Whose seat is it any way?

My favorite quote of the year thus far:

“Well with all do respect it’s not the Kennedys' seat, it's not the Democrats' seat, it’s the people’s seat.”
Scott Brown, newly elected senator from Massachusetts.

I wish more elected officials would remember who they are representing!

What I wish my husband would read.

I don’t believe that my husband would ever sit down and read an entire novel, but he always seems interested in what I am reading. He likes to flip through whatever novel I am currently reading just to see what is keeping my attention. It seems if there is a part of the book that is questionable or when read out of context seems inappropriate that is the part he will read. There are so many lines or paragraphs in a book that could spark the kind of discussion I would enjoy and not cause me to have to defend the book. So, if I was able to pick which part of the book he would flip to this would be it:

“If she was to become a wife and mother, she must learn the harsh lessons life can teach, although the lessons of war taught to James Whitmore seemed too harsh to bear repeating. Anyone who had studied history, however, must know that mankind would make war until judgment day, for one cause or another. And soldier after kinsman would fall.”
The Wedding Dress by Virginia Ellis

“‘All I’m saying is that once we head down the wrong track, we open ourselves up to all kinds of mischief. You’re putting yourself between this child and his mother, and that’s just wrong. We have to do everything we can to keep families together, not break them up, don’t you agree?’
Well, no I didn’t. I’d heard of too many families that needed to be broken up – cruel fathers, drunken mothers, drugged boyfriends, battered wives, and so on and so on. But I’d heard Pastor Ledbetter on all those subjects form the pulpit and, according to him, prayer and a good dose of family values would cure them all. To my way of thinking, about the only thing that would cure them was a baseball bat.”
Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B. Ross

“It’s no secret that teens try to wear down their parents. God made parents to be the guard rails on the twisting road of life. You need to be strong enough for kids to crash into over and over and over again. You must stay strong, so that your teens will learn to stay on track. Guard rails get dinged up. But if they work well, they preserve the young lives that run up against them.”
“While ‘I don’t know’ can be a teen’s intentional means to shut out or provoke a grown-up, it can also be the truth. Teens often don’t know what they think or feel, because on an almost daily basis, they are becoming a different person.”
“To a teen, being understood is everything.”
Boundaries with Teens by Dr. John Townsend

“Death is just a bi-line in the newspaper until it visits you personally and suffocates your empty heart.”
A Train to Potevka by Mike Ramsdell

My body is screaming for something healthy!

I don’t know about any one else, but my body sure takes a beating during the holidays. My children and husband love to stay up late and sleep in. I always say I am definitely keeping my going to bed and early to rise routine this holiday season, but somehow they always seem to win, and I end up staying up late playing games and watching movies. Exercise seems to take a back seat to just about everything else during Christmas time. And then there are chocolates, homemade caramels, and treats galore sitting on my kitchen counter just begging me to eat them. By the time January 2nd arrives, my body is screaming for healthy food and a hard work-out.


One of my favorite healthy foods is homemade granola. After trying many different granola recipes, this one is my all time favorite.

CRUNCHY GRANOLA
1 ½ cups brown sugar
½ cup water
4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
8 cups rolled oats
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1 cup almonds, coarsely chopped

Heat oven to 275 degrees.
Combine sugar and water.
Bring to a boil and cook until sugar is completely dissolved.
Stir in salt and vanilla.
In a large bowl combine oats, nuts and sugar mixture.
Mix thoroughly.
Spread on 2 cookie sheets and bake 45-60 minutes until golden brown.
When granola has completely cooled, add dried fruit if desired and store in airtight container.

Neighbor Gifts

“What am I going to do for neighbor gifts?” was the question that would cause me the most stress at Christmastime. Several years ago, we were given a cup of homemade glass candy by one of Scott’s co-workers. I got the recipe and made it for my friends and neighbors the following year, and it has become tradition ever since. Now some of my neighbors say they love it and seem genuinely excited when I bring it by, but I am sure there are some neighbors who just humor me and secretly wish that I would come up with a different idea. This tradition works for me and anything that relieves stress during the holidays, I say stick with it!

