Rings on the right.............

Why in the Orthodox tradition do we wear the wedding ring on the right hand?

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Why in the Orthodox tradition do we wear the wedding ring on the right hand? (Feb. ’02)

It has always been the tradition of the Church to place the wedding ring on the right hand of the couple based on biblical references. This is seen very clearly in one of the prayers in the Betrothal Service, but we don’t hear it in the Antiochian Archdiocese because of the abbreviated service that we use. A portion of the prayer refers to the biblical references: “For You, O Lord, have declared that a pledge is to be given and held inviolate in all things. By a ring Joseph was given might in Egypt; by a ring Daniel was exalted in Babylon; by a ring our heavenly Father showed compassion upon His prodigal son, for He said, ‘Put a ring upon his right hand, kill the fatted calf, and let us eat and rejoice.’ Your own right hand, O Lord, armed Moses in the Red Sea. By word of Your truth were the Heavens established and the earth set upon her sure foundations; and the right hands of Your servants shall be blessed by Your mighty word, and by Your uplifted arm.” As we see, it was scripturally the practice to wear rings on the right hand, the hand of authority and power completing the pledge of commitment. The power and authority comes from the right hand of God.
The practice of wearing rings on the left hand is rooted in superstition that says that there is a vein that goes from the left hand directly to the heart. This medieval superstition, like many others, was brought to America from Western Europe no doubt. Unfortunately, too many people today just follow what the majority in society do without truly understanding its meaning. Hopefully, with education and faith we will maintain the richness and meaningfulness of the Orthodox faith.

I'm gettin married in the morning..........

Today we had our marriage blessed in the Greek tradition. Lovely ceremony and great company. Last minute koumbaro change due to the flooding up north. We are now "officially" Greek (-ish). Thanks to Dora and Paul Bitsos for stepping up for us.

Binding the hands

Placing the crowns

Just like the first time

Making Sauce and Rub

 I came home from work after I picked up feather bones at the market. The kitchen was surprisingly clean after the final wall sanding.

I started making some of my favorite rub and the sauce for the ribs on Monday. This sauce is great because it is made with stuff you probably have in the pantry already.

Barbecue Sauce from Cook's Illustrated

1 medium onion peeled and quartered
1 cup ketchup
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
2 T cider vinegar
2 T Worcestershire sauce
5 T molasses
1 t Tabasco
1/4 t black pepper
1 1/2 T liquid smoke
2 T oil
1 t minced garlic
1 t chili powder
1/4 t cayenne

Puree the onion with 1/4 c. water. Strain the juice into the sauce pan and add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for 30 minutes.   Like it hot? I add a few pureed chilis in adobo but take care. It can get atomic if you add too much!

Barbecue Rub

2 1/2 T brown sugar
2T paprika
2T dry mustard
2 t garlic powder
2 t onion powder
1 1/2 t basil

1 t ground bay leaf

3/4 t coriander, savory, thyme, black pepper, white pepper
1/8 t cumin
1/4 c salt

Mix and store in a air tight jar.

A Pizza Night

A bit of shopping for grocery sales and then home to make pizza from the crust I baked last night. It had been in the fridge and kept rising so I made into crusts to put toppings on tonight. Hamburger, mushrooms and crispy,  rustic goodness. The kitchen is still a mess and maybe 2 weeks out but it's coming along.

Below some of the harvest from the Farmer's Market and a trip to Trader Joe's. Fennel, sweet peppers, portabellas, brussel sprouts and swiss chard.

Corn Cakes and tomato salsa

Odd but tasy little meatless meal. We served it up with a bit of sour cream and guacamole since I had no fresh avocados. Kinda yummy. I would eat this again.

Summer Corn Cakes with Chopped Tomato and Avocado Salsa

Adapted from “Sara Foster’s Southern Kitchen”
Makes about 12 large cakes; serves 6 to 8

• 3 ears corn, shucked
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal (If you can only find cornmeal mix, skip the baking powder.)
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons well-shaken buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• Canola oil, for frying
• Chopped Tomato and Avocado Salsa (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a brown paper bag.
2. Cut the corn from the cobs into a large bowl, and scrape the stripped cobs with the back of the knife (or a spoon) to release the juices into the bowl.
3. Place 2 cups of the corn kernels into a food processor, and pulse several times, until the corn is slightly pureed but still chunky. Scrape into the bowl with the remaining corn kernels.
4. Add flour, cornmeal, onion, basil, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper to the corn. Stir to mix.
5. Add the eggs, buttermilk and butter, and stir just to combine. (Do not overmix.)
6. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add just enough canola oil to barely cover the bottom, and heat until sizzling hot.
7. One heaping tablespoon at a time, scoop the batter into the skillet. Cooking in batches of 4 to 5 to avoid overcrowding, fry the cakes 1 to 2 minutes per side, until golden brown.
8. Drain on the lined baking sheet, and place in the oven to keep warm while cooking the remaining corn cakes. Serve warm topped with a heap of Chopped Tomato and Avocado Salsa.

