Chicken Alfredo, Fettuccine Alfredo, Alfredo ala Anything. Even the names make the dish seem exotic and difficult to create. The truth is, the hardest thing about Fettuccine Alfredo is the sauce. Maybe I’m missing something and maybe my alfredo sauce is “a peasant’s version,” but it tastes great. (Or so others say.) And it is not difficult to make.

          The key (I think) is in using butter, olive oil and whole milk, but I’m not sure. I just know it works.

Fettuccine Alfredo

          Fettuccine

• Approximately 3 quarts of water
• 1 Tablespoon oil or butter
• 1 pound fettuccine

1. Bring water, with oil or butter, to boil
2. Add fettuccine.
3. Stir occasionally to keep the noodles from clumping together.
4. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until fork-tender. (This means you can easily cut it against the side of the pan with a fork.)
5. Drain well.
6. If you are not putting them into the alfredo sauce immediately, rinse the fettuccine. If left sitting hot and unrinsed, they will clump together. It is best to rinse them in cold water, then in hot to reheat them. Instead of rinsing, you can toss them with 1-2 Tablespoons of melted butter.

          Alfredo Sauce
enough for 1 pound of fettuccine

• ½ stick (¼ cup) butter
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup milk
• ¾ cup Parmesan cheese

1. Melt butter with oil over low to medium heat. Don’t let it burn, but do let it heat thoroughly before adding milk.
2. Add milk and heat through. Do not bring to full boil, but do allow to simmer.
3. Add the Parmesan cheese. Stir well and heat thoroughly. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Stir often.
4. Remove from heat. As the sauce cools, it will thicken. If it does not thicken enough, just return it to the heat and add Parmesan cheese, a Tablespoon at a time.
5. At this point, I mix the pasta with the sauce and serve the chicken and/or vegetables either separately or arranged on top of the pasta.
• Many people prefer to mix the chicken and/or vegetables in the sauce and serve over plain noodles. If you do that, be sure to rinse the noodle and/or toss them with a small amount of butter. This will remove the starch and keep them from clumping together.

What to serve with Fettuccine Alfredo

          Fettuccine Alfredo can be served with anything, but it’s most often seen with chicken and sometimes with vegetables, such as broccoli or green beans or asparagus. I usually steam or stir-fry these items and mix them with the noodles and sauce. As I said before, you can serve them separately if you prefer.

          To stir-fry the meat and vegetables, just add a Tablespoon oil to a wok or frying pan. Heat over medium-high heat. Add meat. Stir constantly to keep from burning. When meat is done, remove from heat. Repeat the process, adding more oil if needed, with the vegetables. When the vegetables are cooked, add the meat to the pan and mix to reheat.

          “My oil just burst into flame! What do I do? Help! What do I do?”

          The first time a kitchen fire occurs can be terrifying. Actually, anytime it happens is scary, but the panic level escalates in proportion to the experience level.

          I’ve heard it said that mentally rehearsing an event three times gives the same benefit as experiencing it once. I’d like to tell you a story in the hopes this is true. Perhaps safely reliving my experience a few times will prepare you to handle similar experiences. If they happen. Which I hope they don’t.

          I put about a half inch of oil in a pan, lit the burner and put on the lid. I’ve done this a thousand times before. I’m not sure what was different about this time, but something made the pan burst into flame. The loose-fitting glass lid, with it’s steam vent hole was not air-tight enough to smother the fire, so the flames licked up and around the lid, reaching for the wall and cabinets.

          Would your first reaction be to throw water on that fire? Don’t! Please don’t ever throw water onto a grease fire. It will only make it worse. A lot worse. You must smother a grease fire. A fire extinguisher is preferred, bu they are not always available. (I keep a small one in my kitchen at home, but I’m renting in China now. There is no extinguisher in this house.)

