{"id":1168,"date":"2025-11-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/upliftingstar.com\/star1015denver\/2025\/11\/11\/unexpected-blessings-thanksgiving\/"},"modified":"2025-11-11T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T07:00:00","slug":"unexpected-blessings-thanksgiving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/upliftingstar.com\/star1015denver\/2025\/11\/11\/unexpected-blessings-thanksgiving\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Should Always Look For God&#8217;s Blessings In Unexpected Places"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Spoiler alert\u2026Thanksgiving is right around the corner!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I love Thanksgiving! More importantly, I believe GOD loves Thanksgiving. After all, His Word says to, \u201center his gates with Thanksgiving and go into His courts with praise&#8221; (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Psalm%20100&amp;version=NLT\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Psalm%20100&amp;version=NLT\">Psalm 100:4<\/a>).The Bible emphasizes the act of acknowledging God as the giver of all good gifts, and expressing our thanks through praise, prayer, and worship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I know that we\u2019ve all had things in the past year that we can be thankful for, but even when we suffer through the really hard parts of life, we can still find plenty of \u201cthank yous\u201c when we look hard enough.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For instance, my dad passed earlier this year, and even in that I have so much to be thankful for. Foremost in that is that my dad, who ran from God for most of his life, came to know Jesus in the last several years of his life. I remember him telling my mother, decades ago, that the church was full of hypocrites and he didn\u2019t want anything to do with it. In the past several years, he and my mom rarely missed church. I ask him before he passed, what did he like about church now?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His answer was\u2026the people!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m so glad that God never gave up on my dad, especially after decades of my dad ignoring God\u2018s call. God, you are so merciful!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even now, in my mom\u2018s grief and loneliness, God is once again coming through and keeping his promise that he will never leave my mom nor forsake her. He\u2019s proving once again to be a faithful companion to the lonely and the brokenhearted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am so thankful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so, as you search your heart for the people and the things that you are thankful for this year, I\u2019d like to share a recipe for your Thanksgiving table! It\u2019s something new that my wife Tammy, and I just discovered in the past month, and something that will be on our table for the holiday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s called, Apple Butter Pie, and it is indeed made with apple butter! I know\u2026 If you\u2019ve never tried it, it may sound weird, but it is SO good. Best with homemade apple butter, but bought from the store in a jar will be just fine. It tastes like fresh apple pie, but with the texture of a pumpkin pie \u2013 the best of two worlds! By the way, don\u2019t skip the cinnamon whipped cream, it\u2019s worth the extra effort!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We hope you enjoy this dish, we sure do!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Have a Happy Thanksgiving, and remember, one of the things I am so thankful for, this Thanksgiving is\u2026 YOU.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>God bless you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/star991.com\/djs\/kevin-and-amy\/\">Kevin Brooks<br><\/a>Evening Show Host, STAR 99.1 | <a href=\"https:\/\/star991.com\/listen\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"66\">Listen Now<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<!-- Kevin's Apple Butter Pie Recipe Card (Printer-Friendly, Flush Top) -->\n\n\n\n\/* Recipe card styling *\/\n.recipe-card {\n  max-width: 800px;\n  margin: 2rem auto;\n  font-family: &#8216;Source Sans 3&#8217;, sans-serif;\n  color: #1f2937;\n  border-radius: 16px;\n  background: #fff7ed;\n  border: 4px solid #D97706;\n  padding: 2rem;\n  box-shadow: 0 6px 24px rgba(15,23,42,0.08);\n}\n\n.recipe-title {\n  font-family: &#8216;Poppins&#8217;, sans-serif;\n  font-size: 2rem;\n  font-weight: 700;\n  color: #B45309;\n  margin-bottom: 0.5rem;\n}\n\n.recipe-sub {\n  font-size: 1.05rem;\n  color: #78350F;\n  margin-bottom: 1.25rem;\n}\n\n\/* Meta info *\/\n.meta-row { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 0.5rem 1rem; margin-bottom: 1rem; color:#78350F; font-size:0.92rem; }\n.meta-item { display: inline-flex; align-items:center; gap:0.4rem; background: rgba(245,158,11,0.1); padding:0.35rem 0.6rem; border-radius:999px; border:1px solid