Sweet & Spicy Pickles

My parents found "Famous Dave's Spicy Pickles" at a store and absolutely loved them. So I got asked to try to duplicate them. I found Emeril's recipe :) But I couldn't just let it be. I had to adjust it...of course!

If you like a little bit of spice, you will probably enjoy this recipe. Of course you can adjust the amount of heat that you put into the recipe so if you want it spicier, add more heat and if you want them less spicy, don't add as much!

Here goes:
16 pickling cucumbers
2 large onions
1/2 cup salt
Cold Water

Wash and slice the pickling cucumbers into 1/4" slices (do not peel the cucumbers...yes I made that mistake once)

Slice the onions

In a large bowl (or split between two) mix the cucumber slices and onion slices

Add the salt (or divide between the two)

Fill bowl so that the cucumbers are covered with cold water (the colder the better...if needed, add some ice cubes)

Set aside for 3 hours

Wash and sterilize 5 quart jars and lids (or 10 pint jars and lids) while you are waiting

After 3 hours, drain and rinse the cucumbers/onions for 5 minutes with cold water.
Pack into the jars leaving 1" head space at the top of the jar

The pickling juice:
4 cups white vinegar
2 cups apple cider vinegar
4 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons whole black pepper corns
4-5 whole cloves
3 tablespoons roughly chopped garlic
20 chopped jalepenos (leave some seeds in for extra heat)

Combine everything in a pot, bring to a boil.

Pour hot liquid into each jar coming to 1/2" below the rim of the jar

Put lids and rings on each jar

Hot bath jars for 15 minutes in a large canner

After 15 minutes, remove from water if you have more to do, or if that is all, turn off the heat and allow to come to room temperature in the canner -- that seems to help the seals stay better sometimes.

Check your seals after the jars have cooled down to make sure they held. If they did not, either store pickles in the fridge or if it is within 24 hours, try the hot bath again.

Now the tough part...you're supposed to let the jars sit for 2 weeks before you break into them and try the pickles. My first batch...I didn't :) I waited 4 days and they tasted wonderful.

The only comment I have about this recipe is that the pickles get "tangy-ier" as they sit in the juice. I haven't figured out how to correct that yet, but other than that, I enjoyed the pickles and my parents did too.

Blessings in Christ,

I just want to feel pretty.

I feel so...blah...? With my hair pulled back all the time. Wearing long cape dresses constantly. No make up. No jewelry. I miss my "old life" sometimes. The past week has definately been one of those times.

I look at the girls who come through the restaurant where I work with their hair done, make-up on, jewlery and their pretty clothes and I wish I could wear that stuff again. I know I could...but I would not feel comfortable in it. Especially the pants. I like my skirts 98% of the time. The other 2% of the time, I do wish I had a pair of pants to just put on.

So I decided to take a "break" from my cape dresses. I am still dressing modestly, just with skirts and shirts for a little bit. I haven't started "doing" my hair...although I have been tempted.

Please tell me I am not alone in wanting to feel pretty. I feel like people judge me for wearing a cape dress and then they judge me for not wearing a cape dress. What am I to do? I am not convicted that cape dresses are the only modest clothing out there so I personally do not have a problem wearing my skirts. But I know some people will definately "have a cow" if they find out I am not wearing my cape dresses all the time...specifically the people at the church I am on-again-off-again attending.

If only I was content with how I am...that's what I pray for.

Blessings in Christ,

If they know God...

...they'll be happy.

We were in Sunday school discussing how you could tell is someone really truly knows God or is just putting on a front. Something that is extremely hard to do...determine what is in someone's heart. One girl said she didn't know that we could tell just by looking at someone, that it would be after knowing the person for a while whether you saw inconsistencies in their life between what they say and what they do. I tend to lean towards that thought. Another girl said she thought you could tell by if the person was happy, because a person who is happy truly knows God but if a person doesn't know God and the joy of God in their heart would not be happy.

Is that true? I know many people who are not Christians (unfortunately) and they appear to be extremely happy. Some people are just happy people. I also know some people who are Christians and they are not happy all the time. Does that mean that they are not true Christians? I don't think so. I think just like anyone, Christians go through the roller coaster of life, including all the emotions that everyone feels. It's just that most will rely on God when things get rough and so they don't seem to struggle as much through the difficult times in their life.

What do you think? How can you know if someone is truly a Christian and knows God or if they just claim to know Him?

Blessings in Christ,

Canning...again.

It's hard to believe that it's already August... It seems like just yesterday it was winter... With August comes the warmer temperatures...yes that's right. Where I am, August is typically the warmest month of the year. And also with August comes the start of canning.

This will only be my second year canning and in a way I'm dreading it, but also, I don't have as much to do as last year because we have a lot of green beans left from last year as well as tomatoes. We are going to be canning tomatoes again this year though because we have many-a tomato plants and my roommate wants to make her "mater mess". I call it a homemade ketchup, but she says it's not. All I know is it is not my favorite thing...she can have all that she makes! I will also be making pickles this year and getting rid of the ones that I made last year. I found a better recipe...one that I will post coming up soon. Other than the tomatoes and pickles I do not think we will have much to can and for that I am thankful.

