"Excuse Me, Everyone! Her Crown Slipped A Little..."

My church recently started a monthly mommy meeting.  Last month the mom who was leading the discussion talked about Mary and Martha.  As I was reading the passage in Luke, I suddenly realized a new aspect of the story I'd never noticed before.

Now, in case you are unfamiliar with the story; Mary and Martha are two sisters.  Jesus and his disciples were coming through town, and stopped in at Martha's house.  Martha was hustling and bustling in the house, preparing meals for everyone, cleaning up afterwards... while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to him teach.

Exasperated (I'm assuming), Martha looks at Jesus and says, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

To which Jesus replies, "Martha, Martha. You are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed - or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

This passage is often used to discuss the fact that love of service can overshadow a desire to be near Jesus, to be discipled.

Those are great points, and worthy of being studied, however those are not what I saw this time around:

Martha called Mary out in. front. of. everyone.

Not only that, but she asked Jesus to scold her.

The thing that stood out to me the most during this time of reading through the story, is that Martha wanted to embarrass Mary.  Had she really only needed some extra help, she would've pulled her aside, and asked her privately.

But that wasn't her intent.  Her intent was to shame her - publicly, and in front of the men. Mary was in a place usually reserved for men - learning from the "Lord", rabbi/teacher - and instead of supporting her sister and applauding that glass ceiling she was shattering, she chose judgement and scorn.  

It reminded me of a meme I had recently seen "Be the woman who fixes another woman's crown without telling the world that it was crooked." (Hence the title.)

I think this story illustrates very well how women often treat one another. If the other woman doesn't do things the way that WE think they should be done, we have a hard time supporting them, or encouraging them.  Too often women see each other as competition rather than teammates. Apparently, it's a problem as old as time.  But we can be the ones to change that.

Women who support women are the best kinds of women.

Be the kind of woman who can say, "I'm happy for you!" and really mean it.  

Be the woman who can be a sounding board - and also a confidant. 

Be the kind of woman who looks for ways to help and lift up, not tear down.

Be the kind of woman who when you see a mom struggling with a toddler, instead of judging her for what you might think is a lack of discipline, offers an encouraging smile, or asks if she could use some help.

Be the kind of woman who when you hear that a mom is excited to go back to work after having a baby - doesn't judge her for "not wanting to be with her baby", but understands that everyone is different. (Naturally, the same goes for the reverse.)

Be the kind of woman who encourages the other women around them to be their own person.

Be the kind of woman who understands that not all women "minister" in the same way - some have giftings in hospitality, others in preaching, while others in teaching.

Be the kind of woman who encourages other women to better themselves - in education, starting a business, learning a new skill or having new ideas.

Be the kind of woman who speaks about other women with respect.

Be the kind of woman, that if you really have an issue with someone - you take it to them privately, and discuss it with them in love - and not in front of others, especially not for the sake of embarrassment. 

Be the kind of woman, who apologizes when they've caused an offense.

Be the kind of woman who is there for other women. Supports them, encourages them, listens to them and guides them.

Jesus was an encourager of women.  He was constantly transcending the social norms of the time, and including women.  Talking to them, teaching them and involving them.  

I have known many fierce, strong and encouraging women in my life.  Some have been in my life from the beginning, some for too short of a time - but they have taught me an invaluable lesson; we really are better together.  When we stand together and support each other, we're unstoppable.  Be that woman.

Hungarian Sour Cream and Potato Soup

I haven't used the word "crave" yet during my pregnancy, because I'm saving it for when I wake up at 3 in the morning, and make Dan go to Walmart and pick up something for me.

I have, however had a couple hankerings.  Don't ask me what the difference is between craving, and hankering, it's semantics.  But I'm using it.

So, I had a hankering a couple weeks ago for my Mary's (see her story here) sour cream and potato soup.  It's what we got as kids instead of chicken noodle soup when we were sick, and as far as I'm concerned, it's better.  But, I realize I never had YOUR mom/grandma's chicken broth or chicken noodle soup, so if you disagree with me, I will not argue this point. :)

Mary has bought a computer, and learned how to use the internet since we moved away, solely so she can stay in touch with her kids.  So, I emailed her, asking for her potato soup recipe.  

Now, because this stuff is so good, and I'm not a great chef, and can't guess the ingredients in things, I did not expect this recipe to be so simple.  But it is stupid simple.  Seriously.  So, I decided a recipe like this, that even someone as cooking-challenged as I can master, had to be shared.  I already shared it with a friend of mine, and she made it for herself, and it turned out pretty awesome if you ask me.

So, here's what you need.

Ingredients:

5-6 (egg-sized) red skin potatoes

4 1/2 cups water

3/4 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon flour

Salt

Pepper

Vegeta (I'll explain)

(Makes about 4 servings, takes about 20 minutes)

Directions:

1. Pour 4 1/2 cups of water into a pot.  (I've always had it with peeled potatoes, but you can leave them unpeeled like my friend did)  Cut the potatoes into similar, bite-sized chunks.  (My brilliant husband told me that if you put them right into the water after cutting, they won't get brown.)

2. But pot on med-high heat, bring to a boil, and boil until potatoes are cooked through.  (Easy way to tell, is to stick a fork in it, and if you can stick it in, and pull it and with ease, they're done.)  During this time, add salt and a couple pinches of Vegeta.  Vegeta is a European spice, similar to Mrs. Dash.  It's salty, with some bits of dehydrated vegetables in it.  You should be able to find it in the ethnic section of your grocery store, or just an ethnic grocery story.  I've found it in Middle Eastern stores, and also at Rowes IGA in Jacksonville.  This is what it looks like.

