A Feast for the Soul with a side of Corn and Potato Scallop

"And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life; that he may learn to fear the Lord His God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them." ~Deuteronomy 17:19

"Let us establish in our lives the habit of reading those things which will strengthen our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world." ~President Gordon B Hinckley

I love to read the scriptures. I have an old pink bible that I have had for years and it is practically falling apart. It's pages are wrinkled and worn. You can tell it has been a much loved book, and, I reckon, that is the way it should look. I also have a newer set of scriptures, bound in burgundy leather . . . a gift from a much loved friend, and while these are not quite so worn out, they are marked in places, with notations written here and there, and, you can tell that I use and love them as well.



It is good to love the word of God, and in fact, we are told to "Feast" upon the word of God. Two of my favourite books are the Psalms and the Proverbs. There are wonderful little gems in there such as "Blessed is he that considereth the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble." (Psalm 41:1) and "A soft word turneth away wrath; but grievous words stir up anger." Proverbs 15:1) Just who can forget the 23rd Psalm, "The Lord is my Shepherd." Holy words and instructions from a loving and Divine Father. I love to read them and ponder them, and indeed . . . feast upon them.

Todd and I often read through them together. There is a special feeling that comes from being able to read the word of God with your life partner, and in being able to share your thoughts and feelings about the words that you have read with them as well. For years I longed and prayed to have a husband that I could share this very sacred and important part of me with. At the time, I was praying about my ex husband, and, sadly, it never happened. He was never as enthusiastic about spiritual matters as I was, and never became so. God had a different answer for me and . . . in time, has gifted me with the desires of my heart. I now share my life with a Godly man, and I have learned that prayers are always answered, just not always as we think they will be. Patience, truly is a virtue.



When I am low or seeking comfort, I go to the scriptures and I drink them in. They peacefully bathe my soul, and give me much needed sustenance and comfort. You don't need to be a church going person to partake of the wisdom on their pages. The words are there for anyone to take in and to savour. "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom." (Proverbs 3:13)

I have scripture memory CD's that I like to listen to from time to time as well . . . scripture verses put to music. It's much easier to memorize things if you put them to a melody. I am not sure why that is, but it does work. I love to memorize scriptures. That way I can have these special and sacred words tucked into my heart and they are never far from me when I really need them.




They give me peace when I need it, truth when I need it, comfort when I need it and wisdom when I need it. They inspire and instruct me. They guide me. I believe they are the word of God and even if you happen not to believe this is so yourself, reading their words will never harm you. A little food for the soul is just as nourishing as a hearty meal, a lot less harder on the hips and can lift a body to higher places. Try it, you never know, you may even like it.



I think I inherited my love of the scriptures from my mother, and that she inherited it from her mother before . . . and I hope that I have passed this love down to my own children. Mothers are good for passing things down to their offspring, and hopefully I have passed on some good and useful things to mine.

My grandmother was a lovely cook, and so is my mother. One of their dishes, that has been much loved for several generations of my family at least, is this wonderful potato dish. I always thought it was my lucky day when it was on the menu, and I don't make it near often enough. Back home in Nova Scotia, it was traditional to serve this or something like it on Saturday nights, along with baked beans and ham, and let's not forget . . . big slabs of warm homemade bread. It's very simple to do and yet so very delicious. I could sit and eat a whole plate full of this all by itself, with nothing else. The leftovers are even tastier the next day warmed up in a skillet with a little knob of butter, but then again, butter makes everything taste that little bit better doesn't it?



*Corn and Potato Scallop*
Serves 4 - 6

This is good old fashioned home cooking at it's very finest. Frugal never tasted better. Simple ingredients, prepared in a simple way. This goes very well with most meats, but especially pork, chicken and fish.

4 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (I use my mandoline for this)
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tin (2 cups) of creamed corn
2 TBS flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 TBS butter
milk
cracker crumbs

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Lightly butter a deep casserole dish, perferably one with a lid.

Layer the ingredients in the casserole dish as follows: One third of the potato, one half of the onion, one third of the creamed corn. Sprinkle the first two layers with 1 TBS of the flour and some salt and black pepper. Dot each with 1 TBS of the butter. Repeat twice, topping the third layer with the final third of the creamed corn and the last of the butter. Sprinkle cracker crumbs to cover the top and pour on only enough milk so that you can barely see it through the layers of potatoes. I use the tip of a knife to open them up a bit and let the milk sink down to the bottom. Cover with the lid of the casserole (or tinfoil if you don't have a lid) place it on a baking tray (just incase it spills over when cooking) and place the tray into the preheated oven. Bake, covered for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the top is nicely browned and the potatoes are tender. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before spooning out to serve.

*Note - you can also add cheese to this. I often do. I grate about 3 ounces of strong cheddar cheese and add it between the layers and on top. It's delicious!