Baking in God’s Presence

3/7/12

This is one of my favorite recipes to make, homemade hummus! I do all different kind of vareties of it so I’ll post all of them, but today I made a tomato basil one :) Enjoy it with any kind of crackers or cut of veggies :)!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomato Basil Hummus!

-1 15oz can chickpeas -2 Tbs basil & lemon juice
-1/2 can seasoned diced tomatoes -1 tsp salt & cumin
-1/4 cup tahini -fresh garlic clove,diced
-2 Tbs olive oil
-sprinkle of any other seasoning you
feel is good! (for me, the more the better!
ex=red pepper flakes,season salt, garlic salt,
oregano, paprika)

*Blend all ingredients in a food processor and enjoy!
*Varieties: Olive Hummus(my favorite!):sub in 4oz. olives for tomatoes
Regular: omit tomatoes and add more tahini!

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1/14/12

Another pumpkin treat experimented! I took a recipe for gingerbread biscottis that I always make, and substituted a couple things in order to make pumpkin ones! Unfortunately, they didn’t come out as sweet as I would have hoped, so next time I’ll have to add more sugar! But here’s the recipe, because otherwise, sprinkled with a little sugar they are yummy :)

Pumpkin Biscotti Recipe!

2 1/2 C Flour                                 1 tsp vanilla extract

1 C Sugar                                        1 tsp cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice

2 eggs                                              1/4 water

1 tsp baking powder                    1/2 C pumpkin

1/2 tsp salt

*Mix until thoroughly combined. Put on baking sheet separated into 2 logs (like picture above). Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool for 10 minutes. Cut logs into pieces. Bake for another 20 minutes, flipping half way through. Enjoy! Just maybe add some extra sugar unless you don’t have much of a sweet tooth (unlike me). I fixed my batch by sprinkling powder sugar on after baked! :)

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1/08/12

So, I usually create some kind of dessert of some kind (usually either with chocolate, or pumpkin, my two staples :) ) but I wanted to experiment with some kind of protein powder recipe since I had a ton of it, and came up with my own protein bars by modifying a recipe I found online! Since I love pumpkin, of course, I had to incorporate pumpkin in it, so I ended up making a chocolate pumpkin flavored protein bar :) I thought this would be a great recipe to share since even though I know as athletes we tend to eat whatever we want, this is something thats yummy, and healthy..a great pre or post workout snack! Now, before you say thats gross, you should try it! Because my mom and I thought the same thing, but we both ended up loving the little bars as snacks! Here is what the final product looked like :)

Chocolate Pumpkin Protein Bars

-1 cup Oatmeal                                     -2 scoops Protein Powder

-1 cup Pumpkin (half a can)               -2 eggs

-1/2 to 1 cup brown sugar/sugar      -1/2 tsp baking powder

-1/2 cup greek yogurt                         -1/4 tsp salt

-cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and nutmeg(I just eyeballed it! about a tsp.)

*Bake @ 350 for 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!

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12/22/12

If you have read my “about me” section, you will have seen that I absolutely LOVE to bake. I always have; but since I’ve gone away to college, it has become an even greater part of my every day life(surprisingly!). From all the chaos that college brings, along with the busyness and craziness that comes with getting settled in, I saw baking and cooking as a way to just relax; to put all the stress aside from everything else, and just have fun. However, I began to see that if I was spending this much time on something, that I should do it not just for my own enjoyment, but have a purpose in it for God. It was during my devotions just last week that I realized this, when coming upon Proverbs 16:3–  “Commit to the Lord whatever you do..” and also Psalm 92:1-3 “It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.” Now, the first verse is pretty self explanatory as to why I felt God telling me to use baking for Him, but the second verse I’ll explain a little more :) This was David speaking, as he praised God through his music. Music was his talent, and “inner flame”, and so he used it as his way of praising God. That’s when I began questioning myself, ‘what’s my inner flame?’ ‘Am I using it for God?’ Well, of course running is definitely a great love of mine too, and that is why I try to use that for God in all ways I can; but baking and cooking would most likely come second. So, I started thinking of ways to praise God while doing it and seeing Him in it all; and it actually came to me pretty quickly! This world is surely a busy and chaotic one, always seeming to demand our attention in any way possible, consuming every minute of our day. I really don’t think many us know the true meaning of rest (well I’ll speak for myself at least!) If ever I have a “free day”, the first thing I’m thinking about is, “oh I have an opening here, what should I do?!”  But see that’s the thing, God calls us all to rest in His presence; to simply “be still” and spend time with him. I don’t know about you, but for me, that’s nearly impossible. I’m always wanting to go go go; and that is when I realized how I can use baking and cooking for Him. As I bake and cook, I am finally resting and basking in his presence, or shall I say, “baking in God’s presence” :) Every one has those days where they feel like they’ve done absolutely nothing, and are almost feeling guilty, thinking, “what should I be doing?” Well, those are the days God is calling you to “bake in his presence”. Instead of doing something to fill that extra space…Go for a long walk. Lie down. Take a long shower. Go on a bike ride. Read a book. Whatever it is that allows for you to be available to God. For me, well, its baking. I love being able to just forget about all the stress that’s on me, or the things I have to do, and just create something different, something new, something great.  It’s awesome how much I can see God while I bake. Is the result always perfection? hardly ever. It is not perfection I look for in baking though; things will not rise, not turn out the way I expected, get burnt, or just plainly taste bad, because of my mind failing me as I forget some ingredient. Yes, I may be a little disappointed when something doesn’t turn out just right, but it’s not perfection that I seek. Experiencing failure actually helps me see, even in little things such as baking, my need for God.  I should never rest on my own ability in anything I do, because that will always fail me. But, I can always depend on God, and His strength and power; and that’s only because of His grace I freely can have from Christ’s action on the cross.

So, that is how I see God in baking and how I use it for Him. I love learning all the lessons God teaches me daily, through even the little things such as baking.  Every once in awhile, I’ll be posting a new recipe, or a new creation I thought of and want to try, or perhaps even just something fun about food! Stay Posted for new updates :)

Until then..what’s your hobby and favorite thing to do? And how do you think you could use it for God, or see God at work through it? I’d love to hear your responses!