Orthodoxy...

I haven't posted much here about our journey to Orthodoxy, but it was intense, stressful, painful, joyful, and peaceful. Some of that journey is explained very well on Father Michael's post here. Please keep in mind that he is an Orthodox priest, so we do have certain assumptions that can sound harsh, and a little threatening, to non-Orthodox ears. But I can vouch for his character and his love for all Christians, both Orthodox and not. I just thought that he described some of our thoughts very well, especially between paragraphs 8 and 15, and it saves me some time having to write it out when he has done so well. It's a little long, but I encourage reading it.

I'm not sure if I agree completely with his tone of "evangelical conspiracy" but that's mainly because I know very passionate and Godly Protestants. I also know many people who have been burned by professing Christians because they have held so tightly to their beliefs that they forgot to look for the Truth. I thank God that I have been blessed to avoid those circumstances (though family and friends have expressed great concern for us, they have not anathematized us). I'm not naive enough to deny that there are certain professing evangelicals who might consider Orthodoxy a threat to the evangelical world they created, and so do their best to slander them in order to maintain control. But again, thankfully, I have not had to deal with them in my journey. Enjoy the read!

New Recipe I'm Trying Tonight... (Updated comments in red)

I'm trying a new recipe tonight, that I thought I would share because it sounds so yummy. It's a copy of CPK's California Club Pizza. I'll let you know tomorrow how it goes, and what I would change:

1 Pre-made pizza crust
Applewood smoked bacon, chopped (I used regular bacon and chopped into small 1-2 in. pieces)
Chicken tenders, chopped
Mozzarella slices (I shredded mozzarella)
2 roma tomatoes (I just used one)
1/4 head of lettuce, chopped
Mayonnaise (amount is up to you)
1-2 Avocados

Pre-heat the oven for 350 (I turned it to 450 degrees per the instructions on the pizza bag) degrees. Mix the chopped lettuce and the mayonnaise together in medium size bowl. Refrigerate for later.

On the pre-made pizza crust, cover with mozzarella slices (I used the shredded mozzarella), bacon, and chicken. Cook in oven until pizza crust is brown and chicken is no longer pink. (I cooked the chicken in a skillet in some oil until they were a little brown, drained a bit of the oil, and added the bacon. I cooked the bacon and chicken together so the flavors could mix. Then dumped them onto a thick paper towel to drain off the extra bacon oil. I then topped the shredded cheese with the bacon and chicken mixture. I cooked them for 10 minutes. This was perfect timing. The cheese had melted and the crust was browned, but obviously cooking times will vary based on the oven).

Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes, while slicing the tomatoes and avocados. Top the pizza with the tomatoes, lettuce, and avocados.

Enjoy! (This turned out to be wonderfully delicious. Even without any sauce, the flavors of the cheese and meat, together with the light vegetables were wonderful. And the husband agreed, too. Success!)

For those who haven't heard...

CHICAGO, HERE WE COME!