          I knew the only way to put it was to smother it, so I ran to find a towel, preferably one I didn’t mind loosing if irreparably damaged. (Yes, I was still thinking that coherently.) I found one and rushed back to the kitchen to throw it over the fire. At first it looked like that would put it out, but then the flames started licking at the edges of the towel. (Panic danced through my mind, but I forced myself to ignore it.) I pulled the towel away from the flame, praying it didn’t catch fire. The towel was safe, but the fire still blazed in the pot, stretching fiery fingers up the wall. (I’m so glad the walls in this kitchen are tile-covered cement!) I tried again to cover the fire with the towel. Again, the flames sought a way around the edges. Again, I pulled away just before the towel could ignite. I did this about 4 times, with Panic screaming more insistently each time. Finally, I noticed the flames getting smaller. (And glared Panic down with that fact.) Another two towel smothers and the fire died. Whew!

          Now I could put on the vent fan and try to get rid of the smoke. (Goodness! The smoke! It filled the kitchen, laundry room and living room from ceiling to shoulders!) I’d almost turned on the vent fan while still fighting the fire. Just as I reached for it, though, I realized it would only create a draft and feed the fire. (Obviously that was before my attention was consumed with ignoring Panic.)

          If only I’d had enough presence of mind to shut the door to the kitchen. While not an air-tight seal, perhaps it would have kept most of the smoke in the kitchen and laundry room. Then again, maybe that would have been worse. I would inhaled more harmful smoke. As it was, with the smoke rising to the ceiling, I had mostly clear air to breathe while I fought the fire. Once the fire (and Panic) was driven away, my presence of mind returned and I fetched a wet hand towel to breathe through while I tackled the smoke. (A thank you nod to a favorite TV show for that tidbit of knowledge. And goodbye to any lingering guilt for wasting time watching it. )

          My stove vent fan is pretty powerful. It had the kitchen and laundry room clear of smoke long before open windows and fans cleared the rest of the house. Now off to clean up the mess. Thankfully, the walls beside the stove are tile. The smoke didn’t damage the other walls.

          I tell you this story because I realize many of my readers would have no idea how to handle a kitchen fire. I want my experience to give you the knowledge you need if you ever have to put out a kitchen fire.

          First, most important rule: NEVER, EVER, EVER throw water onto a grease/oil fire. The water will sink beneath the oil, begin to boil and create an explosion of hot oil and water. Remember: NO WATER on a kitchen fire. You must smother the fire.

          Second: Wrap a wet towel around your nose and mouth so the smoke is filtered out of the air you breathe. This will minimize, or eliminate, any harmful effects of inhaling the smoke-filled air. (And, since smoke rises, stay under the cloud of smoke as much as possible.)

          Third: Don’t panic. Panic removes your ability to think rationally. Use the adrenaline (energy) rush of panic to handle the emergency, but do not give into the emotion.

          I hope you never need this knowledge. I just as fervently hope that if you do, you remember this blog and are able to use this knowledge to kick Panic’s butt as you handle the emergency.

          Now, go read through this two more times to solidify it in your memory.

          My Chicken Noodle Soup recipe, while easy to make, needs a little more explanation. While it is extremely easy to throw together cooked chicken, chicken broth and noodles, coming up with the chicken and chicken broth is a bit harder. This is the part that scares people into thinking it is too hard. The truth is, it is not hard. You just have to know what you are doing. So let’s learn what is actually involved in cooking chicken and making chicken broth.

          The most efficient way to get chicken and chicken broth is to roast a chicken and make the broth from the drippings and carcass. It’s also the most time intensive. You have to know you want to make Chicken Noodle Soup a day or two in advance so you can roast a chicken, remove the meat and use the carcass and drippings to make the broth. This is great if you are a planner or if you have learned to make broth each time you roast a chicken and so have some in the freezer. But you probably wouldn’t be reading this how-to blog if that were the case.

Chicken Broth

          Chicken broth is made from the juices that come from cooking chicken. That’s all it is. Strained chicken flavored water. It is easily made just by boiling a piece of chicken with some vegetables, such as onions and carrots and seasonings, then straining the liquid through cheesecloth to remove all the particles. From there, you can use it for any recipe requiring water or broth, such as chicken noodle soup.

