Kitchen Meditations with Kendall Vanderslice

On Rest Apr 02, 2023

What comes to mind when you hear the word rest? Is it a hammock swaying between two trees? Is it a slow afternoon in the kitchen, or laughter around a table with friends? Perhaps rest feels like something elusive, something you want but can’t find time to claim? Or maybe it just seems lazy when there is so much that must be done. In this episode of Kitchen Meditations, we’re going to spend some time reflecting on what these complicated feelings might be. Bake and Pray, Any Day: On Demand

On Salt Mar 26, 2023

Are you a salt fiend? Or someone who prides yourself on the fact that you don’t need any to enjoy what you eat? Did you know that salt is one of the most important, if underappreciated ingredients in just about every dish? It plays so many roles in our food, aside from just aiding the flavor. And it’s been a powerful political tool throughout history too. How does that reshape your understanding of Jesus’ quip, “you are the salt of the earth”?

Buy tickets to our Holy Week Bake & Pray
Order Kendall’s book By Bread Alone

Kale Salad:

1 teaspoon diced red onion
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese3 small bowls of kale
Two pinches of salt1/2 of your favorite croutons (my favorite? Homemade using the leftovers of my latest Bake & Pray loaf!)

Place the red onion in a glass jar and cover with the balsamic vinegar. Let sit for 10 minutes, then add the olive oil. Once combined, stir in the Parmesan cheese.
Divide the kale between three bowls, massaging a pinch of salt into one and letting it sit for five minutes.
Add dressing and croutons to all three bowls, then salt one of the unsalted bowls.
Taste all three and observe the differences based on the use of salt!

If you're a fan of Kitchen Meditations, then you'll love listening to the ⁠audiobook version of By Bread Alone⁠—narrated by Kendall Vanderslice. Now through April 17 you can listen for 50% off. ⁠Start listening today⁠.

On Yeast Mar 19, 2023

Have you ever carried a 50 pound bag of flour? There’s a special trick to it: you have to pick it up from underneath and flip it over your shoulder, otherwise it’s too unwieldy to handle. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says that the Kingdom of God is like yeast that a woman mixed into three measures of flour until all of it was leavened. Three measures of flour is just a bit more flour than one of those 50 pound bags, which means this woman was leavening a whole lot of dough. In today’s episode of Kitchen Meditations, On Leaven, we’re going to reflect on what it means for the Kingdom of Heaven to be like yeast.

Learn more about Aminah’s work: http://robdunnlab.com/people/aminah-al-attas-bradford/
Learn more about the sourdough microbiome: https://asm.org/Articles/2020/June/The-Sourdough-Microbiome
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sourdough-starter-recipe
https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-homemade-sauerkraut-in-a-mason-jar-193124

If you're a fan of Kitchen Meditations, then you'll love listening to the audiobook version of By Bread Alone—narrated by Kendall Vanderslice. Now through April 17 you can listen for 50% off. Start listening today.

On Water Mar 12, 2023

Our life with Christ begins in water. That terrifying, beautiful element that makes up 60% of the human body and covers 71% of the earth's surface. Baptism is a sacrament as mysterious as Communion, God present with us and transforming us in ways we cannot completely understand. In both we are called into a community that holds onto this mystery of faith together with us—or for us when we don't have the strength to hold onto it on our own. In this episode, we're talking about water—magnificent and dangerous at the same time. As wild as it may seem, I think the waters of baptism and the mixing of bread can each teach us something beautiful about the other.

Order your copy of By Bread Alone today!

On Flour Mar 05, 2023

Six years ago, the Catholic Church made headlines when it re-affirmed a long held stance on Communion: the bread used for the Sacrament must contain wheat. The stance can be traced back to the writing of Thomas Aquinas and is shaped by cultural relationships to flour. Today on Kitchen Meditations, we're examining why wheat has been so integral in the history of the church—and why I believe that the structure of wheat itself encourages us to search for God's work in other grains as well.Order By Bread Alone
Learn to bake bread with the Bake & Pray workshop
Find great gluten free recipes on Canelle et Vanille and in Peter Reinhart's gluten free cookbook

On White Bread Alone Feb 26, 2023

This week’s episode is a reading from the preface of Kendall Vanderslice’s book By Bread Alone: a baker’s reflections on hunger, longing, and the goodness of God. We hope you enjoy this small taste of what’s to come.

