Food carries not only taste and smell, but sometimes memories. Certain dishes remind me of a loved one, holiday, or place. It can also provide comfort. Do you have a favorite comfort food? How about a food that takes you back to your Mother’s table or the school cafeteria? Do you have one of your own?
My aunts each made dishes that were unique and special. Same with my two grandmothers and especially my Mother. No one could make the recipe quite as delicious as they could. Aunt K made the best sugar cookies and Red Velvet Cake. No one at all could hold a candle to Aunt M’s cobblers or ribbon salad. Aunt J did butterscotch meringue pie and noodles. Yes, the rolled out homemade ones. Aunt E made rolls that no one can duplicate. Light, fluffy rolls. My Mammaw made oatmeal cookies that were a winner with people that disliked oatmeal. Perplexing but true. She made sugared popcorn on the stove that tasted like love. Grandmother made Christmas candy to rival the kind you buy in fancy stores. She also made a cheese spread for celery or crackers that she made up herself. It was delicious and unduplicatible. My Mother would need a page, or book, all her own to list her best dishes. Comfort food for me is still anything she makes. Her Christmas Salad is phenomenal and apple dumplings simply out of this world. My kids love her drop dumplings, any flavor. Blackberry, peach, or cherry are all favorites with them but only if Grammy makes them. Actually my daughter says that about a lot of Mom’s recipes. “Did Grammy make this?” What about the ladies in your family? I would love to hear their specialties in the comments if you would share.
Our bodies need food to survive. Our mind sometimes wants food for comfort. What does our soul need? Do you ever think about feeding it? Scripture tells us in Matthew 4:4 that “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of God.’” So, our soul needs much more. It needs God and His Word, the Bible. Just as often as we eat food and drink something, we need to read our Bibles, worship Abba, and communicate with Him through prayer. We need spiritual food. Are you feeding your spirit?
Be careful what you feed into your mind, too. Lyrics from certain songs, scenes from some television shows or movies, and passages from magazines and books might not be the clean food your mind deserves. In fact it might be poison. A lot of sin is made acceptable and glamorous in the media. Just like we watch what we put in our mouths, we need to be mindful of what we put in our souls and brains. Then we will be healthy in all areas of our lives. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Choose Him. Choose life. Live for Him.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst.” John 6:35 ESV
Mom’s Blackberry Drop Dumplings
4-6 c. blackberries* & 1 c. sugar
Water to cover
Dumplings:
2 c. Bisquick baking mix
1/2 c. milk
2/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Sprinkle of cinnamon (optional)
*or substitute another fruit or berry.
Place blackberries in large covered pot, add 1 c. sugar, and cover berries with water. Bring to a boil. Boil softly for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, in a small bowl, mix Bisquick, milk, vanilla and 1/2 c. sugar to form a dough, (not as thin as pancake and not as thick as biscuit dough).
Into boiling berries, drop dough by spoonful spacing over top of pot. Reduce heat immediately to medium low and cover. Steam for approximately 15 minute covered so dumplings will cook through. Serve topped with whipping cream or ice cream.
Abba's Prayer Warrior Princess 