Dessert, Please

My dad always told me to enjoy dessert. Growing up, Mom always had something ready for us to eat after dinner. We always had fruit and then dessert. Cake. Tart. Ice cream. Cookies. Frozen cookies. We had to have something.

I miss that. Because I get home from work and eat...ramen or something from 7-11 or something simple. Tonight it was oatmeal. Work is...long and longer. For the last 3 days, I've been leaving home a little after 7 and getting home after 6. The thought of making dinner isn't the first thing on my mind when I get home. Usually it's hot shower and nap. But I can't nap at 6:30 since I go to bed at 10. Anways, back to the original intent of my blog...

Dessert. Saturday afternoon, I spent a long time digging around on the internet. Usually Sunday after church I bake. I bake scones and muffins so I can have breakfast foods for the week. And I enjoy it. But I started to want to bake things for the people who live around me and my teachers and coworkers. But my oven only bakes 4 cookies at a time. I can bake a dozen muffins at once, so that's not bad. But I wanted to give them something...desserty. So off to the internet to explore.

APPLE PIE IN A JAR...AMAZING!

So first to find a jar. You're supposed to use canning jars, but I couldn't find any. I just looked for ones that wouldn't explode in the oven and had decent sized mouths...and wouldn't make a burn a hole in my pocket if it did explode.

Then the crust...and lack of a rolling pin. I've learned to be creative with what I got (i.e. dining room table as new closet shelves). So I used a tea cup to roll out my crust. It worked out pretty well. I rolled out the dough so I could use the lids and make sure my pies had top crusts.

I used the rest of the dough to line the bottom and sides of the jar.

I couldn't find anything other than Fuji apples. It was a little mushier than normal apple pie, but you just make do.

I put lids on those 3 suckers and threw them in the freezer Sunday night.

Monday night is my Sabbath. I try and eat a delicious meal and enjoy God. No TV, no Internet, no cell phone, no music. Usually I end up eating and reading. Sometimes I get inspired to write poems or draw pictures or strum on the guitar. But lately, just reading and eating. So I pulled one of those little jars out of the freezer and prayed that it wouldn't explode. I sat with a cup of honey peach tea and Dallas Willard's "The Divine Conspiracy" and waited to hear an explosion coming from my tiny microwave/oven. But 45 minutes later, alas...

Homemade, hot apple P-I-E. Not quite as good as Grandma's P-I-E, but it was good enough. It was hot and cinnamony and tasted like 'merica. I sat there eating my hot apple pie and praised God for His eternal promises and the hope of His glory.

Because for some of us, life ends at the appetizers. Constantly leaving you hoping and wishing and waiting for something better, something more filling, something more appetizing than just cheese and crackers.

For others of us, life ends at the salad. It's good and all and it'll keep you nourished for a while, but 3 hours later, you're going to be hungry again.

But then for others, there's the entrée. The main course. The filet mignon. The grilled swordfish. And you eat it and you enjoy it and you're filled and satisfied by it, right? We praise the Chef, the Creator, for His provision, for His masterpiece, for letting us enjoy it.

But what happens when the Chef tells you the best is yet to come. And He brings out the dessert with your name written on the plate in cursive with chocolate sauce. It overwhelms your senses and elates your soul. You're about to bust the button on your pants from the entrée, but you can't help but to enjoy and savor the dessert. And its warmth fills you completely and you rest completely satisfied in the presence of the Chef.

Life doesn't end at salad bar. Life ends in dessert.