Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson's Blog, page 4

First Thoughts on Orlando

 

Psalm 84: 1-4

How lovely is your dwelling place,
Lord Almighty!
2 My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
3 Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.[c]

 

In the aftermath of another terrorist attack, I feel a mixture of sadness and anger. But most of all, I long to be in my Father's house. 

To know that His love is the only place we can turn for healing.

 

Holy Knitting

Holy Knitting 

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Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson

 

On Monday, I sat in the living room doing my devotions. Occasionally, a question requiring prayer would come to my mind and I would put down my Bible, and pick up my knitting. I’m working on a fluffy purple sweater.

 

For me, knitting is a part of prayer.  As I circle the sweater with stitches created by my yarn and needles, I talk to God. The repetitive knit stitches quiet my mind, so that I can hear God speak.  

 

Stop me if I’ve already told you this story, but knitting means more than just sweaters to me.

 

I first tried my hand at knitting when I was fresh out of college and new to New York City. I decided that I needed a creative outlet from days spent in the corporate finance department of an investment bank.

 

There was a tiny yarn shop on lower Fifth Avenue close to where I lived. I signed up for knitting lessons, and I remember only two things from the experience. There was a young woman taking lessons with me, who wore an impressive antique diamond and sapphire ring and took to knitting like a duck to water. She was right at home, surrounded by elaborately carved walnut bookcases holding yarns of every hue and fiber.

 

Whereas I felt like an ugly duckling. My knitting efforts were a miserable failure. I can’t remember if it was attributed to my being left-handed, but, it would take another twenty-five years before I would summon the courage to try again. This time I found a wonderful teacher in our local yarn store in Evergreen. She was as patient as she was talkative. My first knitted project was a scarf that ended up twice as wide as it was supposed to be, but I not only finished it, I discovered that I loved knitting.

 

My other knitting story is bittersweet. Last summer, my ten-year-old Newfoundland, Georgie’s health was winding down like a top at the end of its string. In the townhouse I’d rented in Whitefish, Montana, he was unable to walk up the stairs. So we spent every evening, sitting together in the living room downstairs, so Georgie wouldn’t be alone. I downloaded each audiobook from Louise Penny’s wonderful Inspector Gamache series and listened to them while I knitted. Georgie passed away shortly after we moved to Breckenridge, but the memory of our time together is always in my heart.

 

Until this year, I’d always considered knitting a solitary activity. But like my experience during our novena at St. Mary’s, I have discovered the value of knitting as a community.

 

The Wednesday knitting circle has been gathering, 1:30 to 3:30p.m., at the Next Page Bookstore in Frisco since 2012, but they have been meeting in various locations for over ten years.

 

On any given Wednesday there are four to ten women sitting around two or three small tables that have been pushed together. The number varies through the year as our seasonal residents come and go. (I’ve been encouraged to tell you that drop-in knitters, vacationing knitters, are always welcome. Stop by and grab a seat!)

 

The group began as a prayer shawl ministry. Beautiful shawls of every color and design are knitted and then taken to St. John’s Episcopal Church, where they are blessed and then distributed to Shaw Cancer Center, local hospices, Domis Patis, and anyone who needs the warm embrace of a shawl knitted with kindness and care.  

 

Pat Hoogheem sent a shawl to a young girl who had recently lost her mother. She later heard that the young girl often wrapped herself in the shawl and found comfort in it.

 

Laura Amble sent a shawl to the hospice in Michigan, where her father spent his final days.

 

Kathleen Martynowicz crochets baby caps that travel to a hospital in Honduras with Maggie, who does medical missions.

 

When I asked the ladies why they first came to the knitting group, and why they return week after week, their stories share a common theme: community.

 

Christy Nelson was recommended to the group after losing both parents within four months, in 2009. For Christy, the knitting group became a place of comfort to grieve for her parents.

 

Beverly Jones joined the group in 2010 after she moved to Summit County and wanted to meet new friends.

 

Kristi Dudley walked in to the old yarn store in 2012 looking for a new hobby. She found not only that, but a new group of friends.

 

When I asked Karen Berg, the owner of the Next Page Bookstore why she allowed this group of women to meet in her store every Wednesday for over four years, she said, “It’s all about community. And community is what we do.”

