OK, Y’all. I’m not even kidding. A half hour ago I opened a box Melissa overnighted to me filled with home-made goodies. I’m not talking chocolate chip cookies here (but I do like those). I’m talking – are you ready for this? – Russian Tea Cakes, Seasoned Parmesan Cheese Sticks (FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!), and this thing she called an “Apple Crostata.” (Different than that apple tart on her last blog. Did it come from one of your recipes or is she outsmarting us again??) Y’all, as I live and breathe, I have never had a more pleasant taste in my mouth – delicate, crusty, buttery, apple-y – than that darn thing. I stuck it the the oven per her instructions for 15 minutes to reheat it and it came out looking like a French chef’s masterpiece. I took it downstairs to the staff (she sent it to work so it wouldn’t sit all day on the front porch at home) and my LPM sisters and I lost our minds, it was so good. It honestly melted in our mouths with flavors so delicate you had to stand up to eat it. I could taste the slightest hint of orange in it. Don’t know what that was. Orange I guess. (Laughing at my own self.) The Apple Crostata doesn’t throw a party in your mouth like a kickin’ salsa. It offered more of an afternoon tea with Princess Diana, God rest her soul. This is a dessert for the unhurried. For those with a discerning pallet. And mine discerned all right. Mine discerned, “DANG, CHILD! THAT IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I’VE EVER PUT IN MY MOUTH!”
(I just grabbed the dictionary to see if I spelled the right “pallet” that meant taste buds instead of a thing you take to mother’s day out for your three year old. I didn’t spell the right one but I can’t find the right spelling to save my life. I found a word “pallette” but it means an armpit plate from a suit of armor. I sure am glad I didn’t use that word because this post has nothing to do with armpits but it does have to do with plates and with food so good you could work up a sweat. I guess, then, you could use a discerning pallette to keep it covered. Hey, did you know that Paraclete is in the Webster’s Dictionary? I just found it. WOW! Way to Go, Merriam!)
OK. That’s all I wrote to say. I don’t have time for blogging today. But sometimes matters of highest urgency arise and you just have to stop and post.
I hope if any of you Siestas are having a crumby day, it’s coming from a home made Apple Crostata. I’ve gotta go wash my hands now. They’re sticking to the keys. Apple. With a hint of orange.
PS. I’m going to wait just a tad longer to have Melissa deprogrammed from the cooking cult. She’s still studying Scripture between oven buzzers best I can tell.
Bravo to Melissa for stepping out and trying new things!! Way to go!! When I cook, I am doing good just to ensure that my kids (and my husband) have washed their hands before they stick their fingers in the food, or the bag of sugar, or the butter, or any of the other ingredients. It all sounds so delicious. Thanks for sharing!
rebecca in e.tx
LOL, until I saw other people’s comments with the word “palate,” I couldn’t for the life of me think of how that word was spelled! I knew that “pallet” didn’t look quite right, but nothing else would come to my mind, either!
I stumbled onto your blog just the other day and I am amazed at how much I enjoy it. There is a real Beth Moore and she blogs!!! May wonders never cease! I haven’t read any of your material or studied any of your studies (am I still allowed to comment on your blog?) but I like your blogs. Maybe I should check out your Bible studies. I’m always looking for Bible studies. God Bless you for being a real person.
Marj
Calaveras County CA
http://gdlvr.blogspot.com
omg…you are too funny. My keyboard wasn’t sticky from the delicious snackage you got, it was wet from drool (or spittle maybe). 😉
um…yikes…I had to look up “Paraclete.” Oops.
ps…just remember…your her “pal” and you “ate” her yummies. lol
A care package! I haven’t gotten one of those since I was in school. That was the “best-est” (I know it’s not a word, but I like it) thing to get during exam time. Oooh…sounds like Melissa is turning into quite a cook. Can’t wait to see the recipes!
Ok…tell melissa to come to Siesta Fiesta and set up many of tables with her yummy food for us all to sample! 🙂 Then we’ll all just hate her…i mean love her…more!
“I’m going to wait just a tad longer to have Melissa deprogrammed from the cooking cult. She’s still studying Scripture between oven buzzers best I can tell.”
