Justice

Tim Keller does a good job giving a Biblical perspective on justice and poverty in his book "Generous Justice." Some excerpts below:

"When we come to the Old Testament social legislation, the application must be done with care and it will always be subject to debate. For example, while we have seen that the Bible demands that we share our resources with the needy, and that to fail to do so is unjust, taken as a whole the Bible does not say precisely how that redistribution should be carried out. Should it be the way political conservatives prescribe, almost exclusively through voluntary private giving? Or should it be the way that political liberals desire, through progressive taxation and redistribution by the state? Thoughtful people have and will argue about which is the most effective way to help the poor. Both sides looking for support in the Bible can find some, and yet in the end what the Bible says about social justice cannot be tied to any one political system or economic policy. If it is possible, we need to take politics out of this equation as we look deeper into the Bible's call for justice."

WHAT CAUSES POVERTY?
"One of the main reasons we cannot fit the Bible's approach into a liberal or conservative economic model is the Scripture's highly nuanced understanding of the causes of poverty. Liberal theorists believe that the "root causes" of poverty are always social forces beyond the control of the poor, such as racial prejudice, economic deprivation, joblessness, and other inequities. Conservative theorists put the blame on the breakdown of the family, the loss of character qualities such as self-control and discipline, and other habits and practices of the poor themselves.

By contrast, the causes of poverty as put forth in the Bible are remarkably balanced. The Bible gives us a matrix of causes. One factor is oppression, which includes a judicial system weighted in favor of the powerless, or loans with excessive interest, or unjustly low wages. Ultimately, however, the prophets blame the rich when extremes of wealth and poverty in society appear. As we have seen, a great deal of the Mosaic legislation was designed to keep the ordinary disparities between the wealthy and the poor from becoming aggravated and extreme...

There are other factors. One is what we could call "natural disasters." This refers to any natural circumstance that brings or keeps a person in poverty, such as famine, disabling injury, floods, or fires. It may be fair to say, also, that some people lack the ability to make wise decisions. It is not a moral failing, they are simply unable to make good choices because they lack insight.

Another cause of poverty, according to the Bible, is what we could call "personal moral failures," such as indolence, and other problems with self-discipline...

Poverty, therefore, is seen in the Bible as a very complex phenomenon. Several factors are usually intertwined. Poverty cannot be eliminated simply by personal initiative or by merely changing the tax structure. Multiple factors are usually interactively present in the life of a poor family. For example: A person raised in a racial/economic ghetto (factor #1) is likely to have poor health (factor #2) and also learn many habits that do not fit with material/social advancement (factors #2 and 3).

Any large-scale improvement in a society's level of poverty will come through a comprehensive array of public and private, spiritual, personal, and corporate measures. There are many indications that scholars are coming to have a more balanced, complex view of poverty and are breaking through the older Right-Left deadlock."

-from "Generous Justice" by Tim Keller, pages 31-35

One thing I keep running up against in dealing with the world's extreme economic disparities is that the world consists of us sinners from all socioeconomic classes. Although there are many who strive to be honest and obedient to God, Medicaid and social security disability benefits can be abused just as much as Christians have difficulty tithing to the church and giving to the poor. I think government benefits for the poor are a good idea (I don't know how else they'd live! Some people really have so many strikes against them), but I wish there was a better way to regulate them so they weren't abused. I wish us Christians would be more generous with the poor. SIGH, the consequences of living in a fallen world... it can be so frustrating sometimes.

Listening

I'm realizing that a truly good listener is a rare find. If you find one, I recommend holding on tight. To really put oneself aside and listen completely to another - to sit with them through their times of joy and suffering, and not bombard them with advice stemming from anxiety about immediately solving the situation ("everything will be okay" is easier than feeling their pain with them and empathizing) - is very tough. Yet much more helpful.

I've also found that it can be very hard to see that one's not a good listener. It is my clients' greatest gripe when people just throw advice their way...yet they also do it too, as do I. Everyone hates it, but very few do to others what they want themselves.

Ultimately I think Christ was the greatest listener/counselor - knowing when to speak and when to refrain. Such wisdom.

So if you find that good listener, I encourage you to study what they do, understand why they make you feel better, and try to give them the same gift back. I will be trying to do the same.

Fennel Icecream

I saw this recipe on Orangette and got a curious and adventurous itch to try it out. I got my chance this past weekend. Fennel? In icecream? Doesn't fennel go with pork? I was a bit scared. But trust me folks, fennel and icecream is a GOOD thing. Buttery and nutty with a bit of an exotic note. At first meeting, I fell in love. Give it a try!

From: http://orangette.blogspot.com/2010/06/its-my-duty.html

Fennel Ice Cream
Originally adapted from Gourmet, October 2007, and Holly Smith

1 2/3 cups heavy cream
2 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed
1 cup whole milk
¾ cup sugar, divided
Pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks

Combine the cream and fennel seeds in a small heavy saucepan, and bring just to a simmer. Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath.

Then combine the milk, ½ cup sugar, and a pinch of salt in a medium heavy saucepan, and bring just to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the remaining ¼ cup sugar. Add the hot milk mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the medium saucepan and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the mixture coats the back of the spoon and registers 175°F on an instant-read thermometer (Do not allow it to boil). Immediately strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl. Cool in the ice bath, stirring occasionally.

When the custard is cool, strain the fennel cream through a fine-mesh sieve into the custard, pressing on the solids. Continue to chill in the ice bath until the custard is very cold (Alternatively, cover the mixture, and chill it in the refrigerator overnight). Freeze in an ice cream maker. Transfer to an airtight container, and put in the freezer to harden, about 1 hour.

Yield: about 1 quart"

Florentine-Style Tripe

Inspired by our recent trip and a newfound love for Florence! I have been diggin' tripe lately.

Adapted from: http://www.tuscany-cooking-classes.com/recipes/trippa-fiorentina.htm

Trippa alla Fiorentina
Florentine-Style Tripe

3 pounds tripe, blanched and boiled
1 onion
1 carrot
1 stick of celery
1 oz. butter
1 spring onion
Basil leaves
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound tomatoes
Parmesan
Salt

Using only the best parts of the tripe, either the meatier part or the spongy, honeycomb part, cut it into very thin strips. Clean, wash and chop the onion, carrot and celery and put into an earthenware or metal pan with the butter. Fry well and add the oil and tripe. When golden in color, add the tomatoes, peeled and chopped very finely. Add salt and cook over a very low heat for about half an hour, until the sauce has reduced almost completely, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. The tripe may be served immediately without any garnish, or alternatively sprinkle some grated Parmesan over and brown in the oven for five minutes. Tripe is best served with boiled or puréed potatoes or, if preferred, with cannellini beans in oil.

Bindaedduk (Korean Mung Bean Pancake)

This dreary weather makes me crave comfort foods. Another one...

Adapted from Chang Sun-Young's A Korean Mother's Cooking Notes

1 cup skinned mung beans
1 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1/2 pound) beef or pork (tenderloin)

(A)
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. ginger juice
1 cup thin green onion

1/2 cup sliced onion
1/2 cup mung bean sprouts
1 cup kimchi
1 tsp. sesame oil

(B)
1 tsp. garlic
1 tsp. ginger
1 tb. sesame oil
1 tb. sesame salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

1. Wash & soak 1 cup skinned mung beans in water for about a day at room temperature, or about 2 days in the refrigerator. One cup dried mung beans will become 2 cups when well soaked.

2. Cut meat into thin strips and season with (A) ingredients.

3. Cut kimchi into thin strips and squeeze juice out (not too much though!). You should have about 1/2 cup of kimchi after squeezing. Mix with 1 tsp. sesame oil.

4. Cut green onion into 2-inch-long pieces. Slice onion into thin strips. Wash mung bean sprouts.

5. To the seasoned meat, add kimchi, green onion, onion, and season with (B) ingredients.

6. Add 1 cup water to soaked mung beans and grind in a blender to make a thick batter. Add 1/2 tsp. salt for taste. Put all of the seasoned ingredients into the batter and mix well.

