The Secret to a Successful Marriage . . .

I heard a story once about a couple who were happily celebrating their golden wedding anniversary. Fifty years, what a milestone. Not many make it that far nowadays. The husband was asked what the secret was to his successful marriage and, as the elderly often do, he answered with a story.

It seems his wife, Sarah, was the only girl he had ever dated. He had grown up in an orphanage and had had to work really hard for everything he had. He'd never had the time to date girls until his precious Sarah had swept him off his feet, and before he knew it, she'd even managed to get him to ask her to marry him.



Soon after their vows on their wedding day, Sarah's father had taken him, the new groom, aside and handed him a small box. He told him that inside was a gift for him, and that "within this gift is all that you really need to know to have a happy marriage." The nervous young groom, with nervous fingers, fumbled his way through untying the ribbon and unwrapping the paper to see what was inside.



Within the box, all wrapped up in tissue, lay a beautiful gold watch. He picked it up with great care and upon closer inspection noticed some words etched across the face of the watch . . . words which would serve as a prudent reminder to him each time he checked the time of day . . . words that, if heeded, indeed held the secret to a successful marriage. They were, quite simply . . . "Say something nice to Sarah."

What wise words those were, and ones that we can, and should, apply to our own lives, for . . . as the bible tells us . . .

"Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones."
~Proverbs 16:24



We had a lovely day here yesterday. The weather was warm and the sun shone brightly. I love those types of days and have long said that you just cannot beat England on a sunny, warm day. There is no finer place on earth.

Poor Todd. Despite the beautiful weather we had yesterday, he wasted most of it in the car driving back and forth to the PC World at the local Trading Estate. We had bought ourselves a new printer in January and, just of late, it had been acting up. Having purchased the maintenance agreement when we acquired it, he finally decided enough was enough and he would return it to the store for exchange. He took it all apart and piled it into the car and off he went. It didn't take too long, and he was back home within the hour, and started the process of setting it all up again.

As you know, nowadays . . . that is never as simple as it sounds. He got almost done and he realized that there was no thingamajig in the box to connect it to our computer. It was not included with the printer and he obviously had returned ours with the old one. So off he went, back to the shops to get it back. He returned home and got it all hooked up again, only to find that the printer he's brought home is faulty as well. A few phone calls to the tech people confirm this and so back into the box it goes and back to the shop again. (This is the third trip now)

He brings another one home and gets it all set up and oh no . . . it appears to be having problems as well. So onto the telephone he goes again and finally . . . with some help . . . he gets it working as it should. Whew!!! What a relief! I think if he'd had to face another trip to the shops, he would have wanted to scream! Thank goodness he is such a mild mannered and gentle man. I'm so lucky to have him!

I made these delicious Salmon Burgers for our lunch yesterday. It's another wonderful recipe from my Old Blue Binder and makes good use of things I generally have on hand. You can have them in the buns or not as you wish. I often just have them with some salad on the side, but for a heartier appetite a toasted bun is a great addition. If you want to make them for supper try making some sweet potato fries on the side for a super food addition! (sweet potatoes are one of the super foods and, come to think of it, so is Salmon!)



*Salmon Burgers*
Makes 4

The next time you feel like a burger and fries, try digging into one of these. They're a whole lot healthier for you and I think they taste a whole lot better as well!

1 (14.75 ounce) tin of wild red salmon, drained and flaked
(I remove all the skin and bones)
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup heavy cream (I use no fat evaporated milk, undiluted)
2 TBS finely chopped shallots
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 cup minced sweet red pepper
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less as desired)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
the grated zest of one lemon
1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 TBS canola oil for frying
4 split and toasted whole wheat buns for serving
Garnishes:
Lettuce
Tomato slices
Sun Dried Tomato Basil Mayo (see below)

Combine the flaked salmon, egg, cream, shallots, garlic, red pepper, bread crumbs, lemon zest and seasonings together in a bowl. Mix all together well. Divide and shape into four equal sized patties, about 1/2 inch thick.

Heat the canola oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. When it is hot, add the patties, and cook for approximately 5 minutes on each side, until nicely browned and cooked through. Spoon some of the Sun Dried Tomato Basil Mayo onto the bottoms of the toasted buns and then top with a patty and some of the lettuce and tomato, and the toasted top of the buns. Serve.

*Sun Dried Tomato and Basil Mayonnaise*
Makes approximately 1/2 cup

This mayonnaise is delicious. You will be able to find all kinds of tasty uses for it. Try it on your BLT the next time you make one or on a club sandwich for a really delicious addition!

1/2 cup low fat mayonnaise
2 TBS chopped sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil (drain well and pat dry)
2 TBS chopped fresh basil leaves

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.