Dishwasher Detergent, Ham Sammies, and Everything in Between

Clearly I’ve been writing about the wrong topics.

top shelf cascade
top shelf cascade

Our newish dishwasher is an epic fail at cleaning dishes. We suspect the hard water of Wichita is the culprit.

A few nights ago, I did what any modern woman does to solve domestic issues. I posted our problem on Facebook to see if anyone had suggestions.

More than 50 comments later, I had a nice list of options to try including Cascade, Lemi Shine, and vinegar.

MORE THAN 50 COMMENTS?!

My new friend Pam, a mother of six who’s blogged for five years at It’s Time for More Coffee, could relate. She commented:

“Some days I realize I’m blogging all wrong as well. My number one post is still about Dr. Scholl’s Orthotics. Really? I blog about a lot. I bare my soul. What gets people’s attention? Shoe inserts.”

move over and lemi shine
move over and lemi shine

No wonder those product review bloggers do so well. Not only do they get free samples, lucrative sponsorships, and hoards of followers, but they also get invited to the coolest brand parties at the blogging conferences. Swag a-plenty.

Cooking blogs are another thing all together. My friend Leah’s recipe for Hawaiian Rolls Ham Sammies went viral. When she disclosed to me the number of page views her blog Beyer Beware received as a result, I experienced a momentary loss of consciousness.

I came to with my mind racing. Maybe everyday epistle needs a food feature.

Holy meatballs. Angel food cake. Consecrated cherries in the year of jubilee.

I mean, who wants to read about the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb when there’s cookie dough brownie fudge cake balls to be made? Why ponder where God intersects with contentious societal issues when bacon wrapped grilled scallops with sweet ginger glaze are calling?

Hunk of Meat Mondays, Beyer Beware

Leah’s Ham Sammies is a yummy, simple recipe with straightforward ingredients. And Leah consistently produces delicious content like this.

Every week, persecuted, hypoglycemic carnivores like me visit her for Hunk of Meat Mondays. What’s not to like?

That’s all well and good, but it still doesn’t explain the enthusiastic response to my dishwasher detergent question. Maybe no explanation is needed. Maybe the comment stream accomplished its higher task of restoring my faith in humanity.

It reminded me there are good people out there who want to help. Who want to speak. Who have useful information to share.

Welcome to the blogosphere. From dishwasher detergent to Ham Sammies and everything in between, we have a lot in common, you and I. And what a wonderful place to discuss it.

mega value finish
time to finish

Go to work in the morning and stick to it until evening without watching the clock. You never know from moment to moment how your work will turn out in the end. Ecclesiastes 11:6 The Message

Are You Washed in the Blood? Alan Jackson at the Ryman.

Have a great weekend!

Why I Will Eat Mor Chikin

Syndicated on BlogHer.com

This post was syndicated by BlogHer on July 30, 2012.

The ruckus over Chick-fil-A raises the question: Who’s behaving like the hater here?

Chick-fil-A president and chief operating officer Dan Cathy’s recent comments in Baptist Press should come as no surprise. The company is privately owned. In 45 years of existence, their restaurants have never been open on Sundays. They’ve always supported a traditional, Biblical definition of marriage and family.

Chick-fil-A drive thru
drive thru

“We intend to stay the course,” said Cathy in the article. “We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles.”

So, let’s see. They haven’t changed their religious views. They aren’t refusing to serve people who disagree. We’re free to express our beliefs in this country.

Why the uproar now?

Chick-fil-A’s charitable donations were being criticized before the Baptist Press published their story. When Cathy reiterated his long-held convictions, in a religious publication mind you, Chick-fil-A critics were poised to pounce.

Cathy was labeled homophobic. Activists boycotted. Boston’s mayor banned Chick-fil-A from the cityThe Jim Henson Company broke ties with them.

Another commentator wants public schools and sports facilities to stop doing business with Chick-fil-A because they support families through non-profit groups that share their beliefs. Are you kidding me?

Attacking a successful company is unlikely to change anyone’s mind. It won’t help the economy either. Plus it’s mean.

My affection for J Crew clothing is well-documented in this blog. The company contributes to causes at odds with my values. Last year J Crew president and creative director Jenna Lyons left her husband of nine years and the father of her son for another woman. Not a decision that lines up with my faith.

I suppose I could stop buying clothes from J Crew, write nasty grams on their Facebook page, insist they be thrown out of malls that have received tax breaks, and start picketing their stores.

But that would just make me a bully who’s missing out on some mighty fine fashion, now wouldn’t it?

Chick-fil-A cow at family event
family night meet-and-greet the cow

Chick-fil-A uses their resources to support and care for families in ways they see fit. That includes contributing to non-profits that share their beliefs.

Speaking from experience, that also includes family activity nights at their restaurants, refreshing beverages for free, and politely carrying trays to tables for mothers like me who have their hands full. Besides, the food is delicious.

I don’t hate gay people. I don’t believe the Cathy family and their franchisees hate gay people. I don’t plan to stop eating at Chick-fil-A anytime soon. I understand if your convictions differ. You can stop eating there if you want.

