Frozen Pie Fillings

   We are in the thick of the annual canning and freezing marathon of summer. We are eating like kings with all the fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season. And with what we are preserving we will be eating good all winter. 

    One of the things I have been doing for years is freezing fruit pie fillings. With a supply on hand, I can easily whip up a pie on short notice. I had used up all the fillings I had and started a fresh supply of peach pie fillings today. It's quite simple and requires no cooking.

Here's the recipe:

Peel and slice enough peaches to fill a 9 in. foil pie pan.

Mix 3/4 cup of sugar with 3 tbs. instant clear jel

Add peaches to the dry mix and stir until coated

Put pie filling in the foil pan, cover with foil, and freeze.

To bake:

Remove pie filling from foil pan and place in an unbaked pie shell.

DO NOT THAW

Sprinkle with nutmeg and cinnamon.

Dot with butter

Top with crust or crumb topping.

Bake at 350 until fruit is soft and bubbling (45-50 minutes)

I also make apple and cherry pie fillings like this too. Any kind of fruit can be used.

I always get compliments when I take one to a meal somewhere because they taste like fresh fruit. The secret is not thawing them.

Big Sister

    Our youngest son and his wife were married nine years when their first child was born. Her birth was the culmination of years of tears, prayers, red tape, and medical help. She was conceived an unconventional way through embryo adoption. For an explanation on how that is done, see my blog post from March 6, 2020.

   Abi is a delightful little girl and will be three in September. Her parents wanted a second child so she doesn't have to grow up alone. There can be all kinds of complications when doing an embryo adoption. If things had gone the way they hoped, they would have had a second child a year ago. Again, prayers ascended daily as we went through three failed attempts (for various reasons).

    We are happy to announce that God had granted our desires and given life to another frozen embryo. What will it be? A brother or a sister? We will find out in January. 

    Thank you Jesus! We are getting one more grandchild in our old age. How about that!

Bloom Where You Are Planted

    "God answers prayer and sometimes He goes far beyond anything we thought could happen."

     Late last summer our son brought us a kitten and built a box to shelter it. We decided to put the box at the southwest corner of the patio where it would be handy for feeding during the winter. I had some Calla lilies planted at that spot so I dug them up.  The box was placed in position on an orange foam pad and the cat moved in. 

    Winter passed and spring came. I planted the bulbs I had dug up and stored in the basement all winter. In June I was amazed to see a Calla lily had forced it's way out from under the cat's box and had a small bud. I obviously missed one when I dug the bulbs, but how could it grow with the box setting above it and getting no rain?

    I wasn't praying for that bulb. I didn't know it was there. That it could grow and push out from under the obstacle above it was far beyond anything I thought could happen. 

    What major obstacle is in your way today? Take courage from the Calla lily. In its dark underground surroundings, it sensed the light above and reached out to it. There is Light above the darkness of your obstacle. Reach for the Light, push out from under the obstacle and bloom where you are planted.