 

That their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, (Colossians 2:2)

 

It’s difficult to explain why knitting inspires such closeness and comradery among otherwise perfect strangers. Perhaps it is because we often knit something to give away with our love. As we knit, we think of the person. And since knitting a thing can take hours or days or months – we will end up thinking of them a lot. Prayer shawls got their name because the knitter said a prayer as she knit, not knowing who would receive the shawl, but praying that they would be comforted by it.

 

Christy Nelson, who is the Administrator of the Summit County Historical Society, said that our knitting group is like quilting bees of former days, a place where women gathered for friendship, and created something to help others in the community. I love that analogy.

 

What I’ve discovered in my short tenure in the group, is that this common interest has knit together a diverse group, who carry on three different conversations at once, and cover at least ten different topics in one afternoon. Yet, they share a fondness and welcome for each person around the table.

 

That seems to be an important lesson that God wants us to each experience. That when we give of ourselves with an open heart, our hearts are filled. When we join others in a common cause, we become part of God’s greater plan for our community.

 

From whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. Ephesians 4:16

 

When we find our community, God is able to do His best work in us and through us.

I joined the knitting circle in November. I wouldn’t have become a regular if it weren’t for the encouragement of Pat Hoogheem, who often called me on Wednesdays and said, “Let’s go, I’ll drive.”

 

And that helped me to overcome my isolation. What I have discovered is that when I become the center of my universe – it means the God has been displaced by fear and I am no longer trusting Him. God wants me out in the world so that I can grow through my relationships with other people and He can rub away my rough edges.

 

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. Psalm 139:13-14

 

I started this essay with my fluffy purple sweater and my analogy of talking with God. To end, I want to share another knitting story.

 

Back in February, Laura Amble taught a beginner’s class on Fair Isle knitting. I was thrilled! Fair Isle knitting involves creating intricate repeating designs using two or more colors of yarn. However, the design requires that you pay attention and carefully count your stitches. Therefore, it’s not very contemplative and not recommended when you’re drinking wine.

 

But it is a good analogy to how we grow in faith.

 

Sometimes, we need to be alone with God. And like the simple knit stitches composing my purple fluffy sweater, a simple repetitive motion will help us quiet our mind so that we can hear God speak to us.

 

But we also need to grow in our faith. And that requires us to go out in the world and learn from others. When we seek God during the week, our faith grows in its complexity, and becomes more beautiful. Just like my Fair Isle sweater.

 

When we grow in our relationship with God, He will require that we become an active participant in our faith. We will no longer be satisfied with sleep walking through Sunday morning services. We will find ourselves craving a deeper relationship with God, and that is what will send us out into the community to serve others and find God there.

 

We demonstrate our love for God as we live out His command to love Him and love others. To serve Him as we serve others. As my mother said, “I feel someone’s love when they come to see me more often than once in a while. God must feel the same way.”

 

The knitting circle welcomes drop-ins, stop by and bring your yarn and knitting needles. If you don’t know how to knit, but want to learn? Laura Amble gives lessons! Speaking from experience, she’s a wonderfully patient and knowledgeable teacher, whether you are a beginner or advanced knitter. The Knitting Circle meets every Wednesday 1:30-3:30 at The Next Page Bookstore, 409 Main Street, Frisco, Colorado 80443, (970) 668-9291 9am-7pm

 

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Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson is the author of “A Map of Heaven.” She lives in Breckenridge. Join her at www.Facebook.com/suzanneelizabeths or at www.suzanneelizabeths.com

 

The Basque Book - A Love Letter in Recipes

This is both a cookbook, a peek inside a family's kitchen and a beautifully illustrated travel book of the Basque region. The recipes are as simple as fried eggs over fried potatoes and as unfamiliar as White wine-braised rabbit or rice with cockles. Of course, there are several recipes using salt-cod. This is a cookbook that will appeal to adventurous culinary explorers and travelers who want to recall a visit to a beautiful place. For me, it is a cookbook that is beautifully written...the voice of the Alexandra is welcoming and you feel as if you are sitting in her kitchen and being regaled with the stories behind every dish. A treasure of a cookbook.

