www.LargeInCharge.com - Good Food 4 U

Everyone has a longing to love and be loved. It is a horrible moment when you come to a realization that love has ended and turned into something else. It’s at that point that blame is placed on whoever’s fault it is that the relationship ended. In some rare cases one person has the responsibility, but more commonly all people have a hand in the ending of relationships. It’s at that point we already started promising ourselves that never again will we put ourselves “out there” so that we might spare our hearts and souls the impending, waiting destruction. Never again would we allow our heart to feel that good again. We vow that we need no one.

And, then time passes. The breaks in our heart heal a little and we start letting the sun back in bit by bit. Then we let a lot of light back in, causing the areas of our lives to be illuminated and shows us what we need. Over time it has been illustrated that the human spirit cannot be confined and remain alive. All too often we see cases where people have been hurt and have decided that to hang on to that pain is the best way to prevent it from happening again. While the soul doesn’t die, its rhythm can be silenced. Oddly enough while we place that responsibility on others we are the ones who choose, and actually are the ones who silence it.

But, then more time passes. One day we get up and whether is by choice or need the rhythm starts again. We can actually feel it happening, although more often then not we don’t see what it is, but we feel it. Eventually, that can potentially lead into love.

And then one day you say to yourself, “I’m in love”.

Yeah, I’ve been bitten. I’m in love. I can still feel the dark moments, and perhaps it’s not the pain, but the fear of that pain happening again that I feel. I try not to get bogged down it and am slowly letting it go to make more room for that fabled feeling to take over, but life does have a way of working up some problems and working out others. To not acknowledge that would open myself up to risk. The problem is that if I don’t open myself up to risk then there is little chance for relationships at any level to progress to the next level. While my mind says “go ahead”, my heart fears what “may” happen. At some point we each must decided whether its worth the risk or not. We each must determine whether fear of rejection and failure is a reasonable price for what we want from our lives. If that relationship has you questioning like that, chances are it’s worth the risk. Will it be the perfect relationship, the fated soul mates that we all long for ? Who knows. Will it succeed or fail ? Who knows.

The thing is that we must be willing to be saved before any of can be saved. If we cannot accept the risks of living, we can never be truly great at anything. To excel is to through caution to the wind and allow the fates to have their way with us. Does that open use up to failure ? Does that mean we risk rejection ? Does that mean we can be hurt ? You betcha, but in reality the options are worse than failure, rejection, and getting hurt. This would be us choosing to silence our souls. What could be worse than that ?

Grilled Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon juice -- lemon, concentrate
2 tablespoon juice -- lime, concentrate
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
pepper -- jalapeno, seeded
chopped
10 milliliter garlic -- finely chopped
2 teaspoons bouillon -- chicken --
instant
2 cubes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
chicken breast -- halves
-- skinless, (1 lb)

Instructions:

IN shallow dish or plastic bag, combine 3 tbsp water and all ingredients except chicken. Add chicken, coating well with marinade. Cover dish or seal bag; marinate in refrigerator 4 hours or overnight. Prepare outdoor grill or preheat grill. Remove chicken from marinade; pour marinade into small saucepan and bring to a boil. Grill chicken 15 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally and basting frequently with marinade. Serve hot. Marinating Time: about 4 hours or longer. Cooking Time: about 15 minutes.

Barbecued Fish

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds firm -- whitefish fillets
- such as red snapper
- or halibut
***Marinade***
1 small onion; chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoon catsup
2 tablespoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:

COMBINE ALL SAUCE INGREDIENTS in a pot, place over medium heat and boil until reduced to a thin syrup. Pour the syrup through a strainer, discard the cooked ingredients in the strainer and chill the marinade. Place fish steaks or fillets in a baking dish and spoon some marinade over them, coating all sides. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Pour off marinade into a small pan and heat to boiling. Grill the fish over hot coals, basting with a teaspoon of the marinade on each side. Remove fish when internal temperature reaches 155F or the fish is just flaky and the translucent color is gone.

Grilled Tomatoes And Green Onions

Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or wine
vinegar
2 tablespoon fresh basil -- chopped
1 tablespoon shallots -- chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 large tomatoes -- cut into slices
- 1/2-3/4 inch thick
10 green onions -- trimmed, up to 12
including 4" of green tops
1 sprig fresh basil or
parsley

Instructions:

Firm tomatoes, even those that are slightly green, should be used for this recipe. They are less juice and hold their shape better when grilled than fully ripe ones. Fresh basil is wonderful with tomatoes, but you could also use chopped tarragon or even parsley in the basting sauce. Serve warm or at room temperature, with grilled lamb or fish. Prepare a fire in a grill. Position the oiled grill rack 4-6 inches above the fire. In a small bowl stir together the oil, lemon juice or vinegar, chopped basil, shallots, salt and pepper. Arrange the tomatoes and onions on the rack. Grill, turning them two or three times and brushing with the oil mixture, about 5 minutes. If the onions are large, they might take 1 or 2 minutes longer. Transfer the tomatoes and onions to a platter and Garnish with basil or parsley springs.