THURSDAY BIBLE STUDY ~ Matthew 16

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW ~ Chapter 16

The Pharisees and Sadducees came around and, to try Him out, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. Yeshua answered them, “In the evening you say, ‘the weather tomorrow will be fine, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning you say, ‘we shall have a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Yes, you know how to read the signs in the heavens, but can’t you read the signs of the times? A wicked and immoral generation demands a sign, but you will get no other sign than that of the prophet Jonah.” Then He left them and went His way.

When the disciples now went to the opposite shore, they forgot to take bread along. Yeshua said to them, “Look out! Beware the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” They started to discuss the matter among themselves, saying, ‘He said this because we didn’t take bread along.’ Yeshua, observing this said, “Why are you arguing about not having bread? O you of little faith! Don’t you understand? Can you not remember the 5000 fed by the 5 loaves, and the number of baskets you took up? Have you also forgotten the 4000 fed by the 7 loaves, and how many baskets you again filled? Why can’t you see that I was not talking about bread when I warned you to be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees?” Then it dawned on them that He had not told them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

As Yeshua came into the neighborhood of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people think the Son of Man is?” They answered, ‘Some say John the Baptist, and others Elijah. Still others think He is Jeremiah or another of the prophets.’ “But as for you,” He asked, “Who do you think I am?” Simon Peter spoke up, “You are the Mashiach (the Christ) – Ben Elohim Chayim (the Son of the living God).’ “And you, Simon, son of Jonah,” Yeshua said, “you are blessed, for no human being has revealed this to you, but Elohim (My heavenly Father). And now I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I shall build My Church, and the powers of death shall not overthrow it. I shall give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; ad whatsoever you make free on earth shall be freed in heaven.” He then warned His disciples to be sure not to tell anyone that He was Mashiach.

From that time Yeshua tried to make it clear to His disciples that he had to go to Jerusalem to suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and scribes – that He had to be killed but that He would rise again on the 3^rd day. Peter, however, took Him aside and protestingly said to Him, ‘Elohei (God) forbid! This shall never happen to You, Adonai (Lord)!’ But, turning to Peter, He replied, “Get behind Me Lucifer! You are an offense to Me, for your thoughts are not Elohei's thoughts, but man’s.”

Yeshua also said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to be My disciple, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. If anyone is anxious to save his life, he will lose it; but he who gives up his life for My sake, he will find life. For what would it benefit a man if he gained the whole world but lost his soul? But the Son of man will come in the glory of the Father. He will be accompanied by His angels, and He will reward each one according to His works. Truly I say that some of those standing here will not taste of death until they shall have seen the Son of Man coming into His Kingdom.”

**Matthew 15: https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2018/02/thursday-bible-study-matthew-15.html

DAYTRIP TO CARNATION

Woke up yesterday morning, glanced out the front windows, and noticed that the little daffodils I planted in the Fall are beginning to blossom! Perhaps sunny days are ahead after all – under the continual heavy and overhanging gray clouds of the PNW … especially on the riverfront, one begins to wonder if we will ever see the sun or feel the warm sunrays again. The early-blooming daffodils add a much needed and appreciated dash of bright and cherry color to a dark and gloomy landscape:

Then after looking at the daffodils for a while, while drinking my coffee and watching the gray clouds hover and promising more rain, I thought “I gotta get away from these 4 walls and into some fresh air”. Where could we go that we haven’t already been a thousand times or better? Then the name ‘CARNATION’ popped into my head – I saw the name of that town on the map a few years ago but we never got around to getting there, so I turned to Hubs and said, “How about a little road trip to Carnation?” He asked, “What the heck is Carnation, and where is it?” I said, “A Winter bouquet flower, and a town someplace in Washington State. Up the road a little bit.” Well, he gets on google and comes back with, “It’s not ‘up the road a little bit’; it’s a long way up the road. And there would be a lot of freeway and city driving unless we went up through Morton – and that would add an extra hour or so to the drive. So I start calculating the distance in my head: 2 or 3 hours each way, to and from; we could be back home by Suppertime. And I really want to go.