Order your copy of By Bread Alone today!

On King Cake Feb 19, 2023

How do you feel about King Cake? That bright cake, smothered in sprinkles with a plastic baby stuffed inside. Maybe you’re more a fan of the Galette de Rois—the puff pastry and frangipane version that hails from France. Shrove Tuesday traditions abound all around the world. In this episode of Kitchen Meditations, we’re going to learn how some of the most popular traditions came to be!

King Cake history
Vasilopita history
Maslenitsa history
Deep dive into Semlor
Paczki history

Pre-order Kendall’s book, By Bread Alone

On Lenten Fasting Feb 12, 2023

I love Lent. Perhaps you’re someone who grinds your teeth and muscles through the weeks of fasting. Maybe you stay silent because you just don’t feel like fasting is all that important, but everyone around you is…super invested. Or perhaps you believe Lent is an unnecessary season, an attempt to earn favor with God when we already have God’s grace. Although “Lent” is not a season outlined in Scripture, it’s been a way for Christians to mark time since at least the early 4th century. To kick off season two of Kitchen Meditations, we’ll share with you why Lent might be just the season you need this year.

Lent history
Medieval Lent practices
Orthodox Fasting
Learn to bake sourdough this Lent with the Baker’s Table
Pre-order Kendall’s book, By Bread Alone

On Allergies Feb 05, 2023

Have you ever attended a dinner where you were left awkwardly picking at just a slice of bread, slathered in butter, while everyone else around you enjoyed a large feast...unable to partake because of food allergies that weren't accounted for in the meal?

It's a terrible feeling to be unable to eat the same food as everyone around, or worse yet, to be unable to eat with them at all. And yet it's the reality for a rapidly increasing number of Americans these days. How do those of us who love hospitality respond? How do we extend hospitality at a time when finding food that everyone can eat is so complicated?

And how does a theological vision that approaches food as a delightful gift from God account for the reality that, for many people, the act of eating is more of a burden than a joy?

In this episode of Kitchen Meditations, we're talking about food allergies—why they seem so prevalent these days and the opportunity they give us for a new approach to hospitality.

Links and Resources:
CDC Data on Food Allergies
FARE Food Allergy Statistics
Pre-order Kendall’s book, By Bread Alone

On Biblical Diets Jan 29, 2023

Have you ever read the Bible as…a dietary manual? For some of you that might sound strange, for others…well, you might know exactly what I’m talking about. Christian dieting books abound that promise spiritual freedom, if only you eat according to strict guidelines laid out in various parts of scripture. In our fourth episode on Diet Culture, we’re going to look at the underlying assumptions behind most Biblical diet books…then consider a different theological approach.

Links and Resources:

Pre-Order By Bread Alone today!
Check out our Worship at the Table program.
Learn more about intuitive eating.

On Diets & Identity Jan 22, 2023

Have you ever followed a diet together with a community of friends? Maybe you all agreed to cut out sugar for a week, or you’re trying a Dry January altogether. Perhaps you have found community through your diet—you went Paleo for awhile and enjoyed building connections with other Paleo people on Instagram. Or you’re vegan and, despite all the jokes lobbed at vegans, you’re grateful to be a part of something beyond yourself.
What is it about our diet that connects us with others? Why do we find it easier to eat in a certain manner when we do it with friends? And why does our diet become such a significant part of our identity? Most importantly: is this helpful or harmful for us?
These are the questions we explore in this episode on diets, identity, and belonging—and how we can create a more holistic relationship to community and food.

Links and Resources:

Pre-Order By Bread Alone today!
Check out our Worship at the Table program.
Learn more about intuitive eating.

On Healthy Eating Jan 15, 2023

You are what you eat. I imagine you’ve heard this phrase before. Maybe it’s helped you embrace the foods that connect you to family or to home. Or maybe it’s shamed you for enjoying something unhealthy. In our third episode on Diet Culture, we’ll dive into the way food shapes our identities, for better or for worse, and how we can use food to remind us of who we are.

