On My Mind Today

Life has thrown me a few curves recently and it would be easy to let it get to me, but in the end that would not change a thing. And just when I am at the point of letting things get me down, I am reminded of what life is truly about. This past weekend my nephew received his "White Coat" as he entered the University of New England's Pharmacy Program. My sister and brother-in-law rented a cottage for the weekend at Old Orchard Beach, Maine and invited family to help celebrate this occasion. We had already planned to have our 3 grandchildren so we brought them along for the day. The cottage was at Waves Oceanfront Resort and it could not have been a more beautiful early fall weekend. In fact it was unseasonably warm at around 80 degrees. Even though the ocean was cool, it did not keep my grandchildren from running in and out with the waves. So much fun to watch them laughing and screaming as the waves chase them to shore. Once they (or should I say we) had our fill of...

This recipe was given to me by my dear friend Mary, more years ago than I care to remember. It has the consistency of a pecan pie, but with lots of chocolate and walnuts instead of pecans. If you love Toll House cookies then you will really enjoy this! Toll House Pie   2 eggs 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed 1 cup butter, melted and cooled 6 ounces chocolate chips 1 cup chopped walnuts 1 - 9" pie shell, unbaked Whipped Cream (a must)   1. Beat eggs until foamy; beat in flour and sugars.   2. Add butter and mix; stir in chips and nuts.   3. Pour into pie shell; bake 45 minutes to 1 hour.   Top with whipped cream and enjoy!   (You may also top with ice cream, chocolate syrup or chocolate chips.)             

As many of you know, I lost a very dear friend recently. Her life was cut far too short, with so many things that she will not get to experience.  Family and friends who will feel the void left behind by her absence. She did not want a funeral filled with sadness - she wanted a celebration of her life. That is what her family did yesterday, and I was blessed to be a part of this gathering. It could not have been a more beautiful fall day with bright, warm sunshine and a cool breeze. I have no doubt that she ordered this weather. People arrived, both locally and from out of state, to honor Mary and share their stories from the many years they had known her. It was the first time some of us had met and it was fun to share how we had come to have her in our lives. With each conversation it was clear to see the impact she had on so many. It was also a day to reconnect with her family that we had not seen for a very long time. Our lives take us i...

Before I go any further I want to say this is not a politically motivated blog. I believe in keeping my political (and religious) beliefs to myself. This comes from being one of the hundreds of thousands of people that are actively looking for work. If you have been searching for employment you know how frustrating it can be. Most employers do not even want to see you walk in the door any longer. You have to apply online (if you are fortunate you have a computer at home), and at best it is usually tedious and time consuming. You never know if a live person will actually look at your application or resume, and chances are you will never even get a "thanks, but no thanks". How can they even figure out who they want to see out of the hundreds of applicants they must get? I keep hearing on the news about all the "new" jobs created each month, and our government telling us the economy is improving. What are they talking about?? I think they are out o...

I am always looking for new variations on an old favorite. This one was discovered in Woman's World magazine, and it has become a must have in my home. A nice change from the traditional burger and one that should be added to your summer grilling traditions. Bleu Cheese Pecan Burger   1/4 cup butter, at room temperature 6 Tablespoons chopped pecan pieces 3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 2 Tablespoons finely chopped white onion 6 slices bacon 1-1/2 pounds ground beef Wooden toothpicks 6 hamburger buns, toasted 6 Tablespoons crumbled bleu cheese Lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes, sliced red onion   1. Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking. Combine butter, pecans, parsley and chopped onion; reserve. In skillet, over medium high heat, cook bacon until lightly browned but still soft and pliable; drain on paper towels.   2. Divide beef into 12 equal portions; shape into flat patties. Divide pecan butter between 6 patties. Top with remainin...

It seems like we planted our garden just a few short weeks ago. Today I picked everything that I could as they are predicting a possible frost for tonight. I am not ready for this change of seasons. This spring we planted with hopes of having more vegetables than we could possibly eat. It has been a strange and interesting year in terms of what we harvested for our efforts. Things either took too long to produce or did not produce at all. Plants that only gave us a few peas, 3-4 green peppers and 3 eggplant were very disappointing. Tomatoes and cucumbers were the winners this season. The cherry tomatoes have been amazing and we have been eating them like they are candy. Cucumbers have produced well, although they have at times been short, round and a bit seedy, instead of long and slender. Even my flower bed did not do as well as in years past. There has been much greenery, but the colorful flowers came and went quickly. It has been ...

I'm sure that many of you are as dissatisfied with the programming on TV as I am. Paying the cable company a ridiculous amount of money and having absolutely nothing to watch at night. The same movies are played over and over to the point of never wanting to see them again. So much of the programming has become "reality" TV. There is nothing real about it. They should call it staged TV - everyone gets a chance at 15 minutes of fame. And the more outrageous, ridiculous and disgusting they act the better the producers like it. A game of who can shock the viewer the most. Recently I saw an ad for a new show - you would be watching people who are watching TV....really??!! How bored would you have to be to watch this? It seems that the writers and producers have taken the easy way out, spending as little money and time as possible to get a show on the air. It does not take a lot of creativity to gather a bunch of people, have them go at each other each week and tape them. ...

In addition to the traditional eggs, meats, breakfast type casseroles and fresh fruits, it's nice to add some homemade baked goods to your brunch menu. This muffin recipe I have had for more years than I can remember and they have always been a big hit. Hope your guests enjoy these as much as my family does. Raisin Bran Muffins   1-1/4 cups flour 3 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup sugar 3 cups Raisin Bran Cereal 1-1/4 cups milk 1 egg 1/3 cup shortening or vegetable oil   1. Stir together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar, set aside. 2. Measure Raisin Bran and milk into bowl and stir. Let stand one to two minutes or until cereal is softened. 3. Add egg and shortening to cereal mixture and beat well. 4. Add dry ingredients, stirring only until combined.  5. Pour batter evenly into 12 greased 2-1/2 inch muffin pan cups. 6. Bake in 400 degree oven about 25 minutes or until golden brown.   Serve warm wi...

Our journey in life takes many paths and we never know where we may end up along the way. What we envision is not always what happens as we know all too well. There are many times of great joy and exhilaration that we encounter. Our first day of school, our first kiss, learning to drive, going to college, getting married, the birth of a child and so many other firsts that if we lined them all up, they would show what a good life we have had. The times of our life that we are forever grateful for and wouldn't trade for anything. There are also times of sadness and pain that we would like to forget or wish may not have happened at all. The small things like falling off our bike, the bully at school, and our first broken heart. Or something much larger that we think we will never recover from, like the loss of a loved one. Life goes along quite smoothly most of the time, but just when we think our life is on track and figured out, we are thrown...