Twinkle Twinkle Little Star . . .

“If the stars should appear but one night every thousand years how man would marvel and adore.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Are you the type of person that marvels at the stars? Or are you the type that takes them for granted? Myself, I am a star marveler, but it seems to me that they are not as many or as bright as they were when I was a child.

Mind you, that could be because of where I live. Down here in the South East of England, although my particular area is quite rural, there is a vast population, so there is probably too much light pollution to be able to see a lot of the stars with any clarity.

I can remember though, when I was a young girl in Southern Manitoba, being able to look at the night time sky and it being literally peppered with stars and constellations. As first a Brownie, and then a Girl Guide, I studied the stars and earned merit badges. I could have told you one constellation from the other at that time, and I would have also been able to guide myself home just by looking at them, so well were they known to me. Now I think I can just manage to pick out the big dipper and the small dipper, and maybe even the Milky Way, but I cannot remember what the others are.

Stars are magical things. Throughout the history of mankind they have both mystified and mesmerized. At one time they were the only instruments available to use for navigating the seas and the land. On a clear night, when I look up at the night time sky I often think to myself, these stars have been here forever. These are the same stars that Magellan looked at when sailed his ship around the world, and they are the same stars that were hanging in the sky when Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 and discovered the Americas. That same milky way that I studied as a girl is the same milky way that I marvel at as an adult.

When someone has done a particularly good job or pleased us in an astonishing way we call them a “Star” and who hasn’t wanted to be the “Star Pupil” of the school. What little girl has not dreamed of one day becoming a “Movie Star” or “Pop Star”. Indeed, the walkway down Hollywood Boulevard is filled with hundreds of bronze stars commemorating the rich and famous elite of Hollywood set down into the pavement, and mere mortals can walk where “Stars“ have walked before them.

There is a measure of comfort to be found from the stars when you are separated from loved ones, for you can look up to the heavens and think to yourself that hundreds or even thousands of miles away your loved ones can be looking up at the same night time sky and seeing the very same stars, at the very same time. Its magical.

It was a star that announced his birth and led the Wise Men to the foot of the Saviour over two thousand years ago, and I would imagine it was by the light of the stars that Joseph and Mary escaped into Egypt with him a short time later.

Poems and stories and songs have been written about stars, too countless to list, and many a wish has been voiced and set upon the first star of the evening by many a hopeful soul, perhaps since the beginning of time.

When I lived in Southern Ontario for a number of years, right at the base of the Georgian Bay, we used to sit out in our back garden on late summer evenings and watch the stars over head. They were so clear there and the sky was literally peppered with them. You could see millions of them up there twinkling down and every so often you could even see a satellite moving overhead on it’s silent trip through the night sky.

It’s amazing to me that something that is millions and billions of miles away can still be seen by me here on earth, and I have often marvelled at the sight of a falling star streaking across the sky. Each year in August I tell myself I am going to stay awake until very late at night and watch the meteor showers, but each night I am too tired to do so. I know that technically these are not stars, but I marvel at the thoughts of seeing them just the same.

I hope that I am never the kind of person that cannot stop to hope and marvel at the sight of the stars or find the magic there. To me, they are just another proof that we have a God who cares, and they help me to wonder at his wisdom and majesty . . .

Today, I leave you with this delicious recipe. I made this for our supper one night this week. Todd had never had it before but thought it to be quite delicious and I found myself wondering why I don’t make it more often . . .

*Beef Stroganoff*

Serves 6 Printable Recipe

Who wouldn’t love tender strips of beef in a light and tangy mushroom sauce? Named after a nineteenth century Russian count, this dish was very popular in the 1960’s and 1970’s. I really think it should have a revival because it is really very, very good, and quite easy to make. Impressive enough for company! I like to serve this with steamed white rice or buttered noodles.

2 pounds beef round steak trimmed of all fat and cut into 2 by ½ inch strips (across the grain)

Salt and black pepper to taste

Garlic powder to taste

2 TBS vegetable oil

2 large onions, peeled and chopped

¾ pound of fresh mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced

2 cups beef broth

1 ½ cups sour cream

Season the steak strips with some salt and pepper and a sprinkle of garlic powder. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the oil. When it is hot add the steak strips and cook for a minute or two, just until they are no longer pink. Reduce the heat and add the onions. Cook, stirring often, over low heat for four or five minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes, and then stir in the beef broth just to barely cover the meat. You may not need to use it all. Pop a cover on the pan and simmer over low heat for 35 to 45 minutes until the meat is very tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning if required.

Whisk in the sour cream and allow to heat through without boiling. Serve at once with some hot steamed white rice or buttered noodles, and a green vegetable on the side.

Note - This is a repost of one of my muses from my old page on AOL, Marie's Muses. I will be posting some of my better ones in the coming week while I am away on holidays.

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