Grandpa's Famous Sayings

Who died and left you boss?

George Engel                                                                   

 

 

On my dad's birthday, I think it's only appropriate to post one of his famous sayings.  When we thought we knew everything, we were acting too bossy, we were disagreeable, or we put ourselves above someone else, my dad would always say "Who died and left you boss?"

 

A man of much wisdom, he taught us so much, including how to humble ourselves. He touched so many lives, always taking in someone who was less fortunate or needed a helping hand, yet keeping his family the center of his life.

 

Laughter was common in our house.  He loved to tease us all endlessly, while, at the same time, guiding us with a firm hand.  When his hand hit the table, everyone was quiet!  Even then, we were allowed to question so we understood, and we were never put down.  He knew how to correct a bad behavior without saying an unkind word.

 

From him, I learned to be compassionate and nurturing.  Someone always needs a helping hand or a kind word at some time in their life.  People respond more to kind words then put downs.  I believe this is where I got "There's a nice way to say everything, and a way to say everything nice", but I don't remember him saying this exact quote.

 

For his grandchildren - a little background.  Grandpa grew up in a family that helped other family members during the Great Depression, teaching him to be giving.  He had a tough father, so he learned to be the opposite, a very caring father.

 

I miss you, dad, and try to live my life by the example you set.  Happy Birthday!

 

Easy Recipe

This salad was a common dish in my childhood home.  It's especially good with any roast (so you can dip your meat in it).

Dad's Favorite Salad

Head of Lettuce - cored and chopped into bite size pieces
Mayonnaise
Sour Cream
A little Milk
Garlic and Onion Salt

Add mayonnaise and sour cream - as much as you would add for dressing.  Add a little milk to thin out the mayonnaise and sour cream mixture.  Season with garlic and onion salt to taste.  Toss with lettuce.  Sooo good!

Love you,
Aunt Janet

Garden Signs

I spent the last week and a half painting these signs in the hopes of making some extra money at Kicks on 66.  I had so much fun painting them, and found out that I really did get my mom's creative gene.

My mom has a lot right off of the old Route 66, so I decided I could save money, and set up my "booth" on my mom's lot.  What the heck - it's down the street from where the paying booths were located.

Well, Uncle Todd's truck died, and he needed my vehicle to go to work.  So, I needed a ride (besides money to help pay for the truck).  After several phone calls, my sister came through.  (Oh, and I was just calling to tell you I found a ride, but thanks anyway.) 

So, I had the signs, the spot and the ride.  Now I needed the stakes.  I suggested using some of the cedar sticks in the yard that UT cut up to make logs for his bird houses.  UT didn't want me to use them for stakes, so he told me to search my mom's garage for stakes.  My sister and I climbed through the mess - that somehow accumulated in the garage that I've sorted and cleaned a hundred times before (yes - you could actually park 2 cars in it after I'm done, each of the hundred times) - in search of stakes.  I found some, full of nails, but useable.

I stick them in my car along with a table, bird feeders, and trellises that somehow got in her garage, and set out for home.  I got a hammer and started pulling out the nails.  BTW, if I die from tetanus, I scratched myself with one of the nails. After some procrastination and complaining, UT said we couldn't use the stakes I had got from my mom's house and went to the yard to get the cedar sticks.  I got UT to put the stakes on the signs, as I stood by putting the screws on the screw gun, because that is my job when UT does anything for me.

Okay, stakes taken care of.  I took pictures, posted them on Facebook, with all pertinent info, packed them up, got together all the stuff to paint more signs, printed a sign, and priced all the signs, not with stickers but with paper and tapes because UT doesn't want to have to take them off when we put them in our yard.  Then it was off to bed.

Waking early because Maggie made me get up, I didn't feel that good.  UT thought maybe it wasn't a good idea to go, but I assured him it would pass (after some medicine).  Knowing my sister is always on time, I gathered all my stuff on the lawn, ready to throw in her car.  Half an hour later sitting on the front stairs, I realized that my sister had learned something from her sisters - the art of being late.

She showed up and, of course, the things that had to go in first, were on the bottom of my neatly stacked pile.  After stuffing everything into her car (I lied - I told her it would just be a few things), we set off for the lot.  On the way, we stopped at the bank so I could get change.  With money in my pocket, I proceeded to open the wrong car door, which was luckily locked, but the guy in the next car was laughing at me hysterically.

We get to the block that my mom's lot is on, and half way down the block, I asked my sister to stop so I could put my signs up (over my mom's for sale sign) that was at the corner.  In the wind and fighting with the tape, I finally got the sign up, only to be greeted by the biggest puppy I've ever seen.  Cute dog.

Well, we got to the lot, and unpacked her full car, trying to figure out if anyone would see me.  The lot where the booths were set up were already bustling with people.   We decided that maybe I should move closer to the corner.  Wanting to stay on my mom's property, we then carried all the stuff about 30 feet closer to the old Route 66.  Thank God my sister was with me because it probably would have taken me an hour to move it by myself.

