Food for Your Body, Food for Your Mind

The last couple weeks have been a bit haphazard here as I adjusted to Miss Munchkin's schedule and planned National Aviation Day, but tucked in a few stolen moments in between I've gotten my hands on (or finished up) a few really promising books worth sharing.

Pot Pies: Comfort Food Under Cover has some of the most original and delectable sounding pot pies I've ever run across. Most don't require unusual or expensive ingredients, and if you're starting to think fall and comfort food try looking this up at your library. (Note: they don't all have pastry crusts, so if you're watching your waistline or staying away from gluten you can still check this out!)








Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It - I so loved this author's previous work that as soon as I heard about this one, I knew I had to read it!
This is the kind of book that you read and say "I can make that at home? No way!" Then you dig in and make things so yummy you'll never buy the store bought version again.







While your body is indulging in some culinary decadence, don't forget to feed your brain too! Thugs, Drugs and the War on Bugs may blow your mind, but it's a fascinating read. Even for someone like me (who taught food safety and reads too much about food and medicine already) there was a ton of new and startling information. Warning: the author seems have a bad taste in his mouth about organized religion and makes fairly harsh comments towards it in the beginning of the book. The rest of his insights and research, however, are valuable enough to make it worth overlooking them and continuing to read. Even if you disagree with some of his points, he has some arguments and valid points worth considering.

If you want to stretch your brain on subject matter that will encouraging rather than depressing, try And God Said: How Translations Conceal the Bible's Original Meaning. Despite it's intimidating title, this is not a Bible bashing book! Dr. Hoffman instead peels back layers most of us never see or hear about, explaining why some verses in the Bible have always sounded funny in English (in their original language, the words rhymed or had poetic cadence) or gives a peek into some of the impact the words lost in translation across languages or cultures. (Did you know that shepherds, as referenced in the 23rd Psalm are more akin to Marines, firefighters and even kings than they are to modern farmers and animal tenders?)

Last, but certainly not least is another book with a misleading subtitle: Sacred Marriage - What If God Designed Marriage to Make Us Holy More Than to Make Us Happy? I guarantee if you read this book the things you learn will make you - and your marriage - happier! Some of these ideas I've seen other places, but Thomas handles them very skillfully and addresses other topics that aren't often seen in marriage books. There was nothing in here that I felt didn't have value, and I can only imagine how much lower the divorce rate would be if couples were given copies of this book at their weddings! Not married? Read it anyway! Many of the concepts will bless you in other relationships as well.

Hope I haven't completely lost you with all these summaries, but I hit a spate of great books all at once and wanted to pass them on!