Monday morning ponderings . . .

Dear Lord, should I wake
before it grows light,
Please let me not brood
on the fears of the night.
But let me think back
to the joys of the day,
And dwell on the good things
that all came my way.
Please help me not fret
over problems ahead,
But trust in your grace
and Your goodness instead,
And when at last darkness
gives way to the dawn . . .
Then let me rejoice
in your blessed new morn.
~Margaret Ingall

I've always been somewhat of an insomniac. I often have a hard time falling asleep and fairly regularly if I do fall asleep right away, I wake up about an hour later and have a hard time falling back asleep. Sometimes I have bad dreams, which wake me up and then I can't go back to sleep afterwards for a while . . . not until I have brushed all the bad images and feelings away . . . for fear they will stay with me the whole night through.



One thing that I have found helps is to pray for others . . . taking my mind off any problems or excitements of my own. Focusing on the problems and needs of others is a very good way to count your own blessings and realize just how very well off you are.

I start at the beginning of the alphabet and begin to pray for the needs of anyone I know whose name starts with the letter "A" and then I work my way down through the alphabet, one at a time . . . Sometimes I start at the end of the alphabet, but that is a bit harder because . . . although I learned my alphabet very well at school, I didn't learn how to say it backwards! (Try it, you'll see how very hard it is!!)



Sometimes I think of my dream house . . . I picture it all in my mind. I go up to the doorway and walk through it slowly, picturing each room and all the furnishings therein . . . I never get to the upstairs of that house . . . Sometimes I don't even get off the front veranda!! It's good to take your mind off of the business of your every day life and focus on something uplifting or fun . . . a dream as it were . . .

I think there is a scripture that tells us that an ounce of worry never added a jot to any of our lives . . . so why let worriesome thoughts keep us awake at night. They will not change a thing, but they will keep you from having a good night's rest and whatever it is you are dealing with will be that much more difficult to deal with when you are tired . . .



Sometimes I just get up and read. That helps too. I read until my eyes can't focus on the page and I begin to read the same lines over and over again . . . then I turn out the light and am off to lala land in a short . . .

I am an early riser as well. It doesn't seem to matter what time I went to bed the night before, I am up at the crack of dawn it seems and then fumbling sleepily through my day. I guess I am just a creature of habit it would seem!

I wish you all a happy Monday, filled with lots of good things and happy thoughts!

Here's a delicious casserole you will love. It's quick and easy to make and kids love it. Big kids too!! Well unless you are a pasta hating husband, then you say you don't love it and go back for seconds! Salad and a crusty roll are good accompaniments for this tasty meal!



*Baked Ravioli*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

Stuffed pasta baked in a yummy sauce, with cheese on top! Delicious!

2 TBS olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp of dried thyme or oregano
1 (28 ounce) tin of whole tomatoes
1 (28 ounce) tin of crushed tomatoes
2 pounds of store bought ravioli
(I like the spinach and ricotta variety)
1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese


Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet. Add the onions and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until they have softened, without browning. Tip in both tins of the tomatoes, along with the herbs and seasoning. Break up the whole tomatoes somewhat with your spoon. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a quick simmer. Simmer until they have reduced to about 5 1/2 cups of sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 6. Lightly grease a large shallow baking dish. Set aside.

Cook the ravioli in a large pot of lightly salted water just until they float to the top. As they do, scoop them out and drop them into the sauce. When all are done and in the sauce, give them a quick stir into the sauce. They will not be completey cooked, but don't worry as they will cook more in the sauce and absorbe some of it. Give them a good shake in the sauce to coat them all and then pour the whole lot into the prepared baking dish. Top with both cheeses evenly. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Remove from the oven and allow to set for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.



Over in The English Kitchen this morning a delicious low fat snack, Candied Orange Peel!

Sunday thoughts . . .

