10 July 2012
Years ago, Mum would make cookies from the recipe on the back of Toll House’s Chocolate Chip bag. We would spread the dough out in a pan, and lick the leftover dough from spoons while waiting for the oven to do its masterful work.
After the cookie had cooled (okay, rarely did we wait that long), we would cut it into squares. What fond memories I have of sitting with my sister, napkins in hand, eating warm, melty chocolate chip cookies!
Having been gluten-free for over two years and dairy-free for several months now, those favorite food-related childhood memories still linger in the back of my mind.
Thanks to a friend and her lovely pinboards, I came across a recipe… and it reminds me of those Toll House cookie-eating days from years ago.
(Below is our revised version of Michele’s recipe, who had revised Elana’s recipe.)
Chocolate Chip Cookie Squares
GLUTEN-Free, GRAIN-Free, DAIRY-Free
2 ½ cups almond flour (we use Honeyville)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
2 eggs
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons coconut sugar (we use Madhava)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup Enjoy Life (dairy-free) chocolate chips
In a bowl, combine dry ingredients. In a second bowl, combine wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Place dough on parchment paper atop a baking sheet or stone. Form dough with your hands into a circle or square.
Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes, until golden brown. Let the large cookie cool for about 10-15 minutes (great time to practice patience!) and cut into squares.
Enjoy!
21 June 2012
Last week we had the delightful pleasure of meeting our friends’ most recent blessing, Lavinia May!
“Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
the fruit of the womb a reward.”
—Psalm 127:3
7 June 2012
As we sat eating supper at the dinner table, something down the table caught my attention.
I looked over to see this vase of daisies. As I watched, one wilted flower was mournfully dropping its head. From lack of water it was exhausted and had started to let go of life.
The stem was not deep enough in the vase to reach the water which had been quickly drank by the dozen daisies. The pathetic, now bent stem looked rather mournful with its head hanging low.
I quickly took some water and filled the vase back up to the rim, hoping to keep that sad end from meeting any of the others.
Little did I expect the next morning…
…to find a certain little flower holding its head up high. Bent though its little neck was, the daisy’s cheerful yellow face was now turned to the sun once again. The water had refreshed the life of the sad flower, giving it all the more strength and resolve to stand strong.
This little incident reminded me of a couple verses that are very dear to me – verses that remind us to:
- Seek to be transformed in the renewing our minds in God’s Word
- Discern and pursue the will of God, what is good, acceptable, and perfect
- To be refreshed in Christ – through His Word, prayer, edification of believers, etc.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of
your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
—Romans 12:2
And especially:
“Refresh my heart in Christ.”
—Philemon 1:20b
Turn your face to the Son and be refreshed.
5 June 2012
On a beautiful, warm evening last month I had the opportunity to photograph this dear family. As the sun set low in the sky, it filled the landscape with golden light.
It is precious to see these five together – they love each other very much and it’s contagious.
(Thank you for letting me photograph your sweet family – I can hardly wait to see you all together again!)
24 May 2012
This is Juliet. You might remember her from this post over a year ago.
She is a very good little friend of ours who is teaching us sign language (she’s still learning to speak in full sentences). Just last evening she was so happy that I learned the sign for “flower”, as she pointed at a flower and signed the word. She even congratulated me by giving me a hug and pat on the back when I correctly guessed what she was signing.
There’s nothing like her little girl squeals. Especially when it comes to asking her if she likes strawberries.
In the photo above, the breeze through the open window blew a small tuft of hair up. She, Breezy, and I had just been looking out the window to see what we could find.
“Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty heavens!
Praise Him for His mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!”
—Psalm 150:1-2
22 May 2012
I had just dropped off to sleep when I felt the ship bump as if scraping the side of a tree.
I sat up straight in bed, trying to make out what had happened. It seemed completely silent for a minute or two. The engines were cut off. The corridors were quiet until one began to hear doors open and voices speaking. The first voice I heard was a woman asking the steward what had happened. He replied calmly, “Everything will be all right.”
Those were the words of Miss Helen R. Østby, survivor, recalling the night when the Titanic had struck an iceberg which would lead to the ship’s sinking and the death of 1,500+ passengers and crew.
I can only imagine what it would have been like – just over one hundred years ago – to be on the grand, arrogantly acclaimed “unsinkable” Titanic.
The anticipation leading up to her maiden voyage, the excitement of all those boarding such an extravagant vessel, the luxury and grandeur of her various decks and the first class dining hall.
With this being the 100th year anniversary of Titanic’s sinking, we have been studying her passengers, the events surrounding her maiden and fatal voyage, and those who survived. The event becomes more and more real with each new fact learned and each new story read.
I am left speechless by the heroism of the men who gave their lives so that women and children could live. Not a single act of chivalry, heroism, or sacrifice was performed by accident. With great intention the men placed the women and children on lifeboats as the Titanic took on water.
The sinking was tragic because of the many lives lost at sea. But with gratefulness we can look back and give thanks for those who were spared and lived to tell the stories of manhood, womanhood, humility, servanthood, and especially sacrifice.
“For I know that the Lord is great,
and that our Lord is above all gods.
Whatever the Lord pleases, He does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.
He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,
Who makes lightnings for the rain
and brings forth the wind from His storehouses.”
—Psalm 135:5-7
1 May 2012
Last evening’s downpour left the plants refreshed and ready for a new day. The skies were golden as the sun set, giving the face of the earth a warm glow.
“This is the day that the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
—Psalm 118:24
12 April 2012
Every spring I look forward to snipping lilac bunches from our bush for an overflowing bouquet of purple lovelies. It’s amazing to see how much beauty God puts into a single lilac with its breathtaking aroma.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
—Isaiah 40:8
P.S. Six Angles is back!
26 March 2012
Have you ever planted seeds in eggshells? This spring we’re trying a new-to-us way of starting seeds inside. We’ve tried other ways in the past, all to no avail – this time we’re hoping the story will end with a “happily ever after” (plants growing strong, maturing, and bearing fruit in season).
The process of planting was most enjoyable. (Excepting, of course, for the centipede squirming around in the bucket of dirt.) A few easy-to-come-by “ingredients” were needed:
- Eggshells & Egg-trays
- Bucket of dirt
- Seeds
- Water
We filled the shells in the kitchen – and even our dog Bently seemed to enjoy the process by sneaking a few bites of dirt. (Perhaps he’s low on some minerals?)
Following is a pictorial version of the seed-planting process…
A hole was poked into the bottom of each one so that any excess water could drain. When it comes time to transplant them to the garden, we will simply crunch the shell so that the roots can exit and plant the whole thing.
It’s fascinating to think that something as small as a seed will grow into many meals come summertime. God works wonders!
Have you started planting your garden? Do you start your seeds inside or outside?