Weeknight Pacific Cod and Shrimp in a Tomato Feta Sauce

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Weeknight Pacific Cod and Shrimp in a Tomato Feta Sauce

 

Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson

 

 

Quick and easy seafood, feta cheese, olives, in a buttery tomato sauce, and it's good for you?

 

The first time I had this dish was dinner al fresco on a humid evening in Florida. I believe the original recipe came from Pierre Franey’s New York Times: 60 Minute Gourmet cookbook, published in 1981.

 

I’ve made it so many times over the years that I know it from heart and readily embellish it. For instance, Pierre’s version used only shrimp, and in today’s recipe I use pacific cod and shrimp, so you could easily substitute swordfish or another firm white fish of your choice.

 

The overly descriptive name for this dish is meant to whet your appetite...because it really is as delicious as it looks in the picture.

 

The great news is that it's the perfect dinner to throw together and into the oven on a night when you don't feel like cooking, you probably have all of the ingredients in your freezer and pantry.

It's your new favorite meal when you want to stick to your promise to eat healthier meals, but the thought of another kale salad leaves you cold.

 

Weeknight Pacific Cod and Shrimp in a Tomato Feta Sauce

 

It's so easy, you don't even need a list of ingredients, just a quick description:

Preheat the oven to 450F
Into a saucepan, pour one 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes (salsa style is my favorite) one or two cloves of finely minced garlic and a couple dollops (tablespoons) of butter. If you're making this for four or more people, you might want to have two cans of diced tomatoes....that way everyone will get to enjoy the sauce. Sauté until the garlic has softened and the butter is melted. Add salt and pepper to taste, a splash of red wine or pernod if you have a bottle on hand, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes if you’d like to add spice. Pour this tomato sauce into a casserole dish.
Place frozen cod filets and shrimp onto this puddle of tomato goodness.
In a separate small bowl, mix up a spoonful of mayo, panko bread crumbs, and lemon pepper (if you have it, if not, good old salt and pepper will work). Gently spoon this mixture onto the top of the cod filets and the shrimp. (By the way, this dish is perfect for playing around with different types of seafood to match your appetite and what's fresh at the market.
Crumble feta cheese over the entire dish. Scatter chopped black or green olives for an extra punch of flavor.
Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, depending on the time it takes to cook the filets through. While the dish is in the oven, you could boil pasta, rice, or quinoa to serve with this dish. But I like it just as is, with maybe a nice hunk of French bread on the side.

 

Enjoy!

 

Inspiration to Start Your (Short) Week

 

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-From a Letter to His Daughter 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

Finish every day and be done with it.

You have done what you could.

Some blunders and absurditites

no doubt have crept it;

forget them as soon as you can.

Tomorrow is a new day;

begin it well and serenely

and with too high a spirit

to be cumbered with

you old nonsense.

This day is all that is

good and fair.

It is too dear,

with its hopes and invitations,

to waste a moment on yesterdays.

 

You guys....this is so perfect and so true.

Each day, we begin again....let's give ourselves a running start by leaving yesterday behind.

Part of my new improved reading list is reading more poetry, this book is a great place to start: she walks in beauty: a woman's journey through poems - selected and introduced by caroline kennedy

I'm promise you'll love it as much as I do.

Have a great week!

hugs,

Suzanne

Happy Atheists and Other Leaps of Faith

 

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Each week, I rediscover the meaning of faith.

 

This week I had lunch with Pastor Claire McNulty Drewes of Father Dryer United Methodist Church. Pastor Claire combined her passion for social justice and a love for God and turned her plans for a career in social work into a calling to become a leader of a church where she can live out both in her community.   

 

I also attended a meeting of the Summit County Interfaith Council. They are a diverse group of faith leaders focused on promoting legislation and long-term solutions around our health and affordable housing needs, from a faith-based perspective.

 

Mom told me that she now distributes food to 51 people in her community. She loves people and this is her ministry.

 

The other day, I used Google Maps to locate Father Dyer church, though it is a block from the library I visit every week. Yet, my introversion serves me as I spend long periods alone, reading and writing about faith. This is my ministry.

 

As St. Paul said, we are all members of the body of Christ, but like feet and eyes, we are each called to use our unique talents to serve God and our community.

