Love

I was thinking about our wedding last year. We had so many people there, all of whom knew how our first marriages had fallen apart and were rejoicing with us that we had found each other. 

Then I was thinking how all these people loved me and Troy, and we had done absolutely nothing to receive or deserve that love.

Then I thought about my first marriage and how I spent so much effort in trying to be exactly how he wanted me to be. In short, I was trying to "get" his love, to make him love me. And I failed miserably.

So then I made a few connections. No one can make you love them. You can't make someone love you. What you can do, is do things for the people you do love, not because they deserve it, but because you love them.

This is how God loves us; we don't receive His love, His grace, His gifts because we deserve them. He gives them to us because He loves us. Jesus didn't go to the cross for us because we deserved it. He went because He loved us.

When we think of doing for others, instead of getting for ourselves, that is how we are supposed to love.

This is how I try to love Troy. It is not always easy; having had one marriage fall apart sometimes makes me worry about it happening again. But when I try to do things to make Troy love me, I usually end up feeling foolish and inadequate. But when I act out of love for him, I usually end up knowing we have a solid marriage and that his love for me will always be.

This is why we can't try to "get" God's love. There is no way to deserve it, or to do anything to be "good enough." We can only act out of love for our neighbors, knowing we are already His beloved children. We love because He first loved us.

Allegory

I have been reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to Claire and Natalie. They are both really enjoying it. Last night we reached the point where the Witch is going to kill Aslan. I was reading about how the crowd of Witch's supporters were kicking and hitting Aslan, and spitting at him, and jeering at him.

Claire: Hey! That's just what happened to Jesus!

Me: Yes, it is.

I continued reading. Claire let out little moans as she heard about Aslan being tied up, and dragged to the Stone Table, and mocked by the Witch. At the end of the chapter, she looked at me, horrified.

Claire: He didn't really DIE, did he?

Me: Yes, he did.

Claire (almost in tears): Ohhh.

Me: Claire, who did you just compare Aslan to?

Claire: Jesus.

Me: And what happened to Jesus?

Claire: He died.

Me: And then what happened?

Claire: Um, He rose from the dead.

Me: So...

Claire: But that's not going to happen to Aslan.

So I read the next chapter, where the Stone Table cracked and Aslan came back to life. Oh, Claire and Natalie were so happy!
After the chapter was over, and I was tucking the girls into bed, Claire pronounced, "The story of Aslan is just like the story of Jesus. Except Jesus was in the tomb for 3 days and Aslan was only on the Stone Table for a little while."
I am pretty impressed with Claire for recognizing the Story C.S. Lewis was telling, without knowing that authors do tell stories in such a way. And now I'm hopeful and excited for her to read other stories, and see that many of the best are, in their way, a retelling of the Story.

More Coffee, Please

Ever since beginning what I like to call "The Program" (what most people would call "a diet"), I've noticed that my sweet tooth has diminished. But strangely. I still love my brownies and my mom's chocolate chip cookies, and ice cream is still a wonderful treat. But I ordered a grande (that's small right?) Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks a few months ago, and I could only drink a couple sips before I decided to listen to my cringing teeth that were telling me "THIS IS TOO SWEET!"
So how do I get my fancy coffee drink fix without too much sugar (and money)? By making my own, of course!
Now, I understand that part of what you're getting when you go to Starbucks or Caribou is the convenience. But I happen to have my own espresso machine that my parents gave me for Christmas a few years ago, and it's not getting much use. Partly because of the time involved, but also because I like the flavors of the drinks at a coffee shop. And that's not the easiest thing to manage at home.
So yesterday, being in the mood for a latte, I started brewing one. And then I went to allrecipes.com to look for ideas for flavored syrups. Honestly, the website wasn't the most helpful. It did occur to me that probably, most of the flavors are a combination of simple syrup with an added extract. So I thought I'd try it.

Flavored Syrup
1 part white sugar to 1 part water
Combine in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, making sure all the sugar dissolved. While it's heating, add some of your flavor extract. Regular extracts, like you'd buy in the baking aisle of a grocery store, take more than the concentrated flavors, like what you'd buy from King Arthur Flour. I used about 1/2 teaspoon of mint extract with one cup of sugar and one cup of water in one batch. The second batch was 3/4 almond flavor (hey, I'm Norwegian) to one cup of sugar and one cup of water. The third batch was about 15 drops of Washington Cherry flavor to one cup of sugar and one cup of water.
I put about 2-3 tablespoons of syrup in a coffee cup, added 2 shots of espresso and about 1/2 cup of steamed milk. This morning's Mint Latte was amazing!

