ginger garlic paste.

3)Add the coriander & chilly powders and the kasuri methi(crushed between your palms) and mix well.

4)Add the pureed tomatoes

5)Add cashew paste.

6)Remove the gravy from the fire and blend well in the blender.

7)Heat butter and add the blended gravy and mix well.

8)Add ketchup, sugar, cream and stir well.

9)Add the chicken pieces to this and reduce the flame and leave it for 3-4 mins.

10)Sprinkle 1-2 pinch of garam masala to Butter Chicken and stir well.

11)Remove Butter Chicken from fire and serve with naan, rotis or chappathis.

Working Faith (Recipe: Naan)

The Bible is ever pressing us to have faith. Faith appears to the very foundation of our salvation. But what is faith?

Hebrews 11:1: Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

But faith by itself, we are told, is pointless. So what makes faith effective?

James 2: 14-17: What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Wow! This is interesting! So it is clearly not enough for us to just say that we have faith, but we have to show this faith through our actions. How can we do this? What does this mean? It’s quite simple actually, it means that we need to live like we really believe what the word of God tells us.

The Bible tells us in Ephesians 5: 3-5: But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous, has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

This means that if we are impure, if we are jealous or full of envy, if we speak things that are inappropriate as children of God, and if we think that this is ok, if we live like what the above verse says isn’t really true, then it would clearly show that we have no faith in God’s word! But if our actions are in accordance with the word, if we are careful with how we speak or if we protect our mind from envy and jealousy, if we keep away from immorality, even in thought, because we know that God condemns this and says that there is no place in his kingdom for people like that, then these are an example of the works in our lives that show our faith.

In other words, living in obedience to God’s word is how we accompany our faith with works. When we not only acknowledge the word of God as the authority in our lives, but also base all our actions on this word, then we not only confess faith with our mouth, but we show it in our works, the faith that every word in God’s word is truth.

Let us pray to the Lord for the ability to supplement our faith in his word, with works by his word, without which, any faith we claim is without substance.

The recipe for today shows how to make Naan.

Ingredients:

Plain flour – 2 cups
Yeast – 1 teaspoon
Water – ½ cup
Sugar – 1 tablespoon
Ghee – 1 Tablespoon
Egg – 1
Salt – as required

Instructions:

1.Take half a cup of luke warm water and dissolve the yeast and sugar in this. Cover the cup with a saucer, keep aside till yeast ferments and rises.

2.Take the flour in a bowl, to this add ghee, egg, salt and the fermented yeast solution. If you do not require the whole solution, you need not use it. Make sure the dough is moist, but with the consistency of chapatti dough. Knead well, for at least 10 minutes.

3.Cover the dough with a wet cloth and keep the bowl aside for at least 2 – 3 hours.

4.The dough would have doubled in size now. Divide the dough into smaller balls, slightly larger than would be needed to make chapattis.

5.Roll out the dough in long oval shapes, but with ¼ inch thickness.

6.Heat a frying pan or chapatti tava and warm both sides of the naan. Then remove the frying pan, hold the naan with a pair of tongs and place it on the open flame of the stove. Be careful not to hold the naan over the flame too long or it will burn. Flip both sides of the naan over the flame to cook well. You can serve plain naan or smear some butter over the cooked naan and serve as butter naan.

Drawing Near to God (Recipe: Malai Chicken Curry)

The Bible is very clear and specific in its instructions on how to develop our relationship with God. It clearly outlines what we need to do, why and how so that we can abide in God’s word and follow his will. Many times we wonder why we struggle with our relationship with God, why we feel so distant from him when compared to the bond he has with others. The Bible says in

James 4:8: Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

So according to his word, if you try to seek out God, to get closer to Him, then He will come closer to you and find you. Most of the time, we don’t know how we can move closer to God, we wonder what we can do to bridge this gap. However, when we look into the different accounts given in God’s word about the people who were trying to get closer to him, we see that they were not following any standard instruction or process, they were simply following their hearts and doing what they thought would help them get closer to God.

One example of this is Cornelius. We see in Acts 10: 3-5: About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, "Cornelius." And he stared at him in terror and said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter.

Here we find an angel is sent by God to Cornelius because of his prayers and his alms. This was how Cornelius tried to get closer to God. Cornelius did not know how else to approach or seek God, he just sincerely did what he thought would help, he prayed and gave to the poor. And so God sent an angel to Cornelius, asking him to find Simon Peter, who would be able to instruct Cornelius in the right way.

Similarly, we find an Ethiopian Eunuch who also was seeking to get closer to God. He traveled all the way from his country to Jerusalem to worship, and he was intently reading what was written by the prophet Isaiah in his attempt to understand or find a way to get closer to God, but he did not understand the book. We see this in

Acts 8: 26-31: Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over and join this chariot." So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Again, we see God sends his servant Philip to this eunuch to show him the right way.