          Of course, it takes some experimentation and adjustments to get really flavorful broth, but that is all part of the learning process, which I can only teach to a certain point. If you are interested, here’s a wonderfully detailed explanation of how to make flavorful chicken broth from a roasted chicken carcass.

          It is often easiest, though, to buy chicken bouillon or canned chicken broth. With just a twist of a lid and some water, you have all the broth you need with none of the mess. And it’s a little easier to get consistent flavor. (A little salty for my taste, but consistent.) Chicken broth can be purchased in cans or in concentrated forms of cubes, granules, or paste, all of which you reconstitute in water. I prefer the granules (they dissolve easier and taste better) or the cans (the easy-factor). Chicken broth and bouillon, also called chicken starter, can usually be found near the canned soup.

Chicken

          There are a couple of options for obtaining cooked chicken meat. As mentioned before, meat from a previous meal, such as roasted chicken, can be used. This is actually a great way to use up any leftover chicken. I regularly debone leftover chicken and put it in the freezer. Cooked chicken is the backbone of many of my easy throw-together meals.

          Another option is to buy boneless chicken breast meat, cut it up and stir-fry it. This leaves you no broth, but the chicken has more flavor. It is also the quickest way to cook chicken. The downside is that boneless chicken meat is more expensive.

Making Soup

          The easiest and fastest way to make Chicken Noodle Soup is to stir-fry or otherwise cook boneless chicken meat and add it and any vegetables desired to a broth made from canned chicken broth or bouillon.

          If you prefer to make the broth, probably the easiest and fastest way is to boil chicken pieces along with some onions, garlic, celery and carrots. Add some seasonings, such as parsley or chives. Boil this until the meat is done and the vegetables are soft. Cooking the meat this way will leach much of the flavor from the chicken, but if you are going to use this water for your broth, you’ll get the flavor in the soup.

          When the meat is cooked (about 15-20 minutes), take the meat from the pot. When cool, remove the meat from the bones. Strain the resulting broth through cheesecloth and a colander/sieve. Discard the bones and the vegetables. (If you are especially frugal, you may want to use the vegetables in your soup. I’ve found, though, that the boiling leaches all the flavor from the vegetables. I prefer to add fresh vegetables to my soup.)

Closing notes

          Both chicken broth and cooked chicken are easily stored in the freezer. I often have a pound or so of cooked chicken and some chicken broth on hand. I also keep canned broth and bouillon cubes or granules (my preference) on hand for those times my freezer is empty.

          I hope I’ve shown you that cooking chicken meat and broth can be quick and easy. As with most everything, store-bought is often easiest. Sometimes it’s also the most cost effective. Sometimes not. You have to decide what’s best for you. Usually, I’m in the “homemade’s best unless I’m in a hurry” camp. Most often I end up with a mixture of store-bought and homemade.

          Happy New Year!

          No, I’m not a month late. It really is the new year. Chinese New Year, that is.

          This is the first Chinese New Year I’ve experienced. It’s sort of a lonely time for a foreigner, but an interesting one. All the Chinese have gone to visit family and all the shops and restaurants are closed. Crowds and traffic, which were at all-time highs the past two weeks have dwindled to almost nothing. I’d think the city was deserted if it wasn’t for the continuous fireworks and firecrackers.

          Chinese New Year is the major holiday of the year. Very much like our Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, it is a time to reconnect with loved ones, share large meals and give gifts of money and good wishes to the younger members of the family. Like the January 1st New Year, the Chinese New Year is a time to look back and to look forward, with an emphasis on the new year. Schools end a semester before the holiday and begin another after. Families visit older members during this time as well as tending to the graves of passed loved ones. Various traditions are observed to increase good luck and prosperity.

          One such tradition (which this housework-hater loves) says all brooms must be put away and not used on New Year’s Day lest the good fortune of the year be swept out. After the 1st day, the dirt and dust may be swept inward, away from the front door, and left in a corner. It should not be removed until after the 5th day and should never be swept out the front door, but only carried out the back. I’m not sure how I’m going to accomplish that last. We only have one door.

