Me and My Shadow

Me and my shadow
My shadow and me
We're always together
As close as can be.

As I walk our country roads on a sunshiny day, I often think about the song, "Me and My Shadow" from the musical, Peter Pan.

I heard that song dozens of times when Brent was little guy. We had a VHS tape of Mary Martin starring as Peter Pan on Broadway. It was Brent's absolute favorite movie. He watched it so much that the tape actually wore out in one spot. His Grandma Marie made him a Peter Pan outfit for Christmas.

As I walk, a shadow is my constant companion. Most days, it's my only companion, unless you count my four-legged friends who sometimes make the four-mile trek, too.

As I move, the shadow moves. It's connected to me. It's impossible to separate myself from it.

It got me to thinking about God.

The Lord watches over you - the Lord is your shade at your right hand. Psalm 121:5
How would my day change if I remembered that God is as close to me as my shadow? Would it change how I act? Would it change what I say? Would it change what I do?

God sent us His Holy Spirit so that we would have a constant companion. You don't have to "friend" Him on Facebook. You don't have to dial a telephone number to reach Him. We don't need to send Him a Hallmark card to commemorate National Friendship Day this August.

He's as close and as constant as a shadow on a sunshiny day.

Proverbs 18:24 - New Living Translation (NLT)
²⁴ There are “friends” who destroy each other,
but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.

The Holy Spirit can be a holy model for our earthly friendships. It is a gift to have a friend to call when we're happy or grieving, mad or glad.

Thanks be to God for the gift of the Holy Spirit. And thanks be to God for the gift of human friendship!

If you want to celebrate Friendship Day with a special friend or group of friends, try this recipe for a Friendship Torte. Dark chocolate, nuts, white chocolate drizzle ... They'll be your friends for life!

The recipe is from Artfully Done Across the Generations: Recipes of Carlene Banks and Friends with Art from the Wichita Art Museum. Besides tasty recipes, there are lots of photos of the artwork on display at the museum. One of my friends surprised me with this beautiful book several years ago, and I've enjoyed using it ever since.

Decadent Glazed Chocolate Torte

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup chopped walnuts (you may substitute pecans, if you prefer)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Glaze:
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
White chocolate or almond bark (opt.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter and corn syrup in the microwave. Stir in chocolate chips until melted and smooth (If you need to, you can heat in the microwave again at 70 percent power, taking care not to burn the chocolate.)

Add sugar and eggs to chocolate mixture, and stir until well blended. Stir in flour, nuts and vanilla, mixing well.

Bake in a 9-inch buttered, floured, wax paper-lined cake pan for 35 to 40 minutes or until center springs back to touch. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Loosen and turn out onto wire rack.

Glaze: Prepare glaze by melting all ingredients in the microwave, heating at 70 percent power at 1-minute intervals until it's melted. Take care not to burn the chocolate.

Place a piece of waxed paper under the wire rack. Pour the warm glaze over the cake and spread with a spatula. Chill about 1 hour before transferring to serving dish. Torte freezes well glazed.

If desired, melt white chocolate or almond bark and drizzle over glazed torte with a decorator's tube.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

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Some recipe notes, complete with photos:

When I'm making a layer-type cake like this one, I always line the bottom of the cake pan with waxed paper cut to fit. This is a step I added to the original recipe.

I often use a heart-shaped pan to make it unique.

I tore off a piece of waxed paper and then used a pen to trace around the cake pan. Then I used scissors to cut it out.

I put the heart-shaped waxed paper on the bottom of the cake pan before pouring the batter in. I had sprayed the pan with cooking spray before putting the waxed paper in.


This is how it looked in the pan after baking. It is supposed to cool 10 minutes before attempting to remove it.
Even with the waxed paper and going around the outside of the cake pan with a knife, I had a little trouble getting the cake to release. I ended up sticking a small spatula underneath the corner of the cake. That finally did the trick.

But I probably should have dusted the pan with cocoa powder as well (I prefer that over flour if I'm making a chocolate cake.)

After you get the cake out of the pan, simply peel the waxed paper off the bottom.

I put the torte over a waxed paper-covered cookie sheet to catch the drips from the glaze.

