A Marriage Masterpiece

A marriage masterpiece is one that is not merely about the husband and wife, it is about glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph.5:21-33, especially vs.27, 31-32) Outside of your relationship with God, your relationship with your husband is the most important in life. So, your marriage is your life’s work, and, if you want it to be a masterpiece, something beautiful and Christ-honouring, then you have to realise that it will take a lot of hard work and a lot of time. People who have happiness and longevity in marriage don’t have them because they are lucky; it’s because they work hard and invest time.

Michaelangelo took 4 years to paint the Sistine Chapel. Millions of people every year visit the Vatican so they can admire this amazing artwork, and they marvel at the great talent that produced it. Yes, Michaelangelo had talent in spades, but look what he said about his work: “If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.” Likewise, if you want to have a marriage masterpiece, you will need more than a lucky talent—you will need to put in a lot of time and effort in becoming a master of the art of being married.

Let’s imagine that creating a marriage masterpiece is like painting on a canvas. I did some research about how to paint with acrylics on canvas. By God’s grace I hope we can all learn to paint our marriage canvases the right way so that they become marriage masterpieces.



Step 1: Set up your supplies

You will need your canvas, easel, pallet, paints, brushes, etc. Your painting experience will be so much more relaxing and enjoyable if you prepare ahead of time.

When creating your marriage masterpiece, make sure you have prepared beforehand. Make sure you have the tools you will need (and don’t forget to use them!)—prayer, your pastor, your parents and other godly couples who have good marriages, from whom you can get godly counsel and advice. (Pro 11:14) Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety. Remember, you don’t have to wait until trouble comes to get advice. A wise person seeks counsel early, to avoid trouble.



Step 2: Choose the right brushes

Most classically-trained artists prefer to use a long-handled brush, because it enables them to paint standing up and from a distance, giving them a good perspective of their artwork.

When you’re painting your marriage masterpiece, remember often to stand back a bit and objectively evaluate your relationship—see what is good and what you need to work on. Make the necessary adjustments. Appreciate all of your husband’s strengths. His weaknesses... look at them from the perspective of eternity. (2 Co 4:18) While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. And remember: love covers a multitude of sins (I Pet.4:8).



Step 3: Prep your canvas

An artist can choose either a pre-stretched, or a rolled canvas. Pre-stretched canvases are more convenient, but rolled canvases are generally of better quality.

Be prepared that if you want to have a marriage masterpiece of utmost quality that glorifies Christ, God is going to want to do His own stretching. No cheap pre-stretched canvases for Him! There are going to be a lot of trials, some that will require you to really stretch your faith. Don’t shy away from them, but rather endure them patiently, because these will make the canvas of your marriage masterpiece all the more precious and beautiful. (James 1:2-4) My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. (Job 23:10) But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.



An artist will also usually prepare her canvas by applying a primer, which helps the paint go on smoothly and protects the fibres of the canvas as well as the brushes.

The primer or base coat for a marriage masterpiece is your relationship with your Saviour, Jesus Christ. Make sure that you are walking closely and in submission to Him and His Word, because if you can’t submit to Christ, the perfect man and leader, you will never be able to submit to an imperfect man and leader. (Col 2:6) As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:



Step 4: Test colours. Sometimes they dry darker

Remember when painting your own marriage masterpiece that things aren’t always what they seem. Choose to always believe the best about your husband, and even if he messes up, choose to believe he was well-intentioned. Remember that charity (love) believeth all things (I Cor.13:7).



Step 5: Apply background colour to set the mood

Classically-trained artists apply the background before they paint the subject.

In a Christ-honouring marriage, the couple must paint the first layer of colour on their canvas to set the mood for their entire marriage relationship. Make sure that on top of your primer (your relationship with Christ), your foundation colour is His Word and active involvement in the ministries of your church, serving the Lord together. Make the decision as husband and wife early in your marriage (but better late than never if you haven’t already done so!) that as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Josh.24:15).



Step 6: Create an underpainting

This is when the artist sketches or faintly paints on the canvas a basic outline of what she intends to paint.

Similarly, when painting your marriage masterpiece, you should have some idea of what you want your marriage to look like; you should have plans and goals that you want to aim for together—goals that you have prayed about and gotten from the Lord. (Pro 19:21) There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.