rgba(245,158,11,0.3); }\n\n\/* Ingredients \/ Instructions *\/\n.ingredients-steps { display:grid; grid-template-columns:1fr; gap:1.5rem; }\n@media(min-width:760px){ .ingredients-steps { grid-template-columns:45% 55%; } }\n.section-title { font-family: &#8216;Poppins&#8217;, sans-serif; font-weight:600; font-size:1.15rem; margin-bottom:0.5rem; color:#B45309; border-bottom:2px solid #FBBF24; padding-bottom:0.25rem; }\n.ingredients-list, .instructions-list { margin:0; padding-left:1.2rem; color:#4B2E1E; line-height:1.65; font-size:1rem; }\n.instructions-list li { margin-bottom:0.75rem; }\n.small-note { margin-top:1.2rem; color:#78350F; font-size:0.9rem; line-height:1.5; font-style:italic; }\n\n\/* ================= PRINT STYLES ================= *\/\n@media print {\n  @page { margin: 0.5in; }\n  body { margin:0; padding:0; }\n\n  \/* Hide everything except recipe card *\/\n  body * { visibility: hidden; }\n  .recipe-card, .recipe-card * { visibility: visible; }\n\n  \/* Make sure recipe is at the top and uses full width *\/\n  .recipe-card { margin:0; padding:1in; width:100%; box-shadow:none; border:4px solid #D97706; background:#fff; }\n\n  \/* Hide print button *\/\n  .button { display:none !important; }\n}\n\n\n<article class=\"recipe-card\" aria-labelledby=\"recipe-title\" id=\"kevin-apple-butter-pie\">\n  <h1 id=\"recipe-title\" class=\"recipe-title\">Kevin\u2019s Apple Butter Pie<\/h1>\n  <p class=\"recipe-sub\">A cozy, spiced pie made with apple butter and a cinnamon whipped cream topping \u2014 perfect for fall gatherings.<\/p>\n\n  <div class=\"meta-row\">\n    <div class=\"meta-item\">\u23f1\ufe0f <strong>Prep:<\/strong> 15 min<\/div>\n    <div class=\"meta-item\">  <strong>Bake:<\/strong> 45 min<\/div>\n    <div class=\"meta-item\">  <strong>Serves:<\/strong> 8<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"ingredients-steps\">\n    <div>\n      <div class=\"section-title\">Ingredients<\/div>\n      <ul class=\"ingredients-list\">\n        <li>1 pie crust (store-bought or homemade)<\/li>\n        <li>1 \u00bd cups apple butter<\/li>\n        <li>3 large eggs<\/li>\n        <li>\u00bc cup dark brown sugar<\/li>\n        <li>1 tablespoon flour<\/li>\n        <li>1 teaspoon vanilla extract<\/li>\n        <li>14 oz sweetened condensed milk<\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n\n      <div class=\"section-title\" style=\"margin-top:1rem\">Cinnamon Whipped Cream<\/div>\n      <ul class=\"ingredients-list\">\n        <li>1 cup heavy whipping cream<\/li>\n        <li>2 tablespoons powdered sugar<\/li>\n        <li>1 teaspoon cinnamon<\/li>\n        <li>1 teaspoon vanilla extract<\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div>\n      <div class=\"section-title\">Instructions<\/div>\n      <ol class=\"instructions-list\">\n        <li>Preheat oven to 375\u00b0F (190\u00b0C). Prepare pie dough and dish, trim and crimp edges. Prebake 15\u201320 minutes if desired.<\/li>\n        <li>Lower oven to 325\u00b0F (160\u00b0C). Position rack in the middle or lower third of oven.<\/li>\n        <li>Whisk together apple butter, eggs, brown sugar, flour, and vanilla until smooth.<\/li>\n        <li>Add sweetened condensed milk and whisk until combined.<\/li>\n        <li>Pour filling into the crust and bake for 30 minutes.<\/li>\n        <li>Move pie to the lower third of the oven; bake an additional 10\u201315 minutes until the center is set (slight jiggle is fine).<\/li>\n        <li>Cool completely before serving.<\/li>\n        <li><strong>For whipped cream:<\/strong> Beat cream, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla until soft peaks form. Serve on top of cooled pie.<\/li>\n      <\/ol>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <p class=\"small-note\">\n    Tip: For extra flavor, warm the apple butter slightly before mixing. Pie keeps well refrigerated up to 3 days.\n  <\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Spoiler alert\u2026Thanksgiving is right around the corner!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":1169,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-15 23:57:43","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/upliftingstar.com\/star1015denver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/upliftingstar.com\/star1015denver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/upliftingstar.com\/star1015denver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upliftingstar.com\/star1015denver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upliftingstar.com\/star1015denver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1168"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/upliftingstar.com\/star1015denver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upliftingstar.com\/star1015denver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/upliftingstar.com\/star1015denver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upliftingstar.com\/star1015denver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upliftingstar.com\/star1015denver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}