Answers to Burning Questions

My goodness, but what a difference a day makes!!!! There are no birds singing here at Oak Cottage this morning, although the wind chimes are ringing away! The poor little dears are probably battening down the hatches and holding on to their branches for dear life! The gales are a blowin' and the rain is a fallin'! It's a nasty day outside for sure and it is so nice to be tucked up warm and cozy here in the cottage. I think it's the perfect day to get on with those questions so grab yourself a cuppa and pull of an armchair and set a spell . . . and I'll get on with it!



Grammy Staffy of Grammy's News wanted to know the story of what brought me over to England. (She is an inspiring lady herself. You want to check out her page. She even had us all over for breakfast last Saturday morning!)

Well Grammy, I got divorced about 9 years ago now. My ex husband had never been much of a spiritual man and in fact I was often derided for having been so myself. It was really important to me that if I ever found another partner in life, that he be my spiritual equal, and so I decided early on that I would not even date a man that was not a member of my church. Only one problem with that. There was a dearth of single men my age where I lived. Lots that weren't members, but literally none that were. I knew early on that I would have to look further afield. I belonged to an LDS chatroom at the time. I met quite a few men on there, but none that worked out to any degree. I had even had about a six month relationship with one who was a bit younger than myself. When we met in person though, it was clear that wasn't going to work out either. Nothing seemed to be happening, and I had begun to think that, perhaps, I might never find anyone and I should set my mind on going on a mission, for that is something else that I really wanted to do as well.

God had other plans.

I remember this one day getting on my knees and praying to Heavenly Father that, if there was going to be someone special out there for me, then would He please show me that there was . . . and if there wasn't, then would He show me what I should do re going on a mission or whatever. And then I went on about my business.

The next day I went into the chat room after work, as per normal, to say hello to some friends and was there for a little bit when this name came into the room that was new. I had not seen it before. Todd50's He asked was there any woman in her 40's or 50's that would like to chat and I, very boldly and quite out of character, said I would. And so we chatted, for what seemed like hours. It was really amazing. We seemed to have so much in common and were even reading the same novel at the time, which really amazed me. Only one problem. I was 44 and he was 62. As nice as he was, I thought he was far too old for me. I even told my mother (whom I was living with at the time) as much. Next day though, I found myself going back in there and looking for him to chat with, and was thrilled when he did the same.

We chatted on like that for several weeks, and then decided we wanted to speak on the telephone, which we did and it was wonderful After a time it didn't seem to matter to me anymore that he was so much older. We just had so much in common and I really liked him. We could talk about anything and everything. We felt the same way about things, liked the same books, loved doing the same kinds of things. After about six months we thought we should meet in person if we wanted to continue. When you get to our age you don't want to waste too much time, and as much as you may think you are made for each other through the airwaves . . . you really need some real time together before it can progress.

I had always wanted to go to England for a holiday, and I had a bit of money saved, and so I decided that I would come over here. Then we could meet in person, and if it worked out, great! If not, well then, at the very least, I would have had a nice holiday. When I think back on it now, it was really very brave of me, but I honestly felt that it was something I needed to do. Besides, I had had my Bishop back home talk to his and knew he was on the up and up. I also had several other lady friends over here that, if I hadn't liked what I saw when I got off the plane, I could have gone and visited with them for a time. Todd was living up in Chester then, and there was a lady in his Ward that ran a boarding house for students, who said I could stay at hers for the three weeks I would be here, free of charge, so it worked out perfectly!

I landed here on September 7th of the year 2000, which also happened to be Todd's birthday. We met, and spent 3 lovely weeks getting to know each other better, and at the end of that time Todd asked me to marry him. I said yes. It was really hard to say goodbye and go back to Canada after that, but I had to tie things up over there, and spend some time with my children, and also apply for a visa to come back permanently. We thought it would take a lot longer than it did, but I suppose it was a bit easier pre 9/11, for I had the visa within 3 weeks and I landed back here to live, on the 31st October of that same year. We were married and sealed together in the Preston Temple some 11 days later on November 11th, 2000.