After it cooled, I used a decorator tube to make the design. I should have tried harder at the sides so that it would look neater.

But, then again, no one complained about the sides that were less than perfect after they got a taste of the torte.

Enjoy with a cup of coffee and a friend!

Dependence Day

Independence is something this first-born, Type A personality has down pat. As a kid, I could have been the poster child for the dictionary's definition of "strong-willed child." My middle-born sister - always the peacemaker - would continually tell me, "If you'd just keep your mouth shut, you'd get in less trouble."

Oh, so true. But oh, so hard to do.

I am a take-charge kind of person. Give me a job, and I'll figure out a way to get it done. I was raised with the Midwestern mentality that I'm supposed to pull myself up by my bootstraps and persevere.

There's a lot of good in having that kind of work ethic and determination.

But maybe, instead of adopting the theme of independence this month, I should look at dependence.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.

Proverbs 3: 3-5

I've been reading a book, Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food by Lysa Terkeurst, president of Proverbs 31 Ministries. Even though the focus of this particular book is on food, you can fill in the blank with whatever you struggle with - "satisfying your deepest desire with God, not alcohol ... gossip ... judging others ... lust ...money ... shopping ... being prideful ... The list is as individual as the people reading this.

Made to Crave has been an eye-opening read on a subject that has been a struggle my entire life. Unfortunately, I've lost - and found - the same 50 or even 100 pounds. More than once.Me at almost age 8

This is hard for me to admit. This is hard for me to write. But it's also part of the journey. We all have our struggles. My struggles with food are admittedly hard to hide. Much as I'd like to keep it a secret, it's easy for people to see my failings in this area.

Lysa writes:

"Too many times, we try to muster up the gumption to make changes in our lives on our own. And it doesn't take long for the dark feelings of discouragement, disillusionment and defeat to fill our hearts.

"It is crucial to have a hope and power beyond ourselves. We are made for the same hope and power that raised Christ from the dead:

"That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised him from the dead and seated him at His right hand in the heavenly realms."

Ephesians 1: 19-20

That's a lot of power. It's certainly more power than my pitiful attempts at personal willpower can muster.

So instead of celebrating Independence Day this month, I think I'll choose, with God's help, Dependence Day (and Dependence Week, Dependence Month and Dependence Year ...)

A song by Jeremy Camp, "Beyond Measure," has a line that really speaks to this theme of dependence:

"I come alive when I've broken down and given You control."

That should be my anthem. Should it be yours, too?

***

Are you on your own quest to eat more healthfully? Try these salads.

Summertime Main Dish Salad

The fruits of summer can help you make better decisions about mealtime. I don't really have a recipe for this salad.

• I start with a generous base of romaine lettuce or spinach leaves (or mix them both).


• Choose your own fruits. This time, I added canned mandarin oranges (you can also cut up a naval orange), strawberries, blueberries and green grapes. (Other options might be cutting up nectarines, plums, apricots - whatever is on sale in the produce aisle for the week. In the winter, when there are fewer options, I cut up an apple.)


• Feta cheese (just a sprinkle)


• Walnuts (again, just a few. Or you can choose another favorite nut. I like walnuts because of the Omega 3.)


• A sprinkle of dried cranberries or other dried fruit (opt.) Again, watch the amount added because of the calories.
  


• Grilled chicken, grilled steak or salmon (only use about 3 ounces for 1 serving. That's about the size of a deck of playing cards.)


• Light raspberry vinaigrette dressing. If you need to watch calories, measure the dressing instead of just pouring it on.

***

Taco Salad

Again, I really don't have a recipe for this. I photographed my husband's salad instead of mine. I put some extras on his that I don't use because I don't need the extra calories. So choose all or just some of these ingredients to build your own Taco Salad:

• Start with a generous bed of romaine lettuce.


• Add veggies like diced cucumbers, colored peppers, tomatoes, green onion, radishes, carrots, sugar snap peas, etc. Be generous here: The veggies don't have many calories, so you can fill up on them!
  


