Lord, the money we do spend on Government and it's not one bit better than the government we got for one-third the money twenty years ago.
I felt the Lord telling me just to be patient all year. Whether it happened this year, next, or never, everything was going to be okay.
I'd be stupid not to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ because it was tough out there and I was nervous, and I felt his presence all day.
To so many people, the Lord is in danger of being no more than a patron saint of our systematic theology instead of the Christ Who is our life.
Make sure it is God's trumpet you are blowing- if it is only yours it won't wake the dead, it will simply disturb the neighbours.
Being a mother must be the saddest yet the most hopeful thing in the world, falling into a love that, once started, would never end.
Having grown up in the Middle East, eating beans for breakfast always seemed like a bizarre British eccentricity.
On many occasions, an informal buffet and casual seating offer a little more intimacy than a loud gathering around a big table.
I am sure that in the story of Adam and Eve, the forbidden fruit was a fig and not an apple, pear or anything else.
You don't need a machine to make pasta: a rolling pin and a fast hand can create a smooth, if thick, sheet.
One Indian-inspired favourite of mine is mashed potato mixed with lemon juice, breadcrumbs, coriander and chilli, shaped into patties, fried and served with chutney and yoghurt.
Most pumpkin dishes involve scooping out the seeds, cutting off the skin, and chopping up the flesh before cooking.
Chipotles, which are dried jalapeno peppers, give out a terrific smoky flavour - they're warm, earthy and usually not too spicy.
Cobnuts have a fresher flavour than any other nut I know of and go very well with autumnal fruit and light cheeses.
Tahini is fantastically versatile, its deep, nutty flavour a harmonious match with roasted vegetables, grilled oily fish or barbecued meat.
The addition of vinaigrette to freshly roasted vegetables gives them a freshness and juiciness they don't normally have; the acidity brings out new shades of flavour, too.
Dried porcini add a substantial, deep flavour to otherwise more neutral vegetables. I use them in risottos, mashed roots and winter soups.
Take your average couscous salad, and it's almost always a sloppy mush, no matter how much attention has gone into getting flavours in there.
Leeks are normally given the job of flavouring other things, such as stocks and soups, but I find their creaminess and sweet, oniony flavour very satisfying.
I'm an enormous fan of Thomas Bernhard's books, and I like the relentless feeling in his work - the pursuit of darkness, the negative - and I think in some sense I've internalised that as what one is supposed to do.
You can browse to your heart's content but it's hard work and not easy on the feet unless you do it through catalogs or the Internet, and I like to touch and try on the things I buy.
