UPSIDE DOWN German Chocolate Cake

German Chocolate Cake was a favourite cake for birthdays when I was growing up. Ahhhh, that homemade frosting is by FAR 1000% better than what you buy in a can today. But, alas, it seems that making this cake is time intensive and so I don’t make it.

I like my cake with cream, but it would be just as yummy with ice cream or whipped cream.

BUT. I came across this UPSIDE DOWN German Chocolate Cake which uses a box mix and I had to try it. I made it for a late Father’s Day celebration for my brother-in-law.

The pecans and coconut go on the bottom  underneath the cake batter. The “frosting” is made of melted butter, softened cream cheese, and powdered sugar which is swirled through the cake batter.

I scooped the first piece upside down into my bowl and saturated it with cream. This is a yummy version of a classic cake. The original is not much better. My spoonful after spoonful after spoonful was divine which makes this recipe a keeper.

Comments from family members (aka testers) . . . 

• “This is fantastic.”
• “I want this cake for my birthday.”
• “I ate tooooo much cake.”
• “This is as good as the regular version.”

Tips and Observations

• My cake was done at 45 minutes and not the suggested 60 minutes. I tested this by inserting a toothpick in the middle of the cake and it came out clean. Be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t over bake.
• The instructions state to not over bake this recipe. If you do I believe that the yummy swirls of frosting (which fall to the bottom of the pan) will become baked instead of staying gooey. You definitely want gooey.
• Some recipes call for margarine for the frosting – you’ll definitely want to use butter.
• Some recipes call for 1 cup of pecans. In this recipe you’ll want to use the full 2 cups.
• Pecans are always used in a German chocolate cake. However, walnuts would be a cheaper alternative and would not impact the taste.
• 1 pound powdered sugar = 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar or 4 cups sifted powdered sugar.

Your Turn . . . Try it and let me know your opinion. . . . What would you add to the Tips and Observations?

Related Posts . . . 

• Coffee Angel Food Cake
• When Life Gives You (too much) Pineapple Make Cake
• Recipe Index

Hat Tip to Rachelle Underwood of To. Die. For. Recipes for this DELISH cake.

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NOTE: This post is written for the Blogging From A to Z Challenge. There are 22 categories and my category is MI = Miscellaneous. I am a LOT late in posting it. But it sure is a yummmmmmy late post. 🙂 For a list of all the posts go to the A-Z button on my header.

Today’s letter is U. The topic is Upside Down German Chocolate Cake

Reflections on the April A-Z Challenge 2013

The Blogging from A – Z April Challenge 2013 is done.  And I posted a majority of the days, in fact 84.6% of the time. I am a survivor!

General Reflections about the Challenge

• I benefited from the accountability to post (almost) daily during April. Once I started writing I didn’t want to break my streak and so wrote something 22 out of 26 days.
• I found out about the challenge the night before it started. Therefore I didn’t have any posts written ahead of time. Each morning I woke up early to write. I found this to be a productive and enjoyable time. I hope to keep up with morning writing.
• What I did was to (mainly) finish up drafts that had been in my draft folder for at least a year. I thought these would be a snap to complete. WRONG. I still spent around 2 hours per post.
• I went though my drafts and picked 26 to finish. (I did change 3 or so posts as I went through the alphabet.)  I put them in a list here and hot linked them as they went live. This helped me to focus on each day’s post. And since the title was already in “ink,” I was more motivated to finish it that day.

What I liked

• I liked having the categories for the blogs. At the beginning of the month I went through the list and looked for the bloggers who had a craft  or writer blog. Even though I don’t do a lot of crafts or consider myself a writer, I like to read such posts.
• I liked the requirement to turn off word verification. All the blogs I visited did not have this on.
• I also liked the suggestion to read the five blogs after your name. With so many blogs on the list and having little time to read, I sometimes I didn’t know where to go. I was fairly regular about reading these blogs though.
• Finally I liked the Facebook page which I discovered about at the end of the challenge.

New (to me) Bloggers I Enjoyed

• Freelance Tourist: Travel Tips
  
• Sue’s Trifles
• Waiter, drink please!
• WRITERachael
• Words and Palabras: A Spanglish Blog About My Life in Mexico

I Will Participate Next Year

• Even though I didn’t write according to a theme, I really liked reading the blogs who did so. So next year I will write theme-based posts.
• Another thing I will do differently is to pre-write as many posts as I can. In fact I have already scheduled myself to do that January-March 2014. That way I hope I can spend more time reading posts in the A-Z Challenge.

Be sure to read my posts HOW TO Get People to Read Your Series: 9 Ideas.

