Strawberry Lemonade Cookies and a Mother's Prayer

One of my favorite pastimes is baking with my eldest son (and eventually with both sons when the younger one is old enough).  I'd like to think it's one of my son's favorite pastimes, too.  He's always eager to roll up his sleeves, get in the kitchen, make a mess, sample a taste here and another one there, and be a help to mom (even though most times it ends up being more of a mess when he helps!).

As we were baking strawberry lemonade cookies over the weekend (inspired by these lemon cookies), I started to think about what kind of man he would become one day.  Would he be nurturing?  Generous? Kind?  Thoughtful?  Artistic?  Adventurous?  Strong-minded?  Passionate?  Would he even continue to enjoy baking?

God-willing, if he should become a husband one day, I pray he'd be a great blessing to his wife and family, much the way his own father is.  On days when his wife may need an extra dose of encouragement, I picture this . . .

One day when his wife is feeling down and out, upset, or exhausted, he'll go into the kitchen, search the pantry, and open up a couple boxes of cake mix.

He'll mix each of the batter in separate bowls with eggs, vegetable oil, and lemon extract.  He'll lovingly shape the lemon and strawberry dough into balls, roll them in confectioners sugar, and lay them out on the baking sheet, all the while praying for his beloved.

He'll bake the cookies by the batches and minutes later, he'll present them to his wife.  Her tears are no more.

A couple days will pass and when my daughter-in-law is feeling better, she'll call me and tell me about the awful day she had.

"I came home, hid under the covers, and cried my eyes out.  I told CJ [or "Nathan" when his wife calls] all about it.  And you know what?  He baked me a batch of strawberry lemonade cookies, kissed me on the forehead, and said a prayer for me.  And I knew everything would be okay."

And quietly in my heart, I'll give praise to God.

Is it crazy to dream up this scenario and get all emotional at the thought of my sons getting married and becoming loving husbands one day???  They're not even 4 yet!  But I know how quickly time passes and that these years will go by in the blink of an eye.  It is never too early, nor too late as long as we continue to take breath here on earth, to pray for our children and the building of their character.

My prayers for you, my beloved boys, is that you will know the love of Christ deeply in every facet of your being and that His love will overflow from your heart and in all that you (I pray this also for myself).  May you become men who love, serve, and give selflessly to others just as God Himself gave selflessly to us.  May you become husbands your wives will lean on and in whose presence will always feel safe, protected, and cherished; fathers your children will respect and admire; and a peer your friends can reach out to in their time of need.  

And if the occasion should call for it, that you'll bake a batch of cookies and bless those around you.  :)

Strawberry Lemonade Cookies
{Makes about 40 cookies; Prep time: 15 minutes; Cook time: 10 minutes per batch}

Ingredients:
1 (18.25 ounce) package lemon cake mix
1 (18.25 ounce) package strawberry cake mix
4 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil (for each batter)
2 teaspoons pure lemon extract
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). 
2. Pour lemon cake mix into a large bowl and the strawberry cake mix in another bowl. Stir in 2 eggs, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, and 1 tsp lemon extract to each flavored cake mix until well blended. 
3. Take 2 rounded teaspoons of lemon batter and roll into a ball. Do the same with the strawberry batter. Combine the lemon and strawberry dough to make one large ball.  
4. Drop the dough into a bowl of confectioners' sugar. Roll them around until they're lightly covered. Once sugared, put them on an ungreased cookie sheet. 
5. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until bottoms are light brown and the insides are chewy. Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely before serving. 

P.S. They're even better the day after they're baked.

Lemon-Garlic Cajun Shrimp

{ Lemon-Garlic Cajun Shrimp prepared for my son and brother's birthday bash }

I love that scene from Forrest Gump (one of my favorite movies) when Bubba tells Forrest about all the different kinds of shrimp.

"Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it."

It makes my mouth water every time I hear it.

Though there are so many wonderful ways to prepare shrimp, my favorite is the simplest and most basic of them all -- prepared with lemon, garlic, and butter.  It doesn't get any better or easier than this.  Well, actually if you add just a hint of cajun spices for a little bit of heat, that about makes it complete and takes it to a whole new level which I'm sure even Bubba would approve.  This is perfect over a bed of pasta, cajun rice, or paella.

Lemon-Garlic Cajun Shrimp
Adapted from PBS/Everyday Food

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-½ pounds medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 tablespoon of Cajun spice (if you don't have one prepared, here's an easy recipe)
2 tablespoons juice squeezed from fresh lemon
Coarse salt & pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, stir and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add shrimp and Cajun spices; cook, tossing occasionally, until pink and opaque, 5 to 7 minutes.  
2. Toss with lemon juice.  Remove from heat.  Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with chopped parsley.