Links and Resources:

Eating Right in America by Charlotte Biltekoff

The Body of the Conquistador by Rebecca Earle

Pre-order By Bread Alone today!

On Clean Eating Jan 08, 2023

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase, “clean eating”? Is it raw fruits and vegetables, whole grains and nuts and seeds, milk in a glass bottle and home fermented yogurt? What about…a squishy loaf of Wonderbread? In our second episode on Diet Culture, we’ll explore the history of clean eating, how this framework has shifted, and how we can find more helpful ways of relating to the foods we eat. Links and Resources: White Bread: A Social History of a Loaf by Aaron Bobrow-Strain Purity and Danger by Mary Douglas Pre-Order your copy of Kendall's new book, By Bread Alone, today!

On Fasting and Feasting Jan 01, 2023

Happy New Year! Are you bombarded by messages about how to make this year the best one yet?
Are you struggling with the siren call of new dietary plans?
Instead, let’s consider the rhythms of fasting and feasting built into the church calendar. They just might help us enter the new year in celebration rather than shame.Links and Resources from this episode:
Supper of the Lamb
King Cake Recipe
Pre-order Kendall's book By Bread Alone

Advent IV: On Opening Up (in collaboration with WeWelcome) Dec 18, 2022

On this fourth Sunday of Advent, we’re going to look to the hospitality given and received by the Holy Family just after Christ’s birth. And we’re going to examine what this story encourages us to do. I hope that this story sparks in you a desire to build communities marked by generosity—I expect you’ll find fulfillment greater than you could have imagined too. Listen in.

This Advent, we partnered with WeWelcome, an organization that teaches Americans how to advocate on behalf of our refugee neighbors. Together, we are learning how the hospitality found in the story of Christ’s birth invites us to live out welcome today. You can follow along with our free Advent devotional, “Bread is Home: A Guide to Showing Welcome.”

Links and Resources::
Be sure to grab a free copy of our Advent Guide, “Bread is Home: A Guide for Showing Welcome.”
Join The Daily Table!
Download our show transcript or subscribe to our weekly newsletter at www.edibletheology.com/kitchen-meditations.
Follow The Edible Theology Project on Facebook or Instagram.

Advent III: On Laughter (in collaboration with WeWelcome) Dec 11, 2022

Today begins the third week of Advent—Gaudete Sunday. This is the week of Advent devoted to joy. On this third Sunday of Advent, we’re going to look to some of the most absurd moments in the story of Christ’s birth, stories that we think just might be God encouraging us to laugh a little bit.This Advent, we partnered with WeWelcome, an organization that teaches Americans how to advocate on behalf of our refugee neighbors. Together, we are learning how the hospitality found in the story of Christ’s birth invites us to live out welcome today. You can follow along with our free Advent devotional, “Bread is Home: A Guide to Showing Welcome.”

Links & Resources:
Be sure to grab a free copy of our Advent Guide, “Bread is Home: A Guide for Showing Welcome.”
Join The Daily Table!
Download our show transcript or subscribe to our weekly newsletter at www.edibletheology.com/kitchen-meditations.
Follow The Edible Theology Project on Facebook or Instagram.

Advent II: On Selfless Hospitality (in collaboration with WeWelcome) Dec 04, 2022

On this second Sunday of Advent, we’re going to look to the hospitality Mary showed God in carrying the infant Jesus in her body. Through this story, we’ll look for the gifts we can find when we open ourselves up to others, even at the most inconvenient times. This Advent, we partnered with WeWelcome, an organization that teaches Americans how to advocate on behalf of our refugee neighbors. Together, we are learning how the hospitality found in the story of Christ’s birth invites us to live out welcome today. You can follow along with our free Advent devotional, “Bread is Home: A Guide to Showing Welcome.”

Links and Resources:
Be sure to grab a free copy of our Advent Guide, “Bread is Home: A Guide for Showing Welcome.”
Join The Daily Table!
Download our show transcript or subscribe to our weekly newsletter at www.edibletheology.com/kitchen-meditations.
Follow The Edible Theology Project on Facebook or Instagram.