          Here are a few sites to explore if you are interested in learning more about Chinese New Year.

          http://www.guy-sports.com/humor/christmas/chinese_new_year2011.htm

          http://education2.uvic.ca/Faculty/mroth/438/CHINA/chinese_new_year.html

          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year

          So . . . Happy New Year!

          What does your new year hold? My 2010 included a lot of changes, which will continue into the new year.

          I’m also making plans, sometimes called resolutions. But not the typical resolutions. Not the resolutions that are forgotten by February. At least that’s my plan.

          This blog is my feeble attempt to share with anyone who will listen the glorious truth of a life lived for, with and through my wondrous Lord. Feeble because there are so many things I want to share, so much I want to say. I write, but my attempted posts become too long, too serious, too full. Or I swing back the other way and they become too trivial. So I don’t post anything. And this blog sits empty. Doing little except reveal my failure to be consistent.

          It’s time for that to change. I will post something to this blog at least twice a week.

          I’m still floundering, trying to decide exactly what to write. Do I write about my writing? Or my hobbies? (Which ones?) Or homeschooling? Or being a wife and mom? Or what? I have many interests, many thoughts . . . and many doubts. (Who really wants to hear what I have to say? Anyone?)

          Even so, I will post something at least twice each week. I will do that for the next two months. In February, my domain name is due to be renewed. If I have not posted to this blog on a regular basis by mid-February, I think it wise to let the domain expire. Whatever happens, whether renewed and regular blog postings or termination of a useless and unused blog, this year will be a year of following my wondrous Lord wherever He leads.

          Won’t you join me?

          Life has changed drastically! The Lord does that fairly often. At least in my life. While there are some with a higher level of uncertainty in their lives, I’ve had more than my share of “We’re moving in x-weeks” experiences.

          This time I had 13 days to pack and prepare for a trans-Atlantic move! Talk about stress inducers and the potential for a lot of bad, or at least not-so-good. I could have spent so much time dwelling on the negatives of this trip. The hurrying to pack and forgetting things I wanted to take; leaving my children, grown though they may be, to go live on the other side of the world for who knows how long; missing my deployed son returning to the States by 1 day (!); long travel times and waits in airports and train stations surrounded by a strange culture with no knowledge of the language; forced to find and outfit an apartment in said strange culture with limited money; thrown into a full-time teaching job with little knowledge of what to expect; etc, etc, etc. I could have dwelt on any or all of those negatives and been miserable.

          Had I done that, though, I would have missed out on so much my Lord did and is still doing. Instead, I trusted that this was His plan and I went forward in faith. After decades of living as His child, I know

“. . .that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

          Instead of focusing on the negatives, I intentionally made note of the positives.

          Fortunately, I did not have to pack up a house. Those staying in our house while we are overseas will benefit from my household supplies, furniture, books and whatnot. I did have to pack up all of my clothes and personal effects. Some (very little) came with me, some went into storage, but much was given away. No reason to hoard what I won’t be using and won’t need when I return. (Which could be years from now.)

          Both my husband and myself have full-time jobs in a time when many don’t. A true blessing after two years of odd-jobs and depleted savings accounts. (Although those two years were a true trust experience in their own right, with the Lord providing so much more in many miraculous and “coincidental” ways.) We are teaching English as a Foreign Language in a training center in China. In a country whose schools have 50-100 students in each class, teaching in a center which limits class size to 10 is a joy. As is being surrounded by students who want to learn instead of those forced to attend.

          Another, more relevant to this blog, bad that could become a good is my unreliable Internet service. Upon arrival here, I learned that many sites, like Facebook and YouTube, are permanently blocked. Others, like Wikipedia, are periodically blocked and even when not blocked, service is often unreliable. I’m rarely able to access this site. Which is why I haven’t updated it in so long. (And here you thought it was just because of my usual procrastination issues. )

          While on the surface, this seems to be a bad thing, there is potential to transform it into good. I just may be propelled out of my typical procrastination and into efficiency. Since I never know when, or for how long, I will be able to access this site, I’ll have to plan my uploads efficiently. That means writing blog posts and having them ready to upload. And that is just what I will do.

