On My Mind Today

Thanksgiving - the holiday that brings to mind a day full of family, friends, good food, and no expectations for anything more. We all know that Pumpkin Pie is one of the most popular desserts for this holiday.  I have two recipes that could become new favorites for Thanksgiving dessert. They are light, creamy and filled with the pumpkin flavor we all love. Pumpkin Supreme (no photo available)   1-3/4 cups Graham Cracker crumbs 1-3/4 cups Sugar, divided 1/2 cup melted margarine 2 Eggs, beaten 1 - 8 oz. package Cream Cheese (room temperature) 12 oz. container Cool Whip 3/4 cup Milk 2 - 3-3/4 oz. packages Instant Vanilla Pudding 2 cups cooked, mashed Pumpkin Dash of Cinnamon and Nutmeg Chopped Pecans   Combine crumbs, 1 cup of sugar and butter, mix well, press into 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish; set aside. Combine eggs, remaining sugar (3/4 cup) and cream cheese - beat until light and fluffy. Pour over crumbs and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes - oven cool. C

Growing up we were taught what our priorities should be, and how to work hard to ensure they were met. We saw our parents work hard to put a roof over our heads, food on the table, and clothes on our back. They drove a modest car, my father went to work every day, and my mother took care of us and our home. Anything over and above these everyday things were extra and a luxury. That is what I learned and what I have tried to pass on to my children. If you look around today, you know that some people's priorities are turned upside down. Many young adults feel they should have everything their parents do, without recognizing their parents worked years to obtain what they have. They want the latest phone/tablet/e-reader/television, feel they need to drive a new car, and have as many clothes as their closet will hold (or more). Their children are involved in every activity they can possibly get them to, and wonder why these children expect to be entertained all the time. I know they f

Although I do love my meat dishes, I also am a big fan of vegetables and new ways to prepare them. Anything that is unique and offers a blend of great flavors is sure to go on my list of dishes to try. This one is delicious and will become one of your favorites if you love butternut squash. So from the pages of Woman's Day.......   Rustic Butternut Squash Tart  1 Medium Red Onion, thinly sliced into rings and separated 1/4 small Butternut Squash, (about 1/2 lb.), peeled, seeded and very thinly sliced 6 sprigs Fresh Thyme 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil Kosher Salt and Pepper 4 oz. Extra-Sharp Cheddar, grated (1 cup) 1 Rolled Pie Crust (refrigerated or homemade) 1 large Egg, beaten   Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl toss the onion, squash, thyme, oil, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper; fold in the Cheddar.   Working on a piece of parchment paper, roll the pie crust into a 14-inch circle. Slide the paper (and crust) onto a baking sheet. Spoon the squash mixt

"Friends are kisses blown to us by angels...Author Unknown"  Over the years I have been blessed to meet some wonderful people that I am fortunate enough to call my friends. It takes me time to let people in and share my life with them, so I can count my close, dear friends on two hands, and they are all lifelong friends. In the last two months we have been fortunate to spend time with some of these friends. Labor Day weekend my friend who has been in my life the longest (since we were two years old) came to spend the long weekend. The weather was very hot and humid, but it did not stop us from having a great time. One day we went to Portsmouth, NH and had lunch and did a tour at Red Hook Brewery http://redhook.com/ . The food was good, the company great and we enjoyed the tour and sampling of beer. A bargain for the tour and samples at $1 per person - how can you go wrong? From there we went down to Lawrence, MA to enjoy some Italian treats, Crispellis and Rice Balls, a

If only our passion and our career were one and the same. Self actualization - a term that theorist Kurt Goldstein introduced to describe our motive to realize our full potential. With Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs the term became well known. We strive to reach this in many ways: expressing our creativity, pursuit of knowledge, the desire to give back to society, the quest for spiritual enlightenment and many other ways. It is our desire to spend our life doing what we love. Not always easy to do. I'm sure that I am no different than the majority of people. I have always worked and over the years have had different careers - some that I enjoyed and others not so much. I have spent most of my career as an Administrative Assistant and I became very good at this. One of the people I worked for called me Radar (like on Mash), because I usually knew what he was looking for before he had a chance to ask. Other careers along the way included selling real estate, and insurance

Labor Day Weekend has come and gone - summer is over and fall has arrived. We are in the midst of the sunny days with cool breezes that make you want to get out those sweatshirts. When thoughts of picking apples and planning a trip to see the foliage is on your mind. We recently took a trip to northern New Hampshire and went up over the Kancamagus Highway (sometimes misspelled as the Kangamangus). It was a sunny day with bright blue sky above and many fellow leaf peepers on the road. The few areas where you could pull off to take photos were full, and if you were lucky you could find the last spot to park for viewing the mountains and valleys. The view at the top was beautiful, however it had more of the muted gold and rust colors and not the brilliant reds and yellows I had hoped for. Of all the photos I took I loved the picture below of the tree that looked like a heart.   We drove down into North Conway and had lunch with his daughter at the Muddy Moose. After a great