Our Hood's Red Headed Girl

This red haired girl rules the hood!
I wanted to introduce you to a frequent visitor at our home.  Suzi is a darling little girl who loves special treats. She lives across the street from us and has a direct line of vision. She watches us constantly.  When she sees us step outside, that's her cue to come running!  She gets so excited and her personality is such that we find we just can't refuse her.

She doesn't like to overstay her welcome, so she usually takes her treat and heads home to enjoy it (or more likely to rub it in to her brother, Jack).  On occasion, when to weather is nice and there isn't much going on at home, Suzi will find a spot in our yard to picnic.

Of course, there are times when Suzi feels a bit jealous of the food left for the wildlife and makes every effort to be the only recepient of our special treats.

Still, this charming red haired girl openly shares her thankfulness with a sweeping wag of her tail, warm sloppy kisses and even a wonderful loaf of fruit bread at the holidays.

Easy-Peasy Italian Meat Patties

Here is a recipe you can put together and have in your oven in a matter of moments!  It has 3 ingredients, needs no additional seasoning and bakes in the oven low and slow (best) or can be ready to serve in an hour, should you be in more of a hurry.  This also makes a great meal to put together and take to a family if they are dealing with an issue in their life which makes sharing a meal a blessing. If you make this for others, consider using a foil baking pan and remind the recepients to run hot water over the pasta to re-heat.

Italian Meat Patties

*Beef Cube Steak Cutlets
*Motzerella Cheese
*Pasta Sauce (whatever is your favorite)

Grab your favorite baker. Layer the beef patties on the bottom.  Cover with pasta sauce.  Sprinkle shreadded, or sliced, cheese on top.  Cover and bake at 300º for a couple hours or at 375º for an hour.  When you start cooking your pasta, uncover the baking dish to allow cheese to brown. 

You may use your pasta as a side or as a base for your meat patties and sauce.  Put some dressing on some pre-packaged salad greens and your meal is ready to enjoy.

A Timely Tale for Valentine's

Long, long ago (well at least 30 years ago) a young woman worked in a store surrounded by many shining and sparkling things of beauty.  One day, the young woman discovered her dream come to life in the form of a spectacular wrist adornment
which had the added bonus of keeping track
 of time.  Unfortunately, the authorities who ruled the land required the young woman to relinquish her dream to one who offered a good deal of paper currency in exchange.  The woman never forgot her dream and has always looked for it whenever the opportunity presented itself. 

In our present day (last Fall actually), the woman traveled to a land known to many as Canton Trade Days.  To her great joy, there in the locked confines of a local merchant's
stand in the middle of the market, she rediscovered her dream.  Upon inquiry, she learned that it was a dream up for purchase and that the cost of her dreams had depreciated because it was now a used dream. 

The now-not-as-young woman immediately brought her beloved to see her dream.  She shared her desire that this dream become her own reality, and to her delight, her beloved agreed. 

This is the the Baume & Mercier watch (well maybe not THE one, but the same style) that I sold for what was then the same amount as more than half a new car.  My sweet husband placed it on lay-away (I'll explain this concept to the young people at another time) and retrieved it as my Valentine's gift.  There are over a carat of diamonds and a sapphire on the stem of this gold "cocktail" watch.  I'm so blessed to have a husband who not only wants to make my dreams come true but who is my true dream.  Happy Valentine's Day, Kelly. 

Shrove Tuesday Pancakes

 Shrove Tuesday is the last "free" day for many people as it relates to their diets.  Also called Fat Tuesday, this is the day when we all feast, or pig out, or fill up on all which we love and usually deny ourselves once we enter the religious season of Lent.  Pancakes are a traditional fare because they are filling, easily adapted to contain lots of "goodies" and are relatively inexpensive to prepare in large quantities. 
(This is our Sasha, decked our in her royal jewels and ready to celebrate!)

When I got married (over 30 years ago), my mother and mother-in-law put together some of my husband and my favorite recipes.  These include a pancake recipe from my MIL.  In a time when most of us prepare our pancakes with two ingredients (water and a mix), this is a reminder of the humble start to this versitile meal.  We love breakfast foods more as our evening meal than our morning one. This means we are awake and able to follow the instructions of the recipe - and these are easy anyway. 


Pancakes from Scratch
What you need:
* 2 cups flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3 teaspoons baking powder
* 2 teaspoons sugar
* 2 eggs
* 2 cups milk
* 3 Tablespoons oil



Sift flour, salt, and baking powder.  Add sugar.  Beat in (lightly beaten) eggs, milk, and oil until just blended.  Spoon out onto medium hot griddle. Flip cakes when surface is bubbled and dry in appearance.





