Huckleberry Zucchini Bread

~ Emily ~ 5 Comments

Huckleberry Zucchini BreadDuring our first week in Idaho, Tim and I received a welcome card from a church family which included a coupon for “Purple Gold”.  A note on the back clued us in that Purple Gold was a code name for huckleberries.

Huckleberries are small berries with a beautiful, deep purple hue and just so happen to be the state fruit of Idaho.  They grow wild all around our new home. Animals and people alike enjoy them and the little berries are worth a pretty penny when sold at retail value, hence the nickname Purple Gold.

We received our Purple Gold last week.  On the list of ideas for ways to use them that was kindly included with our berries was adding a cup to zucchini bread. I adore zucchini bread, with its moist crumb and mild flavor, so I didn’t waste time putting a batch together.

The huckleberries were the perfect sweet-tart addition to the autumn flavors of cinnamon and brown sugar.  Green flecks from the zucchini and bursts of blue and purple from the berries make each slice a beautiful kaleidoscope of colors.

I adapted a zucchini bread recipe from the consistently delicious cookbook, Just A Matter of Thyme by Roxie Kelley, to make this rendition.

Huckleberry Zucchini Bread
Author: Emily C. Gardner
This bread is moist and makes great toast. It also freezes beautifully. If you don’t have access to huckleberries, substitute 1 cup of chopped, toasted nuts, or blueberries.
Ingredients
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup oil
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 cups grated zucchini, unpeeled
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla
  • 1 cup huckleberries, tossed in flour to prevent sinking
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease two 9-inch loaf pans.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs well. Add oil, sugar, and zucchini. Mix thoroughly.
  3. Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
  4. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix well.
  5. Fold in huckleberries.
  6. Pour into prepared loaf pans . Bake for 1 hour. Remove from pans to cool.
Notes
Yield: 2 loaves

The Beauty and Bounty of Passion

~ Emily ~ Leave a comment

I lay in bed yesterday reflecting on what a hard working husband I have. He is dedicated to his job and puts himself into all that he does. God has called him to serve youth, and he does so with a gentle, caring, and wholly-invested heart.

He is passionate about students and Christ, and that passion helps him tackle the difficult aspects of ministry.

While I was snug in my bed, he was working alongside other students and volunteers to clean up after our church’s harvest party. He may have shed his Friar Tuck costume, but he was still laboring for Christ.

Our passions motivate us to do things that are tiresome, unsavory, and stressful. They inspire us to be selfless in our actions and attitudes.

This is best displayed in Jesus’ life.  He was (and is, still) so passionately in love with us that He made the ultimate self-sacrifice.  He died to save His children.  In turn, our passion for Christ moves us to deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow Him.  (Matthew 16:24).

As witnessed by Tim’s passions resulting in service and sacrifice, the same pattern occurs on a smaller scale in our daily life.  Let me rephrase that.  It should happen in our day to day life.

But, if you’re like me, God ordained passions don’t always translate into selfless behavior.  It wasn’t until I lay there last night, reflecting on what a hard working man I married, that I realized where the disconnect occurs.

I’ve been missing the action step.  Those passions need to be expressed in motion and service.  Selflessness is a practice – the more you do it, the more natural it will become.

I can see the evidence of this missing step in my relationship with Tim.  I realize this may be stating the obvious, but I’m passionate about my husband.  I’m not just talking about being passionately in love with Tim ,but being passionate about supporting his calling to youth and family ministry.  I may not have the same calling, but I’m passionate about being an encouragement and a help to my husband as he pursues his passion for the Church.

In theory, my passion for Tim should spur me on to selfless service and support. To be honest, I haven’t been doing a great job in that department lately. I find myself consistently rebelling against opportunities to serve and put Tim first.

I am missing the action aspect working in conjunction with my passion to produce selfless fruit.  It took my husband’s example to illuminate this disconnect.

I have been relying on feelings to produce selfless love and support for Tim, but feelings can be fickle. I must put my passion to work.  Practicing love, patience, grace, encouragement, and forgiveness should work up a sweat.

A harvest doesn’t happen without tilling the soil, planting the seed, watering the plants, and reaping what was sewn.

Being selfless isn’t an automatic result of having a passion, but with diligence and hard work, passions produce God-honoring beauty and bounty.

Dear Mr. Owl {31 Days of Letters}

~ Emily ~ 1 Comment

Dear Mr. Owl,

You look innocent enough, but I have my doubts.

That bright blue exterior and cute orange beak are hiding something mischievous, I just know it!

You are so helpful during the day.  You keep time and buzz faithfully when I need to take something out of the oven or to alert me that my tea is done steeping. Those little feet remain perched on the ledge like you have no care in the world.

But I see a bird with plenty of shenanigans up his feathers.  When you’re in the glow of the oven light, those big eyes hint at your true character.  You sit there, small and unassuming all day long. Then, when the house is empty, I bet you leave your post.