Step 7: Add a medium

Many artists add a medium to their paint: gel, sand, glitter, beads, etc., in order to add texture, light or interest to their work.

When you’re painting your marriage masterpiece, don’t forget to „spice things up” a bit every now and then. Make sure you do fun things together, and when you’re not together, do things yourself that will keep your husband interested. Take care of your appearance (the Proverbs 31 woman dressed in tapestry), flirt with him (see the woman in Song of Solomon)—but not only that—be an interesting person to talk to. Contrary to what the world would have you believe, not all men are superficial, so don’t just be pretty...be interesting! Continually learn new things, read about a wide range of subjects so that you will keep his interest alive when you talk.





Step 8: Have a safe space for your canvas to dry

An acrylic painting is done in stages: first the background and then usually several layers of colour are added on top, giving the painting texture and depth. Each layer has to completely dry before the next layer is added, so you need a safe place to dry it, where it won’t be touched or damaged by others.

Your marriage masterpiece needs to be protected from the enemy, Satan, who wants to destry it so that it no longer glorifies Christ. Guard your marriage—set boundaries about how each of you interact with people of the opposite sex. Do your utmost to, by the grace of God, fulfil each other’s physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual needs. (1Co 7:3) Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.



Every artist, until she has finished her masterpiece, will keep it covered. Rarely will an artist reveal to others what she has painted before it is complete. But when it is done, it is hung in a gallery, and before a crowd of art lovers it is unveiled and put on exhibition.

One day, when you go to stand before the Lord at the judgment seat of Christ, your life’s work—your marriage—will be revealed to all. My prayer is that on that day, when the cover is taken off your painting and your life’s work is unveiled, what will be seen will be a masterpiece.

 Written by Suzy Crocket, missionary wife in Romania

Speed Bumps

Have you ever been driving and come upon a speed bump unexpectedly? Even in a residential area, depending on the height of the bump, it tosses everything in the car, driver and passengers included, around a bit. Sometimes a lot.

There is a speed bump I drive over several times a week as I pick up one of our Deaf ladies for Bible study. I know this bump is there, but if I am not paying attention, or I am chatting with my Deaf friend (we chat with our eyes, remember), I forget.

See, this speed bump is not marked with yellow paint, or white stripes, or even a sign warning me of its coming. It’s the exact same colour as the road. And most of the time it is hidden in the shadows by the trees growing along the side of that road.

Speed bumps are put on the road for a reason. They cause us to slow down and pay attention to our driving.

See, the people who put in the speed bumps didn’t do it to make drivers frustrated or angry. They weren’t meeting somewhere rubbing their evil hands together and wondering how many people’s days they could ruin by adding a speed bump to the road. And they weren’t planning to annoy me personally.

But did you know that’s sometimes how I feel? When I forget it’s there, or I take the flat road for granted, I hit that thing and immediately feel a shot of anger (and adrenaline!) as I sail over it. I worry if I damaged our truck, and I feel embarrassed that the people walking nearby probably think I’m a lousy driver. Not to mention those in my vehicle with me! I think to myself that I wish it were painted, or that there was a warning sign or SOMETHING letting me know it was coming. [Isn't it amazing how all of these thoughts bombard me in the span of a few seconds?]

But then I remember that I have driven this road many times, and I should have expected it. I know it’s there. It doesn’t move. And just because the sun isn’t shining directly on it doesn’t mean it’s gone.

I have found life to be very similar.

I can be driving along on smooth road, the sun is shining, I’ve been in the Word, I know where I'm going, enjoying the journey, and all of a sudden (seemingly out of nowhere) there’s a speed bump. A jolt that interrupts that peaceful journey and snaps me out of my bliss.

I am sure you can fill in that bump with life experiences you’ve had.

If I’m not careful, I can allow this speed bump to throw my entire day off track. Or maybe the annoyance lasts a week. Or a month. Or maybe I never get over the jostle from that bump.

God is like the road planners. He does not allow these things into our lives to toss us around with no purpose, or to ruin our day, week, or month. Sometimes we need to be forced to slow down and take stock of our surroundings and how we’re driving. Sometimes our bliss needs to be snapped so we can really see the road ahead of us.

And it’s in these moments that we see what’s inside of us.

We can be in the Word, but if it is not changing us, what good is it doing? Are we checking a box to appease God, or so we can say we read if someone asks us? Are we truly crying out to our God for others, or has our prayer life just become something we do? When we hit a speed bump, what’s inside gets jarred to the surface.

