It just wouldn’t be Easter if I didn’t make dozens of bunny dinner rolls!
They smell wonderful- and look really cute.
And they taste delicious.
I just don’t like eating them.
For one thing – they are just TOO cute.
The ears are too skinny and hard.
And I make them for the Bake Shop in Ghent to sell.
They look really neat with the brown eggs in baskets, though, don’t they?
Think grey.
Imagine gloomy.
Visualize mist and sluggish winds.
Then shiver.
That is my picture gallery for today.
Taking a picture is too depressing.
I’m depressed because this little guy is going
to his parents at the end of the week.
Fostering children is a good and noble job for
loving parents. It helps give children a strong
start in this world. I’m all for loving children
who need a soft place to land when their parents
run into trouble.
But it sure hurts to have to give them back.
I slept last night.
It’s been so long since I’ve managed to sleep,
this is a small celebration.
Pain is a magnifier of problems.
And an isolator of individuals.
I have felt like I don’t completely
belong anywhere.
I don’t even sleep when my family does.
I have become other.
But today, after 5 hours of sleep,
I am home, again.
Home in my family-
home in my mind.
So, in celebration of this great event,
I grabbed my camera to document the
occasion.
Here is a random sampling.
-magnetic ladies(one with child) riding on an elephant
bookend.
-porcelain rabbit teapot.
-bark and spaghnum moss growing in my front yard.
-tiny and small daffodils !
– yellow cowslip or primrose- depending on your mood.
– Irish moss littered with fall debris.
-early violets, still in their bed and nightdress-
slowly opening one eye to see if it is time to waken.
Like the violet I am rather tentative in my celebration.
One night of sleep!- or- Only one night of sleep?
Pain still lurks.
It is around the corner, waiting.
It is behind the curtain awaiting its cue.
But this is Easter week.
There is ample reason for celebration and joy.
A psalm of David. A petition.
1 LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Your arrows have pierced me,
and your hand has come down on me.
3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin.
4 My guilt has overwhelmed me
like a burden too heavy to bear.
5 My wounds fester and are loathsome
because of my sinful folly.
6 I am bowed down and brought very low;
all day long I go about mourning.
7 My back is filled with searing pain;
there is no health in my body.
8 I am feeble and utterly crushed;
I groan in anguish of heart.
9 All my longings lie open before you, Lord;
my sighing is not hidden from you.
10 My heart pounds, my strength fails me;
even the light has gone from my eyes.
11 My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds;
my neighbors stay far away.
12 Those who want to kill me set their traps,
those who would harm me talk of my ruin;
all day long they scheme and lie.
13 I am like the deaf, who cannot hear,
like the mute, who cannot speak;
14 I have become like one who does not hear,
whose mouth can offer no reply.
15 LORD, I wait for you;
you will answer, Lord my God.
16 For I said, “Do not let them gloat
or exalt themselves over me when my feet slip.”
17 For I am about to fall,
and my pain is ever with me.
18 I confess my iniquity;
I am troubled by my sin.
19 Many have become my enemies without cause;
those who hate me without reason are numerous.
20 Those who repay my good with evil
lodge accusations against me,
though I seek only to do what is good.
21 LORD, do not forsake me;
do not be far from me, my God.
22 Come quickly to help me,
my Lord and my Savior.
Ever spend extended time in serious pain?
It can be debilitating.
Sometimes your breathing is so shallow that you get
lightheaded. Pain can eat away at your spirit-
it can escort you right into the threshold of
depression. And you find yourself looking for
distractions and/or purposes.
Why am I in this place of torture?
What can I do to lessen this misery?
Where can I find some release/relief?
You feel isolated and alone. Your sense of
yourself is diminished and you feel like you
are being punished.
It can get pretty bad.
This psalm has that kind of logic- pain logic- in it.
Not that David hadn’t sinned.
Not that he didn’t deserve the guilt and sorrow
that he is describing.
It is just that WHEN you are in pain- the whole
world of creation and the Creator seem to be
in collusion against you.
You become a suffering diva.
This is MY pain. My sorrow. My sin.
My back (OH, MY BACK!).
You call out for help.
for mercy.
You confess.
You look at those around you like they don’t
know or care, they can quickly become your
enemies.
I’m so thankful that Jesus Christ knew pain and death.
He can understand this perspective even though He
did not give in to it.
The last two verses are the best in the psalm.