“Do not indulge in put-downs, in pessimism, in self-recrimination. Never make fun at the expense of another. Look for virtue in the lives of all with whom you associate.” ~President Gordon B Hinckley

“Tolerance is the charitable expression of intelligence.” ~Jules LeMaitre

Tolerance is giving other people the right to “be”, to have their own ideas, customs and beliefs, to like whatever reflects their own tastes and to think and live differently than me.

I think I’ve always been a fairly tolerant person, and I believe that I was taught to be a tolerant person in the core of society . . . in the family, in my home. Tolerance begins with parents who watch their wee ones taking their very first steps and who patiently share their knowledge and their life experience with their children. It begins with parents who encourage their children and teach them to be perseverant. Children need time to learn and understand things that are being taught to them. knowledge and wisdom is something that is acquired gradually. The things that we say to them and teach them will come back to bite us, as children remember precisely what we say . . . and how we say it. It’s an awesome responsibility as a parent to do and to say the right things, and to be good examples to our children . . . to admit we have been wrong when we have been wrong. Just think of the hatred that is passed down from generation to generation in some cases . . . it's really so very sad.



As I write this, I am reminded of the father of one of my youngest son’s friends. He was a terrible racist. He could not drive or walk by a person who was a different colour than himself, without making a disparaging remark, often doing so in a car full of young impressionable men, who would laugh at what he had said, thinking it very funny. What chance does his son have of growing up to be a tolerant and giving individual, an individual with compassion and understanding for his fellow man? It’s sad really. I did put my son straight on that and I hope that he knows the difference between right and wrong, between what’s funny and what is not. The pull of the crowd is very strong when we are talking about impressionable young men and women. I hope that I gave my son enough self worth and self respect when he was growing up, that he would not indulge in making fun of or laughing at other people quite simply for being whoever or whatever they are and can‘t help being.



I have come to learn in life, that . . . I am the sum of all my experiences . . . for they are what has taught me various lessons in life that I have learned. Experience has helped to shape who I am, and what I am. I like to think that it is the same for everyone else in the world. When I knew better . . . I did better, and so it is with them. If they are ignorant, or hard to get along with, selfish, etc. then it is because they have not been able to learn how not to be . . . just yet. When they know better, they, too, will do better. I find that when I look at others like that, in the same way that I would like to be judged by them, then I am far more tolerant of their shortcomings and failures. I know that we are all small fish in a very big pond . . . and are all, each one of us, swimming as best as we know how to swim. Some of us are dog-paddling, while other’s are doing the breast stroke, and still yet others are treading water and hanging on for dear life. We will all get stronger and better as we go along.



The next time you are tempted to look at another, and judge them by your own standards of what is right or what is wrong, try to remember that all that most people are doing is the very best that they know how to do according to their life’s experience, teachings and abilities. Accept their best for what it is, and then gently try to steer them in a better way if they are going down the wrong path, always understanding and accepting that they have a right to do things in their own way. Let us celebrate our differences and enjoy them for all that they are. As Christ said “Love one another.” It’s the right thing to do.

I am a real lover of Chinese food. Can you believe I never had any the whole time I was growing up. I had not even heard of it! I never had pizza either until I was almost grown. OH what a sheltered and narrow culinary life I led. Good thing I am making up for it now! You can make this dish with an equal amount of lean pork if you wish. It will taste just as good!



*Sweet and Sour Chicken*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This delicious dish seem a bit fiddly, but trust me when I say the end result is totally delicious and worth all the pain. I find that if you get all the ingredients assembled for the most part ahead of time it really goes together quite quickly and I can have mine on the table in about half an hour . . . really! Why go out when you can have something equally as tasty at home in half the time? I like to serve this with some steamed basmati rice.

For the chicken:
2 to 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 400g/14 oz in weight)
1 TBS soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
Sunflower oil for frying

For the vegetable stir fry part:
1 small red pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced thinly on the diagonal
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
2 tsp finely chopped peeled fresh gingerroot

For the sauce:
3 TBS of soy sauce
3 TBS white wine vinegar
3 TBS of sherry or apple juice
1 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)

For the tempura batter:
3 oz of plain flour (a scant 3/4 cup)
1 TBS cornflour (cornstarch)
½ tsp salt
7 fluid ounces of sparkling ice cold spring water

Cut the chicken into small chunks and mix with the soy sauce and sesame oil in a bowl. Set aside.

