Good morning…
Following my post on 12.6.15, a post I renamed “Stromboli is love,” many of you have asked for my Stromboli recipe. I will give it happily, with one clear warning. Bubbly cheeses and hot layers of meat wrapped in a pizza-like crust, Stromboli holds no magic. Let’s be honest. We all care less about the ingredients in Stomboli and more about the secret recipe for staying bonded with our young adult children. Most of us would enjoy a basement full of well fed college kids hanging out at our home by choice. Even more important than the company of the contented crowd, all of us yearn for a living, lasting relationship with each grown child who used to be our baby. There is no one-size-fits all recipe for lifelong love, but these are the six ingredients I strive to include in my layers.
1) Stay light on the guilt and the judgement. Who wants to be around people who try to make us feel “bad” or “wrong” and constantly question our personal decisions?
2) Go heavy on the listening. We all come alive when our genuine voice is given space and respect, when our heart is heard and our hurts and hopes are supported.
3) Dump anxiety onto God and not into relationships. Worries naturally well up. Sorting out fears with God in prayer is more effective that dishing our anxiety onto others.
4) Toss in the meat of showing not telling. Giving unwanted, fix-in advice shuts down conversation. To show genuine love, we center ourselves on the LORD and exude God’s peaceful Spirit.
5) Sprinkle in your own special seasoning. Who we are authentically matters to our loved ones, so let’s give our adult kids a joyful, interesting parent to bond with.
6) Add love from God’s well stocked pantry. The best way to receive love is to give it freely. Being grounded in God, not in people, we tap into unlimited love to share.
Now, for those of you who really want my Stromboli recipe, I try to partner the ingredients above with the following instructions.
1) Make bread dough from scratch with your favorite recipe or thaw a loaf of frozen dough until it fully rises (one Stromboli serves 2 to 3 people).
2) Preheat oven to 375.
3) Spray cooking spray on cookie pan and spread out dough toward each corner, painting both sides with olive oil and oregano.
4) Layering down the center of the dough cheeses and meats: 1/8 lb. pepperoni, 4 slices white American cheese, 1/4 lb. ham, 1/4 lb. Swiss cheese, 1/8 lb. hard salami, and 4 oz. mozzarella cheese.
5) Lift up the long sides of the dough, pinching them firmly together in the middle, sealing in the meats and cheeses. Flip Stromboli over and sprinkle with more oregano and Parmesan cheese.
6) Bake Stromboli at 375 for about 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Slice and serve in 2 inch strips with hot spaghetti sauce to drizzle on top.
If cooking from scratch is not your gift, discard this Stromboli recipe and couple God’s lifelong love recipe with the way you serve others best.
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but they all come from the same Spirit. There are different ways to serve the same Lord, and we can each do different things. Yet the same God works in all of us and helps us in everything we do. The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others,
1 Corinthians 12:4-7 (CEV),
Sue
