Strawberry Pop Tarts with Vanilla Icing

My daughter has this blanket that goes with her everywhere. This blanket, creatively named “Blankie,” has been with her since her literal DAY ONE, lovingly made by her grandmother while she was still cooking. It’s soft. It’s worn. It’s tattered. And it’s gross.

I’ve actually written about Blankie before (read that post here) and while I would love to say that some great intervention has come down upon us since those words were put to ink, that is sadly not the case. Blankie is still here. She (yes we call her “she” as she is as much a part of this family as our dog) is still loved. She is still gross. If anything, she’s been on a rapid down slide and has become even more rag tag and dejected. In the year since I told Blankies story she has grown a tail. A long tail of tattered edging. It’s a shredded piece of fabric, about an inch or so thick with the end sharpened into a point of sorts, a really gross point that smells and is truly only something my daughter can love.

And last night, well, Blankie and her tail had a little accident. I’m a little unclear on the details, but somehow Blankie got shut in a door. And in the tug of war between the door and my daughter (because what kid is going to actually open the door and easily solve this problem? NO kid of mine, I tell you), Blankie’s tail snapped right off.

Now I didn’t know any of this at the time. I was downstairs cleaning up from dinner and trying to herd two wild and naked boys who were playing a rough game of tag into their showers. But at the top of my stairs my hysterical daughter was silently, frantically trying to fix Blankie on her own. She was afraid. She thought that if we saw what happened we would throw Blankie away. She thought we would see the tear and think she was trash. This was terrifying to my daughter because in her eyes, Blankie is a treasure.

That’s where I found her, at the top of my stairs with tears of anguish and despair running down her face. Holding the two ripped and tattered ends of her treasure in the air, crying out to me in despair, 

“I don’t want Blankie to be trash. I don’t want to throw her away. I don’t want her to lose her tail. She’s not trash.” 

Friends, this broke me. And despite the fact that I know Blankie is actually worthy of the trash, despite the fact that she probably should be thrown away, I ran up those stairs as fast as I could and fixed Blankie up like the treasure she is. Then I grabbed my daughter and kissed her tear-stained face. I told her I understood. That Blankie is not trash. And that’s she safe with us. 

Because that is what love does.

Love stitches us back up where we are broken. Love says that we are not trash, no matter how much dirt we’ve been through. Love fights for us when we’re torn and mends us when we break. Love is what saves the discards and the outcasts. Love breathes new life into old things. Love is what keeps us all alive.

Love, it saves us all, Blankie included.

And just like Blankie, I have been broken and tattered. I have made choices that put me in the discard pile, dragged through the dirt and ready for the trash. We all have at one time or another. Life can do that to us and unfortunately, we most often do it to ourselves. I have been Blankie in so many ways. I have hidden away like my daughter, working frantically trying to cover up my mistakes, my weaknesses, for fear of exposure, for fear of being discarded. I know that shame. I know that fear. 

But the one running up the stairs to me, that was Jesus. I swear to you, no matter how close to broken you are, He is bounding those steps, two at a time, to tie you back up with knots of love because you are a treasure to Him. He is fighting for you, no matter how far gone, and His love is enough. Where you are torn and tattered, His love is the healing you need. His grace says “You are not trash” and His love says “Welcome back, my child.” 

Because that is what love does.

Love is an action word, my friends. It’s not just a feeling. It’s not only for poems and songs. Love is what we do. Love is fighting for what is right and saving the ones who seem to be beyond reach. Love is looking past the scars and the tears and seeing the person. Love DOES. It’s not just a thing. LOVE, it does. 

And for my daughter, love saved Blankie. Yes I know somewhere deep inside of my heart, Blankie will be going away soon. My baby is growing up and Blankie won’t fit her big girl image much longer. But for right now, just like I told her, Blankie is safe. My daughters love fought for her and brought her back to life. 

And Jesus, His love does that for us too.

Can we all say an AMEN for love today, people?

So today, in honor of the love of Blankie, I am sharing a recipe for the love of our kiddos. Yes, this is a recipe made from the heart of a moms love. My friend requested this one a while back (I’m embarrassed by how long it took me to get it together and get this recipe out for her. I blame summer) because she wanted better for her kids. Don’t we all? Those packaged pop tarts, well, they’re a kids dream. Covered in icing, filled with sweet jam. A perfect breakfast for the under 20 crowd. But they’re also pretty bad for you, right? I mean, what exactly is IN those things? So my sweet friend wanted a better for you version for her family. And that’s where this one comes in.

These are deceptively easy, made from packaged pie crust and a simple jam. There are lots of options on this too, once you master the technique they can be filled with honestly anything your heart desires. You can branch out and use raspberry or blackberry jam (I’ve got great recipes here and here). But be sure to blend and strain out any seeds if you have picky eaters in the house. My oldest son is begging me to try Nutella so that’s my next stop. Once made they are best stored in the fridge, mainly because the icing will melt into the tart if left out. I’m working on getting the icing to harden completely but my honest thought is it’s probably not possible without chemical shelf-stabilizers that I’m not willing to use so you may just have to improvise.

Make these for your family. They’re perfect and wonderful and sweet and filled with love. And love each other too. That’s what we’re here for, after all.

Peace, love and, well, love,

Meg 

Strawberry Pop Tarts with Vanilla Icing

March 4, 2020

Servings: 6

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By: Meaghan Dawson

Ingredients

• 2 heaping cups frozen strawberries
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 refrigerated pre-made pie crusts
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter softened
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 5 tablespoons half and half (or milk)

Directions

• Step 1 In a medium saucepan combine berries, lemon juice, sugar and salt.
• Step 2 Heat over medium heat until boiling, mashing with a potato masher periodically.
• Step 3 Reduce heat to medium low and cook, mashing often, for about 20 minutes or until the berries are cooked down (will be liquidy)
• Step 4 In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water until smooth and add to the berry mixture, stirring to combine.
• Step 5 Once thickened to a jelly like consistency, either run through with a hand blender or pulse a few seconds in a stand up blender to get a smooth consistency.
• Step 6 Set aside to cool.
• Step 7 Roll out pie crust until thin, roughly 1 cm thick.
• Step 8 Cut crust into rectangles, mine were about 2 3/4 x 4 1/2. It doesn’t have to be exact, but make sure that all the rectangles can line up with each other.
• Step 9 On a baking sheet covered in parchment paper, place 2 tablespoons of jelly onto a rectangle. Making sure to leave a border for the edges. Top with a second cut crust, lining up the edges.
• Step 10 Crimp closed with a fork, making sure to close securely.
• Step 11 Cut a slit in the top of the tart so that steam can escape.
• Step 12 Repeat.
• Step 13 Depending on the size of your rectangles you should get about 5-6 pop tarts.
• Step 14 Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Step 15 Cool completely before icing.
• Step 16 For the icing, combine sugar, vanilla and butter. Add in one tablespoon of milk at a time until desired consistency.
• Step 17 Spread on pop tarts and top with sprinkles, if desired.
• Step 18 Serve immediately and refrigerate the rest.
• Step 19 ENJOY!

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