Every day at the farmers' market a few coins and the occasional bill or two were added to the can. It seemed like slow going at times, but with each new giver a surge of joy rushed through me as I gave an extra smile and heartfelt "Thank you!" At the end of each day I lifted the can. Yes, it was getting heavier.

By September I was beginning to see dollar bills peaking their thin edges out the slot in top of the can. The day I would empty, count, and send the money to the ministry was coming soon.

A month or so ago I opened the can and counted carefully. $57.97 - the sum total collected all summer long. How excited I was to send this money off to the ministry. I knew that soon many hungry and pinched stomachs were going to be filled with nutrition packed food. More than that I rejoiced to know that when the $57.97 worth of food was all digested, the hope of the truth of Christ's salvation would continue to be in the hearts of the people. For those who accepted salvation along with their free gift of food, they now have the greatest free gift of all, one that will never be used up or go away.

Coins and a few bills - considered so little and useless to us. Yet to some hungry stomach and lost, yearning soul these small pieces of metal and paper are the source of a few more days of life and carry the message of eternal life.

www.gainusa.org

October 3rd, 2009 -- Saturday

Duluth! This beautiful old town perched on the hills along Minnesota's north shore of Lake Superior is one of my favorite places in all the world. From my earliest memories Duluth and the gorgeous state parks that surround it have been the destination of many a family vacation. Somehow these later years have slipped by with not a sight of this area of my home state. It was high time we visited again!

Highest on our list of vacation must-does was rest. Yet there were a few things we wanted to see and do. Drive to our old haunts in the state parks, explore and find something new, watch the famous bridge lift to let massive iron ore ships pass underneath, and visit a farmers' market.

When Saturday rolled around excitement was high. The farmers' market Mom and I had found on the internet was scheduled for every Saturday morning. Soon we would see how they did things at the northern markets. Plus we would get a little taste of what it is like to be on the other side of the tables.


No tents were needed here! A barn roof covered the heads of all the vendors. Here Mom found the house plant for which she has been searching - Baby Tears.


What fun to visit with the vendors! There is so much creativity among this hard working group.

While sales went on indoors, this man made fresh apple juice. That tangy drink goes hand in hand with crisp, autumn days.

Though glad for a break from the hectic schedule and uncooperative weather of farmers' marketing, this visit put fresh zeal in me for sales next year. Farmers' markets run deep within my blood!

Oh, where have you been?

My blog activity has been sluggish these last weeks, to say the least. In some ways I am like "Billy Boy," as you are doubtlessly asking "Oh, where have you been?" But in other ways I am far from being in Billy's shoes. I haven't been doing any spouse seeking. ;)

My baking hat has often been set aside these last weeks to be replaced by that of a wood finisher. New windows seem to have an endless amount of wood needing to be varnished, and so hour after hour my mom, sister, and I plug away. The end of this job is coming slowly but surely.

While most of the time my eyes are fixed on the wood that with each coat becomes richer in color, I do sneak glances through the new panes. A variety of scenes have met my eyes - clouds, rain, blowing autumn leaves, snow, sun, dripping roofs. Who would have thought that so many different weather patterns could be crammed into a few short weeks... unless you are from Minnesota.



PS - I haven't given up baking all together! The paint brush has given way to flour at times while I baked up orders and experimented with a few new concoctions.

More apples and bread...

My family and I just recently came home from a short vacation. Along the way our eyes were peeled for bakeries. I often heard someone say (usually Dad - he's always on the lookout for ways to advance my baking business), "A bakery, Elsa!" Though we didn't stop at every one by any means, a couple bakeries did get our business. It wasn't that we needed more food for our trip. Our home baked bread supply was more than enough to make us through our five day trip. It's just that sampling other people's bread is something I love to do.

As a result of those bakery visits, we came home with many partially eaten loaves of bread. Already we have enjoyed good breakfasts of toast, last night's supper of French toast, and tonight's bread pudding made up of these left-over breads.

