October 2012

“Not eating when there is no food is not fasting, it’s starving. Fasting is done only when there is food, and we voluntarily abstain from food.” - Daniel Lima, Jump In NW

Fasting is something that most of us would like to never have to think about, yet it is something God calls us to do. But fasting is more than just abstaining from food; fasting is also about abstaining from all forms of selfishness.

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke? 

Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter--
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Isa 58:6-7 NIV

When we seek justice more than pleasure, righteousness more than a meal, we are truly the disciples of our Master.

Susanna Krizo
Editor
Board of Directors, CCI
Secretary

 

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The Soul of an Apprentice

The Story of God's Faithfulness

One thing that I love and appreciate about God's character is His faithfulness. And though I praise God for showing Himself faithful to me over and over again, today I would like to zoom out and look at the big picture of God's faithfulness through out all time and give praise to Him for His faithfulness on the grand scale! From Genesis to Revelation, we can see His faithfulness by the working out of His purposes and promises with His people.

Follow along with me as I highlight some key events through out the Bible. Can you see the thread of God's faithfulness in carrying out His plan weaved all throughout the story?

After God had created the all things, He begins in Genesis 1:28 by commanding mankind to "be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth". God's desire was to fill the earth with a people for Himself, a worldwide worshiping community. Things were all good in the garden until mankind disobeys God and sin enters into the picture. Not long after that in Genesis 11, mankind begins constructing a tower and saying "let us build this tower so that we will NOT be scattered over the face of the earth" (Gen 11:1-4). They were defiant of the very command given by God initially to spread out and fill the earth. So God intervenes on the building of the Tower of Babel, confusing their languages and causing them to scatter all over the earth (Gen11:7-8, Acts 17:26). This is where diversity comes into the picture! But God still desired to have His own worshiping community among the earth. Now that the people were scattered, God initiates a plan to re-gather worshipers from each of these languages and people groups.

How is God going to reach all of these nations? Israel! He sets aside the nation of Israel that would go and be his missionary nation.

"The Lord had said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your people, and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the people on earth will be blessed through you." Genesis 12:1-3

What is the 'blessing' of Abraham? It is salvation through faith in Christ! But also God has a larger context for what He is going to do for the world through Abraham and his family. He would bless Abraham and his family so that he would in-turn go and bless all the nations of the world. This was command was for all the descendants of Abraham, including Isaac to whom God repeats the command in Genesis 26:4, "...through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed". And to Jacob God says in Genesis 28:14 "All people on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring." Jesus would come through the people of Israel as the object of blessing for all nations and the family was the means.

What does this mean for you and me? The New Testament speaks of us as spiritual descendants of Abraham, fellow members of this family through whom all nations would be blessed.

"If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Galatians 3:29 (see also Eph. 2:11-19, Rom 9:8)

As His people and His church, heirs according to the promise, we have a part to play in the mission of God that His people have always had through out time. We have a part to play in the story of God's faithfulness in carrying out His plan for the world!

The thread of God's faithfulness continues through out the rest of the Old Testament as we can see God's design for Israel to be a light to the nations. Story after story we can see God making His own name great and building up a reputation for Himself among the nations through His interactions with Israel. Here are a few examples: The Ten Commandments served purpose in God's grand plan. God's said "Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations" (Deuteronomy 4:5-6). Gods reputation spreads to the nations after parting the Red Sea and Jordan. This is the reason Rahab feared God (Joshua 2:9-10). God gave Solomon great wisdom so that "Men of all nations came to listen" (1 Kings 4:34). You can see a powerful impact on Gentile nations that other stories have such as Shardrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:29) or Daniel surviving the lion's den in Daniel 6.

This same thread carries on into the New Testament as well. Christ comes and models God's heart for all the nations of the world in stories like his interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1-42) and healing various Gentiles like the demon-possessed man from the Decapolis and telling him to reach his own people with the good news of God's mercy and goodness (Mark 5:1-20, 7:24-30). Luke 4:44-43 tells of a time that Jesus left a city that had many needs saying, "I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to other towns also, because that is why I was sent." Many other story display the ambition of Jesus' heart and ministry to make the Kingdom of God known where it had not yet been known. We can see this same heartbeat in the Apostle Paul as well through out the book of Acts and the Epistles as he and his missionary band struggle to raise up churches all over the world. He says in Romans 15:20, "And so I make it my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ is not yet known, so that I wouldn't build on any other man's foundation."
How amazing that we have written accounts of God's faithfulness to His people and His plan in the past. Now we know that He is indeed faithful in keeping His promises and carrying out His great plan of redeeming a worshiping people for Himself among the world. So what's next? What has God promised for our future?

