This delicious comfort food recipe takes less work than pie, and will hit the spot on any cold day with both your tastebuds and your waistline, clocking in at only 250 calories per slice
Hope For the Weary and Frustrated Mama
This week has felt like a comfort food kind of week. My soul has felt weary for many reasons, one of which has included continuing to find myself right in the thick of that oh-so-lovely two year old stage. As wonderful as it is to embark on the journey of parenthood, this particular stage has come with a distinct set of frequent and tearful challenges. Yesterday, I reached my limit, but I also realized some important things as I experienced that sweetness that often finds a way of following a breaking point.
This last week, I’ve had my buttons pushed in many ways, starting with a particular set of buttons that were quite literally plucked off of my laptop.
I’ve unsuccessfully attempted to manage endless episodes of tempestuous behavior and tantrums, and I’ve been smacked and kicked close to every time I’ve said no (there have been more than I can count). There has also been a hike in the number of household items that have found themselves as casualties of the “reign of the terrible two’s,” including the remnants of a basil plant plucked bare and naked by tiny mischievous fingers, some books that received a shampoo bath (I was actually able to save those with minimal damage), daddy’s Officer of the Year award which found itself broken upon being hurled at the ground after my girl managed to squeeze herself under the gate into the office.
A number of crayons were chewed to pieces as someone clearly had a sudden inexplicable craving for an oh-so-tasty waxy snack, and there have been endless battles at mealtime with a stubborn and steady diet preference of instant oatmeal, ice cream and chocolate milk to which mom has said no (enter: screams, smacks and kicks to mom). In the last number of months, I have encountered resistance on issues big and small, and on the agenda today: take back the new toddler carseat as my sweet one has learned how to unbuckle herself in the car, much to the panicked dismay of mom and dad. Needless to say, its been months on end of what feels like a “wash, rinse, dry, repeat” cycle of frustration. Despite practicing consistency in parenting while adapting in the necessary areas, the feeling of defeat has been slowly building to a point where I reached a meltdown yesterday.
I had a leader meeting yesterday morning for Mother’s Of Pre-Schoolers (MOPS), a wonderful organization that offers a lifeline of support through bi-weekly meetings, providing community with which to share in the joys and struggles of motherhood. This group of ladies has been such a delight and source of encouragement for me and yesterday was no different. I checked Julianne in at kids’ care for the meeting, walked into the room, and the dam broke. Before I knew it, before I could even get a word out, I burst into tears – not exactly the entrance I anticipated, despite my mounting frustrations. I immediately felt like the center of attention which isn’t the most comfortable feeling, especially in a moment of tearful vulnerability. I was met with an immediate embrace from a friend and in this group and my tears were empathized with and understood well, as everyone has littles that come with their own very frustrating moments. By the end of the meeting, I felt encouraged, poured into, prayed for, and I had a few laughs as other moms shared their own “end of their rope” moments. I was reminded by numerous moms that I was not a failure or a bad mom for being impatient, losing my cool, and feeling like I was about to fall apart. I was a normal mom, not an inadequate one.
Once again, I was reminded of how important it is to have “your people,” your tribe who walk with you in the struggles of parenthood, speaking words of truth, empathy and encouragement when you need it most. The beautiful thing about community is that many of the emotions and struggles encountered in this stage of life are so similar, even with the variances in situation and uniqueness of each little personality we have to figure out as moms. When you feel completely spent in pouring out into your kiddos and it feels like all your best efforts are not filling a cup but rather filtering straight through a spaghetti strainer, there are those ready to pour back into you. It’s a pretty sweet gift God gives us in those precious friendships, and its one way I believe He meant for us to experience His love and comfort in a real and tangible way.
Upon getting home and deciding today was a good day to sleep during my toddler’s nap, I received another word of encouragement from a phone app that sends out daily encouraging messages. It read, “you may be trying to fix a situation that’s not changing, but God may be using that situation to fix you.” My prayer upon my head hitting my pillow, was that in this crazy toddler stage where at times it feels like no outward progress is being made, that I would seek change within me. So onward I pray, for patience, for wisdom, for God’s love to sustain me and flow through me when I feel like my tank is empty and I have nothing left to give. I pray that on the other side of this stage, I will be a stronger, kinder, more patient and loving version of myself because I have been tested daily, despite the numerous times I feel like I have failed for the day at all of those things.
Friend, if you are facing the same battles and frustrations as I am, let me encourage you as I was encouraged yesterday. You are not a failure. There are seeds you are planting daily in your little one, whether you see the results or not. Plants don’t sprout overnight. Even the tears you cry are watering those little seeds, for they are laced with the care, love and and perseverance you engage in daily to invest in that little life you’ve been entrusted with.
There are also seeds being planted in you. They might not sprout overnight either, but what may feel like an unending battle of wills with your little one is growing patience even if it feels like its being drained in the short term. It is not your own inadequacy that is resulting in the endless cycle you feel stuck in, but rather a good deal of it is the stubbornness, the swirls of emotions and an ingrained sense of independence that is surfacing in your sweet one in ways they have not figured out how to harness. So hang in there and give yourself grace, sweet friend. You are not alone!
Comfort food doesn’t always fix our problems but sometimes what we need is a good slice of dessert. There’s reason it’s called comfort food! So invite a friend over, make a tartlet, and share in that beautiful gift of friendship over a slice of autumn deliciousness.
Cranberry-Apple Tartlet with Salted Caramel Recipe
Prep time: 12-15 min/ Cook time: 30 min
INGREDIENTS:
1 frozen pie crust, thawed
3 granny smith apples, cored, peeled and sliced
1 Tbsp lemon juice
¼ c. sugar + 2 tbsp
½ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
½ c. cranberry sauce
1 egg, beaten
cinnamon sugar
3 tbsp honey-roasted pecan pieces
3 tbsp salted caramel topping
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Thaw frozen pie crust 15-20 min at room temp, then unroll.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Place on non-stick baking sheet.
- Core, peel and thinly slice apples and place in a mixing bowl. Time-saver: use an apple peeler/corer/slicer! This has been one of my favorite kitchen gadgets and it takes out half the work in making desserts with apples, and it actually makes the saying “easy as pie” make a little more sense if you catch my drift! Mine is Pampered Chef brand, but they are easy to find at Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Macy’s or Williams & Sonoma among other places. They range from $18-$30. It is well worth the buy!
- Add lemon juice, sugar, salt, cinnamon to the apples and mix well.
- Spread the cranberry sauce evenly over the pie crust on the baking sheet, leaving about 2-2 ½ inches of room around the edges to fold over.
- Evenly layer the well-mixed bowl of the apple mixture over the cranberry sauce, continuing to leave the room around the edges. Gently fold the edges over, molding soft ridges as to keep the contents of the tartlet from dripping out in the oven.
- Beat 1 egg and very lightly brush just a touch of egg on the exposed crust. Try to brush the crust just barely, enough to let the cinnamon sugar stick, and to help it brown. If its laid on too thick, it will brown faster than the apples will cook in the center.
- Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the lightly egg-brushed crust and bake tartlet for about 30 minutes until apples are soft and crust is lightly browned.
- In the last 5 minutes of baking, sprinkle the honey-roasted pecan pieces over the tartlet.
- Let the tartlet cool until barely warm and lightly drizzle the salted caramel across it, back and forth in both directions with spook or fork, making a criss-cross pattern, slice and enjoy!
*If you want to actually measure out the caramel if concerned with calorie content, coating the tablespoon with pam spray before adding the caramel will help it keep from sticking, and will help it flow more easily as you drizzle it.
Makes 8 servings/ approx 250 calories per slice
