On My Mind Today

The blame game has become more prevalent, and extremely dangerous to our country over the past year. Fueled by hate speech from the top, telling people who to blame for all that is wrong in their life, and elected politicians who refuse to uphold their oath and do their jobs, the division that has been created should have everyone deeply concerned. We have a choice to either reject the hatred and work towards creating a better world or sit back and allow things to deteriorate even further.  Once again, I ask, "who do you blame?" When our lot in life is not as we envisioned it's easy to find someone to blame for this. Circumstances in our lives sometimes play a role, but the biggest culprit is the economy. When the increase in the cost of living has outpaced the increase in wages, it's a recipe for disaster. What ensues is the finger pointing game. Those with money and power will try to tell us who we need to blame for our financial troubles. Over and over, they will s...

If you love peanut butter cookies, but need a gluten-free option, these will become a favorite. This recipe comes from the Woman's Day Kitchen, and it pairs the perfect peanut butter cookies with chocolate ganache, and who can resist peanut butter and chocolate? It is one of my favorite combinations. Nothing better than a cup of coffee and a cookie! Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies 2 cups creamy peanut butter 2 cups packed light-brown sugar 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 cup coarsely chopped cocktail peanuts Ganache: 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 cut bittersweet chocolate chips Garnish: chopped peanuts 1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat peanut butter, sugar, eggs and baking soda in large bowl with electric mixer for 2 minutes or until smooth and blended. Stir in 1 cup chopped peanuts. 2. Drop by level teaspoonful 2 inches apart, flat side down, onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake, one sheet at a time, 10 minutes or until cookies are puffed and slightly golden. Cool 5 minutes an...

Wake up members of the human race! There is a negative force in play that is working overtime to turn us all against one another, and the sad part is many don't even realize it. Open your eyes to what is happening in our world: We have become a society of I, me and my, and have lost we, us and our that hold us together. People who feel their opportunities have been taken away are being drawn into messages of hatred and fear that separate us. The negative forces have cunningly pitted us against each other along religious, political and ethnic lines, magnifying our differences. We have "leaders" who are not leading to unify, but to divide. In that division they become more powerful because nobody is paying attention. Those who swore to serve and represent us no longer do so. Afraid to go against their "party" they are not standing up to the false leaders. The messages of hatred and fear are fueling hate groups making them feel empowered; with that false power they...

The nurturer knows no other way, they are driven to protect and help. No matter the circumstance someone may be in, their inner voice will move them to lend a hand. They do not know how to step away, no matter how difficult the situation may be. They tell themselves there must be at least one thing to do to lift someone from their dark days. If I could just do this, or maybe that, their burden will be not so great. My shoulders are strong and ready to help, to lessen the load that they carry. These providers refuse to give up, even when everything tells them they should. It is unbearable to accept that they have reached the end of any assistance they are able to give. The nurturer ends up weary at times from trying to help so many. As they keep pushing themselves, they may eventually become aware  that some do not even want to help themselves. Despite their attempts they need to accept that at times they need to step back. No matter how hard they try, every now and then, there is n...

There are many parents who do an excellent job of giving the right mix of praise and constructive criticism to their children.    You can see it in their children who have a healthy self-esteem, the ability to move forward when they make a mistake, and good social skills. Then there are those who give too much praise – to the point of making their children believe that everything they do is right. We all know that is not possible and only sets them up for disappointment when they do fail as they won’t know how to move forward from there. They also don’t know how to allow others to come first as they are used to being the center of attention. And there are those who only seem to tell their children what they do wrong. We all see it every day when we are out in public. The child who is being corrected for all they do and never receiving a word of praise. I can only imagine how heart breaking it is for them to always hear nothing but negative feedback from their parents. Every ti...

From nodashofgluten.com , this recipe for muffin tin potatoes is not only easy to make, but absolutely delicious. Thinly sliced potatoes tossed with butter, cheese, rosemary and garlic and stacked in muffin tin cups for baking. The centers are tender, and the edges have a nice crisp to them. A wonderful addition to your dinner. Muffin Tin Potatoes 8 medium potatoes, cleaned and thinly sliced 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese grated 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary finely chopped 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted 1 teaspoon garlic powder salt to taste black pepper to taste non-stick cooking spray for greasing the muffin tin Preheat oven to 350℉ to ensure even cooking. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sliced potatoes, melted butter, rosemary, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, salt, and black pepper. Gently toss until all slices are evenly coated. Lightly coat each cup of a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray to prevent sticking. Neatly stack potato slices into each muffin cup until ...

There are those who believe that dreams and adventures are meant for the young; that when you reach a certain age you are to go quietly into the sunset and leave these things behind. They couldn't be more wrong. No matter how old we get, we have dreams and desires. As nurturers so many of us spend our lives taking care of others, and in doing so leave our dreams and adventures unfulfilled. It's not that we regret nurturing, as that has its own rewards. However, we do look back at times and think of the dreams we had and the adventures we didn't take and wonder what might have been. It is easy to imagine ourselves off on an adventure, seeing things we have never seen before, and meeting interesting people along the way. Welcoming the sunrise in one part of the world, and sunset in another. We can still dream of being a successful singer, songwriter, actress, doctor, scientist or inventor; whatever we dreamt of so many years ago. And we can envision the life that would have b...

Sacrifice (verb): to give up something you want in order to help someone else. Whether it is a relationship with our husband or wife, children, family, partner or friends, there comes a time where we all need to make sacrifices. When their needs become more important than our own, and we know that the only thing we can do is put our desires aside and make sure that someone else is taken care of. This is how we show our love for those close to us and let them know how precious they are. Sometimes the other person has no connection to us at all. We see their struggle and know they are suffering. At this moment our compassion for another human is so overwhelming that we know all we can do is sacrifice to try and ease their burden. Even if we don't have a lot to give, there is always something we can do to help. This form of sacrifice is what we need to teach our children. To ensure they know they are part of a larger community with a r...

This taco soup recipe from www.foodiecrush.com  is great soup for a cold winter night. Most of the ingredients you will likely find in your pantry, then add ground beef for a hearty meal. It can be ready in about 30 minutes if cooked on the stove top, or you can prep and cook in the cock pot for later on. Serve with honey corn muffins or rolls. The Best Taco Soup Recipe 1-pound lean ground beef 1 cup chopped onion 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 tablespoon garlic powder 2 teaspoons salt 2 10-ounce cans Mexican flavor diced tomatoes with green chiles 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 15-ounce can chili beans, with juice (I used 2 cans of black beans instead) 1 cup frozen corn kernels 4 cups water Shredded cheese, tortilla strips, avocado, chopped onion, sour cream, and lime for serving To Make on the Stove Top In a large stock pot over medium heat, cook the ground beef, breaking into smaller chunks, until no longer pink....