Uncategorized – Page 115 – words from wick

Italy arrives in Decatur…

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Wick

This past Monday, a restaurant in Decatur quietly opened it’s doors, seeming to rely most heavily on the best form of advertising around – word of mouth. So here goes my mouth (err…typing?).

IL FORNO

1423 E. Mound Rd. (Wood-Mound Plaza, next to Subway)

Decatur, IL 62526

217-876-9900

Seriously. I haven’t heard any radio, seen any paper ads (but we don’t get the paper), or any TV or Facebook buzz about them. A hand-drawn marker sign posted by the road announced they were open, and so last night we decided to give it a try.

The sign outside told us it was a place to get some brick-oven pizza. “IL FORNO” means “the oven” in Italian, and sure enough we were greeted by a giant brick oven as we walked in. We expected a “hole in the wall” bar atmosphere that served pizza based on the outside, but were pleasantly surprised as we walked in. This place would be a great choice for both a family pizza night in t-shirt/shorts, but with candle-lit tables and Tuscan decor – it’s a great date-night option as well.

The range continues with the menu! We were drawn in by their gluten-free choices, but distracted by the TONS of other options as well. Appetizers even more creative than the garden where I guess they grow the olives. Plenty of salad options that could be entire meals, chicken dishes, seafoods, sandwiches/paninis, steaks, many veal dishes, pastas/sauces/meats, a whole page of gourmet pizzas, and even a couple “dessert pizza” options.

My wife ordered the “Romano Chicken”, which was a chicken breast served on a bed of three-cheese mashed potatoes, covered in a home-made Romano cheese sauce, and topped with several pieces of tender asparagus. I went with a “Chicken (cant remember this word) Panini”…and holy cow it was awesome. It was a chicken breast topped with several slices of prosciutto, served on a fresh ciabatta roll spread with garlic pesto sauce. Mine also came with mashed potatoes that tasted ah. maze. ing.

I stopped eating after the first half of my sandwich. Usually this is because I’m so full, I don’t want to become stuffed. As full as I was, the reason I stopped was to that I could extend my sandwich experience over another day. Heated up for lunch today was equally as awesome.

Our bill was about $25, because once in a while we eat like rich people. The wait staff are very new, which means new jobs for Decatur – always a good thing. The little old Italian couple and what I assume is their son in the kitchen – seem to have captured something awesome here. I encourage you to check it out, and support the local economy while you do it. You’ll be very glad you did!!!

Different Scriptures, Different Thoughts, Uncategorized

tasty-good.

Posted on March 24, 2012March 22, 2012 by Wick

When our oldest daughter was just learning to talk, and something tasted awesome, she would say it was “Tasty-good!!” This earned more than a few smiles around dinner tables and snack plates alike. This phrase came to mind recently, as I was reading 2 Timothy 2:6. It’s a verse that upon first reading, doesn’t sound like something a follower of Jesus would say:

“The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.“

But wait, wasn’t Jesus all about giving to the poor? About all of the workers getting paid the same, no matter how long/hard they labored? What could Paul be saying to Timothy here?

For that, I’ll tell a quick story from last weekend. My wife was attending “Hearts at Home” here in Illinois, and I felt like it was my job to make this time with my kids more than just “surviving until mom gets home”. I wanted them to love it, and to know daddy wanted special time with his girls. Some parts went awesome, other parts not so much. But one thing in particular was my attempt to make “Beignets” like our girls saw in “The Princess and the Frog”. Because we’re recently gluten-free, I found a gluten-free recipe to try out. How hard could it be, right? So Friday night after the kids were in bed, I worked at making the dough. I harnessed the power of my OCD to use for good, and followed the directions 100%. The dough was nowhere near usable. The recipe called for the end result of a “ball of dough” to refrigerate over night. I ended up with what looked like pancake batter. Being the Martha Stewart that I am, I simply kept adding general purpose gluten-free flour until it was ball-able (if that’s a word).

In the morning, I rolled it out, cut it, gave it a chance to rise (even though it never chose to wake up apparently), and fried them up. The result? Flat square donuts. Thankfully they tasted awesome, and the girls still danced around – pleased to be eating actual beignets like Tiana.

Now, if someone had walked in that morning to sit down and eat square donuts with us, they would’ve enjoyed the food. They were pretty tasty, as any fried dough with powdered sugar would be. But you know who was the chief enjoyer of the fruit of all that labor?? Me. I’d put in the time, care, work, and patiently crafting a meal out of love for my girls. No one could have enjoyed that moment more than me…tasting the food, seeing my girls devour them, etc.

Paul is telling Timothy here – those who endure to the end, and do the sacrificial work it takes to plant seeds for the Kingdom – and care for the growth of Kingdom living – THEY are the ones who will most enjoy the fruits of their labor. They’ll be first in line for the celebration of a harvest they’ve been living towards with every breath. He is urging a young man he cares for deeply to keep up the work he’s doing, because not only will it be worth it…but it will make every bit of the fruit so much more fulfilling – knowing that somehow we were joining God in bringing all of this around!!!!