VERY FUNNY LAST LINE. VERY FUNNY.
Furthermore- I now have to go to the pastry shop and see what I can muster up!! 🙂
Ok…where did this child come from? You “say” you are an average cook..so does she get it from Keith?? She’s blowing my mind with all of these incredible recipes!! I’ve come to realize that cooking is indeed a talent and a gift because I don’t have it and no amount of trying is going to make me have that gift! (sigh…)
And do you know what gift you have?? You have the gift of WORDS girl! You described that so well that my mouth started to water…and then I was just plain mad that I didn’t have some to try. 😉 You also have the gift to make me laugh hysterically and I oh so loveeeee that gift!!
p.s. I got my No Other Gods workbook yesterday and started reading some and I DO believe this is going to be a perfect study for me. Several lines already leaped off the page at me and I said “ok God, I hear ya…let’s do the thang.” Heehee.
Love you!
Missy in SC
Your description of Melissa’s treats just tickles me to no end. I love your rabbit trail. I live on them so its always good to have visitors.
Ok, guess we’re going to need another recipe!! Keep ’em coming!
Are you kidding me?!? You’re thinking about deprogramming that girl?!?
Surely you jest.
(And yes, I know your name isn’t Shirley.)
I say — get her a lifetime subscription to Martha Stewart Living, hook her up to the Food Network and let that genius cook as God intended.
Someday, she’ll write a cookbook in Greek, it will be a bestseller, and you’ll be able to retire and eat apple crostatas for the rest of your days.
Amen.
Man, now I’m hungry again!! Y’all are making it hard to lose this weight. Ah well, if I have a dessert and NOTING ELSE ALL DAY LONG, maybe it will all balance out.
And, Beth, you are the stinkin’ funniest woman God ever did make! I just love ya tons!!!!
I’ll take the Parmesan Cheese Sticks…they will go well w/ dinner tonight…a tomato-cucumber salad and a side of spinach.
Palate – schmalete…..just give me some of that good food!! Yum Yum!!
Keep up the good work Melissa, but do keep those fingers in the studying part. You girls at LPM have the hardest
part….sacrificing your hips to try Melissa’s baking talents…. 🙂
You gotta love this blog.
Georgia (Bible Bunny in MI)
When she said she had the cooking bug ,she wasn’t kidding was she? Wish I had someone to test out all their delicious delicacies on! You just enjoy it – Beth. Let her cook and bake her little heart out and you reap the scrupmtious benefits! 🙂
Beth,
You have my laughing hysterically out loud – you write like you speak and I love it.
I too have a Melissa – she is awesome like your Melissa –
Now sweet siestas, I am a secretary but computer illiterate and I went to web search and typed in Apple Crostata – voila – a recipe came up and guess what – Beth you have discerning taste buds – there is orange zest in the recipe!
Now praying I can afford a food processor (only have a small one)!
Blessings –
Pam
Thank you so much for this.
1. I needed a laugh
2. you called her Diana (no “Di” which she couldn’t stand!
3. ya’ll are just plain kooky and I LOVE it!
keep being crazy (and crazy in love with God)
My goodness girl – you know how to make someone’s mouth water. Now we have to beg ‘Lis once again to put the recipe out here for all to try. I am going to be as big as the side of a barn before the Siesta Fiesta if this continues. My palate is jealous of yours right now. Gotta go pray over my sin of envy right now…. You bless me over and over.
WAY TO GO MELISSA!!!! I am laughing so hard my side hurts – I definitely want that recipe – crumbly apple with a hint of orange – sounds scrumptious! Beth, you kill me. I can just see you sharing your sweet morsels – sent in a box of love from your sweet Melissa – that’s a mom!
BEBE
Hey, if she’s going to be cultic, it might as well being cooking where others (you) can benefit from it, right??? Maybe she can bring some of those treats with her to San Antonio?? Actually I’m headed to Atlanta at the end of the month. Hmmmmmm??!!
I’m about to get started on making the apple tart she posted for a gathering this evening. Keep your fingers crossed!
