It’s October 31. Hmmm...does that sound familiar? Does it have any significance? Well, yes, there’s Halloween. But I am thinking about something else. Did you know that Halloween is a contracted form of (All) Hallow’s Evening? November 1 is called All Saints Day on the church calendar. All Hallow’s Evening refers to the day before. But that isn’t what I have in mind, either.
It was on October 31, 1517 when a very significant action took place. On that date Martin Luther tacked 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. If you have seen a picture showing Luther posting these theses on an otherwise barren door, you are probably mistaken. At that time, the church door served as the community message center. Church events were posted. Civic reports were posted. Social events and activities were posted. So were invitations to debates, and this was Luther’s invitation to debate certain points that he found that the church had adopted without Biblical support. In Luther’s words: this was an invitation to a "disputation on the power and efficacy of indulgences out of love and zeal for truth and the desire to bring it to light."
Who was Martin Luther? He wasn’t merely a disgruntled priest who was picking a fight. Luther was a Doctor of Theology in the local university, one of only a few who were paid, and, among these, the highest paid. He was quite learned and gave serious thought to his classes. His reputation for his intellectual astuteness was so well known that the prince of this region went out of his way to bring Luther to Wittenberg.
Luther most surely wasn’t a rabble-rouser. His environment was theological and academic. The 95 Theses were, in fact, written in Latin and were unintelligible to the common man. In these theses, Luther sought public debate on current church practices. His goal was not to condemn the Catholic church, much less found a “new” church. He asked for debate to show him how these practices, particularly indulgences, are grounded in the teaching of the Bible. As far as he could see, they weren’t. He asked for clarification, hoping to inspire reformation within the church.
Less than a century earlier, Gutenberg produced the movable type method of printing, and more and more information was spread through print medium. Someone took Luther’s 95 Theses, translated them into the vernacular to took them to a printer. They were printed, and distributed widely, arousing public interest and adding public support to Luther’s ideas.
What were the 95 Theses? They were a series of statements on a number of church issues. Luther wanted a local academic debate. Someone, however, sent a copy of the theses to the Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, who called for a meeting (called a Diet) of church leaders and civic leaders to assess Luther’s teachings and to induce Luther to recant. The court continued, with Luther defending his determination not to recant with the statement that unless he could be convinced that he was wrong “by scripture or by reason,” his conscience [was] bound by the word of God. At the end of his testimony Luther, refusing to recant, offered his famous lines: "Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen."
If people have heard of the 95 Theses, few have actually read them. In the interest of brevity, I offer an abridged version of them. I have abridged them based on duplication within the statements, on issues that were primarily relative to that time, and on some continuity between 3 or 4 theses, that is, this action leads to another action, which, in turn, leads to another, or this action is a consequence of another action which, in turn, springs from yet another action.
1. When Jesus said "repent" he meant that believers should live a whole life repenting
2. Only God can give salvation - not a priest.
3. Inwards penitence must be accompanied with a suitable change in lifestyle.
4. Sin will always remain until we enter Heaven.
6. Only God can forgive -the pope can only reassure people that God will do this.
18. A sinful soul does not have to be always sinful. It can be cleansed.
36. A man can be free of sin if he sincerely repents - an indulgence is not needed.
40. A true repenter will be sorry for his sins and happily pay for them. Indulgences trivialise this issue.
42. Christians should be taught that the buying of indulgences does not compare with being forgiven by Christ.
43. A Christian who gives to the poor or lends to those in need is doing better in God’s eyes than one who buys 'forgiveness'.
44. This is because of loving others, love grows and you become a better person. A person buying an indulgence does not become a better person.
46. A Christian should buy what is necessary for life not waste money on an indulgence.
47. Christians should be taught that they do not need an indulgence.
54. It is blasphemy that the word of God is preached less than that of indulgences.
55. The pope should enforce that the gospel - a very great matter - must be celebrated more than indulgences.
62. The main treasure of the church should be the Gospels and the grace of God.
84. Evil men must not buy their salvation when a poor man, who is a friend of God, cannot.
94. Christians must follow Christ at all cost.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Combining Methods for Cooking Steaks
After all the work to create the pork masterpiece, my wife declared her desire for steak. I went to Ralphs, which, apparently, had recently stocked some steaks with the label “Manager’s Special.” I picked out a package of T-bones, a package of porterhouse steaks and another package with a single NY strip. In fact, I cleaned out the remaining “Manager’s Specials.” And all for about $20 for the 7 steaks. Not bad, huh?