Want to jazz up your pancakes - try adding chocolate chips, blueberries or other berries, nuts, orange zest or lemon.  Now I must confess that my favorite pancake is none of the above.  I love lemon or pumpkin - with pumpkin being my ultimate choice.  If you want to try getting fancy without putting in too much effort, check out this recipe for Silver Dollar Pumpkin Pancakes from Ree Drummond aka The Pioneer Woman.

Lent is a season of 40 days, excluding Sundays which are treated as "little Easters" leading up to Easter Sunday.  This is the season when many fast, or sacrificially give up something, in order to spend that time and money on strengthening their relationship with God.  For some it is sweets, or one meal a day or meat on Fridays.  Remember to consult your doctor if you make a serious effort at fasting in a way that changes your dietary requirements. I offered to give up exercise, but it was pointed out by my pastor/hubby that this would be neither sacrificial nor beneficial to deepening my Spiritual discipline. 

Enjoy your meal as you eat, drink are make merry - for tomorrow we attempt the discipline of Lent.

Oven 'Fried' Chicken with Orange Rice

Here is another recipe along the lines of bland, not boring.  It is for a mock fried chicken which is baked with rice, all with an orange accent. 







What you need:

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups instant rice
10 ounces orange (or orange pineapple) juice
Fennel
2-3 Oranges (or blood oranges!)
Tarragon (4 Tablespoons fresh or 2 T dried, divided in half)
2 cups corn flakes
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and Pepper to taste

Chop fennel and tarragon, divide.  Mix rice with juice and add in a bit of the fennel and half the tarragon.  Put in a sprayed 9 x 13 baking dish.  Place some of the fennel and peeled oranges over the rice. 

Crush the corn flakes with remainder of tarragon and pepper to taste.  Set aside on platter or large dish.  Set the lightly beaten eggs in a dish next to the corn flakes.  Egg wash the chicken breast before coating with the corn flake mixture.  Place on top the rice.  Repeat for each breast.  Cover with remainder of fennel and oranges.  Add a little of the peel in pieces large enough to remove before serving. 

Cover. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the chicken breasts.  The last 30 minutes should be uncovered.

The Best Made Plans...

Well, I didn't make it to the Hill Country for my retreat.  My husband spent 10 days in the hospital and had surgery, all on an emergency basis.  He hit his toe a couple weeks ago and it resulted in a serious infection. The great news is that the wonderful medical team was able to save the toe and we are now home with a PICC line (to do iv antibiotics for a couple weeks).

This is a t-shirt I picked up for him as he ran out of clean clothes. It was a big hit with the staff.  It was a bright spot to have fun pajamas that others smiled at and many came to check out the latest. 

 

Perhaps you have a loved one spending time in the hospital, or you've been blessed to never have this experience and wonder a bit about what to do when faced with an extended hospitalization.  I hope this information helps make a difficult situation a little better.

Ask for paper and pen and write down any questions you have and information that is given.  I even pulled my tablet out a couple times and took pictures to ensure we had the details correct.

Call your care-giving team by their names.  Acknowledge their time and attention as well as their skills.  Yes, it's their job but then don't we all like a little pat-on-the-back and show of appreciation?

Consider providing a special treat for the break room.  When I was running errands or getting a meal, I picked up some large bags of candy and once picked up a cake.



Have fun pajamas to change into after each shower. Funny slogans and fun characters put a smile on more faces than just the wearer. 

Check if there is a freezer/refridgerator you can use and then purchase some frozen meals to allow you proper nuitrition while staying close and softening the blow to your budget.  Remember to get some labels and a good marker to note room number, last name and date on each item put back.

Be helpful if you are staying with a loved one.  Yes, it is a stressful time but the staff is there to care for your family member and not wait on you.  Consider making your own bed up when they bring extra bedding. Learn where the nurishment room is and fetch coffee and ice for the room, with their permission. 

Take rests and naps whenever you can find a few moments.  Care-giving goes on 24/7 and may even increase over-night, due to required labs for first-of-the-morning reports.

Display and care for flowers and plants given to brighten the room and express well wishes.  Many of these have very little water at the time of delivery, so you may want to add some right away.

Have your own modest pjs to change into at night.  This helps maintain your personal schedule.  Don't forget to bring and continue any medications you might need, but share that you have them in the room with the care team.

Photo credits:
Care-givers: Sarah and Evelyn
Flowers: Northwest District of the TAC, UMC
Plant: Linda T. and The Good Samaritan