There Was a Fly In His Lasagna

There was a fly in his lasagna. 
I saw it myself.  
The moment I approached his table, I was notified by his wife. My face undoubtedly reflected my natural reaction. He wanted more. 

Upon closer evaluation, I responded with curiosity mixed with “Huh?…sure enough…”
He wanted horror and disbelief from me to join the mood of the table. 
I didn’t have it for him. 
I simply said-
“What would you like me to get you instead? I’m assuming you don’t want to roll the dice on another plate of lasagna…?”

He was not amused.

“Just the check-“ He replied curtly. 

“Well I can assure you there won’t be one of those tonight.” I quickly replied. 

He immediately softened to almost concern. 
I was (obviously) 7 months pregnant, waitressing at a pizza-pasta place in a college town. 
It was a well-liked restaurant just past the edge of campus. 
He cautiously and carefully inquired more as to why and how I had the authority to comp his meal. 
I knew who I was. 
He didn’t. 

How many times have I found myself responding or reacting to someone else’s assumptions about who I am?

Countless. 

Most of us do so all the time without realizing it. 
The concern is-
Do we change who we are to meet the expectations of others?
Or- 
Do we calmly and confidently speak up and speak out, knowing exactly who we are?

Some areas of my life- I’m on point with doing this right, and some- I’m terrible. 
It goes back to reconnecting with who I am as a Daughter of God. 
It stems from living a life where the Spirit is and can be present.   
Then it’s fueled by the responsibility to speak up and speak out for truth. 
Truth- in all the ways I understand it. 
It’s fearlessly defending truth even when the questions feel more like darts at my decision making. 

Let’s take a note from Taylor Swift here…
Two of my three children have many of her songs on their playlists. Time spent with them over the years means I have Taylor on replay in my mind- and when her lyrics speak truth- it’s a great thing!
Like here-
Saying, “It’s gonna be alright.”
“Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
Shake it off, I shake it off”

I have to shake off any and everything that causes me to pause and hesitate to fill a certain role or meet an expectation someone else has for me. 
That’s not who God created me to be. 
I’m His daughter. 
I answer to Him. 

As I create a spiritually safe space to change and evolve into understanding and gaining further personal revelation as who God needs me to be and how He needs me to show up- 
In that safety, I align my thoughts with God. 
Clarity is then available for the taking. 
My walk and talk then prove I am His daughter. 
This is the legacy I’m working to create for my life. 

While I battle in the trenches to do so-
Sometimes there’s a hiccup- or a fly in the lasagna- and I know it’s not a problem. 
Because I’m a daughter of God. 

In 1990, there was a little star on my name tag- which meant I worked as an -on the restaurant floor manager- on my closing shifts. I had full authority and autonomy to simply do the right thing. 
This particular evening, it landed the restaurant patron an all-expense paid trip to the pasta bar, free dessert, and a comped check for his party of 4. 

So therein lies the point to the importance of the work to better understand who I am as a daughter of God and show up in all areas of my life accordingly. 

I’m His daughter. 

I answer to Him. 

-JC

Biscoff Blondie Bars

Biscoff Crust 
Crush 7 oz. Biscoff cookies
Add-
4 Tablespoons butter
¼ teaspoon salt 

Mix until well combined.
Press crust into the bottom of a greased 8” baking dish. 
Top with Blondie Bar Layer. 
Bake at 350 degrees for 38+ minutes.  These are gooey when first out of the oven and set up for cutting when they cool down. Let cool completely. 
Frost with Biscoff Buttercream Frosting.
Drizzle with jarred Biscoff Cookie Butter. 

Blondie Bar Layer
¾  cup melted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk 
2 Tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Mix together melted butter and sugar.  Stir in eggs, sour cream and vanilla; don’t overmix.  Add dry ingredients all at once.  Stir until texture is smooth. 

Biscoff Buttercream Frosting
½ cup soft butter
½  cup Biscoff Cookie Butter
1 ¼ + cups powdered  sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
Dash of salt
2 Tablespoons whipping cream

Cream butter and cookie butter on medium speed for 1 minute.
Stir in powdered sugar. Add vanilla salt, and cream. Whip for 3 minutes.
Spoon into Ziploc bag until ready to use.