Last year my mom gave me a copy of Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ, which is an abbreviated taste of Piper at just over 100 pages. It wasn’t until I started Desiring God, the Piper classic, that I fell in love, not just with Piper, but all over in love with God and my relationship with Him.

The subtitle of Desiring God is Meditations of a Christian Hedonist, and the premise is a minor twist on the Westminster Catechism that “The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.” Piper’s supposition is that “the chief end” is not two things, but one thing (glorifying God) that occurs when the other happens (enjoying Him forever). So that Christian Hedonism should be our goal in life – that is, pursuing joy, pleasure, happiness in God.

Piper provides ample evidence of this truth as it is expressed in scripture and supported by other Christian writers and theologians. “Delight yourself in the Lord” and “In your presence there is fullness of joy” says the Psalmist. Jesus gives us His command “so that our joy will be complete.” Paul instructs the Philippians to “Rejoice in the Lord.” And, he quotes extensively from CS Lewis, Jonathan Edwards and other Bible scholars.

What makes the book and its premise revolutionary and remarkable is that for some reason, as Piper points out, Immanuel Kant’s ideals around morality have infiltrated the Church. Kant’s idea that a good will is one that acts from duty, or “the virtue of an act diminishes to the degree you enjoy doing it and that doing something because it yields happiness is bad.” The Church has adopted this mentality of: if it is worth doing, it is going to be painful, or if you enjoy it, you have automatically reduced its worth.

On the contrary, Piper points out that, for example, worship is not sincere until we do experience joy! “We praise what we enjoy because the delight is incomplete until it is expressed in praise.” Or as CS Lewis wrote, “we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation.”

Before you think Piper is preaching “prosperity gospel,” he is not. He dedicates an entire chapter to suffering and the joy that is to be found when God purifies our faith during trials.

There is no way to adequately frame all that Piper has to offer Desiring God, you just have to read it for yourself. This book has given me a whole new appreciation for how I experience joy and watching others experience joy – for example, watching our praise team on stage during the worship service. And, as I mentioned earlier, it has given me renewed inspiration for how I pursue God.

While I’m not big on traditional science fiction or fantasy literature, I do love a good dystopian novel. The Handmaid’s Tale, The Unit and Never Let Me Go are three such novels. However, Hillary Jordan’s When She Woke, fell short of what I had hoped for.

Because this is the type of dish that gets better as it sits, it is great to make ahead – even by a couple of days.

Balsamic-Tomato Dipping Sauce

4 medium tomatoes, peeled, chopped & drained
1 cup Balsamic vinegar
4 T. sugar
1 t. minced garlic
½ cup chopped onion
10 large basil leaves, cut Chiffonade style
1/3 cup olive oil

Peal & chop tomatoes, lightly salt, and place them in a colander to drain the liquid.

Reduce the vinegar over medium heat by half. Add sugar, garlic and onion and cook another 5-10 minutes, making sure sugar dissolves.

Remove from heat. Mix in tomatoes, basil and olive oil.

Serve with soft bread.

My husband and I joined several friends there on Friday night, hoping to take advantage of a newly improved restaurant before the notoriety potentially creates a wait-list, higher prices, or both. While it wasn’t a complete fail, it isn’t a restaurant we’d drive out of our way to frequent.

It’s a small place, probably not more than 20 tables, split into two dining rooms. Ours was a corner table – an uneven trapezoid designed specifically for the odd shape of the corner of the room. Our room was also the location of the bar, which meant a little noisier atmosphere than some might like for an evening meal with friends. Since, as I mentioned previously, it sits off the main drag, it has private and convenient parking.

We started with the pan seared scallops and the roasted beet and goat cheese salad. The scallops were cooked perfectly and  delicious with their accompanied bacon and sweet corn relish. The savory fried goat cheese on the salad was divine, but I thought the vinaigrette lacking on the beets.

Because I am such a fan of my own shrimp & grits, I rarely order them out. And, as one of our table guests noted, there are many ways of cooking shrimp and grits, but few of them create the dish that is shrimp & grits. I recognize that there are various styles – Charleston as compared to New Orleans, roux-based versus tomato-based – but even so, many chefs have taken advanced liberties. Our server offered their shrimp and grits as one of the most popular entrees, so I thought I’d give it a shot. The grits were seasoned with parmesan cheese and were point-on in consistency though they could have used more salt for my taste. They were topped with shrimp that had been sauteed with green onions and diced green pepper. While tasty, for me this qualifies for grits served with shrimp but not shrimp & grits.