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NOTE: This post is written for the Blogging From A to Z Challenge. There are 22 categories for the blogs and my category is MI = Miscellaneous.

During the month of April I posted 22 out of  26 days  (mainly) finishing up posts that have been in my draft file for at least a year. For a list of all the posts go to the A-Z button on my header.

Today’s topic is Reflections on the April A-Z Challenge 2013.

X: Using an X-ACTO to Make a Kindle Cover from a Hardback Book

This book is about Captain Kidd’s last 6 years of life. He claims He was a privateer under orders from England. But he was imprisoned, tried, & convicted as a pirate. Fair? Read & decide.

I am reading through the books on my bookshelves  to see which books I can let go of. Go here to see why.

I’ve recently read some of my children’s books like . . . 

• The Summer of the Swan
• Civil War on Sunday
• The Mystery Girl, and
• The  Mysterious Voyage of Captain Kidd.

I’ve had this last book since my kiddos were young. The copyright is 1970. The sticker on this hardback book says the book cost $2.95. For more information about Captain Kidd, go to this link.

I liked the book but won’t read it again. But since I think the cover is cool I didn’t put the book in the “donate pile.” I decided to make it into a cover for my Kindle.

I followed the directions here (from Rimarama) to make mine.

I just checked out how much I could have sold this on e-bay. Yikes. I could have made between $27.08 and $50.00. Instead I cut into this vintage book!

This took me about 3 hours to make. The most time-consuming part is the cutting out the pages part especially the corners.

Tips and Observations

1. Use  a clamp to hold the pages together after you have modge-podged them. I put a piece of cardboard between the clamp and book so that a dent would not appear on the book.
2. I drew around my Kindle to make my cutting lines. Make sure you draw straight down and not at an angle inwards. If you draw at any angle inwards, the “cave” will be too small. You will then have to recut the pages to make the cave bigger. This will add considerable time to the project.
3. Use a sharp blade in your x-acto knife. If it isn’t sharp, the pages will tear.
4. 

   As I cut out the pages from my book, I looked at all the picture pages including the table of contents as possible pages to line my Kindle “cave.”

   When you change the blade to use the other side, put some finger nail polish on the used side. That way you don’t have to remember whether it is new or used.

5. Use a metal ruler as a guide when you cut along your pencil line. This will keep you from cutting away more than you mean to. I did this for about the first 20 pages or so.
6. I used a file to smooth some of the page corners. This really wasn’t necessary. After I did the final modge-podge step the pages looked good enough.
7. I didn’t use scrapbook paper as top page as per the directions. Instead I chose to leave the cave frame as it was. And I put the Table of Contents in the cave and a cool picture page (from the book) on the inside of the left cover. I modge-podged them both in place.
8. 

   I put a loose ribbon behind the Kindle. Now it is easier to lift it out of the cave.

   I really wanted to use this particular book. Even though it didn’t have  a 1 inch margin between the Kindle and the edge of the book page, I tried it. It seems like it will work anyway.

9. My “cave is a little tight for the Kindle. So I put a loose ribbon behind the Kindle.  That way it is easier for me to lift my it out of the book.

Related Posts

• How to make a Kindle case from an old book
• Q: QUICK! Decorate your KINDLE Cover With This No Sew Idea
• Kindle cover
• 

  Finished inside of book

  K: 3 Reasons I Love the KINDLE Especially When my Shoulder Was Broken (plus 5 more reasons)

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NOTE: This post is written for the Blogging From A to Z Challenge. There are 22 categories and my category is MI = Miscellaneous.

During the month of April I will post 26 times finishing up posts that have been in my draft fie for at least a year. For a list of all the posts go to the A-Z button on my header.

Today’s letter is X. The topic is Using an X-ACTO Knife to Make a Kindle Cover from a Book.

Two Results of Proper WORSHIP & How to Experience It

Worship helps me stop the negative, self-centered, worried, and sometimes critical thoughts. THEN I can concentrate on God: His will, attributes, and love for His Children.

What does PROPER worship do?

1. Interrupts my self-preoccupation
2. Leads me to deliberately focus on God

“Worship is the strategy by which we interrupt our preoccupation with ourselves and attend to the presence of God.”

“Worship is the time and place that we assign for deliberate attentiveness to God – not because He’s confined to time and place but because  . . .

• our self-importance is so insidiously relentless
• that if we don’t deliberately interrupt ourselves regularly,
• we have no chance of attending to Him at all at other times and in other places.”  

By Eugene Peterson

Pastor Peterson says that worship is a strategy, an identifiable plan of action to achieve the goal of “attending to the presence of God.”

