how-to – Page 8 – Home's Cool!

Inspiring, Who's the mom here?, Wisdom

You’re Teaching Adults, Did You Know?

Posted on May 19, 2014August 1, 2016 by Katharine

Greuze, Jean-Baptiste - The Spoiled Child - lo... — Greuze, Jean-Baptiste – The Spoiled Child (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Did you notice?”

I asked my husband that question recently, and he just nodded.

We were watching an adult who acted just like a little spoiled child.

Ever seen that?

And how it’s harming us all?

Sure you have!

And there’s a remedy for it, an easy remedy.

And you can play your part.

We see so many adult-sized children floating around and directionless, these days because someone forgot to train them for their jobs.

(You know how immature you feel when you arrive unprepared–like a little bad girl…)

So where are the trainers for the adults who act like little rotten kids?

Look in the mirror.

You see, the training for the job of being an adult comes during childhood, don’t you think? And we adults must do the training.

There is no other really effective and efficient way.

I wanted my children to learn, during their childhoods, how to be great adults. Not greatly over-sized children.

I wanted them to arrive prepared.

I know you want the same thing for your children.

Let’s raise our children to maturity while we can; the day comes when they will rule us.

Let’s all think more about home schooling next year.

What’s THAT stuff?!

Calamari = squid.

Squid served at a restaurant

The body can be stuffed whole, cut into flat pieces or sliced into rings. The arms, tentacles and ink are edible; the only parts of the squid that are not eaten are its beak and gladius (cartilage). I’ve seen it battered and fried like onion rings. It’s supposed to taste sweet.

I’ve eaten rabbit before, and it is sweet, so squids and rodents taste similar?

Groans.

You can hardly find a stuffed mushroom in a restaurant, anymore, except those with squid squirted into them. That’s just wrong.

However, there was a time when my brother took us all out to eat al fresco, on a breezy summer’s eve, to a lovely place near his home just outside Jeff City, Missouri. We ordered the stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer and I became so enamored with this dish.

They were creamy and savory and warm and I’d never eaten anything I liked so much that wasn’t sweet.*

I mean, I wanted to eat everyone’s serving.

I mean, I had to remind myself to behave.

However, there on a flagstone patio, noshing over a wrought iron table, I began analyzing.

And I never stopped until last year, when I figured I knew how to make those mushrooms.

And today, I publish my recipe for the first time, ever, over at Dining with Debbie.

Go there.

You’ll be glad.

* And it’s NOT squid!

Food, Funny, Recipes

I got mad at Betty.

Posted on May 13, 2014May 16, 2014 by Katharine

I’ve been baking furiously, here, trying to get a cake for 60 or so people ready for this coming Sunday, when our church will host a baccalaureate for our seniors.

I am used to baking and decorating larger cakes, have done several for various showers and weddings. I love doing it.

However, cakes have a way of failing when you are making them for a special event. I’ve had many mix cakes fall, and occasionally, a scratch cake will fall for me.

This time around, I chose to use a mix because I have the following activities in my life the same weekend:

Helping host the Arkansas Home School 2014 Graduation in Searcy
Helping a newly widowed woman move into town
Preparing and printing the brochures for our baccalaureate
A camp rally at our church’s camp near Mena
Cleaning and decorating our church for the baccalaureate

So, you can see, I really did not have time to make scratch cakes and although I never prefer it, I bought mixes and hoped and prayed they’d turn out.

Well, they did not fall.

But when I attempted to turn the first one out onto a rack to finish cooling, it stuck.

It was firmly IN the pan, so firmly it left parts of itself behind and nearly broke in two as I wrestled with it.

As I complained about how they just don’t make cake mixes like they used to, I sort of pieced it together and started on the next cake, determined to really slather the pan with oil and flour, so this one would not stick.

I reached for the other pan and, lo! it was already oiled.

It was the pan I’d prepared for the first cake, but I’d inadvertently poured the first batter into an unprepared pan.

I said a lot of mean things about you, Betty, and I apologize.

It was all my fault.

