Sumthin' Outta' Nuttin'

If there is one thing I learned working with Florence

at Box T Bible and Saddle Camp,

you can make

sumthin'

outta'

nuttin'

in the kitchen.

Along with her husband, Lewellyn,

they used their ranch in the middle of North Dakota

as a Bible Camp for many decades.

They were loved for their love for the Lord,

and their love for the young people that

stomped on their grass,

trampled their flowers,

wrestled on their furniture,

and broke things.

They had patience unlimited for youthful pranks,

immature and mature crushes,

smelly cowboy boots,

giggling after hours,

spiritual questions,

and mistakes in the kitchen.

Florence was amazing with food.

She fed the campers from a kitchen the size of

some people's dining room table.

I watched her rescue desert when someone accidentally used

Russian tea mix instead of cocoa

in the brownies.

I laughed when a pan of baked oatmeal

was tipped over in the oven,

and the rescued portion miraculously became the

bottom of a creamy, fruity desert.

When my cupboards were bare,

her influence spurred on

thrift and creativity.

The kids hadn't sealed the package of tortillas,

so the edges were all crusty.

A scissors took care of that mess.

I grated the chunks of cheese I found,

cutting off a few spots of mold

and the dried edges.

I guess the cheese bags weren't sealed, either.

A wonderfully warm lunch,

that my kids thought was SO special.

It was just like in a restaurant!

They didn't know how I had to literally cut and scrape

to make this meal.

It felt good to be so frugal.

It felt good to think about Florence,

 a woman who influenced my faith

even more than my culinary skills.

I was even wondering,

if I were living during WWII,

would I have even cut off the crusty edges?

Or would I have cut them off

and made something else out of them?

But, there is something more to consider,

than just a recipe from dry tortillas and moldy cheese.

Other than food,

we can waste time,

spiritual gifts,

abilities,

our homes,

our belongings,

our relationships,

and money.

We waste them by not using them for the Lord.

How are you making

sumthin'

outta'

nuttin'

in your life?

******

Read Jeff's blog giving great tribute to

Florence and Lewellyn Tewksbury,

of Box T Bible and Saddle Camp.

...kIdS iN tHe KiTcHeN...

I like to get my kids in the kitchen at an early age.

At first they hold the mixer and dump the ingredients  I have measured.

Sometimes they actually get them in the bowl.

When they begin cooking on their own,

I usually start with breakfast meals.

This isn't really what I meant when I told her

she would be learning to make scrambled eggs.

We clean up a lot of spills.

We have a lot of laughs.

I have learned to EXPECT disasters.

It saves me from being disappointed

or surprised when they happen.

We like to taste the batter.

I think they double-dip when I am not looking.

For all I know, they just lick the spatula

and put it back in the container on the counter.

The second breakfast Beka learned to make was baked oatmeal.

She loves using the mixer, it seems like real cooking.

This is usually the part where you begin holding your breath,

knowing you might have to clean the cupboard faces,
and maybe wash an extra load of laundry.

Phew!  No spills!

This recipe is  from Florence, a well-loved woman who, along with her husband Lewellyn, used their family farm for a camp, Box T Bible and Saddle Camp, for many years.

Beka's Baked Oatmeal

1 cup of brown sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons baking powder

1  1/2 cups of milk

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup melted butter

Mix together and add

4 cups of oatmeal (quick or regular, whatever you have)

Put in greased 9x13 pan and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

You can add nuts or dried fruit.

I love adding toasted, slivered almonds and cranberries.

Many people serve it warm with applesauce over the top.

My kids like to eat it in a bowl with milk and a little more sugar, if I don't catch them putting it on top.

I would love to vary this recipe now that I am becoming more conscious about fats and sugars.   I thought of replacing the 1/2 cup butter with applesauce.  Any suggestions?

******************************

As I start a new week with my kids underfoot in the kitchen, I am looking forward to all of us gaining new skills, enjoying each another's company and EXPECTING messes, spills, lost measuring cups and missing ingredients for everything I am cooking.

When I understand that CHAOS and CHILDREN are worlds that can coexist harmoniously if I understand their mutual dependence on one another and keep CALM, then there is peace in the KITCHEN.

Click over to Nan's blog, momstheword, to see what other moms are doing this Monday to make their homes SING! and start the week off right.