7. Drop the batter by spoonfuls onto a hot oiled pan. Fry until golden brown and turn once.

Lemon Sorbet

I got this amazing icecream book from Anne and had the pleasure of trying this recipe over the weekend. Tastes extra good with a drip of rum! Perfect and fresh for the warmer weather.

From The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Makes about 1 quart

2.5 cups water
1 cup sugar
2 lemons
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 5-6 lemons)

In a medium, nonreactive saucepan, mix 1/2 cup of the water and the sugar. Grate the zest of the 2 lemons directly into the saucepan. Heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and ad the remaining 2 cups water; then chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.

Stir the lemon juice into the sugar syrup, then freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Pesto

Adapted from Molly Wizenberg's A Homemade Life book

2 cups tightly packed basil leaves, washed and dried well
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tbs. pine nuts
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano

Put basil leaves in a heavy duty Ziploc bag. Press all the air from the bag and seal. Put bag on countertop or floor and using rolling pin, pound bag until all leaves are bruised.

Put the pounded basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, salt in a blender and process until you reach a smooth creamy consistency. Stop once or twice to scrape down the blender with a rubber spatula. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the parmigiano-reggiano. Great with long noodles and vegetables and sausage but can also be eaten with toasted bread.

Pear Walnut Salad

*Note: Walnuts are replaced with dried cranberries in this version. I prefer walnuts because it gives a nice balance between the savory and sweet flavors of the salad.*

Dressing:

½ cup oil

¼ cup sugar

3 Tbsp. vinegar

¼ tsp. Salt

Salad:

10 cups of mixed greens lettuce (i.e. romaine, spinach)

1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

9 oz. crumbled blue cheese

3 pears peeled and sliced into approximately 1 inch flat squares

Directions:

1. Combine salad ingredients (walnuts can be toasted in a toaster oven).
2. Make dressing separately.
3. Mix dressing well (so the sugar is spread evenly throughout the dressing) and toss together with salad.
4. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Green Bean and Bacon Salad

Great salad during the summer. I usually leave out the shallot and parsley... but I'm sure it's better with it.

Adapted from Tyler Florence's recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/green-bean-and-bacon-salad-recipe/index.html

1 pound green beans, stems trimmed
1/4 pound thick-cut bacon, cut in 1/4-inch pieces
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/2 cup walnut halves and pieces, toasted
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1 tablespoon hot water
Pinch sugar
1 lemon, juiced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a large pot of boiling salted water, blanch the green beans for 4 minutes, or until they are just crisp-tender. Drain the beans, transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking, and drain well. Put the green beans in a mixing bowl.

In a large skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat, until crispy. Transfer the bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Add the bacon to the green beans, along with the shallot, walnuts, and parsley.

In a jar, combine the mustard, water, sugar, and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Drizzle in the oil, put the cap on, and shake vigorously to emulsify. If planning to eat the salad right away, pour the dressing over the green bean salad and serve. If taking on a picnic, put the salad in a sealable plastic container and pack the dressing separately until ready to serve.

Chocolate & Caramel Tart

The first time I had this via a friend, I could not stop thinking about it.

Adapted from: http://cookingwithrockstars.com/recipes/chocolate-caramel-tart-sea-salt

Ingredients

Chocolate cookie crust

• 2 cups crushed chocolate cookies (i.e. chocolate Teddy Grahams)
• 3/4 cup melted butter

Caramel filling

• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup water
• 2/3 cup whipping cream
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Chocolate filling

• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• 6 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Instructions

Cookie crust

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Combine the cookie crumbs and butter in a medium bowl and mix well. Press the crumb and butter mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie or tart pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Set aside and cool before filling.

