Embracing Him

I’m hosting Christmas dinner this year, so over the weekend I finalized my menu. On Saturday as I was flipping through my recipe file, I pulled out the recipe for the Savory Cornbread Stuffing I’ll be serving this year.

I love to eat stuffing but I admit my experience with making stuffing had been limited to the convenient stovetop variety. However last year, I discovered a stuffing recipe, adapted it to suit our pantry’s contents and our family’s taste buds, and served it during Christmas dinner.

After tasting the stuffing that day, my eighty-four year grandmother said to me, “Andrea, this is some of the best stuffing I’ve ever had.” Now my grandmother has savored well over 150 Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, yet her granddaughter’s stuffing was “some of the best” she’d “ever had!” When a recipe receives a compliment from the family matriarch, an experienced cook, it’s a keeper to me!

If you’re a fan of stuffing, I highly recommend this recipe. It tastes a bit more work than the stuffing you’re probably used to, but I can assure you, it’s well worth the preparation time.

Savory Cornbread Stuffing
4 (8.5 ounce) packages Jiffy cornbread mix
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups celery, chopped
2 cups onion, chopped
1(14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
2 (10.5 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup, undiluted
3 large eggs, beaten
3 teaspoons poultry seasoning
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon pepper

Prepare cornbread according to directions on package. Cool and crumble.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat butter over medium heat. Add celery and onions and sauté until tender (about 5 minutes).

Combine celery, onion, cornbread crumbs, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon lightly into a greased 13×9 inch baking dish. Bake for 1 hour  or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Photo: Courtesy of rainbreaw (Flickr)

Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

Not too long ago, while sitting in our sunroom, I heard a disturbing noise. It sounded as if something was trying to scratch its way up through the floor. After few more minutes of careful listening, I realized that an animal had gotten trapped underneath the sunroom and behind the lattice fence surrounding it.

I moved over to the window to see if I could spot the animal trying to free itself. When I peered out, I could see the fence rattling violently as a rabbit tried to push its way to freedom. Its initial efforts were unsuccessful so the rabbit then attempted to chew its way through the lattice.

Later in the day, my husband ventured out to see if he could help set the rabbit free and save the lattice from destruction. After a short time JT reentered the house and explained that he had found the rabbit and the large hole through which the rabbit had entered. JT further explained that the rabbit could easily escape through that same hole provided it calmed down enough and got its bearings straight.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation similar to the rabbit’s? I know I have. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the latest problem life hurls at us. Before we even fully recognize it, we’ve convinced ourselves that we’re trapped and we then frantically expel precious time and energy trying to extricate ourselves from the situation.

Often times our first inclination is to try and handle the problem alone. Unfortunately, when we do so, the results are usually detrimental. We become so fixated with trying to push, scratch, scrape, and claw our way out of misery, that we drain our strength and lose our focus. It is only when we settle down that we see that God is near. He is there all the while. Watching. Waiting. Beckoning. Ready to come to our aid when we stop trying to claw our way out.

Are you in the midst of a challenging situation? Are you devising plans to escape the trouble independently? Like the rabbit, have your futile escape efforts left you bruised, battered, frightened, and worn out? If so, I encourage you to do three things:

Give up your misplaced dependencies. Stop relying on outside sources to rescue you. None of us will ever be able to find true peace, joy, value, happiness, or refuge in external things. The only way we can experience these things fully is when we depend God, the One who dwells inside every believer.

Banish foolish notions and futile efforts. We can’t fix this our problems independently and no amount of scratching and clawing will improve the situation. We must admit to the Lord that we’re in a mess and tell him that we’re not content to stay there. He is our omnipotent Father and already knows all about every situation we find ourselves in, but He wants us to talk directly to Him. We must pour out our hearts in prayer, tell the Lord how we found ourselves trapped in such a difficult situation, and ask Him to provide a way of escape.

Embrace the Lord. Ask Him for guidance and direction. As we travel the road to freedom, we must not grumble about the way of escape. Many times the road leading to the problem was complex, and the way out will be just as complex. Along the way we may experience chastening, so we must be prepared to accept it and continue moving along.

As we do these things, we will experience peace and eventually freedom. We can rest our worn and weary bodies and relax knowing that our Savior will make a way of escape for us!

My best friend, Valerie, and I were roommates for several years after we graduated from college. Since we were single ladies, cooking wasn’t always high on our list of priorities and many times Valerie and I would head over to the local diner for a meal.

Valerie and I usually ordered the same thing each time we visited the diner. No matter what the time of day, Valerie often opted for a short stack of pancakes while I preferred Chicken Souvlaki, a popular Greek dish consisting of grilled and sliced meat placed inside a pita along with vegetables and a yogurt cucumber sauce.

These days, I can’t slip away to the diner as often as I’d like to, so I’ve learned how to create Chicken Souvlaki at home. It is a fresh and healthy dish that almost always satisfies my diner craving.

When preparing the sauce, be sure to use Greek yogurt as it’s thick consistency will ensure a creamy sauce. To save calories use low fat Greek yogurt (it’s still thick) and low fat sour cream. Neither JT nor I find the sauce’s taste to be compromised by the low fat substitutions.  The traditional way to serve Chicken Souvlaki is on pita bread, but I’ve found that it tastes just as great when served inside a flour tortilla.

Chicken Marinade
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic

Tszatziki Sauce (yields about 1 1/4 cups)
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
8 ounces plain Greek yogurt
2 ounces sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried dill

Assembly
4 large pita bread rounds
1 heart of romaine lettuce, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tomato, halved and sliced
1/2 cup kalamata olives
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Prepare the chicken marinade by combining the lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic in a small bowl. Place chicken in a large Ziploc bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken, seal, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Remove chicken from marinade and place in grill pan. Discard remaining marinade. Cook chicken until juices run clear, about 8 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from heat, and allow it to rest about 10 minutes before slicing into thin strips.

Prepare the Tzaztiki sauce. Toss the cucumber with kosher salt, and allow to sit at least 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix the yogurt, sour cream, olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, and dill. Place the cucumber in a clean towel and squeeze the cucumber to remove any excess water. Stir cucumber into sauce. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Place pita rounds on the grill pan, and cook for about 2 minutes, until warm, turning frequently to avoid burning. Arrange warmed pita, sliced chicken, lettuce, onion, tomato, and olives on a serving platter. Serve tzatziki sauce and feta cheese in separate bowls on the side. Stuff pita pockets with chicken and toppings to serve.

Photo: Courtesy of zorbs (Flickr)