Advent I: On Longing (in collaboration with WeWelcome) Nov 27, 2022

This Advent, we partnered with WeWelcome, an organization that teaches Americans how to advocate on behalf of our refugee neighbors. Together, we are learning how the hospitality found in the story of Christ’s birth invites us to live out welcome today. On this first Sunday of Advent, we’re going to look to the story of Elizabeth and Zachariah. We’ll examine what their lives can teach us about embracing the gift of hospitality, even in seasons of unmet longing and endless waiting. We pray this episode will be an encouragement to you in your own seasons of longing. Listen in.

Links and Resources:
Be sure to grab a free copy of our Advent Guide, “Bread is Home: A Guide for Showing Welcome”.
Donate $25+ to Edible Theology and receive a copy of “A Guide to Hard Conversations at the Holidays.”
Consider supporting The Edible Theology Project with a tax-free monthly or a one-time donation at www.edibletheology.com/fundraiser.
Follow The Edible Theology Project on Facebook or Instagram.

On Thanksgiving Nov 20, 2022

Thanksgiving is a complex holiday. Both its history and the role it plays in many families today. This week on Kitchen Meditations, we’re talking about Thanksgiving. We believe it is a day we can choose to confess our brokenness and work towards healing, together at the table. If you’re looking for a new way to approach the holidays this year, listen in.

Links and Resources:
Pie Ranch and Amah Mutsun history
How the Civil War created Thanksgiving
Download our show transcript or subscribe to our weekly newsletter at www.edibletheology.com/kitchen-meditations.
Consider supporting The Edible Theology Project with a tax-free monthly or a one-time donation at www.edibletheology.com/donate.
Follow The Edible Theology Project on Facebook or Instagram.

On Daily Bread Nov 13, 2022

This Fall, we’ve been reflecting on our food stories and how they impact our sense of home. We believe these conversations are critical as our country faces both a loneliness epidemic and increasing social discord. This week, Kendall Vanderslice shares some of her own food story, how it led her to create the Edible Theology Project, and why gathering at the table in this season is more important than ever. Listen in

.USA Today article on Loneliness and American democracy
Support The Edible Theology Project with a tax-free monthly or a one-time donation at www.edibletheology.com/fundraiser.

Download our show transcript & subscribe to our weekly newsletter at www.edibletheology.com/kitchen-meditations.

Follow The Edible Theology Project on Facebook or Instagram.

On Grief with Amanda Held Opelt Oct 30, 2022

Join us as Kendall Vanderslice sits down with author, speaker, and songwriter Amanda Held Opelt. We reflect on what it’s like to move through grief. How grief affects our whole personhood - spirit, mind, and body. And how food rituals can be a healing and transformative way to tend to our bodies, and experience healing in community. Listen in. Get a copy of Amanda Held Opelt’s book, A Hole in the World Connect with Amanda Held Opelt on Instagram @AmandaHeldOpelt or on her website Download our show transcript or subscribe to our weekly newsletter at www.edibletheology.com/kitchen-meditations Consider supporting The Edible Theology Project with a tax-free monthly or a one-time donation at www.edibletheology.com/fundraiser Follow The Edible Theology Project on Facebook or Instagram.

On Halloween and Soul Cakes Oct 23, 2022

Halloween, like other holidays, has its fair share of commercialization and odd customs. But, if you take a closer look, you’ll find deep history, beauty, and tradition as well. Join us as we look at the religious history of Halloween, including the origins of Trick-or-Treating, food traditions like soul cakes, and Martin Luther’s decision to nail the 95 theses on Halloween. Whether you dress up for Halloween every year, or turn off all your lights and hide in the basement during Trick-or-Treating, this episode will inspire you to rethink the holiday and, just maybe, see it as a day for community and remembrance. Listen in.

Download Kendall’s Soul Cakes recipe here.

Download our show transcript or subscribe to our weekly newsletter at www.EdibleTheology.com.