Revelation records a scene recorded by John that has great meaning in light of God's promise to Abraham, this thread of God's faithfulness and plan through out the Old and New Testaments.

"And they sang a new song, saying: 'You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain and by your blood you purchased for God members of every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth." Revelations 5:9

"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: 'Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." Revelation 7:9,10


As we can connect what is happening in Revelation with what God started in Genesis 1 and 12. God will be faithful to finish what He has promised. Matthew 24:14 says, "This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come." God is a faithful God with a mission, and from cover to cover the story is a story of His faithfulness in carrying out His great mission.

There is incredible news for us! This same God full of power and goodness and faithfulness wants and plans to use you and I as He finishes the final chapters!

Here is my challenge for you now: What is one thing you want to do this week in response to what you have learned about God's faithfulness in carrying out His plan of redemption?

Until all hear,
Brittany Hasenkamp


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From the Burner
- Life lessons from Christian chefs

The devil cannot just walk right up to you and rob you of your health, peace or family. He cannot just come into your life to enforce disease and destruction. If the devil can do that, then he does not have to walk about "seeking whom he may devour". He only has to walk straight up to anyone he wants to devour and devour him! But since the Bible says that he goes about seeking whom he may devour, the truth then is that there are people whom he cannot devour. You see, the devil goes about like a roaring lion trying to stir up fear in people with his roars. But the people who are not devourable are those who refuse to be intimidated by his roars because they know that the true Lion of Judah, Jesus Christ (Revelation 5:5), has already come and rendered powerless him who had the power of death. (Hebrews 2:14, NASB) They know that the devil cannot just do anything to them because the Lion of Judah resides in them, and that He is greater than the devil who is in the world. (1 John 4:4) My friend, the Lion of Judah is in you. He has given you rights, privileges, authority and power. He redeemed you with His blood. Therefore, everything about you and your life is redeemed by His blood. So if you are fearful about losing your job, cover your job with the blood of Jesus. If you are worried about your children's safety in these days of terrorist attacks, plead the blood of Jesus over them. If you have received a bad report from the doctor, speak the blood over yourself. Whatever you have covered with the blood of Jesus, God declares, "Protected! Redeemed!" And the devil flees when he sees the blood. And when he flees, he takes with him sicknesses, diseases, pains, sufferings, destruction and loss. Once the devil knows that you know who you are in Christ and what you have in Him, his days of intimidating you are over, and you are numbered among the undevourable! Thought For The Day Everything about you and your life is redeemed by Jesus' blood.

Debbie Rommeney Lowe
Mercy Chefs

September 2012

“I wish my stove came with a Save As button like Word has.
That way I could experiment with my cooking and not fear ruining my dinner.
”
― Jarod Kintz, Who Moved My Choose?: An Amazing Way to Deal With Change by Deciding to Let Indecision Into Your Life

As a writer, and a wanna-be cook, I couldn't agree more! And as a Christian, I sometimes wish life would have a Save As button too, especially when I fail to ward off a temptation and fail to do God's will. Sometimes a temptation is evident, other times we fail to recognize it when it comes our way. The Bible does give us some help though in recognizing temptations, which is like the the grammar program on Word that alerts us when we have misspelled a word, which makes living - and writing - a lot easier. It's too bad it doesn't help with the cooking department.

Susanna Krizo
Editor
Board of Directors, CCI
Secretary

 

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The Soul of an Apprentice

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. (1) The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'" (2) The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" (3) The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. - Luke 4:1-13, NIV

Everyone gets tempted, we cannot avoid it. But what we can avoid is falling flat on our faces every time we are tempted, for we do not need to be ignorant of Satan’s devices (2 Cor 2.11). The tempting of Jesus by the devil gives us a blueprint of how Satan works.

1. The first level of temptation is the easiest to overcome, yet the most difficult to detect – especially for young believers. It involves a legitimate human need, but in a way that causes us to ignore God, and our reliance on God alone. For example, food is a legitimate human need, but it can also become more important to us than doing God’s will; instead of fasting when needed, we head to the fridge - hey, we are hungry, and humans need to eat, right? And then we wonder why our spiritual lives are so flat and powerless.

