The first warm day . . .

The first warm day . . . oh lovely phrase
After the dreary winter days,
To wake one morning with a start,
And know deep down within your heart,
That Spring has blossomed overnight,
With all her shining lamps a-light.

The sun's bright warmth on earth and sky,
A little warm wind going by;
To look and find a rub of green,
Poking it's nose up through a screen
Of matter grass and sodden ground,
With triumph like a bugle sound.

The first warm day . . . how hearts are stirred,
How sweetly flows the spoken word
In happy greeting to a friend;
Above the road the tall trees bend,
Like ladies at a royal tea
Bowing before great company.

A thousand hearts rejoice and sing,
To greet the first warm day of spring.

~Edna Jaques

One of my favourite Canadian Poets has to be Edna Jacques. I am not sure how well she is known, but I have loved her for a long time. When I was growing up my mother had an old Fireside Book of poetry and amongst it's pages were several poems of Edna's which I loved to read, and still do. Edna Jacques has been dead for many years now, having passed away in 1978, but her poetry lives on . . .

This specific verse I picked out of the 1977 Fireside Book of David Hope that I picked up for a pound at a yard sale up in the Lake District when we were holidaying there several years ago. As soon as I saw it, I had to have it. It brought back so many memories of the hours I spent as a child reading my mother's book of poems. Oh yes, I must have been an odd child indeed!



Most of our lives is now sitting around the cottage in brown cardboard boxes. It is getting quite difficult to maneuvre our way about the place without bumping into one! There is not a lot left to pack now, except for some clothing and a few odds and sodds.

I'm afraid that what is left now for me to cook is also probably going to be highly uninteresting as well, as most of my spices and condiments are now also packed away . . . we have kept out a few tins of beans and such, so it looks like we will be having a few beans on toast nights and some soup suppers. There probably won't be any recipes on here much, unless I move some over from my old Marie's Muses page, which I might well do.



Oh how pretty the birds are singing this morning . . . the dawn chorus. Right now I can hear the song thrush as she sings, her beautiful voice ringing out above the tree tops of our garden, whilst over in the orchard I can hear the cries of crows cawing . . . a robin trills in the rose bush next to the kitchen window, and sparrows and blackbirds join in with their lovely songs as well. Altogether it is a beautiful sound, it is as if they are praising God for this new day that has dawned. I know there are birds in the city, but there won't be as many as what there have been here. I shall miss their morning wake up call. Oh how lovely it has been, and how blessed we have been to be able to hear it for these past 7 years . . .

Some of you have noted the small change I made to my header. I will not be changing the name of my page. Oak Cottage is so very well known and it is a name that I have paid money to keep over these years, having registered this domain as my very own . . . so I made a subtle change to the header . . .



Oak Cottage is indeed much more than a place . . . it is a state of mind and heart, and it can live anywhere. It can live with you and with me in any place we find ourselves aboding. It is a sense of peace and of love. It is having faith and trusting in the Lord. It is caring for others and finding joy in the simple things of life. It is choosing to live with the cup half full instead of half empty, and in finding small blessings scattered through each and every day of your life.

It will not disappear, for I carry it with me wherever I go. I am glad for that.

Here are some tasty cookies that will have you coming back for just . . . one . . . more!! Yes, they are incredibly moreish!!!



*White Chocolate Dipped Gingernuts*
Makes 24

What could be better than a delicious, crunchy homemade gingernut biscuit??? Why, a delicious, crunchy homemade gingernut biscuit dipped in chocolate!!!

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups flour
1 TBS ground ginger
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBS finely minced candied ginger

1 further cup of sugar (to roll the cookies in)

White Chocolate Dip:
2 cups white chocolate chips
2 tsp butter

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Lightly grease two baking sheets. Set aside.

Cream together the sugar and the butter until fluffy and well mixed. Beat iin the egg and the molasses. Whisk together the flour, ginger, soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir this into the creamed mixture, mixing it in well. Stir in the candied ginger.

Place the further cup of sugar into a small bowl. Pinch off pieces of cookie dough the size of a walnut and roll into balls between the palms of your hand. Drop them into the bowl of sugar and coat them well. Place onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches of space between the balls. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until done. They will look all crackly and be firm to the touch. Remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Melt the chocolate chips together with the butter over low heat. Cover a wire rack with some wax paper or baking paper. Dip each gingernut into the melted chocolate halfway, shaking any excess off. Place on the wax paper to allow the chocolate to set and harden. Scrummy!!