Therefore worship, or experiencing God’s presence, can happen at any point in the day on any day when I deliberately reflect on God.

Here are three ways I can worship, experience God’s presence.

ONE. Music helps me experience God’s presence. I agree with Bach that certain music makes me feel God’s presence. “Where there is devotional music, God is always at hand with His gracious presence,” (Johann Sebastian Bach).

“Sometimes when we sing, the power of music and truth combined can dig deeply into our hearts to make us realize that God is with us, but it wasn’t the singing that made him appear. He was there all along.” By Vaughan Roberts

TWO. Sermons help me experience God’s presence. Listening to people like my Pastor or other speakers who truthfully and diligently preach/teach God’s Word does 3 things . . .

1. corrects my theology, 
2. admonishes me to see how God would have me change, and  
3. opens my thoughts to God’s loving, powerful, omnipresence in my life.  

“God fills heaven and earth just as the ocean fills a bucket which has been submerged in it a mile down. The bucket is full of ocean, but the ocean surrounds the bucket in all directions.” AW Tozer, The Attributes of God

Everyday life can help me experience God. Brother Lawrence took this to mean that he could worship God anywhere even while cleaning dishes if he was seeking out and reflecting on God’s presence. I’ve discovered the same thing.

“He [God] does not ask much of us merely a thought of Him from time to time,

• a little act of adoration,
• sometimes to ask for His grace,
• sometimes to offer Him your sufferings,
• at other times to thank Him for the graces, past and present, He has bestowed on you,
• in the midst of your troubles to take solace in Him as often as you can.”

By Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God

These are only three of the ways I worship, experience God’s presence.

Your Turn . . . 

• How often do you worship God?
• How do you best experience God’s presence?
• What helpful book(s) have you read on this topic?

Related Articles from the Internet . . . 

• How Captions Help Me Worship (http://www.deaf-insight.com)
• Help me worship God the best way I know how (through photography from http://briannadanese.theworldrace.org)
• What is Worship? Some Definitions to Consider (http://worship.com)

Related Posts from Fruitful Words

1. Honoring gods or God
2. Making Sunday More Enjoyable
3. Songs Can Deliver Some Of The Best Sermons

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This post is written for the Blogging From A to Z Challenge. There are 22 categories and my category is MI = Miscellaneous.

During the month of April I will post 26 times finishing up posts that have been in my draft fie for at least a year. For a list of all the posts go to the A-Z button on my header.

Today’s letter is W. The topic is WORSHIP.

T: TAMALE Pie Review

A chili-type filling topped with cornbread mixture makes for a quick & delicious meal. The left-overs heat up well.

Not all pies have to be sweet in order to be enjoyed. Savory is yummy, especially a savory tamale pie. My mom used to make one when we were kids. I don’t have that recipe any more – maybe my sista does.

So I used this tamale pie recipe.

Yes, this pie, with its cornmeal crust, is filling and quick to prepare – 15 minutes quick. This pie was okay, but it didn’t have quite the taste I remember.

Tips and Observations

1.  The filling was tasty. 
2. The corn bread topping was just okay.
3. Next time I make a Tamale Pie (and there will be a next time), I will find a recipe that uses eggs, less salt, and adds leavening for the cornbread part of the pie.
4. Cooking it at 425 degrees for 25 minutes was too long. I should have checked it at 20 minutes.
5. It served up great as leftovers.
6. I added one cup of black beans and it was delish.

Go here to read why I am making 55 pies in 52 weeks. . . . Pie Count . . . 7 made . . .  48 to go.

Your Turn . . .

• Have you made a Tamale Pie before? If yes, how different or similar was your recipe?
• What would you add to the Tips and Observations?
• What was the last pie you made?

Related Post . . . Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie (2nd recipe on this post)

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NOTE: This post is written for the Blogging From A to Z Challenge. There are 22 categories and my category is MI = Miscellaneous.

During the month of April I will post 26 times finishing up posts that have been in my draft fie for at least a year. For a list of all the posts go to the A-Z button on my header.

Today’s letter is T. The topic is TAMALE Pie. To find the post for U: UPSIDE-DOWN German Chocolate Cake recipe, here’s the link.

S: SIX Benefits Adults Receive by Writing Thank You Notes

In general people believe that kiddos should write thank you notes. But how

Don’t let lack of fancy supplies or cards inhibit you from writing a thank you. A piece of paper and pen do just nicely.

many of us believe that adults should do the same?

• And if we believe it, how many of us actually do this on a regular basis?
• Finally, have you thought how adults benefit from writing thank you notes?

Below are 6 benefits.

ONE. Writing a thank you note slows you down long enough to really concentrate on the gift. It provides space to think and answer these types of questions.