Thanks I needed to read this , I just got done writing a paper for schol . I could go for something sweet to eat too. had to chuckle about the cooking cult. I’m sure Her hubby doesn’t mind being the taste tester for all of her recipes. I guess since the kids are home for the summer I can do all kinds of cookie recipes since they are eating six loaves a bread a week and I can’t keep enough hot dogs and chili around. Any body else with older kids have this problem , Oh and the milk they go through. Love to all of you . Thanks Beth again for sharing with us.
Mmmmmmm, sounds delicious. If Melissa wants to send those goodies to anyone else, I’ll give her my address.
Melissa, I live in Georgia…I don’t mind meeting you somewhere if I can get some goodies too. (HEE HEE HEE).
Envious,
Sheryl
When is Melissa going to start taking orders? That Crostata sounds delicious.
Beth
You are just to cute with words, I am so blessed to read the blog several times a day, this is just the best medicine, emotionally, and spiritually. I tried the sopapilla cheescake receipe and took it took work, we nurses love to eat good food and so do the docs, it was amazing. Please send out this receipe. I think Melissa has a talent there. My hobbie is cooking and baking, my 6 children think I am the most wonderful cook/baker and I am always trying new receipes and searching cookbooks in my spare time. Someday I would love to open a cafe. I am some awesome spinach salads. Anyone want these. The docs I work with go hog wild. Would love to meet Melissa and share tips. God Bless you
Alexia
Beth
You are just to cute with words, I am so blessed to read the blog several times a day, this is just the best medicine, emotionally, and spiritually. I tried the sopapilla cheescake receipe and took it took work, we nurses love to eat good food and so do the docs, it was amazing. Please send out this receipe. I think Melissa has a talent there. My hobbie is cooking and baking, my 6 children think I am the most wonderful cook/baker and I am always trying new receipes and searching cookbooks in my spare time. Someday I would love to open a cafe. I am some awesome spinach salads. Anyone want these. The docs I work with go hog wild. Would love to meet Melissa and share tips. God Bless you
Alexia
That was so sweet of her to overnight you some goodies, What GREAT daughters you and Keith have raised..
Hi Beth,
I looked up a couple of different recipes for apple crostata, and both of them listed orange zest as an ingredient, so you were right….
Melissa is so sweet to send you an airmail package of such yummy treats. How were the Russian Tea Cakes???
Hugs,
Adrienne
I’m new to the blog as far as posting goes, but have always been a siesta at heart. Just had to comment since I was reading this at lunch while eating a large slice of Baskin Robbins ice cream cake. The way I’m figuring by the time we get through the summer bible study (which I can’t wait to start)and all those good recipes we’ll be trying(not to mention the mexican recipe you shared at Thanksgiving that I’ve made at least a dozen times)I will definitely have to get bigger clothes for fall! Since starting to go through menopause, my metabolism has officially “left the building!” : ) Love Ya’ll
Fun and funny!
Warm in Alaska (and wishing for a hint of orange).
Yes post the recipes! I made the chicken one posted a while ago – it was soooo good!
Beth…how I love you! You just crack me up! I’m tasting those baked goods all the way in Franklin, TN! Ha! I tried my hand at a simple scone recipe the other day…Melissa has inspired me!
Hugs and Kisses!
Donna (the mom of twin boys!)
I would love suggestions for biographies of those in the faith.
Anybody have some good ones to reccommend?
Oh I am laughing so hard! Boy did I need that. I just looked up a recipe for apple crostatas because you have made them sound so delicious. I have one question for you. I have a 4 year old little girl. How do I get her to grow up to love to bake and send me goodies?
By the way I love russian tea cakes, and they are even better with one chocolate chip baked right on top. Ok I am headed to the bakery right quick. And I’m from Ohio! Bye!
I wish my life was as fun as yours…
God Bless you all, From the OC
Ok, that just cracks me up! I mean, she airmails FOOD from Atlanta!! I thought my sister’s were bad when we sent things from WV to FL but never food – especially food we fixed ourselves!! LOVE IT!! Thanks for making me hungry!
Oh! There’s just something so fun about getting a package, and even more fun when it’s FOOD made by a loved one — wow!!! Yes, recipes would definitely be appreciated!
