The Prodigal Dog by Melanie Knight
I have never understood the Bible story of the Prodigal Son. I have always felt that it was so unfair that
the son who followed the rules and worked hard was overlooked and not celebrated like his lame loser
brother. That all changed for me a couple of years ago.
It was the morning of Christmas Eve and I got up early, had my cup of coffee, bundled up in some warm
clothes and took a walk with my two dogs down to the creek while my family slept. We have two rescue
dogs. Colt is a gorgeous chocolate lab/ Australian shepherd mix we adopted from the Lancaster SPCA at
Walmart in 2005. Our other dog, Bugle Boy (named for his heralding barks and howls every time we
come home) is a pure bred beagle who finally trusted us enough to let us pet him after he lived in the
woods near our house for years. We think he was dumped by a hunter because he is gun shy. Our yard
is fenced in with an invisible fence so our dogs can frolic in the woods chasing squirrels and rabbits,
splash around in the shallow creek and all around enjoy their little doggie country lives within the safety
of our yard and avoiding the busy Camp Creek Road traffic.
Back to our walk. I came across what looked like a dirt landing strip on the edge of the fence line and
figured this must be where Colt (chocolate lab mix) would scratch and bark at a squirrel across the line
that he desperately wanted to chase. I looked at Colt and he raised his little doggie eye brows and I
thought – yep, he just wants to cross the line, smell around and check it out. I knelt down and took off
his collar. He immediately bolted off over the line and kept running. I started screaming his name as he
ran way-way off in a huge arc until I couldn’t see him anymore. I stood there in the cold and did not
know what to do next. Then I heard two gunshots in the distance. “Oh dear God”, I prayed, “Please
don’t tell me they mistook my brown dog for a deer and shot him!” I called more for Colt. He still didn’t
come. I screamed for him until my throat was sore. How could I be so stupid? Why did I take his collar
off? Why would a dog that had everything leave for whatever was out there? If a hunter did shoot him
by mistake, I had now ruined Christmas and had to tell my son his dog was dead because I was stupid.
I made my way back to the house. There was no way I could search in the woods on my own, so I went
to wake up my husband Tommie. To his credit, he just said “Oh my God” and started getting dressed to
come help me search for Colt before our son woke up. Tommie could have really let me have it, but he
didn’t. I think the look on my face let him know I had already beat myself up enough. Not wanting to
waste time- I went back outside and into the woods calling for Colt.
At first I thought I was hearing things, but then it got louder. I could hear a dog barking in the distance.
I listened again- not just any dog- but MY DOG. I ran to where the dirt strip was in the woods, and there
he sat on the other side wanting to come back across the line, but scared to. Tears streaming down my
face, I ran to him and sank down on my knees in the dirt and frantically hugged him. My dog was ALIVE
and he had come HOME. I didn’t care why he left or that he didn’t come to me when I called him. I
didn’t care what he went after or why he decided to leave the safety of our home. I had no desire to
punish him because all I cared about was having him safe in my arms. That’s when I finally understood
the story of the Prodigal Son and why his homecoming was a reason to celebrate- funny how God uses
simple things to teach us complex lessons. Needless to say- both dogs enjoyed some extra treats that
Christmas. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving this year.
Four Square Pies by Melanie Knight, 24-32 servings- depends on your slices!
You’ve heard of three square meals…well here’s four square pies! While this took a while to mix up all
for pie ingredients, the beauty is that you only have to bake 1 time.
Ingredients
2 boxes Pillsbury Pie Crust (4 individual pie shells)
Cherry Pie
1- 21oz can cherry pie filling
Apple Pie
1- 21oz apple pie filling
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp almond extract
Pumpkin Pie
1- 15oz can pumpkin puree
2 eggs lightly beaten
1- 15oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 tlb pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla
Pecan Pie
½ cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup agave syrup (or brown corn syrup)
5 tlb unsalted butter- room temperature
3 large eggs lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups chopped pecans
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp nutmeg
Directions-Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Line the 12×18 inch pan with the pie shells. Where you have to cut the shells to fit the pan, make sure
to overlap where the shells meet by ¼ inch. Use a fork and pierce the shell to prevent it from bubbling
up. Bake for 10 mins. Remove from oven & set aside. Reserve scrap pie crusts for apple pie shell
topper and cherry pie lattice
For pie filling- mix all individual pie ingredients in a bowl.
To assemble the Four Square Pie- Visually identify where the four squares are. Start with the top left
square and fill it in with the apple pie filling. Top with a layer of pie crust and prick with a knife. Next-
on the bottom right square- fill it in with the cherry pie filling. Top with the pie crust in a lattice pattern.
Next, pour the pumpkin pie filling in the top right square. Finish with pouring the pecan pie filling in the
bottom right square.
Bake for 40-45 minutes in the oven. Remove and let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Crosshatch Parmesan Potatoes by Melanie Knight serves 8
This dish combines the delicious crunch of oven baked parmesan with the comfort of an oven baked
potato. This super simple dish is surprisingly delicious.
Ingredients
4 medium sized russet potatoes- cut in half lengthwise
½ cup grated parmesan
4 tbl melted butter
1 tsp Kinder’s The Blend seasoning
Preheat oven to 425
Line a baking pan with aluminum foil. Cut a cross hatch pattern ¼ inch into each potato. Mix parmesan,
butter and seasoning. Using a brush (or your fingers), paste the mixture into each potato crosshatch.
Place potatoes seasoned side down on the pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Gently peal the potatoes off
the aluminum foil so the crusted parmesan does not come off. Enjoy!