It is quite clear from these two accounts that when we sincerely seek to get closer to God, and we do whatever we can to draw near to God, even if it is simply by our own understanding, then God will make a way for us to find him. He may send a Philip or a Peter to show you the truth and so, we must always be open to obeying and receiving children of God who come with his message. They may quite likely be sent in answer to your prayers.

Let us pray and ask the Lord to help us discern the times when he is sending to us his servants with his message, to help us draw nearer to him.



Today’s recipe is a chicken curry that is perfect for special occasions or when you are throwing a dinner party.


Ingredients:

Whole chicken, cleaned and pieced – 1 kg
Sliced Onion – 2
Sliced Tomato – 2
Bay leaves - 2
Ginger-garlic paste – 2 teaspoons
Tomato Paste – 2 Tablespoons
Chilly powder – 1 ¼ teaspoon
Turmeric powder – ¾ teaspoon
Coriander powder – 1 ½ teaspoon
Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon
Garam masala powder – 1 teaspoon
Salt- as required
Chicken stock – 1 cup
Full cream – 70gms
Chopped Coriander leaves – 4 tablespoons
Ghee – 5 tablespoons
Oil for frying – as required

Instructions:

1.Marinate the chicken pieces in ¼ teaspoon chilly powder, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and the required amount of salt. Keep for 20 minutes.

2.Fry the marinated chicken pieces in oil and keep aside. Do not fry to crisp.

3.In a cooking pot, heat 4 tablespoons of ghee, to this add the bay leaves, sauté, then add the ginger garlic paste. Stir till the raw smell subsides.

4.Now add the sliced onions and fry well till deep golden brown. Turn off the flame and add the remaining chilly powder and turmeric powder. Along with coriander powder and cumin powder. Stir well and turn the flame back on.

5.Now add the tomatoes and stir occasionally till tomatoes are cooked and mashed. Then add the tomato paste and stir well. To this add the fried chicken pieces and mix well.

6.Pour in the chicken stock into this and allow it to cook for 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally.

7.Now turn off the flame, add cream and stir well till all the cream has blended into the curry. Check for salt, and add as required.

8.In a Kadai, heat one tablespoon of ghee and turn off the flame, to this add one teaspoon of garam masala powder and sauté. Pour this into the curry and stir well. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with roti or rice.

Speaking in Tongues (Recipe: Spaghetti Bolognaise)

This is somewhat of a topic that many of today’s churches prefer to overlook. Over the recent months, I have had many different people ask me about the gift of tongues and the need for this gift. I would not be able to provide an elaborate explanation of tongues within this short entry, but I would like to give a small introduction to the gift of tongues.

The speaking of tongues is for your individual spiritual growth as mentioned in
1 Corinthians 14: 4: The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.

And why is this? How is the one who speaks in tongues build up? We see this in
1 Corinthians 14: 2: For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.

We are being spiritually built up as we speak in tongues, uttering mysteries in the Spirit to God.

The bible clearly tells us in 1 Peter 2: 2: Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.

We are compared to newborn infants spiritually and we need to grow and be built up, speaking in tongues enables us to grow spiritually or to be built up higher in the Spirit.

Even Jesus spoke of tongues as an evidence of the believer in

Mark 16: 17: And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;

We need to understand that the gift of tongues is not just for pastors, preachers or Pentecostals……according to Jesus, it is for every believer. And we have observed this clearly in the Bible, that speaking in tongues is a way for us to communicate with God in our spirit, which is probably the most intimate way to communicate with Him, because we see in
John 4: 24: God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

Wow! So Jesus tells us here to worship God in spirit, because God is spirit…..speaking in tongues enables every believer to do this.

If you do not have the gift of tongues, please ask the Lord Holy Spirit to bless you with this very valuable gift so that you can have a more intimate relationship with God and grow spiritually stronger.



How about a pasta recipe today?


Spaghetti Bolognaise


Ingredients:

Spaghetti – 250gms
Minced Beef – 250gms
Garlic paste – 3 Tablespoons
Beef stock – 1 cup
Finely diced onion – 1 large
Sliced tomato - 2
Tomato paste – 50 gms
Tomato ketchup – ½ cup
Salt – as required
Sugar – 1 teaspoon
Pepper- 1 Tablespoon
Olive oil – 5 Tablespoons
Mixed Italian Herbs – 2 teaspoons (optional)
Grated Parmesan cheese – 2 Tablespoon (optional)


Instructions:

1.Boil the spaghetti in water with 1 Tablespoon olive oil, salt and drain when cooked, keep aside.

2.In a sauce pot, heat the remaining olive oil, add garlic paste, sauté till raw smell subsides. To this add the onions and fry well till golden brown.

3.Add mince meat and stir occasionally till it is cooked. To this, add herbs, pepper, salt and sugar.

4.Add tomatoes and mix till tomatoes are cooked and mashed. Then add tomato paste and ketchup, stir for a minute, then pour in beef stock and let it boil till the sauce reaches a thick consistency and is not fluid. Turn off flame.

5.Add the cooked pasta to this sauce and mix well. Sprinkle the parmesan over this and serve hot.

