Sharing a meal, sharing scripture, sharing hearts

Sharing a meal is more than eating food. The Interfaith Lunch at Retreat House is filled with good food, good conversation, sharing of hearts and sharing our holy Scriptures.  What a beautiful day for Muslims and Christians to gather and glorify God together.All offerings of prayer are honored at Retreat House.  It is our hope to learn more about God, ourselves and the world as we get to know one another.Many thanks to those who participated in this day of sacred sharing of our lives.  What a blessing to all who were able to attend.Standing: Clay, Hind, Yasmina, Arva, Ray Ball, Iffat, Jackie; Seated: Sherry, Pete, Lil, Debra; Not pictured:  Shazia, ShelleyMany thanks to Jackie for sharing this cookie recipe:Joni's Maple Walnut Carob Chip Cookies(from the book Depression the Way Out)2 1/2 cups walnuts, ground in food processor2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour1 t unrefined sea salt1/3 cup flaxseed meal1/3 cup carob chips1/2 cup maple syrup + 2 teaspoons2 teaspoons vanilla extract **(for the cookies I made Thursday, I used 1 teaspoon vanilla powder. For those wishing to avoid the alcohol in vanilla extract, Trader Joe's also has imitation vanilla extract that does not have an alcohol base)

1. Place all ingredients in a bowl in the order given and mix well
2. Spray a large cookie sheet with a good vegetable oil spray and preheat the oven to 350
3. Drop dough on cookie sheet with a spoon and flatten with a fork
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown, checking often to prevent burning*
5. Let cool on the baking sheet before removing
6. Makes one dozen*

(* It had been a while since I made these cookies. The cookies were monster size on Saturday, which is why I cut them in half. This recipe would easily  make 18 cookies, and the time listed above would be correct. It took my cookies about 20-25 minutes to bake.)I also used parchment paper on my baking sheets; easier for clean upBlessings!Jackie