Its all about onions . . .

 

We have a little closet which lays off the kitchen at the bottom of our stairs.  There is a door into it right in the kitchen.  That is where we keep all of our cleaning implements.  The electric and gas meter are in there, and that is where we store all of our beverages, snacks, potatoes and onions.   Its dark and its cool, and its just the perfect place. 

Yesterday I could smell something funky, and I thought to myself, an onion has gone off. A quick search determined that I was right, for there, buried beneath the pile of onions, was one that had begun to go bad, thereby risking the whole bin.  One bad apple, or in this case onion, does spoil the whole bunch! 

My grandfather used to braid his onions together and hang them from the rafters in the shed/garage adjoined to his house.   I can remember looking up and seeing them hanging above our heads like great bulbous charm bracelets, the smell all earthy and oniony.   I, myself, when we grew a large vegetable garden, stored them hung up in old tights.  To each his own. Whatever works.

 

Stuffing Stuffed Onions

I could not have a kitchen without onions in it.   They are a staple necessity.  I like the large plump ones for making stuffings or for stuffing!   Have you ever eaten a stuffed onion?   If not, you have missed a real treat.   I don't stuff mine with meat . . . instead choosing to stuff mine with the innards of the onion, some mushrooms, cheese, bread crumbs and herbs.   They are a real treat and I don't require anything else to eat with mine, although I know some people only serve these as accompaniements to roasted dinners.   Martha Stewart has a particularly good recipe which you can get to by clicking on the link here. And you can find my recipe for a fabulous Stuffing Stuffed Onion, here. 

I use onions for all sorts . . . soups, stews, salads, bakes . . . there is really no good substitute for an onion.  Varying in shape and size from flattish and brown, to bulbous and white, I do believe that they are probably the most common cookery ingredient the world round, with a history that goes back years and years, in all probability being as old as time itself.  Traces of them have even been found in Bronze Age settlements . . .  there were probably onions in the Garden of Eden . . . 

 

I read the other day, with great interest, about how the Egyptians spent the equivalent of two million dollars on onions during the years that the Great Pyramid was being built.  They used them to feed the workers. There were countless workers/slaves of course, and the pyramid took 20 years to build.  That's a lot of onions, but I doubt they had them roasted or fried or cooked at all . . . they probably ate them raw with black bread, which sounds oddly delicious to me. 

The ancient Romans thought that onions gave them strength and ate them for breakfast with honey, which may sound a bit wierd, but when I make my glazed onions with ketchup, I always add honey to the sauce, basting them until they are rich and sweet and amber deliciously tasty. 

Not only good for eating, however . . . in the sixteeth century, onion juice was dropped into the ear as a remedy for deafness, and into the eyes to clear the vision.  (Can you imagine what that felt like!)  I do know, that it is said that if you put a cut onion in the sick room it supposedly absorbs all of the sickness.  I tried that last year.  It didn't work, but maybe I did it too late.  I know an old Ukrainian workman who told me once when he was working on my house, having noticed that I had a terrible cold, that eating raw onion sandwiches would help to prevent a cold. I have never put that to the test.

 

 I believe it was the Spanish who exported onions to the new world, but I strongly suspect that there was already a North American variety in place and being used by the native Americans when the Spanish arrived! 

When I hold a round and firm onion in my hand, I marvel at it's intricacy . . . with it delicate papery skin, layering the outside . . . and the faintly tinged concentric rings, pale pink or ivory on the insides, layer upon layer, leading down to it's sweet heart.  Nature's beautiful gift to mankind.  Love them or loathe them, I . . . for one  . . . would not be without them. 

  
(Lisi Martin)

What a mixed bag of weather we had here yesterday.  Showery at one turn and then brilliantly sunny at the next.  Cold throughout.  It was nice and fine for the many fireworks being set off last evening though, much to Mitzie's anguish.  She hates them so.   I tend to try to ignore them, and she is better if I do.  She does enjoy a good cuddle between us on the sofa when they are going off however, and we don't mind cuddling her that extra little bit.  I can well imagine that the little terrier next door was going ballistic.  He goes nuts if you just walk out into the garden.  I have to wonder what all the wild animals make of it all.  They must think they are in hell.

And with that I will leave you with a thought for the day  . . . 

 .° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
 *.˛.°The greatest kindness is often shown
in letting things go.
None of us is perfect,
but we can all be perfect friends
and perfect partners
by allowing those that we love
to be imperfect.
~Neale Donald Walsch  •。★★ 。* 。 

Spiritual Enlightenment 

 

BOOK OF MORMON CORNER - Today's Reading -1 Nephi 13:10-27

 Question - What have you learnt from the reading today? What does this tell us about the history of America?  

What I take from this is that the settling of the Americas, and I guess the United States in particular, was aa part of God's preparation for the restoration of the Gospel. He needed a land that would tolerate a new religion (even in the most religiously tolerant land they still had a hard time) and also have lots of space for them to gather and build a centre of strength i.e. the Salt Lake area. Also, the comment about the plain and precious truths being removed from the Bible, and it being a cause of stumbling, made me think that these plain and precious truths are what our testimonies and understanding need to be based on personally.

What also stood out for me was in Verse 16, "the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them." I thought  to myself,  once you come to really understand the fall, and  how far you are from God and His holiness, you begin  to understand fully how very much you need a Saviour and the Atonement. This is the understanding which starts you on the path from captivity towards receiving the Lords power, and the Lords power to deliver.

 Tomorrow's reading - Day 17 - 1 Nephi 13:28-39

 Question - What have you learnt from the reading today? Why do you think the Angel showed Nephi the bible and took so much care to explain about this record that Nephi would never see or read? 

 

Baking in The English Kitchen today  . . . Chewy Bakewell Cookies.  These are fabulous, with crisp and buttery edges, and a moreishly chewy centre.  They are filled with oodles of candied cherries, and scattered on top with toasted almonds, and a almond glaze. Betcha can't eat just one! 

Have a wonderful Sabbath day!  Don't forget along the way that  . . . 

═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════ ⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿
═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════ 

 

And I do too!