• Why am I grateful for this gift?
• How did I benefit from it?
• How does that make me feel?

NOTE: A gift may be a physical item, a thoughtful and/or helpful action, or encouraging words. 

TWO. Writing a thank you note slows you down long enough to concentrate on the giver. 

• What can you write that shows you value the thought, energy, time and/or money the giver spent?
• Sending a thank you note makes the giver feel reassured about the gift especially if the gift is a physical item.
• The thank you note also makes the giver feel appreciated. It shows you don’t take the giver for granted and that you do value them and the gift.
• Feelings of appreciation strengthen the bond the giver has with you.

THREE. It makes you, the writer of the note, feel good because you have taken time to think about the love behind the gift. This good feeling then strengthens the bond you have with the giver of the gift.

FOUR. Once you start looking for reasons to be thankful, you’ll find more reasons to be thankful. As you grow your gratitude you will FEEL more gratitude. These positive feelings will positively influence your thoughts. I.e more accepting and giving.

FIVE. Writing a thank you note is good manners. Good manners are always appreciated and help a person get along better with others.

SIX. Do you feel guilty until you’ve written a thank you note? I do. So a last benefit from writing and sending a thank you is that guilt is alleviated.

Writing and then sending a thank you note feels good because you’ve thought . . .

• about the gift and the giver,
• the ways you benefited from the gift,
• and the affection the giver has for you. 

In an effort to be honest, I am good about writing thank you notes. However, I am not good about sending them. I put them someplace and often they never make it to the mail box or I inadvertently lose it.

But after thinking about this topic so much, I am reminded of how beneficial it is for me to write thank you notes AND send them. Therefore, this is something I am going to make a priority in my life especially since I don’t want others to think I take them for granted.

Your Turn . . .

1. When was the last time you wrote a thank you note? Why did you do so? Did you get a response back from the recipient of the card?
2. How do you feel when you receive a thank you card?
3. Do you think writing and/or receiving thank you notes impacts your relationship?
4. Do you make it a regular habit to write thank you notes? Why or why not?

Related Article . . . The Effects of Gratitude in Relationships (http://www.mindfulnessmuse.com)

Related Posts from Fruitful Words

• 3 Benefits of Month-Long Gratitude-Fest
• 8 Different Ways to Express Gratitude
• Feeling Full on Gratitude
• Gratitude is a Feeling, a Capacity, and a Choice 
• Personal Gratitude Prevents Burnout

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NOTE: This post is written for the Blogging From A to Z Challenge. There are 22 categories and my category is MI = Miscellaneous.

During the month of April I will post 26 times finishing up posts that have been in my draft fie for at least a year. For a list of all the posts go to the A-Z button on my header.

Today’s letter is S.  The topic is SIX benefits adults receive by writing thank you notes.

3 REASONS I Have a Regular Quiet Time (aka Devotions)

Sometimes I journal during my devotions. I write down insights, questions, responses, and prayers.

What does it mean to have devotions or a quiet time with God? It simply means putting aside time to engage in prayer and reading (the Bible or other spiritual literature).

The prayer time is more than talking to God.  It is also listening to Him. I find that I “hear” most of His responses when I read the Bible.

Go here to read about how to hear God’s voice.

 My reading is usually purposeful. I.e. I spend time (daily) reading the verses, chapter, or book of the Bible that my Wednesday night study group is studying. I read to understand. And I read to see what application can be made to my life. In other words, I don’t read just to read.

Having devotions in the mornings has become a habit again. I prefer morning devotions because then I know it will happen before the rest of the day’s agenda interferes. And at this time of day I can give my undivided attention to praying and reading. But like all habits (with me any way) I know that it can be easily broken if I don’t watch my environment and my motives.

Go here to read how I prepare my environment for maximum adherence to this habit.

I need to periodically go over my motives for having a regular quiet time. Knowing these reasons helps increase my stick-to-it-ness. In fact this step is helpful for maintaining any habit. And there are definite reasons I want to spend some extended time with God each morning. Here are 3 reasons.

Reason 1: Transformed Mind. It is easy for me to think mainly of myself and to think badly of people, situations, God, and even myself. The media and culture I live in support this kind of narcissistic, distorted thinking.

However, when I spend purposeful time in the the Bible, the WORD of Truth, my thinking becomes transformed. It goes from thinking according to the world and my natural reasoning to thinking thoughts aligned with God’s Word.

• Selfishness versus Servanthood
• Unforgiveness versus Forgiveness
• Enttlement versus Love
• Me-centered versus God-centered

Read and ponder Romans 12:1-2.

