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!

Disposed of Apple Blondies {inedible falilure}

Five minutes to peel, core and slice the apples.
Ten minutes to measure, mix and beat dough ingredients then fold in the apples.
Thirty minutes to bake at 350 degrees.
One hour to cool.
Twenty minutes to beat (and attempt to salvage) malfunctioning frosting.

Ten seconds to destroy in the garbage disposal.

The Apple Blondies were an inedible disaster. My first entirely inedible disaster to date. The tops of the blondies were brown - golden actually. But, once cut, a mushy, gushy, disgusting center was revealed. The tops had cooked but the apples inside and the surrounding cakey dough had reduced to a slimy mess.
And the frosting. Oh goodness don't get me started! Who puts raw brown sugar in frosting? No right-minded dessert love wants a crunch in their creamy frosting. No one. I don't even eat frosting and I don't want it to crunch. Frosting is meant to be smooth and silky. Frosting is to dessert what sheets are to a bed. And just like sheets shouldn't be scratchy, frosting shouldn't be crunchy.
After twenty minutes of working with my disastrous frosting the crunch was almost dissolved thanks to ridiculous amounts of confectioners sugar, low heat and even more ridiculous amounts of butter.
After saving the frosting (or at least making it edible) I went to cut into the bars and discovered that the situation was much more dire than a crunch in the frosting. The bars were complete mush - clumpy, sugary, soupy mush.
I took the pan of apple slime to the sink, dumped, rinsed and turned on the switch to crush the inedible ball of dough into a disposed of memory.

Some days, some recipes, simply cannot be saved. Poor apple blondies, they looked like they had promise. The pictures were deceiving - golden brown bars topped with creamy, white frosting (seriously there could not have been brown sugar in the bars pictured!) But the reality of my own apple blondies was anything but tantalizing. So I had to face the music, or, more accurately, the mushy bars, and admit to defeat.
I came, I baked and I didn't conquer the apple blondies.
Oh well. Bake and learn.

Failed apple blondie take away: Pictures don't tell the whole story. So Pinterest picture gazer beware. Think before you bake!
And don't ever put raw brown sugar in a frosting...ever.

Romans 15:13 Ministry Week #1

Baking on the Fritz has had a blessing territory expansion! Fritz (me) is not only baking to keep my family fat and happy but now I'm baking for a ministry - a real, honest to goodness Christian ministry that reaches out to inner-city women.
If it were proper literary terminology I'd write "wahooo!" to express my excitement that way but because that isn't exactly proper English or even a word found in the dictionary I'll refrain. Just know that it is in that spirit that I announce this latest baking development.

You may be wondering how I went from baking simply as a way to keep my family in an abundance of sweets to baking for a weekly ministry. I could embellish some elaborate story about how my baked goods happened to be tasted by a pastry chef who was blown away by the crumb of my cookies and the delicate sweetness of my cream cheese frosting.
I could then think up a story about how that pastry chef was best friends with a director of a ministry outreach to inner city women and how this woman was just dying to have homemade baked goods to treat the women to each week when they came to Bible study. I could say that this pastry chef looked at me and said, "You must bake for them! I insist on it!" And then I could tell you that this pastry chef took me to the ministry director and presented me and my baked goods, giving his blessing to my baking ministry endeavor.
But that would be completely made up. What I would call a lie. So I'll just tell you the truth.
I emailed the ministry director and asked if I could bake for the women's Bible study that meets each week. She said yes and the rest is history.

Although my foray into baking ministry doesn't have an elaborate story it does have a meaningful beginning. Sometimes God doesn't throw a pastry chef at you and tell you to start baking up blessings. Sometimes you have to take the first step and reach out!
God planted in me this love to bake and has given my body the stamina to stand all day in the kitchen without fatigue. Over these past few months the call to bake for the spreading of Christ's love has grown stronger and stronger. I sat on the idea for a while praying over how to proceed and if to proceed. It was after that period of contemplation that I decided to take a leap of faith and offer what I have to give, my baking.
Can words explain how thrilled I am that my baking ministry was welcomed? I'm beyond thrilled!

Yesterday was my first day of baked goods delivery. I made three treats: pumpkin cookies with a vanilla glaze, blackberry oat bars and apple cherry oat bars. I covered all my treats in foil and wrote on the top "Romans 15:13."

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I'm filling people's bellies with treats made by hand, made from scratch and made with love. But more importantly I want to share with them the joy, peace and love found in Jesus Christ. I want them to be full not just on cookies and cake but on the power of the Holy Spirit. 

I don't know what God has in store for Baking on the Fritz. And that's the most exciting thing about this whole baking adventure. I have no idea where it's going! All I know is that next week I'm going to be baking for a room full of women who are opening up their Bible's (maybe for the very first time) to hear about their creator and savior.
Through baking God is showing me that I don't have to venture off into foreign lands and third world countries to be smack dab in the middle of God's territory and God's mission field. This might be right where he wants me, in my kitchen baking up blessings for the society right outside my door. I'm trusting where God leads, embracing the task set before me to spread the love of Christ one baked up treat at a time. 

To find the recipes I used to bake up these goods follow the links below!

