GOODlife Magazine September 2016 - Craig & Janna Jones

CONTENTS

Publisher

Kristen Bland

10 COVER | PIONEERING Launching a Church with Senior Pastors Craig and Janna Jones

Damien Parodi Managing Editor

6 NO LONGER BOUND Saving Lives by Breaking the Bondage of Addiction

8 LOCAL EVENTS Back-to-School Consignment Sales and Local Events

14 PRAISE The Consummation of Joy

Gabriel Bland Editor

16 GOODlife TRAVEL What to do in the Blue Ridge Mountains

Autumn Burr Advertising

info@goodlifemagazine.org 770.656.4400

13 LABOR DAY Why we labor Day and Night

18 GOODlife RECIPES Blackened Salmon Pasta

Creative Director Damien Parodi

Graphic Designer Matthew Button

Contributing Editor Krista Messic

facebook.com/goodlifemonthly @goodlifemonthly

COVER CREDIT GOODlife Magazine features Craig and Janna Jones, senior Pastors of Abiding Church.

For the full story see page 10.

Photography | KariBeth Gentry KBG Photography kbgphotography.org

GOODlife Magazine is a monthly publication distributed throughout Atlanta and Metro Atlanta. Entire contents, including design elements and logos, are copyrighted and may not be reproduced in any media without the express written consent of the publisher.

GOODlife Magazine, LLC reserves the right to edit or reject any editorial or advertising content. Advertisers assume liability for content of all advertisements.

All information herein has been checked for accuracy to the best of our ability.

Not responsible for deletions, omissions, errors and or inaccuracies.

2016 GOODlife Magazine, LLC. All rights reserved.

Saving LIVES at Breaking the bondage of addiction is one of the most difficult trials a person can ever go through.

Chemical dependency on drugs or alcohol ravages the user physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and often has devastating affects on the family. Without help, accidental death is a very real and possible threat—by overdose or even suicide. In fact, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency, drug overdose deaths are the leading cause of injury death in the United States, ahead of motor vehicle and firearms deaths.

Addiction in America is a growing problem affecting all socioeconomic classes. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, in 2013, an estimated 22.7 million Americans (8.6%) needed treatment for a problem related to drugs or alcohol. Of this group, only 2.5 million people (0.9%) received treatment at a special facility. Sadly, admission into a treatment facility does not always equal freedom from addiction.

Though the statistics are bleak, hope and recovery are possible. For 25 years, thousands of men have reclaimed their lives from addiction through a process called regeneration and a place called No Longer Bound.

No Longer Bound, a non-profit located in Cumming, Georgia, has evolved to become one of the nation’s premier regeneration centers for men with drug and alcohol addiction. Over 1,200 men’s lives have been saved over the course of its 25-year history. With a mission to rescue addicts, regenerate men, and reconcile families, No Longer Bound’s program of regeneration is intensive and highly effective: approximately 70% of those entering the program will graduate.

From its 15-acre campus in metro Atlanta, residents enter No Longer Bound close to death and despondent. They leave behind families, harmful influences, and all communication with the outside world. The men enter a safe, restorative environment without fences or gates, designed to purge false truths and fully restore their bodies, souls, and minds. The ultimate goal: lasting intimacy with Christ, self, and others. With this achieved, lifetime freedom from addiction is possible.

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The men spend their days in community with other former addicts, attending classes and working in the industries. A non-profit with an entrepreneurial spirit, No Longer Bound has created four industries to help provide revenue and vocational training and offset the cost of the program for residents.

These industries include: NLB Furniture Custom designed reclaimed furniture made by the residents of No Longer Bound; the store is located in Cumming. www.nlbfurniture.com NLB Thrift Upscale thrift store in Cumming, with a second location opening in Woodstock (late fall, 2016). Outstanding selection of furniture, home accessories and clothing available. Donations of all items are welcome!

NLB Studios Full service printing and graphics studio, including website design Cars4Recovery Accepting donations of vehicles of all types—cars, trucks, RVs, and boats

No Longer Bound holds two major fundraising events each year, including the NLB Banquet in the fall (this year’s banquet is October 13th) and the NLB Golf Tournament in the spring.

To learn more, please visit www.nolongerbound.com or call 770-886-7873.

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3 September, gates open 11AM CELEBRATE FREEDOM Free Admission Celebrate Freedom, the largest outdoor free one day concert in the country, takes place the Saturday of Labor Day weekend from noon to 11 PM. Jim R. Miller Park 2245 Callaway Road Marietta, GA celebratefreedom.com/cfatl 10 September, 11AM- 8PM TASTE OF KENNESAW Downtown Kennesaw will be filled with the sweet smell of food and the sweet sounds of Rock ‘n Roll. Admission is FREE and the event attracts over 25,000 people from all around the Kennesaw area.

17 September, 9AM - Noon PAWS IN THE PARK The event is a celebration of dogs, featuring service dog demonstrations, vendor booths, and the Paws Pledge. Swift-Cantrell Park 3140 Old US Highway 41 Kennesaw, GA 30144

17-18 September MARIETTA STREETFEST Established in 1992, the Marietta StreetFest is an annual tradition that draws an estimated 12,000 people to the Marietta Square. Exhibits and activities for the whole family. mariettahistory.org/festival/index.html 18 September MATTHEW WEST POSTGAME CONCERT Contemporary Christian artist Matthew West will play a concert at Turner Field following the game. Concert admission is included in a game ticket, and special packages for groups and individuals are on sale now at www.

Braves.com/faithday.

19 September, 7:30AM MUST CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT Join us at Pinetree Country Club for a funfilled day of golf as we raise funds to help neighbors in need! www.mustministries.org

22 September - 2 October NORTH GEORGIA STATE FAIR The 84th annual North Georgia State Fair is coming to town from September 22 through October 2, 2016. Jim R. Miller Park 2245 Callaway Road Marietta, GA northgeorgiastatefair.com 25 September, 7PM - 9PM SANDI PATTY FAREWELL TOUR Christian Music’s most honored female vocalist returns to Marietta one last time to say Thank You and Farewell. Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church 4385 Lower Roswell Rd. Marietta, GA 30068 Purchase tickets online. mtbethel.org/event/sandi-patty-farewell-tour 20 October BOOTS ‘N’ BBQ A night of Fun, Food and Football with Tim Tebow. Purchase tickets online.

501auctions.com/feedmylambsbootsnbbq Buckhead Barn 576 Broadland Road Atlanta, GA 30327

CONSIGNMENT SALES

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8 September LITTLE LAMBS CLOSET First United Methodist Church of Marietta 56 Whitlock Ave SW, Marietta Thu, Sept 8 Pre-Sale ($5 Fee) from 2PM-8PM Fri, Sept 9 from 9AM-7PM Sat, Sept 10 from 9AM-1PM

16 September ROSWELL UMC CONSIGNMENT SALE Roswell United Methodist Church 814 Mimosa Blvd, Roswell Fri, Sept 16 from 9AM-2PM Sat, Sept 17 from 8AM-12PM

16 September KINDERMART CONSIGNMENT SALE Smyrna First UMC – Fellowship Hall 1315 Concord Road, Smyrna Fri, Sept 16 from 9:30AM-7PM Sat, Sept 17 from 9AM-12PM

7 October CCC MOPS Cumberland Community Church 3110 Sports Ave, Smyrna Fri, Oct 7 from 9:30AM-7PM Sat, Oct 8 from 9AM-1PM

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PI NEERING

A

s a pastor, I feel a deep sense of responsibility to challenge people to step out beyond their comfort zone and trust God in radical ways. As a husband and father, I can tell you that I know what it feels like to follow God with the weight of life on your shoulders. God called me and my wife to what some would describe as an extreme walk of faith. This journey hasn’t always been easy, but God has always come through for us. Looking back, I can only describe our story one way, “MIRACULOUS.” Janna and I met while attending school at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. We have been married for 12 years, and we knew from the very beginning that our relationship was ordained by heaven. We have been blessed with two amazing children. Our daughter Sophia is a compassionate little girl with an uncommon walk of faith. Then, there is our miracle boy, Grayson. This little guy was born with two heart deformities that would have required open-heart surgeries before his release from the hospital. He was also born with a mass in his kidneys that needed to be removed and tested. However, within two days of Grayson’s birth, the doctors were astonished, as both heart deformities were miraculously corrected and the mass in his kidneys had disappeared.

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From the beginning of our journey, we encountered great trials, but we made it through because of our dependence upon God’s amazing love. This has shaped how we live our lives. We are passionately in love with Jesus, and His love has caused us to be radical in our love for people. Our goal is to lead people into this same kind of lifechanging relationship with Jesus Christ that has brought us through life’s challenges. We are passionate about seeing lives transformed. We believe that we have all been created for a purpose, and we know that our calling is to help people discover that purpose and fulfill those dreams. In fulfilling this calling, God has led us to Georgia to embark on the greatest walk of faith yet.

Our journey to Atlanta began years ago as we were driving through the city and God spoke to me, saying ”Atlanta shall be saved.” God deposited in us a profound burden for the people of this city. In January of 2014, we began to feel a stirring in our hearts, and God revealed to us that we were being called into new territory. Through prayer, we began to see that God was calling us to plant a church in the Atlanta area. But metro Atlanta is a very large region, so we began praying for God to narrow down for us exactly where to go.

We felt drawn to northwest Cobb

County, and we asked for God to confirm this leading and to direct us on the timing to move. After a few months of prayer, we got a call from a family in Georgia who told us that God had been dealing with them to take a second home that they owned off of the market and offer it to us, free of charge. The home is not only a gorgeous blessing that meets every one of our desires, but it is also located in the very area of Atlanta we felt drawn to. This was the confirmation from the Lord we were looking for, so we moved here and began the process of starting a church.

God does not guarantee that the road to your destiny will be easy, but he guarantees that you will make it if you keep your eyes on Him. Two months after moving to Georgia, I found myself lying in a hospital bed on the verge of death. The doctors had given us a very serious diagnosis, so my wife and I turned to God, and again He brought us through miraculously.

The doctors were amazed; I was facing multiple surgeries and months of hospital care, but after three short days, I was at home recovering.

Then, we had to face the mountain of hospital and doctors’ bills. Because I had left the security of my job, we didn’t have insurance to cover the medical bills. We simply had to trust that the same God that called us here

was going to keep us going. Over the next two months, the hospital informed us that our bill had been cleared, and our surgeon told us that he wanted to be a blessing to us and that our debt to him was canceled.

We were confident that we are doing what God has called us to do because everywhere we turned, God was showing up on our behalf.

We spent the next ten months building a team and preparing to launch Abiding Church. One of the greatest obstacles for us was how to raise the money to launch a church. We don’t believe in pressuring people to give, so we trusted God to provide, and he did.

It was much later than we expected, but in miraculous fashion, God provided all of our launch budget three weeks prior to our launch date. We were able to start Abiding Church debt free. It was another reminder that God was with us in the journey.

It has now been a year since the launch of Abiding Church, and it has been amazing to see what God has done through our church during this first year. We have seen over 110 people give their heart to the Lord. It is amazing as a pastor to see entire families receive salvation. We have embarked upon an outreach program to reach the homeless of this community, of which there is an abundance. As we look for new ways

to reach this community with the love of Jesus, God is bringing the most amazing people to our church that share this heart for the community.

When we launched the church, we were meeting at Chalker Elementary, a great school with an amazing staff.

After ten months, our key custodian left – that required us to find a new place to hold our church services.

We looked for three months to find a location, but we couldn’t find anything. Finally, two weeks before our congregation was to be homeless, we found a local church with facilities available for rent. The only problem was it required us to move our service to Saturday evening. We were concerned about whether people would come to church on a Saturday night, but God put our hearts at ease.

In fact, we came to understand that this out-of-the-box move was actually His design. We are all unique, and God didn’t call us to be a typical church. God has called us to reach the unchurched of this community, and we realized that this would best be possible if we broke the mold of traditional religion. So for this season, we do not have a Sunday morning service. We will add Sunday services again when we can, but until then, we are using this season to reach people who do not typically get up Sunday morning and go to church. Without any advertising, we have already seen

Craig and Janna Jones are the senior pastors of Abiding Church located in Kennesaw, GA. Learn more: www.abiding.church

many new families join us at our new time and location. The people joining us love worshipping on Saturday evenings and having Sundays free to spend time with family.

God is blessing what we are doing because for us it’s not about times, locations, or buildings – it’s about Jesus. All that we have been through has made us more dependent upon him than most could ever imagine.

Our church has been impacted by God’s faithfulness and we express it through our passionate worship. Every service, we experience the wonders of His presence, and God is truly touching lives. God is continuing to do miraculous things in our church, and we know that this is just a glimpse of who Abiding Church is called to be.

So we press on to reach this city with the love of Jesus Christ. Our hearts’ desire is to serve the people of this city and offer them a real and powerful experience with Jesus.

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It’s wise to periodically pause and refresh ourselves on why we do what we do. For those of us taking a break from our labors on this Labor Day (ironic, as it may be), here’s a triad of encouragements from the apostle Paul to remind Christians why we labor.

1) We labor not to be a burden to others. (2 Thessalonians 3:8) If you don’t do your part to feed your own mouth, and you plan to keep feeding it, then you’re banking on someone else to provide food for you. Same with clothes and shelter and Internet. One of the Christian motivations for laboring at our jobs is being able to provide for ourselves (and our families, 1 Timothy 5:8), and not be a burden to others.

Paul recounts that while among the Thessalonians, he and his team did not “eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you” (2 Thessalonians 3:8). Night and day they worked, making tents while preaching Christ crucified, so as not to burden others.

It’s tragic when Christians take advantage of others. It’s a crying shame when the world gets this impression of us because some who claim our Jesus go soft on his teaching. Yes, there are times when sickness or disability or extenuating circumstances keep us from working, but in general, able-bodied followers of the Carpenter put themselves to work to cover their own needs and not become a burden to others.

2) We labor to be able to share with others. (Ephesians 4:28) This second text now goes beyond the first. Not only do we Christians want not to be a burden to others, but we want to exceed what’s expected, by not just supplying for our own needs, but acquiring enough to be able to share with others.

Paul writes in Ephesians 4:28, “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” Here is the transforming gospel of grace at work, not just covering the bases of what’s just, but going the extra mile to be positioned to show others mercy.

The Christian vision of labor is deeply others-oriented. Not only do we not want to burden others, but we want to lift their burdens.

The Christian perspective is not to get mine, but to be able to help with yours — especially when we’re able to give freely from our hearts to others, not being constrained by some third party that takes from those who labor and gives to those who do not.

3) In Jesus our labor is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58) This third and final text applies now in particular to Christian “ministry” — to helping others, in word and deed, explicitly in the name of Jesus. Here is the pressed-down, shaken-together, and running-over encouragement we get in 1 Corinthians 15:58: “My beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

It is a profound thing in our labors to know that they are not in vain, to be assured that our efforts and energy aren’t wasted, to be confident that our work matters. How is it so? “In the Lord” — in Jesus, focused on him, powered by him, intent on giving him the glory.

May God give us the resolve to rest well today, and then the grace to get back at it tomorrow — for our joy, for the good of others, and for the glory of the one who labored for our eternal salvation. september 2016

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Praise: The Consummation of Joy

by Sam Storm

My understanding of the nature of worship was radically transformed by a fundamental truth I found in C.S. Lewis.

What Lewis helped me grasp is best explained by looking briefly at his own struggle with worship as he explained it in the essay titled, “A Word About Praising,” in his short book, Reflections on the Psalms, pages 90–98 in my worn, 1958 edition.

In a word, Lewis enabled me to recognize that not only was it permissible to enjoy God in worship, it was absolutely essential if I was truly to honor him. He said it in this one profound statement: “I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation.” But there is a lot that leads up to this statement.

God’s Deep God-Centeredness As a young man, Lewis was more than a little agitated by the persistent demand, especially in the Psalms, that we all “praise God.” What made it even worse is that God himself called for praise of God himself. This was almost more than Lewis could stomach. What kind of “God” is he who incessantly demands that his people tell him how great he is? Lewis was threatened with a picture of God in which he appeared as little better than a vain woman demanding compliments.

Thanking God for his gifts was one thing, but this “perpetual eulogy” was more than Lewis could tolerate.

I suspect this strikes us as problematic, as it did Lewis, because we want to think that God is preeminently concerned with us, not himself. We want a God who is man-centered, not God-centered. Worse still, we can’t fathom how God could possibly love us the way we think he should if he is so unapologetically obsessed with the praise and glory of his own name. How can God love me if all his infinite energy is expended in the love of himself?

Part of Lewis’s problem, as he himself confesses, was that he did not see that “it is in the process of being worshiped that God communicates his presence to men.” Even in the old-covenant sacrificial system, it wasn’t so much that the Israelites gave bulls and goats to God “but that by their so doing God gave himself to men.” God is, after all, the creator and owner of the cattle on a thousand hills. If he were to become hungry, so he says in Psalm 50:12, he would hardly need to tell us!

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Enjoyment Overflows to Praise Lewis is addressing, somewhat indirectly, the question: Why do you worship a God who needs nothing? Indeed, how do you do so? If God is altogether self-sufficient and cannot be served by human hands as if he needed anything (Acts 17:24– 25; Romans 11:33–36), least of all glory, why does he command our worship and praise of him? This is where Lewis turned the light on in my brain and stirred the affections of my heart: But the most obvious fact about praise — whether of God or anything — strangely escaped me. I thought of it in terms of compliment, approval, or the giving of honour. I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise unless . . . shyness or the fear of boring others is deliberately brought in to check it.

The world rings with praise — lovers praising their mistresses [Romeo praising Juliet and vice versa], readers their favourite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favourite game — praise of weather, wines, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, historical personages, children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, rare beetles, even sometimes politicians or scholars. . . . Except where intolerably adverse circumstances interfere, praise almost seems to be inner health made audible. . . . I had not noticed either that just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: “Isn’t she lovely? Wasn’t it glorious? Don’t you think that magnificent?” The Psalmists in telling everyone to praise God are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about.

My whole, more general, difficulty about the praise of God depended on my absurdly denying to us, as regards the supremely Valuable, what we delight to do, what indeed we can’t help doing, about everything else we value.

What Lewis is touching on here is how the love of God for you and me is ultimately made manifest. God desires our greatest good. But what greater good is there in the universe than God himself? If, therefore, God is truly to love us, he must give us himself.

Praise Completes Our Joy But merely giving us of himself is only the first step in the expression of his affection for us. He must work to elicit from our hearts rapturous praise and superlative delight because, as Lewis said, “all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise.” That’s the way God made us. We can’t help but praise and rejoice in what we most enjoy. The enjoyment itself is stunted and hindered if it is never expressed in joyful celebration.

Here’s how Lewis explained it: I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed. It is frustrating to have discovered a new author and not to be able to tell anyone how good he is; to come suddenly, at the turn of the road, upon some mountain valley of unexpected grandeur and then to have to keep silent because the people with you care for it no more than for a tin can in the ditch; to hear a good joke and find no one to share it with.

So, Lewis is telling us that God’s pursuit of our praise of him is not weak and self-seeking but the epitome of self-giving love! If our satisfaction in God is incomplete until expressed in praise of him for satisfying us with himself (not his gifts), then God’s effort to elicit my worship (what Lewis before thought was inexcusable selfishness) is both the most loving thing he could possibly do for me and the most glorifying thing he could possibly do for himself.

For our gladness in him is his glory in us. september 2016

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Blue Ridge Mountains Get Away Completely ... Blue Ridge Mountains If you live anywhere in the southeast, you’re within driving distance of Blue Ridge. Georgia’s favorite mountain town is only 90 miles north of Atlanta via I-575, but a million miles away from it all. With 106,000 acres (more than 40 percent of the county’s land) located in the lush Chattahoochee National Forest, Blue Ridge is definitely the cure for whatever ails you.

Downtown Blue Ridge offers eclectic shopping and dining in a quaint small town setting. With the historic Blue Ridge Depot at its center, the town is a center for arts and galleries, antiques, unique shopping, and eateries. The area is known as the “antique capital” of Georgia with friendly folks and an old time atmosphere.

Surround yourself with the beauty, relaxation, and natural fun that make up Georgia’s Blue Ridge experience.

Exhilarating hikes, horseback riding, and whitewater rafting take place amid unspoiled mountain beauty. Blue Ridge is waiting to delight you in one of their cozy mountain cabins or luxury vacation homes overlooking pristine valleys and ridge tops, or you can stay in a bed & breakfast inn or hotel — and simply relax.

The Blue Ridge Scenic Railway The Blue Ridge Scenic Railway is one of the “must see” attractions in the north Georgia mountains. The regular four-hour, 26-mile round trip winds along the beautiful Toccoa River for one hour in vintage climate-controlled or open-air rail cars. The relaxing ride starts at the historic depot, built in 1905 in downtown Blue Ridge, then stops for a layover in the quaint sister towns of McCaysville, Georgia and Copperhill, Tennessee. Here visitors have a two-hour layover; plenty of time to eat lunch, shop for unique crafts and antiques, snack on ice cream, visit the model railroad layout, or walk across the old bridge in town to view the river. Then, they re-board the train for the one-hour return trip. Open April through December. Visit www.brscenic.com for more information.

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The Swan Drive-In Christening its screen way back in 1955, the historic Swan Drive-In has been a favorite destination for locals and visitors for over 60 years! This historic location is fun for all ages — a trip back in time for some and an allnew experience for others. They play first run movies and offer a double feature on the weekends. They have a full concession stand with all of those foods you love to hate, including fried Oreos, popcorn, funnel cake, and more. To see what’s playing, visit the Swan website at www.swan-drive-in.com. Located at 651 Summit Street in Blue Ridge.

Georgia Apple Festival Celebrating 45 Years Only about 20 minutes from Blue Ridge is the beautiful town of Ellijay, which hosts the Georgia Apple Festival every year in the autumn.

Visitors from all over enjoy two exciting weekends of food, art, crafts, and more. Over 300 vendors offer handmade, hand-crafted items, as well as many on-site demonstrations of how selected types of crafts are made. The annual antique car show will be held at the Civic Center on opening day, October 8th. Visitors can watch the annual parade the following Saturday, October 15th, beginning at 10 AM in historic downtown Ellijay. For more information, visit www.georgiaapplefestival.org.

Fall Branch Falls Fall Branch Falls is a double waterfall with mountain laurel and rhododendron growing along the trail and creek bank. The upper portion of Fall Branch Falls is a series of cascades that lead to a single major drop of some 30 feet, with the water plunging into a deep pool at the base of the falls. The hike to the falls is about 30 minutes round trip. In Blue Ridge, follow Aska Road south for eight miles. Turn right on Stanley Creek Road (Toccoa Riverside Restaurant is on the left).

Go 3.1 miles to the “parking lot” on the right just past the bridge over Falls Branch.

With the variety of options it offers, Blue Ridge will become a favorite destination for the entire family.

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Blackened

Salmon

pasta

As I was walking out of the oďŹƒce at 6:00pm the other evening, I got a call from my husband that we were going to have a friend over that night for dinner. No advance notice, no food at the house, and an hour commute home, leaving me no proper time to prepare.

After a brief moment of panic, I smiled and headed to my neighborhood Publix to get the ingredients for one of our family faves.

This dish is super easy, unbelievably quick to prepare, and so rich with flavor and pizazz that you can serve to company and they will think you prepared a gourmet meal for them! My brother taught me this one, and I am forever grateful.

4 Salmon Filets with skin removed Paul Prudhomme’s Blackened Red Fish Magic Seasoning Fresh pasta prepared according to the package Publix Seafood Cheese Spread (2 containers) 1 stick Butter Lemon and Parsley for garnish (Optional) Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Melt butter in a shallow dish wide enough to lay one salmon filet flat. Dip first filet in butter, coating both sides with melted butter. Sprinkle one side with the seasoning, thoroughly covering the flesh. Place on a plate, seasoning side down, and cover the other side, again thoroughly covering the flesh with the seasoning. Repeat with remaining salmon filets.

The pan is ready when a drop of water dances on the bottom of the pan. Add about a tablespoon of the remaining butter to coat the bottom of the pan. Place the filets in the pan. Don’t crowd them, but do in batches if your pan is not large enough to hold all four.

Cook through. Outside should be black and have a bit of a crispy crust. The inside should be cooked to your done preference. (We like ours less done in the center without being raw.)

While the filets are blackening on the first side, put the seafood spread into a sauce pan and begin heating over low to medium-low heat. (If you heat too high or too long, the spread will begin to separate). Stir occasionally.

Prepare each plate with the pasta, covered with sauce, and the salmon on top. Garnish with lemon and a sprig of parsley. Goes great with a pre-made salad from the produce section!!

They will love it, you will be the hero, and this will be our little secret!

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by Krista Messic

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