Reason 2: Transformed Actions. How and what I think upon radically affects what I do. How I behave shows what I think/believe in. I want my actions to reflect well on God. I want my behaviour to be consistent with Biblical mandates because being in alignment will bring me peace and wisdom. And mainly I want to be transformed to show that Christ indeed lives within me.

Read and ponder Matthew 5:16  . . . . Psalm 119:165 . . . . Proverbs 22:17-21 . . . . Galatians 2:20.

Reason 3: Transformed Relationship. In order to go from strangers to intimate friends, steps need to be taken in order to transform the relationship. To deepen any relationship there needs to be time and energy spent on that relationship. This is also true of a relationship with God. Engaging in spiritual disciplines like praying and reading the Bible help us know God better and thus deepen our relationship with Him.

As my relationship with God grows, I’ve noticed the following . . . 

• I grow to love Him more.
• I become more in awe of who He is and what He does.
• My desire to obey increases because of the thinking transformation that is taking place.

I don’t always understand God’s ways and thoughts. But I have increasingly more trust in how He governs. I think this is true because I am knowing Him better and better (mainly through my devotions) as the years advance.

Read and ponder John 15:13-15 . . . . Isaiah 55: 8-9.

These are only 3 reasons for having regular quiet times. These are my top 3 for this stage in my life.

Your Turn . . . What are some reasons you have devotions?

Related Posts . . . 

• 6 Tips to Consistent Bible Reading
• 11 Ways to Increase Intimacy with God
• Finding Obadiah and Philemon Easily
• Observation – First Part of In-Depth Bible Study
• Rev Up Your Personal Bible Study:7 Ideas to Combat B-o-r-i-n-g
• Using Your Learning Style to Feel Close to God
• What to do With a Tattered BIBLE

NOTE: This post is written for the Blogging From A to Z Challenge. There are 22 categories and my category is MI = Miscellaneous.

During the month of April I will post 26 times finishing up posts that have been in my draft fie for at least a year. For a list of all the posts go to the A-Z button on my header.

Today’s letter is R. The topic is REASONS to have a quiet time.

Q: QUICK! Decorate your KINDLE Cover With This No Sew Idea

I applied the paper to my cover about 2 months ago. There is no noticeable wear and tear and I transport it a lot in my backpack.

In March 2011 I received a Kindle as a birthday present. (Thanks sista and family!) Of course I needed a cover. I didn’t want to pay a lot of money for something fancy so I chose this black one. 

Recently, though, I’ve wanted something with a little more colour. I went on Google looking for home-made Kindle covers. Here is some of what I found. . .

1. Transform a book into a cover. Here is another way to do this. And one last way to use a book as a cover.
2. Grab some cardboard, contact paper, and velcro and you can create a standing cover.
3. This is my favourite sewed Kindle cover.

But I didn’t want to sew, hack apart a book, or even worry about getting corners precise while using contact paper. Instead I grabbed scrapbook paper, modge-podge, a paint brush, scissors, and a pencil.

What follows is a no-sew, very easy way to glam up your cover.

Directions

1. Cut the scrapbook paper to fit the front of your Kindle case. 
2. Swipe modge-podge on the top of the cover.
3. Place the paper on top of the modge-podge.
4. Brush more modge-podge on top of the paper. Put on a light, even coat.
5. Let it dry overnight. You probably don’t have to wait that long before it is dry and you can apply more modge-podge. This is just what I did.
6. Apply modge-podge 2 more times according to steps 4 and 5.
7. You are now done. Enjoy showing off your Kindle cover.

Your Turn . . .

• Have you made a Kindle cover? Or decorated one? If yes, share photos.
• Do you know how long you should let modge-podge dry between coats? If yes, share that information in the comments.

Related Posts . . .  3 Reasons I Love the KINDLE Especially When my Shoulder Was Broken (plus 5 more reasons) . . . . Using an X-ACTO to Make a Kindle Cover from a Hardback Book

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NOTE: This post is written for the Blogging From A to Z Challenge. There are 22 categories and my category is MI = Miscellaneous.

During the month of April I will post 26 times finishing up posts that have been in my draft fie for at least a year. For a list of all the posts go to the A-Z button on my header.

Today’s letter is Q. The topic is how to decorate a Kindle cover QUICKLY.

P: Two More PIE Reviews: Strawberry Yogurt Pie & Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie (aka Toll House Pie)

This pretty looking pie was a disappointment with its bullet hard fruit mixed throughout.

Do you ever pick up the wrong brand or flavour of a product when grocery shopping?  I do. And I am not sure how that happens.

I know that the only yogurt I will eat is Greek.

