Category: In the Kitchen

The Sweet Struggle

One of my favorite desserts at Starbucks is the sweet and creamy, mini Banoffee pie! It’s just one of those simple desserts that I can’t get enough of. The combination of bananas, crushed graham, chocolate, caramel, and cream works so well! Recently, I had the opportunity to prepare a Banoffee pie at home. I figured that it would take less than two hours to make it, so I started at around 4pm. But to my surprise, it was already around 10 pm when I finished making the dessert.

 

Why did it take me so long to prepare it? Well, it’s all because of the dulce de leche (caramel) in it. I read in a lot of Banoffee Pie recipes that we can actually make our own caramel by heating up the condensed milk until it has reached our desired consistency and color. However, it is crucial to remember that heating the condensed milk directly from the pan won’t be a good step since it would probably just burn the milk easily.

The other two fastest ways to cook/heat up the condensed milk are the ff:

Plan A: This includes simmering (or boiling with a medium heat) an unopened can of condensed milk that is submerged in a pot of water for 2 to 3 hours (or maybe more).

Plan B: This includes double broiling the condensed milk in a bowl on top of a small pot with simmering water, while mixing the milk constantly.

Of course, Plan A sounds easier, but I chose to do Plan B because of some precautions and warnings about Plan A that I read in some news articles. Apparently, some can manufacturers do not recommend cooking the milk in the unopened can to avoid accidents/problems such as: explosions due to overheating and health risks as some say that the cans may release chemicals to the milk once heated.

I started double broiling the condensed milk and actually enjoyed the first few minutes of it. But, when I saw that the color of the milk was still the same even after two hours of broiling, I started to get discouraged. I remember telling God how it seemed that it wasn’t such a good idea to do Plan B. In my mind, I was thinking of the time I was wasting because I was double broiling the milk. And it sort of frustrated me because I couldn’t see any results. The cream-colored condensed milk wasn’t getting thicker and wasn’t turning into brown.

I decided to get a glass of water to cool myself down and went back to the kitchen after a few minutes. When I went near the stove, I noticed a number of ants huddling around and enjoying the few drops of condensed milk on the countertop. At first, I shivered when I saw them because I am not a fan of insects. However, God still used that opportunity to speak to me.

He reminded me of how ants are described in the Bible: HARDWORKING and WISE. They persevere in preparing beforehand and they enjoy their harvest afterwards.

 

I was tempted not to finish cooking the dulce de leche, but God encouraged me to be faithful, like the ants, even in that simple task. He encouraged me to persevere and not to give in to the discouragements around me. But more importantly, He encouraged me to remember who He is (Faithful, Able, Gracious) at that time when I was struggling. :)

Psalm 105:4 “Look to the Lord and His strength, seek His face always.”

(One of my favorite verses in the Bible. :D)

I continued to double broil the condensed milk and decided to stop only when it already reached the caramel consistency and color. By God’s grace, after many hours, I was finally able to have my dulce de leche ready for the Banoffee Pie. Thank You, Lord! :)

“If the struggle you’re facing is slowly replacing your hope with despair.

Or the process is long and you’re losing your song in the night.

You can be sure that the Lord has His hand on you.

Safe and secure, He will never abandon you.

You are His treasure and He finds His pleasure in you.”

[Steve Green’s He Who Began a Good Work]

 

 

Encourage yourself one treat at a time! :)

 

The Very Thought of You :)

I opened the refrigerator a few minutes ago and saw a container filled with pink, plump, and peeled pomelo wedges. It was a lovely sight! I always enjoy eating the sweet and sometimes sour, juicy fruit. I like pomelo, but, I have to say that peeling the fruit does require a lot of effort.  However, I’ve learned that God can use even the most random things, like peeling fruits, to speak to us and encourage our hearts.

The last time I peeled a pomelo was when one of my sisters and I watched Fantastic Four at home. At that moment, I wondered why it was so complicated to peel the fruit. I mean, God could have made pomelos like bananas, so that we can easily peel them too! But as I continued to peel and eat the fruit, I found myself being more amazed by the fact that God DID make pomelos the way they are because He is God! He knows best. :) The thick pomelo skin, the Vitamin C and potassium in it, the thin inner peels that protect the fruit, and even the juicy fruit itself are all part of his plan when He thought of creating it.

It reminded me so much of how creative, indescribably intelligent, and awesome our God is as a Creator! He could have made the pomelo fruit with just one layer of covering, but He didn’t. He carefully designed and thought about it when He made the pomelo. And it amazes me to see how He can use fruits too to remind us of who He is in our lives.

 

“Those who know your name trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.” – Psalm 9:10

I realized that just like how I reacted and got easily frustrated with the hassle of peeling the pomelo, I still sometimes find myself dwelling on negative thoughts about me, others, or the situations I am in. Sometimes, I am even tempted to complain about how “complicated” life is too, or I tend to compare myself to other “bananas” and “fruits” out there. But, God encouraged me to focus on who He is.

 

“What we believe about God is crucial because it affects what we believe about everything else.” – Nancy Leigh DeMoss

When I started to think about God being an amazing Creator of the pomelo fruit, I slowly began to appreciate the process of peeling it. I appreciated the fruit more, even if it had a lot of “complications”. It was a good reminder for me to dwell on God’s Character than on me and my “complications in life”. Life is about who God is and what He has done for us.

 

God made us exactly the way He wants us to be.

God made us because He loves us.

 

What characteristic of God would you like to dwell on today? :)

 

 

Encourage yourself one treat at a time.

Choosing to be Grateful

A few weeks ago, my dad asked me to try making one of our family’s favorites: Sansrival. But, because the recipes I found were either too complicated or expensive, I decided to try making Silvanas instead.

