Real Cooking

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN BY CHERYL JOST
The other day, I ran into Shawna Vogt at the Garden Center and somehow got on to the subject of age.



?I?m turning 30 this year? Shawna lamented.



?But I remember you as a little girl and now you?re married and a mother of two,? I moaned. ?Just how old do you think that makes me feel??



I?ve come to that time in my life when my generation?my peers?are no longer the ones turning 30. We aren?t making wedding plans (at least for first marriages) and we have finished having babies. We aren?t dead yet…by no means have we completed our life?s work or given up on fulfilling our wildest dreams.



But unless one of my friends is pregnant and is as yet keeping it a secret (anyone want to confess?) the baby game is over.



I guess that?s how it should be. Now that I?m pushing 50, I?m content to dandle someone else?s baby on my knee. And this spring, there seems to be a whole new crop for me to love.



One of the privileges of teaching Wednesday night Bible class for 20 years is that, over time, those kids grow up, get married, and have kids of their own.



And I get invited to baby showers where I can ooh and ahh over the latest arrival.



This Saturday, I?ll be attending a shower in honor of Becky Hein Vogt and her precious Micheala. I?m anxious to meet this new life that has come into our world as I prayed for her many times before she was born.



At some level, I feel like I know her already. Now I just want to get my hands on her and inhale that sweet smell that only babies possess.



See, that?s the best part of this. I get to deal with only the sweetness. The parents have to deal with the rest.



Springtime always teems with new life. The earth awakens from its deep winter slumber and begins to renew itself year after year. Babies?of all types?are born and the circle of life continues.



Lately, my family has been enjoying a litter of Golden Retriever puppies that our neighbors Clyde and Sharon Jost?s dog recently delivered. All nine are roly-poly balls of flaxen fluff and we delight in their playful antics.



But our time with them is transitory; in a few weeks the puppies will hopefully find new homes with loving families. And we probably will never see them again.



I pray that this scenario doesn?t hold true for the human babies that are in my life today.



Many years from now, I would love to enfold Micheala?s baby in my arms. And Tyson?s, and Sarah?s, and Braden?s and Melissa?s….



And then I?ll feel really old.



* * *



Jim and Gladys Schmidt brought the following recipe to my attention and I thought it was well worth sharing. For those readers who celebrate the spiritual aspect of Easter, this would be a great family activity.







Easter Story Cookies



To be made the evening before Easter







1 cup whole pecans



1 tsp. vinegar



3 egg whites



Pinch salt



1 cup sugar



Zip-lock type baggie



Wooden spoon



Tape



Bible







Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place pecans in baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, the Roman soldiers beat him. Read John 19:1-3.



Let each child smell the vinegar. Place vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, he was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.



Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Jesus gave his life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.



Sprinkle a little salt into each child?s hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus?s followers and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.



So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add one cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because he loves us. He wants us to know and belong to him. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.



Beat with a mixer on high speed for about 15 minutes or until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God?s eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.



Fold in the nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper covered baking sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus body was laid. Read Matthew 27:57-60.



Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven off. Give each child a piece of tape to seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus? tomb was sealed. Read Matthew 27:65-66.



Go to bed! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus?s followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.



On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter, Jesus? followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matthew 28:1-9.

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