So when I opened the refrigerator and saw a BIG container of regular strawberry yogurt, I wondered two things.

1. Did I buy THAT container of yogurt?
2. What am I going to do with it?

Off to Google I went looking for a pie that includes yogurt. And I took this strawberry yogurt pie to a meeting where amongst other things we celebrated a birthday (LaRee’s).

Only three ingredients were needed which I had on hand.

• 2 cups strawberry flavored yogurt
• 1 1/2 cups  frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 cup strawberries, sliced or chopped

Mix all this together and put it into 9 inch prepared graham cracker crust.

My Tips and Observations:

1. It took at least an hour to thaw enough to eat, not the stated 10 minutes.
2. The first time I made this, I put the contents into a 6 inch graham cracker crust. So by adding 1 more cup of yogurt, 3/4 cup off whipped topping and 1/2 chopped strawberries  I had enough for two pies.
3. For the 1st pie I sliced the strawberries. Big Mistake. Even after an hour they didn’t really thaw and were difficult to chew.
4. For the 2nd pie I chopped the strawberries. Even though the bullet-hard pieces of fruit were smaller and easier to eat, this hard texture detracted from the pleasure of eating the rest of the contents.
5. If you want to eat a frozen pie, go make this Raspberry Freeze pie. It won’t disappoint.

Your Turn . . .  Have you ever made a  frozen pie before? If yes, what are your tips and observations?

Related Article . . . Strawberry Greek Yogurt Icebox Pie (familyfocusblog.com)

Related Post from Fruitfulwords . . .  First Three Pies: Fruit, Nut, & Frozen

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This 2nd pie, the Toll House Pie – is a keeper. I also made this for a birthday, Pastor Bill’s 80th.

A chocolate cookie served in a pie crust? Surprisingly this was a taste hit!

This lovely pie took 10 minutes to assemble. Below are the ingredients and directions.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1  9-inch pie crust (I used a deep-dish crust.)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. 
2. In a small bowl melt 1 cup of butter. Pour into a coffee cup so it can cool faster. By time you get to step 6, it should be cool enough to add to your mixture.
3. Chop walnuts. Put aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy. You can use a hand mixer. I used a fork.
5. Add both sugars and flour. “Fork” or beat until well blended.
6. Blend in the melted butter. This turned the dough into a liquidy pie mixture instead of being a cookie dough.
7. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
8. Pour batter into one unbaked 9 inch pie shell. 
9. Bake in preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes.
10. Cool on wire rack.
11. Put into a carry bag with paper plates and forks to transport to the restaurant. Bring it out at the end of the meal. And after singing “Happy Birthday,” serve to the group.

My Tips and Observations

• I think a better name for this is Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie. This is exactly what you are eating , a gooey, delicious slice of cookie.
  
• Use a deep dish crust as this recipe makes enough to fill one.
• Be creative in the flavour of chocolate chips you use. I used dark chocolate morsels. And oh my, it was DELICIOUS.
• Since these morsels are BIG when compared to the regular chocolate chips, the globs of chocolate spread throughout the pie were also BIG.
• You don’t really taste the crust except for the edges. So a bought crust is perfectly fine.
• The crust acts like an edible plate for this gooey pie.
• If you buy frozen pie shells, you don’t have to thaw it first. I didn’t. I baked it, about 5 minutes, while I was assembling the recipe. I didn’t even preheat the oven. I turned it on to 325 and stuck the crust in there.
• This is a RICH pie. I cut the pie into 8 slices. I think having half a slice would have been perfectly satisfying.
• To cut back on the rich taste, next time I will use 3/4 or maybe even 1/2 cup of butter. And I am not sure that you have to melt the butter. You probably could just use softened butter. When I try this, I will make a note here as to the results.

Your Turn . . .  Have you ever made a Toll House pie before? If yes, what are your tips and observations?

Related Article  . . . The Chocolate Chip Cookie Was Invented By Accident (businessinsider.com)

Related Posts from Fruitfulwords . . . 

• D: DESSERT is DARK Chocolate Cream Pie
• First Three Pies: Fruit, Nut, & Frozen
• Man Cannot Live On Chocolate Alone; But Woman Sure Can
• S’mores Pie Is a Good Substitute When You Can’t Fire-Roast Your Own (recipe included)

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NOTE: This post is written for the Blogging From A to Z Challenge. There are 22 categories and my category is MI = Miscellaneous.

During the month of April I will post 26 times finishing up posts that have been in my draft fie for at least a year. For a list of all the posts go to the A-Z button on my header.

Today’s letter is P. The topic is a PIE review, in fact, two of them!

