Easter Story Cookies

Last Easter, a good friend of mine shared the recipe for these Easter Story Cookies. Our family really enjoyed making them and thought you might too.

To be made the evening before Easter

1 cup whole pecans
1 tsp vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
ziploc baggie
wooden spoon
tape
Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. This is important - don't wait until you're half done with the recipe!! :)

Place pecans in ziploc baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp of vinegar into the mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30

Add the egg whites to the vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27

So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup of sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Psalms 34:8 and John 3:16

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto a wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matthew 27:57-60

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matthew 27:65-66

GO TO BED!

Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow!! On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matthew 28:1-9

To Tan or Not To Tan?!?

In light of this new skin cancer issue I am dealing with, I am now faced with a new dilema. To tan or not to tan. We all know that the only way to make white, jiggly skin look better is to add a little color to camoflauge it. For those of you who know me well, you understand how much stress this is causing me. But for those of you who don't, I have been and avid sun bather for years (thus the skin cancer!!!). Not only have I spendt hours laying out by the pool or at the beach but I also regularly enjoy the tanning bed. Since my days of languishing in the sun have been extremely limited by the addition of my 3 children, I have found that I can achieve the same results in a fraction of the time at our local indoor tanning salon. Let's just say that I have spent lots of time and lots of dollars to attain the glow to which I have become accustomed.
I knew that this skin cancer was caused by too much sun exposure and that I would need to cut down on the amount of time that I spent baking my skin but I thought that maybe I could still use the tanning bed. I was sure that the UV rays couldn't possibly be as bad as those from the sun. So, as I am waiting for my surgery to start I proceeded to ask Dr. K about my future tanning needs. He shared with me that I would need to invest in some good sunscreen and a hat. I expected this answer and decided to go ahead and ask about the tanning bed. The conversation went something like this,
Gigi: "Dr. K, I understand about limiting my time in the sun, but what about the tanning bed."
Dr. K: "THE TANNING BED!!!"
Gigi: "Yes, sir"
Dr. K: "Not only can you get damage from the UV rays but you can also get SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES!!"
GiGi: "OMG! Really?"
Dr. K: "Yes, Really!"
Needless to say, I was disgusted. So here I am, pale, white and jiggly with no prospect to change any of these adjectives in my near future.