Do you hide my forks?  Do you flirt with my salt shaker? (She is a lovely gold owl, indeed).  May I suggest that you do the dishes or make the bed?  Before you protest, let me remind you that the birds in Cinderella did so with a joyful tune.

Whatever you’re up to, just know that I’m on to you.  Cuteness won’t cover your bird-business much longer…

Sincerely,

Emily

You can find all my letters here.

For more information about the 31 Day Challenge, visit The Nester.

Dear HS Ladies {31 Days of Letters}

~ Emily ~ 3 Comments

Dear High School Ladies,

Waiting is wretched.  I get it.  I’ve waited for a lot of things.  Many of them had to do with guys – or lack thereof.

I waited for someone to ask me to dance at 8th grade promotion.  I waited with baited breath for my 7-year crush to IM me.  I waited for a date to Homecoming. I waited for tryout results.  I waited for a guy to seem interested.  I waited for a date to Prom.  I waited for a boyfriend.

Many of those things never materialized.  Actually, most of those things never happened.  That crush did IM me and I did make some teams, but I didn’t get asked to any dances and I spent 24 years boyfriendless.

Those times of waiting with no results were a major knock to my womanly pride. I cried.  I filled pages in my journal with prayers and pleas and pain.

Before you feel sorry for my dateless, crushless high school existence, let me say that God absolutely knew what He was doing when He withheld what I wanted and waited for.

I made sincere commitments about purity and set high standards.  In my naiveté, I didn’t realize how small I was making my pool of acceptable guys.  My infatuations were far from meeting my requirements (yup, I had a written list and highly recommend doing so!).

While I spent mental and emotional energy trying to 1. smoosh my current crush into the box created by my standards, 2. manipulate circumstances to fit my personal agenda, or 3. figure out why none of it was working out, God was perfectly orchestrating His plan like only a master conductor could.

God was using the absence of what I desired to mold me more into the Godly woman I also wanted to become.  He arranged my romantic life in a way that guarded my convictions and boundaries, when I probably wasn’t willing to guard them myself.

Your romantic situation, or lack thereof, may seem depressing.  You may wonder if a guy will ever like you.  You may be dating up a storm, but, for what purpose?

Wherever you’re at on the spectrum, waiting isn’t a bad thing.  Waiting gives God control.  Waiting says God can pick the timing.  God’s timing will be different for everyone.  Waiting is hard, but don’t let the difficulty of waiting distract you from pursuing God whole heartedly.

Sincerely,

Emily – a fellow waiter…

You can find all my letters here.

For more information about the 31 Day Challenge, visit The Nester.

Dear AJG {31 Days of Letters}

~ Emily ~ 4 Comments

Like I mentioned before with Dear JAG, this is NOT a cute way to announce that I’m pregnant.  I just have some thoughts for my future daughter.

Here’s to hoping you are as chubby as I was. I love baby rolls!

Dear AJG,

If the thought of your brother terrified and thrilled me, I have no idea how to explain how I feel when I think of you, my sweet one.

My heart trembles at the privilege of raising a little girl to become a woman after God’s own heart.  How do I communicate what a precious jewel you are in God’s sight, as well as mine?  How do I help you understand that you are loved, valued, and adored by an earthly family and a heavenly family?  How will I ever let go when I want to hold you close forever?

I know the trials and turmoil that come with being a woman (in any season), trying to follow Christ.  I know how difficult it is to ignore all the worldly voices and listen to God.  I know how easy it is to place your value in corruptible things and how vastly empty and dangerous those things are to your spirit.

My heart aches for the first time you experience those hardships.  Everything in me wants to take all of the hurt and pain and tough decisions away, to carry your burdens for you.  But, pressing stronger than my urge to shelter you from suffering is my desire to see you take solace in our Savior.

Your Abba is the source of comfort, love, dignity, and strength.  He, alone, gives you eternal value.  I pray that His truth is imprinted on your heart, mind, and soul.  I pray for peace to surround your heart, for gratitude to be ever on your lips, and for joy to spring up like a well inside your soul.

Your Grammy is a fantastic example of what a mom should be.  She has pointed me to Christ in all manner of circumstances.  She models a heart that yearns to know God more intimately.  I can’t wait to share my mom with you!

I can only hope that God will reveal Himself in my imperfect, broken, fumbling attempts at motherhood.  I hope that you see God’s redemptive power in my life, a life with which you are so intimately intertwined.

And what I really want you to know – like deep down in your soul, at the core of your being – is that you are a beautiful creation, an exquisite masterpiece, loved imperfectly by me and loved perfectly by an adoring Father.

With love to my beautiful girl,

Mom

You can find all my letters here.

For more information about the 31 Day Challenge, visit The Nester.