Author and Inspired Writer

My sister Chris is a wonderful baker – pies, cakes, confections, muffins, you name it – and now she’s gone Gluten Free!  Which means we can eat anything at her place and not have to worry.  Yay!  The Mister and I travelled to Richmond Hill last week for a family reunion, sort of, (not all the family was there) and Chris’s birthday, sort of, (her actual birthday past before anyone arrived – and that’s just how we roll in this family).  It was an all together delightful time, lots of stories, laughter and, of course, food, glorious food!

When it was time to go, Chris included a couple Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins in our lunch, and I couldn’t wait to get at them.  We left early in the morning, and I took the first shift driving, as is my custom.

“How ’bout breaking out those muffins?” I asked The Mister, trying not to salivate too noticeably.

“Uh, no,” he replied.

“Beg pardon?” I rejoined.  “Why not?”

He made that wincey face he makes sometimes and said, “Because you’ve only just backed out of the driveway.”

My turn to make a face.  “Let me remind you that you said we could get into the muffins when we were on the road.  Kindly observe, all four tires are on the road.”

“Drive.”

“But did you kindly observe?  The tires?  All four of them?  Touching the road?”

“Drive.”

As it would have meant taking both my hands off the wheel to simultaneously grab the lunch bag and throttle him, I decided to wait for an more opportune moment, not realizing that my beloved of 24 years was not going to let me have so much as a taste until we reached London, two hours later!  The nerve!

The idea of calling a lawyer when I got home did cross my mind, but one taste of those wonderful pumpkin muffins put me in such a good mood I decided to let it go…this time.  And that feeling of magnanimity still burns in my heart, so I’m going to share the recipe for these magic muffins with you, my gentle readers to read, create and enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a muffin tin or line with paper cups.

In a large bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, chocolate chips, pecans, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt.

In a separate bowl, add pumpkin, milk, melted butter and eggs and mix. Add this mixture to you dry ingredients and mix just until all ingredients are moistened and incorporated. Add 1 cup of frozen cranberries.  Spoon into muffin cups about 2/3 full.

Bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. These muffins are delicious eaten warm.

I also add about one-third of a cup of ground flax to the dry ingredients as well – up to you.  My muffin pan makes fairly large muffins and I don’t really worry about only filling them 2/3 full, but it’s up to you what size of muffies you would like.

I also find that canned pumpkin – not pumpkin pie filling – only comes in a large can, so using only one cup is a real waste.  So I make a double batch, but I find it works best to make two seaprate batches rather than a double.  Some things only seem to work well when not doubled up.  That way I am using a little more than half the can, so don’t feel quite so bad about getting rid of the rest.  Perhaps you and The Mister could find a use for the rest of the pumpkin.

The GF flour tends to make for a drier batter, so you may want to add more oil or almond milk.

I preached last Sunday in my little church in the Burg. It was a remarkable experience, one that bordered on the miraculous, that I was even able to remain upright for the hour of service. Saturday afternoon I had a nasty reaction to some medication, and Saturday night got two hours sleep, if that. Needless to say, I was concerned if I would be able to make it through the service, but round about the second hymn I experienced a sudden, sure reminder that there were people praying for me, one in particular. The congregation was singing out with full-throated glory and I was buoyed up by all this positive energy, felt strong and centred. I delivered my sermon with ease and met all the little challeneges of leading a service with no problems. I spent the rest of the day on the couch mind you, but yesterday felt almost 100% again, and today I’m back to normal. I do believe in the power of prayer. I do believe in the power of love.

So you find yourself in the Burg this Sunday about 10:30 a.m., and you’re thinking, “Gosh, I could really go for a church service right about now!” Well my friend, are you ever in luck! St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 129 Simcoe St. is the place for you. Our minister, Rev. Jobb is at General Assembly this week, so some upstart by the name of Penny-Anne Beaudoin will be in the pulpit. She’s not one to set the river on fire, you understand, but nice enough for all that, and not prone to ramble on when she’s had her say. The sanctuary is air conditioned, the choir angelic, and there’s coffee and treats afterward. Sunday School is run concurrently with the service downstairs.

Our minister is retiring at the end of September.

This was unexpected.  I thought she would be with us another five years.  She is a tremendous community builder and the thought of facing the future without her has set us all back on our heels.  But already the community is thinking and talking about what comes next.

Last Sunday, during coffee hour, I was approached by a member of session and asked if I “would think about, just think about taking over preaching duties full-time.”  And my heart sank.

I love preaching and I very much enjoy doing “pulpit supply” for four or five weeks in the summer.  And my congregation loves me deeply and would be soooo relieved if I would take over the pulpit in their hour of need.  So it’s hard – very, very hard – to have to say no.  But that’s what I’m going to do.

I’m a writer.  And I know the unasked question on everybody’s mind is, “Can’t you do both?”  To a point, yes I can.  But they don’t realized how much time and effort goes into preparing these few sermons every year, and how much time it takes from my writing.  I can no more prepare a sermon every week than I can whistle with crackers in my mouth.  (Kids, don’t try that at home.)  I’m not good enough at it.  And if I neglect my writing for too long, I get sick.  The poems that are coming to me right now are the most powerful I’ve ever written.  If I shut that off to concentrate on preaching, I’m afraid I’ll lose them, and I cannot bear the thought.

It’ll be hard for them to understand.  Preaching seems to come so easily to me.  And so does writing, but they only ever see the finished product, the sermon, the book.  I’m honoured they would ask.  And I’m not looking forward to turning them down when they need someone so badly right now.

But, I’m a writer.