Comfort Food for A Rainy Day

I accompanied my daughter to the store last weekend, and having decided to make some beef stew, I went to check out the packages of beef stew meat.  I was shocked that they wanted close to $7.00 for a small package!  I looked around and found a nice chuck steak for about $5.00, with very little fat.  It was a nice size piece of steak and we only have 4 to feed, so we purchased that and a large can of tomato puree.  Sunday I trimmed off the fat and cut the steak into bite size pieces.  I browned them in a little olive oil, seasoned them with meat tenderizer, pepper, a little lite salt, and some mesquite seasoning.  These are all available at your local Walmart.  After I browned it for a little, I added Worcestershire Sauce and continued to cook the steak.

I don't know what's happened to the potato crops anymore, but they aren't much bigger than a good sized tangerine, so I dumped about 10 of them in the sink, scrubbed them clean and cut them into 4 pieces and put them in the stew pot about 3/4 full of cold water.  I added about 1/2 large bag of small carrots, cut a large onion into 4 pieces and separated the layers and added that to the pot.  The meat was nicely browned, so I then added it to the stew vegetables and put it on a medium flame. 

As the stew began to cook, I added a little more salt, and added a large can of tomato puree and brought it to a boil.  I then reduced the heat to a little less than a medium flame to prevent it from boiling over, added a lid and let it simmer for most of the day.  Then, just before turning off the flame and enjoying this succulent dish, I added about 1/2 cup more of Worcestershire Sauce and stirred to mix it into the stew.  It smelled heavenly.

I didn't make anything extra except some brown and serve biscuits with butter, but nothing else was needed.  The stew was the best I've ever made.  You don't have to get carried away with the Worcestershire Sauce, but we are big fans of it, and it really spiced up the meal.  Use as much, or as little as desired.  I'll list the ingredient's below and you might want to try making some garlic bread to go with it if you aren't a biscuit fan.  My daughter loves biscuits, so that's what we had.
It really made for a hearty meal and the rain and the smell of the stew cooking, just added a cozy feel to the day.  You might also try serving hot tea with lots of cream and sugar with it.  I didn't, but it would have been just the icing on the cake.

Ingredients:   Chuck Steak, trim off fat
                        and cut into bite sized pieces
                        10 medium size potatoes
                        cleaned and cut into 4ths
                        1/2 bag of small pre-cleaned carrots
                        1 large onion cut into 4 pieces
                        Meat tenderizer
                        Lite Salt
                        Pepper
                        Mesquite Seasoning
                        Worcestershire
                        Olive Oil

ENJOY!

If you are a working Mom, you can relate to this little poem of mine, especially if you have tiny tots and more work than you can ever accomplish.  I wrote it at work one morning and had a good laugh at myself and felt a lot better!  So read and enjoy and laugh at the mad rush we all have lived in at one time or another.

       My Three Angels

My house is a mess, that's certain,
for within it's walls you see,
live 3 lovely, active children
that get the better of me!

I work all day like their Daddy,
& when my day is done, I get
home and to my amazement,
my work has just begun!

I can't sit down to read a good book,
or sew a new dress or 2,
I can't relax for a minute,
'cause there's still so much to do!

Dinner is waiting.....in the freezer,
the dishes are begging for soap!
The kids will be home any minute,
and Mommy just stands like a dope!

Wondering how all this got started,
and which room to start on tonight,
but it all is delightful, if messy,
when I kiss my three angels goodnight!

Enjoy your family!  The housework can wait.  There will be plenty of time later to clean to your heart's content.  Don't miss out on the best years of your own life, ... being a Mom.

The Poetry of Life and It's Many Facets

Life can inspire us if we let it.  We all project things into our lives by how we think.  You can change your environment by what you dwell on.  If you are a happy person, you draw happiness to you.  If you are sour and mean, you draw the mean who will encourage you to continue in this same vein and you can end up a miserable person who doesn't even like themselves.  But if you awaken the inner poet, if you can see the beauty of the world and never cease to be amazed that such a beautiful world is only the beginning, then life will take on new meaning.  I guess I have always been a poet at heart and I see things differently than a lot of people.  I remember my childhood, playing in the sand lot's and going to the river to wash grandma's car.  We'd drive to the river on Sunday when she'd come from the city and we would wash the car and ride inner tubes down the river in the shallow parts.  She would bring us good things.  Food, new clothes, toys, just everything.  My Grandma is the person I patterned myself after.  She always looked out for me, and if I needed to be on a diet, she'd take me to a good doctor and help me lose weight.  She was my idol, but I didn't realize it for a long time.  One thing she did that really put me on the right path, was to take me to church with her on Sundays.  I accepted the good Lord Jesus into my heart at the young age of 12, and I felt deeply that I was called to help others in any way I could.  I brought my best friend to the foot of the cross, and she too accepted Christ.  I've been on this journey ever since, and I am now 65 years old, have 3 grown children, a wonderful husband who is also my best friend, and 7 wonderful grandchildren who love me to peices.  I also have a very close walk with Jesus and that has led me to write many peices that hopefully will inspire, comfort, and lead others to find the same happiness and meaning in life that have comforted me and lead me to deeper and deeper experiences with God.  The following prayer is something I wrote a long time ago, but it is still relevant today and it is something I want to share and hope you will enjoy.

