JACK SPRAT GINGERBREAD

THIS LOOKS GOOD BUT I HAVE _NO_ ACCESS TO OJ CONCENTRATE.....>>>>> 1-1/2 C honey>>>>>>>1/3C defrosted OJ concentrate>>>>>>>1t vanilla>>>>>>>4 egg whites (or 2 eggs, live dangerously!)>>>>>>>1/2C applesauce>>>>>>>1/4C baby food prune or apple puree>>>>>>>1/2 C each raisins and dates>>>>>>>1-1/4C flour>>>>>>3/4 C whole wheat flour (or oat flour/ground oatmeal or just more plain flour)>>>>>>>1/2T baking soda and cream of tartar>>>>>>>2t ground dried ginger>>>>>>>1/2T cinnamon>>>>>>>>dash nutmeg (good but not necessary-- don't buy for this dash!)>>>>>>>preheat oven to 325 and spray a 9" round pan with non-stick spray, set aside>>>>>>>mix wet ingredients>>>>mix dry ingredients>>>>>>>mix wet into dry ingredients until just blended (overbeating => tough gingerbread!)>>>>>>>spread batter into prepared pan and bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes>>>>>>>let cool on rack (stove burner turned off works) for 10 minutes or more before slicing and serving, preferrably warm...(can nuke lightly or in toaster-oven when serving the next day or later that day)

seasons

Life is a series of seasons, it seems to me. After being a child, with all its phases of development and milestones, adult life is no less dividided and classified. There are many sesons to adulthood.>>>>>>>I remember when i got married. I had only ever beem to one wedding before mine (friends of my then-boyfriend that i had never met before or have seen since). In the following five years, though, many of my acquaintainces, friends, and colleagues were getting married. Then, in the following years, we were all having babies and buying houses and starting careers. It was an eventful and exciting time. Time flew past with all the activities and changes.>>>>>>> Then came the season of forming families and raising children. We did that in a big way with the two kids, big house, Santa and tooth fairy, Winnie-the-Pooh and Rescue Heroes, birthday parties and Wyandotte Lake memberships.>>>>>>> That was a good season which i was able to fully enjoy, being a "stay-at-home" maman for ten years in Maryland and then Ohio. I would not have changed a thing. No, not a singel day. Were there some less-than-perfect times? Yeppers. But sososo many more good times, good days, good memories.>>>>>>> Then the kiddos become big adults and move on to their own lives. The job long abandonned to be the maman returns but it wasn't a career, more a side-income and way to fill the days productively. Joe, having developed his career all the way along was at the peak of his professional life. I, having been a "career mommy", was winding down my career and working my "side gig" as a nurse. There were some bright moments but the season was a bit less bright and certainly less active.>>>>>>>The season that follows? Retirement and "coupledom". The "kids" from my career as a maman are fully in their adult lives. The eldest older than i was when she was born. The younger married and father of two children of his own. Both working full-time and "adulting". Both having formed their own families, far from where we live. We see them a few times a year but it's not the same as when they were little and in the same house. We are "guests " in each other's lives, not the externsions of each other that we were when they were our primary family members. No one crawls into my lap to read Robert Munsch books with a sippy cup of milk.>>>>>>>And, there are no more weddings or new babies among our friends and acquaiintances. Nope, now there are occasional new grandbaby announcements but more frequently (at least this year), deaths and funerals.>>>>>>>We have lived in Costa Rica for five years and in that time, have had over ten deaths to those to whom we were close friends and family. I just was alerted to one yesterday, a dear, dear woman that i was close to in Albuquerque before our move. I was not able to see her in the visits over the last year and i just heard yesterday from her husband that she died in her sleep in October.>>>>>>>I am trying to see the "happy, happy....joy, joy" in this season of life but it's rather dim. What is there to look forward to? What "new" is on the horizon? What advantage to forming friendships and relationships with new people here (most over 70 because few retire in their 50's...) if they are just going to die soon and make us all sad? My best buddy here in Costa Rica has a husband that is 80 years old. I have friends that i keep up with in NM that are over 70 and, while healthy now, so were my friends Margaret and John here in Costa Rica that passed. Then again, social isolation is as bad for the health as smoking three packs of cigarettes a day, according to the Mayo Clinic. So...i continue to meet new people, form bonds, and hope for the best.>>>>>>>That said, if you have some happy news...a wedding or new baby/grandbaby.....a fantastic anything...i would love to share in your joy!!

suzi shared this with me...and it's too good not to share with you!!

Invisible Mom:>>>>>>> It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' >>>>>>> Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this??>>>>>>> Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'>>>>>>> Some days I'm a crystal ball: 'Where's my other sock? Where's my phone? What's for dinner?'>>>>>>> I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history, music and literature--but now, they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone! >>>>>>> One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. She had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when she turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'With admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.' >>>>>>> In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: 1) No one can say who built the great cathedrals--we have no record of their names. 2) These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. 3) They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. 4) The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.>>>>>>> A story of legend in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.' >>>>>>> I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does.">>>>>>> No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, no Cub Scout meeting, no last minute errand is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.>>>>>>> I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.>>>>>>> When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, he'd say, "You're gonna love it there...">>>>>>> As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible mothers.>>>>>>> The Will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you. >>>>>>>

i wanna be Megan..... or NIgella....