 

It’s been thirty years since I joined the Catholic Church and I am filled with more joy in my decision now, than I was then. On the other hand, Mom went to Mass with me for twenty years, but as soon as she landed back in Fort Lauderdale, she immediately returned to her Presbyterian church.

 

I believe we find a spiritual home where we best experience God, where we can grow into an intimate relationship with Him. With all our individual quirks and complexities, this seems natural. And since we serve an infinitely complex God, it seems plausible that He understands.

 

But what about those who don’t believe in God?

 

Well, they are part of God’s body, as well. Even as they deny His existence.

 

I began writing, A Map of Heaven, twenty years ago after my father died and I tried to make sense of his death and the meaning of my life. I had recently left Wall Street to discover my purpose and a career that meant as much to me as my brother’s and mother’s careers meant to them.

 

A Map of Heaven is a novel about Elizabeth, who discovers she has few weeks to live and embarks on a journey to discover the meaning of life, and life after death.

 

In a pivotal chapter, Elizabeth travels to hell, a place of cold, dark, isolation. My reasoning was God is the Light of the world; therefore, a place absent from God would be without light. The isolation describes the soul’s separation from its Creator. And that’s what makes hell so unbearable…our souls long for communion with God.  

 

This longing, I believe, is the source of the profound anger in an atheist’s argument. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.” (Psalm 42:1)

 

The other day, my brother sent me an article that consisted of a refutation of at least twenty verses from the Bible. My first thought was the person who wrote it had spent more time reading the Bible than I had, up until five years ago.

 

Where we focus our attention reflects the longings of our heart or mind or subconscious. Whatever you want to call it. I believe the most ardent and antagonistic atheist is searching for God, and yearns to find Him. How else to explain such passion and focus on something they are certain doesn’t exist?

 

And that’s okay…I believe God calls each of us into a relationship, in our own time, and by our own path. Yes, I’m certain even atheists will eventually find God.

 

Whether we believe that God exists, or not, God sees us. Whether we believe that God loves us, or not, He does. God promises that, “neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39)

 

At the end of our twelve-hour conversation, back and forth by Facebook messages, my brother noted that I still had not answered all his arguments against God.

 

The simple reason is that I don’t have all the answers. I doubt I ever will. Even physicists who study the origins of the universe are made up of believers in God and non-believers. An atheist will say that advances in science prove that God does not exist. I believe that advances in science reveal the magnificence of a universe that undeniably points to the hand of God.

 

So, I am not afraid of not knowing everything. I still believe in God. It takes courage, not ignorance, to embrace the mystery of faith. Atheists and believers alike, take the same risk every day we choose to love someone else.

 

And even if we are all wrong…look at the good that is done in the name of God. The natural impulse of humans should be toward self-preservation and enrichment. Yet everyday in our community, we see men and women give of themselves to help others under the banner of a church or a religious organization.

 

If December 25th marking the birth of Christ bothers you, then please, spend that day serving in a soup kitchen that may be the only warm meal someone eats that day. And don’t be surprised if you find Jesus there. As he said, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.' (Matthew 25:4)

 

So, if you believe in God or not. If you call God by another name. Let us agree on this: We will treat each other with respect. We will listen and respect the other person’s beliefs, even if they are not our own. As St. James said to the early church, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” (James 1:19)

 

Here’s the thing:  if we get angry because other people don’t accept our beliefs, then we become the person that we argue against.

 

Atheism or religious absolutism becomes a religion when our need to be right becomes our god. Or when our willingness to condemn anyone who doesn’t believe what we believe becomes our version of sending someone to hell.

 

To be clear, I am certain in my faith that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is One; that Jesus died and rose from the grave for our sins and that He is the Savior of the World. But my faith is big enough to respect the differing beliefs of others.

 

History is full of people forcing their beliefs on others, and then becoming instigators of holocausts, genocides, and yes, inquisitions carried out in the the name of God. But, and this is very important, they were not acting under God’s direction. God is Love.

 

I can’t convince anyone that God exists. Nor can anyone convince me that He does not. I believe God reaches each of us where we are. My desire is not to change anyone, but to allow God to change me, through this walk of faith.

 

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Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson is the author of A Map of Heaven .