Consider supporting The Edible Theology Project with a tax-free monthly or a one-time donation at www.edibletheology.com/fundraiser

Follow The Edible Theology Project on Facebook or Instagram.

On Food in Diaspora with Reem Assil Oct 16, 2022

Join us as we speak with chef Reem Assil about food and the diaspora. We reflect on questions like: What is home for people of the diaspora? How can food traditions shape our families and ourselves? What can we learn from Arab hospitality practices?

Reem Assil is a baker, community organizer, and founder of the Bay Area restaurant group Reems California. She’s the author of the recently released cookbook “Arabiyya: Recipes from the Life of an Arab in Diaspora.”This conversation is so rich and a must-listen for anyone interested in how our food, home, and culture shape our lives. Listen in.

You can find Reem Assil on Instagram at @Reem.Assil or @ReemsCalifornia.

Purchase Reem’s new book, “Arabiyya: Recipes from the Life of an Arab in Diaspora.”

Visit www.reemscalifornia.com to learn more about Reem’s work in the restaurant industry.

Check out additional resources or subscribe to our newsletter: edibletheology.com/kitchen-meditations.

Consider supporting The Edible Theology Project: edibletheology.com/fundraiser

Follow The Edible Theology Project on Facebook or Instagram.

On Authentic Food Oct 09, 2022

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “authentic food”? Today, we’re going to talk about the concept of authenticity, especially as it relates to food. We’ll examine where the term comes from and how it gets used. We’ll think about why we choose the term for some foods and not for others, and we’ll question whether or not there are more robust ways we can describe the things we love to eat.

We hope this short reflection will help you reflect on the ways food has shaped you. Listen in.

Books & articles mentioned:

The Ethnic Restauranteur by Krishnendu Rey

Exotic Appetites by Lisa Heldke

Washington Post article by Emily Heil

Korean America by Eric Kim

Ottolenghi Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi

Diasporican by Illyanna Maisonet

Download our show transcript or subscribe to our weekly newsletter at www.EdibleTheology.com.

Consider supporting The Edible Theology Project with a tax-free monthly or a one-time donation at www.edibletheology.com/fundraiser

Follow The Edible Theology Project on Facebook or Instagram.

On the Places We Call Home with Patrice Gopo Oct 02, 2022

For many of us, our relationship to place is a complicated one. It's sometimes a privilege to know the many places that have formed us. Other times, we'd like to forget them. But the yearning to understand how places have shaped who we are is a deeply human one. Join Kendall Vanderslice and guest Patrice Gopo, author of “All the Places We Call Home”, as we meditate together on how to lean into the yearning for home.

Check out additional resources or subscribe to our newsletter: edibletheology.com/kitchen-meditations.
Consider supporting The Edible Theology Project: edibletheology.com/fundraiser
Follow The Edible Theology Project on Facebook or Instagram.
Connect with Patrice Gopo at patricegopo.com.

On Eating Local Sep 25, 2022

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase, “eating local”? This phrase, eating local, can mean a variety of things. Alice Water’s work through Chez Panisse - which sparked the launch of the Farm-to-Table movement - and Barbara Kingsolver’s 2007 book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” set the stage for conversations about local eating over the last two decades. In 2020, the phrase “eating local” took another major shift as COVID-19 created challenges for local businesses. The focus on sustaining small, local companies turned the focus away from food sourcing and towards the regional economy and the people preparing and selling their wares. Today, we’ll dig into the different forms “eating local” can take—and reflect on what value it might bring to our lives. Listen in.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter at www.EdibleTheology.com.

Consider supporting The Edible Theology Project with a tax-free monthly or a one-time donation at www.edibletheology.com/fundraiser

Follow The Edible Theology Project on Facebook or Instagram.

On Belonging with Lore Wilbert Sep 18, 2022

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the unknown? Do you find yourself wishing for a bit more slowness, stability, or surety about your next steps? Maybe then you’d finally feel at home, you think. In this episode of Kitchen Meditations, Kendall is joined by Lore Ferguson Wilbert, the author of Curious Faith. Together, Kendall and Lore discuss what makes them feel at home, the lingering feelings of homesickness, the role questions can play in our faith, and how to instill some rhythm into our everyday lives to feel more at home.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter at EdibleTheology.com
Follow Lore’s work on Instagram or Twitter @lorewilbert or at lorewilbert.com

Download the transcript for this episode here!