Do you have a favorite canning recipe or even a recipe that uses the fresh fruits and vegetables that are coming up right now?

Blessings in Christ,

"Veils are fashionable"

Cory Anderson, the author of Beachyam.org, has written a book entitled "The Ornament of the Spirit". A book about different covering styles and how and why the styles changed over the years. I have not read this book yet, I hope to one day, but the lady at meal last Sunday had read it. This book started a discussion about veils being fashionable. I do not know if that was in the book or if it was her opinion, but anyway, it started a discussion about why women go away from kapps towards veils.

The lady also maintained that that reason is why veils should not be worn because pretty soon women would go away from the modest dress (meaning a cape dress) and then their veil would get smaller and smaller. This may be true for some women, but I told her I like to wear a veil because I feel it is more practical while I am cleaning and working. It is easier to wash, cheaper to make and easier to make than a kapp. Her response? That's what the women will say but really it's because it is more fashionable. Both my roommate and I pointed out to her that the Bible does not specify a shape, color or size to a woman's covering and she acknowledged that. If God had wanted us to wear a specific kind of covering, He would have inspired Paul to specify those things in scripture, but since He did not, I do not think God looks at the shape, size or color of a covering. He looks at a woman's heart.

IMHO, I do not think a veil causes a woman to trend towards anything immodest. There are plenty of churches around here that a woman will wear a cape dress all the while wearing a veil. I do not think wearing a veil changes a woman's heart, but rather a woman who wants to be more fashionable will trend towards veils. And that may be where the generalization comes from.

Blessings in Christ,

Modesty for Men

Many, many churches set rules for what is modest for a woman to wear. But how many of them set rules for what a man can wear and still be modest? Why do so many of them ignore the male modesty issue but tread so heavily on the modesty of women?

This has been something that I have yet to figure out. And one of the reasons why I have respect for the Duggar family. They emphasize modesty for not only their girls, but also their boys.

The Bible does not simply mean that a woman must dress modestly and a man can wear whatever he like, he still has to follow the modesty guidelines set forth by scripture. Isaiah 47:2-3 says 2 Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers. 3 Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.

Although we might say this scripture referrs to a woman uncovering her thigh, can we really say that if a woman's thigh would be nakedness, a man's thigh is not?

As I've mentioned in a post a while back, many of the Conservative Mennonite churches have "guidelines" which are more than guidelines for what is modest...for women. They say, a woman should wear a cape dress, with sleeves that are ____ length, colors in the following families: ____, yes or no to patterns, yes or no to ribbon, yes or no to zippers, etc at all times. The men? Should wear pants and a long sleeve shirt for church. Nothing further stated on what men should wear during the week.

I had the opportunity to chat with someone I met last summer for a few minutes yesterday when she and her husband came into the restaurant where I work today. She said those "regulations" were the main reason why she left the church I am currently attending and went to the church where they go now. As she put it, the men do not have the same regulations as the women do, you would not know a Mennonite man except for his wife. She attends a church now that simply states modest clothing, with some shoulder, a high neckline and skirts that are at least knee length. The woman must also wear a veil, but the size, color and shape are up to her and her husband. The men would dress like "English" guys you would see wearing jeans and t-shirts or polos during the week but khakis or black dress slacks and a nice shirt for church on Sunday.

Should we teach our boys that tank tops are modest? If they are not modest for girls then they are not modest for boys. Should we teach them it is okay to let their trouser's waist set at their knees and that it is modest to do so? Not if we consider it immodest for our girls to do so. Although women do not tend to fall toward physical lust as often as men may, there are still sisters who are physically attracted to men passing by.

Not only should we stress modesty for both men and women, but if we are saying the women must dress to show that they are "set-apart" from the English lifestyle, then why are the men allowed to dress like the English? If we need to dress the set-apart style it should fall on the men's shoulders as well. This is one area where I do have lots of respect for the Amish, they require set-apart dress for both men and women in their churches.

Jesus taught by example and lead by example, that should be how a Christian man should be -- leading by example. The man is to be the leader of the household, how can a leader hold the people under him to a higher standard than he holds himself to? IMHO, if we set one standard for our women, we need to uphold our men to the same standard. If elbows are not to be shown, it should be on both men and women, if ankles are not to be shown, it should go for both men and women.

Blessings in Christ,

Christian Virtues

Christian Virtues are are character qualities which are associated with salvation.

The seven character qualities mentioned in Colossians which all Christians should display include:
1. Bowels of mercy (heartfelt compassion)
2. Kindness
3. Humbleness of mind
4. Meekness
5. Long-suffering
6. Forbearing and forgiving one another
7. Charity (love)

Colossians 3:12-17
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

If I remember correctly, there are more than seven Christian Virtues listed throughout the Bible, but I could be mistaken.

In verse 12, when Paul write "Put on..." it implies that none of us have actually reached there spiritually yet. We should all strive to display these character qualities, knowing full well that it will be something that we need to continue to work on. I know I have to work on each of these. I'm not going to learn these overnight, it will take time, but I know with work and God's help, I will get to a point where I display these most of the time. Knowing that I am human, I know I will not display these all the time, but I believe in the statement "God knows my heart" as some of you may have noticed :)

Blessings in Christ,