She lives in Breckenridge. Join her at www.Facebook.com/suzanneelizabeths or at www.suzanneelizabeths.com

 

 

Springtime In My Neighborhood

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It's beautiful, isn't it?

 

When You Feel Unraveled

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Sometimes I start a new knitting project with the best of intentions...and then discover that the project that I had in mind is not going to work out.

When that happens...I unravel it, and roll up the yarn.

And then I either find a new project to use the yarn or I let it rest and go on to something else.

Life is like that.

We have to learn when to stop going down a path that is leading nowhere. 

We have to learn to find new paths and the courage to begin again.

We have to learn to trust that God has a good plan for our lives, even when life feels like it's unraveling.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

-Jeremiah 29:11

 

Slow Cook Pork Carnitas - Enchiladas - and Tomatillo Sauce.

 

There are few things I love more than pulled pork in all of its garlicky, peppery, yumminess.

What I like even more is that it's the perfect meal to make in the summer when you'd rather be outside than inside. Using a slow cooker to allows you to invest about 5 minutes of prep time, then turn the slow cooker on low, come back in 8 to 10 hours and dinner is ready. Meanwhile, you get to enjoy your day.

What I love best of all about slow cooker pork carnitas is its versatility:

Serve with rice and vegetables
Add a bun, BBQ sauce, and chips and eat out on the deck
Grab some soft tacos, cilantro, cohito cheese for pork tacos
Change up your usual chili recipe by swapping in pulled pork
Or try my recipe for pork enchiladas with homemade tomatillo sauce

So, in today's column I'm going to share three recipes to get you cooking and out the door...

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Place the following ingredients in your slow cooker, turn on Low, let cook fro 8-10 hours:

Pork Shoulder Roast
1 cup of chicken stock or 8 oz of beer
¼ cup of lime juice, bitter orange juice
4 cloves of garlic
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon of cumin
2 teaspoons of chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

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Tomatillo Sauce or Salsa

Place the following ingredients on a baking sheet, place under the broiler for 4 minutes, until the skins of the tomatillos blister. Then place the ingredients in a food processor and blend until you get a chunky sauce. You can use this as a salsa with chips or as a sauce for your enchiladas.

 

1 lb tomatillos, remove the papery outer skin
2 onions, outer skin removed, cut in half
4 cloves are garlic
1 jalapeno, cut in half, seeds removed

 

 

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Pulled Pork Enchiladas

This is a great make-ahead meal because all the ingredients are already cooked. You can freeze or take to a pot-luck dinner.

Preheat an oven for 350F.

Coat the bottom of a 9x13inch baking dish a thin layer of the tomatillo sauce.
Holding your flour or corn tortilla in one hand, add shredded pepper-jack cheese, shredded pork, close gently and place seam-side down in the baking dish. Continue until baking dish is filled.
Ladle the tomatillo sauce over the enchiladas and top with the remaining shredded cheese.
At this point, you can freeze the dish for later. Or bake it for 20-30 minutes until the enchiladas are heated through and the cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

 

Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson is the author of 10 books, including a cookbook: Comfort Me: Easy Meals to Bring Your Family Back to the Table Join Suzanne at: www.facebook.com/suzanneelizabeths or www.suzanneelizabeths.com.

 

 

The Elements of Pizza A Cookbook Review

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If you've read my blog for any length of time, you know I'm crazy about pizza.

So it was only natural that when The Elements of Pizza became available on bloggingforbooks.com, I jumped at the chance to request a review copy.

I'm happy to report that it is as good as I'd hope!  The directions for making your own pizza dough are straightforward and easy to follow. So you will be up and running quickly.

And then the fun begins. There are wonderful varieties of pizza.

There are the classic pizzas with meats and vegetarian varieties that will have you searching the Farmer's Market for gorgeous vegetables to make your own versions, such as:

Pizza Margherita
Pomodoro Royale
Prosciutto and Bufala
Pizza Bianca

But what I can't wait to try are the creative ones such as:

Mortadella and Pistachio Pizza
Chanterelle and Garlic Pizza
Raclette Pizza
Escarole Pizza
Zucchini Blossom Pizza

I'm willing to bet that within a year, this book will be covered in messy fingerprints.

If you are a pizza lover like me, you will love The Elements of Pizza.