• Brown hamburger and add taco seasoning (I buy taco seasoning at a bulk food store, but you can make your own or add a taco seasoning packet you purchase at the grocery store. Prepare as it says on the package directions.) Top your salad with about 1/2 cup of the prepared taco meat.


• For dressing: Combine 1 bottle of fat free Catalina dressing with 1 can of chili beans. Refrigerate before serving. You won't use it all for one meal, but it stores well in the fridge. I use much less of the dressing than my husband does. Again, if it helps, measure the dressing so you know how much you are adding to your salad.
  

Other add-ins (depending on whether or not you are watching calorie consumption):

• Shredded cheese


• Olives


• Guacamole


• Sour cream


• Crushed tortilla chips

***
Another Idea

• You can make a lettuce and veggie salad like above.


• Add 3 ounces of your protein of choice - grilled steak, grilled chicken, etc.


• Use 1/2 cup of low-fat cottage cheese on the salad and a small amount of light or fat-free ranch dressing. The cottage cheese helps me "stretch" the dressing so I don't use as much and provides some calcium and protein at the same time. Bonus!


• If you don't care for cottage cheese, you can also stretch your dressing with salsa - as mild or as hot as you like!

***

This Marinated Vegetable Salad is a side-dish salad that's great for a 4th of July picnic or just for family meals.

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This Southwest Beef and Pepper Skillet recipe has lots of bell peppers, plus the added fiber of brown rice. To reduce calories, leave off the cheese; however, the cheese does provide some calcium for your diet. Serve it with a green salad or some freshly-grilled garden veggies like zucchini.

When the Wind Blows

When a day is still, I don't notice flags. Do you?

But when a strong wind buffets a flag, it immediately draws your eyes to it. We watch its ripple and hear the snap of canvas as the wind tosses it to and fro.

Racers start their engines and put their foot on the gas when the flag man waves the green flag. At a race, do we pay attention to the checkered flag until it's waved wildly to signal the end of a race? We're probably not looking for the flag that's just sitting idly in the flag man's hands.

I guess it's human nature to float along when things are going well for us. Believe me, I much prefer calm seas in life. I am a list maker who likes things to go a certain way. My Type A personality is much happier when my life is ticking along in a predictable pattern.

However, I broke my toe in a farming accident last month. Believe you me, that wasn't on my to-do list. I had just recommitted to watching what I eat and trying to lose the pounds that have crept back on during the winter.

Even though I wasn't as careful with my eating as I should have been, I was still exercising six days a week. And suddenly, a doctor was telling me that it is going to take 6 weeks to heal my toe. Walking my 4 miles a day is not an option at the moment.

That is not in my plan, Lord! But, I look around me, and I realize that a broken toe is not that big a deal in the scheme of things in life. It is a minor inconvenience. Others have much bigger obstacles to navigate than a stupid broken toe.

I've been enjoying the song, "Blessings," by Laura Story. I've heard it on K-LOVE numerous times, but the words are really sinking home with me these days:

What if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
And what if the trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

Definitely something to think about, right?

I read a Guideposts devotional not long ago. It was based on Matthew 8: 23-27:

Jesus Calms the Storm

²³ Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. ²⁴ Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵ The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

²⁶ He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

²⁷ The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

The devotional said:

The test of our Christian commitment is not our ability to lounge at the tiller of our lives while events are sailing along smoothly. Rather the test is our response when the tempests blow. Jesus' disciples had spent many hours in boats. When they recognized the dangers presented by the elements, they turned to Jesus, and He did not fail them.

The capacity for knowing God enlarges as we are brought by Him into circumstances which oblige us to exercise faith; so, when difficulties beset our path, let us thank God that He is taking trouble with us, and lean hard upon Him.

Are you experiencing calm seas right now? Or is life buffeting you with as much force as a stiff Kansas wind?

No matter your circumstances in life - trial or celebration - Christ can be your banner. God is with us and has the power to calm the storm. Pick up the banner of Christ! He will carry you through.

As you listen to Laura Story's song, scroll down and check out some fun ideas for Flag Day June 14 or for your 4th of July celebration! Enjoy!

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June 14 is Flag Day. Try these fun recipes from Family Fun.

For a healthy finale to your Flag Day celebration, serve this red, white, and blue treat.

