To go with that Guac...

Mom found and tried this recipe a few days ago.

Yum. O!

Pita Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup pastry flour (or cake flour, Mom discovered...same thing?)
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon applesauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water.

2. Combine the all-purpose flour, pastry flour and salt in a bowl. Stir in the yeast mixture and applesauce and knead. Dough shouldn't be sticky, but it shouldn't be dry either. If too sticky add 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour till you get the right consistency. If too dry, add 1 tablespoons of water at a time till you get the right consistency.

3. Roll out into a rope and cut into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and roll out till it's anywhere from a 6 to 8 inch circle

4. There are two ways to cook pita bread.
To Bake Pita:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F and put a pita on a wire cake rack. Place rack in oven and cook for 3 minutes or until the bread stops puffing up. When you take it out, smash down the pita (Careful, its hot!) and quickly put it in a plastic freezer bag. (note: we liked this oven version! The pitas were softer and...bendier)
To Fry Pita:
Heat olive oil in a skillet over high heat. When almost smoking, place a pita in the pan and cook for a few minutes on each side, till brown spots begin to appear. It should look something like a tortilla when you're done. Put in a plastic bag once it has cooled a bit.

Whichever way you do it...these are AMAZING with all sorts of fillings! Mom did one that had a sesame seed cream cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, and guacamole. The next day I made one with the same cream cheese stuff, tomato, deli roast beef, and guac. Also amazing! Still not sure what the best way to re-warm them is. Microwave might work on low heat with moist paper towels, like you would with a tortilla...but low temp. oven might do better. My microwaved pita got a little tough once it cooled. As in, "are we sure this isn't going to pull my teeth out?" tough. I need to experiment. :)

I LOVE this stuff...

Easy Guacamole

2 ripe avocados
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
1 small tomato
1 1/2 Tbsp lime juice (or juice of 1 fresh lime)
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder (if needed...I always need more garlic!)

Peel avocados and remove the pit.
Peel and mince the onion and the garlic
Chop the tomato.
Mash the avocado in a bowl and then stir in the remaining ingredients.
Serve with tortilla chips. Or enchiladas. Or tacos. Or salad. Or...

Does it get easier? This is a favorite food. :)

The Deeps

Lord Jesus,

Give me a deeper repentance,

a horror of sin,

a dread of its approach;

Help me chastely to flee it,

and jealously to resolve that my heart shall be thine alone.

Give me a deeper trust,

that I may lose myself to find myself in thee,

the ground of my rest,

the spring of my being.

Give me a deeper knowledge of thyself

as saviour, master, lord, and king.

Give me deeper power in private prayer,

more sweetness in thy Word,

more steadfast grip on its truth.

Give me deeper holiness in speech, thought, action,

and let me not seek moral virtue apart from thee.

Plough deep in me great Lord, heavenly husbandman,

that my being may be a tilled field,

the roots of grace spreading far and wide,

until thou alone art seen in me,

thy beauty golden like summer harvest,

thy fruitfulness as autumn plenty.

I have no master but thee,

no law but thy will,

no delight but thyself,

no wealth but that thou givest,

no good but that thou blessest,

no peace but that thou bestowest.

I am nothing but that thou makest me,

I have nothing but that I receive from thee,

I can be nothing but that grace adorns me.

Quarry me deep, dear Lord,

and then fill me to overflowing with living water.

Valley of Vision,

"The Deeps" (pg 75)

Fruit-bearing

"Every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits."
(Matt. 8:17-20)

"Bear fruit in keeping with repentance."
(Matt. 3:8)

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
(Gal. 5:22-23)

What is it?

So, what is muddy and wormy and gooey and grassy?

And has little blue birds eyeing a prospective lunch?

And odd greenish monsters who poke out of holes?

And green-and-red snakes that look kinda poisonous?

And....what ARE those?

Meteorites?

Maybe.

No. NO! NOT a NIGHTCRAWLER!

ugh.