3. While the potatoes are boiling, in a small pan, on a low-med heat, combine oil and flour.  This will act as a thickening agent.

4. Once the potatoes are cooked through, add the thickening agent (rántás, in Hungarian) to the potatoes and water, and bring it back to a boil.  

5. Add 3/4 cup of sour cream (that's an estimate, if you want more, go for it!), pepper, and Vegeta to taste.  I'm always afraid of adding too much Vegeta, because I love the stuff.  But you need a decent amount, to give your potato soup some good flavor.

6. Serve with a slice of hard-crust, thick cut bread (for dunking)!

Pardon the color of this picture, my kitchen light isn't friendly.

Tips:

- If you can't find Vegeta, substitute with regular salt

- This soup warms up really well

- Remember, this is a "get well", "feel good" soup.  You don't want it to be too heavy, or too flavorful.

Hope you enjoy this, and remember it next time you feel under the weather, and need a food hug.

Paprika Chicken- Secret Family Recipe

Let me tell you a story about one of the most spectacular ladies in history, Mary.  She was the second oldest child in a family, that lost their mother and oldest sister in war.  She raised her siblings, and when they were out of the house, she got a professional job.  In her 40-s, she met a divorced man, they exchanged letters, and eventually got married. There was one thing that she felt was missing in her life.  A family of her own.

Skip forward about a decade.  A young couple with a 10-month-old baby leave their lives and families in the States, follow God's call on their lives, and move to Hungary.

They were taking language classes, and needed to find a lady to watch their baby during the day.

Enter Mary.  Varosi Marika, really, but she told them to call her "Mary".  She not only took care of their baby, she loved on her, and on them, she sang to her, read her her favorite stories over and over again, swung her, until she could swing no more, took her into her heart, and didn't let go.  And then, her two brothers came along, and their family was complete.

Dan and I with Mary over Christmas.

God gave a woman who was created to be a mother 2 children and 3 grandchildren.  He gave a young family in a new place the love and guidance they needed.  That, and good food...

So, here is my Mary's Paprika Chicken recipe.  My family's secret recipe.  She taught my mom how to cook Hungarian food, and I was happiest when sitting on her counter "taste-testing" her home-cooked goodness.

This Sunday, our church is having their "Food Fest", where everyone brings dishes from their countries, or family recipes, so I decided to share this dish with my FCCC church family.

It consists of two parts, the chicken in the paprika sauce, and the dumplings (nokedli). 

Paprika Chicken:

Skinless/bones chicken breasts (approx. 1/2 breast/serving) (I used 6 breasts)

1 1/2 cup dry white wine

2 tbsp. paprika

1 large Vidalia onion

2 Hungarian wax peppers (I've been able to find them at Publix)

2 tomatoes

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 3/4 cup sour cream with 2 tsp flour mixed in

Dumplings (nokedli):

2 cups flour

3 eggs

1 1/2 cup water

Salt

Vegetable oil

Directions:

Cut up the chicken breasts into bite sized cubes (traditionally Hungarians will use the legs, and whole breasts, but Mary and my mom adapted it a little to be kid-friendly, and I like it better this way).  Chop the onion as finely as possible.  The first time my mom made chicken paprika with Mary, she cut up the onion "finely", and showed it to Mary.  Mary said "are we feeding the army?".  My mom said "No", and Mary said, "Well, then it needs to be chopped finer".  Mind you, Mary is not a critical lady, but if she says the onions need to be chopped finely, they do.  You may feel like you want to use a food processor, however my mom said she tried that one time, and it didn't work, because the oils and the liquid from the onions separate from the actual onions, and it doesn't have the same taste.

Pour 1/4 cup of oil into a pot, put on med/high heat.  Once hot, add the onions.  

Stir them around in the oil until fully cooked through, but make sure not to brown them, it'll give your paprikas a burnt taste.  

Once they're cooked through, TAKE OFF HEAT.  This is important, because you're going to be adding the paprika, and it can burn easily if added while on the heat.  Also, at this point, you can add the 1 1/2 cup of wine.  Put it back on the heat, and bring to a boil.  

When it reaches a boiling point, add the chicken.  Mix it around, until the chicken doesn't look raw anymore.  

Raw

Not raw.

When you've achieved that, cut your two tomatoes and two pepper in half, take the seeds out of your peppers, and simply place them on the top.  Use medium sized tomatoes.  I used some large ones, and they let out too much juice.

Put the lid on the pot, change your heat to a medium heat, and set your timer for 30-40 minutes.  
When the chicken is cooked all the way through, take out the peppers and tomatoes.  Then add the sour cream to the chicken.  That's it!

Start working on your dumplings.

In a mixing bowl combine flour, eggs and water.  Beat well, and adjust measurements until the mixture doesn't "drip" but rather "tears" or "plops" off.  

I have a nifty dumpling cutter that my mom gave me, but I'm not really sure where you can get one. 

This is what it looks like.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt and vegetable oil.  Then, set the dumpling cutter on the top of the pot, pour some of the mixture into the cup part, then start moving the cup back and forth, until all the dumplings are cut, and in the boiling water.  

When the dumplings raise to the surface, wait just a few seconds longer, and then fish them out with a hand-held strainer or one of those serving spoons with the holes in them.  

Place them in a dish, and drizzle a little more oil on them, to keep from sticking.

And you're done!

Decorate as you wish, and serve to loved ones.

And here I am, representing Hungary at our church's annual Food Fest.

So, that is the story of a woman created to love with a mother's love, and the family that was blessed enough to be on the receiving end of it.  And were happy to eat her scrumptious food.