Over on The English Kitchen this morning??? A delicious Java Cooked Brisket. Oh, my, but this was good!

Spring . . .

There is so much going on in the garden right now that it is pretty hard to keep up with it all. the crocuses are swarming over banks and borders and positively humming with life as fat springtime bumble bees amble betwixt the blooms . . .



The quince beneath the window is just peppered with small rosy buds and the damson trees down by the tennis courts are on the point of breaking out into blossom . . . I dare say it will be any day now, or is that just wishful thinking . . . .



The old Dutch honeysuckle which grows amongst the hedgerow at the back of the garden is flecked with new leaves and purple Hyacinths are pushing up out of the frosted beds, amidst the stones. Spots of violet primula wanda make velvety mats of bloom along the edges of the footpath that runs across the front of our cottage . . .



Forsythia in the shrubbery are like golden fountains that arch gracefully over budding daffodils and Jonquils, not to mention the yellow primrose that has made its way up through the bed of mulch that we put down last autumn . . .



The birds are building and each morning begins now with their beautiful song . . . it floats through the air, such a beautiful melody to wake up to as the sun begins it's ascent into the early morning sky . . . It is a time that you want to slow down the passing of hours . . . to prolong these beautiful early spring delights . . .



It will be our last spring here at Oak Cottage . . . I will be sad to let it go . . . but we will build a new life back in Chester and there will be beautiful springs there to look forward to as well. Spring is a state of mind . . . and it comes to all places . . .



It can be found amidst the dry leaves and blooms of many places . . . a softly blowing ripple of air blowing up out of the south . . . a hope that hangs precariously on the edge of the mind, heralded in by blackbirds, that dance in gardens throughout this beautiful country. It will not be the cottage spring that I have come to love over these past almost 7 years, but it will be spring nonetheless, and I have a feeling that it will be just as welcome . . . and I will love it just as much.

I am having to use up odds and sodds in the larder and freezer right now. We won't be taking the small freezer with us, so it must be empties. I found some leftover turkey in it yesterday and used it to make us up a delicious casserole last night. You don't have to use turkey in this though. It works equally as well with leftover roast chicken or ham, or both! It's quite delicious with any of those meats.



*Turkey Divan Casserole*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is one of the most delicious ways of transforming your leftovers into a delicious feast for the eyes and tummy. We love this. You can use low fat mayo and soup if you are watching the calories!

3 cups broccoli florets
2 cups cooked turkey, chicken or ham, cut into cubes (you can even use both turkey/chicken and ham together)
3/4 cup good quality mayonnaise
1 tin of condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Campbells or Baxters)
1/2 to 1 tsp curry powder
(depending on taste)
the juice of half a lemon
1/2 cup strong cheddar cheese
1 cup dry bread crumbs
2 TBS melted butter

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Lightly butter an 11 by 7 inch glass baking dish and set it aside.

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil and then cook the broccoli in this only until crispy tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain well.

Lay the broccoli in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the chopped pieces of meat over top.

Turn the soup into a bowl and mix together with the mayonnaise, curry powder and lemon juice. Mix all together well and then spread this mixture evenly over top of the meat.

Mix together the grated cheese, bread crumbs and butter. Sprinkle evenly over top of all . Place in the heated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until bubbling and the cheese is melted and beginning to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for a few minutes before serving.



There's a delicious Simnel Tart over on The English Kitchen this morning. Deliciously different, and very easy to make.

Oh what a wicked web we weave . . .

When I was a child . . . lying was not something that I could ever get away with. My mother had a mind like steel trap and eyes in the back of her head, or so it seemed to us children at any rate! There was nothing she didn't see and nothing that we could do that she didn't somehow know about. She would have been an excellent CIA operative . . .

Did you kids eat those cookies in the cookie jar??? NO, we'd mumble as the telltale sign of chocolate crumbs fell from our lips like the downy first season's flakes of snow . . . Who spilled my perfume??? Must have been the cat mom . . . the stink of Ma Griffe wafting around our not so innocent heads . . . simple lies . . . harmless and innocent, or are they?



