Tuesday 30 June 2009

He was the treasure . . .




"Measure wealth not by the things you have,
but by the things you have for which you would not take money."
~author unknown

One day a little boy sat in the family sitting room twiddling his thumbs. It was raining outside and he was so very bored, not being able to go out and play like he usually did. His father was at work and his mother was busy in the kitchen. As he sat he looked up at the mantle over the fireplace. Sitting on the mantle, just out of the reach of his little hands sat a vase, one of his mother's dearest treasures. It had belonged to his Great Grandmother and his mother had told him now very special it was to her . . .

It was a pretty thing, all white porcelain and gilt trimmed with a beautiful rosebud border . . . and his little five year old hands itched to pick it up and see if the beautiful roses went all the way around to the back. The more he stared at it, the more he wondered . . . and before too long he had pulled a chair over next to the fireplace and was standing on it stretching his little hands up to touch it, not realizing of course, that a little boy's hands are often clumsy and not at all meant to hold delicate porcelain treasures. The vase fell to the stone floor in front of the fireplace and shattered into a million pieces . . .



He began to cry and was soon sobbing, each sob becoming louder and louder. Before too long his mother came running in from the kitchen, her footsteps echoing loudly and quickly down the hall and around the corner. As she entered the room, she stopped and looked at him, taking in what he had done . . .

The little boy sobbing, managed to get out the words . . . "I broke it . . . the vase . . . I broke it."

And then . . . his mother gave him a gift.



"Oh thank goodness!" She said with a look of relief, "Thank heaven's, I thought you were hurt!" And then she held him close to her tenderly in her arms, until his sobbing stopped.

In doing so, she let him know that he was the treasure . . . not the vase. As many years that have passed and however old that little boy has become, this is a gift he still carried in his heart . . . he was the treasure . . .



There is nothing I like more on a hot summer's day than a lovely burger, either cooked outside on the grill (doesn't the smell of a barbecue get your taste buds tingling!) or on a grill pan or skillet. Any way you choose to cook these delicious burgers you will be pleased. These are real winners! My Todd eats them with a knife and fork, and I suppose that just makes sense, as they are a real mouthful!



*Tasty Cheese and Bacon Burgers*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Delicious and moist beef burgers topped with a mixture of three lovely cheeses and sitting on a bed of shaved onions, lettuce, tomatoes and crisp bacon. What more could a person ask for??

1 pound of lean ground beef
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
salt and black pepper to taste
8 slices of streaky bacon
4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
4 ounces cream cheese
4 slices medium cheddar cheese
4 TBS good quality mayonnaise (I use French mayonnaise)
1 medium onion, peeled and shaved
lettuce leaves
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
4 large burger buns, sliced in half and toasted

Combine the blue cheese and the cream cheese in a small bowl, mixing them together well. Set aside.

Mix together the ground beef, garlic and a little salt and pepper. Shape into four round, flat patties. Let sit for a few minutes for the flavours to melt together while you slice the onions and tomatoes.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Fry the bacon slices in the heated skillet until they are nicely crisped. Remove to some paper towelling to absorb some of the fat away. Keep warm while you cook the burgers. Cook the burgers in the same skillet, browning them well on each side and cooking them until they are done to your taste. Once they are cooked, top each with one fourth of the blue cheese mixture and lay a slice of the cheddar on top.

Spread the mayonnaise onto the bottom half of each toasted bun. Top each with two slices of bacon, a slice of tomato, some lettuce and the shaved onions, laying these ingredients on top of the bacon. When the cheese has melted on the burgers, carefully place one on top of each dressed bun bottom and then cover with the top halves of the buns. Serve immediately.



To see what I got up to next . . . pop on over to The English Kitchen. You won't be sorry you did.

14 comments:

  1. Those burgers should be called The Way to a Man's Heart Burgers. They do seem like knife & fork burgers, I'm with Todd.

    As far as the story of the vase, I do definitely make judgments about the way people react if a child drops or spills something. I find the kind of people who turn that into a MAIN DRAMATIC EVENT are not the kind of people I want to be bothered with. ~Mary

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  2. What a sweet story... You always have the best stories to share, Marie. And recipes too! My hubby would love one of those burgers--I can see ketchup dripping now--LOL! Hope we get to chat this evening--look forward to it! Happy Day, dear friend! LOVE YA ((BIG HUGS))

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  3. That is such a sweet story, Marie! I just love little ones and how sensitive they are. In those moments trying to remember what is really most important is hard but oh so worth it. They are those times when we should truly ask what would Jesus do?

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  4. The vase story made me cry today - it was good for my soul.

    The burgers look DELIGHTFUL and might just have to be part of my next cookout menu!

    Thanks for sharing both!

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  5. What a precious story.

    The burgers look heavenly. I love a good burger....probably as much as I love a good steak. My family thinks I am a bit daft.

    The young women are coming today at 10 to make shorts for camp. I will have a house full I hope. Each year they make modest shorts to wear to camp. It makes me feel like I am in the class room again.

    After sewing they will have a bbq and swim party. It will be a busy day.

    I may need to be a bit late calling you. If they really arrive at 10 as planned I will need to get them started before I call. If they are late(girls late???? humm) I will try to call at 10.

    Wish us luck today. I will have my hands full.

    My prayers are with Terri today.

    I hope I get to talk to you for a little while. Love, Lura

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  6. such a cute story! and the burger looks very good as well!

    <3 Lindsay

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  7. Every one should read that tender story and remember to treasure little children and should be treated as the precious possessions they are. Even though I just ate my lunch, I still found my mouth watering for a taste of that good burger you cooked up. I think I'd used a fork and knife with that one too.

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  8. I. WANT. A. BURGER. BARROOOOOOOOOOOOO!

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  9. I can only imagine how many wise mothers reading this will pass this vase story on their children so that they in turn remember to treat their little ones with love, compassion, and also to let them know just how special they are ... and not punish them for their curosity! Stories such as this are just one reason why your blog is most precious! Keep them coming!

    Hugs,
    Winnie

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  10. What a sweet story Marie. It's too bad not every child knows that they are a treasure. It breaks my heart some of the way some people treat their children.

    Your burgers look fantastic! We are having some for the 4th and I can't wait!

    XOXO
    jen

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  11. What a lovely story. Wish I could have been more like that mom when my children were growing up.

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  12. Hi Marie, I'm one of those folks who has not kept up with your blog as I normally do the last few days. I really look forward to reading it before I go to work or go out, but lately I just haven't had the time to read thoughtfully. Tonight I got caught up from Friday. I am so touched and inspired by your blog, not to mention that I printed out 3 or 4 recipes! I don't know how you do it every day, but keep up the good work! I'm headed over to your English Kitchen now!

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  13. Hi Marie
    That is such a precious story and I love the quot about measuring wealth. I am going to use that in my blog , but I'll be certain to mention that I got it from you.
    (hugs)) Rhondi

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  14. Good story. Where did you ever find the photo of the broken vase with flowers on it?

    I like these English Kitchen teasers! Great idea.

    xo

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Your comments mean the world to me, and while I may not be able to address each one individually, each one is important to me and each one counts. Thanks so much!