Cure: The ability to listen to the Spirit is a talent every Christian must learn. Although the Spirit deals with us as individuals, the Spirit is usually loud enough when temptation comes along for all to hear. In addition, if you plant the Word in your heart and mind, you will know what God’s will is in every situation, even when you are tempted. Instead of using his powers to please himself, Jesus waited for God to provide for him.

2. The second level of temptation is material goods. After all, the world is a harsh place to live in, and if we only have enough of gold and silver, we will be able to take care of ourselves. Who needs God?

Cure: Realize that you live for God, and not for yourself. If you think you can do it on your own, God will let you. Then you will really find out how harsh the world can be.

3. The third temptation is the hardest to resist, for it involves avoiding suffering and getting what you want without pain. Life involves a lot of pain, but also a lot of joy, love, and happiness. Had Jesus accepted the offer, he would’ve avoided the cross, since everyone would’ve seen he was the Son of God and worshiped him, which would’ve ended his mission as no one would’ve allowed their Messiah to be crucified. But had he done so, it would have been the end of humankind since we would never have received eternal life without the death and resurrection of Jesus. Because he chose to do the will of God, Jesus chose to save us instead of saving himself.

Cure: When pain and suffering awaits, lean on God and surround yourself with faithful friends who can carry your burden with you (1 Peter 4:19). Trust that God will see you through even the darkest of your earthly hours. Remember also that the temptation to avoid suffering is a temptation that God uses to purge you from sin, for when you run to God for shelter, you become aware of sin that is still in you. The closer you cling to God, the purer you become.

The best part about knowing how to overcome temptation is the assurance that God has not left us to fend for ourselves - God is with us every step of the way.

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” - 1 Cor 10:13, NKJV

August 2012

Last month I took our kids to Sweden to visit family. I had planned to write the blog for July on my parent’s porch, but jet lag interfered with my plan; it is hard to focus when you feel as if you are wading through a river of mud on a hazy day. So, no blog last month, but this month I have a special treat for you: the testimony of Chef Felix. It will make you want to feed God's people - and everyone else too.

Susanna Krizo
Editor
Board of Directors, CCI
Secretary

___________________________

From the Burner

 - Life lessons from Christian chefs

Christian Chef and restauranteur Felix Sienatra,
from one of the top fine restaurants in Indonesia, 
shares his testimony this month.


Passion for Serving

Happiness is always found in giving to others, but a deep and abiding joy comes when our desires match God’s desire and will for our lives.

Chef Felix and The Wind Chime

After returning with his wife, Ling Ling, in 2004 to his hometown of Bandung, the capital of West Java, Indonesia, Chef Felix experienced difficulties for months, which tempted them to return to their successful career abroad. For several years abroad, Felix enjoyed a highly satisfying career in a coloful array of fine kitchens in Singapore, Western Australia, and Bali, including holding a position as the executive chef at Saltmill’s Restaurants in Turks & Caicos Islands British West Indies and overseeing three of its outlets. Felix had often cooked for numerous celebrities and tycoons, including Bruce Willis, the Kennedy clan, the prominent people of Silicon Valley, and the prime minister of Italy. However, in his hometown Felix was at first greatly discouraged to find that the culinary business was an arduous experience as he started his own restaurant, The Wind Chime. Chef Felix often asks himself if perhaps the restaurant would be more successful in a city with a larger number of gourmets who can truly comprehend and value his food and can afford the fare offered by his restaurant.

Eventually they decided to stay in Bandung for several reasons. They believed that God would never forsake His children and would provide for their needs. Ling-Ling and Felix   have experienced God’s faithfulness with His provision that keeps their restaurant going. God helped them as they went through the hardship of paying the bank loans for the capital and the operational costs of the restaurant. God showed His faithfulness beyond their understanding by providing somebody generous who for years has regularly sent them the funds needed monthly to run their restaurant.

Currently, The Wind Chime is considered by knowledgeable gourmets in Bandung as one of the most elegant restaurants in town. A complete dinner for a couple, including alcohol, runs about $200 which is highly expensive for Bandung prices, however, it is about half the cost of a comparable dinner in Jakarta. These Bandung gourmets agree that Felix the Chef masterfully strikes that delectable balance between delicate and simple local ingredients by marrying sophisticated flavours of imported seabass, lobster, prawns, ducks, wagyu beef, lamb with fresh flavours of local produce of asparagus, mushrooms, tomatoes, potatoes, fiddle fern, mangoes, and apples.