Britiney: Praise God!!! Thanks for sharing the news.
Blessings,
Karen K.
Houston
Drooling —— sounds SOOOOO good!
Thanks for the smile Beth!
I spent my first year of marriage perfecting cakes of various flavors. 7 years and many stubborn pounds later, I’m really wishing I’d FedEx’d them to my own mama. But I didn’t. I ate them.
Everything sounded wonderful. I’d love to see Melissa write a cookbook with a Christian perspective.
You know, my husband and I always wanted to add to our family of two daughters. Is Melissa interested in adoption? What a loving daughter you have Beth! Please post recipe soon so we can see what’s in it.
I’m voting for all of us Atlanta siestas to get together to partake of some of Melissa’s delicacies! Melissa are you up for the challege?
Beth,
This sounds worthy of our Siesta Fiesta Cookbook!! Especially if it’s fit for a Princess and even made by one of your Princesses!
What a role reversal though?!! Daughters sending to Moms–I love that idea! I may have to hint to my own!
I can’t wait to hear what the orange you detected turns out to be!
Enjoy your weekend!
Blessings from the rainy Northwest!
Oh Beth- you and I are so blessed – daughters who love to bake!! My daughter makes the most wonderful deserts. There’s this chocolate molten lava thing (absolutely scrumptious) and those cheese cakes…. Just one of those blessings that come from having grown daughters who love to bake and then SHARE!!
Girl, I wouldn’t have her deprogrammed from that cooking cult either if she was over-nighting me goodies like that! ….as long as she is still studying, of course. I think she needs to share all of her recipes so that we can taste too!
Have a blessed, tasty day!
Oh, Miss Beth, you make me laugh. I needed to laugh, I think. My back hurts so bad that I can’t even stand up straight right now. Or I couldn’t when I was standing. Now I’m sitting, but I better start feeling better in a short while cause I’m supposed to go to worship team practice in a little over an hour. I may have to call my leader and tell him I can’t do it, cause as if that’s not enough I’ve got other physical problems right now that I don’t want to talk about. I never knew going off of one antidepressant to go on another would be so hard! I expected to crash emotionally, which I haven’t quite like I thought I would, but man it has messed up my whole body! They have to let the one drug get completely out of my system before they put me on the other one, which I get to start tonight. I’m counting down the hours cause my body is REALLY mad at me right now. Maybe if I can get to church without a wheelchair, I’ll go!! Otherwise, forget it! I’m staying on my couch! But thanks for making me laugh. I wish I had some of those apple things though, although it probably wouldn’t help my stomach much. I can’t help thinking though, that poor Sabrina is missing out. That’s not fair. She’s gonna have to send some next week for her.
oooooh! Are there more recipes to come, Chef Fitzpatrick???
Apparently one of the siestas googles the recipe…I will not disturb Chef Fitzpatrick as she digs into Esther’s life…I’m off to google the Apple / orange treat!!
What a nice surprise. I would have never thought of packaging baked goods and send thing. I would have been afraid that they would have gone bad. Perhaps I will try afterall. Thanks for sharing. Sounds yummy. And just because Melissa enjoys finer culinary arts doesn’t make her part of a cult.
Haven’t tried it yet, but there is a recipe on the Cooking Light website, that for something sounding this yummy, isn’t all that bad for you! Here’s the link for the recipe:
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=522143
Melissa, you will have to share the original so we can see if there is a huge difference in the ingredient list.
Melissa is just amazing! I mean, she’s doing fabulous pastries in between research on Esther?
Well, I did not get the cooking gene and my mother didn’t have it and I am sometimes sad but not alot.
This is going to sound downright awful, but my friend who is a fabulous cook had me do a recipe once and it was hard (for me) but it came out looking pretty good.
I put in on the table all pretty and guess what? They ate it. They ate it in like 10 minutes!
I don’t get the Joy of Cooking. If I make something, I want someone to read it or look at it or something, but all that so they could eat it?
No, I don’t get the cooking thing at all. I love the people who do and share, but I’ll just stay happily in microwave land.
GOD bless all of you wonderful cooks…I know your families are happy and grateful.
Blessings, love and prayers,
Teri