Caramel filling

1. Stir the sugar and 1/3 cup water in a heavy medium saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves.
2. Increase the heat and boil until the syrup is an amber color – swirling the pan occasionally and brushing down the sides with a wet pastry brush – about 8 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Add the cream, butter, vanilla and salt (the mixture will bubble up).
4. Return the pan to very low heat; stir until the caramel is smooth and the color deepens, about 5 minutes. Refrigerate the caramel uncovered until cold but not firm – about 20 minutes – before pouring into the crust to fill it a little more than halfway.

Chocolate filling

1. Bring the cream to boil in a heavy small saucepan. Add the chocolate and whisk together until smooth.
2. Fill the rest of the pie or tart crust with the chocolate filling. In the end, you want slightly more caramel than chocolate in the tart.

Refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes.

Just before you serve the tart, sprinkle the top of it with a dusting of sea salt to taste."

My go-to Kimchi Fried Rice Recipe (Bokkeumbap)

14 meals to eat a week. I probably end up planning/cooking 9-10 of them. Going to start posting them up here to keep track and remind myself when I'm tired & hungry after work (not a good combo), and trying to scratch my brain for ideas. Sorry, I'll try to post photos once in awhile but I can't guarantee I won't gulf my food down first! First, one of my favorite comfort foods...

And trust me on the peanut butter. I tried it once and I will never go back.

Adapted from: http://koreancooking.xanga.com/396949194/item/

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups old kimchi

Approx. 1/4 cup of kimchi juice

2 cups of spam (about 1/2 can), diced

1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 tablespoon of "secret ingredient" - peanut butter

2 tablespoons of sesame oil

Approx. 3 small bowls of rice

1-2 eggs (optional)

Directions:

1. Put spam in heated pan over medium/medium high heat.
   
2. Add in olive oil.
3. When spam goes from light pink to a dark pink, add kimchi.
4. Add in peanut butter, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Mix in well with spam & kimchi.
5. Add in rice. If there isn't enough "sauce" to coat the rice, add in kimchi juice
6. Fry eggs sunny side, over-easy or well done (your choice) and place it on top of your yummy kimchi fried rice.

Adventures with Mr. Snail

Most people don't know this, but T's giftedness in the visual arts is also used to advance science. He does all kinds of complicated things with microscopes (sorta like really big cameras) and computers that I don't really understand, but look so beautiful regardless. Anyways, recently we found out that a photo he took at work was used in a PBS video (It's the first snail/slug crawling across the screen, celebrity style!) .




Or see here for the credits: http://podcast.com/episode/43480838/12879/

And then I found out another one of his photos was published here awhile ago.

Pretty cool, eh?

Dress Up

I'm convinced that we need more holidays to dress up in costumes! Had a great time being last-minute creative with some good friends this past weekend. Can you guess what we are?

1 Samuel 12:19-25

"And all the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.

And Samuel said to the people, "Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself. Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you"...

Before Hollywood, there was Fort Lee

I was so anxious whether I would like Fort Lee, but it's turning out to be for the better. Yes, the Kanghood has moved and...we have windows!!! I know, most people do. But...we have windows!! And we are so excited about...our windows! T & I can't keep from grinning over the fact that...we have windows! You have to have known our former 'hood of a basement apartment to fully appreciate this. Nothing against home #1. We were so blessed in that place and I know that was where we were meant to be in that season of our life. But we often felt squashed by the low ceilings and small windows which peered into bushes 75% of the time.


Anyways, our windows overlook houses, trees, and the magnificent...highway. But we like the pretend that the whooshing noise of cars whizzing by are actually ocean waves lapping onto a beautiful serene beach. :) Slowly and surely our new place is coming together, and we welcome visitors! And especially for film fanatics, another reason to visit (besides the wealth of good korean food, view of Manhattan, etc.):

Excerpts from this NY Times article:

"NEARLY a decade ago, two Jersey guys with a love of movies started spreading the state’s best kept secret: New Jersey (don’t laugh) was the birthplace of American cinema.
“Before Hollywood, there was Fort Lee,” said Tom Meyers, executive director of the Fort Lee Film Commission.

“When you’re looking at the entire history of movies, most people just think Hollywood,” said Jon Wilkman, who is producing “Moguls and Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood” for TCM. “But a good portion of that history is in New Jersey, and a huge part of that is Fort Lee. It was a real breeding ground for filmmakers.”