We should expect speed bumps. Jesus told us we would have tribulation (John 16:33). It should not surprise us when something comes along to bump and jostle us. (1 Peter 4:12-13)

And we may find that we can be thankful for them. They help us in a number of ways:
- They cause us to examine how we are driving. (1 Corinthians 3:10)
- They remind us that others are watching us drive. (Titus 2)
- They bring to the surface what is deep inside us. (Luke 6:45)
- They remind us to care for those riding with us. (2 Cor. 4:15-18)


Learning to be thankful for those speed bumps we face now helps us better face the next one that comes down the road. (Even if we hit it at full speed.)

Looks like smooth sailing ahead, right? 

                                                   

Oops, look again! Speed bump! 

Thanksgiving Basics

Thanksgiving Basics
1. Mashed Potatoes
Definitely an essential on Thanksgiving day! The hardest part about making mashed potatoes is knowing how many potatoes to cook! I know how many potatoes my family eats, but our potatoes are smaller than Idaho Potatoes, so I can’t really tell you how many to cook. I looked it up though, and it seems like ½ lb (about 250 grams) of raw potato should be enough per person.
Once you have decided how many potatoes to cook, peel them. You technically can skip this process..... But please don’t. Wash your potatoes after you have peeled them!  Depending on how pressed you are for time, throw the potatoes into a big pot whole, halved, or quartered. Cover the potatoes with water, and sprinkle generously with salt. Bring pot to a boil and allow to boil until you can easily stick a fork or butter knife all the way through the potatoes. You don’t need to stir the potatoes while they are cooking.  Just leave them alone and they will cook just fine. Carefully drain potatoes.  You want to drain them as soon as possible. The longer you allow them to sit in the hot water, the more gummy the mashed potatoes will be. (Not what we want)
Using a hand mixer, stand mixer, or potato masher, mash those potatoes! Remember, you can’t mash them too much! You want them as smooth as possible! DO NOT ADD ANYTHING TO THE POTATOES WHILE YOU ARE MASHING THEM! Now, I don’t think I have ever measured how much butter to add to the mashed potatoes….I don’t measure the milk either….neither does my mom…..nor my grandmother. I use about a tablespoon of butter per person….so since I’ll be making mashed potatoes for  about 15 people, I’ll probably use about 1 cup of butter for all of my potatoes. (4 tablespoons in ¼ cup) I normally make a well in the potatoes, put the butter in the well, and then cover the well with more potatoes. Leave it alone for about 3-5 min (depending on how cold your butter is).  Gently mix in the butter. Pour milk into the mashed potatoes slowly. Add some, mix, add, mix, add, mix. You do this until the potatoes are the texture you want them to be! Add additional salt and pepper to taste. (This is a good excuse to keep tasting and licking your fingers) Enjoy!

2. Gravy
If you’re having mashed potatoes, you need gravy!
Take all the broth/drippings from your delicious turkey and put them in a small-med saucepan. (if you don’t have a turkey, don’t worry! Next week we will be giving you a recipe for turning a chicken from tasting like a chicken, to a turkey!) If you want a smooth gravy, strain the broth/drippings so you only have the flavor and grease. Gravy is super easy to make. To make one cup of gravy, you need 1 oz of butter, 1 oz flour, 1 cup liquid.  Isn’t that easy to remember? Make a roux by combining butter with the drippings and whisk until butter is melted. Add flour, and whisk to combine. Remove pan from heat (don’t turn off the heat) and slowly add about half of the liquid. If you are making gravy for your mashed potatoes, use broth, if making gravy for biscuits, use milk. Whisk until smooth. Return to heat, and slowly add the remaining liquid. Whisk again until smooth, and allow to simmer on low heat. Once thickened, remove from heat and serve!


