Gingerbread Cake with Pears

December 28th; the quiet after the storm; our first day this week with absolutely nowhere to go. Time to get caught up on the blog...

I've been making the above named recipe for a couple of years now, and have no recollection of where I got it. It is always received with glowing reviews and so I have promised several people that I would post it on my blog...so here goes. It's not a quick recipe, nor does it follow my desire to reduce my sugar intake, but definitely worth the effort, and I bet you could replace the sugar with fructose, or even honey and get very similar results (I just haven't made the attempt yet...)
If there are two ingredient options, the first is what I use, the second is from the original recipe.
ENJOY!!!

Line a 9 inch spring form pan with parchment/waxed paper.

In a small pan gently heat until bubbling:
4 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp margarine/ unsalted butter
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Pour into cake pan and swirl to coat the entire bottom.

Peel and cut 3 (Anjou) pears into eighths, lengthwise (removing the core) and place in a small pot. Add:
1 cup water (1/2 water, 1/2 white wine)
1 cup sugar
1 stem of ginger, peeled and cut into large pieces
Cover with parchment paper and bring up to a simmer. Turn heat down slightly and cook until pears are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. Arrange pears, small points in the center, around outer edge of the cake pan.

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, cream together:
1/4 margarine/unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar

In a small bowl combine:
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup molasses

In a medium bowl combine:
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt

Stir molasses into butter mixture. Add flour mixture.

Add:
3/4 cup boiling water

Beat in:
1 egg

Gently pour/spread batter over the pears. Bake for 35-40 minutes until a tester comes out clean. I found that to end up being a little dry, especially at the outer edge, so I take it out a little sooner. Allow to cool (20 minutes).

Undo spring form pan. If the cake has risen in the center, you can trim off a bit, so that it sits flat on the plate (otherwise it tends to crack, not great for presentation points) Turn cake onto serving plate and peel of parchment. Serve warm or at room temp. Caramel ice cream is a great addition!

First Corinthians 13 - A Christmas Version

2 things I struggle with (well there are many more but Blogger does have a memory limit)

ONE: One of the greatest joys of home schooling is that you have your children home with you all day, everyday. You watch them learn, hear their stories, comfort their pain. One of the greatest downfalls to home schooling is that you have your children home with you all day, everyday. They constantly have questions, a trip to run errands is a huge production, and you can rarely go to the bathroom without being interrupted.

TWO: Christmas is a wonderful time of year. What a great thing to celebrate; the coming of our Saviour!!!! But the line between the Christian celebration and what the world has made it out to be has become so blurred I'm not even sure where to begin at sorting out what is part of which side.

At this time of year these two really seem to clash together.

This morning one of my home school newsletters posted the following, which really spoke to me. Guess I'm not the only one working on this issue; and of course, the answer is always found in the Word.

Think I'm going to go and spend the day snuggling with my kids!

First Corinthians 13
Christmas Version

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows,
strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls,
but do not show love to my family,
I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen,
baking dozens of Christmas cookies,
preparing gourmet meals and arranging
a beautifully adorned table at mealtime:
I'm just another cook.

If I work at a soup kitchen,
carol in the nursing home,
and give all that I have to charity;
but do not show love to my family,
it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels
and crocheted snowflakes,
attend a myriad of holiday parties
and sing in the choir's cantata
but do not focus on Christ,
I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the spouse.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love does not envy another's home
that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love does not yell at the kids to get out of the way,
but is thankful they are there to be in the way.
Love does not give only to those who are able
to give in return; but rejoices in giving
to those who cannot.

Love bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things, and endures all things.
Love never fails.

Video games will break,
pearl necklaces will be lost,
golf clubs will rust,
but giving the gift of love will endure.

--Author Unknown

Snow Day

Today the storm hit. Although it wasn't snowing too hard when we woke up, the wind was fierce and freezing and all predictions were that it was only going to get worse, so we decided to stay home from church. As it turns out it was a good decision. We were soon unable to see my parent's home (only a field away) and it hasn't let up all day. Mark just went to put wood in our outdoor wood stove and had to trudge through drifts that were up to his waist. Our dog Chewie had to become part kangaroo just to go for a pee! We enjoyed a great family day (after going back to bed for a while...) and decided to open our Christmas presents. New toys and games are always welcome when you're snow bound!

We haven't seen a plow since early this morning so the road also has quite a thick blanket on it. I hope we're awake tomorrow when it goes by...that should be quite the show!

So for now we're going to snuggle back down, and wait to see what the morning brings (and the clouds overnight)

Imagine...winter is still 7 days away!