Kiddie Corner Pizza

It's funny what memories we retain from our childhood. When I attended school as a youngster I remember being a model student...most of the time.

One day in high-school choir I dangled a huge rubber spider in the face of a girl standing in front of me on the risers. She was deep in concentration as our teacher led us through a difficult passage of music. The last thing she expected was a big, black spider bouncing inches from her face.

I anticipated a reaction, but I certainly didn't expect a blood curdling scream and the uncharted flight Mr. Spider took across the room after my victim swatted him. I was even more horrified when my spider's trajectory took him straight toward the teacher who had to take evasive action to avoid a collision.

When the dust settled and the class stood in stunned silence, my teacher picked up the hapless arachnid and asked who it belonged to. I don't know if it was integrity or stupidity that caused me to claim my spider, but I came clean. When the teacher saw it was me, he shot me a sharp look, returned my little friend, and said nothing more. He had come to expect and, in a way, appreciate my mischievous sense of humor.

However, the same couldn't be said about my seventh-grade home economics teacher. We had no chemistry whatsoever and I was awful in her class. She didn't appreciate my humor or anything else about me and the feeling was quite mutual. I don't remember much about her class other than our disregard for one another, but I do recall a recipe she taught us. It was an easy pizza that saved me on many occasions, years later, when I had kids of my own. It took the passage of time and the memory of a simple recipe for me to find something to appreciate about that teacher. Thanks, Mrs, Campbell!

• 1 can of buttermilk buscuit dough
• 1 8oz can of tomato sauce
• Spices (your choice)
• Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Open the can of dough. Combine the biscuits into pairs. Press each pair on a cookie sheet (grease if necessary) making five small pizzas 4" in diameter. Set aside. Mix tomato sauce and spices to taste. I use salt, pepper, garlic, and oregano, but the ingredients are totally up to you and your kids. (Note: if you have sauce in a jar on hand, that makes these pizzas even easier.) Spread the sauce on the dough and top with parmesan cheese. Cook for 6-8 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Enjoy!

SPIRITUAL SEASONING

God has given each of us spiritual gifts and character talents that are unique; no two of us are the same. My sense humor isn't necessarily a spiritual gift, but it is from God and has a purpose. My choir teacher recognized me for who I was and even honored me for it before I graduated. At the end-of-the-year choir banquet, the teacher traditionally immortalized each senior. When he came to me, he didn't say much about my singing abilities other than fact he put me with the tenor boys when they needed more volume. However, he did share with all in attendence my ability to keep the group laughing. He recognized and genuinely appreciated me for who I was. I guess Mrs. Campbell never understood me and, truth be known, I probably never understood her either.

Sometimes we Christians fail to appreciate our brothers and sisters for their gifts. In my more immature days as a Christian I used to complain about people who didn't study God's Word as in depth as me. "How dare they!" was my attitude. But as I grew, God showed me the errors in my thinking.

Many years ago I had a friend who was a beautiful example of the gift of service. When our children played together, if one of them needed a drink of water she offered them a seven-course meal...with a smile on her face! How can that be? I couldn't wait to get the kids out of my kitchen after begrudgingly providing them a drink of life-saving water. I was always amazed at her capacity to do for others and bothered by my less-than-gracious attitude. I didn't know it at the time, but she marveled at the way I could spend hours in the Bible learning about God; she struggled in that area. One day God decided it was time for us to understand our gifts and He orchestrated a conversation between my friend and me that, thankfully, opened both our eyes. What a blessing it was to be free of the guilt at what each of us perceived as a shortcoming in our own lives. In addition, I became less judgemental of those who have different gifts than me. My choir teacher understood those differences; Mrs. Campbell didn't...at least at the time.

"Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit, and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good...All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses."  (1 Corinthians 12:4-7, 11 NRSV)

As you enjoy my easy pizza, begin to recognize and appreciate the wonderful differences in each other. I hope that when I fail to see an opportunity to serve, that people will not judge me too harshly and, hopefully, instead remember that I can sure teach a class. And likewise, I need to avoid judging others who don't think and act like me. And, even though there's always room for improvement, none of us need guilt when we are weaker than others in a particular area. We all need to embrace those who are different and never forget, like the Scripture above says, the Spirit chooses what gifts He gives and to whom He gives them.

(c)2008 Shona Neff

Comments

[BevG]

Hi Shona - For an even easier kid pizza, use English Muffins and either pop them in the oven to melt the cheese or into the microwave!