She wished me luck and was on her way, and I waited for all the people to come and buy my signs.  And I waited, and I painted, and I waited, and I played a game, and I waited.  A truck went by, hit a puddle, spraying mud all over me and my signs, and I waited.  A red SUV pulled up, and I thought "my first customer".  The door opened, and out came UT.  I gave a sad face, and he melted, packed me up, and took me to get my favorite barbeque pork sandwich.

What did I learn?  Sometimes you have to spend a little money to make money.  I should have just gotten a booth.  And, no matter how much work you put into something, it doesn't always turn out the way you want it.  You think I should have learned this lesson by now.  (For those that know me, they get it.)  But, aren't my signs cute?  Hand painted and price right!

Gardening

I've always had a kid or two in my garden - helping to plant and then harvesting the fresh veggies.  My nieces and nephews are grown, and the next generation is old enough to carry on the tradition.   My nieces already are passing on the fun they had in my garden.  So, who wants to help and when?  Ask your moms to let me know.

Easy Recipe

My sister recently asked for my cole slaw recipe, so here it is:

Creamy Cabbage Slaw
6 cups or 1 medium cabbage, shredded
¼ cup green onion, sliced
1 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. vinegar
2 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. salt

Combine cabbage and onion.  Mix remaining ingredients together and stir into slaw.

Enjoy!
Aunt Janet

Family

Friends will come and go, but family is forever.



George Engel aka "Dad" "Unk"

 

Dedicated to Aunt Judy who likes my blog and the rest of my family

 

Family is made up of a composite of individuals, all connected by a common link - being together either by birth or marriage.  The Google definition is "all the descendants of a common ancestor".  Today, this doesn't always hold true.

 

What is family to me?  One word - love.  Who is always there for you?  Who will be there when you are born, when you marry, when you get old?  Who will always love you, but sometimes hates you?  Who touches your heart with the inner most joy or the deepest anger?  Who will you laugh with and cry with?  Who do you try to grow up to be not like, but end up being just like?  Who knows your deepest secrets and will keep them secret except with other family members?  Who will come together and bury you - no matter what?  Your family.  It's a kind of unconditional love.

 

I read a book recently where one person remembers growing up in a very negative family until he is reminded by another cousin of all the fun and love that was shared in their very dysfunctional family.  Someone who remembered being picked on as a kid was reminded of being so close that they were inseparable. 

 

Is any family perfect?  I have never met anyone that thought their family was totally perfect.  There's an aunt who ran off with the milk man and a uncle who farted all the time.  A dad with an addiction and a cousin who married an alien.  I could go on and on.  Every family is dysfunctional in some way (and more dysfunctional if they don't admit it).  Why?  Because we are all human - no one is perfect, even you or me.  We all have our positive and negative traits, and most of them were learned from guess who? - our family.

 

Today was our youngest member's first birthday party.  There will be more after her, and the family will continue to grow.  She will always have us around her.  I already see her mom's characteristics.  She will learn from you and me - all of us.  Each newcomer, whether by birth or marriage, has to know that, no matter what, you are part of our family.  We will love you and hate you, rejoice with you and get madder than a wet hen when you look at us cross-eyed.  You are special, and you will always be special to us.  We need to pass on our love, no matter how crazy, to the young.

 

So, since we are all stuck together for the rest of our life, whether we like it or not, as dad and grandpa always said "Friends will come and go, but family is forever."  So, instead of just dealing with it, make the most out of it!  Cherish and love us for all our unique, wacky, weird, and positive traits!  We love you!

 

Love you,

Aunt Janet aka "Janet" "Jan" "AJ" "Jagnes Ann" "Smarty Pants"

 

 

 

 

 

Chance to Be Better

Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.

Albert Camus

 

In many ways, I feel chained by my problems. I will be released from these burdens this year - whether positively or negatively yet to be determined.  Either way, the weight will be gone.

 

The weight of things out of my control causing a snowball effect until the snowball was as big as a giant mountain of snow where the Abominable Snowman stalks me to endless fear.

 

I've asked what I've done wrong, and so many have said "nothing - it just happened."  This economy has devastated so many hard working people - those with good money sense, but caught up in the financial crash.

 

Maybe this is a chance to be better - a chance to make good out of the bad.  A chance for hope for I will strive to make it better.

 

Money

 

There is an excellent program available from Dave Ramsey called Total Money Makeover.  His website, www.daveramsey.com, offers hope to overcome financial problems.  Yes, it does take hard work, patience, and doing without to achieve financial freedom, but it is possible.  Check it out!

 

Grandpa's Sayings

 

Another day, another dollar.

 

Easy Recipe

 

Parmesan Chicken Breasts

 

Chicken Breasts

Miracle Whip

Parmesan Cheese

Garlic Powder

 

Arrange chicken breasts in baking dish.  Spread miracle whip generously over chicken.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and garlic powder.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

 

Enjoy!

Aunt Janet









Small Town

I can be myself here in this small town
And people let me be just what I want to be

John Mellencamp

I wasn't born here, didn't go to grade school here, but this is my hometown.  It's a small town.

A couple of years back, you used to know everyone in town.  Never could get away with anything without your parents finding out because of the eyes and ears all over town.  Yes, everyone knows everyone else's business, but, because of this, a helping hand is always a stone's throw away.