You’ll be missing out on some mighty fine chicken if you do.

But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. from Joshua 24:15 NLT

The Chick-fil-A Song by St. Louis comedian Tim Hawkins with a new verse for Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy.

Will you eat mor chikin? (Please mind your manners or your comment will be deleted.)

Milk Wars Becomes Top Post

The past week’s traffic boosted Milk Wars into first place as the most read post on everyday epistle.

beautiful calf in Milk Wars
beautiful, image from Troxel Dairy Farm, Indiana

Milk Wars unseated I Like My Bike to take the top spot. I Like My Bike was featured by WordPress on their Freshly Pressed page last August.

Milk Wars was first posted more than a year ago. Besides being our most read post, it’s also our most shared post with 528 Facebook shares and counting.

Apparently, the message still resonates.

I know that You can do all things;
no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. Job 42:2 NIV

10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman, a new favorite in my house: Let me be singing when the evening comes.

See what all the fuss is about in Milk Wars.

A Banner Day on the Blog

Yesterday was a banner dayThank you for reading and sharing.

open for comments
open for comments

To any new readers, welcome aboard, folks. Fasten your seat belts.

A few things you should know. First, this isn’t a farm and food blog. If it were, it’d be called Farmilicious or Chick & Biscuit or Butterbean Babe.

I’m a suburban girl who didn’t grow up on a farm and doesn’t live on a farm now. I write all sorts of things. You never know what’s coming next, and neither do I.

This isn’t a devotional, although there are Bible verses that apply to the posts.

This isn’t a music blog either, but I really like music, hence the links to songs. Like a soundtrack for a movie.

Now about yesterday’s post Food Fright. Your response encouraged me to take inventory. Lo and behold, a pattern emerged.

Posts about what’s true and what’s not true about farming and food matter to you.

field of dreams
field of dreams

Since Milk Wars exploded a year ago, I’ve met a lot of cool people. Yesterday reminded me there are stories waiting to be told. Questions begging for answers.

Is my food safe? Are farms ruining the environment? Who’s behind all this? Will there be a Madagascar 4?

So among the posts about the dog, the family, the ups and down, the cosmetics and clothes, the social issues and flashback hits, don’t be surprised to see more about farming and food.

Chick & Biscuit can take a hint.

Let them praise the Lord for His great love
and for the wonderful things He has done for them.
For He satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things. Psalm 107:8-9 NLT

Something to Say by Matthew West.

The floor is now open for suggested post topics or anything else you’d like to say, serious or otherwise.

Food Fright

This post was featured by BlogHer on July 17, 2012.

Something’s awry in the 630s and the 338.19s.

cauliflower
cauliflower

Recently I ventured into the 630s and 338.19s at the downtown branch of the Wichita Public Library. Those are the Dewey Decimal call numbers for farming and production.

I was looking for a book that could help me address the concerns of yet another well-intentioned friend who watched Food, Inc. and hit the panic button.

Food giant Cargill headquarters its meat operations in Wichita. Kansas ranks seventh among states for total agricultural production. You’d think this prairie town would be dyed-in-the-wool pro-ag. Not so fast.

Instead of books about the dignity of farming and food production, here’s a sample of the titles I found:

The End of Food: How the Food Industry is Destroying Our Food Supply–And What You Can Do About It

Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit

Stuffed & Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System

A Nation of Farmers: Defeating the Food Crisis on American  Soil

Against the Grain: How Agriculture Has Hijacked Civilization

Really?

Did you eat today? How about yesterday? Last year? Do you plan to eat again?

Did you have trouble finding food? Or did you have your choice of food at your choice of markets? Is someone preventing you from growing your own food if you want to do so?

I know your food didn’t kill you or you wouldn’t be reading this.

steak
steak

I have a child. To borrow a line of reasoning from Katie Pinke, because I have a child, do you think I abuse him? How about my dog? Do you assume I abuse her?

If you have children or animals, should I assume you abuse them? How about livestock or poultry? If a farmer raises livestock or poultry, is it a foregone conclusion that those animals are abused?

You know how I feel about milk.

Did you find insects in your produce? How about fungi on your fruit? Was your corn sweet and robust or wimpy and weedy? Was it dripping with chemicals?

Bad things happen in agriculture. There are accidents and outbreaks. There are crimes. Sometimes animals are abused. Sometimes people die.

There’s always room for improvement.

Bad things happen at local swimming pools. And at city halls. In factories. Police departments. Schools. Daycares. Animal shelters. Fortune 500 companies. Convenience stores.

There are accidents and outbreaks. There are crimes. Sometimes animals are abused. Sometimes people die. There’s always room for improvement.

Bad things happen, but they’re not the norm.

They’re certainly not the intention of the majority of people who work in these sectors. Crimes should be prosecuted. Innocent people shouldn’t be attacked.

