Our speaker, Jenn Esbenshade, gave us a lot to think about concerning how we can connect our eating to our faith. Jenn spent 3 years in Guatemala with her husband while serving with Mennonite Central Committee. She was able to share first hand experiences from their time there. In the US, we are fortunate enough not to know the fear of not having our own land or the inconvenience of purchasing food. Many people in the world do not have sufficient land to grow or income to purchase enough food.
We were challenged to think about fasting more and feasting less. Fasting may not mean giving up all food, but rather not feasting every day and using that time to honor the Lord (Isaiah 58:3-11) See photos below the recipes about food consumption around the world. Reference: Micah 4:1-5
VIDEOS: Jenn Esbenshade showed us all how to easily make our own yogurt and ricotta cheese. The following is a video of Jenn demonstrating the ease of making home-made yogurt. There is also a video showing how to make your own ricotta cheese.
Plain Yogurt
3 3/4 cups milk
2 Tbsp. yogurt (with live culture)
Warm milk until bubbles just begin to form. Let milk cool until around 115-120 degrees. Put yogurt in bottom of glass quart jar. Pour milk on top and stir. Place jar in oven with light n for 4-8 hours until yogurt has set (check often since weather/temperature affects it). (This also works with buttermilk)
Variations: Vanilla: Add 2 Tbsp. sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla to jar along with yogurt. Fruit: Once yogurt has set, stir in 1 cup pureed fruit.
Great to add to your yogurt:
Granola
1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. salt
4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup ground flax
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Combine liquid ingredients then stir in dry. Place on baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 2 hours. Stir midway.
Variations: Warm 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup water to liquefy sugar. Continue as directed. You may also replace germ, bran, and flax with 1 more cup oats.
YouTube Video on Making Ricotta Cheese:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRvdJKcHaMc
Ricotta Cheese Ingredients
1/2 gallon milk (or 2 quarts whole milk and 1 cup heavy cream)
3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice or white vinegar
Salt
Other Great Recipes:
Easy Pudding
3 Tbsp. Cornstarch
3 Tbsp. Sugar
2 Tbsp. Baking Cocoa
2 cups Milk
Mix dry ingredients in a sauce pan. Pour in milk and whisk. Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens. Whisk constantly. Pour into bowl and push saran wrap down directly onto pudding to prevent a "skin" from developing on top. Cool.
5 Minute Popcorn
1 Tbsp. Oil
1/2 cup Popcorn kernels
Place in large pot. Cover with tight-fitting lid. Cook on medium high. Shake occasionally. Once kernels start to pop, shake constantly until popping stops.
For Kettle Corn: add 2-3 Tbsp. sugar and 1/2 Tbsp salt to popped popcorn. Cook on low, stirring constantly until sugar melts (about 1 minute).
WHAT DOES HUNGER LOOK LIKE?
* 35.5 million people (including 12.6 million children) experience hunger or the risk of hunger in the US.
* 4% of U.S. households experience hunger. Some families skip meals, eat too little, or go a whole day without food.
* 1 out of every 8 households in the United States has reduced the quality of its diet to utilize money elsewhere (rent, clothing, day care).
* 6.9 % of U.S. households are at risk of hunger.
THE GOOD NEWS: There is enough food. The world produces 2,750 calories per person per day. But, the US spends more on its military than the next 45highest spending countries combined. Check out the
Federal Budget for 2009:
62% Military spending
5% Education
4% Health
3% Housing & Community Development
2% International Aid
FOODS GROWN LOCALLY!! There are local farms and markets in Port Royal, Mifflintown, Newport, Lewistown, and Dalmatia, to name a few. Here are links to a guide to find local farms and markets:
http://www.localharvest.org/ and http://agmap.psu/
Check out the following photos:
Credit: TIME series of photos on What the World Eats based on the book “Hungry Planet” by Peter Menzel . Click to enlarge photo.
United States: The Revis family of North Carolina
Food expenditure for one week: $341.98
Favorite foods: spaghetti, potatoes, sesame chicken
Italy: The Manzo family of Sicily
Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11
Favorite foods: fish, pasta with ragu, hot dogs, frozen fish sticks
Mexico: The Casales family of Cuernavaca
Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09
Favorite foods: pizza, crab, pasta, chicken
Egypt: The Ahmed family of Cairo
Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53
Family recipe: Okra and mutton
Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo
Food expenditure for one week: $31.55
Family recipe: Potato soup with cabbage
Bhutan: The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village
Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03
Family recipe: Mushroom, cheese and pork
Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp
Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23
Favorite foods: soup with fresh sheep meat