Chosen (Recipe: Prawn Date Pickle – borrowed from my best friend Ani!)

How often do we think about the calling of God on our lives? How much time do we spend in contemplating how incredibly fortunate we are to be the chosen of God? Do you realize that before God decided to set creation in motion, HE CHOSE YOU? The Bible says in

Ephesians 1: 4: even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

Wow! Before the foundation of the world! So before he formed the earth, before the waters covered it, before he moved over the waters…..God was sitting and thinking about YOU! This much love I cannot imagine anyone having for me!

So do we live like we are loved and chosen by God? Billions of people in the world, but God chose YOU. Jesus thought of your name and said to himself, I am going to die for Sindu, so that Sindu can be with me forever and no one can separate her from me! You put your name in that sentence and see the love the Saviour has for you!

John 15: 16: You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

How interesting is this! Why were we chosen? To bear fruit…..and why should we bear fruit? Without bearing fruit that lasts, we cannot receive from the Father!

In one of my earlier entries I spoke about the fruits of the Spirit, and how we could bear those fruits in our lives….by continuously being connected to and lead by the Holy Spirit. When we are lead by God’s spirit, we will live lives that will bear fruit. We see this in

Romans 8: 5: For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

We were chosen before the world came into being, to live by the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit that moved over the waters during creation, bearing lasting fruits of the Holy Spirit so that we cud be connected to God in such an incredible way by which He would answer whenever we called upon Him! What an intricate plan for someone as insignificant as me!

Let us pray to the Lord that we can truly abide in his Holy Spirit, bearing the fruits and fulfilling the plan for which we were chosen from the beginning of time!


Today let me give you a recipe that my best friend Ani gave me! It’s her mom’s famous prawn date pickle! Am putting it in her own words as she sent to me…

Prawn Date Pickle:

Ingredients:

Cleaned Prawns – 1 kg
Ripe Dates – 50gms
Ginger - garlic paste – 3 Tablespoons
Finely chopped green chilly – 5
Finely chopped Curry leaves – 3 stalks
Turmeric powder – 1 ½ teaspoon
Red chilly powder – 1 ½ teaspoon (more if you want hotter)
Vinegar – 1 ½ cup
Salt – as required
Mustard seeds – 1 ¼ teaspoon
Sesame or Mustard oil – as required


Instructions:

1.Fry prawns coated in ½ teaspoon turmeric and ½ teaspoon red chilly powder as well as some salt, drain and keep aside.

2.In the remaining oil sputter 1 teaspoon mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add ground ginger and garlic, fry well.

3.Now add green chilly along with. red chilly powder after switching off the flame. If the oil is too hot the chilly powder will get burnt .The chilly powder should not change its colour .It should be bright red.

4.Now add prawns into it and cook on a very low fire for 10 minutes.

5.Meanwhile prepare the ripe dates by taking out the seeds and washing it in ½ cup vinegar. Throw the vinegar out and put the dates in the blender along with another cup of vinegar and grind it.

6.Add this to the prawn masala and mix well. Add salt according to taste. Finally add ¼ teaspoon ground mustard seeds to it .Let it cool and then bottle it up once it’s cold.

Fear of the Lord (Recipe: Chocolate Cake)

If we are not afraid of the Lord, it’s high time we started! We love our parents, at the same time, we can be terrified of disobeying them. The reason for this is because our parents punish and correct us when they believe we are in the wrong. God is no exception to this. It is obvious that God despises sin as He is Holy. But just like our parents, some things clearly push Him over the edge and He metes out a stronger punishment. So what does God hate? We see this in

Zachariah 8: 14-17: For thus says the LORD of hosts: "As I purposed to bring disaster to you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the LORD of hosts, so again have I purposed in these days to bring good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; fear not. These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the LORD."

Here we see God telling the people of Israel that He was provoked by their fathers to wrath, but He held back in His love. God clearly shows what provoked Him and he tells the people to do or avoid things that can prevent His wrath in verses 16-17.

It appears pretty simple, don’t’ lie, don’t judge falsely and always try to be peacemakers, don’t plan evil in your heart and do not love lies. God does not make a distinction between big lies and little lies, nor does He make any concession for the kind of evil you plan in your hearts. If you see something someone has and you don’t think they deserve it, or you want them to lose it…that is planning evil in your heart. If someone you are not fond of is attempting something and you want them to fail, that is planning evil in your heart. I don’t know about everyone else, but I am sure that I have been guilty of many of these things. But God’s judgment is provoked on those who do this. This is not about following law or living in grace. Grace means that although we have done these things, once we realize that we have disappointed God, we can ask for forgiveness and try to never knowingly commit these sins again. If we were under the law, we would probably have to sacrifice some animal to atone for our sins and even then there would be no guarantee of forgiveness. So even though we are under grace through our Lord Jesus Christ, this does not take away from us the responsibility of living rightly before God and avoiding things that He despises.