Passion for giving

There are times when all the seats are full with guests enjoying their exquisite dishes, but there are also times when they do not have a single guest all day. Although some would consider the profit from the Wind Chime inadequate, Ling Ling and Felix are tremendously grateful for the income they receive from the Lord.  And while they do not make a huge amount of money, they love sharing their blessings with others, especially with people who serve the Lord full time, sacrificing their life to reach the unreached. Ling Ling and Felix have decided to not wait until they are wealthy to begin their ministry of providing exceptional food to God’s servants.  Many financial investors have offered to invest in a luxury-dining restaurant for Felix and Ling-Ling, which would provide them with a stable and sizable income; however, the investors immediately became discouraged when Felix explained his terms. The investors must agree that the proposed restaurant will, without consideration of cost, provide any menu item to the servants of God at no cost. The investors considered this request ridiculous.

When Ling Ling and Felix are asked the reason they care so much about serving God’s full-time workers, the following poem beautifully expresses the passion of their hearts:

My eyes view the hands that lead and guide
And nurture and fold for each prayer pleaded.
The beautiful feet that walk distance just for one more soul, one more soul.
The lips that proclaim hope and good news to a hurting world that needs to hear.

Do you remember their great care for us?
When our going gets tough,
When our days seem like the longest nights,
When trials and tribulations obstruct our view and block our hindsight,
When hope seems like a distant past for us?

They surrender their wills and desires for our sake,
And remind us of the promises to us that God had made,
They let go of their dreams and makes His, their own,
So we could fulfill God’s perfect design for all.

God’s servants suffer and hurt, though.
They have needs, too.
They give much, yet they need much more.
They dwell in fleshly frames that grow weak and shaky.

Who do they cling to when things don’t go well?
Who answers their midnight calls and petitions when troubles knock on their door?
Who sends them encouraging words when life gets bleak?
Who remembers the ones who are always remembering others?

Ling Ling commented, “How can we remain indifferent when we read letters from those serving in remote areas demonstrating enormous sacrifice as they serve God reaching out to the unreached in the interior areas of Kalimantan or Papua. Their families must bathe without soap, wash their clothes without detergent, and since they cannot afford shampoo, their scalps are itchy and their hair is full of ticks.”

“Frequently, many of God’s full-time workers live in remote areas where food and medical access is limited and the access to clean drinking water is also difficult,” Ling Ling continued, “yet, they remain dedicated to serve God wherever he has called them. Although they experience extreme hardships in life, when they receive the small gift from us they feel that God truly cares for them and will never leave them. They are thankful for the little donation we send them. With the small amount we are able to give, they can afford to buy chickens to provide eggs for their family’s source of protein.”

Felix added, “We do not know how to comfort them when they are hurting. We do not have a lot of money to support them, but we have the desire to provide them with a little joy through gifting of creating good food that God has given us. It is our hope that our food will taste like a banquet from God for His faithful and dedicated servants and bring them a moment of physical and emotional refreshment. When we hear that evangelists like them come to town to attend spiritual seminars, conferences, or training, we rush to invite them and their family to taste our food, which we hope will taste like a heavenly banquet to them. For years we have loved to serve other people with our cooking, such as, missionaries, preachers, and other people in Christian ministry,” said LingLing. Felix and Ling Ling cannot forget a touching experience of serving a family of four. Ling Ling remembers, “Their children were amazed to taste the food and they exclaimed that they did not know food could taste so delicious.”

For Ling Ling and Felix, sacrificing financially and providing for others’ needs regularly does not come natural to them; they both acknowledge that only God’s power and grace enables them to give.  They are convinced deep in their hearts that this is God’s will for them and they long to be obedient and faithful to Him no matter what. It is God’s grace and love that gives them the ability to give and share when their own financial situation is not always stable. Even when they have the opportunity to give away the best steak pieces their restaurant offers, they do so eagerly and with a grateful heart.  Whatever God has given them in their refrigerator is never withheld from His servants which He asks Felix and Ling Ling to serve. God has made them cheerful givers;  their giving is a delight, a privilege for which they are extremely thankful. God could have chosen many others to have this privilege, but they are grateful that He has appointed them to this wonderful ministry.  Not everyone has the opportunity to use their gifting and something they love, such as creating beautiful food, to serve others. Felix and Ling Ling recognize this privilege and do their best to be faithful to their calling.