When i was in high school (Turpin High School in Cincinnati, OH, go Spartans!), i had a classmate named Megan Kessler. Megan was (is! i looked her up on Facebook again today) everything that i wanted to be. She was beautiful with long curly thick honey colored hair. She had real Izod shirts and Pappagallo sweaters and skirts/pants. She was very smart (in all my college AP classes) and got good grades. She had Marcy Tailor as a best friend (also a smart chick with great clothes and social graces). She had lots of friend and was really popular with everyone.>>>>>>> And she had great, looping, graceful handwriting.>>>>>>> Those of you who know me best know that my handwriting is just abysmal.>>>>>>>>> As i couldn't do anything about my hair to make it fluffy and thick and curly like hers and didn't have the wardrobe that she did, i tried the only other thing that i could. I tried to write just like her.>>>>>>> When i couldn't make my handwriting like hers, i thought (i was silly even more so then...) that it must be the pens/pencils that she uses. I tried buying the same ones but couldn't find them. So....i "borrowed" one of her pens and never returned it. This didn't work. So, i took one of her pencils. Nope, that didn't work either. My handwriting stayed chickenscratch and my hair never stayed fluffy.>>>>>>> Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery but i failed miserably.>>>>>>> She went on to college and med school and became an obstetrician with great success and admiration from all. She even did a rotation in her training at University Hospital of Cincinnati (and had my then-boyfriend/now husband as a supervising resident!) when i was working there as a nursing student. She didn't recognize me and i didn't push it. She married a physician and had two beatiful, successful children who have also gone on to finish college and to successful careers. She still has the fluffy honey colored hair but i cannot speak for the curly, graceful handwriting.>>>>>>> I am now no longer working in the medical field, staying at home in Costa Rica and being a "ama de casa" (housewife/home maker). I cannot be Nigella Lawson but in imitating her recipe, i can pretend, if only for a meal, to be the graceful, accomplished chef that she is. Now, you can too as i've included the recipe of hers that i made today. It was a success (yay, me!) and i didn't have to steal her pen and pencil to do it.>>>>>>> NIGELLA LAWSON JAMMY EGGS>>>>>>> Sometimes, it's the end of the shopping week and you don't have much in the fridge. Or it's the end of the week and you need some comfort food but don't want to work too hard to get it. And you cannot take another meal of take-away. Nor can you even think of going to the store for anything. Make this recipe, while wearing your comfy pjs, and be happy for your chance to be just a wee bit like Nigella.>>>>>>> 2T butter (or oil or not)...... 1-1/2-2 tomatoes....... 1-1/2 T tomato paste....... 1/2 t sugar....... 1/2 t salt....... 2 eggs, beaten....... (garlic butter)...... baguette....... cheese of choice (see note)....... chop the tomatoes to smallish pieces and put in saucepan with butter, cook over medium heat (i covered to speed the cooking process), add a bit of water if it starts to stick, saute until tomatoes start to break down, stirring now and then....... add tomato paste, salt/sugar and give it a good stir....... beat eggs again...... put sliced baguette in toaster and begin to brown....... meanwhile, dump the beaten eggs into the tomato melange and give it a good stir to combine, continue to stir as the egg cooks, stopping before it gets to the "doneness" that you desire as the eggs will continue to cook....... butter that toasted baguette with the garlic butter (or regular butter or none at all)....... top with all of the jammy eggs....... sprinkle feta (i did this) or fresh parmesan or mozzarella cheese on top....... you will have tomato paste left over. toss the rest of the can (covered in saran)in the freezer for the next time you need comfort Jammy Eggs (or in the fridge if you think that this might be sooner rather than later.... i won't judge)........ Hubster loved this and it could scarcely be easier. Now, if i could only get Megan Kessler's favorite recipe..... i may have to hit her up on Facebook! Stay tuned....!!!!

change what you see...?

