Normally I would post about a recent dinner I made. I actually made a casserole dish I was going to share. But I have decided not to, not today anyway. I actually want to talk about the opposite... the lack of dinner, having no food to write about. I so often take for granted the food I have in my pantry, and in my fridge, and in my cupboards, and... well you get the idea. I often think little of the food I have everywhere. Yet, there are people who think so much and often about the food they don't have in their pantry, their fridge and in their cupboards. They don't have a dinner to enjoy with their family every night, let alone a lunch or breakfast... or a snack... or ice cream. To be completely serious ice cream is a treat, a decadence that so many people can't even fathom. And I eat it almost every night.

Now, I'm not writing all this to make myself or anyone feel guilty for indulging in some ice cream or whatever your sweet tooth enjoys. I just think it's necessary to reflect on all of the blessings we are so richly given... and yet so often take for granted. And then on how there are people who are going hungry today all over the world... 963 million people actually.

I fall guilty to saying the phrase, "I'm starving!"  Am I really though? I ate 3 hours ago at breakfast, I'll eat lunch now, in 3 more hours I'll have dinner, a few hours after that I'll have a snack, and then sprinkle in some snacks here and there throughout the day... I am nowhere near starving. According to the dictionary to be starving is to be in the process of perishing or suffering severely from hunger. Not quite what's going on when I get all impatient and agitated because I haven't eaten in a couple hours and I think food should fall from the sky to satisfy my cravings right now... and in a sense it does come that fast, a few steps to my pantry and I'm set.

Oh how naive I can be. How shallow I become when I "need" to eat. How selfish I am when I think of no one but myself at times. People are dying because they simply have no food. Children are dying every 5 seconds because they have no food. What can I do? How can I, in my over abundance, help those in need?

Well, right now, I have to admit, I'm a little hungry. I haven't eaten since breakfast and I won't eat until dinner. Why? I am skipping a meal so a child in need can have one. Our youth ministry is participating in a nation wide event called One Meal One Day. We are skipping a meal and giving the money we would have spent on a meal to Compassion to help feed children who are truly hungry. It's also a way for us to feel, a tiny bit, what children feel every day who are hungry. Every time I think about eating I think of a child who can't and pray God would provide food... that God would send someone to give food to those in need. And through our donations God is using us to give and help provide nourishment and hope to a child in need. Ultimately we pray that children will learn about Jesus and that He is the Bread of Life who can satisfy their souls.We pray that from filling their little bellies the gospel can be heard and that not only are their bellies full but so is their heart. We pray that for each hungry child that is given food the message of Jesus is given as well. We pray that we are the ones giving the food... and giving the life-saving message about Jesus and His love.

Edamame?

Exactly what I thought when I heard edamame for the first time. It was more like eda what? I get it now and am so glad. I had heard about it and thought it sounded cool but never found a recipe with it... until now. I guess I should explain what edamame is. It is a soybean that is packed with protein. It looks like a lima bean but does not taste like one at all... good thing, I'm not a big lima bean fan.

They're cute little guys. So along with this little green friend were 3 other delicious and nutritious ingredients. Scallions, snow peas, and red peppers.

Before adding the goods, I browned pieces of chicken in a skillet.

After browning the chicken the other ingredients were allowed to hang out in the skillet.

I think they all enjoyed hanging out together... they all made each other look so good! Sometimes I think cooking is like art. Now, my artwork is equivalent to a kindergartner and I've come to accept that, so when I cook and it looks so purty I feel I have contributed something to the art world... and to my belly.

After my beautiful-art-in-a-skillet cooked through a bit I added the sauce. It was a combination of orange marmalade, soy sauce, chicken stock, hot sauce, and ginger. Oooo laa laa it just got prettier.

But just wait, that's not all... here it is ready to eat.

Doesn't it look great? I'm realizing I'm showing off this dish like a mom shows off all 74 pictures of her baby doing the same thing in each picture. I don't blame those moms. I'm doing the same thing and spaghetti covered in soy sauce isn't quite as cute as a baby. To each her own, right? 


I really enjoy making oriental-style dishes. They are light, which digest so nicely, yet still full of flavor!

This recipe is from Rachael Ray's Look and Cook cookbook.