At the beginning of May, I was privileged to hold my newest daughter for the very first time. I’m not sure if I’m really good at timing or really bad at timing, but having a baby due right smack in the middle of corn planting is typically not the best time to take a few days off.
But, as we see time and time again, this verse still holds true: “We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” (Proverbs 16:9) (And I would rather have His plan than mine.)
The doctor had planned to take the baby out on Monday because the baby was breech for many weeks. I was pushing hard, trying to get the corn planted and wrapped up before the big day. Saturday night, the last field was planted and, wouldn’t you know it, that little baby decided 5:33 the next morning was the perfect time to arrive!
We flew to the hospital in style – “Mission Impossible” style. (Please don’t check my speed.) And sweet little Aria Joy must have been taking notes from SpaceX because, as the wheelchair rolled to a stop in the delivery room, she rocketed out – bottom first – straight into the waiting hands of our superhero nurses!
What a ride. My wife is amazing.
We so enjoyed our beautiful little gift from God while she was hidden away in the safe place beneath her mommy’s skin. But she had quite the rude awakening entering this world of breathing air, bright lights, and cold hands. And now it is such a joy to hold her in our arms.
And now … it’s time to take care of the mother. How exactly is such a thing done?
The ultimate caregiver getting cared for by the guy who takes care of cows for a living?
A little while before my little “song of joy” began breathing air, my sister sent me a song, which I
promptly memorized and proceeded to sing to the rest of my children ad nauseam. It goes like this:
“A mother who’s expecting
Must be cared for, no neglecting,
For she carries with her precious life within.”
That’s the easy part to understand. We would all gather around that tummy with awe and fascination. What an incredible miracle!
We would look at one another in amazement and say, “There’s a person in there!” And that baby was certainly making herself known.
We could feel her moving around, and every now and then she would give her mama just the
right kick so that we’d all hear the cute little yelp that followed.
This next part of the song is the hard part:
“So you must be well prepared
To provide the love and care
That will bring this precious life into the world.”
Providing love and care to someone who is already so good at caring for everyone else is intimidating. But thankfully, the song gives some tips.
“So bring to her good food,
All the comforts of your home.
Help her feel safe and loved …
Anticipate her needs
And be gracious to her please …”
Now that’s my favorite part:
“So bring to her good food!”
Guess what happened? We got good food!
One of the wonderful perks of being part of a good church family is that the rest of the church is so caring and thoughtful that they not only brought her good food … they brought me good food too.
Lasagna, made just the way I like it. Loads of cookies and protein balls for the nursing mama.Maybe the best beef stew I’ve ever had. Desserts that would put any church potluck to shame.Fun drinks. Barbecued pork with cheesy broccoli. Fresh-cut asparagus. Steaming meals straight out of the oven. And, of course, freshly baked rhubarb dessert that made my mouth water before the pan even hit the counter. And that’s naming only a few.
So, in honor of all the wonderful people who helped care for the mama of our newest member, I’m going to share the recipe for one of the special desserts we enjoyed – and rationed carefully – always making sure the very best piece went to Momma first.
Indulge in the delicious fusion of blueberry crumble and cheesecake with this incredible Blueberry Crumble Cheesecake recipe. It has a luscious cookie crust, velvety smooth cheesecake filling, and a generous topping of juicy blueberries and crumble. This dessert is a delicious symphony of textures and tastes.
Blueberry Crumble Cheesecake
Cookie Crust
250 g digestive or graham crackers
75 g butter
2 T. granulated sugar
Blueberries
300 g fresh blueberries
1 T. all-purpose flour
1 T. granulated sugar
2 tsp. lemon juice
Crumble
110 g all-purpose flour
1 T. all-purpose flour
80 g dark brown sugar
Cheesecake
800 g full fat cream cheese, room temperature
1 ½ T. cornstarch
2 ½ T. vanilla extract
260 g granulated sugar
4 large eggs
200 g sour cream 18%, room temperature
Cookie Crust
Before starting, preheat the oven to 160ºC/ 325ºF conventional oven. Prepare a 23 cm/9-inch springform tin lined with parchment paper in the bottom.
In a food processor, add cookies and granulated sugar and blend it all together until a fine sand-like texture. Melt the butter; add to the food processor and blend it together with the blended cookies. Add this to the springform and press the crumbs down with the bottom of a glass, and up against the side of the pan, so it’s well packed together and flattened out. Bake for 10 minutes. Let it cool down so that it’s cool to touch. Keep the oven turned on.
Blueberries and Crumble
While the crust bakes, prepare the blueberries and the crumble.
In a small bowl, mix together blueberries, granulated sugar and all-purpose flour. Add the lemon juice and mix it all together until there is no dry flour left. Set it aside.
For the crumble, add all-purpose flour and brown sugar to another bowl and mix it together. Melt the butter and pour it over the flour mixture. With a fork mix it together until it forms a crumbled structure and there is no dry flour left. Set aside both toppings while making the cheesecake filling.
Cheesecake
With a hand mixer or in a stand mix using the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese for 1 minute on low speed. Add the granulated sugar and let it mix for 1 minute on low speed. Scrape down the side of bowl mix it together for another 30 seconds.
In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream and cornstarch until smooth. Add it to the cream cheese with the vanilla extract and let it mix on low speed until combined. Add two eggs at a time and let it mix on low speed until combined. Once all the eggs have mixed in, scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it a final mix to make sure all the ingredients have incorporated.
Pour the cheesecake batter into the spring pan. Gently divide the blueberries first on top of the cheesecake, followed by the crumble.
Boil water in a kettle. Place the springform pan in a 30 cm/12 inch cake pan. Place the cake pan in another baking pan or roasting pan and fill it with hot water. This method will prevent water from getting into the crust. Alternatively, add a triple layer of aluminium foil around the cake pan to safely seal it from the water before placing it in a water bath. There might be a possibility of water leaking in, so make sure it’s covered well if choosing this method.
Bake for 1 hour and 20-30 minutes. Once the time has passed, give the tray a very gentle shake. The cheesecake should still be a small wobbly in the middle. Turn off the oven and have the oven door slightly open and let the cheesecake cool down in the oven for 1 hour. Then take it out of the oven and remove it from the water bath and place the cheesecake on a cooling rack. Let it cool down fully for about 1 hour to room temperature.
Finally, once at room temperature, place it in the fridge and let it set for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, before eating.
Meet your farmer – Jonathan Gerdes. He and his wife run a farm-to-table raw milk dairy and farm airbnb in Caledonia, Minn. If he isn’t in the barn, you can find him dating his wife, playing with his kids, leading youth group, or flying in the sky. Visit gerdesfreshfarm.com for more info.
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