Jesus clearly says this in Mathew 10: 28: And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Even Jesus emphasizes to us the need to fear God in our lives. Recently I was studying about the persecution of Christians under the Emperor Diocletian, before the first Christian Roman Emperor Constantine came to power. The account of this was given by a church historian of the time, Eusebius. In his description of what happened, it is quite interesting to see what he has written about the persecution. Although this attack on Christians was initiated by a Roman Caesar, Eusebius first lays the blame on Christians. This is what he says,

“This persecution began with the brethren in the army. But as if without sensibility, we were not eager to make the Deity favorable and propitious; and some, like atheists, thought that our affairs were unheeded and ungoverned; and thus we added one wickedness to another. And those esteemed our shepherds, casting aside the bond of piety, were excited to conflicts with one another, and did nothing else than heap up strifes and threats and jealousy and enmity and hatred toward each other, like tyrants eagerly endeavoring to assert their power. Then, truly, according to the word of Jeremiah, The Lord in his wrath darkened the daughter of Zion, and cast down the glory of Israel from heaven to earth, and remembered not his foot-stool in the day of his anger. The Lord also overwhelmed all the beautiful things of Israel, and threw down all his strongholds. Lamentations 2:1-2”

Eusebius believed that the infighting, the jealousy and hypocrisy of the Christians of the time provoked God into allowing the great persecution they suffered for almost ten years.

We need to see this as a lesson to be learnt and not repeat the mistakes of the past. Churches and denominations are all fighting, disagreeing and saying wicked things about each other. If this does not stop, the wrath of God is imminent. We need to pray for the unity of the body of Christ, for churches to stop fighting and to follow the only true message of the Word of God. We need to also pray that we can live in the fear of the Lord, because only when each member of the church and the body of Christ has this understanding, can the entire body be whole and live in the fear of God.



Today’s recipe if for a perfect chocolate cake!


Chocolate Cake


Ingredients:


Water – 1 cup
Sugar - 1¼ cups
Butter/Oil -125g
Unsweetened Cocoa - ½ cup
Soda bicarbonate - ½ teaspoon
Self raising flour - 1¼ cups
(If you have only plain flour, then add 1 teaspoon baking powder to it)
Eggs - 2


Instructions:


1.Preheat oven to 190ºC.

2.Mix water, sugar, butter or oil, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda and heat in a saucepan stirring continuously, until sugar dissolves, but do not let it boil yet till all the sugar is dissolved.

3.Once the sugar is dissolved, allow it to boil, reduce the flame and let it simmer uncovered for two minutes. Remove from flame and let it cool to room temperature.

4.Add flour and egg to the cooled mixture and beat for two minutes.

5.Pour into a greased 9 inch cake pan and bake for 40 minutes. This may vary with different ovens, so wet the blade of a knife and poke into the cake, if the blade comes out clean then the cake is done. If not, you may want to leave it for some more time. When done, remove from oven, let it cool well before you remove from pan and cut.

Forgiving as Christians (Recipe: Ghee Rice)

Jesus was very clear in the Bible about showing your other cheek when you get struck on one, but this is clearly not an easy task is it? When someone is mean to us or openly rude, our first reaction is a snappy comeback…well for those of us with less self-control at least, those of us who have a little more restraint will run home and get on your knees wailing to God about how that person needs to be taught a lesson! Sadly, I speak this from experience!

Although Jesus wanted for us to be forgiving by nature, what He really wants us to know is our potential as children of God to create situations in the spiritual world, the power that is in us to make a significant impact in the spiritual realm. He asks us to forgive, not only so that we can be forgiven but also because the other person’s forgiveness is tied to us. We see this in

John 20:23: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld."

So you see, if we don’t forgive someone who has wronged us, neither of you will be forgiven. That’s a bit hard isn’t it? What is important to know is that both of you have to forgive. It isn’t enough that you forgive the person who you believe has wronged you, but you need to make sure they have forgiven you as well!

This is clear from Matthew 5: 23-24: So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Wow! This one is heavy isn’t it? In other words, you cannot offer something to God without reconciling with the person who has something against you. What we offer the Lord will not be acceptable to Him unless we are at peace with everyone and have a clear conscience. Looks like I will have a few emails to send out asking for forgiveness……

If the other person is unwilling to forgive, Jesus gives the process to be followed in

Matthew 18: 15-18: "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Although in some cases today, in a secular environment, this may not be possible, the very fact that Jesus gives such an elaborate process through which to sort out strife between two people, it appears quite evident that this is fairly significant to Him and cannot be taken lightly. We may not be able to dray someone to church or call up witnesses, but it should be fairly easy to just go and apologize.

This is probably why many of our prayers remain unanswered, because of the unforgiveness that surrounds our lives. This is very likely case for me at least, through preparing this entry I have realized that there are people I need to get in touch with and clear the air. Although this would terribly affect my ego, it is a small price to pay if it is in obedience to what the Lord Jesus asks of us.

If you have people in your lives to whom who need to ask for forgiveness or clear the air with, then you must try and do this as soon as you can. We need this so that we can ourselves be forgiven and be at peace with the Lord.