Chopped Tomato and Avocado Salsa

Makes about 2 cups

• 1 large tomato, cored and chopped
• 1 scallion, trimmed and minced
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded and diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced

1. Place all of the ingredients (except the avocado) in a bowl, and stir to mix. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve, for up to 2 days.
2. Just before serving, add the avocado, and mix gently.

This was posted by http://www.ezrapoundcake.com/

Memorial Day pre planning

Well....if you haven't heard it's our 30th anniversary on Monday. I am already thinking of great things to grill for the weekend. We are all set for the festivities on Saturday with reservations at M's Pub for dinner and Sunday we are having a marriage blessing with family at the church. But Monday? What to do? Thank the Lord the grocery ads came out today filled with Memorial Day goodies. Ribs an feather bones are on sale so they take center stage. Looking for new ways to cook them but baby backs get rubbed and grilled directly. I like 'em a bit chewy. The feather bones will get grilled then soaked in sauce for a few hours. Perhaps a lamb breast for a treat? 

Veggies will be whatever the Farmer's Market has to offer this weekend. Too soon for corn and we can't eat that much on our low carb diet anyway. Fresh mozzarella and tomatoes is always good and perhaps a red potato salad.  Sounds like a plan to me. Gotta get started on that rub now......

A Pre Summer's Evening

Tonight was just so nice so we went to happy hour at Ryan's Bistro. Pretty  much the same as last year. A few favoritie items missing from the menu and what was there was not up to par. Not sure what the issue was. An off night perhaps?

The service is great as always but I am hoping things haven't changed.

Kabobs redux...

They were just so tasty and every time I look at the photo I posted it makes me hungry so I am making kabobs again. This time, besides the pork I have some beef also. They have all been happily marinating overnight. A different flavor for each.

Found some baby sweet peppers and we have chard, bok choy and sprouts on hand. Now to make Ann Burrell's Spring onion with Fennel and Swiss chard for a side. The sprouts and bok choy will have an Asian appeal with a spritz of sesame oil in the saute.

Braised Spring Onions, Fennel and Swiss Chard

Recipe courtesy Anne Burrell

Prep Time:

10 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

15 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 servings

Ingredients

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 small spring onions, julienned
• 2 small fennel bulbs, thinly sliced on a mandoline
• 1 bunch white Swiss chard, stems cut into 1/2-inch lengths, leaves cut into 1-inch lengths, leaves and stems reserved separately
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 Meyer lemon, zested on a microplane and juiced, zest and juice reserved separately

Directions

Coat a large saute pan with olive oil. Toss in the smashed garlic and crushed red pepper and bring the pan to a medium heat. When the garlic becomes golden brown and very aromatic, remove it from the pan and discard it. It has fulfilled its garlic destiny. Add the onions, fennel and Swiss chard stems, stir to coat with the oil and season with salt, to taste. Stir in the white wine and the lemon zest and juice. Cover and cook over medium heat until the veggies have become soft and wilted but still maintain some texture, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the lid and cook until most of the liquid has reduced, another 3 to 4 minutes. Toss in the Swiss chard leaves, stir to combine and season with salt, to taste. When the leaves have wilted but still look vibrantly green, taste for seasoning. Reseason if needed (it probably will). Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.

It's spring greens!

Steak Sandwiches and The Adjustment Bureau

Ben and I went to the movies again tonight to see the Adjustment Bureau. Afterwards we stopped at No Frills and picked up a beef roast to slice into cheesesteaks and a jar of ........cheese whiz. (I had mine on a low carb pita)  I'm from Philly...don't judge. Thin slices of steak with carmelized onions and soft rolls.

The movie kinda surprised me by being just a bit religious-y but not specific to Christians or any faith but definitely faithful.Odd sort of love story and not what either of us expected. Nice film though.

Fish Tacos

Tonight is our meatless night and we have some company...Brenda's folks. So I made these tacos from one of my links. The first time we made them they were just so good..had to have 'em again.

Recipe and pic from bakedbree.com

1 bunch cilantro
juice from 5 limes
1/3 cup olive oil, plus 2 Tablespoons for cooking
1 small white onion
2 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno
1/2 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 Tablespoon paprika
salt
pepper
2 pounds halibut  I used mahi and tilapia
1/2 cup white wine

to serve:
corn tortillas
salsa
avocado
crema or sour cream
cotija cheese (I used Monterey Jack)
limes
cilantro

Process the first ingredients in the food chopper. Set aside.

Cut the fish up to cubes and sautee in olive oil till golden. Pour in the 1/2 cup of wine and let evaporate then add the sauce till heat thru. I heated the tortillas in a hot skillet till they bubbled and got a bit brown then piled on the toppings....so good.