Glass Candy
3 ½ cups sugar
1 cup light Karo syrup
1 cup water
2 drams Lorann flavoring
Food coloring

Bring sugar, Karo syrup, and water to a boil on high heat. Reduce temperature to medium and cook to hard crack stage – 295 degrees. Remove from heat. Stir in food coloring and flavoring. Pour onto a marble slab that is covered with powdered sugar. Dust top with powdered sugar. Cut into ¼ inch strips with pizza cutter. When hard, snap into bite size pieces with hands.


We always get lots of candy, cookies, and fun treats. Sometimes we get homemade crafts and cute decorations.
This year the prize for the most unique present was a pair of scissors with the following tag: Whether you cut the paper or the cheese, we hope you have a ripping good Christmas!

My garden – the successes and failures

Success – I said I wasn’t going to plant a garden this year, until we built planter boxes. My husband did a fantastic job and had them completed by mid May!

Failure – Even though we laid down weed control carpet and brought in special dirt, the morning glory still found its way into my garden.

Success – This was the first year my cucumber plant survived. I love dipping cucumbers in dill dip.

Failure – and the first year my zucchini plant died. I am probably the first person on the planet who actually killed a zucchini plant. All of my wonderful plans for zucchini recipes died along with my plant.

Success – My cherry tomato plant was out of control.

Failure – My cherry tomato plant was out of control.

Success – I had fantastic luck with basil, eggplant, green peppers, and cilantro.

Failures – I love spaghetti squash and decided to give it a try in my garden. I planted one plant, and it looked like it wasn’t going to make it, and so I bought another plant. The first one began to thrive as my second one died along with my zucchini plant. The first plant lived, but it turned out to be cantaloupe. My husband is allergic to cantaloupe and I am not very good at knowing when they are ripe. Big Failure!

Success – Baked Eggplant Parmesan

I tried a new recipe, and it was fantastic! Well, it is from Martha Stewart, and so you know it has to be good.


Olive oil
2 large eggs
¾ cup plain bread crumbs
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, for topping
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried basil
Salt
Pepper
2 large eggplants, peeled and sliced into ½ inch rounds
6 cups favorite tomato sauce
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Brush 2 baking sheets with oil; set aside. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and 2 tablespoons water. In another bowl, combine breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup Parmesan, oregano, and basil; season with salt and pepper.

2. Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture, letting excess drip off, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, coating well; place on baking sheets. Bake until golden brown on bottom, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn slices; continue baking until browned on other side, 20 to 25 minutes more. Remove from oven; raise oven heat to 400°.

3. Spread 2 cups sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange half the eggplant in dish; cover with 2 cups sauce, then 1/2 cup mozzarella. Repeat with remaining eggplant, sauce, and mozzarella; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Whenever we go to Zupa’s my husband usually orders the Tomato Basil Soup, and when he doesn’t, he is usually disappointed in his selection. I have tried making a homemade creamy tomato soup in the past without much success. This year I tried a new recipe, and my husband gave me a thumbs up! Not only did I use homegrown tomatoes, but the basil was also from my garden.

This recipe is not for those on a fat free diet, but I think it is worth every fat gram!

Rich and Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

4 tomatoes - peeled and diced
4 cups tomato juice
14 fresh basil leaves
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste

Place tomatoes and juice in a stock pot over medium heat. Simmer 30 minutes. Puree the tomato mixture along with the basil leaves, and return the puree to the pot. Place the pot over medium heat, and stir in the cream and butter. Heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Do not boil. Season with salt and pepper.

Salsa!

On Monday, I decided that I really needed to pick tomatoes. I didn’t realize how many were ripe until I got into the plants. I probably picked over 70 tomatoes from my four plants. I couldn’t believe it. That would mean I would be busy making at least 2 batches of salsa. I love homemade salsa. I love it even more when it is all done and every one of the jars sealed.
SALSA
24 large tomatoes
4 large green peppers
4 large onions
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tsp salt
1/4 cup taco seasoning
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
3 4 ounce cans green chilies
Dash garlic powder

Prepare tomatoes, remove skins and cores. Chop onions and green peppers. Place all ingredients in a large saucepan and simmer for 2 1/2 hours. Place in pint jars and process for 25 minutes. Makes about 14 pints.