Cut the vegetables up and set them aside on a plate, along with the ginger and garlic.

Stir together the sauce ingredients in a small jug and set aside.

Heat some oil in a large skillet, about half an inch deep, over medium heat until it is quite hot. While it is heating, make the tempura batter.

Mix the flour, cornflour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the sparkling water until the batter is somewhat smooth. It doesn’t matter if there are still a few lumps. Dip the chicken pieces into this a few at a time and then carefully placed them in the hot oil, using tongs or a slotted spoon. Don’t crowd the pan. You will need to do it in batches. Fry the chicken pieces until they are crisp and golden brown on both sides. Remove them out to a plate lined with paper towelling as they are cooked and browned. Once they are all cooked, turn off the heat and set the chicken into a slow oven to keep warm while you make the vegetables and sauce.

Heat another large skillet to hot and add about 3 TBS of oil. Stir fry the vegetables with the garlic and ginger for about 3 minutes, stirring and tossing them together as they cook. Give the sauce ingredients another stir and then add them to the skillet, stirring and mixing as it cooks to a light and glossy sauce. Allow to cook and bubble for one minute.

Place the chicken onto a serving plate and then spoon the sauce over and serve.



You'll find a delicious Orange and Coconut Crisp over in The English Kitchen today! Deliciously different!

One for the sewers . . . Poetry Saturday

In and out the needle goes
along the folded seam . . .



While in your heart is following
some lost and lonely dream.



In between the stitches
you can go a long, long way . . .



When you're sitting at
the quiet end of the day.



Oh the things that you remember
as you draw the thread . . .



Odds and ends of memory
come back into your head.



Names and faces,
times and places.
Round the world you go.



Many miles you travel,
as you watch the stitches grow.

~Patience Strong

Oh how I can relate to these words!! Having spent many hours in quiet reflection as I sewed . . . I, too, have taken many journeys in my mind's eye. I can't think of a better way to pass a few hours, can you?

I made these delicious turnovers for our tea the other night. They were a bit fiddly, but the end result was worth every minute spent in preparation, PLUS I ended up with quite a few to pop into the freezer that I can take out and we can savour on another day!



*Pea and Potato Samosas*
Makes about 24
Printable Recipe

Samosas are one of the great loves of my life, a love I share with my oldest son. When he was about eighteen, and had moved into his own apartment, I often visited him and brought him tasty samosas as a treat. I’d ring his doorbell and when he’d answer on the intercom, my voice would ring out, ”Speedy Samosa Delivery!” He always let me in!

50 g butter (a scant 1/4 cup)
2 tsp of grated peeled fresh ginger
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp medium curry powder
½ tsp tikka powder
½ tsp garam masala
500g peeled, finely diced potato (a generous pound)
3 TBS water
¼ cup sultanas
½ cup frozen baby peas
½ cup chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)
3 sliced spring onions
PASTRY:
465g sifted plain flour (3 ¾ cups)
1 tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp salt
110g melted butter (a half cup minus about 1 TBS)
½ cup thick plain yoghurt (I use greek)
¾ cup water
A beaten egg for brushing
Oil for frying

Heat the butter for the filling in a large frying pan. Add the ginger, cumin, curry powder, tikka powder and garam masala. Cook, stirring until it becomes very fragrant, then tip in the potatoes and cook, stirring for a few minutes longer until the potatoes are all coated. Reduce the heat, add 3 TBS water and cover. Let cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Check periodically just to make sure they are not sticking, giving them a stir. Once tender stir in the sultanas, peas, onions and coriander leaves. Set aside to cool while you make the pastry.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl, mixing completely. Make a well in the centre. Mix together the yoghurt, butter and water and pour into the well. Stir together with a round bladed knife, mixing to combine well, until it forms a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and shape into a smooth ball by kneading for a few minutes. Divide the ball into quarters, then dived each quarter into six pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and then using a rolling pin roll each ball into approximately 5 inch in diameter circle. Place a heaping TBS of the filling onto one half of the circle. Moisten the edge with the beaten egg and fold over the other half to form a half moon, pressing and folding the edges over to seal. Set aside on a plate while you form and shape the others.