The command: “Go and invite”

Clearly, God says in His word that His children are to go out and bring people to the sumptuous wedding banquet. Although the banquet in this context has a symbolic meaning of inviting people to enter the kingdom of God and to enjoy His spiritual blessings forever, Ling Ling and Felix also believe the call can be interpreted literally to include inviting God’s servants to a real ‘banquet’ which meets their physical needs.  And, Felix and Ling Ling passionately believe that they are to provide that banquet to God’s full-time workers as He enables them.

Years ago, when a servant of God told them that someday they would feed many people with the food they cooked, they did not immediately respond to it. It was years later that they started praying and asking God to show them how to use what they love to do most for His purposes and plan. Unexpectedly, He answered their prayers by sending His servants to eat at their restaurant. One time, the elders of Felix and Ling-Ling’s church did not know where to take a guest preacher to dinner.  Felix offered his restaurant. As time passed, it became clear that the prophecy made years ago by the pastor had come true. “We love doing this ministry of providing special meals for God’s servants because God Himself has provided us great banquets from time to time,” shared Felix.

Serving  food from the heart

Chef Felix serves the food with his whole heart. His passion for cooking is reflected in the exquisite execution and superior taste of his dishes. Also, he continually improves upon his already inspired menu, ensuring that his guests always enjoy an innovation of flavors and intriguing combinations. Ling Ling and Felix also lavishly serve God’s servants, who are their honorable guests, with a collection of sweet and savory menus with contrasting flavors that complement one another beautifully and is cooked with great care and passion to bring out the best in all the array of ingredients.

French cuisine is Chef Felix’s rare and incomparable endowment. The following descriptions of The Wind Chime’s cuisine, based on a reviewer in FRV Travel edition 8.5 of February-March 2012, give a glimpse of the sumptuousness and beauty of Felix’s craft. His sautéed French escargot with garlic herbed butter and champignon mushrooms delight our fancies and bring to our mind a cool, romantic Parisian dinner. The foie gras served with polenta, portabella mushrooms, truffle oil, and mango coulis is magical, eliciting maximum flavor from the very freshest of ingredients and we all are inspired to draw our lips in uttering, “Délicieux!” Preparation and creation down to the smallest detail capture the essence of French flavour in every dish. Indeed, The Wind Chime is one of Felix’s masterpiece emerging out of his experience as a “palate seducer”.

Chef Felix plates dishes complex in flavour with a refreshingly delightful presentation. A tantalizing example of his artistry is the jumbo prawn appetizer that is both attractive to the eye and promises perfect succulence with a savory flavor. The jumbo prawn rests on a thin slice of dragon fruit, accompanied with yellow mango vodka jelly that balances the rich flavor of the prawn, atop with orange flying fish roe. The intriguing dots of yellow and black sauces of salmon roe and balsamic reduction sauce encircling the island of dragon fruit resembles colorful precious stones. The drop of green color of the nasturium leaves on the body of the prawn offers a pretty touch to the palette created by  the chef. The presentation of the cuisine created by Felix shows an interesting arrangement of the ingredients and garnishes that provides an attractive textural contrast and a burst of robust flavor.

For the adventurous type, patrons can also look forward to The Wind Chime’s renowned and very exquisite Chilean sea bass and pan-seared French foie gras with toasted brioche and apricot emulsion. But among the top-notched dishes offered is The Wind Chime’s Butcher’s Wife Steak. It is especially prepared from one-hundred and eighty grams of Australian wagyu complemented perfectly with potato dauphinoise, grilled asparagus, and a mixed capsicum stew, served in a portabella mushroom and topped with chanterelle sauce. This unique dish takes us to another level of indulgence. The steak is so tender, succulent, and flavorful that with the last bite the diner is left broken-hearted with the realization that the enjoyment of the incomparable dish is over.

A wonderful dessert or two after a filling meal is what The Wind Chime offers for a dramatic and explosive ending to a grand night. Their gorgeous hot chocolate truffle presents a mix of sweet and sour blends of chocolate mousse-filled meringue embellished by yogurt sherbet. This luscious dessert continues with chocolate lava cake with a packed surprise in its core and generous adornments of liquor- coated cherries. While their wine selection is slightly limited, their wine collection includes great wines produced all over the world.