I remember one lie in particular, that, while innocently told, had rather dire consequences for my sister, and for myself . . . and that I still feel guilty over, even today. My father was somewhat of a musician in his spare time, playing the clarinet in the Station Band as well as the trumpet and saxophone. One day my father brought home a beautiful pair of Mexican maracas, which he lay on top of his dresser in my parent's bedroom, along with a pair of castinets. Oh how excotic they looked to my childish eyes. They were bright red with green handles and had pretty little dancing women painted around their fat middles. Oh how tempting they were . . . their beautiful red paint singing out to me like a mermaids song to an ancient mariner.

I was somewhat of a budding musician myself and my hands just itched to touch them . . . to shake them just once and hear the exotic sound that they would make. I had been told several times not to touch them, but being a small child and full of curiosity, one day . . . when my father was at work and my mother was occupied with my baby brother, I could not resist the temptation and I tiptoed into my parent's bedroom. This was a forbidden spot to us as well. We were never allowed in my parent's bedroom unless invited to enter. I tiptoed into the room and reached up on tipie toes to the top of the dresser . . . they felt smooth and cool beneath my fingertips. Suddenly just touching them was not enough . . . I had to hold them. My tiny fingers rolled and curled around the smooth, hard wooden handles and I picked them up. At first only a tiny shake . . . and then a few more, rapid shakes . . . oh the joy! Oh the pleasure! Shake . . . Shake . . . Shake . . . I dropped one. In all the excitement of holding these red beauties at last, my fingers had turned to butter and I dropped one. It lay at my feet . . . it's pretty wooden handle twisted slightly askew, leaving a gaping hole in the bottom of what . . . just a few minutes before had contained all the allure of Pandora's box . . . but, like Pandora's box . . . had ensnared me and now my sin was laying there on the floor by my feet, for all the world to see.



Oh what could I do . . . what could I do??? I fought back tears and quickly replaced the guilty pleasures back on top of my father's dresser as quietly as I could, thinking that perhaps, if I didn't say anything he would not notice.

The rest of the day I lived in the agony and fear of discovery. My usual enthusiasm when my father came home from work that day must have seemed quite stilted and subdued and I am sure I must have seemed unusually subdued that whole evening to both of my parents. As a parent myself, I am sure that they knew somethiing was up. The telltale signs of childhood guilt were probably wafting about my head like the smoke from a fire.

After dinner, when my father went into his bedroom for something, he noticed the offending articles immediately. My whole life must have passed in front of my eyes when his words rang out, "Who broke my maracas?" I didn't want to do it . . . but I couldn't help myself, my very reason being clouded with fear. Before I could stop myself, my small voice was ringing out that my sister had done it. I had seen her . . .



Oh the shame . . . oh the betrayal . . . I felt like the worst person that had ever lived . . . but I also thought that, as she was so much younger than myself, the consequences to her would not be as great as they would be to me.

Like a fly caught in the intricacies of a spider's web my lie wove a trap tightly around me. There was no escape. I re-itereated again and again that she had done it . . . she insisting tearfully all the while that she hadn't. It was glaringly apparent that she could not have done it . . . and my mother and father both knew it, my sister was far too small to have reached the top of the dresser, even on the uppermost tip of her toes. They sent us to our room to think about it.



Someone was going to get a spanking. We both knew it. I am not sure how I did it, but I somehow managed to get my sister to agree that she would confess that she had done it. Perhaps it was the reassurance that if she put a book inside her pants that the spanking would not hurt. (Something we had both seen in a cartoon) She trusted me implicitly, and when the interrogation began again, she caved in and said that yes . . . she had done it.

Oh, the guilt I felt was increasing with every minute that passed. I was surely going to burn in the firey pit of hell with this one.

There was nothing left for my father to do . . . the confession having been told. My mouth was sealed. After having told the lie, I was bound to uphold it and fighting back tears, I watched him put my little sister over his knee and spank her. Her small cries penetrating my soul like a bullet piercing the flesh. The book idea?? Total crapola!! Instead of making it painless, I think it had made it worse. I had to confess, no longer being able to live with the deceit. My sorrow at having lied, compounded with the fact that I had willingly let someone I loved take both the fall and the punishment . . .



I learned two important lessons on that day. First . . . there is no lie that does not get found out. The truth always comes to the surface in one way or the other. Every action always has a consequence. Secondly that there is no worse feeling on earth than that of letting some else take the blame for something which you have done . . . or the feeling of knowing that you have done something wrong and waiting for it to be found out . . .