          I’m writing posts as often as possible (my new environment is giving me a lot of material to talk about!). When I am able, I will upload as many posts into the scheduler as possible before service is disrupted. It may occasionally sound as if something was written months before it is posted. It probably will be. But this inconvenience is, in fact, a golden opportunity to make this blog more consistent. I plan to live in the opportunity.

          How has the Lord changed bad into good in your life? How are you participating in that?

          Nine years ago today, America experienced a tragedy. Lives were forever changed. No matter what your opinion of current events, that fact has not changed. I want to honor them today, not add more furor to today’s controversial topics.

          I will pray. I will lift up to my loving Father those survivors of the 9-11 attack who lost dear ones. I pray they have rebuilt their lives, finding joy and comfort in both future joys and past memories. I pray that as they traversed through that difficult passage to the other side of grief, they have lived a lasting legacy of hope to all those around them. For those still caught in those debilitating tentacles of grief and depression, I pray for comfort. And for the rest of us, I pray we never forget the people, even as we wrestle with the issues.

This is part of an ongoing series that establishes the foundation of my faith. It may seem a little academic to some, too light for others. I have endeavored to strike a balance in order to provide clear reasons and support for each belief. The bottom line of my faith is that I believe the Bible has a message from God, the Creator of all life. That message is one of truth and love, justice and forgiveness and above all, an invitation to abundant life.

Adam was created perfect, without sin or any fault; He chose to rebel against God.

Because we are descended from Adam, we bear his guilt, propensity to sin and condemnation.

          This is probably one of the most significant premises in my belief system. Everything else radiates from this one truth. Instead of believing we are all inherently good, I believe what the Bible teaches, that we have an inclination to do evil. Because of the rebellious choices made by the first man and woman (see Genesis 3), all their offspring have that same propensity toward rebellion, violence and cruelty. In theological terms it is called a sin nature. In practical terms, it means that every one of us is capable of great depravity.

          Before Eve and Adam chose to disregard God’s instruction, life was idyllic. There was no death, no destruction, no unhappiness. With that one act of disobedience and rebellion, they condemned all of mankind to a battle with a dark nature. Only divine intervention could negate the consequences of their choice.

……………………..Supporting Scripture……………………….

• Genesis chapters 2 and 3.
• Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned. (Romans 5:12 NIV)
• We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. (Romans 8:22 NIV)
• Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin”? (Proverbs 20:9 NIV)
• for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23 NIV)
• For the wages of sin is death, (Romans 6:23a NIV)
• As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10 NIV)
• Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come. (Romans 5:14 NIV)

This is part of an ongoing series that establishes the foundation of my faith. It may seem a little academic to some, too light for others. I have endeavored to strike a balance in order to provide clear reasons and support for each belief. The bottom line of my faith is that I believe the Bible has a message from God, the Creator of all life. That message is one of truth and love, justice and forgiveness and above all, an invitation to abundant life.

The Bible is the infallible, powerful word of God

The internal, external and bibliographic tests (referred to in a previous post) verify that the Bible is a substantially accurate rendering of the original documents. As the internal and external tests demonstrate, it is reasonable to believe the historical accounts the Bible details are true. It takes no leap of faith to do that. The Bible has more historical proofs than any of the other ancient writings we accept as fact.

That authenticity does not verify it is God’s Word, though. The internal assertions and prophecies, when evaluated, make an almost irrefutable argument for the existence of God, or at least someone with an extensive knowledge of the entire span of time, past and future and the ability to interact with people on any point of that time-span. It does not, however, present an irrefutable argument that God inspired this book, that God communicates through it with whoever will read it. That takes faith. A choice to believe what is written in it is true.