For many years I have read and reread issues of Cook’s Illustrated magazine. To me, it’s the finest cooking periodical on the news stand. Now they have a sister publication called Cook’s Country. They also have the cooking show on public television called America’s Test Kitchen and a new one with the Cook’s Country theme. I encourage you to catch any of these you can. I look at Cook’s Illustrated (and the others, too) as sort of a consumer’s testing publication, testing recipes, methods, tools, various food items (cheese, bacon, hot dogs, canned tomatoes, etc.) By the time they publish (or air) a recipe, it has been tested and tweaked to be the best it can be. (I recently read an article about Chateaubriand for which $1200 worth of Chateaubriand was purchased and cooked with various ingredients using various cooking methods to make my purchase of a single cut of Chateaubriand (beef tenderloin) worth the investment.)
In recent publications and shows they demonstrated how cooking steaks and pork chops using a combination of oven cooking then finishing with stove top browning produce a moist, tender and flavorful piece of meat. So I decided to give it a try, although I didn’t have a specific recipe or method at hand for steaks.
I started with a mixture of salt, pepper, powdered garlic and onion powder. I sprinkled this on one side of each piece of meat, patted it in and let it sit for a couple of minutes before I turned it over to repeat the process on the opposite side. Then I let these sit for about 25 minutes.
I turned the oven on to 325 degrees. Next I took a rectangular baking sheet on which I could fit a baking rack, and sprayed the rack with olive oil. I placed the steaks on the rack, and slid it into the preheated oven. After 25 minutes, the steaks were still very rare, so I let them stay in the oven for another 10 minutes or so, when the temperature reached about 110 degrees. (I could have left the steaks in the oven another 5 - 10 minutes for a bit more doneness.)
Then I removed the steaks from the oven, and seared them in a hot frying pan with a bit of olive oil to coat the ban. After a few minutes, when one side looked gorgeously caramelized, I turned them over. A few more minutes, and, voila, they were done.
Earlier I mixed together some softened butter, chopped garlic and some thyme, and made a flavored butter. I spread this on each steak as it was sitting for its resting time.
Man oh man! Were these steaks delicious! Moist, tender and flavorful as promised! My niece declared hers was the best steak she’d ever had, but that may have been an exaggeration after coming, as she did, from 4 years in the Navy. But the important thing is...my wife loved it - even if it was beef, beef, beef again!
For many years I have read and reread issues of Cook’s Illustrated magazine. To me, it’s the finest cooking periodical on the news stand. Now they have a sister publication called Cook’s Country. They also have the cooking show on public television called America’s Test Kitchen and a new one with the Cook’s Country theme. I encourage you to catch any of these you can. I look at Cook’s Illustrated (and the others, too) as sort of a consumer’s testing publication, testing recipes, methods, tools, various food items (cheese, bacon, hot dogs, canned tomatoes, etc.) By the time they publish (or air) a recipe, it has been tested and tweaked to be the best it can be. (I recently read an article about Chateaubriand for which $1200 worth of Chateaubriand was purchased and cooked with various ingredients using various cooking methods to make my purchase of a single cut of Chateaubriand (beef tenderloin) worth the investment.)
In recent publications and shows they demonstrated how cooking steaks and pork chops using a combination of oven cooking then finishing with stove top browning produce a moist, tender and flavorful piece of meat. So I decided to give it a try, although I didn’t have a specific recipe or method at hand for steaks.
I started with a mixture of salt, pepper, powdered garlic and onion powder. I sprinkled this on one side of each piece of meat, patted it in and let it sit for a couple of minutes before I turned it over to repeat the process on the opposite side. Then I let these sit for about 25 minutes.