On Food, Family, and Home Sep 11, 2022

What flavors come to mind when you think of home? Is there a particular recipe you grew up making? Is there something you’ve learned to cook that feels cozy, that makes your kitchen feel ready to welcome others in? Welcome back to Kitchen Meditations! In today’s episode, we’ll explore the way our senses help us conjure old memories and remind us what home means to each of us. This season, we’ll hear from a series of guests as they reflect on their own relationship to food, and how this has been shaped by home, by family, and by faith.

For further reflection questions, along with a recipe and prayer, subscribe to our weekly email newsletter, The Weekly Digest. Just head to www.edibletheology.com to sign up.

Find your free Supper Club Starter Guide here

Veggie Takes Preview Jun 19, 2022

Have you been missing Kitchen Meditations?

Don't worry—it will be back in September. Until then, join Kendall Vanderslice for another fun summer project: VeggieTakes, the VeggieTales rewatch podcast.

Listen to this preview of our first episode, then head on over to VeggieTakes and subscribe today!

On Fundraising May 17, 2022

For the next three weeks, Edible Theology is running an IndieGoGo fundraising campaign to finish out our upcoming curriculum as well as the next season of this podcast.

In this episode, you'll learn more about this exciting season in our ministry and the ways that you can help.

Donate through our IndieGoGo today: https://igg.me/at/edibletheology

On Rest Mar 27, 2022

What comes to mind when you hear the word rest? Is it a hammock swaying between two trees? Is it a slow afternoon in the kitchen, or laughter around a table with friends? Perhaps rest feels like something elusive, something you want but can’t find time to claim? Or maybe it just seems lazy when there is so much that must be done. In this episode of Kitchen Meditations, we’re going to spend some time reflecting on what these complicated feelings might be. Bake and Pray, Any Day: On Demand

Kitchen Meditations will be back next week Mar 20, 2022

In keeping with the rhythms of Lent, we're taking a break to honor our limitations as humans. We hope you'll take some time this week to do the same.

In the meantime, we recommend you catch up on earlier episodes, like the episode on Lenten fasting.

We'll see you next week.

On Leaven Mar 13, 2022

Have you ever carried a 50 pound bag of flour? There’s a special trick to it: you have to pick it up from underneath and flip it over your shoulder, otherwise it’s too unwieldy to handle. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says that the Kingdom of God is like yeast that a woman mixed into three measures of flour until all of it was leavened. Three measures of flour is just a bit more flour than one of those 50 pound bags, which means this woman was leavening a whole lot of dough. In today’s episode of Kitchen Meditations, On Leaven, we’re going to reflect on what it means for the Kingdom of Heaven to be like yeast.

Learn more about Aminah’s work: http://robdunnlab.com/people/aminah-al-attas-bradford/
Learn more about the sourdough microbiome: https://asm.org/Articles/2020/June/The-Sourdough-Microbiome
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sourdough-starter-recipe
https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-homemade-sauerkraut-in-a-mason-jar-193124

On Water Mar 06, 2022

Lent begins…with dust. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. From dust you come and to dust you will return. Lent begins in the desert, with Jesus wandering out to fast for forty days. It may seem odd, given this parched opening, to begin Lent with a reflection on water. But water is where I’d like our Lenten bread journey to begin. In this episode of Kitchen Meditations, we dig into how water can bring life and transformation in unexpected places. In this season of Lent, water prepares us to enter the desert. It strengthens us for what’s to come.

