White Chocolate Cranberry Almond Cookies

"Eat me!" the cookie would whisper every time I passed it.
"You made me, I'm yours." it would say, enticing me closer to it.
OK, so maybe my cookies don't talk to me, but if they did I'm pretty sure that is what they would say.  I don't have the biggest sweet tooth, but what I do have a weakness for is cookies.  I think it has something more to do with the quantity of butter in them than the sugar (only the best, most amazing food on earth - life without butter would be a sad existence).

After 30 cookies disappeared in a couple of days (It wasn't only me, I swear! I only probably ate 3/4 of them) I was feeling slightly guilty.  I'll have to lay off my wine quota for a week to make this up, I thought to myself.

I didn't stay in that land of guilt for too long and the next night, I reached for my glass.  I'm not one for watching what I eat, or agonizing over my calorie intake.  Would I like to weigh less? Yes that would be amazing but I'm yet to find the balance of not having my Joy robbed from me over agonizing over every little bite that I take.  For now, I'm happy to eat my cookies when they whisper to me and drink my glass of wine.  If you want a little piece of Joy, try these big fat, chewy, almost cake like cookies.  They won't disappoint.

White Chocolate, Cranberry Almond Cookies

Ingredients

2 Cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (170 g) butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 egg
1 egg yoke
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Directions

1 Preheat over to 325 F (165 C).
2 Sift together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3 In a medium bowl, cream together the buter and sugars until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg and egg yoke until light and creamy.  Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended.  Stir in the white chocolate chips, cranberries and almonds with a wooden spoon.  Drop cookie dough a spoonful at a time on the prepared cookie sheets.
4 Bake for 15 to 17 minutes until the edges are golden.  Cool on racks.

Every Day Valentines Day

"You'll have to put your daughter away in the cupboard for my son" Joy said to Jan as she admired spunky 11 year old Karena.  Grant scowled at his mum when she wasn't looking. Karena was just a kid and he was practically a man.  At fifteen he was far too mature to be hanging around kids and had a lot of better things to do with his time. "I need to have a talk to mum later about not saying things like that out loud to people" he thought to himself.  They may get the wrong idea and that was all he needed with moving to a small town.

Four year later Grant went for a ride on his motorbike.  Out of the corner of his eye he spotted now 15 year old Karena.  He had to do a double take.  No longer did she look like that 11 year old kid he was once introduced to.  Taking a deep breath he pulled to the side and nervously offered her a lift home. The rest you would say was history...........

For most of us on Valentines Day, love is the storybook fairy tale. The happy ever after.  We think about the falling in love and that "love story" is what everyone wants to hear about when you meet someone for the first time. "How did you meet?" they eagerly ask?  Lets face it, most of us whether we admit it or not are love junkies.  What about the after "How did you meet?" story? What happened then? Having been married myself for 13 years, I have a fair idea of loves bumpy road. When I look at couples who have been together for over 30 years, I am looking for a glimpse of love in their relationship that often I see missing and I am disheartened. "Is this what we have to look forward to?" I wonder?  Surely we can do better.

For Grant and Karena, their story takes a different turn from most.  They have been married for 34 years and I am sure that life has not been all chocolate and roses.  However, when I look at them, I see a beautiful couple who consciously make a choice to make every day "Valentines Day". Not in the romantic way that you may think.  Grant and Karena wake up every morning choosing to love the other person.  They put the other persons needs ahead of their own, compromising at times. They pray together daily, they respect one another and they communicate openly with one another.

This couple have been a huge inspiration to myself and my relationship with my husband and to many that know them, including their own children. When I first had children, Karena said something to me that will always stick with me: "Your children are on loan to you.  It is your job to raise them the best that you can but there will come a point when your job will be done and they will leave.  The relationship with your husband will be what will remain."  In the midst of the crazy child rearing years I see the wisdom in Karena's words  now more then ever.  Its so easy for life to revolve around kids and our responsibilities and what often comes last is the one person that I have built this life up with.  Grant and Karena have chosen to make their relationship a priority and because they have done so their children have stood up and applauded: They haven't gone without, seeing mum and dad put each other first. Instead they have received a legacy that will be passed down generations to come.

*Grant and Karena married in 1981 when Karena was 18 and Grant was 22 and by the time the were 24 and 28 they had three kids. Grant was a qualified builder and spent a few years managing his Dad's orchard. A few years later they felt called by God to move to Nelson...no idea why and no house or job to go to, they packed up their young family (3, 5 &7) and left everything they knew. They sent the furniture van to Nelson with no address to deliver it to, but by the time it arrived two days later God had provided them with a house to move into. After 5 1/2 years working as Camp Directors and realising their passion for reaching unsaved kids they heard the call of God again and packed up their family once more and moved to Tauranga to go to Faith Bible College. A few years later they joined with another couple who were working in a couple of schools teaching Christian values to kids...called Cool Bananas. Twenty years later Cool Bananas is in most of the schools in Tauranga and they teach thousands of kids Christian values every week.
Right from the beginning they committed themselves and their marriage to God and they have trusted him every step of the way. He has led them into an amazing ministry and they have worked together everyday for the last 25 years. They are passionate about God, about their family, about their ministry and about each other. They spend their free time walking, kayaking, cafe-ing and being with their 6 grandkids. 34 years married and they are still Best Friends and passionately in love. An amazing example of marriage and commitment and my inspiration everyday.

