Just Wondering

Wait, when did you become a stammerer? He is there touching you in an unholy manner and you stand there saying, "Bro Peter, S-T-O-P it now"- sounding like a broken record. Really? I don't get it. First of all, remove that 'bro' from his name. Then use "sharpymycin". Call yourself to order, and flee. This is no time to be sluggish. You need to guard your dignity jealously. I bet it with you, you will regret that you were slow after everything goes down. I was watching a movie recently. In one of the scenes, a married man who had extra-marital affairs with a young lady who was now trying to cut off from the man (after the man's marriage got broken), if he had put a gun to her head to make her sleep with him. Of course, her answer was "No". He called her several names like 'home wrecker" and "whore". The deed was done. No honour was accorded her. She threw her pride away for a few dollars.

I am writing to you dear child of God. Make your stand known to that fellowship unit-head who is trying to take advantage of you. Say "NO" to that boss of yours who is flirting with you and bent on making you break your marriage vows. Severe the communication lines between you and that colleague who is making you commit adultery in your heart. Cut the strings from that so-called fiance of yours who doesn't want to take you to the altar before taking you to bed. You cannot eat your cake and have it. The number of young people who have lost their virginity is alarmingly high. The world is sick and only God can help us live through it as Christians. When it comes to fleeing from sexual sins, Joseph is worthy role-model to imitate. Learn of him.

Don't trade your destiny for a morsel of bread. Don't yield to temptation all because of an appointment/promotion letter. Don't build your marriage on a cursed foundation by committing sexual sins with your fiance. Don't allow the devil rob you of your dignity. Nothing is worth loosing the good name God has given you for.

Choose a good reputation over great riches;
being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold. (Proverbs 22:1)

A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume. (Ecclesiastes 7:1a)

Per adventure you've lost your dignity (partially or fully), God is saying, "Come!" Repent of your ungodly ways. Turn away from that route. Don't follow the ways of the world. Decide to keep yourself pure, holy unto The LORD. For your shame, God will give you double honour (if you truly repent).

In conclusion,

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect (Romans 12: 1-2).

God bless you as you decide to abide by the laws of God in Jesus' name!

~OMOSEBI Mary Omolola

Temptation Is A Team Sport

Do you think about you and your spouse as being on the same team when it comes to sexual temptation? Very rarely does a husband or wife even discuss how they are tempted sexually unless one of them catches the other in the act: sending flirtatious texts to a coworker, watching something sexually explicit, reconnecting with an old flame on Facebook, or lying about why you were late coming home from the office.


Regardless of which of you is tempted, when you are a team, you'll begin to see it as your problem together as a couple.
Because of the shame and feelings of rejection associated with sexual temptations, most people keep it a secret from their spouse. That compounds the problem and causes an even greater divide. I don't mean that a wife should take responsibility for her husband's purity or vice versa. However, when sexual sin and temptation hits one of you, it affects both of you. Satan will use pornography, inappropriate emotional attachments, and other forms of temptation to further divide you if he can define your spouse as "the problem" or "the enemy." As long as you're fighting each other, you cannot stand together.

So how do you become a team? Here are a few strategies:

First, you have to learn to communicate to each other without judgment. Over the years, my husband and I have learned to ask each other questions like, "How are you doing? Are you struggling with (specific temptations we have shared in the past)? Is there anything I can do to help you focus on us?" Initially, this can be a difficult conversation but it's critical to becoming a team. We don't ask these questions because we are paranoid, but because we know the reality of marriage.

Second, you play defense together. Where is your marriage vulnerable? What needs do you have that are not being met, leaving you open to temptation? How can you put up "walls" or "hedges" to protect against temptation?

Third, play offense together. Don't just wait for temptation to attack your marriage. Work on your sexual and romantic relationship so that you do not leave room for the enemy to attack. Christian marriages are far more vulnerable to sexual temptation when there is no romantic adventure or sexual excitement.
How are you doing “fighting as a team?” Talk together about how you can support each other in the temptations you face.

Rice and Carrot

When carrots are available in abundance, have a field day with them!

¤ Pasta and Beefy Sauce ¤

Ingredients

-Pasta (300g)

-Firm tomatoes (2large)

-Bell peppers (2 large)

-Scotch bonnet (1 small)

-Onions (1 large)

-Vegetable oil

-Chopped Vegetable (ugwu and carrots) (1cup)

-Margarine (1tbs)

-Corned beef (3/4cup)

-Salt

-Spices

-Seasoning cube (1)

Mary's Method

* Cook your pasta with water just enough to cover the pasta, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, about 1/8cup chopped onions and salt to taste, till soft.

* While pasta is cooking, dice your peppers and onions. Chop the vegetable too.

* Place a saucepan on low heat. Add 1/4 cup of vegetable oil and 1 tbs of margarine. Once the oil is hot, pour in the peppers and onions. Stir-fry for 4minutes. Pour in the corned beef. Allow to cook for 3minutes. Pour in the vegetables and the seasoning cube. Allow to simmer for 5minutes.

* Serve hot with sliced boiled egg.

Enjoy!

#MARY's Kitchen 

¤ Vegetable Soup ¤

Ingredients

-Chopped Vegetable (Ugwu:3cups; water leaf:1cup)

-Beef/chicken

-Cow skin

-Crayfish (whole and ground)

-Stockfish

-Dry cat-fish

-Boiled Assorted meat

-Palm oil (1/4cup)

-Onions (2.5 moderate sized)

-Scotch bonnet(2-3)

-Red bell pepper (4)

-Seasoning cube

-Salt

-Desired spices (for boiling the beef or chicken)

MARY's Method

*Wash and blend the peppers with one of the onions into a thick paste.