Many years have passed since then and my sister has since forgiven me. I have since forgiven my self, which is the hardest thing to do, don't you think? But I doubt that either of us have forgotten the lessons learned on that day. To this day I cannot tell a lie. To this day I do not want to tell a lie. It is just not worth the consequences and the shame of discovery, or the way that it feels to know that I am being deceitful . . .

"To every man there opens a high way and a low
and every man decides for himself that way which he will go."

Here is something that is quite simple and delicious. We have packed most of our dishes and cookware away. Today we start on the larder, so cooking is going to become simpler and simpler in the coming days I fear. Let's hope I can still keep it exciting and interesting!




*Tasty Tomato Fried Eggs*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe

This is really wonderful. Simple, economical and full of delicious flavours. Proof positive that tasty doesn't have to be complicated!

2 TBS good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and smashed
1 (400g) tin of diced tomatoes in tomato juice, undrained
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 fresh leaves of basil torn (or 1/2 tsp dried. Bart's Freeze Dried is good)
2 large free range eggs

Heat a nonstick frying pan over medium heat until hot. Pour in the olive oil and heat just until it starts to shimmer. Add the garlic and saute just until it becomes quite fragrant. Tip in the tinned tomatoes. Season to taste with some salt and pepper and throw in the basil leaves. Turn to low and allow to simmer for a few minutes until the flavours have melded and the tomatoes have reduced a bit.

Break the eggs into the pan, amongst the tomatoes, leaving some space between them. Cook just until the whites begin to set, then pop a cover on, and finish cooking until all are cooked to your liking. We like them so that the yolks are a bit runny. Season to taste with a little sea salt and cracked black pepper. Serve with toasted bread fingers for dipping. (The ones in the photo are grilled slices of a stoned olive ciabatta. Yummo!!)



Over on The English Kitchen today, delicious Hot Cross Buns!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY, March 22nd, 2010...

Outside My Window...
The birds are beginning their morning chorus. It is about a quarter to six in the morning. The days are getting longer now and warming up quite a bit. Spring has sprung. It is not just around the corner anymore. In the village the crocus are blooming and quite a few of our daffodils are blooming as well. Very pretty. I am glad that I was still here to see them.

I am thinking...
Life is a funny thing. You just never know what lies ahead from one month to the next. It can all change in a day, or an instant. I am grateful for all of my blessings. I am blessed abundantly with all the things in life that really matter . . . love, good health, family, the Gospel, friends . . . everything else is just the icing on the cake.

I am thankful for...
I am so thankful for a husband that knows how to bite his tongue. It is clear that we both have two different ideas about how to pack, and I am being a bit bossy about it as I want everything to end up in Chester in one piece. I know that he has wanted to crown me several times over the past few days, but he has used his patience and just bitten his tongue instead. I know I am being pedantic, and I am sorry for that, but I need to be coz . . . men . . . well . . . you know . . . I just don't want all our things to get broken. I have moved enough times in my lifetime to know just how much care needs to be taken over anything mechanical or fragile.

From the kitchen...
Having kept only two plates, two bowls, two of everything we need out of the packing boxes and very few cooking utensils, we are not doing a heck of a lot of cooking! It is going to be a challenge over the next week, creating enough to keep you all interested!

I am wearing...
Some old ping pajamas with sheep all over them. They are short sleeved so I am a bit cool this morning. I should have put on my robe when I got up, but alas, I didn't! (The boxes are blocking the radiators a bit, so it's warm on the back side of the boxes, but not so warm on the other side!)

I am creating...



I haven't done a lot of creating over the past week. I still have those dolls sitting here waiting to be sold. I haven't packed them away yet like I said I was going to, but I will today. I sure hope the sales of my stuff pick up once we have moved. I will be relying on them a bit to help to get us through the rough patch until I find a job.


I am going...
We will finish off as much of the rest of the packing that we can do this week, and then I will start trying to clean the rooms around the boxes as best as I can. We have our last Scripture Study on Saturday evening and on Sunday after church we are going to some friend's for dinner, which will be nice. It is so hard to believe that our days here at Oak Cottage are swiftly coming to an end. Someone asked me was I going to change the name of this blog. No. I am not. I have paid to register this domain and so I am going to keep it. Nobody would be able to find me if I changed it. It will be the same but I have adapted the header somewhat to reflect the change. That's if I can figure out how to get it up there to replace the old one!! (Any help doing so would be much appreciated!!)