They redeem the entire litany of pain that comes before them.
21 LORD, do not forsake me;
do not be far from me, my God.
22 Come quickly to help me,
my Lord and my Savior.
AMEN.
I know it’s a little early- if you are following the church calendar,
but I haven’t baked anything recently and that is very hard on my feeling
of well being. ( So is sciatica, but this is on a different level of pain.)
I need to have some dough raising somewhere to make me feel whole.
And these made me feel a whole lot better! 
I really didn’t follow a recipe-
I boiled a small potato, mashed it up and added 1-2 tsps of yeast when the water
cooled sufficiently. Then I added 1/2 cup sugar and stirred it up and let the whole pan
rest to proof the yeast.
I added enough flour ( 3 to 5 cups) to get a stiff dough, 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of cinnamon
and 1/2 cup soft butter and kneaded it all together.
I chopped up a slice or two of crystallized ginger and cup currants
and added them at the end of the kneading process, so they were incorporated in the dough.
Then- I went to the couch to rest my sore leg and back for about an hour or so.
(After putting the dough in an oiled bowl and covering it.)
Then after the dough was almost doubled in size, I rolled it into small balls of uniform
size and placed them in a round cake pan. Allowing it to raise for another hour and a half-
and then baked them at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes.
Then I let them cool and mixed up some icing
sugar and half an half and drizzled crosses on each bun.
Delicious and perfect for both the tummy and the soul!
Hot Cross Buns!
Sorry- I haven’t been here lately. I’m only here for a few minutes, now.
I have sciatica and my leg is aching something fierce!
I can’t sit for very long without great pain.
So I’ve been taking a quick look at facebook and my favorite blogs, but can’t manage to
comment.
I haven’t fallen off of my corner of the world- I’m just searching for
a comfortable position on the couch.
Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.
1 I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 I will glory in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear the LORD, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
11 Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12 Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies.
14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16 but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The LORD will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
It isn’t filled with ” praise the Lord-s” after every stanza.
It isn’t so much a description of God’s many attributes.
It isn’t a lesson in Israel’s history.
This psalm is a heartfelt song of thanks.
David wrote it in an acrostic form (each stanza starts with a
letter of the Hebrew alphabet) and each one seems to be said
with a sigh of relief at his narrow escape from Saul, King of Israel,
who was intent on David’s death AND at then avoiding the
traps set for him by Abimilek’s advisors.
David, in verses 1-14:
extolls, glories and glorifies the Lord.
He seeks, looks, calls, tastes,and fears the Lord.
And he gathers, preaches, teaches,counsels and advises all
that will listen to learn from his experiences..
In verses 15 through 22, he shares the wonderful
life giving and saving witness of the Lord at work
in the lives of His children.
We learn that God’s eyes and ears are constantly alert
to those who love Him. That He will protect and deliver
and rescue His servants.
This psalm is one big THANK YOU, LORD!
I like it. I have been in a rough spot, in need of rescue
and the Lord did exactly that.
And this is the correct response.
I have also been in a tough place and the Lord held my
hand and walked me through it.
And this is the correct response.
I have also been alone and abandoned and afraid and the
Lord spoke to my heart and gave me strength.
And this is the correct response.
And I have been angry and resentful and wondering why
the Lord doesn’t rescue me.
And He has guided me through that, as well.
And the response to that is
Thank you, Lord.
I love these posts-
they are an opportunity to share:
-little stories about the origin of items
-the generosity of others
-cautionary tales about the use of some gadgets
-instructions on the use of odd or seldom used stuff.
Today I’d like to highlight the tops of my cupboards.
I am short.
The tops of cupboards is a place I very rarely venture.
I need a ladder to get there- and yet when I look up there I want
to see something other than a bare wall (with cobwebs).
And so, over the years, I have filled this space with bits of pieces
that mean something to me.
Some of these things I’ve picked up in antique stores, but more
have been gifts- some of them created especially for me.
And so, precious.
Here I have glass decanters and vases that came from my mother’s
cache of stuff. Nothing of great value- except that I grew up with
it and couldn’t bring myself to throw it out after her death.
The wooden platter is a part of my collection of treen- or handcrafted
wooden pieces. The basket is a ceramic piece my mother made and
gave me. And the cast iron rooster? I liked his cocky look at a local
antique store. 