Star-Spangled Dessert
Recipe and photo
from Family Fun magazine

Ingredients

• Strawberries
• Whipped cream cheese

• Sugar (optional)
• Blueberries

Instructions

1. Clean and hull five strawberries, then add dollops of whipped cream cheese to the top of each one. Sprinkle sugar on the cream cheese (optional), then top each strawberry with a blueberry and arrange them as shown.

***

Patriotic Drink

Recipe and photo
from Family Fun (www.familyfun.go.com/recipes)

With a steady hand and some colorful drinks, you can create a tasty, multi-layered concoction. The secret is in selecting liquids with varying amounts of sugar, since those that contain more (such as soda) are denser than those with less (such as diet drinks). And that makes it possible to actually stack one on top of another (for a little while, anyway -- then they'll start to blend). Here's how to serve up a thirst quencher with two, three, or even more layers. This recipe is for a red, white, and blue version for your patriotic celebrations.

Ingredients

• Ice cubes
• Cranberry juice

• Wild Berry flavor Gatorade Fierce
• Diet 7-Up

Instructions

1. Fill a clear glass with ice cubes. Pour the drink with the most sugar (check the nutrition label) into the glass. For our red, white, and blue recipe, start with the cranberry juice.



2. Very slowly add a beverage that contains less sugar -- in this case, Wild Berry flavor Gatorade Fierce. Be careful to pour it onto an ice cube -- not directly into the other drink -- to keep them from mixing.



3. Use the same technique to add a layer of Diet 7-Up

There are lots of other fun patriotic recipes on the Family Fun website. Have fun searching through the ideas and pick one that will suit your family.

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Kim's County Line Photo

Or, if you're feeling ambitious, what's more all-American than a blueberry pie? Click here to see step-by-step photos, a recipe and instructions for creating your own pie.

Victory's Frontlines

Singing songs at 2010 VBS

Sunday School songs have been part of my repertoire for as long as I can remember. As a child, we gathered in the basement of the Byers United Methodist Church and sang tunes like "Deep and Wide," "Wide As the Ocean" and "Do Lord!" We dropped our coins through the little slot in the top of the white plastic church and then sang some more before we went into our Sunday School classrooms.

But somehow, we missed the children's song, "I'm in the Lord's Army." I didn't hear that song or learn those actions until we partnered with another church for a Vacation Bible School years ago.

I may never march in the infantry,
Ride in the cavalry,
Shoot the artillery.
I may never fly o'er the enemy,
But I'm in the Lord's army!
Yes Sir!

May is the time when we honor our military heroes - past and present. Saturday, May 21, is Armed Forces Day. Our church bulletin lists military men and women with Stafford connections. There are 24 names on the list, which seems like a lot for our small town of about 1,100 people. After looking at a wall of military personnel at school, I think there are even more than that.

I heard on the radio the other day that there's a disproportionate number of enlistees from rural areas because they have been raised to honor America and to serve their country. It seems to be true for my little part of the world.

Like the song says, I've never marched in the infantry, ridden in the cavalry or shot the artillery. But I am deeply appreciative of the sacrifice our armed forces and their families make for me, my family and my country. We list our service men and women in the church bulletin each week and have their pictures on the wall at school so we are reminded to pray for them and for the other brave military personnel who keep us safe.

I do believe we are all called to take different paths and serve God in the ways that best use the time and talent that He grants us.

From I Corinthians 12:
⁴ There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. ⁵ There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶ There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. ... ¹¹ All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. ¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

I don't fight on the frontlines of a battlefield. But I can honor the men and women who currently serve. And I can make sure that Memorial Day on May 30 is more than a day at the lake or a family barbecue. It is a time to honor our service personnel, past and present. And it's a time to honor family members who have gone on before us.

When we were cleaning out my grandparents' house, I found an old cookbook. It was dated 1942 and was compiled by the Ladies of the W.S.C.S. of the Byers Methodist Church. As I looked through the cookbook, I found recipes from both my grandmothers, as well as childhood neighbors.

The cookbook was produced during World War II. Children collected scrap metal. Families did without sugar and other staples. Women in some parts of the country had to go to work in factories and other jobs outside the home to fill the void left by men who were serving overseas.