I have never regretted one moment of it, although I do miss my children and other family members dearly. We both wish we had met each other when we were younger so we could have had children together, but then again, we both trust in God's plan for each of us and know that this was the perfect time for us . . . and so it goes.



Angela of Stressed Out Mum Seeks Inspiration had several questions: (She is a sweet lady. We met and became friends on Recipezaar, a cooking site which I frequent and am a host on)

1. What would you say is the dish you are most asked to prepare?

I make a pumpkin streusal bundt cake that everyone loves and so am often asked to make and bring that to functions that I go to and people just love my cabbage rolls and my deviled eggs. I also make a really delicious chicken casserole with a homemade stuffing on top that is very popular as well!

2. What ingredient could you not have in your store cupboard?

Ohh, that is a hard one Angela! There are so many, but if I had to pick just one . . . umm . . . err . . . . it would have to be tinned tomatoes. If you have a tin of tomatoes in your cupboard you have a meal. They're so very versatile and go with just about anything else, which I will show you a bit later on!

3. What made you start blogging, I ask this because you have inspired many others to start their own blog (me included)?


This is actually the third place I have blogged. I started off on MSN and had a blog of sorts there, and then I went to AOL journals and then finally to here and this is where I plan on staying. What got me started was that I had so many stories that I wanted to get down for my children to read . . . special memories and thoughts. I thought if I put them all in one place, then that would be good and they could go and read them whenever they wanted to. My church actually believes in journaling, and indeed, if it weren't for the many journals that people kept in the early days of the church, we would not have such an incredibly wonderful record of our church history. I loved reading other people's journals and thought I could, and should, do something similar myself.

I was hooked from day one. I love this special "me" time that I have every morning. It's very precious to me and I love the feedback that I get from my readers. I have met so many lovely people through blogging and made some really wonderful friends. I've always been a person that loves to share ideas and thoughts with others and this serves that purpose for me. I like to think that I help people from time to time and that you might think of me as a bit of food for the soul as well as the tummy. I also live a fairly isolated life here out in the rural countryside and this helps me to feel connected with others on a more regular basis than just on Sunday's when I go to church. Because of the hours I work during the week, there is not a lot of time for me to join clubs and such, so I guess it also helps me to fill a social need. How sad is that!!!



Angie of Can You All Hear Me at the Back? (Angie is a dear lady and friend that I met on AOL Journals. She's got a huge heart and wonderful wit!)

If you could be famous for one thing only, what would it be?

I'm not sure I'd want to be famous Angie. The price these celebrities pay for their fame and fortune often seems far higher than what the actual trade off in loss of privacy is worth! However you asked, and I guess the answer would be that, if I could be famous for anything, it would be as a writer. I love writing probably more than anything that I do. It's the one thing that I would miss most were it to end. I love stringing words together into something that people want to read and I love the idea that people actually want to read them! It gives me the greatest fulfillment of anything that I do.



Allison of The Rabbit Hole . A lovely young lady from New Hampshire who has a wonderful and quirky page. You never know what you will find there, but one thing is for sure, it's always interesting!

What advice would you give to a hoping-to-be-new-mom?

Don't try to be perfect. You'll always fall short. Just be the best that you know how to be. Children are wonderfully resilient and forgiving and if you just try to do the best that you can at all times, and love them with all of your heart, then you will be ok. Also, don't be afraid to discipline. Those words from the bible about sparing the rod . . . well they are true. I see so many kids out there today who have grown up with no discipline at all, and I truly believe that is at the root of all the problems we have with our youth today. Children need to know that they are loved and children need to know that they have boundaries. They need to know with a surety what is right and what is wrong, and it needs to stay the same from one day to the next. They need consistency in all things. That does not mean you beat your kids. That is never right, but they need to know their boundaries and when they have crossed them, they need to know there are consequences in life when you do the wrong thing, just as there are rewards when you do the right. They also need to know that the best things in life and the things that have the most meaning, are things that we work for, and that the greatest joy in life comes from reaching outside yourself to others, and in serving others.

