To Read on the Journey

Monday, January 17, 2011

Out of Control

As I sit  here (balancing the checkbook, organizing the desk, blogging) my girls are baking cookies. 

Without me. 

Absolutely no help. 

No eyes watching them or the destruction of my kitchen.

No one standing over them dictating. 

They are following directions.  

Together.

Sharing the process.

Creating.

Making a mess (cringe). 

Cleaning (I hope).

And I'm NOT going in the kitchen (even though I'm o.c.d., and I like all things done my way). 

 I'm staying out...

And praying; readying my attitude for when I walk back into the kitchen. 
 I know they need me to celebrate their accomplishment, not to overreact at the state of the things. They need me to be pleased, to delight in them. 

And I'm waiting, waiting to be the first one (they told me I would be) to bite into their chocolatey chip goodness! 


Are you good at relinquishing control?  
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These pix are from another day when the girls made homemade pop-tarts!
Unfortunately our recipe was time consuming, and the pop-tarts were a little on the dense side. 
Live and learn. 
For your pop-tart making convenience I've browsed around blogville for a simpler recipe. 
Enjoy!
Preheat oven to 425*F.

Pie Crust (homemade or store bought. Unless my husband is making the pie dough I'm going store bought!).
Roll out pie crust and cut into 8cm wide and 16cm long strips.

Fillers:
Place 2 tsp of jam, nutella, lemon curd & blueberries, or a cinnamon filling (which is what we did) on the centre of the lower half of the pastry strip, and fold over the top half to encase the jam. Press sides closed with a floured fork.

Place on a greased or parchment covered baking sheet and bake at 425*F for 8-10 minutes.

When cool, cover with glaze and sprinkles.

Cinnamon Filling:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

 To make the filling: combine together the brown sugar, 1/4 cup granulated white sugar, cinnamon, salt, and the 1 Tablespoon melted butter until the mixture resembles wet sand. 

Glaze:
1 cup icing sugar
1-2 tbsp milk (I used cream)
Whisk icing sugar and 1 tbsp of milk in a bowl.  Gradually add more milk until desired consistency (syrup-like).

8 comments:

Unknown said...

I have no problem relinquishing this kind of control. I'm all about delegation and go for it on many fronts.

I have issues more with people things. Still.
Always.
Just this morning re a situation with my neighbour.
He is remarrying and fixing the house a bit to sell.
(home, husband of my best friend who passed 3 years ago. )
I am on the outside happy he is moving on. Rising to it.

On the inside , not so much.

Simply Sara said...

good for you!
so proud of you for letting go... i am certain your girls will not only remember but cherish the memories they made baking with one another. and also how their mama delighted in them.

i am looking forward to my girls creating in the kitchen without me in a few years. and when they do, i'll be calling you for moral support :)

and now i'm off to print that recipe. can't wait to make it! mmmmmmmmmm!

denise said...

Way to go relinquishing control of your kitchen! As another mom with ocd tendencies, I can definitely see how this could be hard.

Alana said...

Oh girl. You are my hero. I want to be like you someday...hopefully before it is too late!!

Anonymous said...

Way to go, momma!

Alexis said...

We are very much alike. I'm proud of you! ;)

Tasha said...

You are such the good Mom. I adore you for it. Your girls are going to grow up thinking their Mom is the best in the whole world. I have a bit of trouble with this too. It is always amazing to me though how I keep learning to let go and back away from things. To simplify when I was raised not to. To Let my boys get dirty (when I really really do not like it). To stay calm when normally I would not. I can only attribute it to one higher then myself. I am grateful for a Father in Heaven and a loving brother who truly help me to be a better Mother. I definitatly know I could not do it alone.

I cannot wait to try out that recipe. It looks oh so yummy!

Jill said...

Just found your blog and love it. My family loves homemade poptarts and I've found a recipe that while it's time consuming they are yummy!
http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/04/homemade-pop-tarts/