Happiness is . . .

"Happiness is like a butterfly;
the more you chase it,
the more it will elude you,
but if you turn your attention
to other things,
it will come and sit
softly on your shoulder."
~Henry David Thoreau

How would you define happiness???

There are lots of cute posters out there that try to do just that, with such catching phrases on them as "Happiness is a warm puppy" or "Happiness is an Option." I once had a poster which read, "Happiness is an unexpected hug."

But happiness is so much more than that. Some people spend their whole lives searching for it . . . and never finding it, and yet other's spend their whole lives in an extravaganza of happiness. Happiness is defined as ‘the overall appreciation of one’s life-as-a-whole. In other words . . . how much one likes the life one lives.



“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
- Abraham Lincoln

Some people can be happy living in very meagre circumstances, and yet others seemingly cannot find happiness living in the luxury of a richly appointed penthouse apartment. To many people, happiness is as elusive as the whispering wind . . . it caresses them from time to time, but they cannot grab it and take hold . . . it's always just within, but not quite within their grasp.



Money cannot buy happiness. I've often heard this said, and we all see the evidence of it daily in the empty lives of those who would be rich and famous, and seemingly have everything anyone could possibley want at their disposal, and yet . . . they have nothing . . . They spend their lives in a frenzy of trying to fulfill all their desires and needs, and yet . . . it is never enough. That hole is still empty . . .



I have three suggestions for achieving happiness, for this is what happiness is to me:

Make it a habit to do something nice for somebody else every day.

Look for something cheerful every day . . . be it a flower, a bright thought, a good word, the sun shining.

Add something to remember . . . a motto, a verse or a short phrase.

If you do these three things every day, I guarantee that one day these memorized thoughts and the memories of having put them into action will return to bring you peace like the heartfelt whispers of a loving God.

I don't think we ever truly begin to live our lives in full . . . until we learn how to give them away. That is happiness.

What can you make for supper when you have nothing but a bit of leftover cooked chicken and some sliced ham in the fridge? In my ode to thrift, and my desire to stretch our food dollar that little bit further, I came up with this delicious casserole yesterday for our tea. It was really very good.



*Chicken, Ham and Broccoli Casserole*
Serves 4

I have always loved chicken and ham pies and I also love chicken and broccoli casserole. It seemed just natural to combine the three and then to cover the result with a delicious thatch of creamy cheesey mashed potatoes. The result . . . a very delicious casserole that we both really enjoyed!

2 leftover cooked chicken breasts
4 thick slices of cooked ham
1/2 bunch of broccoli, separated into florets, stalked chopped
(blanche in salted boiling water for two minutes and drain)
2 TBS minced onion
2 ounces butter
1 1/2 ounce of flour
3/4 cup of milk
1/2 cup white wine (can use chicken stock if desired)
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 bunch of fresh tarragon, chopped
1/2 cup cream
salt and black pepper to taste

Cheesy Mash Topping:
5 large floury potatoes
2 ounces butter
3 1/2 ounces hot milk
4 1/2 ounces of mature cheddar cheese
salt and black pepper to taste
1 medium egg, beaten

Pre-heat the oven to 190*C. Butter a large shallow casserole and set aside.

Chop the chicken and the ham coarsely and mix together in a large bowl. Add the blanched broccoli, give it a stir. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for a few minutes to soften without browning. Stir in the flour and cook for a few minutes without browning. Add the milk and stir until smooth. Add the wine and just enough stock to bring it to a creamy consistency. Stir in the cream and the tarragon. Season to taste with some salt and pepper. Stir this sauce into the chicken and ham mixture. Spread this into the prepared casserole dish.

In the meantime peel the potatoes and cut into chunks. Put them into a pan and cover them with some slightly salted water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Drain well and then return to the pot. Shake them a bit over the heat left in the burner to really dry them out. Mash them completely with the butter and a bit of the hot milk. Add only enough milk as necessary, without making them too liquidy. Stir in the grated cheese, stirring it to melt it. Season to taste with some salt and black pepper, then beat in the egg.

Spread the potato mixture evenly over top of the chicken mixture. Rough up the top a bit with the tines of a fork. Bang it all into the oven and bake for about 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown on top and the filling is bubbling nicely. Remove from the oven and serve hot.



PS - It's almost October and my sweet peas have finally decided that they are going to bloom profusely! I've been waiting all summer for this!