I have a fairly simple recipe today, but it’s quite tasty and easy to make.


Ghee Rice


Ingredients:

Basmati Rice – 2 cups
Crushed Cardamom – 6 pods
Cinnamon – 6 one inch sticks
Cloves – 6
Bay leaves – 2
Ghee – 8 Tablespoons
Salt – as required
Pepper – as required
Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
Water – 3 cups

Raisins – 2 heaped tablespoons
Raw Cashew nuts – ¼ cup
Thinly sliced onion – ½
Chopped coriander leaves – 2 tablespoons

Instructions:

1.In a cooking pot with lid (preferably non-stick), heat 6 tablespoons of ghee, to this add bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and sauté.

2.Wash and drain the Basmati rice, then add this to ghee in the cooking pot, and stir fry the rice till the raw smell subsides (around 3 minutes).

3.Now add turmeric powder, salt and pepper as required, followed by 3 cups of water, stir well and close with lid.

4.In between, raise the lid to stir, but replace it firmly back in place. Keep checking to cook till all the water evaporates from the pot. However, once the water has evaporated, turn off the flame and keep the cooking pot tightly shut for another 20 minutes.

5.In a Kadai, heat two tablespoons of ghee, in this fry the chopped onions till deep brown and crispy, fry the cashews and raisins in this as well, till the raisins bloat up in the hot ghee. Once done, turn off the flame but leave the fried ingredients in the ghee.

6.In a serving dish, spoon in the cooked rice and garnish with the fried onions, cashews and raisins, pour in the excess ghee from the fried ingredients as well. Finally add coriander leaves to garnish and serve hot.

Why we need the Word of God! (Recipe: Tender Coconut Pudding)

Many a times, we struggle with certain sins in our lives that we just can’t seem to kick for some reason! It may be a tendency to lie, or maybe gossip, it could be boasting, it can be greed or jealousy…..we know it’s not right, we know we have to stop, but we feel helpless in it’s grip! I don’t know about others, but this is definitely my case, I struggle with many sins that I have difficulty letting go of!

The Bible says in

Romans 1: 28-30: Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

We need to understand, we don’t have to have all of these things, even one or two of them will still qualify us as wicked! If we have the tendency to lie, or if we are the jealous sort, if we wish in our hearts for others to fail, if we gossip (who doesn’t!), if we boast about what we have, if we are unkind….any of these things in our lives reflect wickedness!

So despite having received the Lord Jesus into our hearts, being baptized by the Holy Spirit, why is it that we still struggle with these sins? As we see in the verses above, because ‘we did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God’! And so God allowed our minds to become depraved…..lack of knowledge of God ….allows our minds to give in to sin!

Where do we get the knowledge of God from? HIS WORD! If we do not try to learn from the Word of God, if we do not try to keep His Words in our minds, then we will be prone to sin. This is the need that we have for God’s word….probably just one of the many needs….but from the above verses it is clear that unless we keep in our minds the knowledge of God…which is of course from His word…we cannot overcome our weaknesses or temptations to give in to these sins. Everything we need to know about God, about who he is, what he is like, what he wants from us and what he is giving us…is in His word…to know God or to have knowledge of God…we must have knowledge of his Word.

We see this very plainly in

John 1: 1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

And so knowledge of God is necessary to break free from sins that dominate your life, the very reason for those sins to be in your life is because of the lack of the knowledge of God. And knowledge of God means knowledge of the Word as we see in the verse above….God and his Word are one and the same!

Let us pray and ask the Lord to help us meditate on and retain His word in our minds and our lives, so that we can break free from the bondage of the persistent sins in our lives!

I’m on a dessert spree this week, so I’m going to put up another sweet recipe!



Tender Coconut Pudding


Ingredients:


Tender Coconut Pulp – 500gms
Condensed milk – 1 tin (200ml)
Coconut milk – 2 cups
Gelatin – 2 teaspoons
Hot water - ½ cup
Sugar – 4 tablespoons



Instructions:

1.Heat a saucepan and add sugar. Allow the sugar to melt till golden brown, stir constantly.

2.Turn off the flame and pour this golden brown melted sugar on to a sheet of tin foil and allow it to cool.

3.When cooled it will have the texture of hard candy, place a few sheets of newspaper over this and use a hammer or a pestle to crush this sheet of melted sugar. Store the crushed sugar in an airtight spice bottle or container.

4.Chop the tender coconut pulp into small pieces and set aside.

5.Dissolve the gelatin in the hot water. In a bowl, stir in the coconut milk, condensed milk, gelatin and chopped coconut pulp. Have a taste and add more sugar if you require it to be sweeter. Pour this mixture into a dessert mould or a setting dish (or any dish you prefer to have the dessert set in) and refrigerate overnight.

6.Once set, cut the pudding into individual pieces and sprinkle the crushed melted sugar on each serving right before you serve. If the crushed sugar is sprinkled on the pudding too early, it will melt and blend into the pudding, so will not give the desired result.

