Comfort Food

I only normally eat half but am now going to bed on a very full stomach...Disgusting to some, but a comfort to others!

Easter's Gift

A good friend of mine CR, gave me these fragrant smelling hyacinths last night..I love giving and receiving these as they are a little bit different and fill my home with a sweet perfume.

It had me thinking about how this gift of flowers was out of love, generosity and care and will remind me of the warm fellowship I had last night.

Today, being Easter Sunday, I'm reflecting on the gift of our risen Christ.  It's today that we commemorate that He has given those who believe eternal life.  This gift was preceded by Christ's death on the cross.  As my minister had said in the sermon on Easter Friday morning, Jesus's death was not without brutality....the ridicule He experienced, the torture and pain He endured, His blood that was shed...but the Bible doesn't focus on this in great detail....it focuses on why Jesus came.  

Sometimes I still think I do not quite fathom what Jesus endured.  I was sitting in church on Friday wondering what it would have been like to witness His death.  And how on earth any person could have stood there, watched and cheered anyone's death on a cross on.  We have the sweetness of his saving grace to be thankful for, but to appreciate how sweet God's grace is I think I need to truly understand the depth of Jesus sacrificing His life for me.  His gift to us was not from warm fellowship or enjoyment, but it was out of love, a depth of love that I think no one can fathom.

'But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference, for all fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.'

Romans 3:21-25

'Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.'

Romans 4:8

Thanks and praise be to God for His wonderful gift of salvation, the gift of great love for those who believe.

 

In God We Trust

I've been wanting to show you this bracelet I bought in New York a few months ago.  I was waiting for it's arrival as I had left it behind to be engraved.  The engraving style is typical of this designer hence the need to not bring it home for Mr Minit!  I know most people won't love it but I love it for a number of reasons:

• The bracelet is hand made by a designer called 'In God We Trust'.  I was told that they used this name initially because they originally made jewellery out of american coins which has 'In God We Trust' on them.  The most obvious thing to have engraved is my initials, but if you know me then this is not something I would do!  M and I thought it would be good to engrave it with the designer's branding and to remind me of the leap of faith taken to travel on my own and God's provision of the means and time to go.
• I am not good at choosing or wearing jewellery, however this piece appealed to me - something I can wear with just about anything.
• It's a good reminder for me to go back to basics (note the simplicity of the bracelet) and trust in God who will sustain me during this period of change, especially as I continue to look for a job and remember to be thankful for this time off.

Introductions...

There were two new introductions a few weekends ago - one was introducing my friends J and M to eachother, and the other was the introduction of dining at Universal (a restaurant started my Christine Manfield about 2 years ago).

They recommend 3 savoury and 1 sweet, however I think that would suit a big or male eater.  M and I were happy with our 2 savoury and 1 sweet.  I very much enjoyed the presentation and perfectly cooked:

• Shiro roasted bass grouper served, crisp pork belly, charred asparagus, shallot relish - I was partly expecting the pork belly to overpower the bass grouper (I have a rule where I don't usually order fish when I'm out but had to try it!) but the pork offset the fish beautifully.  The shallot relish was propped in little mounds on top of each of the pork belly pieces and gave a refreshing tartness to the normally heavy meat.
• Surface ripened goat's cheese, black truffle mushroom tortellini, gruyere chantilly - I was wondering what surface ripened goat's cheese was - I was overwhelmed by goat's cheese foam!  It as a little risky ordering such a rich dish and it was very cheesy but heavenly for some cheese lovers I know.
• Splice - passionfruit banana sorbet and yoghurt sorbet pyramid, coconut clouds, papaya and mango - Having had the above two dishes in that order this dessert was a lovely way to finish and refresh my palate.  The subtle beads of papaya and mango hid amongst the sorbets and coconut clouds.

The maitre'ds have recently won an award from Gourmet Traveller for their exceptional service and we were not disappointed.  When we requested the mineral water bottle that M wanted to take home but had been speedily whisked away, it was happily returned and the waiter assured us that the bottle was indeed worthy of taking home!

The atmosphere was a bit disappointing as the restaurant itself is shallow in depth and spills out onto a courtyard where a vietnamese (Phamish) and thai restaurant also reside.  But for the three of us we were still able to dress in laid back style.

I just wish I was bold enough to take pictures of each of the dishes!  I am still trying to decide whether taking pictures of my meals is acceptable or not!

Republic 2 Courtyard

Palmer Street (between Burton and Liverpool streets)

Darlinghurst NSW 2010

Ph: (+612) 9931 0709

www.universalrestaurant.com

Celebrating Easter - Passover Meal

My bible study group celebrated Easter by having a Passover dinner, in honour of the sacrifice the Lord made so that we might live.

We dined on slow cooked lamb, steamed greens, herbed potatoes, carrot tzimmes and vegetable frittata.

In Jewish tradition, they commemorate the Lord's sacrifice by preparing a Passover Seder Plate.  It consists of symbolic foods that represent different parts of the exodus from Egypt:

Maror or chazeret - Bitter herbs (we had horseradish) symbolising the bitterness and harshness of slavery which the Jews endured in Egypt.  Parsley dipped in vinegar or salted water also symbolises the bitterness of slavery.

Charoset - A sweet, brown pebbly mixture representing the mortar that the Jewish slaves used to build the storehouses of Egypt.  Of the 2 different types, we had charoset which is made of chopped nuts, grated apples, cinnamon and sweet red wine.  The choice of ingredients reflects the various foods to which Israel is favourably compared in King Solomon's Song of Songs.

Karpas - A vegetable aside from bitter herbs dipped in salted water.  We had parsley and celery.  The salted water represents the tears mirroring the pain felt by the Jewish slaves in Egypt who could only eat simple foods.

Z'roa - A roasted lamb or goat shankbone, chicken wing or chicken neck symbolising the lamb sacrificed at the temple in Jerusalem.

Beitzah - A hard boiled egg symbolising the festival sacrifice offered in the temple in Jerusalem.  

Red wine - Representing the blood from sacrifices and male circumcision.

(The above descriptions were from Wikipedia and have been shortened.)