Now I just need to find a marshmallow flavor so I can mimic Caribou Coffee's Campfire Mocha and I'll be set!

Some Things Do Stay the Same

At age 6, Claire (fortunately) doesn't exhibit much of the same behavior that she did at age 1. Except for one sweet thing. Starting about a month after her first birthday (right after she was weaned), she began tucking her little hand just under the neckline of whatever shirt I was wearing when we would rock (it was bad if I was wearing a turtleneck). I liked to think she was feeling my heartbeat and wanting the closeness we had when she was still nursing. I never discouraged this behavior, knowing I would miss it when it was gone, and she didn't stop doing it.  And even now, at age 6, Claire's little hand rests right above my heart whenever we rock. Of course, it is less and less all the time now, but even sweeter because of that.

Getting Back to Routine

The girls and I have moved back into my parents' house for the next six months, due to the fact that my lease is up in a few weeks and Troy and I don't want to live together before we get married. The move has been gradual and started back near the end of February. We've been living out of laundry baskets (because the dressers were still in Elysian), and I haven't really cooked or baked much of anything lately. I would cook on our usual Thursday nights that Troy would join us in Elysian, and I have made some cookies here, but otherwise, nothing.
This past weekend, most of our stuff got moved here. All of my kitchen stuff, including cookbooks, is here. Our dressers (and the girls' beds) are here. I feel somewhat more settled, but I still have quite a bit of work yet to do. I need to put more pictures up on the walls and organize the kitchen area Mom and I set up. 
I am definitely more in the mood for cooking. I'm making supper on Wednesday night, and I've been printing more recipes lately. That's where it's nice that it seems to be the current fashion on Facebook to post links to recipes. I have seen several that I'd like to make. I'm sure Mom will let me make supper much more often, too.

The Poet

While I was reading my Bible for the day, I came across a page (in Ezekiel, of all places) titled "Humor and Comedy in the Bible." It was very interesting how the writers of the Bible do, in fact, use comedy to illustrate their lessons, such as riddles, parody, and satire. Lots of these occur in the Old Testament, with some in the New Testament, too. But at the end of the page was a fascinating and comforting statement from Martin Luther: "When matters are in such a bad way and so desperate that no hope of deliverance is seen, we should know that it is the epitasis or climax of the comedy and that the catastrophe is very near...God is the Poet, and we are the verses or songs He writes."
Always a good reminder, that God is in control, and He knows that the story will end well for His children, even if we can't see how.

Angels and Demons

No, not the Dan Brown book. Although, that is a very fascinating read.
The Bible class at church began a study on angels yesterday. Pastor put together a very nice handout so we didn't need to spend the whole class flipping back and forth throughout the Bible to find the verses. The plan is to cover angels in general, then fallen angels, and then the Angel of the Lord. Even though I rarely miss Bible class, I am definitely going to make an effort NOT to miss during this study.
I wonder if one of the reasons I have learned so little about angels so far is that, to a born and bred Lutheran like myself, angels seem like a New Age-y, spiritual thing. Also that portrayals of angels in movies and on TV don't really ever seem to have ANYTHING to do with the Bible. Even Touched by an Angel, a TV show I particularly enjoyed watching, NEVER mentioned Jesus. Maybe it's not so surprising that several people who were at Bible class yesterday are so excited for and fascinated by this topic.

At the end of the class, Pastor handed out nice laminated copies of Luther's Morning and Evening Prayers, with an encouragement to incorporate them into our daily lives. So I added the Evening Prayer last night to bedtime prayers with Claire and Natalie.
       I thank You, my heavenly Father,
             through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son,
             that You have graciously kept me this day;
             and I pray that You would forgive me all my sins
                  where I have done wrong,
                  and graciously keep me this night.
       For into Your hands I commend myself,
             my body and soul, and all things.
       Let Your holy angel be with me,
             that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
I pointed out to the girls that not only do we have God the Father and Jesus watching out for us while we sleep, but we have God's holy angels keeping the devil at bay, too. Natalie, who is always fearful of the devil, asked me if the devil would come in their room and scare her. (And oh, it would be SO EASY to offer false comfort.) I told her that that was why we prayed the way we did, so that we would be protected. Then I reminded her that God and Jesus and the angels are much, much stronger than the devil, and they were always near her to keep the devil away.
Just as they are always near us, and we have only to ask, and we'll receive all the help we need to keep the devil away.

