Romans 15:13 Ministry: Week #4

The shortbread crust looked bad...very bad. Not in the least bit appealing.
As I stared at that anemic shortbread bar base for my pecan pie bars I began to have a sinking feeling that these dessert bars were not baking into a delectable treat, like I had hoped. The crust had strange bubbles forming and the edges weren't crisping quite right. They had already been in the oven for their designated twenty minutes. My next step was to pour in my pecan and corn syrup mixture. But I was hesitant. I was leery of wasting precious ingredients on a disaster of a crust.
I pondered how to proceed. To pour the pecan mixture or to start over again on the crust, hold onto the mixture and hope that the second shortbread turned out looking more promising than the first. After thinking on it I decided to pop the shortbread back into the oven for another few minutes and see if they showed any sign of improvement.
Five minutes later and a glimmer of hope was found in those bars. The edges were just starting to brown and the bubbles were less pronounced. I decided to pour in the pecan mixture and hope for the best.
Thirty minutes later the pecan topping had set and the bars were a beautiful brown golden hue. I couldn't believe the transformation they had undergone in the oven. The pale bars were no longer sickly looking. Once cut they revealed a perfectly crisp yet delicate base for a decadent pecan dessert. I was relieved and beyond thrilled to see that what I pulled from the oven was just what I had hoped to create: a Starbucks look alike Pecan Bar. Perfect!
I must admit I was quite surprised at the success of this latest pastry/culinary/dessert adventure. In the midst of the baking process it looked as if failure was inevitable. I really didn't put much stock in the recipe or the future of my pecan bars. I was certain they would be a dessert disaster.
But sometimes when baking, just like in life, the desired outcome can't always been seen in the midst of the process. Sometimes the future of life and the future of our baking experiment looks bleak. We are standing alone with nothing but shortbread that isn't browning quite right and we wonder, "how can this ever turn out?"
It's the story of baking and it is the story of life. In the midst of our journey we can't see the finished product. All we know is the process isn't looking so hot. It doesn't look promising. It looks disconcerting. And we start losing hope that the end result will be anything positive or, in the case of Pecan Pie Bars, tasty.
But these little indulgent dessert bars reminded me to never lose hope in the process. God may have me alone right now, feeling as if the future doesn't hold much promise for a different tomorrow. But in just a blink of an eye God can change everything. In thirty minutes Pecan Pie Bars can go from lifeless shortbread to divine decadence. And with the snap of His fingers God can turn a life upside down and inside out. There is hope in the future. There is excitement and a thrill in the unknown of what God has up ahead. And there is a purpose in every step of the process to get there.

If you decide to bake these Pecan Pie Bars don't be discouraged if you pull the crust from the oven and find that it doesn't look appealing. It isn't done baking yet. They are still in the midst of their culinary journey to the ultimate crunchy, delicate perfection. Give them more time in the oven to complete the process of becoming your perfect base to the perfect Pecan Pie Bar. And don't give up hope on the deliciousness that is baking up in your oven. Even when you can't smell a tantalizing scent or see a golden brown forming on the edges of your crust, something magical might be happening as your bars bake in the oven. Just have patience in the process and keep your eyes set on the promise and hope of the future glory to come.

I baked these Pecan Pie Bars for the lovely ladies at the Women's Connection Ministry. I hope they enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed baking them. If you give them a try I hope you enjoy the process of baking them just as much as the process of devouring them!

Zucchini Bread & Muffin

In America prosperity can be summed up in three little words: wealth, health and happiness. It is the American way, the land of abundance. This is what our world deems, "prosperous living."

And it isn't just the worldly who have bought into this belief. Christians have capitalized on this principle with vengeance. Ministries have flourished, churches have boomed and countless sermons have been preached on what is known as the "prosperity gospel."
The trouble with this concept is that is has nothing to do with the gospel and completely misses the true meaning of prosperity as defined by the Lord himself. True prosperity isn't measured in dollars and cents. It isn't even measured in sickness or health. Not even the word "happiness" comes into play when judging prosperity on God's terms.
Biblical prosperity is prosperous contentment, not a prosperity of stuff or fuzzy feelings.

There is no greater scripture to define prosperous contentment than Philippians 4:11, "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Paul, the author of that verse, was not in perfect health. He had a thorn in his flesh that caused him agony. He was not wealthy by any means. He worked and supported himself financially and gave generously believing that it is "more blessed to give than to receive." 

And what about happiness? Was Paul abundantly "happy"? I can't speak for Paul but I can quote his words. He was "content." He didn't say he was over the moon ecstatic or that he loved being in chains or loved having a thorn in his flesh. He simply said that no matter his circumstances, he learned to be content in them all - the good, the bad and the ugly.

In the land of overflowing bounty and abundance known as America this isn't the gospel we long to hear. The prosperity gospel according to the world has a much sweeter ring to it. Money, health, good vibrations. Sign me up! Let's face it, who wouldn't want to be happy and wealthy and healthy? Those are all desirable life characteristics and they sound like the plot for a life on easy street. 

But they aren't Biblical.

The Bible never promises a life of ease. There is no promise of perfect health or abundant wealth. In fact, the Bible warns that if we follow God we should expect some tough trials up ahead. Could those trials include sickness? I'd say so. How about financial hardship? It certainly doesn't exclude the possibility. 