My closest friends were born here, went to kindergarten and graduated from high school with the same crew.  They made me feel like I always belonged here.  They are the ones I got crazy with in high school, stood up to each other's weddings, am helping with their kids' weddings, and will probably get crazy with when we are old.  A bunch of good girls that just like to have fun.

My family lives here.  None of us left.  It's our hometown.  My siblings each raised their families here, and hope that their grandkids will raise their kids.  We can call, and one or other will come running right away. 

It's a small town.  Nothing special except for the people that make up this small town - a bunch of nosy, gossiping, caring, and giving people.  The best kind of people are in a small town!

Easy Recipe

Bacon Bacon Broccoli Salad 

2 Tbsp. Bacon Bacon™
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vinegar
5 cups broccoli florets
2 Tbsp. salted sunflower seeds, if desired
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Combine first 4 ingredients in small bowl. Place broccoli in large bowl; drizzle with Bacon Bacon™ mixture. Toss; top with sunflower seeds and cheese. Chill 1 hour. Makes 6-8 servings.

Aunt Janet's Famous Saying

"I have eyes and ears all over town, so I will find out."  This always amazed my nieces and nephews when I found out.   And I will never give the names of my sources!

Love you,
Aunt Janet

If there's a road I should walk, 

Help me find it.

Sidewalk Prophets

There are times in our lives that don't make sense.  That no matter what we do, nothing seems to turn out the way we want them to - the way we think is the best way.  We thought we had it under control, we were doing what was right, we were being giving and patient, and it all blows up in our face.

We question our motives, try to figure out where we went wrong, thought this was the path we were meant to take, and we come to a brick wall.  

Asking for what we want goes unheard. Being still, and knowing God is there, just sits still.  Yelling at the top of our lungs only leaves us hoarse.  

So, I'm at the brick wall, holding my hands up, saying "Okay, You want me to just go through this," because I have no where to go - I am stuck.  I wait for the road to spring up, the path I should take. 

He shows me that this road has ended, and I need to just climb over the brick wall at the end of this road, for this road has ended, and there's another road on the other side.  I did what I was meant to do on that road.  It was not meant for me to reap the benefits, but for me to learn, help, and maybe give a little faith to the ones I met while traveling that path.

It is the hardest thing I've ever done - just giving up.  But there's a road ahead full of promise and hope.  I lift myself over the wall, abandoning what I think, and stepping into the unknown with total trust.  Complete surrender.

Love Them Anyway

People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.

 Love them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
 Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies.
 Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
 Be good anyway.
Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable.
 Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
 Build anyway.
People need help but will attack you if you help them.
 Help them anyway.
Give the world the best you have
And you'll get kicked in the teeth,
GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU'VE GOT ANYWAY.

 As seen on Mother Teresa's children's home in Calcutta

 



Refrigerator Dill Pickles - Revised Recipe

Recalling the pleasures of growing and gathering foods and preparing them with care, of relishing the changing seasons ... was her way of preserving an important part of American life and sharing its rewards with others.

Judith Jones

We have been searching for a good dill pickle for years. Finally, last year, I stumbled on one, but they were too salty. So, we tweaked the recipe to our liking, and now my mother, siblings, and nieces love them so much that they will actually steal a jar or two from my fridge when we're not looking. And they are so easy to make

First, you will need to find or purchase a gallon glass jar with a lid. You want the mouth large enough to get the pickles in and out without problems. You can purchase them from Amazon. They have plain jars with lids, Empty Glass Gallon Fermentation Jar with Lid 4 pk  for $22.95 or you can get a more decorative jar, Ball Creative container one gallon ideal jar for $12.99. We make our pickles in a gallon jar, and after they ferment in the fridge for a week or so, we transfer them to quart jars. Luckily, my parents had kept the old glass jars from our restaurant. Now, they are hard to find at restaurants - they changed them to plastic.

For this recipe, you will need:

3 lbs. pickles
5 large heads dill
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
16-20 garlic cloves, crushed
3 cups apple cider vinegar
9 cups water
1/2 cup regular salt (Recipe said 1 cup canning or kosher salt)*

Pick pickles that are not overripe or bruised. (Save the overripe pickles for relish.) Wash, and cut off the stem end. Depending on the size of the pickles, you can keep them whole, half, or quarter them.

Boil vinegar, water, and salt. Set to the side and cool to room temperature.



Layer 1/2 dill, pickles, onions, garlic, and rest of dill in gallon jar. Pour cooled brine (vinegar solution) into jar. Refrigerate for 24 hours, and enjoy!

We usually transfer the pickles and brine into quart jars, so my family doesn't steal my glass gallon jar. (They would!)

It's so easy, and they are sooo good that you won't want to stop eating them.

Enjoy,
Aunt Janet (and Uncle Todd)

* Not sure of amount of canning salt - Uncle Todd has been using regular salt.  He had to cut back on the amount of regular salt.

Canning Tomato Sauce

Canning tomatoes are like summer saved all that deep sun kissed flavor ready to enjoy.

Better Homes and Gardens

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes.  Everywhere I turn, tomatoes.  They are ripening on the vine as I type, beckoning me to go harvest, prepare, and savor their taste.  And, thus, I can, capturing the moment in a little canning jar.