So, off we go.

We drive for at least 4 hours in spotty rain showers getting there. Google was an hour off in their calculations. But that’s okay. We can still get there and back before it’s time to set the table for chow at home. 15 minutes from Carnation, we see this:

So we follow the detour route. How bad can it be? Turns out it was pretty bad; the entire town was under water … fields afloat. Huge, lapping puddles both sides of the roadway, squeezing the road down to one lane dead-center in some places. But we made it to Carnation.

I had NO IDEA the town was THE ‘Carnation’ of world renowned fame! I was thinking flower, not milk. A bit into the town I saw the Cow statue, and the Diary Farm; but it wasn’t until I saw the sign in the foliage that things began to click away in my head ;-)

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/carnation-farms-namesake-of-a-town-and-a-worldwide-milk-brand-welcomes-visitors-again/

After viewing the farm, we headed back home, but found every route out of town blocked by ‘Road Closed’ signs. We were in effect landlocked in farm country. So we backtracked and ended up in rush hour traffic in Seattle. NOT FUN. We were engaged in an hour and a half freeway crawl which canceled Supper at home because now we’d be lucky to make home before 10 p.m. bedtime. As soon as possible, we jumped the freeway and found something to eat. Then we beat feet for home. And touched down at 9:15 p.m. SCORE!

All in all it wasn’t a bad drive (even though my 6 or 7 hour estimation based on Google’s predictions ended up being an 11 hour ordeal); and we got a History Lesson too. If not for the road closures and freeway snafu, we’d have been home around 6 p.m. easy-peasy. That’s my story and I’, sticking to it …

ROSEMARY-MARINATED PORK CHOPS

ROSEMARY-MARINATED PORK CHOPS ~ 6 Servings

The Pork Chops marinate for 2 days. This is a delicious meal! These chops can also be grilled or broiled with side dishes to suit.

Marinated Pork Chops

2 ¼ cups Water * ¼ cup fresh Rosemary Leaves, chopped * 2 TBSP Sugar * 1 TBSP Salt * 1 teaspoon dried Thyme, crumbled * ½ teaspoon whole White Peppercorns * 6 whole Juniper Berries * 6 whole Coriander seeds * 2 whole Allspice Berries * 2 small Bay Leaves * 6 count 1 ¼” thick loin Pork Chops, trimmed * Small Gourmet Potatoes (fingerlings), a peeled band across each middle * Salt and Pepper

ROSEMARY needs replanting and replenishing ... I freeze my Rosemary and it tastes like it is fresh off the bush. My Thyme needs replanting too. I didn't realize I was running so low on homegrown supplies; at least one of Hub's planting boxes he built for me will be used for an Herb Bed this Spring :-)

Combine first 10 ingredients in large non-aluminum pan and stir until sugar and salt dissolve. Add pork chops, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate 2 days, turning occasionally.

After 2 days, remove chops from marinade (discard marinade), and sear. Place in an ovenproof cooking dish and surround with potatoes. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about an hour. Super simple; and super delish!

Pork Chop Rosemary Marinade - looks tasty, smells good, and tastes delish!

Pork Chops marinating ...

Searing the marinated Pork Chops for baking.

Marinated Pork Chop ready for oven. GREAT meal!

LIVER BAKED w-ONIONS & HERBS

Being iron deficient and very anemic, I need the iron liver supplies. My husband, bless him, has little choice but it eat it occasionally as I am the chief cook and what I cook is what we eat that day ;- ) I don’t make it as often as I should because no one else in the family really likes it. However, this recipe has changed Hub’s opinion of cooked liver – the chili sauce does wonders to improve the flavor and mask the heavy musky liver odor. Hubs has even said I could repeat this recipe as often as I like, LOL, but I’m thinking more than quarterly would not be wise ;-)

I used my electric skillet to bake this liver and it turned out fine. Nice and tender.

LIVER BAKED w-ONIONS & HERBS ~ Serves 6

Fried Liver finished - the onions got a little too done because I was sidelined and sidetracked, but it tasted fine.