😉

____________

UPDATE!

The final product, I am so glad to say. Doing this was like watching a scary movie! Seven pounds just in the frosting. Aren’t we amazing!

My Spaghetti Farm Guest Post!

I have never shared my spaghetti sauce recipe with anyone but my own children.

Today I break that practice. I hope you enjoy!

The reason is that I have again been allowed the amazing privilege of guest posting at Farm Bureau’s blog site, thanks so much to Arkansas Women Bloggers!

I share there, how to make lasagna pasta in one, simple, easy-to-manage sheet. You will not believe how much more often you will feel like pleasing everyone with a sumptuous lasagna supper, once you eliminate the cost, inconvenience, and grief of store-bought, pasty-white, lasagna noodles.

Since most folks make red lasagna, using regular marinara or spaghetti sauce, I thought: why not go all the way and make the entire dish from scratch, beautifully and deliciously natural, whole, and health-giving!

So, here is my recipe, a rare, costly, never-before-given gift, from me to you. All I ask in return is that you go to my guest post , leave a thankful comment, and share it everywhere you can think of!

My Secret Spaghetti Sauce

2 Tbsp. olive OR coconut oil OR bacon grease
1 lb. lean, ground, American beef or venison (opt.)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 to 3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 c. fresh, mixed Italian herbs, chopped OR 1/4 c. dried Italian herbs
1 dash cayenne powder
1 qt. whole tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1/4 c. catsup
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. corn starch, stirred into 1/2 cup water (if not making lasagna)

Brown meat (if desired), onions, and garlic in oil or grease, stirring often, until meat is crumbly and vegetables are clear, to slightly browned. Stir in Italian herbs and cayenne, and warm for a few minutes in the meat and/or fat. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, and catsup, until well blended. Heat through and simmer on low, covered, until ready to serve. At the last minute, stir in Worcestershire sauce, and cornstarch/water, if desired. Heat through again, stirring constantly and it is ready. Yields enough for one 9″x13: lasagna, or six servings of spaghetti with salad.

Blessings of Habit, Inspiring, Scripture, Wisdom

Look Up.

Posted on May 1, 2014May 1, 2014 by Katharine

With all the tornados floating around lately, come many more words about tornados. It’s a real storm out there and I’d like to add to the din.

I wrote a couple of years ago about my close call with a really big, destructive tornado. People like to read about these events. Not just y’all; I read these stories too.

As I was re-reading some of these writings today, I noticed something. I think the events that shape our lives prepare us for living a successful life in the end. I think we can look back on our childhoods and see how God was preparing us to face our future.

If we pay attention . . .

One thing in particular that stood out for me, as I read these old stories today was this: It was no time for hurt feelings.

Not then; not now.

I wrote about my six-year-old self:

I knew it was a tornado up there, whatever a tornado was. I looked up, too, and stumbled.

Mom scolded me sharply. “Don’t look up! Don’t look up! Don’t look up!” She seldom scolded sharply. It hurt my feelings but I knew it was no time for hurt feelings. Her words were like a mantra, a warbled charm against bad omens . . . don’t look up, don’t look up . . .

As I notice the world today, I realize how much I knew back then, and how much my mom knew, and what good I could make of it if I only paid attention and applied it to my current life.

When we look at the troubles, we stumble. It IS huge storm all around us, but the storm should not be our focus, at all.
If someone is trying to save our lives, we should not get hurt feelings. Those who know the way to safety are life-savers. Some of us probably should be slipping into that role, but we enjoy ignoring the storm, more.
We are in a huge storm, like it or not, and it is NO TIME FOR HURT FEELINGS! Regardless of what happens, hurt feelings are a distraction and not deserving of our time or attention.
DON’T LOOK AT THE STORM! DON’T LOOK AT THE STORM! DON’T LOOK AT THE STORM!

One caveat:

We should look up.

Jesus told us it would get worse, and when it does, to look up. To stand up. To lift up our heads.

Why? Because our salvation will be very near.