I cannot change a lot of things in my life but i can change the way that i see them.>>>>>>> I often forget this and get mired in the doom and gloom of the current world/local/personal situation.>>>>>>> I won't speak of the politics of the US or the disaster that is climate change or the racism and hatred that is prevalent in too much of the world. I have accepted that i can do nothing about any of this and thinking about it just brings me down.>>>>>>> I won't speak of the COVID or bird flu or "as yet unnamed fatal infection du jour" crisis b/c i similarly can do nothing for that. I cannot develop a vaccine, discover a cure or even work in the wards to treat the affected persons.>>>>>>> I have a five-year journal that i write in. It is one of my favorite things and i was so glad to have found it after much searching. The way that it works is it has a page for every day of the year and five spaces, one for each year. There is just enough room, so says the introduction, to write a sentence of what is going on in your life that day. Then, you go to the next page the day after. I'm in my second year of this journal and can look back to where i was exactly a year earlier. This is sometimes a good thing, sparking good memories of joy that i was experiencing then but is often also painfully reflective.>>>>>>>>> I am not making the progress that i would wish to be able to say that i was. I have most of the same goals that i had over a year ago and seem to not have made much, if any, progress. I am not Spanish bilingual. I am not a perfect body. I still aggravate Joe on a too frequent basis (i'm a hot-mess..he's not). I have killed too many plants, inside and out with neglect and over/under-watering-- crap gardener. This was really getting me down but i decided to apply the earlier statement (see blue) to try to refocus.>>>>>>> This week's stressor? I am not bilingual in español. I am still unable to understand the radio announcer, the person that i pass on the street on my walk or even Dora the Explorer on YouTube. I had been doing Duolingo for going on three years (!!) and am not as far towards my goal of being bilingual as i had thought that i would be.>>>>>>> I stopped doing the Duolingo because, rather then just doing it for an hour or until i had a certain number of "lingots", i would just do it until i was crying, inside or out. This was not good for mty mental health and, honestly, not good for my education either. I was not approaching "bilingual" and just beating myself up. Using a tool that i heard from a therapist once..."treat yourself as you would your 5 year old child". I would not continue to subect my daughter to the daily pain of failure and frustration. I instead switched to reading french each day and looking up (and studying!) the words that i don't know (or...worse....knew and forgot). Not having kids around to immerse myself and them in french, it falls away. :-(>>>>>>> I find that i was sad by the "forced isolation" of COVID. What is the right answer? Should i socialize more and be ok with exposing myself to five or ten people? Is it ok to go to a restaurant if the tables are far apart? Is the warehouse club or the grocery or the discount store "safe"? Is anywhere "safe"? Can i have friends over (outside but still)(up to ten people, everyone that we know here!) for a Thanksgiving potluck? Do i go to the US to visit or is it too much of a risk? What level of risk am i comfortable with? >>>>>>> Unlike math (2+2=4, every. single. time.), there are no "right" answers. Just a series of wrong answers and uncertainty. Is this person wrong for going away for the weekend with friends? Is this person wrong for not leaving their house for six months and getting everything from groceries to kitty litter to pizza delivered? Can we ever know that what we are doing is right for us or will we always wonder, worry and waffle (what seems safe and right one day doesn't the next)?>>>>>>> I just do what i know/think that i know to do and hope and pray that it's right. Do i do the right thing? Who knows? I am just doing what feels (today) like the right thing for me. I am weighing the cost/benefit ratio of everything and trying to find the right balance. Am i as careful as i should be? Again, it's not math. >>>>>>> You know what we all need? Something that we can rely on. Comfort food. And what is the definition of comfort food? Creamy, sweet, luscious, indulgent and cool.>>>>>>> VANILLA PUDDING>>>>>>> This is supposed to serve 4....but, again, i won't judge.>>>>>>> This is the best that i've had (ok, Jello pudding is easier and faster and the Handi-Packs are even faster but, really, comfort at its best comes from your own kitchen. You can bask in the glory that you accomplished something-- made pudding from scratch!-- and reward yourself with a bowl or two-- i won't judge-- of the fruits of your labor!)>>>>>>> 1-3/4 C milk (2%, whole, whatever)>>>>>>> 1/4-1/2C sugar (your preference, i like the 1/2C....live it up!)>>>>>>> 1/4C milk>>>>>>> 2T cornstarch>>>>>>> 1 egg (or egg white only...)>>>>>>> 1T butter>>>>>>> 1t vanilla extract>>>>>>> bring sugar and 1-3/4C milk to boil in saucepan over medium heat, stirring often>>>>>> mix 1/4C cold milk and 2T cornstarch together and set aside>>>>>>> crack egg in coffee cup and beat with fork, set aside>>>>>>> when milk/sugar has come to light boil, remove a ladle-full and pour over egg in coffee cup, mixing well with fork, to temper the egg>>>>>>> add egg/milk back to saucepan and stir in milk/cornstarch mixture and butter>>>>>>> bring to light boil and, stirring nearly constantly, allow to boil lightly for 2-3 minutes or until thickening>>>>>>> remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract>>>>>>> portion in to individual bowls (or not), cover and put in fridge>>>>>>> can eat warm as it is, cold, add left-over rice and a sprinkle of cinnamon to make "rice pudding"(Hubster's favorite), add sliced banana and a broken up cookie to make individual banana pudding (my favorite!)>>>>>>> ***can use almond extract instead or maple extract and brown sugar instead of white

what would you give up?

I have seen posted on Facebook and Twitter variations of the question "Which of your senses would you give up to have an end to poverty, COVID, cancer, etc?" While many had responses that this or that would be the sacrifice that would be least offensive, i have a different take. I am sure that this doesn't surprise you, my friends that know that i'm a freak in so many ways.>>>>>>> You can close your eyes when you don't want to see something or need a break. Do you want to take a nap? You can close your eyes and eliminate the visual interference of the world. Do you want to get rid of a bad taste or avoid a bad taste? You can brush your teeth or rinse your mouth. You can close your mouth and not take in the gustatory input. You can even pinch/plug your nose to avoid the malodors that you wish to avoid. Great.>>>>>>> But, you cannot close your ears. Much the pity. >>>>>>> I went for a hearing test in the past year, twice, to see if perhaps i had a hearing loss. Both times, i was told that my hearing is "within normal limits for your age", whatever that means besides i don't need/get hearing aids. I would love to have hearing aids...so that i could take them off and be "non-hearing".>>>>>>> Hear me out (pun not initially intended but appreciated!).>>>>>> I am that freak who DOESN'T like music, in general. I wish that i could turn off the noise that is most music. Unfortunately for me, i married a man that i love dearly...who loves music. I cannot ignore the music when i am reading and it complicates my understanding. Even opera (which he is listening to right this very minute) is noise to me. A neighbor recently had a house alarm that would go off, loudly, across the valley three or four times a night, for about 2 minutes each. This "noise" was less offensive to me than the majority of the music that i hear. Yes, i would rather hear a house or car alarm than Luciano Pavarotti singing an aria. Don't even get me started on The Rolling Stones and Pearl Jam and anything that you might pull up on Pandora. >>>>>>> I wish that i could close my ears. I have heard my children speak their first words and many subsequent discussions. I read a lot, even the subtitles on films, so there is nothing that i would "miss out on". I don't need a morning alarm to get to work. No one calls me on the phone that i don't also text, which is a more efficient communication device as you can look back and reread.>>>>>>> So, i would gladly give up my hearing....without the incentive of curing cancer or ending local poverty (although that would be nice...). >>>>>>> Come on. Tell me what i would be missing. Tell me how "wrong" i am. I'd love to "hear" your arguments!>>>>>>> xxoxo-- your freaky overly-stimulated friend-- lisa>>>>>>> RECIPE:>>>>>>> This is a recipe...of a sort. It is "stupid-easy" because sometimes we just want to make something that we _know_ will work...every time.>>>>>>> YOU TOO "CAN" MAKE TACO SOUP!!>>>>>>> "SOPA SIETE" ( SEVEN SOUP)>>>>>>> (all cans are ~15oz) 1 can corn (drained)....... 1 can black beans, drained....... 1 can diced tomatoes, not drained, just dump ....... 1 can chicken/vegetable broth........ 1 can enchilada sauce....... 1 can/jar salsa **....... 1 can chicken either/or 1 can pinto beans....... **roasted or "taco seasoning" is extra good....... **mild, medium. or hot...you do you!........