How long have you been/will you be in England, or is it indefinitely?

I have been here almost 8 years now and, for the time being, it is indefinitely. I have a really good life here and although I do miss my family a great deal, this is where I need to be. I have a good job, which I could never have back home. I have a wonderful husband and partner, and I love this country just as if I had been born here. Once my parents are gone, I don't have a home to go back to anyways. My children are scattered all over and have their own lives and very busy ones at that. I think my home is now here, for there is nowhere else for me to go I guess!




Lucy asked: (Many thanks Lucy for your very kind comments! They mean a lot to me!)

1. If you could do anything in your life to do with food what would it be? Cater for a huge event....serve your puds to the Queen...teach home ec....keep your current job....anything!!!!!!

I really love my current job, but if I could do anything in my life with food it would be to teach others about preparing and cooking food, and to inspire them to want to cook for themselves and to feed their families. At 52, almost 53 (In August folks!) I am probably rapidly reaching my sell by date as far as that goes, I don't know for sure! I have always wanted to teach cookery classes and in fact do one through my church for the ladies, every couple of months or so, which is great fun! I also show the young women that I work with at church some cooking things from time to time, but yes, I think I'd love to teach cookery! We bought a video camera several months back that I had intended to do some little cooking videos on but I just have never gotten around to it yet! Hopefully soon! (A little encouragement might help out there! I'm not sure I want you all to see my rather robust figure just yet!)

Well, I think I have gotten to the end of my list and am finished anwering questions for now, with the exception of a few memes to catch up on!

Earlier I spoke about tinned tomatoes being a most versatile and useful ingredient and one I could not live without! I always have at least half a dozen tins in my larder and I have been known to sit down with a tin of tomatoes and some bread and butter and nothing else. My goodness but that makes for a tasty meal on a hot summer's day. This is another really tasty way to use them. With a few ingredients you have a meal fit for a king or at least a hungry husband! (Todd is the king of my castle at any rate!)



*Chicken Puttanesca*
Serves 4

Puttanesca is a lovely sauce and can be used on pasta as well as on chicken. The name comes from the Naples region of Italy, supposedly after the prostitutes there. It certainly is a spicy and "tarted" up sauce with a gusty, delicious flavour! This is a favourite of anyone I happen to cook it for and so easy to do!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt, pepper and flour
2 TBS olive oil
2 fat cloves of garlic, crushed
1 fresh red chili, seeded and finely chopped
14 ounce tin of chopped Italian tomatoes
1 1/2 TBS tomato puree (tomato paste)
6 ounces pitted black olives, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 TBS capers, rinsed and drained
1 TBS chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 TBS chopped fresh basil leaves
12 ounces of dried tagliatelle noodles to serve

Wipe your chicken breasts and then place them, one at a time, between two sheets of cling film and pound them until they are about half as thick. Season them on both sides with some salt and pepper and then lightly dust them with flour, shaking off any excess.

Heat the oil over medium heat and once it is hot brown the chicken breasts on both sides, until they are a rich golden colour. This should take about 3 minutes per side. Remove them to a plate and keep warm.

Add the chili and garlic to the pan drippings and cook, stirring them for a few minutes until they beging to soften and become very fragrant. Tip in the tomatoes, tomato puree, olives, capers, parsley and basil. Season to taste with a bit of salt and pepper and stir well. Bring it up to a gentle simmer and then return the chicken to the pan. Push it well down into the sauce. Cook and simmer over medium low heat for about 40 to 45 minutes until the chicken is tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened nicely.

Cook the tagliatelle according to the package directions. Once it is cooked and drained, divide it amongst 4 heated plates and spoon the chicken and sauce over top.

I like to sprinkle mine with some freshly grated parmesan cheese, but it's up to you!