From 1910 to 1918, Fort Lee flourished because it was a quick ferry ride from New York City, and because it had everything a location scout could want: streets, woods, farms, waterfalls, fields, saloons and, most dramatically, the Palisades"...

Foodroll #1

One reason I love NYC - its wealth of delicious FOOD! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
Luzzo's Pizzeria - Bufala Pie

Motorino's - Arugula Pie

Sharaku
Di Fara's Cheese Pie

Boqueria - Skirt Steak Sandwich
(also found out they have the BEST sangria and great Spanish tapas)

Bobby's Burger Palace - ginormous burgers

Momofuku Ssam Bar - Pork Bun

Momofuku Ssam Bar - bo ssäm – whole pork butt, dozen oysters, kimchi, rice, bibb lettuce

Reilly's Sunlight

One of my & T's favorite bands who we've had the pleasure to be friends and sisters/brothers in Christ with. Some of these rockin' musicians played at our wedding, and I have a gut feeling they are going to continue to do well. And I gotta say, I LOVE the electric violins!!

Check out Reilly's new music video:


REILLY - Sunlight (HD) from Reilly on Vimeo.

Upside-down

When starting a new job, I always have some kind of expectation of what it will be like. And I'm almost always surprised by what it actually turns out to be. My current job working with disabled adults, mostly those suffering from mental health issues has surprised me in many ways, but none so much as the immense faith the majority of them have in God. Everyday I am surrounded by 200+ people who have very little materially, mentally, physically...most were born with an organic brain disorder and despised and ridiculed throughout their lives for being born different, when being different was out of their control. Most people look at them and think that they're better off. They look better, they speak better, they have better jobs and abilities. My clients aspire to such things as being a janitor, dishwasher, factory assembly person, or just even obtain a job, as that alone is a big step for them. For some, that's even too difficult for them, and they share about praying to God that he will help them remember to take showers or use a toaster oven. But as I spend more time with them, I realize that these who know so little of the world, have so much by knowing God.

My current church has been emphasizing the hope Christians have in life after death in New Jerusalem. I used to fear Heaven, imagining it as a place with gold paved roads, mansions, and tons of fluffy clouds...where we would sit around, sing hymns, and strung harps. And really, the thought of that made me scared. But as I learn about a more accurate view of Heaven, I get excited, knowing that the good we experience on Earth is only a dim foreshadowing of the greatness we will encounter in Heaven.

C.S. Lewis wrote:

"It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no 'ordinary' people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. "

It's easy to forget that I walk amongst possible gods and goddesses. But it's exciting to me that one day those Christians at the bottom of the social totem pole will live eternally alongside with the King. It truly is an upside-down kingdom.

Follow the yellow brick road

Some random thoughts:

*What do you do when you see someone wearing the same dress as you at a wedding? Duck and cover vs. wear it proud? It's gotta be one of the most embarrassing things. I guess it may be different for guys. Is it weird to wear the same tie as another guy?

*Why are some people so stingy with letting you into their lane when driving? I don't understand. I mean, I don't think you should just let everyone pass in front of you, but at least let one car in. It's not going to save you that much time to rush forward and not let that poor car whose turn signal has been on for the past 5 minutes (usually me) get in front of you. And it might just save you from an accident (sometimes it's dangerous to just stop on the road). I think if everyone would just give a little, it would make the world a happier place. Is it just simply greed that keeps people from doing this? I never knew I could have such road rage until I started driving in NJ. NJ roads are CRAZY.

*What color would you paint your walls? I'm having the toughest time choosing. When I was a kid, I thought it'd be fun to paint all my bedroom walls with glow-in-the-dark paint. I always wondered what that would've turned out like. Maybe this is the time.

I never really

I never really get nervous when meeting famous people but for some reason I did with Orangette girl Molly Wizenberg. I had NO IDEA what to say (uhh...I really like your writing....ummm yeah. *blank stare*). Argh, why??