Copenhagen Crazy Chicken!>>>>>>>Dr Pepper Pulled Chicken:>>>>>>>Instant Pot Dr. Pepper BBQ Chicken>>>>>>> A>>>>>>> 3# boneless skinless chicken>>>>>>> 8oz Dr Pepper>>>>>>> 3/4 C BBQ sauce>>>>>>> B>>>>>>> 3/4C BBQ sauce>>>>>>> Put A in IP and set for 15 minutes, NR>>>>>>> Removed chix from liquid, shred>>>>>>> Return chix to pan, add ~3/4C liquid + B>>>>>>> Stir/saute to heat>>>>>>> Serve over jacket potatoes, toasted buns, etc

Sometimes you get what you asked for...only to find that you don't want it afterall. I am quirky. Ok, weird. Ok, difficult. And i feel bad for Joe that he has to put up with my being the crazy chick that i am. For 30+ years. I wished for him to have some difficult, annoying habits or behaviors so that icould feel "justified" in being the PITA that i am.>>>>>>>Then it came true. We are in Scandinavia now and he is.....testy. And the "clutter" of being in a different Air B&B every couple nights (pack/unpack/rearrange) is getting to him. And we didn't go to "lunch' until 3:00 yesterday (i had breakfast at 6.....i was faint with hunger as we were wandering a museum at 12:00 .....1:00.....1:30.....2:00....>>>>>I am feeling better now about being difficult. I just let his craziness roll off me....and feel slightly better that i am not the only one with "issues" that have to be dealt with.

i am in Copenhagen now and saw this recipe. While i love vacation....i'm ready to go home and make this dish. I am so looking forward to it that i've already given it a <3 rating (which means i love it!)>>>>>> <3 Copenhagen leek-red lentil patties>>>>>>> 1C red lentils>>>>>>> Rinse and soak in water to cover 20+ minutes>>>>>>> 1 LARGE leek, sliced>>>>>>> 1 onion, sliced>>>>>>> 1 sweet potato, grated>>>>>>> 1/2-1 CR carrot, grated>>>>>>> 2t minced garlic>>>>>>> 1t cayenne>>>>>>> 1t garam masala>>>>>>> 1t caraway>>>>>>> 2t salt>>>>>>> Sauté to soft>>>>>>> 2t baking soda>>>>>>> 1/2C bread crumbs>>>>>>> Mixy mix>>>>>>> 1/2 lemon, juiced>>>>>>> 1/2-3/4C parsley>>>>>>> Purée drained red lentils and this>>>>>>> Add to veggie mix>>>>>>> Form patties>>>>>>> Sauté to crispy>>>>>>> Serve with yogurt-tahini sauce

why do you do that in that manner?

