Simple joys . . .

"When I think of happiness or joy in this life, I begin with some experiences that are simple and basic. I see the expression on the face of a one-year-old taking those first steps. I think of a child loving a puppy or a kitten. If the more mature have not dulled their physical or spiritual sensitivities by excess or disuse, they can also experience joy in what is simple and basic."
~Dallin H. Oakes

When my children were growing up, I often took them to the park, where they could spend an easy afternoon of play together, and I could enjoy a few moments peace watching them at play and just resting in my thoughts with no other pressures attending us . . .

My children played, and jumped and fought . . . playful little arguments and disagreements, nothing too serious. It was fun for them to have a change of scenery and to get out and about. On one particular autumn day we were there enjoying out park time once more and most of my children were so busy with their play and each other, they didn't notice the wind change . . . but my oldest daughter, who has developmental challenges, did . . . what had been a soft breeze was becoming a wild autumnal wind, and spinning torrents of leaves into colourful flurries.



I decided it was time to go. I had lots of things still to do at home and miles to go before I slept that day, and I called for my children to join me. My eldest son stood still, watching his younger sister, with wide eyed fascination, as she danced and gyrated amongst the twirling leaves, scooping them up and showering herself with them as she twisted and turned amongst them, her delight simple and pure and oh so very beautiful to see.

With each twirl and jump, her voice uttered a song of praise to the One who would hear with a special ear . . . what sounded like grunts and odd noises to us, must have been a beautiful melody to His ears.



My eyes welled up, and the tears came. No . . . they were not tears of pity for her . . . but tears of pity for myself. In all the busy-ness of day to day and of raising a family, I had forgotten what was most important, and I had rushed past all the simple things, the small joys . . . the blessings . . . the opportunities to publicly shout out my praises and thanks to my Heavenly Father.

Now, I take the time to dance in the autumn leaves, and to take pleasure in simple things, and I never miss an opportunity to thank the One who so blesses me thus . . . no matter who is watching, or listening, or reading . . .

There is a special freedom that comes with such small joys, and in the ability to be able to see them and take them into your heart . . . and with the willingness to share them with others. God's mercies are abundant and all around us, if only we have eyes and hearts to see . . . and it took a special child to show me how . . .



I have been teasing you all with this tasty dessert on face book for several days now and I have finally got the chance to show it to you today. I found a recipe a week ago for a special pan dowdy using pears and blackberries . . . blackberries I had, but no pears. What I do have though, is tons of bramley apples, and so I thought why not . . . it was a most delicious experiment. It always amazes me how a few simple ingredients can create something so totally tasty and wonderful. A garnish of warm custard with this, or at the very least, a nice scoop of good vanilla ice cream is a must have! (I am also thinking a nice slice of good cheddar would go down very nicely as well!)



*Gingered Apple and Blackberry Pandowdy*
Serves 8
Printable recipe

The marriage of bramley apples and blackberries is a marriage made in heaven. It is no accident that they come ripe about the same time. This is a beautiful combination in this lovely dessert, with it's biscuit topping gently flavoured with bits of candied ginger. Warm, spicy and rustic. Lashings of custard for serving are a given!

softened butter for buttering the baking dish
Fruit Filling:
3/4 cup (about 6 ounces) granulated sugar
2 TBS plus 1 tsp cornflour
pinch salt
4 large bramley apples, peeled and cut into slices
1 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice
9 ounces of blackberries, fresh or frozen
1 TBS cold butter, cut into bits
Topping:
1 3/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) plain flour
3 TBS granulated sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
10 TBS (5 ounces) cold butter, cut into bits
1/3 cup (2 ounces) candied ginger, chopped into fine bits
2/3 cup cold buttermilk
To Finish:
1 TBS granulated sugar
1 TBS cold buttermilk



Position the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven. Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Butter a 9 inch round deep dish casserole, or pie dish.

Rub the sugar, cornflour, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the sliced apples and lemon juice. Toss until evenly coated. Gently fold in the blackberries. Transfer to the prepared dish. Dot the top with the cold butter bits. Set aside while you make the topping.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Drop in the butter and rub it into the flour with the ends of your fingertips. ( You could dump all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse a few times to do this, but there is something very satisfying about doing this with your fingertips.) Stir in the candied ginger and then pour enough of the buttermilk in to create a moist mixture, stirring with a fork. The dough will be somewhat crumbly, with large bits of butter still visible.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat together to make a 9 inch round. Carefully place atop of the fruit in the casserole dish. Brush with the buttermilk and sprinkle with the remaining sugar.

Bake in the lower third of the oven for 30 minutes, then turn the oven temperature down to 180*C/350*F and bake for an additional 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the juices are bubbling and thick. Cool for 30 minutes before serving.

You could serve this with cold ice cream, but we like warm custard, either from the chiller cabinet at the store or homemade.



If you're looking for a simple main dish to offset the rich delectability of that dessert and to make you feel better about indulging, look no further. The answer is HERE. Bang Bang Chicken Salad.