Doubt! (Recipe: Bread Pudding)

We have all heard the story of Jesus walking on water and how Peter tried to join him….I was recently reading through this portion in Matthew 14, when the Lord revealed to me something quite interesting about the whole episode. We need to understand that the men on the boat were Jesus’ disciples. These men walked, ate and slept wherever Jesus did, they were practically Jesus’ shadows. No one could have known Jesus better than them. And yet, when they saw Jesus doing something as incredible as walking on the water, they did not recognize Him, they thought it was a ghost! They were unnerved by it! Jesus had to pacify them and tell them not to be afraid, that it was He!

Are we not like this in many areas of our life? When Jesus is doing something amazing or beginning an amazing work in our lives, the change is so unnerving and uncomfortable, we start being afraid, thinking how this is going to turn out! We worry about what is happening and focus so much on the changes that are happening in our lives that we cannot see that it is Jesus behind it. We have difficulty trusting God, as many a times we fail to see His hand at work in our lives, simply because we are distracted by doubt. What we need to remember here is that although walking on water is absolutely incredible, instead of astonishment and awe, the first emotions the disciples experience is fear! Is this how we look at the work of God in our lives as well? Do we wonder with fear about what the outcome is going to be or do we know in faith that God is doing something amazing, whatever it will be?!

We see in Matthew 14: 28: "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."

What’s funny here is that, Peter says this after Jesus already tells them not to be afraid, that it’s Him! Again, this is such a familiar scenario for us, how many times have we had situations where God reveals to us through his servants or His word, that He is working through our problems or that it is according to His will, but we are unwilling to listen to this! We are still not convinced!

Now of course, we know Jesus calls Peter to come and Peter starts walking. Peter sees the winds around him, he starts doubting WHAT JESUS CALLED HIM TO DO! Wow! This is the one incident of Jesus and the disciples where I am amazed at how much Peter doubted! So now we see that Peter first doubted when he saw Jesus doing something amazing like walking on water, then he doubted even after Jesus tells them not to be afraid and reveals himself, then again Peter doubts after Jesus calls him to walk on the water to Him. That really is aloooooot of doubting for a disciple!

Aren’t we like this? Do we not doubt the work of God in our lives simply because it is not obvious to our earthly eyes?

The best part can be seen in v.31: Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

If Jesus had to reach out his hand and catch Peter, then Peter obviously began to sink within Jesus’ reach. Look at that! Peter began doubting when he was an arm’s distance to Jesus, he could see Jesus face, he could see Jesus standing on the water reaching out to him, but HE STILL DOUBTED! How sad that was! How disappointed Jesus would have been with Peter!

Many a times, we start doubting and sinking into the depths of worry even when Jesus is only an arm’s distance from us! Why? As Jesus says, because we doubt, because we cannot trust God despite the signs, the promises or even the provision He gives us!

If Peter had not doubted that day, the world would today know the story of two people who walked on water, Jesus and Peter! Instead, Peter is remembered as the one who sank! In our lives also, believing in God’s faithfulness and trusting Him, despite the odds can make the difference between receiving the blessing God has for us or missing it by an arm’s length because of doubt!

Let us pray to the Lord to give us the faith we need to see His loving hands behind the unusual circumstances that arise in our lives, so that we can trust Him to help us receive the blessings at the end of it!



I’d like to put up a recipe for something sweet today!



Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

Bread – 6 slices
Butter – as required
Eggs – 4
Sugar – ¾ cup
Milk – 2 cups
Salt – a pinch
Vanilla Essence – 1 teaspoon
Powdered Cinnamon – 1 teaspoon (Optional)

For Butterscotch sauce:

Sugar – ¼ cup
Cream – 250gms
Butter – 50gms

Instructions:

1.Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

2.Spread butter over the bread slices and cut them into small squares.

3.In a bowl, combine eggs, sugar, milk, salt, vanilla and cinnamon. Now add the bread squares to this and push the bread pieces down till they have absorbed the milk mixture.

4.Pour this mixture into a buttered or oiled baking dish. Cover with tin foil and bake for 45 minutes. Then remove the tin foil and bake for 10 minutes, till the top is slightly browned. The pudding is done when the top appears springy, when pushed down.

5.For the sauce, in a saucepan, melt butter, add the sugar and stir for 5 minutes, then add cream and continue stirring till all the sugar has dissolved into the cream and turn off flame. If the sauce is not sweet enough, add more sugar according to your taste.

6.When serving the bread pudding, pour some of the warm butterscotch sauce over it.

