Lamb Chops With Anise (mf)

Now then, little man, for a short time fly from your business; hide yourself for a moment from your turbulent thoughts. Break off now your troublesome cares, and think less of your laborious occupations. Make a little time for God, and rest for a while in Him. Enter into the chamber of your mind, shut out everything but God and whatever helps you to seek Him, and, when you have shut the door, seek Him. Speak now, O my whole heart, speak now to God: 'I seek Thy face; Thy face, Lord, do I desire.'

Anselm

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Meats, Grains	Sami	Lamb-mt, Skillet-mt	2	Servings

INGREDIENTS

6		Rib lamb chops, trimmed of
		excess fat
1/2	t	Dried thyme
2	T	Olive oil
3	T	Unsalted butter, divided
1/2	t	Minced garlic or garlic
		puree
1	t	Anise seeds
2	T	Balsamic vinegar
1	pn	Sugar
2	T	Water
		Salt and freshly ground
		black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Season both sides of lamb chops with salt and pepper. Press thyme into
chops. Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a 12-inch skillet.
Sear chops for a minute on each side.  Lower the heat and cook,
uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes depending on  how well you like your
chops done. Turn the chops occasionally while  they cook. Remove them
to a plate and set aside; discard almost all  of the fat. Add garlic,
anise seeds, balsamic vinegar, sugar and 2  tablespoons water. Scrape
up juices and reduce until syrupy. Off  heat, stir in 2 tablespoons
butter and season to taste with salt and  pepper; spoon over chops.
Yield: 2 servings  Copyright, 1996, TV FOOD NETWORK, G.P., All Rights
Reserved  MC Format by Gail Shermeyer <4paws@netrax.net>.  Recipe by:
COOKING MONDAY TO FRIDAY SHOW #MF6625 Posted to MC-Recipe  Digest V1
#717 by 4paws@netrax.net (Shermeyer-Gail) on Aug 03, 1997

A Message from our Provider:

“God loves everyone, but probably prefers ‘fruits of the spirit\” over \”religious nuts!\””

It seems fair to ask, “God, do You really expect less of me – who has your Holy Spirit within and lives in the wealthiest society in human history – than You demanded of the poorest Israelite?”… The tithe is God's historical method to get us on the path of giving. In that sense, it can serve as a gateway to the joy of grace giving. It is unhealthy to view tithing as a place to stop, but it can be a good place to start… Tithing isn't the ceiling of giving; it's the floor. It's not the finish line of giving; it's just the starting blocks… True, some would be sacrificing more by giving 5% of their income than others would be by tithing or even giving 50 or 90%. Certainly the affluent should never “check off the box,” as if giving 10% automatically fulfills their obligation. The 90% belongs to God, too. He doesn't look at just what we give. He also looks at what we keep… When people tell me they can't afford to tithe, I ask them, “If your income was reduced by 10% would you die?” They say, “No.” And I say, “Then you've admitted that you can afford to tithe. It's just that you don't want to”… I have no problem with people who say “we're not under the tithe,” just as long as they're not using that as justification for giving less. But in my mind the current giving statistics among Christians clearly indicate most of us need a jump-start. If you find a gateway to giving that's better than the tithe, wonderful. But if not, why not start where God started His First Covenant children?

Randy Alcorn