An Awesome Meal -- Warm and Mild Flavored

This takes about an hour from the time you enter the kitchen till you serve it to your family.

First thing to start -- Mild Sauerkraut:
Drain one can of sauerkraut, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Put into medium-sized saucepan. Add 1/4 cup dry minced onion, 1/8 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning, 1 bay leaf, and 1 can chicken broth. Boil together till nearly all the liquid is absorbed/evaporated. Remove the bay leaf before serving. Makes 4 servings.

While the saurkraut is cooking, start the Brown Bread Muffins:
Preheat oven to 375. Put 2 cups bran flakes, 1/4 cup raisins, 1 cup milk, and 1/2 cup water into a microwave-safe mixing bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and add 1 large grated carrot, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup molasses, 1 egg, and 1-1/2 cups Bisquick. Stir until well blended. Spoon batter into muffin tins that have been lined with cupcake papers. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Check with a toothpick inserted in center of muffin to see if they are done. Makes 15 muffins.

While the muffins are baking, start the Mild Skillet Barbeque Chicken:
Brown 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs on high heat in skillet with 2 tablespoons olive oil, turning frequently. Sprinkle chicken with garlic powder and curry powder. Pour about 1/4 cup red cooking wine over chicken and continue cooking. In a separate bowl, mix together 1 can tomato soup, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, and 1/4 cup water. Pour this over the chicken. Continue to cook the chicken, turning frequently, until it is tender and cooked through. Remove from heat. The extra sauce from the chicken will be used for the beans.

After the chicken is done, put one can of Butter Beans (undrained) into a microwave-safe covered dish and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Drain the beans, and return them to the dish. Spoon the tomato soup mixture from the chicken pan over the beans and stir to coat them.

I re-warmed the saurkraut at this point before serving everything. This was an awesome meal which my family really loved.

Robert Frost

"There are roughly zones whose laws must be obeyed"

 

-- Robert Frost

Random

Is there such a thing as random?

Some computer games ... like chess, for instance ... seem to choose the computer's plays at random. However: the computer had to be programed to choose the plays at random. Which means that there are "rules" for random.

I betcha there's rules for random in the universe, as well. Rules that cover every seemingly random occurrence, like weather for example. But I'm not writing this because of a concern for weather. What I'm thinking about ... what I want to write about ... is knowledge versus superstition.

Probability can be computed mathematically, I know. Problem is, we aren't aware of all the variables in the universe.

Nevertheless, we humans, collectively, do know a lot. We can't predict or control every "random" occurrence. But, for crying out loud, we can acquaint ourselves with the cause and effect of things!

Do you remember Y2K? Back in 1999, my immediate supervisor where I worked was very into the idea that all hell was gonna break loose at midnight December 31st, 1999 -- just because of the date change to a new millennium. He was, in my opinion, a very superstitious man; but in his own opinion he considered himself to be expecting chaotic events because of his religion. He'd been listening to the preaching of some guy who had a foolish notion, and this guy preached it quite charismatically and articulately.

Because he believed this fellow's foolish notion, my boss borrowed lots of money from his 401-k and prepared his home for a siege. No kidding. And since my boss supervised quite a few fellows younger than himself, he convinced some of them to do the same. So they all spent their borrowed 401-k money; which, by the way, you have to pay back or the IRS imposes tax penalties. I guess they believed there'd be no more IRS after 1/1/2000. Sigh.

Since I've been blogging on MySpace, I've come across some other fool notions. There seem to be quite a number of people who think the cause-and-effect of everything is either random, or controlled by other-worldly forces that operate by rules that cannot be understood by human beings ... that there are "gods" that must be appeased, so to speak.

I do believe that there is one God who created all of everything that we can sense or explore. But for crying out loud, people -- look around you! There are rules for how things work!

One of my "friends" on MySpace re-posted a superstitious "bulletin" the other day. It was like the superstitious threatening chain letters kids used to circulate when I was in Junior High. If you break the chain, all sorts of curses are supposed to befall you. My "friend" was afraid of what might happen if she didn't re-post this threatening bulletin she had received from one of her own "friends."

Another MySpace "friend" of mine is deeply involved with astrology.

Out in the real world (where I know people face-to-face) I've known lots of intelligent people who have the strangest notions that they think they get from their religion.

When I was a good deal younger, I was pretty superstitious in my own faith. But I've learned a thing or three along the way. The reason I've decided to blog is this, and only this: I'm hoping I can find the words to help a few folks figure things out ... then they can help a few folks ... then they can help a few folks ...

I used to think that good and bad and everything about the future was set in stone long ago. I don't think so anymore. I have seen that some generations made life better for all -- but also some generations made matters worse. I figure there's no reason this generation can't be better than it's been. Irregardless of how and when the universe will or will not end. We could be a good generation. We could.

And I think it would be cool, if y'all never even really knew my name, but I gave you a little spark and then you gave a spark to someone, and on, and on; and a hundred years hence people looked back on this generation as being "the good old days."

There is such a thing as GOOD, you know. And good is just as possible as evil. In fact, I tend to believe that the random odds are in its favor.

Giraffes in the Keyholes

Do you remember being so young that you didn't know all the words?

I remember sitting on the floor in the living room ... playing with my toys ... My mom was stuffing cotton in the keyhole of our front door.

I asked her why she was doing that.

I thought she said, "To keep out the giraffes."

"How could giraffes get in through there?" said I.

"No ... not giraffes -- cold air -- the word is drafts," said Mom.

... Fifty years later, on a cold, winter's night ... I think about giraffes in the keyholes ... and how it felt to be so very young.

Mayflower Connection

I drew this picture in 1973 when I was 20 years old and working as a secretary at a downtown mission.

It just seemed a lonely spot, and for some reason it drew my attention.

What I did not know when I drew the picture ...

Did not find out until I was doing genealogy research at the public library in 2006 ...

Is that this is where my mother's father fell to his death from a scaffolding ... many, many long years before I was even born.

He was an artist, I've been told.

His father was a preacher.

His 9th great-grandfather was William Brewster -- the man who wrote the Mayflower Compact.

God bless you, Grandpa

Recipe for Corn Chowder

Corn Chowder

1 pound ground turkey
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 t. McCormick Garlic Pepper
1 can chicken broth
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can water
1 can whole kernel corn, incl. liquid
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Brown 1 pound ground turkey with 1 t. dried basil, 1½ t. dried thyme, and ½ t. McCormick Garlic Pepper.

Add: 1 can chicken broth, 1 can cream of mushroom soup & one soup can of water, and 1 can whole kernel corn, including liquid.

Bring to a boil, and then add 2 cups uncooked noodles.

Simmer until noodles are tender and then add ½ cup grated cheddar. Stir until cheese is melted, and serve.

Military Honors

 

Here's the link for the YouTube video of the Ford Flyover:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siw02xXhokY