I am reading...




The Pull of The Moon, by Elizabeth Berg

'Dear Martin,
I'm sorry the note I left you was so abrupt. I just wanted you to know I was safe... I won't be back for a while. I'm on a trip. I needed all of a sudden to go, without saying where, because I don't know where. I know this is not like me. I know that,. But please believe me, I am safe and I am not crazy. I felt as though if I didn't do this I wouldn't be safe and I would be crazy... And can you believe this? I love you. Nan'

Sometimes you have to leave your life behind for a while to see it and really live it freshly again. In this luminous, exquisitely written novel, a woman follows the pull of the moon to find her way home. Sometimes humorous, sometimes heartbreaking, always honest, The Pull of the Moon is a novel about the journey of one woman - and about the issues of the heart that transforms the lives of all women. Written in the form of letters to her husband and diary exerpts, I am really enjoying this book. I haven't read much further than last week. I've been falling into bed exhausted most nights and falling asleep pretty much right away.

I am hoping...
I am hoping that things will work out for us at the other end. It is exciting and yet at the same time it is a bit frightening. I am trying to look at it as a bit of an adventure. Having lived there before we moved down here, I am looking foward to living in Chester again. We are so very familiar with the place, and pretty much know it like the back of our hands. There have not been a lot of changes, thankfully. I will miss our dear friends from down here so very much though . . . it will be a great wrench to leave them behind.

I am hearing...
The kitchen is silent, except for the tapping of my computer keys. The ticking clock has been packed. I am surrounded by boxes and it is looking less and less like home with every day that passes. I suppose that is kind of a good thing. When we get to the other end, the new place will begin to look more like home with every day that passes. Isn't it wonderful how that goes!!!

Around the house...
Things are definitely looking decidedly different! There's no other word for it!

One of my favorite things...
is sharing my thoughts with you on here each morning. I don't know how I will bear it when I am off line for that week or so. It will be very hard! I will just have to keep a written journal like I do when I am on holidays. I know that I will be kept very busy with the unpacking and sorting of everything out. I will still miss you all immensely though! Isn't the internet wonderful in so many ways. Years and years ago, people had to rely on getting letters in the post to stay in touch with each other, but now . . . in an instant we are connected to each other. I can remember someone telling me about 15 years ago that one day everyone would have a computer in their homes and thinking to myself, I cannot imagine why anyone would ever want one. What possible use could it be. NOW . . . I cannot imagine anyone living without one!! Oh how funny life is.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...
Packing, Packing and more packing. There will be some bits of fun interspersed as well.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

~William Wordsworth, 1804, Daffodils

All the daffodils that line the pond in a nearby village to us. Aren't they beautiful. We will have to put lots of daffodil bulbs into our garden this autumn so that next spring we are greeted with their beauty and so that we don't miss this beautiful sight so keenly. In springtime all the road ways and by ways and traffic circles in this area are awash with those beautiful yellow blooms. They are so very pretty to see and bring a smile to my face and a song into my heart . . .


And there you have it, my Simple Woman's Day Book for today. Don't forget to hop on over to the Simple Woman to check out the other day book entries! (Or better yet, do a simple day book entry yourself! It's not that hard and I am betting you would enjoy it!)

How, I have never been to the Olive Garden restaurant, but I have it on good authority that it is a really good place to eat. This is a copycat version of one of their most popular dishes that I found. Not having been there I cannot attest to it's authenticity to the original dish or not, but I can say with authority that this version is quite, quite delicious!



*Chicken Vino Bianco*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

A delicious chicken dish, with tender tasty pieces of chicken in a lucious garlicky, tomato and mushroom sauce. Fantastic!

2 TBS olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup peeled and finely chopped onion
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chopped tinned tomatoes
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 TBS chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, for garnish
freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Cooked pasta of your choice to serve

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil and heat it until it shimmers. Season the chicken strips and then add them to the hot oil. Cook them, stirring occasionally until they are well browned on all sides. Remove them to a plate.

Add the onions and the garlic. Cook, stirring until tender, without browning. Remove to a bowl. Add the mushrooms and cook them until they are golden brown. (Try not to stir them too much as stirring them brings out their juices too much.)