A happy little frog? What DO these things have in common?

Well, they all went on THIS.

Also known as, Tyler's mud cake. :)

It was, I believe, the result of late hours and the sugar crazies.

And yes, the little fellow in the middle is 100% fondant...minus the toothpick that held his head in place. And yes, he was supposed to slightly resemble Tyler. Horrible isn't it? I think Tyler enjoyed eating him much more because of it though. And yeah, he ate it. *gag*

Donut-making Thoughts

It's funny how sometimes the best thinking happens when your hands are busy and there's nobody and nothing to distract you from a train of thought. At least, so I discovered this morning at the Orchard while wrapping apple cider donuts. :) So now you get to see what Scripture, donuts & pies, music, cathedrals, and the glory of God have to do with each other! I know you've always wondered.

I suppose my thoughts started bright and early this morning with a verse the girls and I had worked on that morning during our walk:

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable." (1 Cor. 9:24-25).

So during our trek up and down the driveway (and between gasps of breath!) we discussed how when pursuing a goal, we might have to adapt the way we use our time, the things we eat, the things we do. Living in the "wartime" mindset, you might say...making the best use of all things in order to reach the goal.

The spiritual aspect of these thoughts is all over Scripture...both that we must make the best use of our time here in light of eternity, but also the importance of pursuing not perishable things, but imperishable.

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." (Eph. 5:15-17)

"Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuites will have plenty of poverty." (Prov. 28:19)

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." (1 John 2:15-17)

So on to the donuts and pies! I was standing in the kitchen wrapping donuts this morning, and thinking of the transient nature of baked goods. :) What do DONUTS have to do with eternity? I was reminded of a story a dear lady at work had told the day before. She's the one who invented the delectable fried pies that the Orchard is so famous for, and she was recalling the "olden" days, when the Evans were happy if they sold 6 pies during the course of the day out of their produce shed (during festivals these days, we sell hundreds upon hundreds!!) And then stories of these days of running into people who would rave about the pies at Evans Orchard, wondering if she'd ever had one. "What do you say?" she asked. "Take the credit!" one girl suggested, but my friend just sort of smiled and laughed as if to say "What for?"

And, indeed...what for? Why do we so often seek credit or recognition for what we do?
As Proverbs has it, "It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glorious to seek one's own glory." (Prov. 25:27)


Often, I've heard, music conductors or instrumentalists will cough or breathe deeply during their recordings, in order to "put their mark" on their music. But in my opinion, that distracts me from the beauty of the music! I'm not interested, honestly, in who's playing, but what's produced! Is it beautiful and well-executed? Does it lift my heart and mind? Good grief, quit clearing your throat!!

In stark contrast to these egoists, is a story I read somewhere about the builders of a beautiful cathedral somewhere in Europe. In the structure, carved into the wood where he probably never thought it would be seen, a little bird. An unknown workman. Just doing his job with carefulness and joy, probably not caring that he be listed as one who worked to build this beautiful place. Simply using his gifts and abilities to contribute to the beauty and magnificence of the place by doing his part well.

And I don't know about you, but there's something I always really admire and love about those "anonymous" poems and hymns. The writer never pushing himself forward, but simply writing out of the fullness of his heart and never caring whether he gets "glory, laud, and honor" for the thing he created.

So what do donuts have to do with eternity? What do dishes have to do with pursuing godliness and a lasting crown? I believe the secret is to do all good things that my hands find to do, to the best of my ability. Not to prove I'm the best or most careful worker. Not to show others how talented or wonderful I am. Simply to do my best, to pay attention to details, and to work with joy in even the dullest tasks, that GOD might see and be pleased! If HE sees the work and is honored, it doesn't really matter if others do. Then, indeed, will He be pleased to "establish the work of our hands", and the One worthy of glory will receive the glory.

So in my walking, baking, sleeping, talking...be glorified, O Lord.