Research, funding, and lifetimes of labor by dedicated farmers go into improving farming and our food. The result is one of the safest, most plentiful, least expensive food supplies in history. We have choices of what to eat.

Surely there must be something right about farming and food.

Much of what’s wrong appears to be grown and harvested on a bookshelf of misinformation. And don’t even get me started about what’s on the internet.

radicchio
radicchio

Show me the right path, O Lord;
point out the road for me to follow. Psalm 25:4 NLT

The Farmer’s Song by Murray McLaughlin. Thanks for the meal, here’s a song that is real from a kid from the city to you.

I snapped the food photos in this post at The Fresh Market in Wichita, where conventional, organic, homegrown, and imported foods are sold from the same shelves.

What’s your take on this? What are your concerns about farming and food? What would you like to stay the same? What would you like to change? 

Pamplemousse

Texas Rio Star

February is the height of the season for grapefruit. Not just any grapefruit. Texas Rio Star grapefruit.

Rio Star was the one food I craved when I was pregnant with my son. Bought and consumed bags of it.

My child was born with a taste for it. Our dear pediatrician said she’d never before seen a baby who preferred grapefruit of all things.

Round, sweet, softballs of juicy flesh. Fresh, pungent perfection sectioned with a snow showering of cane sugar.

Sunlit yellow skin and blushing spots on the outside. And inside, that sparkling, succulent, glistening, glorious pink. Like the pink of a Tropicana tea rose. Or a cluster of coral-tinged rubies.

Naturalist and author Reverend Griffith Hughes is attributed with first documenting grapefruit in 1750. Dubbed it “The Forbidden Fruit” of Barbados.

Dr. Richard Hensz of Texas A&M labored for years to produce the reddest grapefruit possible. Texas Star Ruby was released in 1970, the year I was born. Then in 1984, Texas Rio Red was released, trademarked Rio Star.

This forbidden fruit. This Rio Star. The French call it pamplemousse.

The word must roll off their tender lips like the names of royalty. Geneviève. Marguerite. Antoinette. Pamplemousse.

Behold the pamplemousse. Crowned winter gem.

Partake before its glittering reign ends for the year, gently ushered out by the promise of strawberries, peaches, blackberries, plums.

Does not wisdom call out?
Does not understanding raise her voice?
“My fruit is better than fine gold;
what I yield surpasses choice silver.” Proverbs 8:1 & 19 NIV

The stars at night are big and bright…

countertop constellation of Rio Stars

Disclaimer: I’m not being compensated to promote Rio Star. I write simply for the love of the grapefruit.

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The State of Food

carts

“Thank You for this food,” says my father-in-law when he prays over our family dinner table. “And bless the hands that prepared it.”

Today as I sit down to a simple lunch of tomato soup and tuna melt, I think of the hands that prepared it.

Of course there are the farmers and ranchers. Vegetable growers and harvesters of the tomatoes for the soup and the cucumbers for the relish.

Dairy farmers whose cows produce the milk I stir into my soup and the cheese that makes my tuna melt. Poultry farmers whose chickens lay eggs for the mayo.

produce

Wheat growers who give us grain for bread. Fishermen who harvest albacore on the open seas.

It would be enough to stop there in the bread baskets, victory gardens and teeming waters of our world. But that would only be part of the story.

Equipment, machinery, tires, and fuel run modern farms. Veterinarians and animal health products shield livestock from disease.

Inputs like fertilizer boost plant health and production in our cropland. And yes, there are chemicals to keep our food from being infested by insects, ravaged by disease, or starved out by weeds.

cheese shop

There are ecologists and extension agents to watch over natural resources. Agronomists, biologists, chemists, soil specialists and a host of other scientists to improve and develop technologies.

Bankers, accountants, and lawyers are involved. Marketers too. Farming and food production are expensive ventures.

There are processing companies like the one that canned my soup. Planes, trains and big rigs with 18 wheels to transport the food to my town.

There are farmers’ markets and grocery stores. On-premise butchers, bakers, and chefs. People to work the checkouts, collect carts, or clean up on aisle seven.

checkout

Managers to manage it all. Administrators, human resources professionals, and thousands of other employees, plus federal, state and local government agencies.

So many people, so many hands take part in preparing my food and yours. We are free to buy, cook, or order up nearly anything we can imagine to eat.

Food prices have risen a bit lately. Yet last week I spent more money on clothes for my growing child than on groceries to feed him.

This is the state of food in America. The abundant, affordable state of food.

The pilgrims would fall to their knees if they could see it now. We’d do well to take their lead.

The eyes of all look to You in hope;
You give them their food as they need it.
When You open Your hand,
You satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing. Psalm 145:15-16 NLT

Thanksgiving Song by Mary Chapin Carpenter.

A special thank you to the friendly folks at the Richmond Center and Ladue Schnucks grocery stores for lending their smiles to this post.

#foodthanks

This post is part of FoodThanks, a forum sponsored by AgChat where people can give thanks for those who produce our food. To read more perspectives or to link up your own, go to AgChat.com or click on the #foodthanks button here.

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