Canning
(Canning tomatoes, revisited from blog)
After years of trying, revising, and cooking tomato sauce, and then not being satisfied with the results, I think I finally figured out the trick of making delicious tomato sauce. The recipes always say to cook until thick. Well, my husband and I would strain the tomatoes with a tomato strainer, put it in a big pot, stir, and stir, and stir a million times more, and after around 8 hours of cooking and stirring, the sauce may be at the consistency that we like (or almost there). Our sauce always turned out tasting acid-y and burnt.

When I started to make tomato sauce this year, I looked at that big pot, and I started to think that maybe the surface wasn't big enough to evaporate the liquid in a shorter period of time. So, I tried a good pan - my Pampered Chef 12" Covered Skillet.  After around 2-1/2 hours (compared to more than 8), my sauce was done and tasted oh so good. 

I discovered that the secret of making good sauce was the pan you used! Even though I am partial to Pampered Chef products, any good skillet will do, you just want to make sure it has a big surface and a thicker bottom. This may be a small investment, but it's well worth it. We use our skillet at least 3 times a week for regular meals. If you are interested in the pots and pans I sell, email me and I will send you a link to my website.   So, here's what I did, step-by-step:
 

 Recipe

Italian Tomato Sauce
makes about 5-6 quarts, depending on desired thickness

30 lbs. or 24 cups tomatoes, skinned, deseeded, and chopped
3 cups onions, chopped
2 cups green peppers, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced, OR 2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbs. salt
1 Tbs. and 1 tsp. of each - basil, oregano, Italian seasoning
1-2 Tbs. brown sugar (to taste)

** If you have never canned before, refer to canning books or sites for instructions.  One such website is Ball Jar's website.

1.  Wash all the tomatoes.

2. Chop and deseed the tomatoes.  I just quartered them.

 

 

 3.  Place the chopped tomatoes in large skillet, and put the temperature up high, stirring ever minute or so. 

 4.  When the liquid came to a boil, turn down the burner to a medium heat, and continue letting it boil (still stirring). The liquid will evaporate, and, in about an hour, you should have about half the liquid.

5.  While it's thickening, sauté onions, green peppers, and garlic until onions are transparent. 

 

6.  Pour as much of the tomatoes and liquid as you can in canning food mill or tomato press.

7.  Let the liquid drain, and return it to the skillet to let it thicken some more.
8.  As it thickens, and keep stirring, and put the tomatoes through the mill or press. 
9.  When the liquid reduces to a thick sauce, and add remaining ingredients except sugar to the skillet.

10.  Let simmer for about an hour so that the flavors would blend into the sauce.
11.  Add sugar, and simmer additional 5-10 minutes.
12.  For canning - As sauce thickens, arrange canning equipment (see canning books or canning websites to determine what equipment you will need).  Remember to sterilize jars, lids, and caps.  I sterilize mine by putting it through the dish washer right before I am going to can.  I try to time it so that the jars are still hot.

 

13.  Can or freeze according to instructions found in canning books. If canned, don't forget to add the lemon juice - 2 Tbs. per quart.

 

14.  And let the bubbles out.

 



Happy canning!
Aunt Janet

Guaranteed Laugh

Tonight, while watching TV, Uncle Todd asked me where I got these cookies.  Cookies?  I looked over and saw our four-legged girls, Maggie and Abbie, sitting next to him with their tails going 240. Uncle Todd was happily munching away at a cookie, paper bag on his lap, muttering “These are good.”  I started to hysterically laugh, tears running down my face, and I told him.

I had bought the cookies the day before at the annual Braidwood Days … for the dogs.  They were snickerdoodles for dogs!  It took a minute, and another bite, for Uncle Todd to realize that the girls were trying to tell him something.  UT was eating their cookies!

He threw the bag at me, and my girls attacked me with kisses and paws.  And I couldn’t stop laughing!

I’m still laughing.  And you wonder why I love him so much!

Aunt Janet

Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles

It empties today of its strength.

Mary Engelbreit

For several years, I have been endlessly trying to live by the Bible quote - "Be still and know that I am God".  Endlessly because it is something I need to do everyday.  Trying because I have to consciously work at it to prevent myself from going into a deep spiral of anxiety.  Live because I need to let go everyday of my life.  Be still because I am a person of action, always trying to make everything better.  And know because I need to hold onto the belief that there is a reason for everything.

When I let the troubles invade my thoughts, they creep into every aspect of my life, sapping all the strength from me.  Letting go allows me to enjoy the little things in life that I would have normally not noticed, and, thus, not enjoyed.

Someone once said that we will reap what we sow, but the Bible doesn't say when.  So, daily, I choose to be happy instead of sad, to laugh instead of cry, to be still and know that God will take care of me.

Easy Recipe

With strawberry season fast approaching, this is a refreshing, delicious, and easy-to-make dessert that is always a hit in my family.