In Victory Hints, found at the front of the cookbook, it says, in part:

Victory is more than just another word. It is a challenge to the ingenuity of womanhood. Victory means taking care of and making the most of what we have. It means saving time and strength as well as material things.

Those are valuable ideas, even today.

A friend shared another cookbook published in 1943, also during World War II. In the preface of The Connecticut Cookbook, the writer included a section called Cooking in War Time:

Today, when sacrifice is demanded of us, we have learned the true value of each and every comfort. ... Meat and bread, vegetables and fruits, coffee and milk have become symbols. They are no longer merely the sustenance of physical being, but the strength of the will to win. It has been said many times and cannot be said too often, that this is a war to maintain spiritual ideals. It is a war of progress against savagery, of the power of right over the rule of evil.

During World War II, Americans were called upon to sacrifice.

Food used to be an accepted necessity instead of a luxury. We gave little or no thought to our good fortune in having enough to eat, just as we thought not at all of giving thanks for warm blankets on cold nights or enough fuel to keep from freezing.

Makes you think, doesn't it? Today, military personnel and their families are making a sacrifice, but the rest of us go on our merry way. We give little or no thought to our good fortune in having enough to eat, a roof over our heads and gasoline in our cars (albeit more expensive than we'd like!)

So maybe this is our call to arms. Be that prayer warrior that you are called to be. Be that "service" person who is serving their neighbor or their church or their community. Figure out what gifts you have been given and then endeavor to serve the Lord through those special gifts. Be the Lord's hands and feet in the world today.

Join the Lord's Army ... Yes sir!

***

Want to make a patriotic treat to celebrate Armed Forces Day or Memorial Day? Try these bar cookie recipes.

Hymn of Promise

I wasn't doing much singing as I walked on a windy Kansas morning. It felt more like trudging, as I leaned into the wind, put one foot in front of the other, and kept moving. And then I heard them. Even though the wind was whistling and moaning, I could hear the trill of birds. Why were they singing? They had to be struggling with the ferocity of the wind. They are just little bits of bone and feather bucking a 30 mph wind. They certainly had nothing to sing about, did they? But sing they did. They didn't have their head down, merely getting the job done. They were rejoicing in a new day. And I should be, too.

Psalms 25: 4-5 NLT says: Show me the path where I should walk, O LORD; point out the right road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you."

One definition for hope is "to look forward to with confidence or expectation." When we bring hope, we bring life. It is life changing to hope. It is more than just asking God for something we so badly need; we must expect our miracle. Somewhere in the midst of asking, believing, and expecting God to answer, we will find what we are looking for. Are you looking for HOPE in your life? Check out the HOPE page on the Lovely Branches Ministries website. It's all about the hope we can find in Jesus Christ. Sometimes we must walk forward, bucking the wind with every step. It may not be the wind on a Kansas morning. The winds that blow through our lives could be illness, death, financial setbacks, a fight with a friend, world conflicts, natural disasters, family troubles ... the list goes on and on. But so do God's promises: Psalm 31: 24 says:

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.

April brings us Easter this year. As the world wakes up from its winter sleep and puts on the newness of spring, isn't it fitting that we will celebrate Christ's awakening from a tomb? He is no longer there! He is alive! Hope is alive! Hallelujah! Even though Hymn of Promise isn't a traditional Easter hymn, for me, it perfectly illustrates the hope that we can find if we place our faith in Jesus Christ and his promises. Happy Easter!

Hymn of Promise
In the bulb, there is a flower In the seed, an apple tree. In cocoons a hidden promise Butterflies will soon be free. In the cold and snow of winter There's a spring that waits to be Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

**
There's a song in every silence, seeking word and melody. There's a dawn in every darkness, bringing HOPE to you and me. From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery, unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
**
In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity; In our doubt, there is believing;
in our life, eternity. In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory, unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
***

Easter means ham at our house! Do you HOPE for leftovers? Me, too! I have several recipes that help put all those leftovers to good use. If you are looking for tried and true ham casserole recipes, check these out!