Heat approximately ½ inch of cooking oil in a skillet over medium high heat, until it registers 180*C/350*F on a fat thermometer, or until a cube of bread browns in 15 seconds. Fry the samosas two or three at a time in the hot oil until golden brown on both sides. Keep warm in a slow oven until they are all cooked. Serve hot with a garnish of thick plain yoghurt and chopped coriander.



There's a delicious Steamed Ginger Pudding with Ginger Sauce cooking over in The English Kitchen today!



And, just in case you missed it . . . somebody has moved in to The Doll's House.

To forgive oneself . . .

“The day the child realizes that all adults are imperfect he becomes an adolescent. The day he forgives them he becomes an adult. The day he forgives himself he becomes wise.” ~ unknown

I came across this quote the other day and I immediately thought to myself, Wow! This is really thought provoking. I have struggled with self forgiveness most of my adult life. The intellectual part of me knows that there is nothing I can do about the past but the heart part of me still wants to kick myself for whatever misdeeds I feel I have done.

I think most of us are like that. I can forgive others of pretty much everything they have done to me in life, (forgetting is a little bit harder, but then again, that’s a whole nother subject) but when it comes to forgiving myself. I am a much harsher judge on me than anyone else could ever be, and as far as forgetting, well . . . I’m afraid that those things that we’d like to be able to forget, they stick with you in your mind forever.



The saddest part of not being able to forgive one’s self is that it gets in the way of our being able to live the best life possible. We can either be miserable for the rest of our lives and wallow in that misery, or we can give ourselves permission to heal, and I’m afraid it’s an on-going process and won’t happen overnight, or at least it hasn’t for me.

Forgiveness is something we have to decide to do for ourselves. Nobody else can make that decision for us. When we don’t forgive it’s like we are cloaking our eyes in a mask which distorts everything that we see and wanting everyone else around us to look through that same mask. Forgiveness is taking off the mask. Not forgiving is like carrying an anchor around our necks and trying to walk through life wearing it and allowing it to drag us down. Forgiveness is like taking the anchor off and leaving it behind, striding forward in confidence and walking away from it, lightening up and being able to enjoy your life again. It has nothing to do with worthiness, yours or anyone else’s. When it comes right down to it, we are all worthy.



We must choose to love ourselves, and I don’t mean that in the self centred, selfish “I am the be all and end all” type of way. I mean just quietly and simply accepting ourselves for who and what we are and allowing others to do the same. If we can’t love ourselves, howcan anyone else love us? If we can’t love ourselves, how can we heal? Guilt is something we use to cover up everything negative and bad. When we feel overly guilty we commit the ultimate betrayal of abandoning ourselves. Yes, we should be sorry for the things we have done, but we should learn to let it go once we have acknowledged our sorrow, or we will never be able to heal ourselves.

Part of being able to forgive yourself is understanding that we don’t have to be punished, and giving ourselves permission to let go of the pain that our misdeeds have caused us. We need to be more realistic about ourselves and the expectations we hold for ourselves. Why should we be harder on ourselves than we are on others? Ask yourself if you would be able to forgive someone else had they done the same thing, and then . . . Forgive yourself. Let it go. We cannot change the past, it’s dead and gone. We can only change the future and we do that by learning from our mistakes and taking what good we can from the past and moving forward in faith, leaving the things we know we can‘t change behind.