I turned the oven on to 325 degrees. Next I took a rectangular baking sheet on which I could fit a baking rack, and sprayed the rack with olive oil. I placed the steaks on the rack, and slid it into the preheated oven. After 25 minutes, the steaks were still very rare, so I let them stay in the oven for another 10 minutes or so, when the temperature reached about 110 degrees. (I could have left the steaks in the oven another 5 - 10 minutes for a bit more doneness.)
Then I removed the steaks from the oven, and seared them in a hot frying pan with a bit of olive oil to coat the ban. After a few minutes, when one side looked gorgeously caramelized, I turned them over. A few more minutes, and, voila, they were done.
Earlier I mixed together some softened butter, chopped garlic and some thyme, and made a flavored butter. I spread this on each steak as it was sitting for its resting time.
Man oh man! Were these steaks delicious! Moist, tender and flavorful as promised! My niece declared hers was the best steak she’d ever had, but that may have been an exaggeration after coming, as she did, from 4 years in the Navy. But the important thing is...my wife loved it - even if it was beef, beef, beef again!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Pork loin
I mentioned in an earlier post that I enjoy cooking. Last Friday my wife complained that all we had eaten that week was beef, beef, beef. She wanted a change. Then she turned to me and said “There is pork loin in the freezer. What are you going to do with it?” That didn’t sound like a suggestion or request; I was on the hook to prepare the pork loin.
As I usually do, I googled for recipes: pork and sauce. A number of good ideas popped up. One took me to the Martinelli’s website where I found a recipe for veal with apple cider gravy. That was close enough. I let my imagination run wild for a few minutes, then created a perfect dish. (At least I thought so.)
I took the thawed pork loin and cut it into 1 1/2 inch steaks. I wrapped bacon (maple flavored, no less!) around each steak, then browned them on the stove until they were beautifully caramelized. I thinly sliced an onion, grated some fresh ginger and garlic and threw them into the pan after removing the pork. When they had cooked for a very short time, I poured in some chicken broth, apple cider in greater quantity and some Riesling wine. I added some salt, pepper and a touch of sage to the thin gravy. Then I added some corn starch to thicken it, and allowed it to simmer to both thicken and intensify flavors. Finally, I added the pork to the gravy, and allowed the whole thing to simmer for another good while before adding a can of apple pie filling (chopped) and some plumped raisins.
After some more simmering, I tried it. I loved it. It took a while for other family members to try it. In fact my wife heard about a sale on steaks at Ralphs and wanted me to go pick some up to cook steaks tomorrow. And this after her complaining about needing a change from beef, beef, beef.
As I usually do, I googled for recipes: pork and sauce. A number of good ideas popped up. One took me to the Martinelli’s website where I found a recipe for veal with apple cider gravy. That was close enough. I let my imagination run wild for a few minutes, then created a perfect dish. (At least I thought so.)
I took the thawed pork loin and cut it into 1 1/2 inch steaks. I wrapped bacon (maple flavored, no less!) around each steak, then browned them on the stove until they were beautifully caramelized. I thinly sliced an onion, grated some fresh ginger and garlic and threw them into the pan after removing the pork. When they had cooked for a very short time, I poured in some chicken broth, apple cider in greater quantity and some Riesling wine. I added some salt, pepper and a touch of sage to the thin gravy. Then I added some corn starch to thicken it, and allowed it to simmer to both thicken and intensify flavors. Finally, I added the pork to the gravy, and allowed the whole thing to simmer for another good while before adding a can of apple pie filling (chopped) and some plumped raisins.
After some more simmering, I tried it. I loved it. It took a while for other family members to try it. In fact my wife heard about a sale on steaks at Ralphs and wanted me to go pick some up to cook steaks tomorrow. And this after her complaining about needing a change from beef, beef, beef.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
3 Kinds of Cooks
I love to cook. One look at me would instantly inform you that this is correct. (Hint: Never trust a skinny cook.) However, my doctor would be pleased to hear that now, instead of eating a big steak in a single sitting, I eat that same steak at three different meals.
