I received a phone call a week or so ago from a lovely lady at my previous church. They are preparing for an upcoming seniors gathering. I used to cook for these gatherings, so they called to ask if I had a recipe for the coconut rice I served for the Luau.

I kind of knew the answer, but said I would look through my recipes to see if I could find it.

I looked. I was afraid that I had “doctored” up an existing recipe (that’s the answer I kind of knew) and sure enough, that’s what I had done. What was worse is that I didn’t even remember what I had done to make it this memorable.

There have been times in my life when I’ve “doctored” up the Word of God. I’ve added my own thinking, relied on my own experiences and trusted my own memory to state or believe something about God’s Word that just wasn’t true.

It’s been during these times that I’ve been humbled and moved to place my heart in the hands of God for realignment.

Perhaps you’ve found yourself in a similar situation. Maybe you are there right now. If so, I’d offer these words of encouragement. A prayer for you to lift up to God and find comfort and peace in His working.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24 – NIV)

For another take on this passage, here it is from The Voice. “Explore me, O God, and know the real me. Dig deeply and discover who I am. Put me to the test and watch how I handle the strain. Examine me to see if there is an evil bone in me, and guide me down Your path forever.”

I am so blessed to have a daughter who has helped me through the years and who also remembered the rice. She began to describe the rice to me. There were scallions and mandarin oranges in the rice. That was very helpful. It jump-started my brain and I was able to come up with a decent resemblance of what I used for “my famous coconut rice.”

So here is the recipe…my version of coconut rice. Enjoy!

Coconut Rice (serves 6)

1 cup long grain white rice

2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup unsweetened coconut milk

6 oz. canned mandarin oranges

2 green scallions (finely sliced)

1 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)

Combine water and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and add rice. Return to boil. Cover and simmer on low for approximately 20 minutes. Turn off heat and let rest for 5 minutes.

Fluff rice and add coconut milk, mandarin oranges, green scallions and cilantro. Stir to combine. Cover to keep warm.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna