Baking with Kids

I don't love to bake. My kids do but I...don't.  Since it is something that means a lot to them, I do try to make a frequent joyful effort.  This past week as we were gearing up for Resurrection Sunday I wanted to include this little baking project I had seen floating around the web.  I am so glad that I did!  The main reason I don't appreciate baking as much as I could is because I am terrible at following directions.  I am impatient and I want to get to the actual 'doing' instead of the 'reading about the doing'.  {Yes, I am a bit of a child.}  This project was a perfect example of my lack of thoroughly understanding a recipe before proceeding.

Resurrection Cookies (original recipe here)
I changed things a tiny bit from the original, according to what I had on hand.


You will need:
1c. whole pecans
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch salt
1c. sucanat
zipper baggie
wooden spoons (one per child)
tape
Bible
Preheat oven to 300.
Instructions:

Read John 19:1-3
Place the pecans in a baggie and let the kids beat the pecans into little pieces.  My kids gleefully pulverized the little bits of pecans until they turned into dust.  Such a horrible picture of how much we love our sin, and how if I had been there, I would have been the one shouting "Crucify Him!"

Read John 19:28-30
Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl and Let each child smell the vinegar.
Explain that when Jesus was on the cross they gave Him sour wine when he said He was thirsty.  This was a little lost on my kiddos, because when I asked if they would have wanted to drink vinegar, if they were really thirsty, they thought it sounded pretty good.  Then Charis to drink a small glass of vinegar.  {I should have let her, but we were quickly nearing bed time}.

Read John 10:10-11
Add egg whites to vinegar. {I apparently didn't read this, because I put the vinegar in the pecan bowl.  whoops!}  Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His
life to give us life.

Read Luke 23:27

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand and let them taste it.  Then add a pinch to the bowl. {This refers to the egg white bowl.  Again I put the salt in with the nuts.}  The salt represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.  The kids loved this part, but also really seemed to grasp what was going on with the story.

Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16
Add 1c. sugar. {Where?, who knows - probably the egg whites - note to self:  learn to read directions} Give a little pinch to the kids to taste and yourself of course.  I love this part!  Explain that Jesus' dying for us is the sweetest gift of all!  My kids are still at an age where they don't fully understand why Jesus had to actually die.  It was another great opportunity to explain that we could have never bridged the gap between God and us without Jesus being the atoning sacrifice.

Read Isa. 1:18 and John 3:1-3.
Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are
formed. {I had a little trouble with my egg whites, probably because I didn't put the right ingredients into the right bowls.  When I was making this it didn't seem right, but I didn't question it.  Oh well.} The white represents purity and being washed white as snow.  My kids also wanted it to be the clouds, like in heaven.  {Are there really going to be clouds in heaven?  Do I get a harp?  Ok - digressing here!}

Read Matt. 27:57-60.
Fold in broken nuts. {This is when I realized the error of my ways, but I didn't let the recipe know, I just kept on.  Hopefully it will still turn out okay} Drop onto a wax paper/parchment paper covered cookie sheet. {You don't want them too big or it won't work, so says the original recipe}
Each mound represents the tomb where Jesus' body was laid.



Read Matt. 27:65-66. 
Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.  Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.  Make sure the oven isn't too hot!  We had a bit of whining at this point.  Well we have whining a lot over here.  We are working on that.  Explain why Jesus' tomb needed to be sealed.
SEND CHILDREN TO BED! {We also had some whining at this point}

Pretending to look sad.

The recipe says to talk about how sad they must feel about leaving the cookies in the oven overnight and equating it with how Jesus' followers must have felt when they had to leave Him in the tomb.  I did explain it, but made sure that they knew that leaving a cookie isn't really anything like mourning the death of the promised Messiah!
Read John 16:20 and 22.

The next morning:
Read Matt. 28:1-9, open the oven and give everyone a cookie.
The surface should be cracked and the cookies should be hollow! 
On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.
{Well mine turned out flat and lifeless, but still delicious.}

Note:  Cookies can be left on a very very low temp..like 250 degrees. and be ready
in a couple of hours...when surface of cookie looks dry and cracked....they
are ready to eat!!!!!

Even though the cookies themselves were a bit of a flop, the story of Christ's death and resurrection became that much more tangible to my children, and any project that does that is a winner in my book.  They also got a chance to see what happens when you don't follow directions completely, and it gave me a chance to fail graciously in front of my children.  We will definitely be doing this again!

"Growing"

photo credit - tico_bassie

Spring is in the air, or at least I would like it to be.  Though there is still snow on the ground here in Kansas, my thoughts have already turned to warmer days and the new possibilites for growth.

Earlier this month, as I pondered a theme for March on A Bird in the Hand, I found myself getting excessively  frustrated.  I couldn't think of anything, that I could write about, that someone else couldn't already do better and write about more eloquently.  My intention isn't for this blog to become a competition between the contributors (especially if I was going to lose *wink*), but I did want to be able to speak knowledgeably about a subject if I was going to write about it.  Every time I thought of a subject (cleaning, parenting, beauty, grace, being a godly wife...) my mind would go absolutely blank.  I began to panic - "It's my turn to pick!", "I have to come up with something!", "I can't let the team down!" "think, think, think!!".

I spent a ridiculous amount of brain cells, striving just to pick a simple theme.  And then it dawned on me, I haven't taken this to the Lord.  I had prayed about it...sort of, but had I really sought the Lord for an answer?...no.  I immediately dropped my heart to it's knees and began to pray.  He answered.  Though He did not immediately give me the answer to my question, like I wanted (of course).  He lovingly pointed out where I was missing the mark.  I cannot wait until I have all the answers to share with others.  If I wait, I will be sharing with others directly from my own proud heart, instead of from His gracious wisdom.

Matthew 6:27-29  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;  and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

photo credit - unknown

My desire is not to "toil or spin" in my own efforts, but to grow like a lily, walk in the light of my Creator, and allow my roots to dig deep into Him alone.

So the topic was chosen, not because I can speak intelligently on the subject, but simply because I need to grow.  And though it is easier to wait until I feel confident in what I am sharing, I believe the Lord will be able to use me more effectively when I am vulnerable with Him, and also vulnerable with you.

And just to show you how much work I really need, even after this wonderful revelation, in my weakness and insecurity, I still had to ask one of the other contributors if they liked the topic before beginning to write about it. - I may never learn.  Thank the Lord for his undying grace toward me, I am so undeserving!

Frugal Failure

As I sat down to write this post I had so many ideas to share with all of you.  I wanted to share all of the ways that we pinch our pennies and tighten our belts.   But as I started writing down my ideas, it all began to sound hollow and self important.  I then started thinking about what it really means to me to be frugal.

Why am I trying to be frugal?
What are my motives behind all this "frugality"?
Am I saving money to have money?
Am I trying to keep myself "safe" by having something to fall back on if the worst should happen?
Am I doing this to glorify God, or to glorify myself?

These were hard questions to ask myself and even harder to answer.  As I searched deep within myself I began to see all my false motives behind my frugality.  I am trying to save money to keep myself safe.  I do feel more comfortable with an emergency fund.  My faith is in my ability to save enough money to keep us from some unknown disaster.  As the contents of my motivation spilled forth before me I was truly disturbed.  I had no idea that my "being a good steward" of what God has given me, was really a way of replacing Him in my life.   It was time for repentance, and a change of perspective.

So what now?  Do I give away all of our money?   Do I stop being frugal?  Where is the balance?

I don't think so.  I still believe that God wants us to be frugal with what He has given us.  But the motivation behind the frugality needs to be to give Him the glory and Him alone.  If it is going to feed my sense of security, my pride, or anything else it has become a worthless idol.

Though this was not what I had intended to write for Frugal February.  I'm am so glad my previous plans were thwarted.  Oh, and I will still be posting some frugal tips and tricks.  But this time with an entirely different set of motives!

Better Late Than Never

This isn't a tutorial post.

Or one with a delectable recipe.

And you won't find any coupon tips today.

No deep thoughts on motherhood.

Nope.

Just a brief reflection ...

Last night we pulled out the last of our Christmas decorations to put up.

Lo and behold ... last year, I had picked out fabric, bought it,

even cut it out - and still the pieces for Reuben's stocking were

quietly folded away in a plastic bag.

At first I was dismayed at myself. How could this be? = )

And then I began to think back ...

My youngest was a whole 9 months old last December.

Still nursing like bananas while refusing to crawl or scoot himself

A.N.Y.W.H.E.R.E.

I loved (and still do!) him to pieces,

but that sweet child was DEMANDING!

I remember so many feelings washing over me as I cared for him:

Overwhelmed. Tired. Guilty for feeling Overwhelmed and Tired.

And so I sat the fabric aside ... reminded myself that a 9 month old

really has no idea of what stockings are about or should be filled with ...

and took something off my "to-do" list for the holidays.

And it felt GREAT!

One year later, it was no problem to stitch it quickly up last night

and allow it to join the other three.

And although my first thought was somewhat of glee

"my life is a bit more 'free' feeling this year!"

I realize that is extremely selfish and self focused.

So, after asking for fogiveness for that first sinful thought,

I believe that I was reminded (as Jeni posted earlier)

that maybe "doing" should be put aside for more important things.

Last year I was forced to do that in order to care for my family ...

And this year hopefully instead of being forced,

or feeling forced to set things aside -

May I enter into the season excited to grow relationships;

to spend time with Jesus;

to teach my children why Christmas comes each year;

to serve others and give out the love of Christ,

and let the "doing" lay aside.

J.O.Y for the Holidays

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has noticed, but the holiday season is upon us!  Stores are stocked with lights and decorations, everyday a new catalog comes in the mail reminding me that there are only X number of shopping days left.  Even the blogs I read are full of wonderful recipes, schedules and ideas for making this the best Thanksgiving/Christmas ever!

And I am feeling.......overwhelmed.

It's my fault, I admit it.  I, all too easily, get sucked into the utter madness that takes over people this time of year.  The madness of trying to do too much in too short of time, the madness of being the "perfect" hostess, the madness of finding the "perfect" gift for everyone on my list, and even the ridiculous family madness.  I find that in a season that is supposed to be all about Joy and Peace, I struggle to find any.

As I was pondering this the other day (a.k.a - wallowing in self pity that I couldn't stop the holidays from coming) I remembered our, one and only, house rule.  In everything we do, we are to have J.O.Y.  You may have heard this before, but it stands for Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last.  I began to think about all the things that stress me out during the holidays and realized, though they may be packaged to look like they are giving and self sacrificing they are mostly just my selfish pride.  I want to be the perfect hostess so people will say "Oh look how nice her house looks, Oh my, this turkey is divine!"  I want to find the perfect gift because I want to be seen as clever and resourceful.  (Me, me, me, pride, pride, pride.)

So now as Thanksgiving and Christmas draw nearer and nearer I have armed myself with these verses.

Jesus 1st:  Galatians 1:10 - For do I now persuade men, or God?  Or do I seek to please men?  For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

Others 2nd:  Galatians 6:10 - Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Yourself last:  Matthew 6:33 - But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

If I am seeking His approval and His righteousness every day, everything else just seems terribly unimportant.

So bring it on, unnecessary holiday nonsense, this year I will truly be CELEBRATING the birth of my King and thanking Him everyday for His gift of Himself to me!  Oh, and I may have a little turkey too, I've heard it's divine.

Lessons in Pears

I had been wanting to can some peaches this Summer. I love love love peaches! But it just didn't work out- I was neck deep in home decluttering and organizing ("Nesting" to the lay person =) at the time when they were cheapest. So I let that idea go. Then I heard that friends of ours had a pear tree that was open for the picking. I've never been a big pear fan, but I am a fan of free, and I know that both my kids loved pear puree as babies, so off I went.

Lesson no 1: Freebies can't be chooseies. These pears were pretty small and hard, and probably not the optimal fruit (the family that owned the tree didn't have much interest in them at all) but they were still pears!

Lesson no. 2: Picking pears isn't that difficult. It's actually kind of therapeutic. What needs to be remembered is that you have to peel all those pears you picked!

Lesson no. 3: When you bring an international friend along to pick thinking that they will enjoy it since they had fruit trees at home, also keep in mind that they are observing Ramadan and have been/will be fasting for 30 days. This means they will also take less pears home with them than expected. See lesson 2 for ramifications.

Lesson 4. Take breaks when peeling pears. Otherwise your hand will cramp like none other! But if you're in the zone, you might as well go for it...

Lesson 5. Save the peels! Apparently you can grind them up and use them in place of Zucchini in Zucchini bread. I have yet to make this bread, so I can't vouch for it yet, but I have two big bags of pear peel shavings awaiting me when I finally find the time. I'll keep you posted...

Lesson 6. Pear juice is good for detoxifying, dealing with constipation, and prostate health. I did not know any of this before. Still don't know it first hand, but it was something interesting I learned off the internet.

Lesson 7. While it would seem like a nice sharp pairing knife is the best choice, your finger tips and blood supply will thank you if you actually opt for a duller knife, much like the one pictured on the bottom.
* This is a painful lesson to learn.

*Also, all of that pear peeling will permanently stain a white knife handle.

Lesson 8. It will do the same thing to your fingertips.












* this picture was taken after washing my hands twice with soap.

Lesson 9. It's hard to take a focused picture of your own finger print.

Once the pears are peeled, there are all sorts of things to do with them!

Lesson 10. allrecipes.com Rocks! I already knew this, but it was further reinforced.

Lesson 11. I am a huge fan of pear sauce. It is seriously the easiest, most versatile thing to make, and you can sweeten or season it any way you want or don't want! It was a great starting point and confidence booster to this novice.

Feeling good, I remembered how I started off this Spring making Dandelion honey, so I thought it would be fun to end the Summer making Pear honey.

