Sunday, December 13, 2009

Cookie Recipe Exchange!!

Christmas is just around the corner and one thing I love to do at this time of year is bake. There is something about the smell of fresh baked goods that makes a house seem more homey. Since there are only two of us in our house I tend to make cute little gift packages and give away the majority of the things that come out of my oven, otherwise I would have one unhealthy husband! Cookies work particularly well for gift packages because they travel well and there are so many varieties. I love to mix and match colors, textures and flavors that way each package is sure to contain cookies even the pickiest eater will enjoy. I am always on the lookout for new recipes to try and I am so pleased that Jessica at The Mom Creative is hosting a cookie recipe exchange. There are a lot of fantastic recipes being exchanged, some of which I have never seen before so if you still need to do some Christmas baking you should definitely check it out!


Chocolate-Almond Meringues

3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup caster sugar
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 250 degrees
Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy
Add sugar and almond extract and beat (for about 3 minutes) until meringues form soft peaks
Gently fold chocolate into meringues
Use a pastry bag to pipe meringues onto parchment paper covered baking sheet, each should be about a tablespoon
Bake for 40 minutes
Remove from oven and cool completely before removing parchment paper (this is very important)
Store in an airtight container

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

A Lesson in Waiting

Hmm...when I started this blog I intended on writing more frequently but that hasn't worked out how I planned. So I am back at it and this time I am going to try and blog on a more regular basis. So much has happened since the last time I wrote, it would be impossible for me to write about all of it right now so I won't even attempt that!

One thing I will mention is that we have had an ongoing prayer request answered!! We have been praying and waiting for Robert to have the opportunity to have a 1st shift job for six years and God has answered our prayer! He not only provided Robert with a 1st shift job, but provided him with the BEST 1st shift job that the plant offers (three consecutive days off a week, two of which are weekdays)!! Having weekdays off may not sound ideal, but it is perfect for us considering I am slightly weirded out by large crowds of people. With this schedule we will, for the first time in our almost 6 year marriage, be able to sit down to dinner together. That may seem like a small thing, but it has been really hard for me to not have a traditional home-life. Of course, we have adjusted and made our own "normal" schedule for living, but it wasn't an easy schedule and it offered us hardly any time together. I am so thankful God has provided us with this long awaited change.

In the midst of answered prayers such as the aforementioned, hindsight often gives me the opportunity to look at how I handled myself while waiting on the Lord. When in the middle of the waiting period, or the desert journey it is so easy to get discouraged and maybe even pout at times about how things aren't going the way I would like. It is so easy to fall into the line of thinking that we can make better choices for ourselves than God can and that if we were the author of our lives things would just be better. As I write that it makes me cringe because it could not be a bigger LIE! It is that lie coupled with pride that led to the fall of man and yet we still struggle with it so often. I am thankful that God forgives and that we can trust that He really does provide for us what is best in His timing. It is my prayer that I can meditate on this truth more often when I get discouraged about how things are going.

" 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.' " - Jeremiah 29:11-13