a female Job

Total Loss, Heartache, Suffering and Pain: one man typically comes to mind when people scan the Bible for these themes - Job. There are 42 chapters dedicated to his story and his suffering. In comparison, Ruth is a fleeting book with only 4 chapters, but what people don't stop to recognize is that the amount of suffering and heartache she and Naomi encounter could fill a book much larger than Job.

To explain this drastic statement, there is really one point to make and it is so easily overlooked: the book of Ruth is written from a woman's point of view (Naomi). By reading, we are actually getting the chance to view God through a woman's eyes. This view point is unusual as we study the Word but when it is recognized, the story is seen in a new light and our ability to understand what Naomi and Ruth encountered vastly improves.

So, what is different about the suffering of Ruth and Naomi? In Ruth we have a woman, Naomi, who is living in a land which is not her own and because she is a woman who has no husband and no heirs, she is left without any earthly possessions. She has no friends or family except for her two daughters-in-law who are both barren. In biblical times, a woman's status was decided by her relationship to men - a husband, father, or even her male children - so a woman left with none of these relationships in a foreign land was one of the lowliest people in the social chain. I'm not saying Ruth is a greater story that Job,  impossible circumstances were overcome in both books because the characters were able to regain faith in God, but the viewpoint of Ruth (once society is taken into perspective) is a more interesting and dynamic view of suffering.

It is rare to get a women's point of view in the Bible, so we should take a chance to appreciate Ruth. Sometimes seeing something through a new "set of eyes" lends to a much greater understanding of a well known and beloved story.

READ RUTH, it's worth it!!

and we're off!

  

In the last post, I pictured the book in it's
mint green cover, but once removed this beautiful
salmon hardback cover is unveiled.

            Well it has begun, my copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking came in the mail on Saturday and, after calming our Aussie - Jack - who freaked out due to the sound of the doorbell (ha), I settled onto our couch and started paging through over 500 recipes and 684 pages. Needless to say, it took me quite a while!
  

Here's an example of a recipe:
Unlike today's recipes, the ingredients are listed
to the left of the step in which they are needed.
See what I mean... confusing!

            It's overwhelming at first when you venture into such a large book, let alone when the book is full of foreign recipes AND on top of being unfamiliar, the way the recipes are laid out is confusing. To combat that, I started by reading the whole introduction and everything that preceded Chapter 1 (for perhaps the first time in my life) and thus, I learned quickly that this would require patience.

            Once I got the hang of how this lovely cookbook is set up, I realized that it is truly a beautiful work. The book is filled with drawings of techniques and diagrams, charts, and comments abounding with classic Wit! Never does Julia Child or her co-authors make the reader feel less than up to the task.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking is littered with hand-drawn images like this one.

"We have not given estimates for the time of preparation,
as some people take half an hour to slice three pounds
of mushrooms while others take five minutes." (Forward xxvi)

               So, after a day of scouring the pages I settled on three simple recipes to lend me some practice at deciphering the way Julia thinks. Our first Julia inspired meal consisted of the following: "Artichauts Au Naturel" (pg 424), "Pomme De Terre Sautèes" (pg 526), and "Suprêmes De Volaille À Brun" (pg 270). Overall, everything was great! It was different than what we were used to but so delicious!!

Artichokes, Potatoes and Chicken all done "Julia Child style"!

Bon Appetit!

Ruth and Julia

I'm revamping my food, both spiritual and tangible, and two ladies are going to help me on my way - wish me luck!

Reasons:
Physical: I've started to feel stale in certain areas of life, therefore I am mixing some things up. I have fallen into a stupor in regards to my studies in God's Word which creates a distance and that isn't something that I relish in; so here I go, diving head first into a new book to spark this dull flame!
Tangible: After over a year of marriage Rob and I have learned what our "favorite meals" are and we eat them... a lot... Rob has asked to try something new! So here we go... little by little I will work my way into the world of a real cook. 

My Ladies:
Ruth:
I just started a new book about Ruth: The Gospel of Ruth by Carolyn Custis James. It is a testament to all of us who wonder sometimes how the Bible applies to women. Though God's Word was meant for all humankind it sometimes seems geared toward men and their roles in this world. This book approaches a well known story from a new point of view and with new perspective on what world Ruth and Naomi were living in looked like. It is jarring to realize that when we read this story with our current worldview it totally changes the power and strength Ruth exemplifies for us - it's inspiring to transform back to Ruth's time and identify her struggle. I am excited to learn more about being a woman of God from one of the greatest examples we have been given. It's worth the read - pick it up!

Julia:
Yes, I am speaking of Julia Child. I am not, I repeat, not trying to duplicate Julie and Julia. For one, Lindsey and Julia doesn't have a great ring to it (haha) and mostly, I am absolutely not ambitious enough to recreate 527 recipes in 365 days AND boning a duck sounds terrible!! I simply want to learn something new about cooking and broaden my horizon when it comes to dinnertime. I am not used to recipes and cookbooks as I have always just looked a picture and figured it out on my own so this will be interesting. At the very least, I will learn something from one of the great female cooks of all time and feed my husband something different along the way!

BON APPETIT !!!