Not only are trials to be expected but financial prosperity isn't even to be expected. If we have much we are to give much. How wealthy can you be when you give it all away? 

Instead of looking to stuff, health, happiness and the almighty dollar to define prosperity the Bible instructs us to be prosperously content no matter what our lot in life, what our bank account or what illness may plague our physical bodies. None of those things exclude us from the blessing of prosperity. A lack of funds is not a lack of blessing. Illness is not an exclusion from prosperity. "Happiness" isn't God's way of defining a full and abundant life.

Contentment is being filled to the overflowing with the Holy Spirit. Contentment is being complete in Christ. Contentment is finding satisfaction and peace by being securely planted in the center of God's will. 

Prosperity isn't limited to American soil. It can be found in a hut in Africa, the crowded streets of Hong Kong, a sterile hospital room and every place in between. God's prosperity isn't limited to a geographic location or certain socio-economic population. Prosperity is for all because Christ is for all. 

So you're probably wondering what this whole prosperity talk has to do with baking. Just stick with me, I promise it all ties together. 

Today I baked zucchini bread and muffins. It is the beginning of September and that means that at farmer's markets all over the state buckets of zucchinis are still in abundant supply. Strawberries are long gone. There are no more blueberries to speak of and corn is even on its way out but zucchini are still readily available. Let's just say there is a prosperous amount of zucchini.

Now zucchini aren't the most prized of farmer's market vegetables. Most of us gravitate towards the luscious fruit, crisp greens and any vegetable with a bright color. Little tomatoes are beloved. Green beans are even more desirable when they are good and fresh. But zucchini are everywhere and we farmers market shoppers becomes almost immune to their existence. 

Until the end of the market season comes and we still long to buy something local and fresh. Then we turn back to the abundant supply of zucchini still overflowing in buckets all around the farmer's stand. We are once again reminded that there is goodness and deliciousness in this simple and plentiful vegetable. It may not be the first thing when people think of "delicious treat" but zucchini can be turned into something truly scrumptious when lovingly and carefully baked into a bread, cake or muffin. And if you're like me, a crisp, unadorned zucchini can even provide a refreshing snack when munched on raw or thrown into a salad.

For today's purposes I decided to bake up this blessed vegetable into a classic muffin and bread treat. I clicked around at lots of different recipes and ended up with a hybrid of a few. I used primary the most popular recipe for zucchini bread on All Recipes but made some tweaks.

If you'd like to use up the prosperous amount of zucchini filling your local farmer's market I suggest this recipe. It turned out beautifully!

Zucchini bread and muffins

adapted from:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe-Tools/Print/Recipe.aspx?recipeID=6698&origin=detail&servings=24&metric=false

3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon 3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup white sugar 1 cup brown sugar 3 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups grated zucchini (don't drain or strain!) 3/4 cup pecans

1.	Grease a bread pan and 12 muffin tins. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2.	Combine flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3.	Beat (by hand) eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well (by hand). Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans, filling muffin tins about 1/2-3/4 of way full.
4.	Bake muffins for about 20 minutes and bread for about 50 minutes or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Bananas Foster Baby (Toddler) Cakes

Baking for two is a challenge. Good thing I like challenges.
Baking typically yields large quantities. Cookies are baked up in the dozens. Cupcake recipes make at last twelve to fifteen cute little treats. An average sized cake feeds way more than two people. But this week I'm baking for just two so my goal is to not only create tantalizing treats but to do it without creating a lot of waste and leftover sugary confections.
Searching for help to successfully overcome this challenge I stumbled across a blog called "Desserts for Two." Can you say perfect? The recipes are all geared towards the baker who wants to bake for a small crowd, usually a crowd of two. The best part is that almost all of her recipes are from scratch. For me from scratch is a must. I am bucking the Betty Crocker. I am denying the convenience of boxes and mixes. Even canned caramel is off limits.
Desserts for Two guided my baking experiment tonight. I asked my Mom to give me two ingredients to include in the dessert (a not-so-intimidating version of Chopped) and she came up with sour cream and pecans. After searching for a dessert including those two "mystery" ingredients that would be fit for two I came across Bananas Foster Baby Cakes. The name alone was enough to make me want to bake it. The pictures just sealed the deal.
I made some fundamental changes to the recipe. Number one I didn't use any rum. I subbed vanilla extract instead. Secondly I didn't bake them in mini muffin tin. I didn't have one on hand. All I had was a regular muffin tin so I made my "baby cakes" into "toddler cakes." Third, I used half greek yogurt and half sour cream (I had to include that mystery ingredient) to the cake itself. Lastly, I don't know how long I baked them. I believe it was more like fifteen minutes rather than the instructed ten. Since my baby cakes were bigger than babies they required a bit more baking then their smaller cake counterparts.
These Banana Foster Cakes were a big hit. Both Mom and Dad love them and raved about their moist, light texture. I do believe the words, "melt in your mouth" were used. If you want to make two dessert lovers speechless I suggest trying out this recipe. They'll be a feast for the eyes and the tastebuds!

Recipe adapted from http://www.dessertfortwo.com/2014/02/bananas-foster-baby-cakes/