You are Mine

The Lutheran Study Bible has a reading plan to read straight through the Bible in 2 years. I began last January and did fairly well, but fell terribly behind in the last few weeks of 2012. So now, in my quieter moments at work, I'm trying to catch up. I'm in the middle of Isaiah, which, I'll admit it, gets a little hard going at times. But then I read today:
But now thus says the Lord..."Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior...because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you." (Isaiah 43:1-4)
I love this passage. It's a reminder that God does not promise that we will not go through hard times, but that He will be with us when we do.

Another New Year

Hello, 2013. You're the first new year I've been excited to see in a long time. And no wonder. I have so much to be excited about!
Claire is learning so much at school and everywhere else. She has had the switch flicked on in her brain about reading, and her reading ability is growing daily. She is also learning how to learn, which was evidenced by how quickly she learned to tie her shoes this past week. She was able to communicate to me exactly what it was that she was not understanding, and once we sorted that part out (what part of the lace to push through to make the second bow), she had it down pat.
Natalie is a born storyteller. She can come up with (truly) compelling stories, complete with villains and heroes and a happily ever after. I am always impressed with the broad scope of her imagination, and how she is clearly absorbing everything in her world to add details to her stories. She is also my little foodie and wants to "feed" everyone with whatever she has at hand, be it beads, blocks, or actual toy food.
I have been with my Troy for nearly 7 months, and I can't imagine life without him now. He not only loves me for myself, but he loves my girls and they positively adore him right back. It is hard to put into words exactly all this relationship means to me. It is thrilling and comforting and joyful and fun. Troy doesn't let me wash the dishes when he comes for supper, but nudges me out of the way and hands me the towel to dry. We watch TV shows like Castle and Big Bang Theory, and laugh a lot. We attend church and Bible class together, and I can hardly say how much I enjoy worshiping with him. His daughter, Carsen, loves reading about as much as I do, and we can talk Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings and being geeky like that together. His son, Adam, plays wonderfully with Claire and Natalie, and manages to remain patient even when they get to be a little too much.
*happy sigh*
This year I have a few goals, like I did last year. I want to keep trying new recipes, and the goal of at least one new recipe each week is definitely doable (I did it last year). I would like to keep shrinking my stack of books to be read (I made some headway last year). And of course, the usual goals of exercise more and lose a few pounds.
So, 2013, yes, I'm happy to see you, and I'm looking forward to what this year holds for me and my family.

Idols

Claire: Hey, Mom, I know what idols are.
Me: Oh, really?
Claire: Yes. They're something you want to be a god.
Me: That's right.
Claire: In Alair's book, the people made a golden calf. They wanted it to be their god, so it was an idol.
Me: That's right. But it was a pretty crappy god, wasn't it?
Claire: Yup. You could hug it or sit on it or do anything you wanted to it, but it couldn't do anything for you. Idols are kind of dumb, aren't they?

Dumb, indeed.

Natalie's Question

Natalie is very afraid of the devil. This fear goes back to VBS this summer, when she heard the story of the temptation of Jesus. She asked Troy and me the other night if the devil was going to die. I asked Pastor Mumme his thoughts on how I should explain this to her.

 His response:

"The devil is a fallen angel, and angels (fallen or holy) do not and will not die.  Rather, on the Last Day they will be locked up forever in the prison house of hell, never to tempt or afflict the children of God ever again.  In Matthew 25:41, Jesus says to the unbelievers on Judgment Day, "Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."  This tells us that hell was not originally prepared for human beings, but for the fallen angels.  And since its fire is eternal, the devil and his angels (and all who die without faith in Christ) will eternally suffer there.  This is made explicit for the devil in Revelation 20:10: "And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."

