Whenever the quality of food comes into question, I naturally lean towards following this commonly sound advice, “when in doubt, throw it out”.
On this cold, cold winter day, I was looking forward to making a friend’s homemade chili recipe for dinner, a very simple and easy recipe that is my go-to on days like today:
1 lb ground beef
1/4 to a whole chopped onion (if desired). If using dried onions, reconstitute first.
1 package taco flavoring
1 16 oz can corn
1 16 oz can kidney bean
1 28 oz can diced tomato
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
Brown meat and cook onion, then add rest of recipe, simmer 20-25 min.
Earlier in the week as I went grocery shopping with my children, whom one of them, all on their own, made a list of healthy food choices they desired for school lunches and family dinners and took on the shopping, all on their own, with me by their side, it was awesome that included among the ingredients was hamburger.
In an interest to have warm comfort food on this brrr of a night, I asked my child if I could use the hamburger they originally intended for a different meal to make the delicious chili and they were on board.
In preparing to cook the meat that had been in the fridge for a few days, after opening the tied grocery bag to get to the produce bag that had the packaged tube of hamburger inside, I pulled out a knife from a knife block to slice apart the packaged hamburger across the middle lengthwise.
Before cutting into the packaging, I noticed a small hole in the wrapping. I was concerned that the hamburger may be bad. I began to question whether I should cook the meat or not. The phrase, “when in doubt, throw it out” surfaced to the forefront of my mind, but then I considered the possibility that perhaps I incidentally nicked the outer plastic covering with the knife as I had it up against the tube while looking away briefly.
As I contemplated what I should do, throw the meat out or cook it, I decided that once I split open the tube, if the meat was red and looked fresh then it was good to use and if it was a tainted grey or a faded brown in color, it was bad and I would throw it out in a heartbeat. It was not worth my or my family’s physical health to cook up ten dollars of meat if it was bad.
As all I had to go off of at this point was the fact that there was a hole in the packaging, a repeated question I kept tossing back and forth in my mind was whether it was there at the time of purchase or did it come about by me. In trying to discern between which of the two considerations was the actual case, I felt more so confident it was the later.
As I began slicing the package open, I stopped to check the expiration date and was relieved it was still a couple days away. Once I had the tube open, it was a happy sight and a tender mercy to see that all of the meat was red and looked fresh.
Time and again, I automatically when in doubt, throw it out, however, on this occasion, it was a tender mercy I felt a peaceful calm that the meat was just fine. It did not feel good to throw it out. What felt good was to cook it and eat it.
Upon cooking the chili, even though doubt creeped in all the while I was browning the hamburger and the chili was simmering, I was able to over and over again not allow my thoughts of doubt to take over and to stay aligned with the stillness of the peace and assurance I felt that the hamburger was just fine and that our family would not be harmed by eating it. We thoroughly enjoyed the yummy chili and we did not get sick.
When have you questioned the quality of food you were about to prepare to serve yourself and others and though the phrase “when in doubt, throw it out” was considered, you felt a peaceful calm the food was just fine and no one got sick from eating it?
tendermercym❤️ments~jld
“How have you noticed Heavenly Father’s awareness and mindfulness of you today?”
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