3. Pie
https://youtu.be/IIqr8ASjB7g faux apple pie
https://youtu.be/LJWtE9qXaIA pumpkin pie (you can use squash if you don’t have pumpkin)
https://youtu.be/0nkxqGtR8A8 pie crust

4. Sweet Potato Pie

This is also a “fly by the seat of your pants” recipe. Steam or boil your peeled sweet potatoes/yams (you can use pumpkin/squash if you don’t have sweet potatoes). Once completely cooked through (a knife or fork easily pushed all the way through) mash or beat potatoes. Add enough butter to get the texture you want.  Depending on how sweet your sweet potatoes/pumpkin/yams are, add brown sugar to taste. Spoon out mashed sweet potatoes into an oven safe dish, and then sprinkle with more brown sugar, walnuts and or marshmallows. Throw in the oven until marshmallows start browning! Don’t have marshmallows easily available? That’s ok, Kayleigh has a fantastic recipe for homemade marshmallows.
http://inhershoesbmw.blogspot.com/2019/07/marshmallows.html?m=1


5. Cream ofs
There are so many Thanksgiving casseroles that call for cream of mushroom, cream or broccoli, cream of celery, cream of chicken, or cream of…whatever. We have a good recipe for a homemade “cream of” base!
http://inhershoesbmw.blogspot.com/2019/09/cream-of-mushroom-soup.html


6. Fried Onions
What is a topping on most casseroles? Fried onions! The other day I was making an Egyptian dish, and needed to make fried onions. I was in a rush, and didn’t want to look up a fancy way of frying onions. I sliced up my onions to the desired size, sprinkled them with salt, and let them sit on the counter for at least 15 min. I think mine sat on the counter for an hour! Sprinkle onions with cornstarch right before frying. Make sure onions are completely separated and covered with corn starch. Fry in hot oil or hot lard, and remove from oil once crispy and starting to brown.  Use like you would normally use on your casseroles.

Amber Wells
Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬

Flubbs and Faux Pas

Laughter doeth good like a medicine. Learning to laugh at myself has been a big part of my journey of living in a different country and culture. Here are six of my best, worst mistakes.

Hurðir and Hirðir 

One measly vowel separates these two words, yet the meanings are completely different. In Icelandic, hurðir (HER-dtheer) means door.  Hirðir (HEER-dtheer) means shepherd. The Christmas story changes greatly if you substitute one for the other.

The doors were watching over their sheep by night. The angel came and spoke to them while the glory of the Lord shone all around. An angel army came and shouted praise to God in front of the doors making them very afraid. The angel told them to stop being scared and to go find baby Jesus in Bethlehem. After the angels left, the doors talked to each other and then hurried into Bethlehem. After they had found Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, they went all over the place telling everybody about what they had seen and heard. The people who heard the doors were very amazed, of course.

That was my first attempt at the Christmas story in Icelandic.

"Þú, Þú, Önd!" 

Many children have played some variation of the game, "Duck, Duck, Goose!" It´s a fun game that can be played with different age groups and with minimum explanation. A game that could be explained by acting it out was really important when we first arrived. To my surprise and delight, "Duck, Duck, Goose!" was a big hit. The one snag was that I didn´t know the word for goose. I improvised using the pronoun þú (thoo), which means you, as the children went around the circle tapping heads. I knew the word for duck, which is önd (und). I swapped the duck for the goose and the pronoun for the duck. "You, You, Duck!" is still one of our favorite games in Sunday school.

Björn and Bjór

After teaching the children for several Sundays about the creation week, I had a big review game day for my class in Sunday School. The game got a little rambunctious but fun. My husband came in with his older kids toward the end of the game. In an attempt to show off my amazing teaching skills and the clever learning abilities of my class, I ramped it up a little more. Pride goes before a fall. 

I yelled out an item.  The kids yelled back what day God had made that thing.  Each question added to the excitement. It went something like this:

Me: "What day did God make apples?"

Them: "Day three!"

Me: "What day did God make sharks?"

Them: "Day five!"

Me: "What day did God make stars?"

Them: "Day four!"

This went on for several minutes. To their credit, the kids were getting the answers right. To my horror, I asked the next question.

What I thought I asked was, "What day did God make bears?" Bear is björn (byurdn).

What I actually asked was,  "What day did God make BEER?" Yes, I emphasized the word bjór.

What the kids yelled was, "God made BEER!!" 

Sing-song chants of "God made beer!" sounded for several minutes until I was able to get control of the raucous crowd. 

I have learned to keep review game day a little less showy.

Byrja, Bíða, and Biðja

When you have a children's program with games and snacks, you use the words start, wait, and pray quite a bit. They are byrja (bidya), bíða (beetha), and biðja (bithya). It was probably two years before I could keep these words straight.