Forgiving yourself doesn’t mean that you should forget what you did or said that might have injured another or caused yourself distress. To forgive yourself doesn't mean you aren't responsible for what you did or said. To forgive yourself simply means you realize that you might have done something differently if you had known how. Forgiving yourself means you recognize that you didn't know how to do something differently, and to realize and accept that you have learned by your mistake. As someone once said, experience is what we get right after we need it. When we know better . . . we do better.

I’m not sure where I got this recipe from, but I do know it’s quite old. Sometimes I think these old recipes are the best ones of all. Pure and simple ingredients, easy to put together and long on flavour . . .


*Potato Pudding*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Tasty, old fashioned and it uses ingredients most people have in their larders. This is a real people pleaser.

2 cups peeled and coarsely shredded potato
1 cup peeled and coarsely shredded carrot
1 cup peeled and coarsely shredded swede (rutabaga)
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp summer savoury or marjoram
2 TBS cream
2 TBS softened butter

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Generously butter a square baking pan and set aside.

Mix the vegetables, salt, pepper, summer savoury and cream together in a bowl, mixing all together well. Spoon into the prepared baking dish and press down a bit to smooth it out. Dot the butter evenly over top.

Cover and bake in the heated oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes longer or until golden and crusty on top. Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes before cutting into squares to serve.



There's more potatoes cooking in The English Kitchen today, Baked Potato Wedges. Scrummy!

Note - If you think you have read this post before, you would be correct. It is a repost from several years ago. Some things just bear repeating though, don't you think?

A few of my favourite things . . .

I’m not really a person that puts a lot of value on things, preferring instead to place my value in things that are not of this world, things seen and touched with the heart. Nevertheless there are also some things that I have that I get a great deal of pleasure out of and enjoy having around. Like raindrops on roses, or whiskers on kittens . . . these are a few of my favourite things . . .

The feel of the sunlight on my face on a warm summer’s day. I love to sit out in the garden for a short, mostly in the shade, but occasionally I do get great pleasure of sitting out at the picnic table, face upturned, eyes closed, while the warmth of the sun cloaks me face in it’s passion. Have you ever noticed that it has a smell??? I have . . . It’s not easy to describe though, and I don’t think I’ll try . . .



Holding a newborn baby up on my shoulder, so that it is snuggled in under my chin and close to the small of my neck . . . That has to be heaven on earth. I could sit there for hours gently rubbing the contours of its tiny back and feeling it’s warmth tucked up into me . . . Once it starts crying though . . . back to mum it goes!

The feel of my dog Mitzie’s soft furry tummy as she rolls on to her back to let me have a scratch or a rub. Along with that goes the way she lovingly glances up at me while I do it . . . all trusting and so full of pleasure and gratitude, that it just oozes out of her liquid brown eyes and melts my heart . . . Stepping out of the tub on a cool winter’s morning and into a huge fluffy bath towel that I have popped onto the radiator just before I stepped in to the tub . . . warm, cosy and enveloping . . . it is just like a welcome home hug . . .



Crawling into bed with my socks on, and only after I am settled, taking the socks off . . . I just love the way my feet feel beneath the coolness of the smooth sheets. It’s a pleasure that’s really hard to describe . . . but it just feels really, really, really nice.

While I’m thinking about bed . . . crawling into a freshly made bed, with crisp clean sheets that have been hung out to blow in the wind all day. I snuggle right into my pillow and breathe in the freshness of the outdoors and the smell of sunshine . . . oh, it is soooo nice!

Walking into the house and smelling freshly baked cookies or bread. Actually I just like to smell food cooking period. It’s funny . . . when you are cooking it yourself, you rarely smell it in the same way, unless you go out of the room and come back into it. I always love the smell of other people’s dinners cooking as I walk down the street or sit out in the garden . . . somehow it always manages to smell delicious and inviting, and it always makes me hungry . . .