O: My OPERATION Christmas Child Plan is to Collect 55 Shoe Boxes

Sometimes you have to attempt something miraculous in order to jump start your faith or to change your attitude.

As of April 15, 2013, I have collected 10 boxes. I only have 45 more boxes to go.

That’s why I am collecting FIFTY-FIVE filled shoe boxes for the November 2013 Operation Christmas Child (OCC) shoe box drive at my church.

I want my faith to grow leaps and bounds. And I want my attitude to change.

So why am I doing this?

Since mid-February I’ve been in a funk, an age-related funk. I wasn’t thrilled about turning 55 in March. Mainly because I am not where I thought I’d be in most areas of my life. And to be middle-aged and disappointed with yourself (and circumstances) is a yucky place to be.

However, I am not going to let myself stew. So I’ve come up with a plan, a 55th birthday year-long plan. Go here to read the whole plan.

This post will deal with the shoe boxes. Samaritan’s Purse (an international relief organization) sponsors Operation Christmas Child. This is a collection of shoes boxes (cardboard or plastic) that are filled with age-appropriate items for needy children all over the world. Go here to see what’s in the boxes.

I am part of this heart-touching ministry. For years I have donated 2 -3 boxes each November.

• In 2006 I heard Twila Paris sing and she challenged us by saying, “Everyone can help one child.” I stepped up to that challenge and sent shoe boxes.
• In 2009 I took this photo and was grateful I had the means to help OCC.
• In 2012 I wrote Love in a Box. Again I sent shoe boxes.

I help with this ministry because I am a parent, auntie and missionary. Did you know that you are a missionary too? Read this post to see why I believe this.

So now you know my goal and the why behind my goal. And you probably figured out that this is something that requires the help of God in order for me to accomplish.

Want to help? If yes, then . . .

1. Pray. Pray that this goal is met. Pray for the recipients of the boxes. Pray for their families, schools, and communities. 
2. Give  a shoebox, cardboard or plastic. If you donate a plastic shoebox, please give a better quality one. That way it will withstand being packed in a carton and shipped with weight on top of it.
3. Give items for the shoeboxes. Soon I will post what kinds of things I am collecting. In the meantime you can go to this link for suggestions, in case you want to go shopping TODAY.
4. Give a $7.00 donation.  A donation of $7 or more helps cover project expenses such as shipping the boxes. I can send the box in your name and you can see what country it ends up in.
5. Give a filled shoebox. You can do that as a family, work unit, neighbors, or a single person. Of course I would put your name as the sender of the box.

Several years ago I interviewed Kathy, one of the OCC co-ordinators at our church. She had this to say about the importance of our involvement.

t’s our job to be good stewards of our money. The cost of filling one shoebox is a great investment. The blessing goes from the child upwards to the parents who often don’t have the financial means to give a gift to their child. 

For some children this is the first gift they’ve ever received.

Then the blessings go outwards to the community. And whole communities have been changed by one simple shoebox.

I am wondering how and with whom God will answer this prayer.

Your Turn . . . Contact me if you’d like to help through prayer or donation.

Related articles

• Celebrate Operation Christmas Child 100,000,000 Shoebox (jlue.wordpress.com)
• Life begins when the comfort zone ends. (clairemallett.wordpress.com)
• Operation Christmas (aheartsbeginning.wordpress.com)

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NOTE: This post is written for the Blogging From A to Z Challenge. There are 22 categories and my category is MI = Miscellaneous.

During the month of April I will post 26 times finishing up posts that have been in my draft fie for at least a year. For a list of all the posts go to the A-Z button on my header.

Today’s letter is O. The topic is OPERATION Christmas Child Shoeboxes.

M: What a MOTORCYCLE Reminds Me About Parenting

 

Elizabeth is all packed for her first motorcycle camping trip to Big Sur.

“Don’t you tell her to stop?” 

“Aren’t you afraid for your daughter?”

These are the kinds of comments I get when folks learn that my 20-something daughter rides a motorcycle.Truthfully, I’m not usually afraid for her and I don’t tell her to stop.

Elizabeth is a careful rider.

• She is hyper alert when riding.
• She doesn’t drink and drive.
• She has mitigated the risks by taking several riding classes.
• She always wears full gear. Always.

I trust her. I trust God.

I know this trust doesn’t mean that nothing bad will happen. But I am not willing to spoil my peace by filling my mind with the “what if’s.”

If/when the bad happens, I will deal with it then, not before. That idea has been an anchor for 27 or so years when I first learned that my toddler son had sclerosis.

The prognosis was grim. A boy being diagnosed so young in life meant limited mobility, a back brace, surgery. But I remember God breathing this thought into my mind,  “Don’t worry about it today. If/when this happens, I will give you the grace to deal with it.”