1 large Onion, sliced into rings * 2 TBSP melted Butter * ¼ cup HOT Water * 6 slices Liver, cut ½” thick (calf, veal, or beef) * 2 TBSP Flour * Salt and pepper to taste * 1 TBSP chopped parsley * 2 teaspoon Thyme * 2 TBSP thick Chili Sauce * 1 TBSP Brown Sugar * 2 TBSP Butter

Running low on the herbs I grew and dried years ago ... time to replant and restock.

This is all I have left of the homegrown PARSLEY too.

I am lactose intolerant and this is an excellent butter substitute that can be used in any recipe – stir-fry, melted, basted, baked, ect.

Place onions in oven pan, pour over it butter and water. Cover Bake for 30 minutes and bake in moderate 350-degree oven. Dredge liver in flour; arrange over onions, sprinkle with parsley and thyme and dot with blended chili sauce, sugar, and butter. Bake covered for 30 minutes.

Fried Liver with Chili Sauce and Onions

CROCKPOT BEEF STEW

CROCKPOT BEEF STEW ~ Makes 5 to 6 Servings

Beef Stew in crockpot.

1 pound beef cubes * 1 TBSP Shortening * 3 cups HOT Water * ½ teaspoon salt * 1/8 teaspoon ground Black pepper * 3 or 4 medium potatoes, cut into 1 ½” cubed pieces * 1 medium Turnip, cut into 1” pieces * 1 medium Green Bell Pepper, cut into 1” pieces * 1 medium stalk Celery, cut into 1” pieces * 1 small Onion, chopped * 1 cup diced carrot/pea mixture * ½ teaspoon bottled brown Bouquet Sauce * 1 ½ teaspoon Salt * 1 Beef Bouillon cube * 1 Bay Leaf *  ½ cup COLD Water * 2 TBSP flour

Put ingredients into crockpot EXCEPT the cold water and flour – add those ingredients the last hour of cooking. Set the temperature to LOW and cook 5 hours; then combine the cold water and flour and mix well, stir gradually into the stew and cook 1 hour more … or until stew thickens to a medium gravy texture.

Beef Stew FINISHED.

SPANISH RICE w-HAMBURGER

SPANISH RICE w-HAMBURGER ~ Serves 6 (1 cup each)

Spanish Rice leftovers.

1 pound ground Beef * 1 medium Onion, chopped (about ½ cup) * 1 cup uncooked regular Rice * 2/3 cup chopped Green Bell Pepper * 1 can (16-ounces) stewed Tomatoes * 5 slices Bacon, crisply fried and crumbled * 2 cups Water * 1 teaspoon Chili Powder * ½ teaspoon Oregano Leaves * 1 ¼ teaspoons Salt * 1/8 teaspoon ground Black pepper

Cook and stir meat and onion in large skillet until meat is browned. Drain off fat. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Heat mixture to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender, about 30 minutes. (A small amount of water may be added if necessary).

Spanish Rice w-Hamburger

ROAST OF PORK

This is a good winter meal. The shakers thought ginger aided digestion, and it was added often to pork and other hearty meals.

ROAST OF PORK ~ Serves 8

Baked Pork Roast ... makes good cold sandwiches too.

5 or 6 pounds loin of pork * Juice of ½ lemon * 1 teaspoon ground Ginger * 1 teaspoon Salt * ½ teaspoon ground Black Pepper * 1 teaspoon Flour * Small peeled Potatoes * 3 TBSP Flour

Trim off some of the fat, for too much fat spoils the flavor of any meat and makes pork indigestible. Place roast in baking pan and pour the lemon juice over it. Dust with ginger; sprinkle with salt and pepper, and dredge with flour. Bake in a moderate (350-degree) oven for 3 to 3 ½ hours. For the last half hour, surround with small peeled potatoes. Those will absorb some of the fat. Make a brown gravy from pan drippings.

Remove enough pan gravy to make 2 cups (otherwise augment with hot beef bouillon). Mix 3 TBSP flour with ½ cup pan juice and beat to make smooth. Heat gravy in saucepan and gradually add flour, stirring to keep smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.