Scott had the lobster mac & cheese, also touted as a crowd favorite, which was disappointingly dry. Yes, dry. Which meant it was more mac and less cheese. And as if it needed variety in texture, it was topped with bread crumbs.

Another detail that became somewhat of a running joke during the evening was the abundant use of frisée lettuce. (See photo #3 of the shrimp and grits.) We weren’t sure if it was meant to be a salad atop the entrees or if it was pure garnish – in which case it was excessive, but most of the dishes we were served was piled with this greenery.

There were other dishes ordered at our table as well, some of them received raves:

• Roasted chicken breast with couscous, cranberries, butternut squash & pecans – excellent!
• Beef burger and herb fries – excellent!
• Fried green tomatoes with homemade buttermilk ranch dressing – The tomatoes were tough (more so than necessary) and there was an odd flavor in the dressing. The lady who ordered it inquired about it and was told that the chef uses 12 different herbs in his dressing that he wouldn’t disclose. However, our server said that previous customers had had similar unfavorable reactions to what the restaurant described as “ranch” dressing.

We finished the meal with the white chocolate macadamia nut bread pudding which is served with a raspberry compote. It was incredible, though the serving is not enough to share, which my husband and I often do. Luckily for him, I only wanted a bite.

So obviously this was a hit and miss experience for us. If you’re in the area and looking for a place to eat, I think it is worth trying. Hopefully I’ve given you enough direction of a few things to steer clear of.

In the afternoon I read Good Things I Wish You, I was immediately home and nodding agreement with her beautiful language. It wasn’t the roller-coaster ride of discovering something new, but a gentle cadence that is completely fulfilling, leaving you looking forward to your next interlude.

This latest novel tells parallel tales – that of the narrator relationship with a new beau – and the suspicious romance of Clara Schumann’s and her husband’s student, Johannes Brahms.  The narrator - Jeanette Hochmann – is recently divorced and researching the relationship of Schumann and Brahms as the topic of a novel she’s writing. The narrative is peppered with excerpts from letters from Clara & Johannes as well as Clara’s husband, Robert, and their children. In addition, making the contemporary story feel more like memoir than novel, are photos from 2006, Jeanette’s trip to Germany.

This was a selection for my book club, and we had a great discussion concerning just how much of a relationship Clara and Johannes had. The novel leaves much for interpretation, much like the historic letters. My personal opinion (because I’m always going to believe that there is more there than what meets the eye) is that indeed there was a relationship. Whatever existed ended after a brief vacation the two took together after Robert died.

My personal thoughts – and I think I was the only one who felt this way – is that she rebuffed him on this trip, not giving him the legitimate relationship he wanted. I think that Clara never wanted a family life. She longed for the stage and the spotlight that a life on tour provided. When she was finally free of this obligation (a term I use very loosely, because Clara pretty much continued to do what she wanted despite her husband and children) the last thing she wanted was to be tied down again.

A quick read and a good one for discussion, makes this a logical book club choice.

Ansay provides yet another satisfying story. So much so, I’ve already ordered two more by her (Sister and Midnight Champagne – I’ve read Vinegar Hill and Blue Water) and have vowed that this year I’ll read everything she has to offer.

Told in three parts – daughter, mother, grandmother – Michael Dorris’ A Yellow Raft in Blue Water attempts – I think – to tell the story of what happens when the truth is hidden from generation to generation in a native American family. Because the reader doesn’t learn the truth until the grandmother’s tale, there’s so much presumption and suspicion that I had a hard time going backwards to make the pieces fit. What’s more, I didn’t care enough about the daughter or mother to want to make them fit.

What’s worse is that this is probably the worst “drop” of an ending I’ve read in a long time. Short of ending mid-sentence, I don’t know how to end more abruptly.

The title alludes to a raft where the daughter is inappropriately touched by a priest – a scene that is completely beyond belief the way that it is written. And it seems like this would be some huge metaphor that is a common thread throughout (I mean who puts ‘water’ in a title without it being a symboll) but if so, I didn’t get it. And I’m usually pretty astute to metaphors.

I’m making this review short and sweet, but if you’ve read this and feel differently, please let me know. Since I took the time to read it, I’d love for someone to help me make sense of it.