Have you ever give a thought to why you do things the way that you do? If you're anything like me, you have things that you do regularly a certain way, the "right way", such that any other method would be "wrong" or just weird? >>>>>>> For example, is there, in your world, a "right" way to dry off after a shower or bath? I'll answer for you. Yes. Once the water is off, _immediately_ dry the face (had contacts for 20years, drying the face/eyes first allows you to not lose them...) Now to the drying. Start with the towel in right hand, dry the left hand (don't forget between the fingers),up the left arm, across the chest (quick swipe, no "bumps" in the way....), continue down the right arm to the hand. Now, bend waaaay over to let the hair drip on your feet. Dry the legs (starting with the feet) then flip the towel to the back and scissor back and forth. Lastly, do the turban-thing to the hair and flip up the head. Now you can step out of the shower and go get dressed.>>>>>>> Eating? Sososo many "right" ways to do things. If there is ice in a drink, a straw is optimal. Having the ice cubes clink to the lips or teeth is ....icky. Soup spoons are too big. I'm a klutz so i always eat soup (and i love soup!) with a small spoon. So, if we go to a restaurant, i have my own spoon, in my bag, at all times. Oh! And i don't eat with plastic, if i can avoid it. Again, i always have the spoon in my bag. Except for salad and spaghetti, anything i eat can be eaten with a spoon. (Yes, steak would not work with a spoon...but i won't be eating steak, right?)>>>>>>> Towles are all folded the same way. When i was growing up on Forestcrest Way, the "linen closet" (really a small little thing) was so narrow that if the towel weren't folded in 1/3's, they wouldn't fit. Now, so many years later, i still fold towels in 1/3's. Yes, i will refold the towels when i do laundry with Joe and he tries to "help". I don't iron sheets (or anything, really, for years) but do know how to fold a fitted sheet. Joe doesn't even try to "help" with that! Pillow slips have to be put on with the tags/zipper to the bottom so that the open side doesn't show them. Yes, i will re-slip a pillow slip that is put on "wrong", even at the hospital with the stretchers for the temporary patients (GI lab only had patients on the stretchers for ~1 hour but still...they deserve a "proper pillow").>>>>>>>Apples get cut in wedges or small pieces. I will rarely pick up an apple and just eat it. And, wedges, not sticks or rounds. I don't know why. >>>>>>>I don't "peel" celery, tomatoes, or eggplant....my mother always did (ok, no eggplant...she never made that) and probably still does. I peel carrots most of the time and cucumbers. I rarely wash fruits/veg with vinegar, etc. I've never gotten sick...and i eat A LOT of veggies.>>>>>>>What "right way" things do you have?

recipe to go with "feathers and bricks"

you KNOW that i have to have a recipe with every posting, a remnant of the "snail mail" that i used to exchange with my mother (back when i did "snail mail"...back when i was corresponding with my mother...). so, without further ado..... CHICKEN BASIL from "Chicken Dinners in ONE POT">>>>>>> SPICY CHICKEN WITH SWEET BASIL (i thought that this would be super-appropriate to go with "feathers"...and it's what we are having tomorrow for the "Olga-fest")>>>>>>>3 s/b chicken breasts, ~1#, chunked>>>>>>>(2T olive/peanut oil--- which i leave out)>>>>>>>1t minced garlic>>>>>>>1t crushed red pepper flakes>>>>>>>1 zucchini, chunked (i added this)>>>>>>2T soy sauce>>>>>>>2T Thai fish sauce(yes!!! you need this...no, you cannot leave it out!!)>>>>>>>1t sugar>>>>>>>1C small, fresh basil leaves (no, you cannot use dried.......)>>>>>>>2 green onion, sliced>>>>>>>saue onion, garlic and red pepper flakes to hot and beginning to soften>>>>>>>add chicken and zucchini and saute until chicken is white but not yet completely cooked (3-5 minutes), add rest and saute until chicken is done and basil is wilted>>>>>>>squeeze a bit of lime/lemon juice over ( if you have it!)>>>>>>>serve over fluffy rice (which i always have in the fridge)>>>>>>>fluffy salad and/or sliced pineapple is a good side dish here

feathers and bricks

I saw something the other day on the 'net that stuck with me and wanted to share it with you. I don't know if you'll like it as much as i did but here goes.>>>>>>> The woman was talking about those things in life that can "ruin a perfectly good day". She said that her daughter would come home from school and, when asked about her day, would start in on how so-&-so said that her hair was wonky or her outfit was weird, how her lunch sandwich was mushy or the bus was stinky. How her day was ick because this or that happened. The woman said that these were like "bricks" that blocked her daughter from seeing that it had been a pretty sunny day...that she had beautiful hair and a great figure that made every outfit look great...that her bus ride took her all the way from the school to the house without breaking down and she didn't have to walk home in snow or blinding heat. That i was really a good day but those "bricks" blocked her from seeing this.>>>>>>> What if, instead, one saw these things (the "wonky hair", the "weird outfit", the "mushy sandwich") as "feathers", just little flips what occur and then blow away in the wind or a puff of air from your lips? What if every time something happens that could be a block in your view of happiness was seen as a feather that could just be blown away with a puff of breath? >>>>>>> I tried this yesterday to mixed results. Ok, the "no water situation" was more a brick than a feather....but the cat waking me at 0200, the waking too late to do yoga before i had to make breakfasts, the twinge in my back while walking--- feathers. The lunch that was highly anticipated and then only 'meh"-- feather. The book that i thought would be good...that i looked forward to reading after a morning of chores and to-dos tat ended up being a bust (but i felt that i had to read a bit more b/c surely it would get better soon!)?....feather. >>>>>>> I felt like Libby, accumulating a pile of feathers around me (although she kills the bird first). I just puffed and blew away the feathers. Did i completely see the beatiful day? Not really but i did see it more clearly than the wall of silly bricks that were my bland lunch, bland book, and stiff back. I can walk without a wheelchair (unlike my friend's hubby). I was able to eat the bland lunch (unlike when my jaw was wired shut a few years ago). I had the afternooon to read the bland book (didn't have to work the 12+ hour shift that my son does every weekend).>>>>>>> pura vida. Trying to see the forest, not the few wilted trees within it (and the feathers at the bases of those trees). >>>>>>> See if you can pfft away some of the feathers in your days this week. I'll tell you about my successes (and "do-overs") this week. Good luck!>>>>>>>

party! party! party!

