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!........