          Rose of Sharon, thou bright Morning Star, shine your radiance
          upon us.  We beckon to you from afar.  We know not how to
          cross the roaring tide that keeps us from you.  We search, but
          grow weary ere the search is done.
          
          Thou canst span the oceans of time and touch us, awakening
          new life and meaning within us.  So help us.  Our strength is
          small and our problems huge because of our position.  We see
          not, nor comprehend as you do.

          We are as babes - we know so little - but cry so loudly if our
          needs are not met, today!  - this hour! - this very minute! 

          Teach us to wait.  To be patient.  To be loving and kind and
          wise.  Teach us to be receptive to others and to yield our
          own spirit to the Holy Spirit.

          Show us true reality.  Not what we think "is", but what
          "really is" real.

          Before the sun sets in our lives and the chance to be all these
          things passes away, show us that if we just open the door of
          our heart, You will come in gladly and share life with us and
          teach us about you and the love you have for us.  We need
          you today, more than we have ever needed you before.  Call
          us to you....don't let us slip away into darkness Lord.  Teach
          us the way of the cross and the sacrifice you made for love.

          In The Holy Name of Jesus, Our Lord and Savior, I pray,
          Amen

This prayer was written when I was working, and before I met my husband.  I had none of the things I have now, but I had the King of Kings in my soul.  I had more than anyone could want, because I knew God.  I really believe with all my heart that my husband is a gift from God.  He has everything I ever needed, love, devotion, honesty, principles, and he is, as I said before, my best friend.  I have learned a lot from him and I am one of the happiest people you will ever meet.  I just want to share this happiness with the world, and if I can help someone, I am more than delighted to do so.  You don't have to believe as I do, you don't have to be a Christian, you don't have to go to church to find Him.  He is in the eyes of love that look at you from others.  You can look into your chidren's eyes and see love.  And God is love.  How Kind and Wonderful He is.  He knows life is hard.  But He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us.  I must share this happiness because it is too great to keep inside, locked away for my ownself.  When I share my love, I get a constant supply of more love than I know what to do with.  It gives me energy, insight, inspiration, love in abundance, and gentleness and kindness.  He lives within.  He is in your heart...look within and find the peace waiting for you there.  Know who you are, who you can be, and strive to be the best person you can possibly be.  You can change your world by who you are.  It's all within. 

General Store

I have decided to make this site more of a General Store, as far as what you might find here.  I write poetry and recently found a lot of poems I wrote while our children were growing up, and a lot of them are worth reading.  I also love cooking, and although I don't really measure things when I'm cooking, I will attempt to put measurements down for your convenience.  I may post a poem and a recipe, I may just talk about things going on in my life at present, or a story I wrote when I was taking correspondence courses with the Institute of Children's Literature.  I finally did get my diploma, but in the busy scheme of my life before I retired, I didn't put it to use.  Now I have all the time in the world and if I find one that I think is particularly good, you may find that here as well.  I am not as fluent a writer as my husband, and I may not have such a variety of things to talk about.  Nonetheless, I will attempt to entertain, amuse, and just chat about things in general.  

When our children were young, my youngest didn't like to sleep in complete darkness, so we put night-lights up.  She also had night's when she'd be afraid and she'd come to sleep with my husband and myself.  I was thinking about it one day and I wrote a poem for her while I was at work.  It goes as follows:

                                                  Shadows

                                Such a shadow just ahead of me!
                                What can it be?

                                Shall I run to see?  Or shall I flee the
                                shadows?

                                Closer it comes...  Is it stalking me?
                                A stranger it must be.

                                What?  Rain has begun to fall on me!
                                Now I see!  The shadow was but a
                                cloud passing by.

                                And I feared for naught.   Once the
                                shadow passes, the rain falls, but
                                the sun shines once more.

                                Shadows are but clouds passing by.
                                After each one, and there are many,
                                the sun will come again.

                                So little daughter, fear the shadows no
                                more.  They are only clouds passing over.

                                The blue waits for you...just beyond that
                                cloud!

Another very short one of my poems that I like has no title, but I'll put one on here that seems to fit the bill:

                                             Confusion

                                Should I offend you by my sometimes
                                sudden bursts of confusion, consider...
                                You no doubt also have confusion.
                                Always hidden, griefs never aired,
                                dreams never shared...confusion.

                                The mirror of the dreams of the soul
                                ...in need of cleaning, so the dreams
                                can clearly shine.

                                What is confusion to you, are merely
                                dreams of mine!


The other night I was pondering what to fix for dinner, and the recipe that follows is what I came up with on the spur of the moment.  It turned out to be great, so this is one of my own, from scratch, recipes.

Ingredients:      Tilapia (Or your favorite white fish)
                             Apple Cider Vinegar (1 tbsp)
                             Dried Basil (1 tsp)
                             Dried Thyme (1 tsp)
                             Margarine (1 tbsp)
                             Liquid Smoke (to your liking)
  
Directions:        Melt margarine in medium skillet 
                          Add apple cider vinegar
                          Dry fish with paper towel & set aside
                          Add basil and thyme to margarine
                          Add as many filets as you need and brown lightly
                           on each side.
                          Add liquid smoke to each fillet in qty desired, but
                           I usually put a cap full on each fillet
                          Cook till fish flakes with fork and serve with
                           steamed broccoli in melted margarine
         

Hope you find something here to your liking, and if you do, let me know by just leaving a brief comment and I'll be sure to add more of what pleases you. 

For now, enjoy and I wish you good fortune in the New Year!