We eat our BIG meal of the day at noon and lighter in the evening so as to not be explosion-full when we go to bed. This also works to leave us full of energy midday and able to be lazy in the evening. It's easy to throw together a ham-&-cheese sandwich, prepared/leftover cole slaw, and Fritos (Joe's evening meal last night). For the "dinner" party next Wednesday, guests arriving at 1145, eating at ~12:30, i am making a "faux lasagne" which is (gasp!) a new recipe. I have made a faux lasagne before many times (faux b/c i dont' cook the noodles) but this time it's stuffed shells so even easier (i hope). I hope that it works. The guests were told that this would be "potluck", not so that i don't have to cook for everyone as the lasagne/shells and the cake (it's my childhood girlfriend's birthday so we are having a cake in her honor!) will be enough for everyone, but rather so that people can bring something that they will be sure to like, just in case. I always want to bring something when we go to th houses of others b/c i am never sure that there will be anything​ that i'll eat. Beef stew. Johnny Marzetti (or most any casserole). Chicharrones (largely popular dish here). Even BLTs and potato salad (both of which always have pork/bacon). So, it only seems fair to extent this to others so that they can be sure that they won't "die of hunger". Ally, one of our friends, is VUD (vegan until dessert) and doesn't eat any​ fat. So, no cheese. No sour cream or yogurt. no butter/margarine/oil of any sort, including salad dressings. No chips of any sort. I don't really like most cheese but feta and parmesan are ok. Ally will likely bring a pasta salad or beans, her usual offerings. I am encouraging her to bring red wine as she drinks it and we don't. She usually brings wine when she comes to play Wingspan with us, as she will be this Saturday. Oh-- this is the stuffed shells recipe that i'll be making. It was on my blog last time i posted but i will send it to you again here. FAUX CANNELLONI/LASAGNE>>>>>>> 1 box canneloni pasta (tubes)>>>>>>> 1 bag mozzarella cheese sticks>>>>>>> 1 jar Prego/Ragu/Rao pasta sauce>>>>>>> 10oz spinach, thawed and drained(if you wish)>>>>>>> Pam/oil a 13x9 pan>>>>>>> put one peeled cheese stick into each pasta tube and lie in the pan to 3/4 full(leave some room for expansion)>>>>>>> scatter spinach over top and between tubes>>>>>>> pour tomato sauce over top>>>>>>> add ~3/4C water (rinse out jar), and cover with foil>>>>>>> place in fridge overnight to absorb liquid>>>>>> when almost ready to eat, put pan in oven, set to 350, bake for 30 minutes, uncover and top with some torn apart left-over cheese sticks>>>>> bake open to melty and yummy>>>>>>> let cool a bit so that cheese "settles">>>>>>> tell _NOBODY_ how easy this was!!!>>>>>>> **** can "enhance" the sauce with oregano/basil/fennel seeds/sliced olives/chunks of pepperoni/etc I'll take a picture and let you know if it worked. What are your favorite things to make for a crowd/group?

another "non recipe" for the win!!

FAUX CANNELLONI/LASAGNE>>>>>>>1 box canneloni pasta (tubes)>>>>>>>1 bag mozzarella cheese sticks>>>>>>>1 jar Prego/Ragu/Rao pasta sauce>>>>>>>10oz spinach, thawed and drained(if you wish)>>>>>>>Pam/oil a 13x9 pan>>>>>>>put one peeled cheese stick into each pasta tube and lie in the pan to 3/4 full(leave some room for expansion)>>>>>>>scatter spinach over top and between tubes>>>>>>>pour tomato sauce over top>>>>>>>add ~3/4C water (rinse out jar), and cover with foil>>>>>>>place in fridge overnight to absorb liquid>>>>>>when almost ready to eat, put pan in oven, set to 350, bake for 30 minutes, uncover and top with some torn apart left-over cheese sticks>>>>>bake open to melty and yummy>>>>>>>tell _NOBODY_ how easy this was!!!>>>>>>>**** can "enhance" the sauce with oregano/basil/fennel seeds/sliced olives/chunks of pepperoni/etc