For more information on Cool Bananas and the ministry that Grant and Karena run, you can visit  
http://www.coolbananas.org.nz/

*Provided lovingly by Grant and Karenas oldest daughter Micaela.

Sweet and Fluffy Courgette Pancakes with Stewed Plums

When my friend reminded me it was Pancake Day today, I jumped on that bandwagon!  Not just because I love pancakes for dinner (I mean really, who does not love pancakes for dinner!) but merely because there was very little food in my house.  The idea of having to tell my children that we will be going to the supermarket after school, preceded by very long and loud whines, dragging feet around the supermarket, touching everything they shouldn't (including other peoples bottoms) and staring rudely or making inappropriate comments to others was nowhere near as appealing as the numerous "Yumms" and "I just love this dinner!" (Said no child ever - except on pancake day).

Yes, Pancake Day may just be my favorite day of the year.  Now that I think about it, maybe I should make it a day of the week?  Just imagine for one day every week, kids everywhere giving countless praise over what an amazing dinner they had!  Mums maybe would not have to write so many blogs about parenting just to get through their week because they would be so loved up on praise from just that one day!

This mum was particularly sneaky and it wasn't all sugar in this house.  Although I was serving up pancakes with maple syrup, I did manage to sneak zucchini (courgette) into the batter, with whole wheat flour and topped it off with a yummy plum sauce. Although somewhat healthy, these pancakes are still praise worthy from any child and well worth a try.


Stewed Plums

Ingredients:
2 Cups of diced plums (I used 5)
2 T white sugar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon flour

Directions:

1. Place all incredients into a small saucepan and stir.  
2. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer.  
3. Simmer until sauce thickens and plums soften. (about 10 minutes)

Sweet Courgette (Zucchini) Pancakes
Serves 4 (although I tend to triple it! Leftovers are great for freezing)

Ingredients:
3/4 c milk
2 T white Vinegar
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 T butter
1 cup shredded courgette (zucchini)

Directions:
1. Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour".
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into "soured" milk. Whisk in the shredded courgette. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone. (Don't over mix as this will prevent "Fluffy pancakes")
3. Heat a large fry pan or skillet over medium heat, and grease pan. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.
4. Serve with dollops of butter, Stewed Plums and maple syrup.

A Little Piece of Joy

She was a farm girl. If you saw a photo of her you would have said she was plain or perhaps you may not even glance at her photo. If you saw her in person though you would have said she was the most beautiful girl you had ever met. Her eyes sparkled when she smiled and she had a giggle that made you feel as though you were the funniest person she had ever met. In her older age her skin developed deep lines from years of exposure to the harsh New Zealand sun. She didn't care too much about style and it wasn't uncommon for her to wear socks with sandals. Something her grandchildren would laugh about together years after her death.

She wasn't afraid to try new things. At the age of 77 she was taking Ukulele lessons and had learned to text with a mobile phone. Some would say she had a hard life. Some would say she had a great life. Most would say she had a simple life.

When she died at the age of 78, five hundred people came to her funeral. For a simple life, she impacted a lot of people.

Her name was Joy.

When she died, for a moment my life was impacted. Maybe that moment lasted a little longer. Her simple life that impacted many people inspired me and I was going to change the world simply through loving people the way she did in her everyday life.

Fast forward three years and the pressures of the world and life have crept back in and I find myself looking for success in places that don't really matter. I am restless and bored and waiting for life to drop something in my lap that says “Lisa, if you do this your life will matter!” When did I stop thinking that living a simple, everyday life mattered?

This restless heart has longed to write something that matters but for so long I have lacked the motivation so my pen has stayed silent. Writing about everyday musings is just not inspiring. The routine and mundane of life drags along and lets face it, countless blogs – especially parenting ones have been way overdone. What do I have to say that is any different from anyone else?

And yet this desire stays and still I search for something to write about. I think back to a time where I was fulfilled making my cakes and writing my Mrs Woolleys Cake blog. That season has passed and now I am working and helping to support my growing family. I won't go into the difficulties right now that I would face to start a cake business and it's a decision I know is the right one and I am reasonably content with that. That's enough isn't it? When you are a creative person though you realise that it is not enough. The need to create is deep within my core and it's part of what makes me me.

And then I heard it. That small seed of inspiration crept in and unlocked the floodgates of creativity that had been sitting and waiting, dormant for some time.

“Write about cakes and simple every day life.”

“But I've done that!” I cried “I can't run a business and I really just do not have the time!”

“Bless others and write about them”

And then the idea formed. An idea that has been locked away since my dear Grandma passed away three years ago. A Little Piece of Joy. Allowing me to create the cakes that I long to and to write about them without the pressures of having to run a business.

Everyone has a story. A life that matters. Most of us do not do anything great according to the worlds standards and yet life is not about that one great thing you do. At the end of your life, all the little pieces of your life add up to create a whole and hopefully inspiring simple life. I want to honor those lives and I want to tell those stories. Because those are the lives that really matter. More than just tell their stories, I want to create them with cake.