Bread pudding - yum! Last year I wrote about the ultimate bread pudding I made out of Chocolate Pecan Bread. Tonight's wasn't quite so over-the-top amazing, but it made for a very comforting dessert after a cool, grey day. To put the icing on the cake, it used an ingredient that is plentiful at this time of year - apples. Here is the recipe. Why not give it a try sometime this fall? It is sure to make your tummy smile. :]

Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

1 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 c. milk
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. egg substitute (or the real thing, if you prefer)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
5-6 c. day-old bread, cubed (Change the amount depending on how much bread you want to use up!)
1 c. apples, peeled and chopped

Combine all but the bread and apples in a large bowl. Stir in the bread cubes and apples.

Pour into an 8x8" pan coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, in a 325 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. (I found the knife doesn't come out perfectly clean. The main thing is to get a "set" pudding. It will be wet, but you don't want a totally soggy mush.)

Serve warm...
...with whipped cream or ice cream.
...drizzled with caramel ice cream topping.
...floating in milk.

To my Father

How can I say thanks for the things You have done for me?
Things so undeserved, yet you give to prove Your love for me.
The voices of a million angels could not express my gratitude;
All that I am and ever hope to be,
I owe it all to Thee.

To God be the glory;
To God be the glory,
To God be the glory
For the things He has done.
With His blood He has saved me,
With His pow'r He has raised me,
To God be the glory
For the things He has done.

Just let me live my life,
Let it be pleasing Lord, to Thee;
And should I gain any praise,
Let it go to Calvary.
With His blood He has saved me,
With His pow'r He has raised me,
To God be the glory
For the things He has done.

-"My Tribute" by Andrae Crouch

Apple on bread?

Though my family has never said so, I have this feeling that they think I am a strange cook. I must admit, they have every right to be sceptical of my culinary skills when it comes to meal preparation. Usually my meals are made from a recipe that I have severely altered or an idea sparked by a picture in some food magazine or web page. My experiments have had mixed results. Often there has been a voice somewhere around the table that says, "What's this?" or "What's that different flavor?" Yet I keep pursuing my odd dishes. Hey, they haven't fired me yet!

One noon Mom was gone, and my sisters were busy with preparations for teaching, so the job of making a meal fell to me. I never like spending much time on noon meals, so my main stays are either left-overs or grilled sandwiches. There must not have been any left-overs worthy of mentioning this day, because I opted for the grilled sandwich route. We weren't going to have any plain old grilled cheese. We were going to have apple and onion grilled cheese! It was fall, and we had boxes of lovely apples. Why not?

To start I fried the slivered apples in maple syrup until they were coated with a thin, sticky layer. At the same time onions sizzled their way to delicious translucency in our George Foreman grill. Once these two ingredients were ready, I spread Dijon mustard on sliced bread and piled with the apples, onions, and a bit of farmer's cheese. (Note: Something a little stronger like provolone or yogurt cheese would have made for an even nicer sandwich, but these were not in our cheese drawer.) A slice of bread was placed on top, and they were ready to be grilled. To cut fat (actually cholesterol is our enemy) we have started making all our grilled sandwiches on the George Forman grill. When done this way the sandwiches need no buttering and in the end have beautiful grill lines. It also makes them a bit like panini, though not quite as squished. So on the George Forman they went. A few minutes later we had beautiful sandwiches. Now it was time for the taste test.

The maple syrup didn't seem to come through, but maybe if it were brushed onto the bread... Something besides mustard could make the flavors better balanced, but it worked. Mild apple flavor, good onion and cheese flavors, the nuttiness of 100% Whole Wheat Bread, the zip of a little mustard. Yum. Even Dad gave it a thumbs up saying in a positive tone, "This is different, but it's good!"

I have now dubbed this sandwich "Apple Panini." Sure, there is room for improvement, but I think it may just have made it onto the list of successes.

To market, to market...

August 22, 2009

We're ready to go! It is 8:00 AM, and the van is loaded with bread, granola, and all the sweets. There is no way all this baking could fit in here without the racks Dad made!

An inside view of the packed van. Maren's oraganization is key.

Me at the wheel, ready for the hour drive to Detroit Lakes.

This is customer appreciation day. To make it special, I have "brownie bite" samples.

Backing up a little...

... and close up.

A veiw from behind the tables. They are looking a bit empty.

My family joins in on the festive day with a little picnic. Sure it is nice to sell out, but nothing could be better than a little time with the whole family!