As I grew up, my Dad was the cook in the family. About the only thing Mom cooked was TV Dinners. (Wow! Another indication that I’m age-eligible to be curmudgeonly.) I don’t remember my Dad following recipes. He just put things together, although his repertoire wasn’t very large. People who knew my Dad and know me have asked whether I’m a better cook than my Dad was. At first, I said Yes!” While I still think that is generally true, I’ve modified my response to the fact that my Dad was a good cook for that era; I’m a good cook for my era. The cooking world had different values and standards then than it has now. And, so far, no one has become sick (or worse!) after eating my cooking.
I often use any of several comments to explain my cooking. Sometimes I use them all. They describe three kinds of cooks. First, in cooking, I’m a mad scientist whose laboratory is the kitchen. I may look at dozens (sometimes even hundreds) of online recipes for a particular dish. As I read through these, I print two or three that strike me as being the most interesting in terms of ingredients, complexity of flavors and mode of preparation. Then I merge them into one, adding other ingredients I came across in other recipes as seems fitting to me.
Sometimes I say that I use secret family recipes; in fact they’re so secret that I don’t even know them! I’ll add and/or mix in ingredients and seasonings that seem to be appropriate. I simply pour it in and eyeball the amounts. They usually turn out very good. My wife will request that I make it again sometime, but when I do, it’s not the same.
Finally, I say that my cooking follows the Aaron School of Cooking. If you have any basic familiarity with accounts in the Old Testament, you may recall that God called Moses up to the top of Mt. Sinai to receive the 10 Commandments - and lots more. As Moses remained on the mountain top for 40 days, the people, who had begged Moses to speak God’s words to them because they were terrified when God spoke directly to them, gave up on Moses ever returning. So they pushed Aaron to make a symbol to represent the God who brought them out of Egypt. They brought their gold jewelry, which Aaron had fashioned into a golden calf.
Seeing this, God sent Moses down from the mountain because of the commotion in the encampment. When Moses saw what was going on, he threw down the two tablets on which the commandments had been written by the finger of God. (Q: Who was the most wicked man in the Bible? A: Moses, because he broke all 10 Commandments at once. I forgot to add to my profile that I have a strange sense of humor.) When Moses challenged Aaron, Aaron waffled, saying “I threw the gold into the fire and out came this calf.”
Sometimes, that’s how I cook. I throw it in the fire, and this is what comes out. So far, however, no golden calf. And that's just fine with me.
As I grew up, my Dad was the cook in the family. About the only thing Mom cooked was TV Dinners. (Wow! Another indication that I’m age-eligible to be curmudgeonly.) I don’t remember my Dad following recipes. He just put things together, although his repertoire wasn’t very large. People who knew my Dad and know me have asked whether I’m a better cook than my Dad was. At first, I said Yes!” While I still think that is generally true, I’ve modified my response to the fact that my Dad was a good cook for that era; I’m a good cook for my era. The cooking world had different values and standards then than it has now. And, so far, no one has become sick (or worse!) after eating my cooking.
I often use any of several comments to explain my cooking. Sometimes I use them all. They describe three kinds of cooks. First, in cooking, I’m a mad scientist whose laboratory is the kitchen. I may look at dozens (sometimes even hundreds) of online recipes for a particular dish. As I read through these, I print two or three that strike me as being the most interesting in terms of ingredients, complexity of flavors and mode of preparation. Then I merge them into one, adding other ingredients I came across in other recipes as seems fitting to me.
Sometimes I say that I use secret family recipes; in fact they’re so secret that I don’t even know them! I’ll add and/or mix in ingredients and seasonings that seem to be appropriate. I simply pour it in and eyeball the amounts. They usually turn out very good. My wife will request that I make it again sometime, but when I do, it’s not the same.
Finally, I say that my cooking follows the Aaron School of Cooking. If you have any basic familiarity with accounts in the Old Testament, you may recall that God called Moses up to the top of Mt. Sinai to receive the 10 Commandments - and lots more. As Moses remained on the mountain top for 40 days, the people, who had begged Moses to speak God’s words to them because they were terrified when God spoke directly to them, gave up on Moses ever returning. So they pushed Aaron to make a symbol to represent the God who brought them out of Egypt. They brought their gold jewelry, which Aaron had fashioned into a golden calf.