Spiritual Gifts (Recipe: Spring Rolls)

We have been looking into the Holy Spirit for a few entries now. Today’s post follows along the same lines as well. What are spiritual gifts, and who should receive them? Are they accessible to all? I believe so, at least that’s what the Bible says in

1 Corinthians 14: 1: Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.

Now the instructions are very clear here, to do things in love and to eagerly want spiritual gifts. We are all asked to desire spiritual gifts! This is not just for preachers, pastors or ministers….this is for the body of Christ. All of us and each of us! But what are spiritual gifts for? What is the purpose of receiving these gifts? Or more importantly, to whom does God give these gifts? To everyone who asks? Probably, but only after He is sure that you are asking for the right reasons! We understand what the purpose of spiritual gifts is in
1 Corinthians 12: 4 – 7: There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

Wow! Look at that last line! The manifestation of the Spirit…through these gifts…is given for the COMMON GOOD. So these gifts are given so that the person having the gift can use it to bless others with it! Basically, the blessing is given to you, so that you can bless others with it! This means that, unless you have the heart of a servant, the heart to serve others and the heart to want to bless others, God cannot give you these Spiritual gifts! Unless we have the hunger to serve God, to bless others because of our love for the Lord, we cannot be deemed responsible enough to possess these precious gifts. What is the point of giving your 10 year old son a car, when you know that he clearly cannot drive it? He may want it, but that does not mean he is ready for it! When he is old enough to drive in a few years, then you will let him drive a car. Our wait for these spiritual gifts are very similar, it may come to you in a month, in a year or maybe longer, but how we spent that time will make all the difference in receiving. Your son will go for driving lessons and driving tests to qualify to drive that car, for however long it takes to get him there. In the same way, we must keep asking, keep preparing and keep expecting, only then can God see that you are earnest and strong in your desire for these gifts. If you ask for the gift of prophecy and pray about it for 2 weeks, see that nothing’s happening, so give up and not mention it again, assuming God does not want to give it to you, then you have lost out on your spiritual gift. No matter how long it takes to receive, you keep pressing for it in prayer!

Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us our level of maturity in the spirit. It is clear that we must ask for these spiritual gifts, so when we ask, let us also ask the Holy Spirit to show us what needs to be changed in our attitudes, hearts and lives to be ready to receive these gifts!


Today’s recipe is another popular appetizer or snack….Spring rolls!


Spring Rolls

Ingredients:

Frozen Spring roll pastry – 20 sheets
Thinly sliced cabbage – 250gms
Grated carrots – 250 gms
Chicken breast – 150 gms
Soy Sauce – 1 teaspoon
Salt – as required
Pepper – as required
Oil – 2 tablespoons
Oil for frying – as required

Instructions:

1.Boil chicken breast in water till cooked, then cool and shred to small pieces.

2.In a frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil, add shredded chicken, soy sauce and sauté.

3.Squeeze water out of sliced cabbage and add to the frying pan. Stir till cabbage is soft but not translucent.

4.Squeeze water out of grated carrot and add to the frying pan. Stir till carrot is soft and slightly cooked.

5.Add salt and pepper as per your taste.

6.Defrost spring roll pastry 20 minutes before preparation. Peel a sheet off and place it on a flat surface, with one edge pointing towards you (like a diamond shape). Drop a tablespoon full of the prepared mixture 2 inches from the pastry edge closest to you and roll the pastry half way, then tuck in the two sides towards the center and keep rolling till you reach the edge. Wet the edge with a little water and stick it on to the rolled up pastry.

7.These can be fried immediately or frozen to be fried later. This can be served with ketchup or sweet chilly sauce.

Why we need the Holy Spirit! (Recipe: Mini Cheese Pizzas)

I realize that I’ve just written an entry on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and was not intending to approach this subject again so soon, but I received a word from the Lord that was so amazing to me that I felt I must share this today.

In Acts 8, we see the story of Simon the sorcerer in Samaria, he was a magician who did some very impressive magic, so much so that people thought that he possessed divine power even. But when Philip goes to Samaria and preaches the gospel, many are saved, one among them was Simon!

Acts 8: 13: Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

So we need to note here that Simon now believed in the Lord Jesus, got baptized as ratification of this and is even following Philip, God’s servant, everywhere, in other words, attending every fellowship in sight!

As we continue reading, we find something very interesting in

Acts 8: 14-17: When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into^c]"> the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Wow! Look at that…although these people in Samaria had received Jesus and got baptized, they had not yet received the Holy Spirit! For this reason, Peter and John come to make this happen. Now Simon the magician also, although accepted Jesus and was baptized, had not yet received the Holy Spirit. When he saw Peter and John laying hands to impart the Holy Spirit, Simon says something unbelievable….

Acts 8: 18-19: When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."

Oh my! Didn’t this man accept Jesus? Didn’t he get baptized? Then how can he even say something like this? Peter responds to him in v.21 saying

You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.

How is this possible? Why is it that Simon, despite accepting Jesus and being baptized, still has a heart that is not right with God? The answer is really simple isn’t it? HE HAD NOT RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT! What a revelation this is!

In other words, no matter how much you confess Jesus with your mouth, or how many times you get baptized……the old will not die….the new cannot come…unless you receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the main component of the salvation equation! Without Him, nothing works!

