Who'll Make the Coffee ... and the Cookies?

"Who'll make the coffee?"

It sounds like such a small thing. But for those of us who arrive at church early to run off Sunday School materials or who enjoy partaking in a cup of joe and some conversation before the worship service begins, it becomes a little detail that makes a big difference.

One of the guys who "made the coffee" at our church died last week. Yes, Marion made the coffee for a lot of years - before Sunday School, at the bazaar, for funeral dinners, for the men's pancake feed and more.

But it wasn't just that. He quietly did a whole lot more. He and his wife stirred up "Methodist meatloaf" for some 100 funeral dinners. His family had been putting together Christmas candy bags for the church's children since 1929. 

When another member of the church was no longer able to organize the apple pie days and apple butter making for the fall bazaar, he and his wife were the driving forces behind those efforts. He was Sunday School clerk, keeping track of attendance for 60 years. I'm sure there was more that I - and others - didn't know he did. But we will likely discover those things in the coming days.

He still was doing some of those things a month ago. Once his cancer was discovered, his remaining time here on earth went quickly.

Randy and I visited the family and took some food to their home before the funeral. I took BBQ beef for a reason. That was my mother-in-law Marie's "go-to" offering to take to grieving families. And she was one of those quietly-get-things-done people at church, too. Even though she's been gone 23 years, I felt that connection of church and family ties as I shredded the beef to take to town.

I also took some cookies. I'd been wanting to try a recipe I'd seen online for Cafe Coffee Cookies. And when I thought of Marion and all the pots of coffee he made, I couldn't think of a better time to try them. (There's also an inside joke among those of us who were around Marion after church dinners or when everyone had had their fill of coffee on a Sunday morning. No one was supposed to dump out the coffee. In fact, if he knew you'd "wasted it," he let you know he didn't approve. If there was leftover coffee, he'd haul it a block home and warm it up to use there. He was the very definition of a Depression-era-raised American.)

Besides singing for the service, I helped with the funeral dinner, as did many others. When Randy came downstairs after completing his pall bearer duties at the cemetery, he told me,  "It sure smells good down here. Actually, it smells good in the whole church."

And I thought again - as I so often do at funeral dinners - about how we are to be the "fragrance" or the "aroma" of Christ.

“For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ”  

2 Corinthians 2:15 

Homemade French bread was something else Marion made for funeral dinners. The fragrance of homemade bread as it bakes always permeates a room. It's like doing the little things: It permeates our life and the lives of others. We become the hands and feet and heart of Christ when we do those little, sometimes "invisible," things.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love,

 just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us,

 an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

Ephesians 5: 1-2 

 

Randy's comment brought me back to the message Pastor Nate preached during the funeral, when he asked "Who will take up the mantle? Who will fill the sacks for the children at Christmas? Who will do the other things that need to be done?"

It will likely take more than one of us to "make the coffee" and take on some of the tasks that Marion and other pillars of the church have done for so many years. And maybe some of those tasks will evolve. It's OK to purchase French bread from the bakery aisle instead of making every loaf from scratch. But it still takes someone to plan for it and actually do it.

Whether we take up the mantle "as is" or get it done in a different way, it's OK. One of my favorite Bible passages -- I Corinthians 12 -- talks about all the parts of the body being important and working together. It takes all of us, using our God-given gifts to do the work of the church or the community - whether that's school music, sports, 4-H, Scouts, Chamber of Commerce, the county fair, food bank ... the examples are endless.

And if you're into "making the coffee" - either in reality or metaphorically - you might like the flavor (and aroma) of these cookies:

Cafe Coffee Cookies

Adapted from a recipe found online

1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. instant espresso powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped pecans (plus extra for sprinkling on top)
1 pkg. (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Coffee Drizzle
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 1/2 - 2 cups cups powdered sugar (approx.)
A splash of milk may be needed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl with paddle attachment, beat together the shortening, butter and sugars until light and creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix in well.

Combine flour, espresso powder, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture on low speed, beating just until well combined. Stir in the chopped pecans and chocolate chips.

Using a cookie scoop, drop dough onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes or until edges are set. Cool on pan for 2 to 4 minutes, then remove to cool completely.

For the glaze: Dissolve espresso powder in the warm melted butter. Add powdered sugar and stir until smooth and until it's a "drizzle" consistency. In honesty, I didn't measure the glaze ingredients that well because I adapted it to include butter. I believe in flavor in any frosting or glaze. So add additional powdered sugar or a splash of milk to make it a glaze consistency. I used a decorator tube to create a more uniform drizzle over the cookies. While the glaze is still wet, sprinkle with additional chopped pecans or mini chocolate chips. (I was out of mini chocolate chips, so I didn't try that this time.) Let the drizzle dry until set.

To store, place cookies in an airtight container, putting layers of waxed paper or parchment between the layers. Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies.

Life Expectancy

My life just got a little longer. Or so I'd like to believe. A new study reveals that coffee drinkers are a little more likely to live longer. Regular or decaf? It doesn't matter.

I read it in my newspaper a few weeks ago, so it must be true, right? Since I definitely like my coffee, I sure like this study better than the one that said coffee will be the death of me.

I thought I'd share my rediscovered health. I'm always looking for blog topics. So I took a photo of coffee in this pretty cup. It's the china I inherited from Randy's Grandma Ava.

I don't usually drink my coffee in it. In fact, I rarely use the china, except when we have guests. And even then, I don't usually serve the java complete with cup and saucer.

I could use the china. I probably should use the china.

