A Dutch oven Thanksgiving—Part Three

By Keith Fisher

Have you spotted the person you’re going to help this year? Remember we were going to test the theory that God will give us more blessings if we show our gratitude by helping others?

Have you noticed someone who scowls when they think no one is looking? You can find them everywhere. Through no fault of their own, life has handed them too many envelopes with bad news, and now they exist because they have to, because someone is counting on them.

On the outside, this person will smile and pretend everything is fine. He/she might even tell you how great life is. It is a ruse to throw you off. The last thing this person wants is to explain their irrational feelings.

How do you help someone like that? You obviously can’t walk up and offer to help them. It would only embarrass them and confirm their low opinion of themselves. The answer lies in ignoring the problem and being a true friend. If they suspect they’re a project, they will withdraw.

Be a friend because you want to be. Be a friend because you need to be. God has a way of helping us work out our own self-doubts when we build another person. There are other blessings, however, When you see your friend smiling when they don’t think you’re looking, the swelling in your heart will be an everlasting warm-fuzzy.

The Thanksgiving suggestion for today is about pies—

I know, I know. You think its going to be hard, but I promise it’ll be okay.

There are two ways to prepare a pie in a Dutch oven. One way, is pre-made, frozen pies, and the other is from scratch. Yes, I said the "S" word but as I said, it’ll be okay. Besides, don’t you want to be a Dutch oven hero?

In the Dutch oven cook off world, baking pies sometimes separate the winners from the runners up like a chef separates egg whites from yolks. There are many recipes for pies but all you need is filling and crust. You can use the Dutch oven itself as the pie pan and you can choose to take it out or leave it in the pot. I know what you’re thinking but it really is easy.

Okay, I’ll tell you an easier way for now, but don’t think you’re off the hook. I’ll come back to this subject in a later blog. I’ll explain the pictures and hold your hand.

Now, for the easy way, If you buy a frozen pie, let it thaw. Place it on some kind of trivet or rack inside the pot. Apply the heat like you would for any bread recipe--see the chart. Rotating the lid and the pot is never more important than when you are baking a pie. A burned spot on the crust ruins the pie.

The pie is done when the crust is golden brown. Don’t tell your guests it was a frozen pie. Grandma will know, because she has made more homemade pies than she can count, but the other guests don’t need to know.

Start planning the dishes you want to cook for the holiday, but remember the real purpose is the gratitude you feel. As the words to the hymn say. Count your blessings—name them one by one. Count your many blessings see what God has done. It might surprise you to realize your blessings are more numerous than grains of sand on a beach.

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