Lesson 12. The recipe didn't specify, but the pears should've been pureed down. It's not like pear sauce where you can puree it later.










Lesson 13. This is what happens to your immersion blender if you stick it in a pot of boiling honey because the pears didn't break down like you thought they would.

Lesson 14. Your blender will still work, but it probably get's teased at night when tucked away with all the other appliances.

Because it is a two+ hour process, I thought "hey, I'll just do this while I'm doing other things"
Lesson 15. Making honey is not something you should just do while you're doing other things.









Everything was going fine right up until the end when there was a medical emergency (not directly involving myself or pear related for once!) and my attention was diverted and the honey boiled for too long, turning into more of a candy texture.

Lesson 16. All those evenings of watching Chopped and Iron Chef do pay off! Frustrated at overcooking the honey, especially since it had deformed my blender, I was determined not to let it go to waste (those pears might be free but all that peeling wasn't easy!)

So I decided to experiment with ways to salvage it:
Dipping plastic spoons in and getting them a good coat. These can be used later to sweeten a cup/pot of tea.










Dropping spoonfulls onto tin foil and making little candy discs.



And towards the end, when it was getting cool enough to handle, rolling it into little balls. The pictures of these little lumpy brown balls don't look appetizing in the least, so I didn't post one, but plunk on in your pot of tea and it works beautifully!

Lesson 17. When working with hot honey, use tin foil. But once it cools, transfer it to wax paper.
*I have tried all ways of doing this- trust me, wax paper does not hold up to hot honey, and tin foil sticks to it later.

Lesson 18. Making honey and working with it is hot (on the bright side, the burns act to cauterize all those finger tip cuts from peeling!), time sensitive, messy work!

Lesson 19. Homemade jam recipes call for WAY too much sugar! You don't have to put all of that sugar in, just boil it a little longer and they will jell.

Lesson 20. Waste not, want not. I was able to put several small jars of my thick pear-supposed-to-be-honey-goo in a water bath and get them liquified enough again to use them in my jelly instead of sugar.

Lesson 21. You can make pear butter in your crock pot, but it takes FOREVER! And it will make a huge sticky splatter mess on your countertops.

Lesson 22. You can get away with not having some exact canning tools, like I just used my big stock pot, but you really should have the proper tongs or can-grabbers/basket to get them out of the water. This will save you a lot of steam burn, frustration, and fear of dropping and cracking a jar.

Lesson 23. It was a lot of work, and a lot of trying out new things (which can make me kinda tense). But in the end, I at least now have a novice's idea of how to make pear sauce, pear puree, plum-kissed-pear-jam (sweetened), plum-pear jam (unsweetened), pineapple-pear jam, pineapple pear syrup, pear-apple and pear-peach crisp, pear bread, and pear honey (in all of it's various forms) and the freezer is full of all of this peary goodness. Also, I've learned that I like pear sauce even more than I like applesauce. Warm with just a little bit of sweetness and spice, it is divine!

lesson 24: you may need a break from being in your kitchen after all of this (This has been a series of projects over the last two weeks for me- I only have one stock pot). Also, your husband may get tired of seeing pears everywhere and hearing your "ouch!es" from the peeling, heat, steam, splatter, etc...

Main lesson: it is still totally worth trying something new! And if the main ingredient is free, albeit not in perfect form (I think these pears were harder than most) then all the better because you stress out less about ruining it. Chances are ruination will happen, especially if this is a first go, but even then you can keep thinking of different ways to use things!

Crackers - 1st Attempt

For my first attempt at homemade crackers, I made the Crispy Rye and Seed Crackers from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Everyday book. I had been SO looking forward to these crackers: they looked earthy, crunchy, salty ... just good for you and good to eat!

Well, they are good for you - but mine weren't so good to eat! The dough was almost the texture of modeling clay to me. Very thick. But I managed to roll it out thin and cut it into diamonds with a pizza cutter. Into the oven. And then I committed my all-to-often baking sin. Two minutes too long. I peeked when my timer beeped, and decided the crackers needed a couple more minutes. Returned probably four minutes later and pulled them out. Golden brown and crispy. And of a slightly burnt taste. Sigh.

Frustrated, I rolled out the second half of the dough. And in a state of over-concern I underbaked this batch ... probably about two - four minutes too short! So, they just weren't as crispy. And with all the seeds and stuff, I think these crackers really need that dry CRUNCH when you bite. Sigh. Again.

Eli wasn't too crazy about all the seeds. We both liked the garlic salt that I sprinkled on top as an added salty flavor. Instead of trying these again, I am going to make the Sourdough Crackers on HomeJoys for my next try. Hoping to find a winner that suits us!