baked potato

So yesterday, I posted about an easy summer meal we ate this week (tilapia in the frying pan.)  My qualifications for a summer meal in our house were: cheap, quick, minimal oven, somewhat healthy. 

This meal was not quick, took so long in the oven that our whole house was steaming hot, and it was not the healthiest of meals.  However, it wasn't completely junky and it was cheap.  So, i guess we're 1 1/2 for 4.


Now that I look at the picture, it's not very diverse in color either.  :)  Before you judge, I did not eat 2 baked potatoes.  Not sure why I had 2 on my plate in the picture... I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach. 

Now, you are thinking... why keep reading?  there is clearly no recipe here... just bake the potato and voila.  Basically, yes.  But i tried a new way of baking potatoes and they were PERFECT.

Perfect Baked Potato
preheat oven to 400 (45 minutes) or 350 (60 minutes)
1. scrub under cold water (not hot)
2. dry with towel
3. poke holes with a fork 3 or 4 times on each side
4. cover with a little vegetable oil
5. roll potatoes in salt (not too much!)
6. place the oil and salt covered potatoes on a rimmed cookie sheet - NO FOIL!!*
7. bake at 400 for 45 minutes (or 350 for 60 minutes)

* I read about this online... wrapping potatoes in foil is essentially like steaming them.  for a true "perfect" baked potato, no foil.  You can check my source here :)

I fried up some bacon for the potatoes along with cheese and a tad bit of sour cream.  If you've never had bacon on a baked potato, you need to try it.

The 400 degree oven + bacon frying = tons of smoke in our kitchen.  And it was 101 degrees outside.  Not to mention I wear long sleeves when frying bacon to avoid greece splattering on my arms :( Poor planning on my part.

However, the meal was delicious. 

We served it with corn and fruit.  (I explained in yesterday's recipe - corn here in nebraska is cheap and delicious.  And when fruit is in season, I go to town!)

Enjoy :)

easy summer meal

goal for summer eating in our house: cheap, quick, minimal oven, somewhat healthy.

this yummy tilapia was exactly that.

I used tilapia filets that I buy frozen in a big bag at walmart.  If I'm grilling salmon, I go for the fish at a real grocery store from the fish deli (or whatever that place is called where they have the lobsters swimming around near the butcher.)  Anyway, I've found that for this tilapia recipe (which is by far our favorite so far) the frozen walmart tilapia works deliciously.   If you're a fish snob, feel free to get it fresh.
If you get it frozen, pull it out early enough to thaw (a few hours or so.)

You will need these ingredients:  (you don't need the coffee maker...)

You'll need some sort of shallow dish to mix them in.  I use a cake pan.

Unfortunately, this is one of those trial and error no amounts recipes.  Don't run away though.  It's so stinkin' easy and I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter how much of each ingredient you use.  If I was one of those super fabulous recipe bloggers, I'd have figured out amounts but meh, not my style.

Combine the following in your shallow dish:  handful of flour (approx 1/2 cup ish), thyme, pepper, garlic powder, salt. 

Mix it all together.  (i use my hands to mix it... clearly, since you can see a tiny outline of my hand print. woops.)  sometimes i add a little more at this point if it doesn't look/ smell seasoned enough. 

Heat butter or oil in a frying pan while covering the filets in the flour mixture (both sides).  I cover them really well.  (the left filet you can barely see in the picture below)

Sautee for a few minutes on each side on medium-high heat, until the outside looks somewhat crispy and the inside flakes with a fork

Pour a little lemon juice over the top.  Serve with fruit or veggies of your choice. We do a lot of corn on the cob around here... plentiful supply (aka: cheap!!) and so so good.  Rice would be a yummy side too!  Enjoy :)



I got this recipe from HERE (there's a video to watch with 3 ways of cooking tilapia, including this recipe.  It's short.)  

june in pictures



we celebrated my FIL's (father-in-law's) 50th birthday. 50 beers for 50 years.

 the celebration continues... we planted 50 trees.

This beautiful couple tied the knot!



This beautiful couple is next :) we love hanging out with them!



Looking tired and pregnant good at said wedding celebration

with one of my best friends in the whole wide world (who happens to become an aunt today- the best friend that is!)

This sweet friend turned 24!

our first time playing mini-golf together (weird- how have we not done this?) my brother was with us, but he's not in the picture. 



we've played lots of Settlers of Catan...

ben and I like to play (christmas) sequence

Ben and I also like to get ice cream at Ivanna cone.

i got a new planner today... eeeeek!!!! (i LOVE getting a new planner. and it only happens once per year.)  have you ever seen a horizontal one? i haven't. it's pretty small and about $7 at target :)

isn't the inside fabulous!? vertical lists for each day are so much more convenient.

this is my current read. i'm on page 55 out of 759.

when i got the planner, i had to get these pretty file folders. they were calling my name. i'm so excited to begin organizing for school! (i still love school supplies... don't you?)

good morning. our grass is so happy now.

what have you been doing in june?



fun links

Lately I've been having a lot of this smoothie (minus the flax seed because I keep forgetting to get it at the grocery store)

I want to make this quilt!

