Thursday morning prattle . . .

However dark your night may be,
However deep your pain,
There always comes a dawn, when you
Can see some light again . . .
A peace you might have never had
If you had never been so sad.
~author unknown

I found this little poem in one of my books yesterday and thought it would be lovely to share with you. It says exactly what I am always saying about brighter tomorrows!

Good news on the blood pressure front. I went back to the Nurse yesterday for some blood tests and another check on my BP and it was back down to normal. I had missed a few tablets with moving and such, that I expect that is why it had gone way up. Just goes to show that I will never be able to go off of them. They are obviously quite a necessity for me! I was relieved to see it down though! Whew!!!



We had the guys around to fix our back door yesterday afternoon. The catch needed a bit of filing down as it wasn't shutting properly and we had not been able to lock it like it should have been locked. They did a great job of it and each one ate two of my whoopie pies in the process. It is safe to say they were a success! (Both the men and the pies!)

One thing that I have loved being back in Chester, is the luxury of being able to catch a bus into the downtown practically on my doorstep. Todd had gone in first thing yesterday morning to talk with the CAB and I caught a bus in to meet him after my nurse's appointment. It's ever such a quick way to get in and you don't have the hassle of trying to find a place to park your car, plus it has the added bonus of keeping any spending down. You can only buy as much as you can comfortably carry!



I was turning the pages of my dictionary a few days ago when I found a bit of Latin. (I just love dictionaries. When I was a girl whenever I asked my father what something meant or how to spell something he always told me to look it up in the dictionary. That's probably how my love started. I just love words!)

I was never all that good at Latin when I was at school and have probably forgotten most of what I learnt. But I have to say, those Latin writers, whom have been dead a very long time according to my calculations, could say a lot with a very few words. (Quite unlike myself!)



Anyways, I paused to read these four words written by Seneca over 1900 years ago:

"Si vis amari, ama."

What little Latin I remembered enabled me to translate these four little words into these seven words. Words that go deep and could change your whole way of life.

"If you wish to be loved, love."

And that's my prattle for today! I hope you all spend this day loving and being loved back!

I made us a tasty little casserole for our supper last night. Sauerkraut might not be everyone's cup of tea but we love it. My mom only ever cooked it when my father was away as my dad hated even the smell of it. I, on the other hand, LOVE the smell of it cooking, and I love eating it even more! The original recipe came from Gooseberry Patch and was meant to be cooked in a slow cooker. I adapted it for the oven and we had it on the table and were digging into it in less than an hour. There is nothing I love more than a big mound of mashed potatoes and some kraut for my tea! Mmm . . . mmm . . . good!!




*Sweet and Sauerkraut Brats*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

If you like sauerkraut and you like German Sausages, you will love this. Adapted from a Gooseberry Patch recipe. I like to serve this with a big bowl of fluffy mashed potatoes on the side!

1 1/2 to 2 pounds bratwurst, cut into bite sized pieces
1 27-ounce tin of sauerkraut, undrained
4 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 tsp caraway seed
boiling water

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F/Gas mark 4.

Mix the sauerkraut (undrained), apples, bratwurst, onion, brown sugar, and caraway seed together in a large bowl, and then transfer it to a deep casserole dish with a lid. Pour boiling water over top just to keep it moist. How much depends on how much juice there is in your kraut. Cover and then bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the dish is bubbling away and the apples and onions have melded into the kraut. The top brats should be somewhat browned.

Remove frm the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving. We like to have mashed potatoes with this, but you can also serve them spooned out onto toasted hoagie buns with mustard, for spreading, on the side.

*Note* - the original recipe was cooked in a slowcooker, minus the boiling water, on a low setting for 4 to 5 hours.



I'm making magic over on The English Kitchen today with a *Magic Pie!* Oh my but this is some good!