Small Bites … Adventures in Downsizing
By Jan Kinzel
We’ve been in our new condo for one month, now. All of the builder tweaks are completed and the after closing construction projects are winding down. I was sitting in my newly appointed living room/kitchen and as I looked around, instead of the objects, I began to see all of the wonderful people who helped me select and execute the décor and furnishing of our new living space.
First, there’s Susan, who designed our china cabinets. Then Mary, Sean and Holly, who helped me select and purchase furniture from Pottery Barn. Fonzi, from Restoration Hardware. Greg and Alex, from Macys. Alex told me that I should really love the printed area rug for the living room because it’s a piece of art for the floor. Greg, who sold us the red leather chairs, confirmed to me how God looks out for us. Nathan, Paul and Ben, who worked on both ends of the sale to do repairs on the other end and build new things on this end. Juan, from Lamps Plus, who has a Chilean background and had tears in his eyes speaking about the miners rescued in Chile. Deborah and Lindsay, from Thomasville. All of these people have a place in our home. By sharing with them my design plans for our new place, each one caught the vision and encouraged me all along the way.
The story of Greg, who sold me the chairs, showed us that God was a huge part of all of this. There is a young man, well, he’s in his forties now, who has been my husband’s employee for about 20 plus years. As my husband was telling Erik about our move, he said, “I think that is where my uncle was going to move, but he couldn’t get his house sold.” This occurred when the economy ‘tanked.’ It was the very unit we purchased and because Greg’s house didn’t sell, it kept our unit off the market for several months until we were ready to purchase. Now, the twist to this is that Greg is Erik’s uncle!
One of the great people in my life is Dixie Tanneberg! Her recipe for caramel baked pears is one of the best recipes that I have. I make these often for dessert after dinner or for a wonderful warm fruit entrée at brunch. At the holidays, I add a couple handfuls of fresh cranberries. They make the dish very festive.
CARAMEL BAKED PEARS
12 firm green pears
1 cube butter, diced
1 cup granulated sugar
½ pint of whipping cream
Spray a 9×13 metal baking pan with cooking spray. (Don’t use glass because it could crack at the high temperature.) Peel the pears, quarter and remove seeds. Place in the baking pan and dot with pats of butter. Pour sugar over the pears and butter. Bake at 475 degrees about 45 minutes or until sugar caramelizes (turns golden brown). Remove from the oven and pour cream over top of pears. Stir with spoon until a caramel sauce forms. Spoon pears into small serving dishes, spooning caramel sauce over each serving. A scoop of French vanilla ice cream is a great accompaniment!
TIP: It’s good to have an open heart and a good witness to the people who enter our lives.
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I have toward you,” says the Lord, “thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
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