The red umbrella . . .

A small community of farmers were suffering through a terrible drought one year. It was a drought which seemed to go on forever. They were in a real dilema as to what to do. Not only was the rain necessary to help to keep their crops healthy, but it was also important in sustaining the townspeople's way of living. As the days passed, the problem became more urgent and so the local church felt it was time to get involved. A prayer meeting was planned.



In what seemed to be the age old tradition of camp meetings, the whole town showed up for this special prayer meeting. The Pastor was thrilled with the turnout. He slowly circulated from group to group as he made his way to the front to begin the meeting. Everyone he met was visiting gaily with each other across the aisles, enjoying this unique opportunity to socialize and meet with one another in a solitary purpose. As the Pastor finally secured his place at the front of the flock . . . his thoughts were on the important of quieting the crowd down and beginning the meeting.



Just as he was asking for quiet he noticed a young girl sitting in the front row. She was beaming with excitement! Laying next to her on the ground was a bright red umbrella, just ready for use! The beauty and innocence of this site filled the Pastor's heart with joy as he realized that this young girl possessed more faith than the rest of the congregation altogether . . . for they had come simply to pray for rain . . . whilst she had come to see God's answer.



Oh how wonderful is the faith of a little child. The scriptures tell us that we are to have faith as a child in order to enter the kingdom of God. (Mark 10:15)



This has been my first ever entry into Rednesday, a worldwide compendium of Blog Posts centred on the colour red! Hop on over to see who else is seeing Red today!

And here is another something that is red. A delicious Strawberry Pretzel Pie! With Strawberry Season just beginning, it's seasonally delicious! The recipe was a blue ribbon winner for a lady named Judy Tanner at the Tennessee State Fair in 2010. It's like having your favourite dessert in a pie! Adapted from the Pillsbury site.



*Strawberry Pretzel Pie*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe

A most delicious sweet and salty combination! Plan ahead as pie needs to chill overnight.

pastry for a two crust pie
2 egg whites, beaten
1 cup of crushed pretzels
1/4 cup sugar
6 TBS butter, melted
2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 (12 ounce) container of frozen whipped cream, thawed
1 pound of fresh strawberries, washed, dried, hulled and sliced
1 cup of boiling water
1 (8 serving size) box of strawberry gelatin

Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Roll half of your pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a round that will fit into a 9 1/2 inch deep dish glass pie dish. Trim edge and prick bottom. Roll out the remainder of the pastry and cut into 1/4 inch strips. Braid three strips at a time. Brush the edge of the pastry in the pie dish with the beaten egg white and apply the strips to the edge in a decorative manner, pressing slightly to adhere.

Combine the crushed pretzels, melted butter and the 1/4 cup of sugar. Press this mixture into the bottom of the pastry shell. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely before proceeding.

Stir together the cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups of sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Carefully fold in the thawed whipped cream. Reserve 2 cups of this mixture for the topping (Cover and chill in the refrigerator) and spread the rest into the cooled crust, covering the bottom. Place a flat layer of the strawberries on top of the filling. Mix the boiling water with the strawberry gelatin along with enough ice to make 1 2/3 cup. Stir to thicken slightly. Scoop out any undissolved ice and pour this mixture over top of the berries. Place into the refrigerator to chill over night.

When ready to serve decorate the top of the pie with the reserved cream cheese/whipped cream mixture. Cut into wedges to serve.



Baking in The English Kitchen today, Mini Scone Foccaccia Breads!!