On King Cake Feb 27, 2022

How do you feel about King Cake? That bright cake, smothered in sprinkles with a plastic baby stuffed inside. Maybe you’re more a fan of the Galette de Rois—the puff pastry and frangipane version that hails from France. Shrove Tuesday traditions abound all around the world. In this episode of Kitchen Meditations, we’re going to learn how some of the most popular traditions came to be! King Cake history Plastic Baby in the King Cake history Vasilopita history Maslenitsa history Deep dive into semlor Paczki history

On Lenten Fasting Feb 20, 2022

I love Lent. Perhaps you’re someone who grinds your teeth and muscles through the weeks of fasting. Maybe you stay silent because you just don’t feel like fasting is all that important, but everyone around you is…super invested. Or perhaps you believe Lent is an unnecessary season, an attempt to earn favor with God when we already have God’s grace. Although “Lent” is not a season outlined in Scripture, it’s been a way for Christians to mark time since at least the early 4th century. To kick off season two of Kitchen Meditations, we’ll share with you why Lent might be just the season you need this year.

Lent history
Medieval Lent practices
Orthodox Fasting
Learn to bake sourdough this Lent with the Baker’s Table
Bake with the Bible on your own or with your kids

On Biblical Diets Jan 23, 2022

Have you ever read the Bible as…a dietary manual? For some of you that might sound strange, for others…well, you might know exactly what I’m talking about. Christian dieting books abound that promise spiritual freedom, if only you eat according to strict guidelines laid out in various parts of scripture. In our fourth episode on Diet Culture, we’re going to look at the underlying assumptions behind most Biblical diet books…then consider a different theological approach. Listen the first three episodes in the Diet Culture series Sign up for our newsletter at EdibleTheology.com!

On Healthy Eating Jan 16, 2022

You are what you eat. I imagine you’ve heard this phrase before. Maybe it’s helped you embrace the foods that connect you to family or to home. Or maybe it’s shamed you for enjoying something unhealthy. In our third episode on Diet Culture, we’ll dive into the way food shapes our identities, for better or for worse, and how we can use food to remind us of who we are. Listen the first two episodes in the Diet Culture series The Body of the Conquistador, Rebecca Earle Eating Right in America, Charlotte Biltekoff Some nutritionists to follow: Cultural Dietition, Black Nutritionist, Food Heaven, Culina Health Sign up for our newsletter at EdibleTheology.com!

On Clean Eating Jan 09, 2022

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase, “clean eating”? Is it raw fruits and vegetables, whole grains and nuts and seeds, milk in a glass bottle and home fermented yogurt? What about…a squishy loaf of Wonderbread? In our second episode on Diet Culture, we’ll explore the history of clean eating, how this framework has shifted, and how we can find more helpful ways of relating to the foods we eat. Listen the first episode in the Diet Culture series Learn more about the history of white bread in White Bread by Aaron Bobrow-Strain Read more of Mary Douglas’ work on this topic in her book Purity and Danger Check out Kendall’s piece on bread and purity in the Bitter Southerner Bake & Pray, Any Day Join the Edible Theology community Sign up for our weekly emails

On Fasting and Feasting Jan 02, 2022

Happy New Year! Are you bombarded by messages about how to make this year the best one yet? Are you struggling with the siren call of new dietary plans? Instead, let’s consider the rhythms of fasting and feasting built into the church calendar. They just might help us enter the new year in celebration rather than shame. Links and Resources from this episode: Supper of the Lamb Worship at the Table curriculum King Cake Recipe Edible Theology Community

Kitchen Meditations Will be Back in the New Year! Dec 26, 2021

The Kitchen Meditations team is taking a break to rest and enjoy time with family and friends. We hope you had a wonderful Christmas! See you back here next Sunday, Jan 2nd as we begin new kitchen meditations on fasting & feasting, diet culture, and clean eating.

On Love through Labor Dec 19, 2021

When you think of love, do you think of boxes of chocolates and bouquets of flowers? Or do you think of the screams of a mother in the final stages of giving birth? In this final Advent episode, we’ll take about the ways God shows us love through labor and how we might sense that love in the work of our own hands. Learn more about bread in the Gospels with our Bake with the Bible curriculum. No-Knead Wheat Bread Recipe Gluten Free No Knead Bread Recipe Learn to bake bread as a form of prayer with our Bake & Pray workshop. Join the Edible Theology community

