It was
Wednesday night Prayer Service at my church.
My friend Amy has 3 young children, & 2 of the 3 were excitedly
running out of the King’s Kids Program with a lime green bag of goodies they
had gotten that evening.
Amy &
Scott’s oldest child, Kyle, did not appear nearly as excited as his siblings.
He too, had a lime green bag, but as he sat down by his mother, he looked
downcast. My heart went out to him. I knew something had disappointed him very
much.
I watched
from afar as his mother leaned toward her unhappy child. She spoke softly to him, encouraging him to
open up & tell her what possibly happened to make him so despondent.
Kyle opened
his bag and said, “Mommy, I wanted a little pumpkin, but I got THIS.” THIS was a golden colored ornamental
SQUASH. Amy & I exchanged looks, and
an attack of the giggles ensued.
Kyle had
been the last child chosen at random to pick a Fall related prize from the gift
table set up to celebrate this harvest season.
It was obvious this little 8 yr old had his heart set on something he
wanted, but it just didn’t work out this time.
I found out
from my son who was working in the children’s program that day, that there WAS
a choice between a pumpkin & a squash, but Kyle actually CHOSE the squash.
I listened
with empathy toward Kyle as Amy told him, “Honey, this is just what I wanted
for our Thanksgiving decorations.”
I am not
sure Kyle was convinced that squash could ever be a good thing, but as I
thought about this later, I realized how much a mother’s heart wants to shield
her children from life’s disappointments.
God is like
that, even more so. He knows that the
choices we make can either bring regret or blessings. Sometimes He even gives us what we want
knowing that our human nature will not satisfied with THINGS.
We have a
God shaped yearning in our souls that can only be satisfied with a personal
relationship with the One that created us in the first place.
Here are the recipes for Gooey Pumpkin Bars & Yellow Squash Casserole
PUMPKIN GOOEY BARS
Crust
1 (18.25) pkg. yellow cake mix
8 T. butter, melted
1 egg
Combine the mix, egg, and melted butter together using a hand mixer. Pat 2/3 of the crust into a 9x13 pan and the rest in an 8x8 pan. Crust will be thinly spread.
Pumpkin Filling
2 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 c. butter, melted
1-1/2 lb. powdered sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 (15-oz.) cans pumpkin
2 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
whipped topping, any amount
Beat the cream cheese until smooth and add the powdered sugar. Beat in the pumpkin.
Add the eggs and vanilla, then the melted butter and spices. Taste and add more powdered sugar to taste if desired.
Pour 2/3 of the mixture into the 9x13 pan and the rest into the 8x8 pan.
Bake in a preheated 350° for 40-50 degrees. The center should
be a little gooey, hence the name. Top with whipped cream when serving. Yield: 20 servings from 9x13 pan and 12 from 8x8.
Note: I tweaked the original recipe because the crust seemed too thick, the filling too thin and was sweeter than I liked. This is so good, I might be willing to give up pumpkin pie. This dish freezes well, so the extra pan could be saved for a later date.
Wrap well, label, and freeze for up to 2 months.
YELLOW SQUASH
CASSEROLE
2 c. yellow squash, sliced
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1-2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
salt and pepper, to taste
Ritz crackers, crushed (optional)
Steam squash over boiling water until fork tender, about 5-7 minutes. Place in a 2 quart casserole dish. Add onion. Sprinkle half of cheese on top.
Mix soup and sour cream; pour over squash. Add more cheese. Top with crushed crackers. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 30-40 minutes, until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted.
Note: The sauce is also good with steamed cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots as a casserole. Steaming the squash keeps it from being watery.
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