The brass cup and bowl are from an antique store as well, but the
brass candlesticks that started my collection were from my mother-
to my sister- and on to me. The wooden vase was made by my brother,
the vase came from my niece- a gift from her travels in Europe- and the
pitcher a gift from an old friend. I love the look of lambs ears in grey and
green.
These clay crocks are used most frequently from the collection.
They hold coney sauce and baked beans- honey and herbed butters-
sometimes soups and dips. I like crocks- they retain heat and are
homey and useful.
This cookie jar is a collectable that was given to me by an old friend.
I LIKE cows, and cookies, and collectibles, especially the McCoy ceramic
pieces. The candlestick was a gift from my brother – the brass piece came
with a lovely arrangement of flowers, the pitcher was from a set that
included a syrup pitcher and a bag of pancake batter, and the last pitcher
was stained and glazed by my mom.
So – when I look up in my kitchen- I am greeted by the memories and
love of friends and family. I am home.
I’ve been baking again.
Not in my test kitchen- here at home.
I MISS the double oven.
Miss the convection oven.
Miss the six burners on the gas range.
But- this is where I live- and no one is going to bake me
cookies, now are they?
Yesterday I made peanut butter cookies, and the last of
my grapeskin flour cookies. Last night I also made some
lavender cookies, and I’m planning on making some
oatmeal cookies this evening.
Because, when I don’t make cookies, Frank goes out
and buys them. And I don’t like most store bought cookies.
The lavender cookies turned out so good with the lavender
I harvested last year. http://heidiannie.com/?p=2421
That link above has the recipe for the
cookies as well as the procedure for the lavender harvesting.
I dipped the sides of the sugar in colored sugar and then imprinted a small
star of color sugar in the center of the cookie.
This is the first time I used culinary lavender and I am so impressed with the
flavor! I have seen several cooking blogs that used lavender for a flavoring
and they just used dried lavender- not separating the blossom from the
calyx and I have had to move on quickly not to contradict their advice.
But I want to so badly- because I used to make the same mistake- and really
the lavender is overpowering and harsh. Using only the dried flower, the fragrance
is still there, the flavor is subtle, and the cookie- DELICIOUS!
So, if someone tells you to just dry your lavender and use the dried part to infuse
sugar or to flavor cookies, smile gently, shake your head slightly and refer them
to me. Because it makes that much of a difference.
Lavender’s blue,
dilly dilly.
Lavender’s green,
dilly dilly.
Process it right,
dilly dilly-
For the best cookies you’ve ever seen!
I got the recipe and idea from Arthur of Art is in the kitchen. He makes the most
beautiful food I’ve EVER seen. And I love the way he shares his pictures and recipes.
But when I tried to make these parchment paper boxes- it was a major failure.
His were all the same size- folded with a knowledge of origami and they were perfect.
Mine? Well, I had to staple them to keep them together, they are all different sizes,
and I gave up after the third one looked worse than the first.
I have limited folding skills.
So I pulled out my small molds and pans and after deciding against the cat’s
tongue cookie and the madeleine’s ( although these taste like a large madeleine)
used the small loaf pans in a row. I have NO idea what this pan is supposed to be used
for- I use it to make small loaves. Not bread- fruitcake, Sobao Pasiego, banana bread, etc.
I lined the pans with parchment paper and baked them.
And then as soon as they cooled off a little- I promptly ate
two of them.
With a cup of tea.
I’ve been thinking about these for a long time, and just
decided to give them a joyous impromptu taste test !
THAT’S how I know they taste like madeleine’s!
I saved the cakes- in fact – I froze them, because otherwise I would
have eaten them too.
If you like buttery, lemony, slightly spongey and delicious- then you
understand.
These are not safe in my house.
Here’s my take on the recipe if you are interested.
Maybe these little cakes will be safe in your house.
Ingredients:
I cup AP flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
2 large eggs, separated
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 lemon rind, grated
1 tsp rum or anisette
a pinch of salt
Method:
Beat egg whites until firm. Set aside.
Sift together flour,salt and baking powder. Set aside.
In medium mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until
creamy looking and then add lemon rind and egg yolks.
Fold half of egg whites into the butter mixture, add rum,
and then fold in the flour mixture. When mixed, add the
rest of the beaten egg whites and fold.
Fill whatever receptacle you decide to use about 2/3 full
and bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 8- 15 minutes,
or until golden brown.
Have I mentioned that these are delicious with a cup of tea?
or coffee?
or milk?