*Boil the beef/chicken with a seasoning cube, 1/2tsp salt, desired spices and 1/2 of an onion; with very little or no water added until almost tender.

*Wash the stockfish, crayfish, pomo, and set apart. De-bone the dry fish, wash and shred.

*Add the blended pepper paste. Add the remaining onion (finely chopped), stock fish. Boil for another five minutes. Add half of the palm oil, the pomo, assorted meat, crayfish and dry fish. Allow to cook for 5minutes. Add 1tbs ground crayfish. Pour in the vegetable and the remaining palm oil. Add salt if necessary. Allow to simmer for 5minutes on low heat.

*Serve with your favourite swallow (semo, gari or like me, pounded yam)

Enjoy!

~MARY's Kitchen

¤ Coleslaw ¤

Ingredients

-Cabbage (1 small sized)

-Carrots (3 large sized)

-Finely chopped onions (1/8 cup) (I sometimes go without the onion)

-Mayonnaise (4tbs)

-Green small pepper (1small sized)

-Salad cream (4tbs)

-Cucumber (1 small sized)

-Sweet corn (1/2 cup)

-Green peas (1/2 cup)

-Sugar (1/4tsp)

-Salt (a pinch)

-You could add Kidney beans, . . .

MARY's Method

*Finely slice the cabbage leaves. Wash with clean water and drain in a sieve.

*Wash the carrots and scrap the outer surface carefully with a knife. Shred the carrots with a grater.

*Wash and dice the cucumber. You can peel if you prefer not to eat the peel.

*Wash and de-seed the bell pepper. Dice into very small dices.

*Mix the vegetables properly. Place in the refrigerator to chill.

*Mix the mayonnaise, salad cream, salt and sugar in a separate bowl and refrigerate.

*Add the cream to your vegetable mix when you're ready to serve.

You could serve as a dish on its own or as a side dish alongside rice, fries, etc

Enjoy!

~MARY's Kitchen

Drop Peanut Cookie

Same recipe with the peanut treat. . .

But with half cup more flour. . .

And baked on baking sheets.

Enjoy!

MARY's Kitchen

¤ MK's Peanut Treat ¤

I created this simple peanut treat some days ago. It's a yummy dessert. I hope you like it.

Ingredients

* Flour (2cups)

* Milk (.5 cup)

* Unsalted butter (.5 cup)

* Egg (1)

* Sugar (.75 cup)

* Ground roasted peanut (1 cup)

* Baking powder (1tsp)

* Crunchy peanut butter

Mary's Method

- Preheat oven to 170 degree celsius

- Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.

- Whisk the egg. Add the milk and mix. Pour into the butter-sugar mix and mix together.

- Pour in the ground peanut and mix.

- Sift the flour and baking powder together. Fold the flour into mixture to form a runny batter. Be careful not to over-mix.

- Spoon into muffin cups (about half way full). Gently create a hole in the middle and pipe in about 0.5-1 tbs crunchy peanut butter.

- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until skewer comes out clean from the sides.

- Serve warm.

Enjoy!

»MARY's Kitchen«

¤ Offal Pepper Soup ¤

Here's one of my favourite appetisers. . .

Ingredients

- Beef Offals (shaki, liver, kidney, roundabout, heart, etc) (350g)

- Ground peppersoup ingredient (I prefer to pick out the ingredients by myself and then grind e.g 6-8 calabash nutmegs(roasted and decoated) +8pieces negro pepper+1tbs aligator pepper+ small sized dry ginger root)

- Scotch bonnet (1-2)

- Onion

- Scent leave

- Salt

- Seasoning

MARY's Method

* Wash the offals thoroughly (For the roundabout, make sure you turn inside out to allow for proper washing).

* Cook the shaki in the pot for about 10 mins first (since it is usually tougher than other parts). Add the other parts and add water just enough to cover the assorted meat. Add the onion and scotch bonnet (finely chopped or ground in blender), 2tbs pepper soup ingredient, seasoning and salt to taste. Allow to boil for about 7minutes.

* Serve hot.

Enjoy

»MARY's Kitchen«

+Pepper soup ingredient photo source: internet.

¤ Scones ¤

If you don't like sweet pastries, this is for you. I love it too.

Ingredients

-2cups Plain Flour

-1tbsp baking powder

-4tbsp cold butter (or margarine)

-2 eggs

-Salt

-5tbsp Milk

MARY's Method

* Preheat the oven to 220 celsius. Lightly butter a baking sheet.

* Sift the flour and baking powder together.

* Rub in the butter or margarine using your finger tips or pastry cutter- till you get a crumb-like mixture.

* Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, add 1 egg and the milk, and mix to a soft dough using a round bladed knife (or your hands of course)

* Turn out the scone dough to a floured surface and knead VERY LIGHTLY until smooth.

* Roll out the dough to about a 2cm thickness and cut into circles (10-12) with a 5cm plain or fluted cutter dipped in flour. (You can improvise with round plastics with sharp edges)

* Transfer to the baking sheet. Beat the other egg. Brush the scones with the egg and bake for about 8minutes or until risen.

* Serve warm with butter or jam (by splitting the scones).

Enjoy!

»MARY's Kitchen«