Joyce's Stovetop Ham Casserole

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Plantation Turkey (and Ham)
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Ham and Cheese Casserole

Bloom Where You're Planted

Sometime before Christmas, we finally moved the planter at the front of the house to the wash house. The plants that had so cheerfully decorated our entrance during the summer were long dead. After weeks of freezing weather, they were shriveled and brown.

They certainly weren't fit to welcome guests to our house during the holidays. Much better to dust off the Christmas lights and let them provide a little color for the season.

And then, something unexpected happened.

Those plants that had looked dead suddenly came to life.

They surely hadn't received any care. They weren't watered. They weren't fertilized. A little light streamed through the dirty wash house window. But, at most, they got a glance from Randy when he went into the building to dish out the cat food each day.

But then, one day, he noticed the blossoming flowers and couldn't wait to tell me about the surprising revival going on in the wash house.

As we approach the season of Lent, the blooming flower served as reminder.

Ash Wednesday is March 9. It signals a time of prayer and preparation as we make the 40-day Lenten journey toward Easter. It should signal a time of cultivating our relationship with Christ through prayer and study so that we can bloom where we are planted.

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the LORD for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Isaiah 55: 10-13

We are approaching that time of year when the world will burst into song and the trees of the field will clap their hands with the arrival of spring.

A couple of weeks ago at Bible study, we were asked whether we believe there are modern-day miracles.

I think we are surrounded by miracles every day:

It's the miracle found in the beauty of a spring bulb piercing the cold surface of the earth and bursting into bloom (or blooming against all odds in a cold wash house during the winter!).

It's in the new baby animals that populate farm country during the spring months.

It's in the miracle of birth and the love of a parent and a child.

And the biggest miracle of all is that God loved us so much that He sent his only Son to the cross to save us from our sins.

But He didn't stop there. Jesus rose from the dead and gives us the promise of new life.

And He sends us illustrations of new life everyday ... if we'll only open our eyes and look. It may be in a budding tree. It could be in a plant left for dead in a cold wash house.

Lord, open our eyes so that we can see and be made new in You. Amen.

***

The recipe I chose this month also has its share of surprises. Chocolate Trifle was served at the first Lovely Branches Ministries' Friendship Friday. LBM is serving free luncheons for ladies six times this year, thanks to a grant from the South Central Community Foundation and help from local businesses.

Are you near Stafford? Join the Lovely Branches crew for lunch and fellowship on March 18 and April 29. The meal is served from 11:30 AM to 1 PM in the Stafford Senior Center. Look for other dates in September and October to be announced later.

A delicious dessert is always part of the meal. The Trifle recipe reminds me of a more elegant version of "Dirt" Cups, little individual servings of pudding and whipped cream and crushed chocolate sandwich cookies with a gummy worm hidden inside, one of my kids' favorite treats when they were little.

There were no gummy worms hidden in this dessert. The surprise ingredient? Coffee.

What woman doesn't love coffee and chocolate? (And, what husband wouldn't be delighted to eat the leftovers? Mine was!)

Enjoy!

Chocolate Trifle

1 pkg. chocolate fudge cake mix
1 large pkg. (6 oz.) instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 cup strong coffee
1 carton (12 oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed
6 Heath bars (1.4 oz. each) crushed

Bake cake according to package directions. Cool. Prepare pudding according to package directions. Set aside. Crumble cake; reserve 1/2 cup of cake crumbs.

Place half of the remaining cake crumbs in the bottom of a 4.5- or 5-quart trifle dish or decorative glass bowl. Layer with half the coffee, half the pudding, half the whipped topping and half of the crushed candy bars.

Repeat the layers of cake, coffee, pudding and whipped topping. Combine remaining crushed candy bars with reserved cake crumbs. Sprinkle over top.

Refrigerate for 4-5 hours before serving.

Recipe Notes:

• The recipe said it would serve 8 to 10 people. It served double that number.
  


• I used one, 8-ounce package of chocolate covered Heath English Toffee Bits (found by the chocolate chips at your grocery store) instead of crushing candy bars.

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Need another coffee and chocolate creation? Try this bar cookie recipe from my kitchen.