Aunt Judy's Strawberry Jello Dessert

1 Sm. Pkg. Strawberry Jello
1 cup hot water
16 oz. Frozen Strawberries
1 Lg. Cool Whip

Bring water to boil.  Mix in jello until dissolved.  Remove from stove.  Add frozen strawberries.  Separate strawberries as they thaw in the hot jello.  Let set.  Top with Cool Whip when set.

Until next time,
Aunt Janet

Education

The main part of intellectual education is not the acquisition of facts but learning how to make facts live.

Oliver Wendell Holmes

A college education is a gift that you give yourself.  Nothing can take away the knowledge that you worked so hard to gain.  It becomes a part of you and shapes you into the person you will become.  You alone can earn it - it is your accomplishment!

My beautiful niece is graduating today.  Congratulations!  I am very proud of you!

Aunt Janet's Famous Sayings

"If there's a will, there's a way."

I wanted a college education.  I took out loans, worked while others were playing (or studying), had limited "extras", ate a lot of macaroni and cheese, but I did it!  I paid my own way through college.

I hear kids and parents say that they cannot afford to send their children to college.  Yes, a college education costs a heck of a lot more than when I went, but, if a person truly wants it, they can do anything their heart desires.  I have two nieces that graduated from college in the last couple of years, and they did it all by themselves!  Not only did they give themselves a gift of a college education, but they earned it!  Be proud!

Beauty Tip

Honey to get rid of blemishes.  I'm not sure where I heard about it, but I tried it.  It's sticky, but it works!  My doctor said that honey is a natural antiseptic so that's why it works. 

My Challenges for 2013

1. Post to blog.  (I'm shooting for weekly.)  - Okay, I fell short on this one.  Lately, I've experienced many challenges in life, and let's say they haven't all been positive.  I did not want this to come out in my blogging.  Who wants to hear about negative things?  I know, I know.  I need to count my blessings and write about them.
2. Keep house organized.  (This is a big challenge for me.  I especially hate paper.)  I really hate paper.  One improvement that I have noticed, it doesn't take as long to pick up the house.  So, I guess I am improving on this.  I'll keep pushing on about this goal.
3. Crochet a sweater.  I am more than half way done.  Okay - I did take a break and crochet a wrap for my sister, a bridal purse for my niece, and I'm working on a poncho for me.  I found a passion that I forgot about, so I am confident that I will get this sweater done and much more.
4. Eat healthy.  I have been eating less junk food, and more fruits.  Now, I need to get my husband on the same track as me, and then we'll both be eating healthier.  Oh, he's be doing most of the cooking lately.
5. Get my mom's house organized.  (Bigger challenge for both my mom and my sisters.)  Slowly...
6. Make homemade cheese (my Christmas gift from my husband).  I did this!  I made cheddar cheese.  It needs to age for a couple of months, so we haven't tasted it yet.
7. Preserve more homegrown food.  Garden is being planted, and I'm trying to plant more of what we eat.  I guess I'm on my way to checking this one off as a big "Yes"!
8. Learn to sew (again).  Have to work on this one.  Now, I have a Home Ec teacher in the family to assist me - my niece whose graduating today!
9. Learn one new thing every day.  Ongoing goal.  I love to learn new things, so I am confident that I will accomplish this goal, maybe not on a daily basis, but I will learn.
10. Plan monthly craft nights with my sisters and nieces.  With weddings, new babies and what not, we really have not had the time.
11. Sell on ebay until all my stuff is gone.  Still selling...
12. And above all, Enjoy Life!  Counting my blessings, allowing myself "fun" time, doing activities I enjoy, ...

Until later,
Aunt Janet

Happy New Year!

“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”

C.S. Lewis

Goodbye 2012 - Hello 2013! 

It's faith and hope that fortify my days - the strength to tackle life's many challenges, for challenges strengthen us.  Without challenges, there are no rewards.

May you be challenged and rewarded inexhaustibly in 2013!

My Challenges for 2013

1. Post to blog.  (I'm shooting for weekly.)
2. Keep house organized.  (This is a big challenge for me.  I especially hate paper.)
3. Crochet a sweater.
4. Eat healthy.
5. Get my mom's house organized.  (Bigger challenge for both mom and my sisters.)
6. Make homemade cheese (my Christmas gift from my husband).
7. Preserve more homegrown food.
8. Learn to sew (again).
9. Learn one new thing every day.
10. Plan monthly craft nights with my sisters and nieces.
11. Sell on ebay until all my stuff is gone.
12. And above all, Enjoy Life!

Grandpa's Sayings

Sometime sayings are not words but actions.  My dad believed in bringing in the new year with celebration!  Since I could remember, we gathered in the living room, champagne in our glasses (we got to drink a smidgen), silver dollars in our hands, and pickled herring on forks (yuck!).  With the television in the background (you needed it for the countdown), we'd all cheer in 10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1, and shout Happy New Year!  We brought the New Year in with kisses, hugs, clinking of glasses, and words of prosper for this coming year.  For my siblings, we remember.

Easy Recipe

This is a recipe from a friend that my taste buds forced me to make last night to bring in the New Year.