And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. Luke21:28 KJV

More…

Just a link here. Another family. Another beautiful testimony to the power of a love-filled relationship with God.

Health, Science, Wisdom

How to Kick that Soda Pop Can on Down the Road

Posted on April 11, 2014February 23, 2015 by Katharine

It’s an addiction.

That’s not a fun thing to hear, but I know you want the truth.

And I’m not just talking about the caffeine or the sugar.

We all hear more every day about how bad carbonated beverages are for us, just for the carbonation, let alone all the fakefood ingredients. It’s a wonder we aren’t all sick and dying of weird stuff.

Wait. Half of us are, right?

It is so hard! But you can do it.*

Okay. The best way to get off is to go in stages, in my opinion. Here are the stages I found helped me.

Kick the caffeine, first. If you are drinking pop with caffeine, switch to non-caffeinated. Why? Because of all the addictions offered up in these drinks, caffeine is the easiest to break. It’s not that caffeine is bad. It can even save your life, But to kick the soda can, you need to drop the caffeinated sodas and if you need caffeine, find another source such as coffee, tea, or chocolate or just do without and save caffeine for when you really need it, or special occasions. Such as mornings!
Dropping caffeine, cold turkey, will give you a mild headache–easily treatable with low doses of pain reliever–and lethargy, for about 3 days. That’s it!
We have a few long weekends coming up, soon . . .
Kick the aspartame. Why? It is the worst part of pop, if you drink sugar-free. Recent research is revealing that habitually consuming aspartame can cause tendencies to heart attack and stroke, and eventually will sabotage weight loss. You can switch to caffeine-free pop or tea that is sweetened with stevia. Or you can drink unsweetened tea, which develops it’s own sweet taste once you no longer are drowning yourself in sweetener.
Think about it. Aspartame has a mile-long list of bad effects, and is addictive.
The withdrawal symptoms, which will last around 21 days, include a headache in the middle of the forehead. mood swings, and flu symptoms. You’ve been drinking poison all the time, after all.
You will sleep better, and feel better all over, if you go through this.
Kick the addiction to something sweet or carb-loaded going down all the time. Why? The tendency toward constant self-gratification is not good for us, and when it comes to sugar, it leads to diabetes.The addiction, though, is what has gotten us all in this boat, in the first place. God made sweet things, yes, but He also cautions against gluttony. I wonder why.
To kick the need for sweets, merely stop eating sugar and starches. You may think I’m joking, but I am not. That will kill the entire problem. Drop all foods with sugar, starch, or sweeteners of any kind. Allow yourself only 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. It will take about 21 days of truth-telling to yourself, to manage this, because sugar is a true addiction, too. Many other addictions are based on it, such as addiction to alcohol, to chocolate, and to bread or potatoes.
Sugar/starch withdrawal symptoms include: Deep cravings for anything with carbohydrates in it, almost overwhelming lethargy, mood swings, and self-lying. Yes, you will lie to yourself and your body will lie to you, telling you that you are about to die for lack of a huge glass of orange juice, or some such. Just drink a huge glass of water and rest for awhile. The craving will pass, only to return. After three or four days, you will have overcome the feeling of dying and will be able to recognize the cravings for the lies they are.

But here is the final and big reason for kicking sugars/starches out the door: They feed cancer.

That’s right: Many cancers cannot survive if they don’t get their sugar high. Starve them away as best you can, while they are yet too small to detect. Your doctor does not know this or has not connected the dots, but you can and should drop sugars and carbohydrates, at least for 21 days. After that, you will be able to feel when you’ve had too much and will be able to control yourself much better, and even to digest the natural sugars in fruits much better. So drop sugar.

And Nutra-Sweet/Aspartame.

And Sucralose.

At least.

__________________________

*Especially if your health is unstable, please ask an intelligent and sympathetic doctor to monitor your health while you drop these addictions! I am not a doctor, but have quoted several doctors, above. I just know how great it feels to be addiction-free, and hope you will find this same great feeling, too.

What is Aspartame?

“Did you notice?”

I asked my husband that question recently, and he just nodded.

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