The first step included beating the egg whites until they were stiff. It was a challenge for me because I couldn’t use my broken, electric hand mixer. I had no choice but to manually whisk it.

I thought to myself, “If only I had a Kitchen Aid mixer right now (my dream mixer)…” I was tempted to complain because it would have been so much easier for me to whip it with a mixer. However, God reminded me to use what I had (my hands) at that time and do my best to work with the egg whites, instead.

After attempting to whisk them, I also asked help from my older brother, Michael, to assist me in producing the desired consistency of the whipped egg whites. By God’s grace, we were able to make a stiff batch of egg whites (with the perfect consistency for the meringue).

I continued to do the next steps in the recipe and prepared the different layers.

 

After making the layers, the only thing that I needed to do was to put finely crushed cashew nuts all over the Silvanas. The recipe suggested to use a food processor for the nuts, but, I didn’t have a food processor. And I found myself thinking about what I didn’t have again. “If only I had a food processor, this step would have been so much easier…”

But, God (being the awesome God that He is) gently rebuked me and said: “What’s up with you, Nic? Why do you focus on what you don’t have and keep on complaining? Have I not given you the things that you need?”

Right then and there, God showed me how foolish I was to practice that kind of attitude. I still have hands that I can use to bake/cook. And besides, even if I didn’t have a food processor, I could use the blender we have to easily crush the nuts for the Silvanas.

 

 

I realized that every time I choose to focus on what I don’t have and complain about it, I miss out on the privilege of being able to thank God — for who He is and for what He has given me. I remember reading this quote* in one of the images in Google: “What if you woke up today with only the things that you thanked God for yesterday?”

It was a good reminder for me to constantly have a grateful heart, not because I am afraid that God would take away what I already have (material things, relationships, etc.), but because God simply deserves the best. He deserves my best thanks and praise! :)

 

 

Moreover, it says in Hebrews 13:5:

“…be content with what you have, because God said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

I like how God related ‘being content’ to ‘acknowledging His presence’ in our lives. I realized that one of the reasons why we aren’t content/grateful is because we forget how much our Father God loves us. We forget how He is more than enough for us.

 

What’s keeping us from being content? From being grateful?

 

I learned that we may not always get what we want, but God provides for us everything that we need for His good purposes to be fulfilled in our lives. Ultimately, He is all we need.

 

Encourage yourself one treat at a time! :)

 

*I still don’t know who said the statement I quoted earlier. If you do, please let me know, so I can properly cite him/her. Thank you! :)

I Did It My Way

“I knew it wasn’t the right time. I knew I should have waited more. I knew I should have obeyed. But even if I knew those things, I did IT anyway. I did it my way.”

 

“I flipped the fish.”

 

I was frying two boneless bangus fish for lunch one afternoon when God reminded me of the importance of obedience. I knew how to properly fry fish. My mom taught me two things when it comes to frying fish: First, the oil must be appropriately hot before putting the fish in the pan. Second, once the fish is frying in the pan, we have to wait for the right time before flipping it over, to fry its other side.

I was frying the first fish for two to three minutes already when I decided to take a peek on the side of the fish that was being fried. It seemed like it was almost done, but I knew that it still wasn’t cooked thoroughly. I remembered mom’s instructions and I knew that I needed to wait more before I could flip it. However, the hint of pride in me took control and I assumed that I knew better at that moment. I eventually flipped the fish to fry its other side.

Unfortunately, when I tried to turn the fish over, a lot of its meat got stuck to the pan. It was a disaster! I ended up with a weird-looking bangus and had less fish meat to eat. I thought to myself: “If I only followed mom’s instructions and waited a bit more, I would not have ‘ruined’ the fish. :( ”

God then spoke to my heart and showed me how it is comparable to experiencing the consequences of disobedience in the other aspects of my life. Moreover, He reminded me of some reasons why I should learn to obey Him more:

Job 36:11
“If they obey and serve him,
they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity
and their years in contentment.”

 

Being Obedient helps:

  1. Protect us from certain dangers, unnecessary pains, and regrets. (e.g. too much oil absorbed in the fish, difficulty in flipping/cooking the fish; heartbreaks, sin, bitterness, etc.)
  2. Us be good stewards of the resources that God has given us. (e.g. not wasting the fish that mom bought; the time used for cooking; the kitchen equipment/ingredients used; money; etc.)
  3. Us fully experience God’s blessings in life. (e.g. being able to cook a whole fish properly and enjoy eating it afterwards; blessings in the workplace, in relationships, in the decisions that we make; etc.)
  4. Us bring joy and honor to God. (e.g. shows how we value God and His thoughts and decisions more than ours; humility; surrender; trust; contentment; etc.)

Thankfully, I still had a second bangus to fry! By God’s grace, I learned my lesson and was able to fry it properly and beautifully. I gave this fish to my younger brother who was eating lunch with me, while I ate the first fish I fried. I somehow still enjoyed eating it because although it was a ‘messed-up fish’ and it reminded me of the consequences of my pride/disobedience, God reassured me that His mercies are new for me each day. By His grace, I know that every day, I can trust in Him, knowing that His ways and plans are way better than mine and obey Him with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.

 

Are we doing it our way?

Are we obedient only when it is convenient?

Is there anything that is hindering us from obeying God at this point in our lives?

 

Psalm 119:10 “With my whole heart have I sought you: O let me not wander from your commandments.”

 

 

Encourage yourself one treat at a time. :)

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About Me

My name is Nicole Obligacion and I started this blog because I was inspired by Hebrews 10:24 and Hebrews 3:13. I love to eat, cook, bake, read the Bible, and encourage. :)

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