Seeing this, God sent Moses down from the mountain because of the commotion in the encampment. When Moses saw what was going on, he threw down the two tablets on which the commandments had been written by the finger of God. (Q: Who was the most wicked man in the Bible? A: Moses, because he broke all 10 Commandments at once. I forgot to add to my profile that I have a strange sense of humor.) When Moses challenged Aaron, Aaron waffled, saying “I threw the gold into the fire and out came this calf.”
Sometimes, that’s how I cook. I throw it in the fire, and this is what comes out. So far, however, no golden calf. And that's just fine with me.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The Kindly Kurmudgeon
What??? Wait a minute! You’ve misspelled curmudgeon you say? Well, yes, I did. Perhaps it was to achieve alliteration, perhaps to suggest a phonetic spelling.
After thinking I am now old enough to act curmudgeonly, that is, old enough to know better, but too old to matter if I didn’t, I actually decided to check the definition. The term goes back as far as Samuel Johnson in Merry Olde England. He used the term to describe someone who was intemperate when hoarding all his worldly wealth. Hmm... since I don’t have worldly wealth, that isn’t quite right.
How about it if I create an oxymoron - putting together two concepts that are at odds with each other? Think “giant shrimp,” “objective science,” “authentic reproduction” and one that I’m “almost certain” you’ve heard - “cold as hell.” How often do you get mail that, without using the term, informs you that you are “(conditionally) approved” for a new credit card? I’m sure you get the idea. If I were to continue, I could not “eschew obfuscation.”
“Kindly kurmudgeon” - a different sort of curmudgeon, who isn’t quite so cantankerous toward others. However, I make no promises to be perfect and to act properly in every context and situation.
I tried my hand at blogging once before, and ended up with lengthy posts. I’d like to keep this one fairly short, or at least try.
I enjoy cooking, classical music, word games, reading, classic movies - and I’m a Christian of the Reformed persuasion. That ought to qualify me as old enough to be curmudgeonly in my interests. You never heard of Reformed Christianity? It is the branch of Christianity that, believing that the Reformers recaptured the most Biblical sense of doctrine, generally follows the teachings of the Reformers, e.g., John Calvin. However, most Reformed also remember the teaching “ecclesia reformata et semper reformanda” reformed, and always reforming to reflect the best understanding and application of Biblical teaching.
I hope that I, too, will always be reformed and reforming according to Scripture. Perhaps in thinking through themes in this blog I can advance toward that goal. Perhaps, your interaction will also help keep me moving in that direction.
After thinking I am now old enough to act curmudgeonly, that is, old enough to know better, but too old to matter if I didn’t, I actually decided to check the definition. The term goes back as far as Samuel Johnson in Merry Olde England. He used the term to describe someone who was intemperate when hoarding all his worldly wealth. Hmm... since I don’t have worldly wealth, that isn’t quite right.
How about it if I create an oxymoron - putting together two concepts that are at odds with each other? Think “giant shrimp,” “objective science,” “authentic reproduction” and one that I’m “almost certain” you’ve heard - “cold as hell.” How often do you get mail that, without using the term, informs you that you are “(conditionally) approved” for a new credit card? I’m sure you get the idea. If I were to continue, I could not “eschew obfuscation.”
“Kindly kurmudgeon” - a different sort of curmudgeon, who isn’t quite so cantankerous toward others. However, I make no promises to be perfect and to act properly in every context and situation.
I tried my hand at blogging once before, and ended up with lengthy posts. I’d like to keep this one fairly short, or at least try.
I enjoy cooking, classical music, word games, reading, classic movies - and I’m a Christian of the Reformed persuasion. That ought to qualify me as old enough to be curmudgeonly in my interests. You never heard of Reformed Christianity? It is the branch of Christianity that, believing that the Reformers recaptured the most Biblical sense of doctrine, generally follows the teachings of the Reformers, e.g., John Calvin. However, most Reformed also remember the teaching “ecclesia reformata et semper reformanda” reformed, and always reforming to reflect the best understanding and application of Biblical teaching.
I hope that I, too, will always be reformed and reforming according to Scripture. Perhaps in thinking through themes in this blog I can advance toward that goal. Perhaps, your interaction will also help keep me moving in that direction.
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