Every 30 days, since the inception of Destiny In Bloom, my mind and heart have fallen into a typical routine: submit my article for that particular month, give my brain a couple days’ rest, and then begin the process of praying for inspiration for the next month.

If you’re familiar with my articles, you know that I tend to write from deeper places, from lessons learned and from confessions of where I’ve been. Lighthearted is not a word I would tend to use to describe how I write. It’s not right or wrong, good or bad; it’s just who I am and how I relate.

So, when September rolled around and my DIB routine began anew, imagine my surprise when my prayers for inspiration were met with two words: fresh and fun. Umm … Okay.  When I dug deeper with God, inspiration became an idea: get out of the frying pan (deeper things) and into the kitchen (fresh and fun).

Allow me to explain. This year the kitchen has become my place of fun and creativity, more than any other time in my life. I grew up helping my mom prepare dinners and desserts, and I love my adult role of domestic goddess. But, my kitchen trend has leaned more towards ‘meals from my childhood’ and the typical ‘cakes and brownies’ for desert than the BAMtasticness of Chef Emeril or the buttery goodness of Paula Dean. I can cook and bake, but familiarity has definitely trumped originality for most of my life.

When this year’s church-wide fast began in January, I distinctly heard God’s instruction for me: full food fast, water and juice only. I’d like to admit that I embraced the idea of a 21-day liquid fast right off the bat. Uhh … no. I actually gave God the next week to change His mind, just in case He had mistakenly asked the wrong person. Maybe I had overheard the instructions He gave to the person sitting next to me???  Yah, it turns out I hadn’t heard incorrectly. And so I began my journey into liquid meals and hunger pains.

Ironically – or maybe not so – along with the spiritual lessons God had reserved for my fast, He had another surprise waiting for me: a practical pilgrimage of palate pleasing perspicacity. (Yes, I racked my brain – I mean, the online thesaurus – for some of those P words.) Translation? A door of kitchen creativity was opened for me. It was like God flooded my brain with ideas on how to kick up the flavor profiles of ordinary foods and also imparted a desire for ‘fresh and new’ instead of relying on the ‘tried and true’.

During those 21 days when water was my staple but family meals were still my responsibility, food preparation became my substitute for eating. Instead of viewing the grocery store as that dreaded place of temptation, it emerged as the haven of flavor, holding all the key ingredients to the new ideas I was waiting to uncover at the dinner table. Herbs and spices became my best friends, and my family crowned me the newest Queen of Semi-Homemade. A recipe was no longer the end result; instead, it became the beginning to something better! I may not be the best at creating from scratch, but I now rock at taking an existing recipe or idea and making it my own. My cooking motto: “I don’t need to reinvent the wheel. I’ll just make it tastier!”

Here’s the reason why I believe my inspiration this month revolves around such a lighthearted subject. God is not just interested in guiding us in the big decisions of our lives or healing the brokenness we carry around. He’s the one who created all those small things that bring us joy, and I believe He takes great pleasure in broadening our horizons and bringing adventure to our day-to-day lives.

As a full-time mom, preparing dinner is one of those daily responsibilities that can sometimes feel more like a burden than a joy. During a time of fasting, when food wasn’t an option for me, God birthed in me the most creatively inspiring 21 days of dinner preparation, and that creativity has only grown throughout the year. My family often comments about the change in mealtime experiences and about how I became a “chef” at 43. I think that’s so sweet that I don’t dare correct their definition of chef.

When God spoke to me about fresh and fun for this article and then guided my thoughts to the kitchen, I realized – more than ever – that He’s not just that big, reverential, thunderous entity that creates life with a single word. He’s fun-loving, so into details, and knows a thing or two about food.

In the same way that you may love sewing, decorating your home, growing a garden or the plethora of other creative outlets, I love being in the kitchen because God put that passion in me. This year, He took a fast – that spiritual big dog of the Bible – and showed me a different side of Himself … Top Chef! That’s pretty cool, if you ask me.

So, as a tasty way to bring another month to a close, I’m asking you to participate with me in a Destiny In Bloom recipe swap. Whether it’s cooking or baking, we all have at least one favorite recipe we can share. Recently, I tried my hand at a new cupcake and honestly thought I’d have to end up eating the entire batch because I dared to travel off the beaten path in Flavor Land. To my shock and awe, they were a hit! Here’s my semi-homemade recipe for:

Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes

• Box of German Chocolate cake (makes 18-20 cupcakes)
• Jar of Caramel topping for ice cream (you can make your own from scratch if you feel so inclined, but this is a time saver recipe)
• Course Sea Salt
• Butter Cream Icing (this is where I go homemade for best flavor)

Make the cupcakes per box directions. (Note: if you want a richer cupcake, substitute 1 stick of butter for the oil. More fattening, but super tasty.)

While the cupcakes are baking, prepare “caramel injection”. Mix 8oz caramel with ½ teaspoon course Sea Salt in a squeeze bottle. Pop in microwave for approximately 30 seconds or until warm. Shake to combine.

As soon as you take the cupcakes come out of oven, inject some salted caramel into each cupcake. I counted to 3 and got a perfect center. It will create a soft center of flavor but nothing “molten”.

When cupcakes cool, top with butter cream frosting. Whether you frost with a knife or squeeze from an icing bag is up to you. Drizzle with salted caramel mixture and then top with more course sea salt.

*I love the flavor of sea salt and the combination of sweet and salty in this recipe. I actually added a bit more than ½ teaspoon sea salt to the caramel, but I would start with ½ teaspoon first, taste and then add more to your liking. I was also generous with the sea salt ‘sprinkles’, but these too should be added according to your taste buds. Additionally, I suggested German Chocolate cake because it’s less sweet than Devil’s Food or regular Chocolate and allows more room for the salted caramel flavor to shine through.

Butter Cream Frosting

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract (the higher quality the better)
• 3 tablespoons whole milk (or half and half)
• Pinch of salt

Blend butter and sugar until creamy. Add remaining ingredients and blend. If you want a thinner icing, add milk sparingly. I also added 2 teaspoons of caramel topping (without salt) to the icing for a kick in flavor. If you want to splurge, adding real vanilla bean doesn’t hurt, either.

ENJOY … and share!

Babs Coppedge

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