Sometimes I think . . .

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Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about.
~Psalm 32:10

During my life here on earth, there have been many times when I have been forced to take an honest look at how much I trust my Heavenly Father . . . or how large my faith is. This test manifests itself in my life via the challenges life throws at me.

Let's face it . . . we live in the visible world, which is tangible and all too real. Despite the fact that I believe and trust in the invisible world, ie. the Kingdom of God . . . this world I deal with every day is far more real and something that I must live in . . .

We are all faced with bills we have problems paying, or diagnosis we did not expect. We live in a world that is bombarded daily with messages about how to take care of our health, our families, our futures, our pasts . . . and it can sometimes be very difficult to remember that ultimately God is in control. Of course we must always use common sense and responsability when making decisions . . . but the final outcome in anything and everything rests in God's hands . . .

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A Doctor can make an educated guess, but it is our Heavenly Father who loves us so much that He has numbered the hairs on our heads . . . and He alone knows how long the race is that we must fight. A financial planner might be able to offer us very good advice, but at the end of the day only God knows what tomorrow brings.

Being able to trust in that sure knowledge in Him requires faith, pure and simple trust . . . the great news is that He has promised that if we do, He can lead and guide us through anything that life throws our way. I know this to be true.

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I am off to the Doctors early this morning. Nothing out of the ordinary really, just to get the results of my last blood tests and see if the newest prescription they have given me is doing what it is supposed to do, and if so to have it refilled! I baked gingerbread men yesterday for the children of the ladies I visit teach and then yesterday when Todd was out watching the car our next door neighbour remarked to him how delicious a certain cake was that I had baked for him and his wife yonks ago, and how much they had enjoyed it . . . so I think I will bake another one for them today, just as a bit of Christmas Cheer. They are awfully good neighbours, which can be somewhat of a rarity in these modern times!

I just love Portugese Custard Tarts. I am not overly fond of the British Custard Tarts, although Todd loves them. They always seem a bit eggy to me . . . I guess my North American tastes go for things that are a lot sweeter. This is my favourite recipe for Portugese Custard Tarts. They're very easy to make. I don' t know why I don't make them more often??? Actually it's probably a good thing that I DON'T make them more often. I think they are far too, too tempting!



*Portuguese Custard Tarts*
Makes six
Printable Recipe


It only takes three letters to describe these delectable little creations W-O-W!! Try them for yourself and you’ll see what I’m talking about! Very quick and easy to make, and very impressive . . .

1 (9 1/4 X 10) inch sheet of puff pastry, thawed (about 9 ounces)
4 large egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 TBS cornflour
the finely grated zest of 1 lemon
a pinch of salt



Preheat the oven to 260*C/500*F. Take the puff pasty and roll it into as tight a coil as you can, starting from the short side. Cut the coil into 1 1/2 inch wide strips. Put the pieces, cut sides down, into six muffin cups. Wet your fingers with a bit of cold water and press the pastry over the bottoms and up the sides to make a thin shell. It's ok if they extend a bit beyond the rim. Put into the freezer to chill while you make the custard.

Whisk the egg yolks, cream, sugar, cornflour, lemon zest and salt together in a medium saucepan. Place over medium high heat and cook, whisking constantly until the custard begins to thicken. This will take about 6 1/2 minutes. It will look quite thin until you have been wisking for about six minutes and then in the last 30 seconds will thicken just enough, like magic! It should be as thick as lemon curd. You don't need to boil it.

Remove your muffin tin from the freezer and divide the custard equally among the prepared tartlet shells. (If you are using a 12 cup muffin tin, fill the empty cups half full of water so they don't burn, trust me)

Bake until the tops are slightly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around them and loosen them so that you can remove them from the pan and finish cooling them on a wire rack before devouring! (about 30 minutes . . . for the cooling, not the devouring . . . that shouldn't take all that long!)

What do do with the leftover egg whites???? Why Pavlova of course!



In The English Kitchen today, a delicious assortment of Christmas Lunch Side Dishes!

A wise Christian once urged, “Let us not spend Christmas … but let us keep Christmas in our hearts and in our lives.”
~President Thomas S Monson, Christmas Devotional 2011