According to local people living in Bandung who have frequently traveled abroad for business, the food served at the Wind Chime surpasses the quality of the food served at several well-known and prestigious French restaurants in both San Francisco and Paris. The high-quality of the Wind Chime underscores even more the exceptional ministry God has given Felix and Ling-Ling to bless God’s workers with the rare opportunity to experience world-class food in Bandung, Indonesia.

Felix the chef has been given an extraordinary gift from God, so he asks the Lord to continue to grant him and his wife the great honour to serve Him by providing His dedicated servants heavenly ‘banquets’ at The Wind Chime, a restaurant God has built through this dedicated couple. As they give they are engulfed with the tremendous joy of the Lord  as they experience His will for their lives to become the extension of His loving care to His dedicated servants. As their food is a perfect fusion of divine flavors and visual beauty, so are their lives a perfect fusion of their gifting and passion and God’s will.

June 2012

Last month I filled in as a pastry chef at Canby Grove Conference Center. It was hectic and messy, but really tasty! Because making desserts to large groups can be tedious - since you need to make large volumes of one kind - I decided to get creative, and created a couple of new recipes that I thought I would share with you. Summer is, after all, a great time to get together and enjoy the company of good friends; what better way to end a great meal than with a great dessert!

Susanna Krizo
Editor

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White Chocolate Coconut Scones

8 dl / 3,5 cups All-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
100 g / 3,5 oz butter
3,5 dl / 12 oz milk
100 g / 3,5 oz sugar
White chocolate chips
Sweetened coconut

Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Blend flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl Add butter, and cut the butter into the flour with your fingers.
Add the cold milk and form the dough quickly (you want chunks of butter, not a uniform dough). Divide the dough into about palm sized portions, flatten the dough with your hand to a disk. Add white chocolate chips and sweetened coconut on top of the disk and make a half moon shaped scone, hiding the chocolate and coconut inside. Sprinkle some coconut on top of the scone and bake in the oven until the surface is slightly brown, about 8-10 minutes. Serve immediately.

These scones are ideal for camps, since they can be made the day before, and refrigerated overnight.

 
Chocolate Apricot Cake

150 g / 5,25 oz melted butter
2 eggs
3 dl sugar / 10 oz
4,5 dl / scant 2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla
1 tbs cacao
1 dl melted chocolate
1,5 dl / 0.5 cups milk
Apricot jam (choose one that is of good quality)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Whip eggs and sugar until white and fluffy. Combine flour, baking powder, vanilla, and cacao. Add the flour mixture, milk and cooled butter to the egg-sugar mixture alternating all three. Add melted chocolate. Bake in the oven for 15 min. Allow to cool.
 
Chocolate glace

1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
4,5 cups confectioners' sugar
1,5 cups baking cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
0,5 cup milk

Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar, cocoa and vanilla. Add enough milk until frosting reaches spreading consistency.

Cut the cake in squares, spread apricot preserve on the cake, pipe chocolate glace on top (I made a cross beginning from each corner, and added a floret where the lines cross in the middle)

You can also put a circle of chocolate sauce on the plate under the square for a nicer presentation.




Breakfast Breads

I found these two recipes at allrecipes.com. We got rave reviews from our guests!

Coffee Cake 

FOR THE CAKE

1-1/2 stick Butter, Softened 

2 cups Scant Sugar 

3 cups Flour, Sifted 

4 teaspoons Baking Powder 

1 teaspoon Salt 

1-1/4 cup Whole Milk 

3 whole Egg Whites, Beaten Until Stiff

  

FOR THE TOPPING

1-1/2 stick Butter, Softened 

3/4 cups Flour

 1-1/2 cup Brown Sugar 

2 Tablespoons Cinnamon 

1-1/2 cup Pecans, Chopped

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat egg whites and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar. Add flour mixture and milk alternately until combined. Don't overbeat. Fold in beaten egg whites with a rubber spatula. Spread in a well-greased 9 x 13 (or LARGER!) baking pan. A cake pan with higher sides would be best.

In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients with a pastry cutter until crumbly. Sprinkle all over the top.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until no longer jiggly. Serve warm---delicious!

 

Chocolate Banana Bread

Ingredients 

1 cup margarine, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
6 bananas, mashed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup lite sour cream
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, cream together margarine, sugar and eggs. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Sift in flour, baking soda and cocoa; mix well. Blend in sour cream and chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of a loaf comes out clean.

I sprinkled chocolate chips on top of the batter; it gave a nicer looking presentation for the otherwise rather dull looking bread.