my Temple Recommend...and lack thereof

When i joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, i was counseled by the bishop that there are some bad people in the faith, just as there are come bad people in every group. The world is full of mostly good people but often the fewer bad people are what stand out and are remembered for their evil effects. I took this in and kept it in the back of my mind. I _knew_ that this would not be enough to dissuade me from joining and participating fully in the faith.>>>>>>>That was then, this is now.>>>>>>>I was also counseled by my "faith mentor" that "when you are getting closer to Jesus and being more dedicated to spreading His word, the adversary works all that much harder to dissuade and distract you". I have seen this in my life at some times. The first time that comes to mind is the day that i had my first experience, my ordination if you will, into the temple in Albuquerque. This is _BIG_ event in my faith....like First Communion and Dedication all at once. On the way to the temple for the ordination, the road/highway was closed (detours!), the traffic was horrible, the weather was crazy, and i was almost late for my appointed time. It all worked out, of course, but it was a bit more touch-and-go than i had hoped.>>>>>>>In my faith, the temple recommend is after an interview with the bishop and the president of the stake (division of the church) to be sure that one is "temple worthy". This recommend lasts for two years and then is renewed. A lot can change in two years and it is important to be worthy to enter the House of the Lord. Easy, peasy, lemon-squeezy right? If one is "living right", there should be no problem.>>>>> But no!>>>>>>> I went for my temple recommend interview this past week with both the bishop and the president. The interview/chat with the bishop was warm, inviting, and comfortable. He was pleased with my progress in the faith and interested in my life and me in general. This was how i always imagined church membership to be....fellowship with other kind, generous, honest people.>>>>>>>Two days later (because the president blew off our original meeting time with the bishop so that i could do it all at once), i met witht the president and answered the same ten questions. There was no chatting or interest, just professional, efficient questioning. After one question, he stopped, said that he had to "discuss something with the bishop" because he was "uncomfortable with my response". After speaking with the bishop (presumably....he could have just left the room for 10 minutes to go to the bathroom or out to his car to listen to the radio), he came back and said that he "didn't feel comfortable giving me the recommend" and that we could "revisit this in a few months" on a ZOOM meeting.>>>>>>>The issue? I don't participate in a sacrament meeting every week and take the sacrament (bread/water). I live in Costa Rica and there is no English speaking ward in the entire country. The ward that is nearest me is 40 minutes away (Joe drives, sits in the parking lot for the 1+ hour of service then drives me home), only in Spanish, and has no translation possibilities. I have attended this in the past but just sit there, let the Spanish wash over me, get more and more sad to the point of tears, do _not_ "feel the Spirit", then go home, feeling like the failure that i am that i cannot understand the gospel. So, instead of doing this, i have a Wednesday night Bible study (not Latter-day Saint but Bible is Bible!), i have online studies that i do weekly and daily scripture study. I am _more_ involved in "church" than i was in Albuquerque when i attended services weekly but then was "off" until the next Sunday, essentially.>>>>>>>By refusing to give me the recommend, President Michaels has prevented me from doing ordinations in the temple, prevented me from entering the House of the Lord, thwarted my progress to become more holy and involved in the faith.>>>>>>>How do i "repent and reform"? Either attend those sacrament meetings and ignore the mumbled Spanish (all lay lead so not practiced speakers), take the bread/water when offered, and report back to the President in a couple months or......do what i was tempted (see? adversary working on me...) to do and just LIE. Tell President Michaels that i AM attending sacrament meeting every week, AM taking sacrament, and then he will issue my recommend. So, for those of you following at home, to get my recommend to enter the most holy place in my faith, i have to lie to the President and Bishop of my faith.>>>>>>>Sigh.

last post so grim...we need something sweet to change the focus.....

HONEY MOLASSES QUICK BREAD/WASHINGTON POST>>>>>>> 2 cups whole-wheat flour....... 1/2 cup flour)....... 1 teaspoon baking powder....... 1 teaspoon baking soda....... 1/2 teaspoon salt....... 1/4 cup sunflower oil....... 1/4 cup honey....... 1/4 cup molasses....... 1 1/2 cups buttermilk or 1-1/2 C milk + 2 T vinegar....... Step 1....... Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use cooking oil spray to grease the inside of a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, then line the bottom with parchment paper........ Step 2....... Combine the flours, the baking powder, baking soda, salt, oil, honey, molasses and buttermilk in mixing bowl. Stir for 75 strokes, so all the dry ingredients are moistened, then pour into your loaf pan, spreading the batter evenly........ Step 3....... Bake (middle rack) for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the top is evenly browned and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a moist crumb or two........ Step 4....... Remove from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving with lots of butter and/or cream cheese!........

we all die.......

I am sure that this is not a new concept to any of us but it is not something that many of us think of often. Mostly, we think of this when we are forced to because of life circumstances, rarely of our own desire. Yes, eventually, you, i, all of us will be "orphans" as, God willing, we will outlive our parents. This has been on my mind a lot lately because of the events of the past month........ My father died 10+ years ago but the "daddy" of my youth, the man with whom i had a relationship, had "died" years before. We fell out of touch and he had no interest in keeping up the relationship, despite my efforts. For exaample, when he did come to Albuquerque, where i was living at the time, he stayed in a hotel three miles from my home, only saw me once when i invited myself to follow him and his wife to a pottery shopping errand in town, took my kids to his hotel to swim in the pool (i was specifically not invited), then returned them and hour later when they were "fighting" (splashing him and each other...they were kids!).When he got cancer, he called my sister with medical questions and updates and forbid me from visiting. I was only able to see him once before he passed, when he was on death's door and comatose so that he couldn't refuse me entry to his hospice room, two days before he passed. He had lingered with the cancer for a year but refused to allow me to have any more contact. I attended his funeral a week later but felt nothing. The man to be buried was not the dad of my youth...he was a literal stranger. I didn't know anyone at his funeral except my sister and my BFF Beth who still lived in Cincinnati and saw the notice for the funeral in the paper.>>>>>>> My mother (and, even more so, my sister) and i have always had a tenuous relationship. We have had many times that we had little spats with my being nearly always the one in the wrong. I am a disappointing, frustrating child and this didn't change as i became an adult. She has always been..well...who she is. She didn't like my college boyfriend, and told me this, so, when i married him, she still told me (often) how much she didn't like this man, the father of my children, the love-of-my-life for 30+ years. She continued until just last month telling me that he was a cause of all the issues and problems in my life and when was i "coming home" to live near her. After the last (at once both the most recent and the final)disagreement, i know when my mother will die. She has now died to me. She cut off all contact (blocked my calls, blocked me on social media, etc) and told me to not visit as she would not open the door. So, she (and my sister who did the same) is dead to me. Yes, i sometimes see something in the news that i would share with her, have interactions that i would share with her, see a recipe that she would like.....but that is in the past. It was coming eventually (she is 77 years old and losing her sight), as it will to all of us. I just know with her when our relationship, if not her corporal being, has died. So, at 57, i'm the end of my family.>>>>>>> What brought this all the more to the head? That my "second mom" is dying. I did go to Cincinnati (where my own mother lives but refused my company) from Costa Rica to say hello and goodbye to my BFF's mom, the second-mom of my youth, the sweetest woman i know, Helen. She is dying, in hospice and God allowed me and _so many_ of her family to be with her and say goodbye. She was awake and aware between medication naps and still ever-so-sweet and loving. God placed an angel in our lives and now wants her home. She is 88 years old...that's a lot of years of spreading her goodness and grace. She was the one that was home all the time when Beth and i were playing...the one who had TaB in her fridge _for me_....who made silver dollar pancakes and Tang for her girls to have a good start on the school day. She "lowered the BOOM" when needed but was ever-so-loving. Her Easter egg hunt for the entire neighborhood was LEGENDARY. Her family was so generous in sharing her with me and others. I mourn her suffering and am content that her family is able to rally around her in support and love. There is no "good way" to lose a parent or other loved one. That the family can be there with her and that she is in hospice and has her pain relieved is a blessing. It is still sad to lose her but ,depending on your faith beliefs, happy that she is "graduating" to be painfree, in her intact and healthy body and waiting for the rest of her family on the other side of the veil. This is the thought that allows me to stop crying over the situation.>>>>>>>On this visit to Ohio, we also went to Columbus to see Joe's mom/sister and family. We won't be back in Ohio until 2026 and recognize that this may be the last time that we see some people. That is true with everyone, really. Twenty year olds could be in a fatal car wreck. Thirty year olds get cancer. Forty years old is young...but can still be taken out with a heart attack or diabetic ketoacidosis. Each day is not guaranteed. Hug your favorite people...blame it on me and my blog posting...call your loved ones and tell them what they mean to you. At worst, you make their day. You never know when that last conversation will be.