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

1 cup ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
16 ounces sliced bacon
2 (8 ounce) cans water chestnuts,drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a saucepan, combine ketchup, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce; heat just to boiling.  Cut bacon slices in half.  Wrap chestnuts in bacon and secure with toothpicks; place in a 9x13 pan.  Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.  Take chestnuts out of pan and drain grease.  Put chestnuts back in ban and pour sauce over them.  Bake for another 30-35 minutes.

Happy New Year!  This is going to be a great year!
Aunt Janet

Saint Nicholas

Saint Nicholas Poem

Holy Bishop St. Nicholas lived faraway

Near the Aegean Sea is where Turkey did lay.

Travel back with us now to a time long ago.

We will visit his country, his life we will know.

We remember this saint, such a holy, good man.

Be like him in charity, do all that you can.

Many miracles Nicholas hastened to do,

Helping people in need with gifts that were new.

Bishop Nicholas traveled to Nicea town,

Where the Creed would be written, to us handed down.

During church every Sunday, we stand for the Creed.

Thank you Bishop St. Nicholas, for doing this deed.

Sailors tossed in the wind and the storms of the sea,

Saw a vision of Nicholas who guided them free.

Now patron of sailing, they remember him yet.

Many icons and pictures with fisherman's net.

Giving money to poor girls, so marry could they,

Made our Nicholas famous, remembered today.

With dowry in hand, soon they were wed.

"God bless you and keep you," St. Nicholas said.

Kid's patron in Germany, Netherlands, too.

Asks that presents be given to children like you.

Their customs are different: they put out their shoes—

Filling them with toys, his coming's good news!

Here stockings are hung by the chimney with care,

In hope that St. Nicholas soon will come there.

Dressed as bishop or Santa, he's one and the same—

Jolly, friendly, good man, we're glad that he came.

French card, St Nicolas

Call him "Santa" or "saint," they both mean the same,

For his nickname is Claus, short for Nicholas' name.

Giving gifts was his custom—we still do today.

Deeds done in Jesus' name forever will stay.

Bishop Nicholas still is a hero to all.

Christmas Day, and all others we follow his call,

Bringing gifts and some joy to children in need.

Follow Nicholas today—do a good deed.

Author Unknown

Saint Nicholas' Day is special to me.  As a child, on December 6th, I remember every year waking up with my brother and sisters and finding our Christmas stockings filled with fruits, candies, little toys, and coins.  It didn't matter what day of the week it was, whether it was a school day or a weekend, Saint Nick always remembered us with special little treats.

My niece, having little ones, recently asked me about Saint Nicholas, so she could pass the tradition on to her children.  The Saint Nicholas' poem sums up his goodness and generosity.  A couple of facts about Saint Nicholas that I have learned in my searchings:

• Saint Nicholas was a Catholic bishop who lived in the 4th century.
• December 6th is the date of his death, and his feastday.
• He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus.  (Wikipedia - Saint Nicholas)
• The name "Santa Claus" is an American accented version of the Dutch "Sinterklaas."  (St. Nicholas Center)  
• Santa means Saint, and Claus is a nickname for Nicholas.  (I can't find where I found this.) 
• Sinterklaas is an elderly, stately and serious man with white hair and a long, full beard. He wears a long red cape or chasuble over a traditional white bishop's alb and sometimes red stola, dons a red mitre, and holds a gold-coloured crosier, a long ceremonial shepherd's staff with a fancy curled top and he also has a ruby ring. He carries a big book that tells whether each individual child has been good or naughty in the past year. He traditionally rides a white gray.  (Sounds a lot like Santa Claus?)  (Wikipedia - Sinterklaas)  
• In layman's terms, he wore a white gown, similar to what priests wear under their robes.  Over the gown, he wore a long red cape.  A red stola is a long pleated dress worn over the white gown.  The red mitre is a traditional, ceremonial head-dress of bishops.  (Sounds so much like Santa Claus' outfit.  Even his red cape could be a flimsy red mitre.)
• He is also the Patron Saint of sailors and ships.  According to one legend, as a young man Nicholas went to study in Alexandria and on one of his sea voyages from Myra to Alexandria he is said to have saved the life of a sailor who fell from the ship's rigging in a storm.  (Maritime-Connector)

So, Jillian, Saint Nicholas' Day is celebrated in many countries.  For our family, it is part of our Polish heritage - a tradition that was passed down from the old country, and, hopefully, will continue to be celebrated through generations to come with many stockings hung.  One interesting bit of information - "in Poland, children polish their winter boots on December 5th and leave them by their beds at night, and by morning of December 6th Saint Nicholas ("Święty Mikołaj") fills the boots with small presents."  http://maritime-connector.com/saint-nicholas/)  We have never used boots, always stockings.  And, no, I don't know when our family changed that tradition.  Maybe Nana knows.

Happy Saint Nicholas' Day!
Aunt Janet

Cranberry Relish

There, too, I admired, though I did not gather, the cranberries, small waxen gems, pendants of the meadow grass, pearly and red, which the farmer plucks with an ugly rake, leaving the smooth meadow in a snarl, heedlessly measuring them by the bushel and the dollar only, and sells the spoils of the meads to Boston and New York; destined to be jammed, to satisfy the tastes of lovers of Nature there.