Oat bars: Better Homes and Gardens New CookBook

Pumpkin cookies:http://cookingwithruthie.com/2012/11/09/thee-best-pumpkin-cookies/

Pumpkin Pie Crunch Bars

Labor Day is over, August has come to a close. The inevitable has happened, summer has ended and fall is falling. It happens every year and yet, every year, it comes so swiftly that it catches us all off guard. Of course August must end and summer must be replaced by fall and kids must go back to school. We all know the routine and the order of the seasons yet it never fails that it catches us all unawares.
This year has been no different. I can't believe that it is already September third. What happened to August? And July? They are just memories now, replaced by the sounds of school bells and the rumbling of big yellow buses full of children weighed down by cumbersome backpacks.
With the changing of seasons and the changing of daily routines comes another change too, a dietary change. Gone are the days of corn and blueberries, peaches and zucchini. The plates of seasonal eaters are replaced with pumpkin, potatoes, apples and all things cinnamon. Mom's break out their crockpots and soups are reintroduced to the dinner table. Ice cream treats take a back seat to pies, crisps and warm puddings. Everything in the kitchen turns from a refreshing escape to a warm, comforting embrace.
This morning when I awoke I couldn't help but sense this cosmic shift in seasons. It seemed to happen overnight. I went from craving strawberries to thinking of nothing but pumpkins covered in nutmeg and cinnamon. As I watched kids file down the road to catch the school bus the feeling of fall only intensified and my desire to break out a big can of pumpkin became inescapable.
And so it is to the pantry I went, can opener in hand, to break out my first can of pumpkin of the season. Even the act of twisting the openers lever and removing the tin top of the can felt like fall! As I peered at the rich orange inside the can I was overwhelmed with thoughts of school days, freshly sharpened pencils, school bells, tardy slips and corrected homework assignments. Those days are long gone but the connection they have to this season will never fade. Fall is a sign of school days and no amount of time away from a classroom can change that fact.
To reign in the season of pumpkin I decided to bake pumpkin pie bars. This recipe comes from a new cookbook my Mom bought me on vacation. "The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook" is written by two bakers from Savannah, GA. They run one of the most beloved and respected bakeries in the south. If the pictures are any indication of the pastry perfection that comes from their kitchen then I don't doubt the goodness of their recipes! The pictures look divine! Each page is filled with tantalizing treats all prepared from scratch - no prepared pie crusts here.
So lets get to baking and inviting in a new season in nature and, who knows, maybe a new season in life! There is no telling what a change of leaves will bring. It may be just as good as these pumpkin pie crunch bars!

http://www.backinthedaybakery.com/cookbook.html

Peaches n' Cream Bars

If this post had a subtitle it would be, "The story of the bars that almost weren't"….or something to that effect. I'd come up with something catchier. But you get the gist.
These Peaches n' Cream Bars almost didn't make it to my oven or the mouths of my beloved tasters. It wasn't a shortage of peaches or a lack of flour that almost doomed today's baking experiment, it was my nerves, my MS and my attitude.
Some days with MS are tougher than others. Some days I appear just fine, feel great and have no complaints. And then other days it is just the opposite. Today is one of those days. My digestion has been on edge since six this morning and the fatigue has been extreme. To make matters worse my attitude was anything but peachy. I was in a funk and a depressive state. Needless to say, I wasn't the most jolly of gals to be around.
After lunch I sunk even further. I sat in a chair and mentally lamented my lot in life. The muscle in my leg was having spastic fits and my head was aching. I literally put my head on the counter and just mopped.
Then, all of a sudden, I thought of another batch of peaches on the counter and my head popped up. Bake. Get up and bake!
I almost jumped out of my chair and hurried back into the middle of the kitchen. I grabbed a glass 8x8 pan, aluminum foil and cooking spray. I hit bake, 350 and start on the oven. I was off and running!
Within five minutes my hands were in a bowl cutting up cold butter to make a crumbly topping and my oven was beeping that it was ready to receive my doughy creation. As I mixed ingredients, measured spices and chopped peaches my funk fled. The cloud that MS had placed over my head was pushed out of sight and all I was thinking about was my Peaches n' Cream Bars and the luscious smell they would soon be producing in my kitchen.
Sure enough, forty-five minutes later the scent of cinnamon and sugar was in the air and there was a bubbling of peach and juices in the oven.
The sudden revelation to get back to baking didn't change the status of my muscle. As of the penning of this post my leg is still very much flared but my attitude toward my leg, my muscles and my nerves has done a complete one-eighty. I'm no longer trapped in the gloom and doom of a physical condition. I am rising up and over MS, baking till I'm better and determining to be an overcomer, not a succumb-er.
Who knew there could be so much victory in a simple pan of peaches, oats, flour, sugar and cinnamon?

You may be wondering how my Peaches n' Cream bars turned out. Were they a success? The verdict is in and the bars have been taste tested - they are a winner.
The recipe comes courtesy of Sally's Baking Addiction. You can access it here: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/07/20/peaches-cream-bars/comment-page-1/#comments.
I followed it almost precisely except for a few minor adjustments. I added an extra peach to the filling and an extra teaspoon of heavy cream to the glaze. Let's just say I was feeling extra peachy!