Sweet story - 9 women have a secret business.

when I have young kiddos, i  want to set up an outdoor art station like this blogger describes

a beautiful barnyard rehearsal dinner

home

we haven't been living at our house really.  we've been condo-sitting for a professor of Ben's.  it's only been a few weeks, but i'm ready to be home.  i feel all over the place.  living at someone else's house, making many trips back to my house (for piano lessons, items i forgot, ingredients for a recipe...), weekends in Chicago or Omaha.

sometimes it's nice to just sit and be in one place for a while.  June 26 we will be back in one place - home sweet home on good ol' Franklin street.  until then, i'm trying not to run around like a crazy lady in limbo.

this is the ONLY picture I have of the front of our house...

the back is much prettier :) 

Wise Men

My chronological reading through the Bible brought me to the birth of Jesus last week.  In using this SPECK tool to help me study the Bible, I spent more time thinking about why and how the wise men are good examples to follow as I re-read this story everyone knows.  (think: we three kings of orient are, bearing gifts we traverse a far... following yonder star.)


They were seeking Jesus. "Wise men from the east came to Jerusalem saying, 'Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.' ... Herod sent them to Bethlehem saying, 'Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me the word that I too may come and worship him.'  After listening to the king [Herod], they went on their way.  And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was."  (Matthew 2:1-2, 8-9)

They were expectant.  "When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy" (vs. 10)  They hadn't even gotten to Jesus yet, but when they finally were outside the place where they knew he was, their hearts filled with joy.  Can you imagine their excitement and the anticipation?

They worshiped him.  "And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him."  (vs 11)  I have a feeling they didn't have too much idle ice-breaker chit chat.  I imagine them walking in the door, looking at Jesus, looking at his mother, and then falling on their faces and worshiping the King of Kings, this innocent toddler.  (Notice, they didn't worship Mary...)

They fell down before him.  "And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him."  (vs 11)  As I read this, I heard the Lord whisper to me - do you take your access to God's throne for granted?  Because I don't have to travel hundreds of miles by camel.  Yet, sometimes I don't even make the effort to get up and get to my couch in the morning to get to Jesus.  I have unlimited access to the God of the Universe, the Savior of the World.  Lord, help me not to forget this. 

They brought him what they had.  "Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh."  (vs 11)

They listened.  Their spirits were sensitive to God's leading.  "And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way."  (vs 12)  We don't get much information from this passage.  I wonder if they were hesitant?  I mean, it'd be easy to chalk up the dream to a weird dream. (Although, probably if God shows up in your dreams it's pretty obvious.)  It be easy to second guess themselves.  I'm guessing they took the most direct route on the way to Jesus, so returning to their own country another way could be hundreds of extra miles (by donkey? or camel? or foot?)  They obviously took God seriously.  And their hearts and minds were open to his spirit's leading. 

God's Word is life-giving.  It's so full of truth and guidance!  Whether the passage is new to you that day or you've read it 100 times.  Lord, help me to be like the wise men who eagerly sought to meet their Savior. 

SPECK

I have been following a read-through-the-Bible-chronologically plan (and I finally made it to the New Testament!!)  It's been really great to see the scope of God's plan for His people played out throughout history and reading the events chronologically has been so helpful.

But lately, I've been craving a way to study God's Word more deeply.  I've tried different things over the years and kind of long for some consistency without becoming mundane and routine. 

In the fall, I am hoping to take a class at our church how to study the Bible exegetically.  Exegesis is interpretation.  "The goal of Biblical exegesis is to explore the meaning of the text which then leads to discovering its significance or relevance." (wikipedia) Bible scholars, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think one strategy (so I've heard) in employing exegetical methods is knowing how to use Greek and Hebrew (and Aramic) to understand the words and context in the original language.  English isn't as descriptive as Greek.  An easy example - Greek has 4 different words for 4 different types of love.  In english, we imply that "I love you" to your husband is different than "I love eating Portillos" but it's the same word.  All that to say, understanding the original languages of Biblical text and having resources to help with interpreting the original language would be helpful in studying the Bible.  (I'm not saying using Greek and Hebrew is NECESSARY for understanding God's Word, but rather an added helpful tool, like so many other things.)

Wow, I got side tracked.

Anywhooo, I was looking for a way to study the Word better rather than just read a passage and think to myself "huh. interesting" or "that was nice."

The Bible IS the Word of God.  And God's Word is LIFE!  It is living and active.  It is good for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righeousness.  I must be aware of when I fall into the habit of reading it like any old book.

I stumbled across this little tool on a blog, and have found it really helpful just in this past week.  I don't think this is a tool I'll use forever, but while I try to learn from others and ask God to show me better ways to read His Word, this little acronym is very helpful: SPECK

Sin to avoid
Promise to claim
Example to follow
Command to obey
Knowledge about God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit.

I didn't make it up.
The original blog post is here
Here is what the creator of this method says about how to use it:

"Basically, I pick a few verses (or a chapter to read). I suggest starting in the Gospels or New Testament. Then, I look for one of the categories above (not all of them).

• Does this passage talk about a sin I need to avoid? Am I currently participating in it?
• What about a promise to claim? Is that promise conditional? Meaning… does it rely on an action that I need to do first to claim the promise? ex: John 3:16 “… whoever believes in Him will be given eternal life.” The condition is “believe in him” to receive the promise of eternal life. Or is it unconditional? Something God promises no matter what?
• Is there an example to follow (or maybe NOT to follow)?
• What about a command that God gives me that I should obey?
• And finally – maybe there is just a new knowledge about God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit that God wants to teach me that day.

Usually, after a few days of using this method, I will start to see life in God’s Word again. And my spiritual legs won’t feel so useless.
And if that doesn’t work, I’ll often invite someone to come alongside me and help me get out of my funk. I’ll ask them what God is teaching them and experience the life of the Word through them."


Wake up.
Make some coffee.
Get in the Word.
Choose life.
God loves you.  There is no better day to start than today.


Refreshed,
Ren :)