This truth is similar to Scarlet O’Hara’s  (Gone With the Wind) “I will think about it tomorrow” coping device. But there is a difference.

The difference is God. I can and will deal will it (well) tomorrow because I know that God is with me. He will give me the grace and wisdom to handle any situation that comes into my life.

I’ve seen this to be true in the hard times in my life: financial woes, illness, death, divorce, (to name a few situations). And yes, I’ve “seen” God in parenting challenges and scares as well.

Parenting adult children is such a different task. My roles as guide and protector have slid from the forefront to the background. I think one of the best ways I can now parent Elizabeth is by trusting her, supporting her, and of course, praying for her.

I can choose to worry about the possible bad and nag. Or I can choose to trust, refresh my mind with the good, and praise my daughter.

I choose to trust. I choose the good. I choose to praise. In short, I choose God’s way.

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. (Philippians 4:8, The Message)

In full disclosure, I am not perfect in this. There have been times I fretted, said the wrong things, and haven’t trusted my daughter and/or God.

Your Turn . . . What have you learned about parenting (well) an adult child?

Related Posts . . . 

• 3 Encouragements I Needed When My Children Were Young
• 10 Actions Parents Can Take for a Happier Morning at Church
• 85% of People Who Make Decisions for Christ do so Between the Ages of 4-14
• 101 Ways to Connect with Others

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NOTE: This post is written for the Blogging From A to Z Challenge. There are 22 categories and my category is MI = Miscellaneous.

During the month of April I will post 26 times finishing up posts that have been in my draft fie for at least a year. For a list of all the posts go to the A-Z button on my header.

Today’s letter is M. The topic is about MOTORCYCLES and parenting.

L: What it Means to LISTEN Intentionally

“Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk.”
Doug Larson

There is a way to listen that promotes sharing of thoughts, feelings, joys, heartaches, and fears. And there is a way to ‘listen” that discourages sharing. A majour hindrance to sharing is when one person is sharing their heartache, and then another one (two or three) will jump in with their own similar heartache. At these times it becomes a one-up-man-ship type of conversation. The talk steers away from the original person.

“The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.” ― Ralph G. Nichols

One reason I love watching Army Wives is because the core group of friends listens well to each other. They listen intentionally, on purpose, for the aim of understanding one another.  When one of the friends is sharing a heartache. . .

• They don’t first engage in problem-solving.
• They don’t steer the conversation to their own similar stories.

They are secure enough in their relationships to know, there is plenty of time for all to be heard. So they spend time listening to the one in need.

Want to listen well like an “army wife,” a counselor, or a helpful friend? Here are some thoughts on what it means to listen well.

1. Step Forward. The next time you are with a friend who shares about a problem . . .

• Don’t stare but do maintain appropriate eye contact.
• Don’t touch to comfort (at this point), if she cries while sharing. The touch can interrupt the flow of words.
• Don’t offer any advice.
• Don’t cut her short with judgment.
• Don’t derail the conversation by adding unnecessary commentary or your own similar story.

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

Just listen. It will most likely feel awkward for you. But you are giving your friend a GIFT. 

2. Practice before a friend has a deep need. Grab a friend or a group and take turns with one person talking and the rest listening with full attention on the talker. The “talker” gets to decide the topic and talks the whole time without interruption.

• It is okay to nod and make other indications of listening.
• It is even okay to ask some clarification questions.
• When her time is over, pray for her.

And that’s it. Don’t offer solutions. Let her deal with what she’s said, discovered, said out loud, maybe even for the first time. If she wants, set another date.

“Listening is an attitude of the heart, a genuine desire to be with another which both attracts and heals.” ― Sura Hart, Respectful Parents, Respectful Kids: 7 Keys to Turn Family Conflict into Cooperation

Your Turn . . . When was the last time you were really listened to? How did it feel? 

Related Posts . . . 

• 5 Ways to Help a Grieving Friend (The best way is to mainly listen.)
• F: FREEDOM to Share Thoughts When There’s Someone Who’ll Listen
• G: Dealing With Disenfranchised GRIEF in a Healthy Way
• Ready or Not, Here Life Comes (Because a friend listened well, I faced a challenge well)
• Sometimes Nothing is the Best Thing to Say to a Grieving Person

NOTE: This post is written for the Blogging From A to Z Challenge. There are 22 categories and my category is MI = Miscellaneous.

During the month of April I will post 26 times finishing up posts that have been in my draft fie for at least a year. For a list of all the posts go to the A-Z button on my header.

Today’s letter is L. The topic is LISTENING.