On Joy in Simple Things Dec 12, 2021

Whenever we’re hurting or we’re overcome by the weight of the world, joy seems like it should be the last thing on our mind. Advent invites us to see the tension of both joy and hardship through a different light. In the midst of holiday parties and celebrations, what might it look like to allow yourself to delight in the fullness of God’s creation? Links & Resources Shop the Edible Theology gift guide Join the Edible Theology community

On Peace Around the Table Dec 05, 2021

We’ve all sat through an awkward meal before—the kind that brings together family members with all kinds of opinions. Maybe you’re the kind of person that comes to the table gunning for a fight. Or maybe you’re the kind that wants to keep things calm at all costs. What does it mean to pursue peace around the table? Links and Resources from this episode: Taize song, The Kingdom of God Shop Edible Theology’s holiday gifts Follow us on Instagram @EdibleTheology Download the transcript for this episode and join the conversation about all things Edible Theology at community.EdibleTheology.com

On Eating In Community Nov 28, 2021

Do you enjoy sharing meals with friends? Do you prioritize sitting at the table with others, or is it something that you fit in between all the other busy things? Eating together with others is a primary means by which God addresses our need for community. Links and Resources from this episode: Buy Kendall’s book Vivek Murthy on the loneliness epidemic Purchase Worship at the Table Find us on Instagram: @EdibleTheology Download the transcript for this episode and join the conversation about all things Edible Theology at community.EdibleTheology.com

On Confession and Thanksgiving Nov 21, 2021

Thanksgiving is a complicated holiday. It’s a day for laughing with cousins, feasting on turkey and pumpkin pie, and arguing with family around the table. What do we do with the historical realities behind the holiday, though? What might it look like to begin this turkey day with confession then thanks? Links and Resources from this episode: Pie Ranch and Amah Mutsun history How the Civil War created Thanksgiving Learn more about Advent with The Baker’s Table Find us on Instagram: @EdibleTheology Download the transcript for this episode and join the conversation about all things Edible Theology at community.EdibleTheology.com

On Grocery Shopping Nov 14, 2021

How much time or mental energy does grocery shopping take up for you? Is it a cause of stress or a point of joy? In today’s episode, we’re talking about what it means for food to be good, and how this can help us approach our grocery shopping as a way to celebrate the gifts of God. Links and Resources from this episode: -Grab a copy of Kendall’s book. -Learn more about Bake with the Bible -Find us on Instagram: @EdibleTheology -Download the transcript for this episode and join the conversation about all things Edible Theology at Community.EdibleTheology.com

What Does the Kitchen Mean to You? Nov 07, 2021

Kitchen Meditations, a podcast from Edible Theology starts next Sunday, November 14th! In Christian tradition, we believe that God meets us each Sunday at the Communion table, in a meal of bread and wine. On Kitchen Meditations, we're going to look for the ways God also meets us at the kitchen table on all the days in between. Whether the kitchen is a place of stress or a place that brings peace at the end of a long day, whether you love cooking or loathe it, you still need to eat. I'm Kendall Vanderslice, baker, writer, and author of We Will Feast: Rethinking Dinner, Worship, and the Community of God. Our relationship to food is complex, but God meets us in the kitchen and at the table. Through these reflections on the mundane tasks that shape our daily lives, along with cooking tips and prayers for sacred, ordinary moments, you'll taste a bit of God's hope and healing every time you eat. Join me in the kitchen each Sunday, beginning next week, for a new episode. Subscribe to Kitchen Meditations to make sure you don't miss an episode. Sign up for my weekly email newsletter at EdibleTheology.com and you'll get an email each Sunday when the new episode releases, and more!

Coming Soon: Kitchen Meditations Nov 01, 2021

Reflections on cooking to help you taste God’s goodness in each bite. Whether the kitchen is a place of stress or a place that brings peace at the end of a long day, whether you love cooking or loathe it, you still need to eat. Baker and writer Kendall Vanderslice (author of We Will Feast: Rethinking Dinner, Worship, and the Community of God) understands the complexity of food—as well as the ways God meets us in the kitchen and at the table. Through these reflections on the mundane tasks that shape our daily lives, along with cooking tips and prayers for sacred, ordinary moments, you'll taste a bit of God's hope and healing every time you eat.

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