This is a hard conversation to have with a little girl!  I would just assure her at this point that when we die (and when we rise again in glory on the Last Day) we will be forever free from the devil.  He cannot harm us who believe and are baptized now, and he will not be able to harm us then either.  I hope this helps."

 

After I told this to Natalie, she thought about it and then said, "So Jesus makes it so the devil can't come to our house?" I told her, yes, that was pretty much true, that Jesus makes it so the devil can't hurt us. She was thrilled and said, "I'm going to tell my sister, and Grandma and..." I told her she could tell everyone she wanted about that.

Tonight's Supper

Claire absolutely loved this meal. She wants it again tomorrow night.

Sloppy Potatoes

4 large russet or sweet potatoes, scrubbed and dried

1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 Tbs. cumin
1 Tbs. coriander
1 Tbs. chili powder
1 onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbs. light brown sugar
1 Tbs. cider vinegar
2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 cup tomato puree
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Prick potatoes with a fork all over. Bake the potatoes in a 425 degree oven for 1 hour, or cook in the microwave.

Cook the meat in a skillet over medium heat until browned. Add salt and pepper, cumin, coriander and chili powder. (*I did not have cumin, and do not like coriander, so I used about 1 1/2 tablespoons of BBQ seasoning with the chili powder). Add onion (I used dehydrated) and garlic and cook until softened, about 2-4 minutes. Add brown sugar, vinegar (I used red wine vinegar), Worcestershire sauce, and puree (I used a can of tomato sauce). Simmer over low heat to develop the flavor.

Open the potatoes and spoon meat mixture on top. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and serve.

Serves 4

9/11 According to Claire

"So Mom," said Claire as we arrived at her school this morning. "Mrs. Cram told us yesterday about something."
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah, it happened 20 years ago..."
"Well, sweetie, it actually happened 11 years ago."
"Okay, 11 years ago. There were these two towers, and some bad guys crashed a plane into them. The bad guys took over the plane and crashed it into the towers. And this happened in St. Paul."
"No, honey, it happened in New York City and in Washington, D.C."
"Washington, D.C.? That's near where I was born."
"That's right."
We were at school by then, and so the conversation had to end. I'm interested to know what else she learned about 9/11, and how she interprets what she's learned. I'll have to remember to tell her to ask her dad to show her and Natalie his piece of rubble from the attack on the Pentagon. I'm sure the girls will find that fascinating, if not really understand the whole meaning of it.

School, Muffins, and Natalie's Stories

Claire started school this past Tuesday. She is the only kindergartner at Trinity Lutheran School, North Morristown, but she doesn't care in the slightest. She was so excited to start school, so she could learn things like Alair.
For the first day of school, I decided to do like Anna (the housekeeper) in the Betsy-Tacy series, who always makes muffins for breakfast on the first day. I made King Arthur Flour's Chocolate Breakfast Muffins

2/3 cup (2 ounces) Dutch-process cocoa
1 3/4 cups (7 1/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/4 cups (9 3/8 ounces) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (6 ounces) chocolate chips
2 eggs
1 cup (8 ounces) milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons vinegar
1/2 cup (4 ounces, 1 stick) butter, melted
coarse pearl sugar, for topping (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a standard muffin pan with paper or silicone muffin cups, and grease the cups.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, flour, sugar, baking powder, espresso powder, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips. Set aside.

In a large measuring cup or medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla and vinegar. Add the wet ingredients, along with the melted butter, to the dry ingredients, stirring to blend; there's no need to beat these muffins, just make sure everything is well-combined.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin; the cups will be heaped with batter, and the muffin will bake into a "mushroom" shape. Sprinkle with pearl sugar, if desired.

Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven, and after 5 minutes remove them from the pan, allowing them to cool for about 15 minutes on a rack before peeling off the muffin papers or silicone cups. Yield: 12 muffins.

 

We've enjoyed the muffins each day this week, and I do want to make first-day muffins a yearly tradition.

I was somewhat concerned about Natalie's reaction to being left at day care while Claire started school. That was a waste of energy. Natalie is doing just great. She's now able to come out from her sister's shadow and let her own personality come out. She is an enthusiastic storyteller who has a 3-year-old's tendency to blend fantasy and reality. She chatters to anyone who will listen (fortunately for her, almost all of the adults in her life DO listen) about all her doings each day. My dad will chuckle and tell me that she's the most fascinating child. 