Henry David Thoreau

Cranberries, cranberries, cranberries.  Ever wonder how and where they grow?  In Water?  And how did cranberries ever get associated with turkey and Thanksgiving?

Well, I did a little research.  Well, according to the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association:

The cranberry, along with the blueberry and Concord grape, is one of North America's three native fruits that are commercially grown. Cranberries were first used by Native Americans, who discovered the wild berry's versatility as a food, fabric dye and healing agent. Today, cranberries are commercially grown throughout the northern part of the United States and are available in both fresh and processed forms.

Okay, so the Indians introduced them to the Pilgrims. According to Wikipedia, "Calling the red berries Sassamanash, natives may have introduced cranberries to starving English settlers in who incorporated the berries into traditional Thanksgiving feasts." So, why are they called cranberries?  Pilgrims gave them the name because the fruit's blossoms look like the head and bill of a Sandhill crane.

Cranberries grow on vines, and, beyond popular belief, they do not grow in water. Instead, they grow in bogs, and, to facilitate harvest, these bogs are flooded before harvest.  But this type of harvesting is only used for cranberries that are made into juices, jams, and jellies.  Cranberries in bags that are found in the produce section of your grocery store, are dry harvested.  They are harvested with a machine that combs the vines for the berries.

Interesting.  And if, like me, you have never acquired a taste for cranberry jelly, there are many different kinds of recipes - I am sure one to your liking.

Recipe

Per request of my sister and nieces, I am forever documenting this recipe for all generations.  One of us looses it every year.  This was a recipe handed down to us by my sister's mother-in-law.  It is sooo good!  The jello and sugar take away the cranberries' tartness.

Mrs. James' Cranberry Relish

2 sm. pkgs. jello, your choice of flavor (I use strawberry-banana.)
3 c. hot water
2 c. sugar
2 oranges, squeezed
2 apples, ground
1 # cranberries, ground

Dissolve jello and sugar in hot water.  Squeeze oranges, and grind apples and cranberries.  I use a nut grinder, blender, or food processor.  Add to jello mixture.  Pour into serving dish.  Let set overnight.

Enjoy your many blessings,
Aunt Janet

Help to Carry On

Sometimes in our lives we all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there's always tomorrow

Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on

Please swallow your pride
If I have things you need to borrow
For no one can fill those of your needs
That you don't let show

Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on

If there is a load you have to bear
That you can't carry
I'm right up the road
I'll share your load
If you just call me

So just call on me brother, when you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem that you'd understand
We all need somebody to lean on

Lean on me when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
Till I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on

Lean on me...
                                                         Bill Withers

Look around - there are people in pain.  Behind the facade of a smiling face, they go on, hanging by a fine golden thread to what is real -  where love exists.  Those closest may see these fine strings, may try to catch a hold of the ever wavering, only being defeated because it never quite swings in their direction.  The closest just don't have the power or strength to grab on.

And twirling and swinging, they pretend that love will grab a hold of them as they are propelled in the other direction.  Failing to lean when they are not strong - in the direction of the caring, the wise, the ones who truly care.  The movement plunges them forward, and away, until others are first heartbroken, after time, can't see the golden thread, and go on, leaning on others.

I've reached out.  I tried to hang on.  Now, I can't see you anymore.  But remember, there is still hope.

For those in pain, reach out before the pain becomes to great, before the forces carry you away into the unknown.  If the pain consumes, the unknown surrounds, turn to the known, the truth, the real, and you will find comfort.  Lean on the True Love, and Love will grab a hold of you.  You can't be helped until you ask.

As you surrender, slowly, oh so slowly, the golden thread will turn to a golden rod, visible to all, and love from everywhere will surround you once again.

Written for those I love who pushed me away until, heartbroken, I went on.  Hope exists.  Lean on Him.

Aunt Janet and Janet and friend

Fable of the Porcupine

I received this in an email, and the parable is so worth sharing!  But have you ever seen a baby porcupine?!  I would pass it along just for this!

Fable of the porcupine

It was the coldest winter ever. Many animals died because of the cold. The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group together to keep warm. This way they covered and protected themselves; but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions. After awhile, they decided to distance themselves one from the other and they began to die, alone and frozen. So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth. Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. They learned to live with the little wounds caused by the close relationship with their companions in order to receive the warmth that came from the others. This way they were able to survive. Moral of the story: The best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people, but when each individual learns to live with the imperfections of others and can admire the other person's good qualities.

The real moral of the story......LEARN TO LIVE WITH THE PRICKS IN YOUR LIFE.

Dirty Hands and Pineapple Sorbet

Dirty hands, iced tea,

garden fragrances thick in the air

and a blanket of color before me,

who could ask for more?

Bev Adams, Mountain Gardening

Not me.  I love getting dirt under my nails, sipping a tall cold glass of iced tea, walking past lemon balm, mint, or lavender and getting a whiff of their abundant fragrance.  I love summer!

I have never found a pair of gloves that work right in the garden.  I need to feel the soil between my fingers.  I can't seed, thin plants, or pick weeds with gloves - they just don't work. 

So, if you see me in the summer, please understand that my hands and nails always look dirty.  No matter how much soap I use or how much I scrub, I always have dirt under my nails and dirty rough patches on my hands.  As my niece tells everyone, my aunt's hobby is getting dirt under her nails.