But, truth be told, I drink my coffee in an old plastic mug that Jill gave me. Every single day. She bought it one year at the Kansas State Fair. It has a photo of her in all her junior high girl glory enclosed inside a plastic liner. It's been washed so many times that you'll have to take my word that it's a photo of Jill. 

It's horribly stained and ratty, and I didn't want anyone to think badly of me. So I took the photo of coffee in the pretty china cup.

And then I saw a video on Facebook called Life Is Like a Cup of Coffee. It was posted by a blog friend I've never met, but I hope to someday.

And I got to thinking about my need to "look good" for other people. I'm perfectly happy drinking my morning coffee in my ratty plastic mug. In fact, I prefer it. But if you see how I really live my life, you might not respect me. Or like me. You might judge me.

So I got out the pretty china cup.

After I watched the video, I thought again. It does give me a Touch of Class.

It says so, right on the mug.

So, yes, I'd like to believe my morning coffee isn't taking minutes from my life. But along the way to this post, the message changed just a bit. As the video says:

The happiest people 
don't have the best of everything.

They just make 
the best of everything.

Live simply.

Love generously.

Care deeply.

Speak kindly.

Those things will probably help me live happier and longer than any amount of coffee - whether it comes in a china cup, a stained plastic mug or a Styrofoam cup.

I hope you'll take time to watch the video. It'll take 3 1/2 minutes of your life. Have another cup of coffee. It's worth the life investment.

Tomorrow: Check back for something to eat with that coffee.

Bake and Take Month

Want to make friends and influence people? Home baked goodies will usually do the trick.

For 40 years, Kansas Wheat's Bake and Take Month has been an opportunity to celebrate relationships with friends and family by baking and sharing treats.

Bake and Take Day began in 1970 as a community service project of the Kansas Wheathearts in Sumner County. The Kansas Wheathearts, an auxiliary organization of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers, set out to share baked goods with family members, friends, neighbors, and those in need, generating goodwill in the community. The idea expanded in 1973 when the Kansas Wheathearts created a national Bake and Take Day celebration.

Even though the Kansas Wheathearts disbanded in 2001, the tradition continues with the Kansas Wheat Commission and the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers. Now, they team up with the Home Baking Association to promote Bake and Take Month each March.

I just shared 6 dozen cookies for a Stafford Main Street promotion. Home cooks throughout the community contributed baked goods, and Stafford Main Street delivered them to say "Thank you" to the small businesses who call Stafford home.

I used some tried and true recipes, but I also tried a new one for my baking efforts. I saw dark chocolate-covered coffee beans on a recent stop at Glenn's Bulk Foods at Pleasantview (near Hutchinson) and decided to add those to a chocolate cookie rather than the customary chocolate chips. And Cappuccino Cookies were born!

Randy, as usual, was my willing guinea pig. And even though he's not a coffee fiend like me, he thought the cookies were good enough to share.

If you do participate in the Bake and Take event, be sure and let the Kansas Wheat people know about it. You could win a prize bundle, including a couple of cookbooks. Here's a link to the entry form.

You can find additional recipes on the Kansas Wheat website, under the Consumers link. Just click on "recipes." (Or just click on the links!)

Cappuccino Cookies

2 cups flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup shortening
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 to 2 cups dark chocolate-covered coffee beans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all dry ingredients and set aside. Beat shortening, sugars and vanilla in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate-covered coffee beans, retaining several to use to decorate the tops of the cookies.

Use a cookie scoop and drop onto greased baking sheets. In the center of each cookie, put a chocolate-covered coffee bean. Bake for 8-10 minutes (depends on your oven) or until cookies are puffed and centers are nearly set. Cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet. Remove from cookie sheet. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

Notes:

• You may use butter instead of shortening. The cookies will just spread out more.
• If you don't have a bulk foods store where you live, you might try finding chocolate-covered coffee beans at a bulk candy store.
• If chocolate-covered coffee beans don't appeal to you, you can substitute chocolate chips, any of the swirled chips, Andes mint pieces, Almond Joy pieces, Reece's Pieces, etc. They keep coming out with new additions all the time.
  

Need other tried-and-true ideas for Bake and Take?

Try Caramel Coconut Squares

***

Or try Fudge Bars.

Marvelous Mocha

Gooey chocolate ... What could be better? Well, a little coffee to go with that chocolate never hurts.

I saw the recipe for Mystery Mocha on the Pioneer Woman's website. It caught my eye when I clicked on another blogger's link to the website's Tasty Kitchen and Nutella Ooey Gooey Brownies.

It was one of those recipes I printed and stuck in a pile to try "sometime." Do any of you have a pile like that? I'll never get them all made, but I keep collecting them.

I think my Nu Lambda sisters were glad this one made it off the pile and onto serving bowls. Yum! If I do say so myself.

Actually, I don't have to say so myself. My friends liked it. And Randy was glad to see the leftovers after he'd devoured my trial run last weekend.

Enjoy!

Mystery Mocha

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1 piece unsweetened chocolate (1 square)
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup powdered cocoa
1 cup cold strong coffee

Sift together 3/4 cup sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Melt square of unsweetened chocolate and butter in the microwave. Add to dry ingredients alternately with the milk and vanilla. Blend. Pour into a greased 8- by 8-inch or 9- by 9-inch pan.

Combine brown sugar, 1/2 cup sugar and cocoa powder. Sprinkle over the cake batter. Pour the 1 cup cold coffee on top. Don't stir!

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Serve warm with ice cream or sweetened whipped cream or whipped topping. This will serve 8 or 9 and is best served warm.