Apple Crisp

A theory is formulating in my mind and it goes something like this...There are two types of marrying men in this world. One wants to be a husband who dotes on a wife and one who wants an independent, self-sufficient wife.
The first type of man wants to be a protector. He finds fulfillment in being the man of the house. For this type of man having his wife do the "manly" work reduces his own role as husband. It is his belief that as a man he is to do the heavy lifting. He wouldn't have his wife mow the lawn, change fire detector alarms or move a couch around the living room when she felt like switching up the furniture arrangement. He, as the man, wants to be the strong and mighty warrior for his wife. He wants to care for her needs and treat her like a prized jewel, a delicate flower, a princess.
The second type of husband wants his wife to be her own warrior. If she wants the couch moved he wants her to be the one to move it. If the lawn needs mowed he is more inclined to remind her of its scraggly blades of grass than to break out the mower himself. On a Sunday afternoon he is more likely to be found on the golf course than doing any odd job around the house. He has his life, hobbies and duties and he believes his wife should have her own, too.

I know what kind of husband I want. And, more importantly, I know the kind of wife I want to be.
I want to be the kind of wife who creates a comfortable, loving home for her husband. I want to be the wife who supports her husband when he takes a step out in faith. I want to brighten his day with little surprises and remind him how much he is loved and cherished. I want to praise his efforts to fix broken appliances and doors - even when the craftsmanship is lacking in professionalism and precision. And I know that I want to be the kind of wife that has an apple crisp baking in the oven when her husband gets home from work.

So today I'm practicing being the wife I want to become by baking an apple crisp. There isn't an exact science when it comes to a fruit crisp. You can fumble around for measurements, be out of a particular ingredient or over mix the sugar and flour and still end up with a delicious result. For guidance in completing my crisp I sought out the AllRecipes authority and stumbled upon Apple Crisp II. Over 3,000 reviews and four and a half stars don't fail me now!

Just a few notes about the recipe. I used McIntosh apples and baked it in two separate dishes that equaled about a 9x13. Instead of water I used apple cider. More flavor = better dessert. In the topping I decreased the brown sugar, added a bit of cinnamon and upped the oats while decreasing the flour.
The verdict? It was a hit. I will definitely be adding this recipe to my arsenal of treats to bake for a future hubby!

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/