Coming Up for Air is her latest and eighth novel (in as many years), and it’s the best I’ve read so far.

Ellie Calvin is mourning the loss of her mother at too early an age when she sees her ex-boyfriend (Hutch) for the first time. Already feeling hemmed into a marriage whose edges are fraying (Henry’s metaphor, not mine), Ellie is energized by joining Hutch in his research for a documentary that includes time her mother spent in the civil right’s movement – something Ellie is surprised she knows little of.

The research leads Ellie to discover a life she didn’t know her mother had, including what seems to have been a true love abandoned. Learning these things makes Ellie question the decisions she’s made in her own life. Did she choose a safe life because her mother wanted her to? Would she be happier had she followed her heart?

While these questions aren’t unique, Henry creates a fresh and entertaining delivery for them.

What I think is interesting is how the idea of former loves revisited is a reoccurring theme in Henry’s work. Some of the aspects of Coming Up for Air parallel Henry’s own life – like her first child going off to school at Auburn. But what I know of her, she’s happily married with great kids. So, as a writer I wonder if this is her opportunity to live out alternate versions of her own life, and if so, what her husband thinks of that.

If you like contemporary Southern women’s fiction, you’ll enjoy the time you spend with Coming Up for Air.

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So, there are few things more satisfying than when a product you loves proves itself worthy of your admiration. So goes St. Ives.

Frequenters of Lit&Leisure may remember my very first “Love” post about St. Ives Green Tea face scrub. It was the product that inspired this theme of reoccurring posts for me.

Enter December when I purchase a new tube of the scrub and experience a product fail – the tube splits at the sides. I was about to just toss the tube away (that is, after I tried to continue to use it until it just became impossible and the scrub started to dry out) when I thought, “If I were responsible for this product, I’d want to know that one of my good customers is disappointed.”

I wasn’t going to scrap the brand, in fact I made sure to replace the tube before I would chunk it. But nevertheless, this was an opportunity to show me if they care.

St. Ives has a Facebook fan page, so I posted a picture of the failed tube there. The next day St. Ives commented & gave me contact information for their customer service. Another day later the account rep from their public relations firm contacted me via my blog email, apologized for the bad experience and requested my home address so that she could send me a care package.

Saturday it arrived by FedEx. Holy cow!

Just in case the picture isn’t big enough, the loot included two bottles of body lotion, a bottle of body wash (a different scent than the one I’m currently using, so I look forward to trying it), a bottle of the Green Tea face wash (a product that I also already use), a tube of their very famous apricot scrub and TWO tubes of the infamous Green Tea face scrub.

Somewhat related side tangent: I’ve never been a loyal body lotion user. It falls into the same category as flossing; I know I should do it more often than I do. In the few days since the package arrived, I’ve started using the Oatmeal & Shea Butter Body Lotion & love it. I have dry, itchy skin – especially my legs – in the winter, and this has helped tremendously. It is silky, not too thick & not greasy at all.

Back to topic at hand: Since the package included two tubes of the St. Ives Green Tea face scrub, I’m going to give one of them away.

Rules, etc.:
1. Mailing address must be within continental US.
2. Ends midnight, Jan. 31. (EST)
3. One entry for comment on this post. Make sure to leave your email address or email me with it.
4. Additional entry for share on Facebook (use share button below).
5. Additional entry for tweet on Twitter (include @read_babbette or @elisabeth_wang in tweet).
6. If you want to share another way, that’s cool. Just let me know in the comments or by email at readbabbette (at) yahoo (dot) com. The more shares, the greater chances of winning.

And, this post would be incomplete without a huge shout out to Kaplow Communications and the St. Ives account rep (Shelia Donohoe) who contacted me. She went beyond letting me deal with the company customer service department. She took ownership of making the client happy, and St. Ives will benefit – they have a fan for life. If you’re a national brand looking for excellent representation, I’d start with Kaplow.

Update: Between drafting this post & publishing it, I also received a coupon for a free St. Ives product from their customer service company (with form letter, not nearly as personal as the response from the PR firm), so I’m actually going to give away both tubes of the Green Tea face scrub – so two winners!

Chopped Brussels Sprouts
16 oz. brussels sprouts
1/2 cup sliced almonds
3 T. olive oil
1/4 cup capers
juice one lemon
several splashes (~2 Tablespoons?) balsamic or red wine vinegar
Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper

Wash, trim & cut spouts in half (top to bottom). Chop in a food processor – will look similar to slaw. Set aside.