Recipe

The Strawberry Ice was such a hit that, when I found myself with a couple of ripe pineapples, I found this cool and refreshing sorbet.

Pineapple Sorbet

1 small pineapple, peeled and cored
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
Fresh mint sprigs (optional)

Cut pineapple into 2-inch pieces. Place pineapple and lemon juice in a food processor; process until smooth. Add sugar; process 1 minute or until sugar dissolves.  Pour mixture into 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Freeze for about 25 minutes or until icy around edges. Using fork, pull icy portions into middle of pan. Repeat this step every 20 minutes until all the liquid is frozen into flaky, loose crystals. Cover and freeze. When ready to serve, use fork again to scrape crystals into bowls and garnish with fresh mint sprigs, if desired.  Serves about 9.

Gardening

I overwintered onions last year - leaving them in the ground over the long winter.  To my surprise, they grew larger than any onions I've grown before.  I decided to harvest them last week so I can plant a second crop.   My onions have always been small, and I used them as soon as I picked them.  I never had extra to store for later use.  So, I needed to read up on storing onions.

While researching storing onions, I learned an interesting fact.  I learned that it's abnormal for an onion to flower.  According to Aggie Horticulture at Texas AgriLife Extension Service:

If an onion plant is exposed to alternating cold and warm temperatures resulting in the onion plant going dormant, resuming growth, going dormant and then resuming growth again, the onion bulbs prematurely flower or bolt. The onion is deceived into believing it has completed two growth cycles or years of growth in its biennial life cycle so it finalizes the cycle by blooming. Flowering can be controlled by planting the right variety at the right time.

My onions always bloomed.  What to do?  I know that I buy onion plants that are normally grown in my area, and I do tend to plant them early.  Everyone recommends cuting off the flower or the onion size will be smaller.  So, instead of worrying about planting time and onion varieties, I'll just cut off the flowers.

To store onions, you need to cure them.  According to Ohio State University's Fact Sheet,

Harvest onions when the tops have fallen over and dried. On sunny, breezy days, onions may be pulled and left in the garden for a day or two to dry before they are taken to a curing area. Curing must take place for the onions to be stored for any length of time. Cure onions by placing them in a warm, well-ventilated area until the necks are thoroughly dry. With warm temperatures, good air circulation and low humidity, curing should be completed within two weeks after harvest. Onions are best stored in a cool moderately dry area in ventilated containers.

Aggie Horticulture makes a great suggestion on how to store the onions:

The key to preserving onions and to prevent bruising is to keep them cool, dry and separated. In the refrigerator, wrapped separately in foil, onions can be preserved for as long as a year. The best way to store onions is in a mesh bag or nylon stocking. Place an onion in the bag and tie a knot or put a plastic tie between the onions and continue until the stocking is full. Loop the stocking over a rafter or nail in a cool dry building and when an onion is desired, simply clip off the bottom onion with a pair of scissors or remove the plastic tie. Another suggestion is to spread the onions out on a screen which will allow adequate ventilation, but remember to keep them from touching each other. As a general rule, the sweeter the onion, the higher the water content, and therefore the less shelf life. A more pungent onion will store longer so eat the sweet varieties first and save the more pungent onions for storage.

I am going to try to spread the onions over a screen to dry, then storing them in a mesh bag.  I'll let you know if I have any problems with this method, but I do think that they will be gone before the end of summer.

I live in Planting Zone 4.  If anyone has any other ideas on storing onions, I would greatly appreciate them.

Thanks!
Aunt Janet

Strawberry Ice Recipe

Strawberries are the angels of the earth,
innocent and sweet

with green leafy wings reaching heavenward.

Terri Guillemets

My strawberry season is coming to an end.  We have made strawberry jam and strawberry ice.  The season is ending too soon, and there is definitely not enough strawberry ice.  I have become addicted to this delicious, easy-to-make delicacy.  I call it a delicacy because I'm not sure if store bought strawberries will produce the same delightful taste.

Since I have several friends and family members who didn't see the Strawberry Ice recipe in my last post (okay be nice), I am reposting it.  I have told me that this is probably the best recipe I have come upon in a long time.

Strawberry Ice

1 cup hot water
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 cups sliced strawberries, plus additional berries for garnish

Mix hot water, sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until sugar dissolves. Blend 3 cups strawberries in processor or blender until smooth. Add sugar syrup and blend until combined. Pour mixture into 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Freeze for about 25 minutes or until icy around edges. Using fork, pull icy portions into middle of pan. Repeat this step every 20 minutes until all the liquid is frozen into flaky, loose crystals. Cover and freeze. When ready to serve, use fork again to scrape crystals into bowls and garnish with berries. Serves about 6.

Money Making Tip

If you are crafty and/or artistic, how about making some money from your hobby without leaving the comfort of your home?  Etsy.com is a wonderful website.  I have suggested this website to many talented friends in the past.  I just listed beautiful log cabin birdhouse that my husband has sold for years.  Click on the link below to find details of this unique handcrafted birdhouse.  I do think we need to come up with a better "shop" name.