Add the wine and bring to a simmer. Stir in the tomatoes, along with the cooked onion and garlic, and bring once again to a simmer. Let cook and reduce for twn minutes, then return the chicken to the pan and heat through. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Stir in the cream and the parsley to finish. Serve warm, spooned over top of cooked pasta of your choise. Pass the Parmesan Cheese for dusting over top.



Yep, it's my annual Easter Chocolate Crispie Nests, over on The English Kitchen today.

Marie's Sunday Six

We've been through a particularly difficult week here at Oak Cottage this week. With having to pack up all of our belongings and then losing our Jess, one might think that there was not a whole lot to smile about . . . but I am happy to say, that amidst the tears that came often and abundantly, there were lots of smiles interspersed.



I have felt the love that surrounds me, through the many comments, e-mails, letters and cards that have come through my letter box . . . oh how very thankful I am for each and every one of them. They mean the world to me, and each time one arrived, a warm smile touched my heart amidst the tears . . . .



The many kindnesses of friends and strangers during this past week have touched Todd's and my hearts in countless ways . . . they brought us comfort and much needed solace in a week that was tinged with so much sorrow . . . they brought a much needed spark of light into what was becoming dark and very hard to push our way through . . .



The many helping hands that have surrounded us in these past days have been such a blessing to us. The hands that took the time to type or write us notes and e-mails of support. The hands that took the time to text or telephone us to offer us more love and support. The kind hands of the Sister Missionaries that came over to help us pack, and who packed 45 boxes of books. ( I know!! I couldn't believe it either!) The many hands that have been folded in prayer, which we have felt surrounding us and upholding us in these past difficult days. The caring hands of the members of our Ward that put together a fabulous Ward Activity last evening . . . that came out to wish us well and to surround us with love in their own unique way . . .

It has all been so wonderful, and overwhelming . . . and very, very special.



We have felt cared for, and up lifted, strengthened . . . and very, very loved. We thank each one of you from the very depths of our souls . . .

God can't be everywhere, and He uses the hands of His people to reach out to others that may have hearts and lives filled with sorrow, and need, and pain . . . your hands have ministered to us like the Father's hands over these past days, and they have brought much joy to us and helped to soothe our breaking hearts, and to comfort us.



We are very unsure of what may lie ahead in our future . . . it is a bit scary and at the same time exciting. Our immediate need of housing and a place to go has been met . . . I have no doubt that our other needs will also be met. This time has been a great time of testing and also a great exercise in the strengthening of our faith. Amidst tears and heartbreak, there have also been countless little miracles and the ever increasing evidence that we are loved and that He knows and cares for us in a very special way.

We will be ok. That is the thought that comes into my mind and my heart, over and over again . . . that still small voice that reassures and comforts me and that lets me know that He is ultimately in control and in charge of our lives, as long as we allow Him to take the helm of our ship. He will guide us through the storm and into clear and peaceful waters.

I am most grateful for the sense of peace that brings, for it's calming influence and for the strength that it gives us to be able to move forward.

We WILL be ok.


Here is another delicious way to prepare potatoes. I just love potatoes. I could eat them every day, and usually do. They are such a versatile vegetable, and one that I just could not live without!! I guess that makes me a carboholic through and through!!



*Cheese and Chive Potato Crush*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

A deliciously rich potato crush, filled with the wonderful flavours of cheese and fresh chopped chives. This goes very well with most meats and poultry. I've even been known to eat a plate of this all by itself.

2 pounds of baby new potatoes, washed and scrubbed
2 TBS buttr
4 TBS singlecream
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 TBS minced fresh chives

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the potatoes and bring back to the boil. Simmer just until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well and return to the pot. Place over the residual heat of the burner and give the pot a shake to dry the potatoes out even further.

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Lightly butter a shallow casserole dish. with a potato masher, slightly mash the potatoes, crushing them, taking care only to break them up and not to mash them completely. Gently stir in the cream and the butter, mixing them in thoroughly and maintaining the texture. Season to taste with some salt and pepper and stir in 2 TBS of the chives. (reserve the last TBS for later)

Lightly pile the potato mixture into the prepared dish, taking care to leave it looking a bit craggy. The lumps and bumps will get all crusty and add to the flavour. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over top and bang the casserole dish into the oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the top begins to brown slightly and get little crusty bits. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for about 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with the remaining chives just before serving.



Over on The English Kitchen today . . . a delicious Blueberry Crunch Cake.