We now have bedtime on school nights at 7:30. Growing (and learning) girls need lots of sleep, and so far, Claire can't be bothered to have her quiet time in the afternoon. There's too much to do! Evenings are still kind of tricky, with tired and cranky girls adjusting to our new routine, but I figure that will improve over the next few weeks.

The Summer of Crazy. And Heat. And Happy.

Let's see, I last blogged in the beginning of May. Wow, has life gone crazy since then.

May saw the end of the second school year since I've been at Cannon Valley. Making sure all the seniors graduated with enough credits in the right classes, grading all the online classes, and getting the air conditioner put in the window of my office were the main priorities. I played with the band for graduation and went with Hannah to a bunch of graduation parties. So fun! Hannah and I also went out for a girls' day, seeing The Avengers and going shopping. She goes back to her parents' farm in North Dakota in the summers, so I won't see her until the beginning of August.

June was all about Vacation Bible School, working on the wedding gift I was making for Erik and Ashley...and a new relationship. I started seeing Troy, a guy I've known since childhood who goes to my church. He's divorced with two kids, too, although his kids are older than Claire and Natalie. His daughter, Carsen, is 15 and his son, Adam, is 10. Carsen was Natalie's youth leader at VBS, and we started sending messages on Facebook, which led to chatting on Facebook, which led to one date and then another and so on. He is just about the polar opposite of the girls' father, and this has been, really, one of the happiest summers I can remember.

July had the hottest Independence Day on record, so naturally I was working in the hamburger stand at the North Morristown celebration. Uff. Da. You know you're sweaty when your jean shorts are damp all the way through! Then came all the last-minute preparations for the wedding in the out-of-control heat. But the weather cooperated marvelously for the wedding itself. This was such a fun day! Claire and Natalie were very well-behaved and had lots of fun at the reception. I also had lots of fun at the reception, enjoying the free wine (4 glasses) and the great music at the dance.
We just came back from 4 days in northern Indiana, where we saw Touchdown Jesus at Notre Dame and went shopping in Shipshewana at all the Amish places. It was fun, but the drive was a little too long for the kids, and we are happily getting back on our routine.

The girls will go on vacation with their dad the first week of August and then we'll be getting ready for school to start! It has really been a crazy summer.

Book Review

Heroes come in many shapes and sizes. Dragons come in even more. Fantasy fiction is an extremely popular genre among young (and not-so-young) readers today. Parents may be concerned about the value of some of the fantasy literature their kids are reading, but not know how to determine said value. Enter Andrew Boll’s The Hero and the Dragon: Building Christian Character through Fantasy Fiction. Andrew neatly weaves together many of the elements commonly found in fantasy fiction and discusses them in relation to aspects of a Christian’s life. He also demonstrates how the elements may help build upon the foundation of the Gospel or how those same elements, in another author’s hands, can tear that foundation down.
Andrew starts with a chapter that students who have taken his Introduction to Literature class will recognize: “The Hero’s Journey.” Nearly every adventure story or epic quest will feature some, if not all, of the steps outlined in this chapter. While I was reading through this chapter, I found myself thinking of Harry Potter, the Lord of the Rings, and many other stories I’ve read in my life. Andrew references a lot of classical literature such as The Odyssey and King Arthur, as well as contemporary works like Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Star Wars. Readers will enjoy remembering a favorite hero or heroine’s journey while reading this chapter.

The rest of the book is devoted to common themes or elements found in fantasy fiction. Are you worried about your child reading stories of “magic” or “wizards” or “vampires?” These chapters will guide you in figuring out if a particular story will be damaging or uplifting.

Of course, since we are all on our own journeys, Andrew points out how goblins, elves, pixies, and zombies exist in our own world, and how to wield the Sword (that is, the Word of God) to defeat our own dragons. You’ll find ways to seek the light, even when the way seems dark.

The Hero and the Dragon: Building Christian Character through Fantasy Fiction by Andrew Boll is available for purchase at Cannon Valley Lutheran High School in Morristown, Minnesota. The print book is $19.95+tax, and the ebook is $9.95. Andrew will donate $2 for each book sold at CVLHS to the school. You may also purchase the book through Andrew’s website and blog, andrewboll.com.