When it was time to thank the Lord for our snack, I would say, "Ok, children. Let's bow our heads and wait." When I needed them to wait their turn, I would say, "You need to start." Or when we were going to play a game, it was "On your mark, get set, PRAY!" Okay, just for fun, I still sometimes use that last one.

Pils, Pilsner, and Pylsur

We don´t eat out very often but one evening when we were new to the island, I went to the local drive-through. Icelandic hot dogs made from lamb, are truly delicious. When the lady opened the window, I ordered four hot dogs. Anyway, I thought that I did. 

In faltering Icelandic, I said, "I want four pils with everything." 

With a puzzled expression, she said in broken English, "We don´t sell skirts." Oops.

I tried to correct myself with, "I mean I want four pilsner."

She chuckled and asked, "So you want four pilsner beers?" Um, no. Then she said, "Do you want four hot dogs, pylsur?" 

"Yes," I mumbled, red-faced. 

She went back inside. When she returned, she handed me two cigarette carton boxes out the window. After having embarrassed myself ordering skirts and beers, I just took them. To my surprise, the hotdogs were stacked inside. Two fully-loaded dogs fit perfectly in one carton. I paid and took my cigarette-boxed saugages home.

When I went inside, my husband raised a quizical brow in my direction. "Did you decide to take up smoking?" he asked.

"Look," I snarked, "Be happy with your tobacco flavored dogs. I almost accidently brought home four beers for you, me, and the kids to have for dinner."

Disclaimer: *We neither smoke nor drink.*

Pear Soda

Because making cute birthday cakes was always a real challenge for me, I tried to compensate with a favorite dinner, snack, and soda. The kids liked to go to the grocery store and pick out their birthday meal. When our oldest was turning six or seven, he chose pear soda. Sodas come in all different flavors here that we don´t have in the States like mixed fruit, grapefruit, or pomegranate. 

At the party with a few little friends from church, I served chips, my ugly cake, and the bubbly pear soda. The kids really liked the drink, and several asked for more. When there was just a little left, I poured some for a mom that was there and myself. She took a sip and looked at me big-eyed. 

"I think this is alcohol!" she said. "Let me read the bottle."

"But they are not allowed to sell alcohol in the grocery store in Iceland," I replied. 

She shrugged and said, "Well, not hard alcohol. They can sell it like this, though, when it is just a little bit."

Sure enough, those pear flavored bubbles had the tiniest bit of, ahem, zip to them.  Oops.

Disclaimer again, *We don't drink.*

The Calendar

This is the first time that I laughed out loud at myself, a lot, for a long time.

When the kids were younger, there were only a few times that I was able to go somewhere by myself. We shared a car, hubby was in the university learning the language all day, ministry consumed any spare time, etc. On one rare occasion, though, after having lived here for a few years, I got to go to Reykjavik, the capitol by myself to Christmas shop. I was free as a bird, happy as a lark, and living large as I pushed my cart through the mall.

I happened upon a safety display.  There were rescue workers showing children their fire suits and oxygen tanks. They showed them the purpose for the big red axes and the fire extinguishers. The way they were explaining things to the children really impressed me. Since it was nearing the New Year, I decided to purchase one of the calendars. I always keep an Icelandic and an American calendar to keep all of the different holidays straight.

When I purchased the calendar, the gentleman asked me the strangest question.

"Is this for you or for a friend?" he asked.

Confused, I replied, "For me."

He then waggled his eyebrows at me, winked, and asked, "Do you want me to autograph it?"

I thought, "What!? No, your fresh, flirty fireman!" but I just said, "No thanks."

Flustered, I walked away and tossed the calendar into my cart where it landed with the back side up. On the back were miniatures of the picture for each month. Twelve fireman had posed for this calendar. Yes, the Baptist preacher's wife had just bought one of THOSE calendars.

I guffawed at myself. On the way home, I called my husband to share my latest misadventure. He laughed with me, of course.

Disclaimer *I didn't keep it.*

Life is a mix of up and down, good and bad, easy and hard. We all make mistakes. Own them. Laugh about them when possible. Like the Bible says, it's good medicine.

Patrick and Vicki Weimer, in Iceland since 1999

Do you ever have grumpy days? Days when you just don't feel like yourself and everything people do or say or need annoys you?

Me neither.

But let's pretend for a moment that we have.

