Haman

Esther Denouncing Haman to Ahasuerus by Ernest Normand

⁹ And Haman went out that day joyful and glad of heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he neither rose nor trembled before him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai. ¹⁰ Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and brought his friends and his wife Zeresh. ¹¹ And Haman recounted to them the splendor of his riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king had honored him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and the servants of the king. ¹² Then Haman said, “Even Queen Esther let no one but me come with the king to the feast she prepared. And tomorrow also I am invited by her together with the king. ¹³ Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.

Esther 5:9-13

I was listening to the book of Esther on my ipod the other day, and the above passage stood out to me.  Everybody knows Haman was a very wicked man - avaricious, conniving, filled with hate and ready to exterminate God's people without cause.  His hatred for Mordecai was especially vehement because Mordecai was not afraid of him and refused to kowtow to him.  According to this passage, it appears that all of Haman's wealth and accomplishments meant nothing to him so long as Mordecai was around. 

And then I thought, is there a Haman in all of us?  We hope we are never so consumed with hatred like Haman to the point of plotting to kill, but do we harbor any bitterness toward anyone that so consume us that we cannot appreciate the blessings that we do have?  Or have we been so focused on  one thing that we don't have or can't have, that everything we do have pales in comparison? 

Creme Brulee French Toast

My dear friend Carol shared this delightful recipe with me.  My husband loves french toast and this is a big hit with him.  What's also wonderful about this recipe is that I can prepare the dish the night before and put it in the oven the morning of.  It is definitely thumbs up!  What can go wrong with a recipe that calls for challah bread and Grand Marnier?!  Give it a try. 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 1/2 cups firmly backed brown sugar
3 tablespoons corn syrup
1 loaf challah bread, sliced 1-inch thick with each piece sliced in half diagonally
6 eggs
2 cups (1 pint) half-and-half
2 cups (1 pint) milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Grand Marnier (optional)
powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

Directions:
This recipe requires advance prepartion.
1.  Lightly butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and set aside.
2.  Melt butter and brown sugar with the corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat;
     stir until smooth and bubbly.
3.  Pour mixture over the prepared dish.
4.  Arrange the bread slices on top in two overlapping rows, slightly stacking the bread.
5.  In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, milk, vanilla, sugar and liqueur until
     combined; pour evenly over bread.
6.  Cover with foil and chill for at least 8 hours or overnight.
7.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
8.  Bake until set in the center, approximately 45 minutes, then uncover and bake another additional
     15 minutes or until golden brown.
9.  Dust with powdered sugar  (optional)

Black is always elegant

"...black is always elegant, and that being well-dressed depends in a large degree upon the shoes one wears."  Simone de Beauvoir, "Chantal", When Things of the Spirit Come First.


I may not agree with Existentialist writer, Simone de Beauvoir, on several fronts, but I  absolutely agree with her on this bit of fashion advise she gave through one of her fictional characters.  One cannot go too wrong with black as far as I'm concerned; it's been my choice of color for attire for the longest time, to my mother-in-law's chagrin.  I stayed away from it for a while when we moved to Dallas; I don't know why...maybe the sunny climate cries for something softer, lighter and brighter. But I think I'm going to go back to basic black again.

And I totally agree with de Beauvoir about the shoes.  The right shoes complete the outfit, and they do get noticed more often than one thinks.  My mom was of the belief that scruffy footwear absolutely destroys any outfit.  I must agree with her.

Here's Princess Kate in a black gown.  Regardless of the color she wears, she is a young woman of immaculate taste -- restrained, elegant and classic!