Of the Electric Slide, Macarena, and Other Party Dances

The CVLHS prom was this past weekend. Since Claire and Natalie were on a visit with their dad, I got to help chaperone. Boy, was it fun, for a laundry list of reasons.

1. I got to wear the black and gold bridesmaid dress I wore for Andy and Christine's wedding in 2009. Not only am I no longer nursing a baby, I've lost a bit more weight than when I wore the dress then, so it fit me much better. Also, I had no idea the dress was so beautiful. At the time I wore it, I was still grouchy at the obnoxious saleslady at the bridal shop for complaining that it didn't fit me (never mind the whole 14-weeks-postpartum-and-nursing-a-newborn thing). Also, I was 14 weeks postpartum and nursing a newborn, so putting on a formal dress, complete with spanx, strapless bra (HAHAHAHAHAHA), pantyhose, and heels was absurd. Then add a cranky 2 1/2 year old daughter and (now ex) husband just back from military duty and in the full throes of his PTSD who had to rent a tux and be an usher, and it's no wonder that I have limited memories of that day. Well, I ROCKED that dress on Saturday night.
2. I got to dance my feet off and not care how I looked. That's the great thing about helping at a school event. You can look dorky and NO ONE CARES!
3. I remembered the Macarena. Oddly, everyone expected that I would know this dance. And I did. Even though the last time I danced it was around 15 years ago.
4. I taught the crowd the Electric Slide.
5. I got a hat (that matched my dress perfectly, BTW), a Tshirt, a keychain, an enormous glass mug, and a free picture of myself and Hannah, the math teacher, who also looked fabulous in her formal dress.
6. I helped Hannah at the post-prom party with the games and prizes, and realized how nice it is to have a best girlfriend who seeks your friendship, help, and opinions, and tells you that you're valued.

Yup. I had a great time at prom.

A Cool Fix

This weekend one of my projects has been to go through my 6 years of Every Day with Rachael Ray magazines (I recently let my subscription run out) and tear out the pages featuring recipes I would like to make at some point. The magazines are taking up a whole shelf of my bookcase above my desk, and since I am not in the habit of going through them, I figured it would be more time and space saving if I had just the recipes stored in a binder.
So as I'm going through the magazines this afternoon, I came upon a great tip for fixing makeup that's broken up in its compact.
I recently bought a compact of pressed powder, and upon getting home and opening it, I noticed the powder had become loose (the compact was otherwise intact). I just shoved it in the cabinet and forgot about it.
The tip I discovered today told me to drip rubbing alcohol into the powder until it's softened, and smooth it out with the back of a spoon. Leave it open overnight, and the alcohol will evaporate. Voila! Pressed powder as it should be!
I tried it. It took a lot (several medicine droppers full) of rubbing alcohol, but I was able to smooth the powder out with the spoon. It's now sitting out on my kitchen cupboard, drying.
What a great tip!

Strawberries & Lemon Custard in Meringue

This is one of my very favorite desserts.

Meringue Crust
4 egg whites (reserve the yolks)
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Grease a 9-inch pie plate. Place egg whites and cream of tartar in a large mixing bowl. Beat until frothy. Slowly add sugar in a slow stream, beating constantly, and continue beating until stiff and glossy. Spread in pie pan over the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides. Bake 1 hour until lightly browned and firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

4 reserved egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups heavy cream, whipped
2 cups sliced strawberries, sweetened to taste

Place yolks in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat, until the mixture is very thick, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Stir occasionally as it cools. Gently stir in half the whipped cream. Spoon into the meringue crust. Refrigerate at least 6 hours.

Spread half of the strawberries over the filling. Spread the remaining whipped cream over the berries. Top with the remaining berries. This pie is best eaten the day it is made.

Serves 8.

The Armory

The former administrator of my school (who is also the brother-in-law of one of my high school girlfriends) has started a blog of his own, called The Armory. It features daily devotions (he just went online last night, so there's only one devotion so far) and information about his first book The Hero and the Dragon: Building Christian Character through Fantasy Fiction.
Andrew has asked me to help spread the word about his blog and his book, so click the link and help spread the word yourself!