My good morning hug from Todd. I am usually up several hours before him, but when he does wake up and comes down stairs, that’s always the first thing we do . . . give each other a big hug and a cuddle and a kiss. On the rare occasion we have forgotten ie. because the telephone has rung or something else has interrupted our routine . Those are the days that just seems to get off on the wrong foot for some reason . . . but, here’s the good part . . . sooner or later one of us realizes what’s been missing, and we always get the hug in then . . .

Sitting in my chair, quietly listening to my favourite music, with my eyes closed. I love gospel music and I could sit and listen to it for hours. When I do, I feel closer to God and in communion with him . . . kind of in a way similar to when I am praying, which is another of my favourite things. Different and yet somehow the same . . . it’s always a good feeling.



Watching kittens and puppies at play . . . indeed watching baby anything at play. I think that God must have made baby animals and birds and people cute on purpose. That way he knew someone would take care of them and love them. I cannot for the life of me understand how anyone can be deliberately cruel or mean to any of them.

Cooking . . . just cooking. I love to cook and I get a great deal of pleasure from it. It’s not so much in the eating . . . although,trust me . . . I get plenty of pleasure out of that as well . . . but I don’t really even have to be the one who’s going to eat it, I just really enjoy the cooking aspect of it. To me it’s like solving a puzzle or putting together a jigsaw . . . the more complicated, the better. I get a real sense of satisfaction when I have accomplished what I have set out to do, and people are happily eating it and enjoying it . . . that’s where the satisfaction comes . . . the satisfaction of a job well done . . . a feeling that can’t be beat, well almost anyways . . .



Listening to the laughter of a child. It always swells my heart and brings a smile to my own face. Is there anything on earth more contagious or infectious? I think not! I once found this laughing baby somewhere on the internet. It was attached to an elastic, and as you twirled it around with your mouse the baby laughed and laughed. You just could not sit down and do it without coming away with a smile on your own face…children’s laughter . . . great soul medicine . . .

Sitting down at my computer every morning and putting down my thoughts and fancies for you all to read . . . and then, later on, hearing that little ping when someone leaves their comments. That’s one of my guilty pleasures, and an intrinsic part of my day. It’s a selfish thing really . . . but a writer has to write and the words must be read . . . I like to think it’s a win/win situation . . .



I could go on and on. There’s just so much I get joy and pleasure from in this life. I guess I’m really lucky . . . I love the smell of the pavement after a heavy rain, and the smell of the soil after digging in the garden . . . warm soft freshly baked white bread with butter melting into it’s fragrantly yeasty goodness . . . I’m just a person that loves and enjoys the small things in life,the simple things . . . the things that are free . . . and thankfully, I’ve been really blessed with these things in abundance!

I cooked these the other day just so I could take this picture and share it with you. I have always wanted to serve scrambled eggs inside their own shell. You don’t get a lot to eat . . . but, when you are talking about delicious . . . even a little bite, is one of life’s many pleasures.



*Cheese and Chive Scrambled Eggs*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe

This is one of my favourite breakfasts and sometimes even a nice light supper for two. The combination of chives and cheese is really delicious! Be careful not to overcook. Over-cooking just makes the eggs rubbery

3 extra large free range eggs
(I think when you are going to eat eggs on their own, you really deserve the best that money can buy)
3 TBS single cream
1 ounce strong cheddar cheese, grated
2 TBS snipped chives
2 knobs of butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Put a non-stick skillet on medium heat to warm up. In the meantime beat together the eggs, cream, cheese and chives in a bowl. Drop a knob of butter into the heated skillet. Once it starts to foam tip in the egg mixture. Let it sit for about 30 seconds or so and then using a wooden spatula start to bring the egg from the edges into the centre, folding and turning slowly as the egg begins to cook. (You can’t rush scrambled eggs) Cook only until the egg is mostly set, but still moist and then remove from the heat and throw in the last knob of butter, folding it in. Taste and then season. Sometimes the cheese gives it enough flavour that you don’t need any seasoning at all! Serve warm with lots of buttered toast and crisp bacon to your most favourite person.



Over in The English Kitchen today, Tasty Oven Braised Lamb Shanks!