Depression Cake

I found this great recipe in the August 2009 issue of Guideposts. The writer's mother was a widow with eight young children. She would make this cake for special occasions. It has no eggs, milk or butter, which makes it easy on the budget. It would also be great for someone with egg or dairy allergies. It's very dense, so only a small piece will fill you up.

Depression Cake

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine the following in a saucepan and boil 3 minutes, stirring frequently:
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/3 cups water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups raisins
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Remove from heat and cool 10 minutes.

Dissolve 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp salt in 2 tsp water.

Add to raisin mix (it will foam).

Blend in, mixing well:
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking power

Pour into 8 inch round pan and bake for 50 minutes.

Serve with whipped topping.

C.S. Lewis Upsets Me Again!

As a family, we are reading that great C.S. Lewis classic, The Screwtape Letters. I don't think any Christian could read that book without being convicted about some aspect of their life. And I had my "C.S. Lewis moment" just this Sunday.

For those of you unfamiliar with the book, it is a series of letters from a senior demon to a junior one, giving the junior demon advice on how to win the soul of his "patient". In one letter, the junior demon has been unable to keep his patient from going to church. The senior demon advises him that this is not a problem, as long as he can make his patient into a "church shopper". In other words, make him look down on his fellow parishioners, keep him looking for the "right" church, etc.

We read this chapter on Saturday. On Sunday, I was sitting in the sanctuary, waiting for the service to begin, when a family came in. This family had a teenage girl, and this girl was wearing extremely short shorts. I immediately thought, "My! I would never allow my daughter to dress like that! And esp. for church!" Then I said to myself, what am I thinking? Here I am, behaving just the way C.S. Lewis warned against, judging others who dare to attend "my" church! Here was a teenage girl, attending church with her family! Would I really rather she not be there at all? While I disagree with her clothing choices, she has as much right to God's grace as I have.