Let's suppose the other day I was tired from not sleeping well and had a day full of appointments where my family needed me. Like not just to physically drive them/be there, but actually make decisions, and give informed consent, and interpret and help communicate. I had a tiny window of time before the next appointment and decided to lay down for a moment.

While I lay there I was thinking about how I wished I had slept better, that my kids could drive independently, that my husband didn't need me to interpret, that I didn't have to clean the kitchen or then turn around and cook dinner, either.

Some rest, right? If only, if only, if only...

When I got up for the next appointment (with quite a huff I might add), I saw these bracelets on my dresser and immediately felt the reproof.

Love people. Serve others.

You see, my family is people. My family is others. Sometimes I forget that. I don't always love and serve them the way I ought to. Yes, sometimes life is demanding. Sometimes I am tired. Sometimes I *just don't feel like it*.

However, "The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances."  -Elizabeth Elliot

Colossians 1:27 says Christ in me is the hope of glory. Am I living in the strength of Christ? Am I letting Him be my hope of glory, even when I *just don't feel like it*? Is He reflected in my words, attitudes, and actions?

Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another;

Galatians 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Pumpkin Butter (or squash)

Pumpkin Butter (or squash)

I LOVE pumpkin butter! The smooth, sweet, spiciness just screams fall! I decided today as I whipped up a batch of this golden deliciousness that I need to make this whenever I have pumpkin/squash around the house! When I did some research online, I noticed that a lot of recipes called for apple juice….not an option for us. Apple juice is crazy expensive, and I didn’t feel like buying a whole liter of juice just for a few cups of pumpkin butter. After doing some digging and research, I came up with this lovely treat. I couldn’t stop eating it by the spoonful!  My favorite way to have pumpkin butter is on pancakes or dinner rolls, but it’s also amazing on ice cream, waffles, biscuits, tarts, homemade sourdough bread, really anything would work! I feel like breads are just the vehicle for this amazing condiment! (Personally I feel like it should be a staple!) 

I didn’t have canned pumpkin, but if you do, you can use that. I just peeled and steamed the pumpkin I have and use that. Before I combined all of my ingredients, I just used a potato masher and mashed the pumpkin until it was smooth.  It works fantastically! I’ve honestly never used canned pumpkin for anything… so I don’t know if it would make this the same… but try it if that’s what you have, and let me know how you like it! 

In a medium saucepan combine all of your ingredients, and stir until well combined. Cook on med-low heat until the pumpkin butter starts to caramelize (brown). I did a double batch, and it took about 5 minutes to caramelize. You can serve warm or cold. I like it warm better, but it depends on what you’re serving your pumpkin butter with. Put pumpkin butter in a jar, and store in the fridge. Ours never last longer than a week (there are also nine of us in the house right now…) so I don’t know how long this will keep. I’m sure longer than a week, maybe two? Once again, I’m not sure, so let me know if you find out. You can always freeze it in zip top bags, just keep in mind it will probably loose its smoothness, but still taste great! 

I’m also attaching the pumpkin pie spice recipe to this post. I posted it a couple of weeks ago. 

Enjoy! 

Amber Wells 

Papua New Guinea 

🇵🇬

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Pumpkin Spice Latte, the most talked about drink in the USA! So many have already been featured in my friends' Facebook or Instagram posts and it’s barely October! 

If you happen to be a PSL lover but don’t have access to a Starbucks, never fear, you can make your own at home. 

*Small disclaimer, it won’t taste exactly the same because a real latte is made with espresso and flavored syrups, and this one is made with coffee, real pumpkin and spices. I wanted something that is accessible to more people, without fancy equipment or ingredients. 

This recipe is easily adaptable! Can’t have dairy? Use almond milk or coconut milk. Can’t have sugar, or want a healthier option? Use any sweetener you like! Maple syrup, honey, agave, Splenda, stevia, etc. (you will just need to scale down the amount if you are using an artificial sweetener). 

if you don’t have “real” pumpkin, that’s ok too! The pumpkin we have in PNG is kinda like a cross between an acorn squash and a butternut squash. Add enough pumpkin pie spice and you’ll never know the difference 😆

Feel free to adjust the amount of coffee to milk as well. I prefer half coffee and half milk, but many of my test subjects requested more coffee flavor. So if you actually like the taste of coffee, and not just the pumpkin spice 😉 just make stronger coffee or add more coffee to your cup.

-Kayleigh Dye