I have so chosen. I choose to believe the Bible is a letter, if you will, written by God to His creation. My reasons for so choosing include its many assertions that it is the Word of God, its track-record of fulfilled prophecies, the miraculous way it has been preserved over the centuries (as though He is protecting and safeguarding that letter, ensuring it will be available to future generations), the wealth of practical wisdom I find in it and the seemingly supernatural help it gives through the joys and tragedies of my own life. I read what is written in the Bible, the stories, the warnings, the teachings and I find Him. I discover His truths, most particularly the truth that He wants me, and everyone else, to believe Him. I discover when I do believe Him, He gives me even more understanding, which compels me to read more, learn more, experience more. Ultimately, though, I believe the Bible is the Word of God because I choose to believe the Bible is the Word of God. .

I’m not going to try to convince you, though. I am not capable of convincing anyone to believe. That is an issue between you and God. I do know that if you look for Him, if you truly seek to know and understand Him and His Word, He will reveal Himself. Then it is your choice to believe. Or not.

Throughout this statement of faith, I give Scripture to back up what I say because that is the highest “proof” I have. I believe what I say is true because God said it. If God said it, it is true. That is my faith. Of course it is always possible I’m not understanding what He’s saying at times. That almost goes without saying. After all, I’m not God. I’m certainly prone to misunderstanding and deceiving myself. But, again, Scripture is full of encouragement and explanation. If I am misunderstanding what He is saying, and if I continue reading and studying His Word, I will come to a clearer, more accurate understanding in time.

So, for me at least, the foundation of all truth rests on the Bible. The Bible, in my mind, is the foundation of truth, the well-spring from which all understanding, discovery and exploration must grow. It is the standard to which to compare my thoughts, desires and plans. It is the infrastructure of my entire life. That belief, that assumption will permeate everything I write. It is inevitable.

……………………..Supporting Scripture……………………….

• but the word of the Lord stands forever.” (1 Peter 1:25a)
• Every word of God is flawless. (Proverbs 30:5a)
• For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
• As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. (2 Samuel 22:31a)
• For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. (Psalms 33:4)

This is part of an ongoing series that establishes the foundation of my faith. It may seem a little academic to some, too light for others. I have endeavored to strike a balance in order to provide clear reasons and support for each belief. The bottom line of my faith is that I believe the Bible has a message from God, the Creator of all life. That message is one of truth and love, justice and forgiveness and above all, an invitation to abundant life.

I believe the Bible

          The first, most basic foundation of my belief system is that I accept the Bible as true. I have chosen to believe the Bible is the Word of God. I could use the traditional hot-button words like inerrant, infallible, Word of God and more. That isn’t my style, though. While I like and use precise “dictionary” words, I really prefer talking in a way that others easily understand. The bottom line is that I believe God inspired every word, every truth written in the Bible and then protected that Word throughout the centuries so that what we have now is substantially the same as what He originally inspired. Any differences are minor and inconsequential to the main message contained in the Bible.

          Granted, on one level that belief is faith, something that each person must choose in their own heart and mind. It is not a faith without a basis, though. The fact that the book we have today called the Bible is substantially the same as what was available thousands of years ago is well-documented historically. In fact, the Bible is the most thoroughly documented historical document in existence today.

          Historians use several criterion to evaluate the authenticity of historical documents. Those documents are subjected to internal, external and bibliographic tests by archeologists, historians and other scholars. The Bible has undergone those tests. There are no conclusive internal contradictions; the external data available corroborates, or at the very least, does not contradict the Bible, and the Bible passes the bibliographic test (the amount of ancient copies that can be compared and the length of years before the first copy was made) better than any other historical work of its time.

          Instead of duplicating work already done in numerous places on the Web, I’ll send you to a few websites which do an excellent job presenting informative explanations and examples of these tests. I’m sure you can find even more by googling “Bible authenticity,” or “bibligraphic tests Bible,” or some such phrase.

Know Truth

Grace Bible Church

Christian Research Institute

Apologia