Brown almonds in roasting pan. Add to sprouts.

Heat oil in pan; add capers and heat until they “explode” or “flower.” (Use a lid to avoid splattering.) Add sprouts back to the pan with the capers. Add lemon, vinegar and S&P. Mix well.

Cook for several minutes until sprouts are well-wilted. Serve hot.

Over the recent holidays we had one such couple over. They couldn’t remember all the rules and had tried to find it on the internet, but couldn’t find the precise version we played, so she suggested I write a blog entry about it. I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of that before now! Hand & Foot is definitely something I love!

Hand & Foot (card game)

Players: 4 – 8ish; even number if you want to play partners.

Equipment: 1 deck per person + an extra, including jokers, shuffled together. We typically play with 4 people, so we have 5 decks ready to go, but we use the same set of cards if we play with 6 people & it works fine. If you are going to play frequently, you might want to invest in an automatic card shuffler. We paid $20 for ours at Mori Gifts, but obviously if you plan ahead you can pay less. Also, pad & pen for keeping score.

Game: 4 rounds of play, dictated by gradually higher requirements for melding: 50 pts, 90 pts, 120 pts, 150 pts.

Point Values:

• 4 – 7 = 5 pts
• 8 – K = 10 pts
• 2 & A = 20 pts
• Jokers = 50 pts
• Red 3 =  -500
• Black 3 = 0
• 2 & Jokers = Wild Cards
• Closed book, clean = 500
• Closed book, dirty = 300
• Go out first = 100

How to Win: The goal is to have the most points at the end of 4 rounds. Points are a combination of the books closed (base) + all the cards played (whether in a closed or open book) minus any points still in your hand or your foot. Remember the person who goes out first gets an extra 100 pts. A closed book = min 7 cards. Clean books have no wild cards; dirty books contain wild cards. To “go out” you must have closed one clean book and one dirty book.

Deal: Players deal themselves two stacks of 11 cards each. Then, they pass one stack to their left. Players select one stack to be their “hand” and leave the other stack (without looking at it) as their “foot.” The rest of the cards are left in two piles with the discard pile between them. The first discard card is turned over. It can’t be a wild card or a 3.

Play: Select a player to go first (shuffler); each round after is started by the next player to the left. At his turn, the player draws two cards (from either stack) and discards one. A player melds (lays down his cards) when he has the points necessary for that round for books of a minimum of 3-of-a-kind (plus wild cards if needed). After there are at least 8 cards in the discard pile, a player may take the top 8 cards instead of drawing two cards as long as he can play the top card with what he has in his hand. (If the player is melding, he must be able to meld with only the top card, not what is under it.)

When a player finishes his hand, if the last card he plays goes to the discard, he declares he’s “Previewing” and picks up his “foot” which then becomes his hand, playing when it is his turn again. If he is able to play the last card in his hand (i.e., it is added to a closed or open book, not the discard pile), he declares he’s “Rolling” and continues play on this turn with his “foot.”

It is possible to discard a card that you could otherwise play. Because a player cannot “go out” until he has closed a clean and dirty book, he may find himself discarding cards he could use until he draws what is needed to close these books.

Other Rules:

• A player can continue to add to books he has already played.
• Books must contain more face cards than wild cards at any given time.
• After a book is closed (7 cards), a player may add face cards but not wild cards. A player may also start at new book of the same face card instead of adding to a closed book.
• Players cannot look through the discard pile to determine if they want to take it. (When a player decides to take from the discard pile, he should turn the stack over & deal 8 cards from bottom, so that neither he nor the other players see what has been taken.)
• For an easy way to distinguish between clean & dirty books, leave a red card on top for clean and black for dirty.
• You cannot collect books of 3′s; black 3′s must be discarded.
• Wild cards cannot be traded among books once they are played. (You can’t turn a dirty set clean.)

Alternate Play: An alternate to singles is to play with partners, sitting directly across from each other. Partners play on a joint melding board, meaning only one player has to achieve the points before both can play. If playing with partners, it is easier if one partner maintains open books and the other holds closed books.

You might want to create a cheat-sheet with the point values until you have that down. I know that these rules look long & tedious, but I promise this is a blast to play. Once you catch on, it is a breeze!

Hand & Foot – this is a game I LOVE!