So as children of God, who have accepted the Lord Jesus into our hearts, been baptized into His salvation and received His Holy Spirit, we must always always bear in mind that we have to remain connected to the Holy Spirit if we are to succeed in our Christian walk. If the Holy Spirit is not a prominent part of our lives, we will find it very difficult to live the life or make the changes God has called us to.

Let us invite the Lord Holy Spirit to be a continuous presence in our lives. Let us ask Him to speak to us daily, guide us always and control our actions, so we can be assured that we are indeed living as we are called to in the Lord.

I just tried out some mini cheese pizzas, so thought I could share that recipe with you today. They are really a favourite with children.

Mini Cheese Pizzas

Ingredients:

Plain flour – 2 cups

Yeast – 1 teaspoon

Sugar – 1 Tablespoon

Salt – as required

Olive oil – 2 Tablespoons

Lukewarm Water – ½ cup

Tomato paste – 4 Tablespoons

Tomato ketchup – 2 Tablespoons

Shredded Mozzarella cheese – 200gms (If you don’t have mozzarella, any cheese that can be shredded and will melt can be used)

Instructions:

1. Mix yeast, sugar, water and keep aside till it rises.

2. In a large bowl, add the flour, salt, olive oil and yeast solution (not full but as required). Knead well for at least 10 minutes till the dough is soft and smooth. Now cover this with a warm wet cloth and let it sit for at least 2 hours for the dough to rise.

3. Once the dough has risen, roll it out on a chapatti board to ½ inch thickness and use a small round frame or mould to cut out the circles.

4. Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius.

5. In a baking plate or dish, coat the base with olive oil, then place these circles onto the dish.

6. Spread ¼ teaspoon of tomato paste on each circle, followed by some of the shredded cheese and finally sprinkle a few drops of ketchup on this.

7. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Once it’s done, allow it to cool a little and serve warm.
   

P.S.: You can also add any other ingredients you prefer, like mushrooms, olives, peppers, tomatoes, chicken….

Fruits of the Spirit (Recipe: Green Chutney Sandwiches)

Most of us have come across the verses naming the fruits of the Spirit many a times. This is not something new to us.

Galatians 5: 22: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

So all these things, love, joy, peace and so on, come to us when we live by the Holy Spirit. The main conditions for a plant to grow and produce fruit is for seeds to be sown in fertile and rich soil, watered well, given the necessary amount of sunlight and pruning.

If fruits of the Holy Spirit have to be produced, then the seeds of God’s word have to be in our hearts, watered by the presence of the Holy Spirit, and under the shining glory of our Lord Jesus, only then can we bear fruit. Of course, we must not forget the pruning…..fruits produced are of the best quality when the plants are pruned. When they are trimmed and cut, when what is not essential or necessary is taken away from it. This must be true of our spiritual lives as well, we cannot produce the fruits of the Holy Spirit in its healthiest form unless what is unnecessary or harmful to these fruits are taken away from our lives. This is what the Lord does when He takes us through what appears to us as particularly trying times, we are simply being pruned to produce the best quality fruits in His garden. What an honour that is! Could you ask for more capable hands to be in?

Again, we must be aware of what is required to enable these fruits to be produced by us, firstly, the word of God in our hearts, so we must make sure that God’s word is written down in the tablet of our hearts. Then the nourishing presence of the Holy Spirit, we must of course live by the Holy Spirit, and allow Him to nurture the Word of God in our hearts, helping us to use it in our daily lives. Fellowship with Jesus, praying to the Lord, talking to Him constantly and worshipping Him in spirit and in truth, these are the components that create in us the fruits of the Spirit!

This does not by any means appear an easy task, but let us pray for the wisdom, grace and perseverance to be strong and fruitful trees in the garden of our Lord! With God, all things are possible!

Today I would like to share with you my recipe for green chutney that make excellent sandwiches.

Green chutney sandwiches

Ingredients:

Desiccated or Fresh Grated Coconut - 1 cup
Chopped Coriander leaves – 1 cup
Chopped Mint leaves – ½ cup
Butter – 50gms
Grated Jaggery – 2 Tablespoons
Lemon Juice – 1 Tablespoon
Green chilly – 2 (optional)
Salt – as required
Asafetida – a pinch
Ghee – 1 Tablespoon

For Sandwich:

White Bread – 2 slices
Sliced Cucumber – 4 slices

Instructions:

1.In a food processor, blend coconut, coriander leaves, mint leaves, jaggery, lemon juice, green chilly, butter and salt.

2.Taste to see if jaggery and salt are sufficient, if not add more to suit your taste.

3.In a kadai, heat the ghee, turn off the flame, add the asafetida to the ghee and quickly pour into the chutney, then blend the chutney again.

4.Chutney should be ready, pour into an airtight container and refrigerate. Can be used for 3-4 days.

5.For the sandwich, spread the chutney on one side of each slice of bread, then place the cucumbers on one slice, sandwich together. Once the chutney is made, the sandwich is a quick and easy snack to prepare. According to your preference, you can also add tomatoes, cheese or other vegetables to the sandwich.