i promised a recipe with each posting...here is today's....recipe first, blog afterwards!

>>>>>>>BIG BOATLOAD BEEF BAKE<<<<<<<....... A....... 1 lb lean ground beef ....... 1 yellow onion, diced ...... 1 red pepper, diced ....... B....... 1 (1 oz) package taco seasoning ....... ½ cup water or beef broth ....... 1 (14.5 oz) can tomatoes and green chiles, draineD,,,,,,, 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed....... ¾ cup sour cream...... 1 (9 oz) bag cool ranch Doritos....... 3 ½ cups shredded Mexican blend cheese....... sour cream and salsa for topping....... SAUTÉ A...... Add B and cook to creamy....... LAYER 1/3 crushed chips, 1/3 A/.B, 1/3 cheese....... Repeat x2....... Bake 350 to bubbly.......

OMG BASQUE CHEESECAKE!!!

Joe love, love, loved this and it's even better frozen/defrosted!!....... classic basque cheesecake....... Cooking spray or softened unsalted butter, for greasing the pan 6 large eggs, at room temperature....... 1 2/3 cups (333 grams) granulated sugar....... 2 pounds full-fat cream cheese (from four 8-ounce/227-gram blocks), softened (see Notes)....... .. 1 2/3 cups (383 grams) heavy cream, at room temperature....... 1/4 cup (31 grams) all-purpose flour, sifted....... 2 teaspoons vanilla extract....... 1/2 teaspoon fine salt...... Directions....... Time IconActive: 25 mins|Total: 1 hour 10 mins, plus cooling time....... Step 1....... Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray or butter. Crumple two 16x12-inch pieces of parchment paper in your hands and line the pan with them, criss-crossing them so the entire bottom of the pan and the sides are covered, and you have a generous overhang on all four ends of parchment. Crease the paper at the edges, pinching it, so it folds over. Use your fingers to press the paper down as best you can so it snugly hugs the bottom and sides of the pan. Step 2....... In a large, 14-cup food processor, process the eggs and sugar until smooth, 20 to 30 seconds. Roughly divide each block of cream cheese into about 12 pieces per block, and scatter them evenly over the sugar and egg mixture in the bowl. Pulse about 20 times to break up the cream cheese. Pour in the cream and vanilla, and sprinkle in the flour and salt. Process until smooth and combined, about 45 seconds to 1 minute, stopping the processor and scraping the bowl with a flexible spatula at the halfway point. (You may notice a tiny bit of leakage when you lift the bowl off of the machine, but with a 14-cup processor, you shouldn’t have more than 1 tablespoon. If you have a smaller food processor, you can process the ingredients in two batches, adding the vanilla, salt and flour to one of them.) Alternatively, you can assemble the cheesecake in a stand mixer: do so on medium to medium-low speed, creaming the sugar and cream cheese first; then adding the eggs one at a time; and finishing with the cream, flour, vanilla and salt. Step 3....... Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the center of the cake registers about 155 degrees, and the edges are set but the middle is still quite jiggly. The top should be generously bronzed; if not, move the oven rack about 6 inches away from the broiler and broil, watching closely so the cake does not burn, for 1 to 2 minutes, until well-burnished. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool until slightly warm or completely cooled, 1 to 2 hours. Step 4....... Remove the sides of the pan and set the cake, still on the papered bottom of the pan, on a serving plate. Slice, (use dental floss, even easier!)dipping the knife into hot water and drying it in between slices, and serve.