Decorating with books

As everything in your home is a reflection of you, so are the books you read. Why not decorate with them! Here are 3 examples of how I decorate with books in my home. The book on Nesting Birds is lying flat on an end table. I found this stem of little nests with feathers on a sale table. I loved it and couldn't pass it up. At the time, I didn't know how I would use it but when I really like something, I buy if I can because sooner or later I will find a way to use it. Books don't always have to be on an easel or standing upright. You can lie 3 books horizontally on top of each other and sit a small picture on top of the books. In my breakfast room, I put 2 books on this small podium I picked up at a garage sale. I found a really wonderful book on snowflakes that I had lying on my coffee table during the winter months.

Christmas Cactus Blossom

My Christmas Cactus bloomed again in March. This last blossom was just too beautiful to not share.



THE SIMPLE NEWS THAT NATURE TOLD WITH TENDER MAJESTY. Emily Dickinson

WORDS

WORDS WHICH DO NOT GIVE THE LIGHT OF CHRIST INCREASE THE DARKNESS.....

MOTHER THERESA

This was the quote on my flip calendar this morning. Words do bring either life or death. I'm becoming more aware of my words and I'm sure it's because I'm asking to be made more alert in that area.

My prayer today is that my words will bring hope, light, healing and love and that I will think before I open my mouth!

Three of My Favorite Ways to Cook Fish

If you are like me, I love fish but for a long time I didn't have any way to cook it that I really liked. I would just salt and pepper it maybe squeeze a little lemon on it and bake it. About 5 years ago my daughter took a cooking class on the different ways to cook fish. She laid the recipes on my desk and there they remained until I was cleaning off my desk and found them and decided to try some of them. The honey glazed salmon is one of my favorites. If I am lucky enough to have any left over, I love it cold and enjoy it just as much the next day for lunch.

Honey Glazed Salmon
1/4 cup of honey
2 Tablespoons of Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon of melted butter (I have left the butter out and it is still good)
1 Teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
4 salmon filets (4-6 ounces)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat over to 400 degrees. Combine four top ingredients for sauce and whisk together. Place salmon in greased baking dish and drizzle sauce over top of salmon and sprinkle walnuts on top of sauce. Bake for 20 minutes or until salmon flakes easily. It turns out perfect every time.

Serve immediately!



Baked Cod Filets

4 cod filets you can also use flounder
one part cornmeal to 2 parts flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

In a large skillet heat olive oil. Salt and pepper both sides of fish. Mix cornmeal and flour together in a zip lock bag then dredge each filet into flour mixture and put into hot oil. About one minute on each side. You just want to get a crusty coating. Then lay the filet into a greased baking dish and bake for about 15 to 18 minutes at 400 degrees. My husband loves the recipe and never gets tired of it. I sometimes make a lemon dill sauce to serve with this fish.

Lemon Dill Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon dried dill weed or 1-2 tablespoon of fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 fresh chopped garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
Stir together all ingredients and chill.
Makes 1 1/4 cup


This is a recipe I have used for a long time and we love it. It is for crab cakes but I also make salmon cakes from this recipe. I just substitute the salmon for the crab. If there are leftovers these are also just as wonderful the next day. I also use the lemon dill sauce for the crab cakes and salmon cakes. Something else I have done is to make salmon or crab cakes in miniature size as an appetizer with the lemon dill sauce for dipping. I buy canned salmon at Sam's and it is the best canned salmon I have found. Very clean with no bones and it looks great.

Galatha's Crab Cakes

4 cups saltine crumbs, divided
2 eggs lightly beaten
1/2 cup diced onion
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1 pound lump crab meat (fresh drained)

Stir together 2 cups of cracker crumbs and next 9 ingredients; fold in crab meat. Shape into patties and dredge into remaining 2 cups of cracker crumbs. Lay on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 15 minutes on each side. You can also take about 3 tablespoons of butter and mix it with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and fry these in a skillet. About 4 minutes on each side.
This makes 4 patties or 8 appetizers.

This red bell pepper sauce is a sauce I also make to go with the lemon dill sauce when I make appetizers.

Red Bell Pepper Sauce

1 red bell pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Sherry
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

Place bell pepper on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes or until pepper is blistered, turning once. Place pepper in a heavy-duty zip top plastic bag; seal and let stand 10-15 minutes to loosen skin. Peel pepper and discard seeds. Process pepper and 1/4 cup mayo in processor until smooth. Stir in remaining mayo, sherry and ingredients. Chill.
Makes 1 1/4 cup

A LITTLE FAITH WILL BRING YOUR SOUL TO HEAVEN, BUT GREAT FAITH WILL BRING HEAVEN TO YOUR SOUL.

SPURGEON

Emerald Stir Fry

I wish I could claim this as my own creation but I saw this on the Food Network and it looked wonderful and believe me, it is. It has become a hit at our home. Everyone wants it at least once a week and they would eat it more if I would fix it.

3/4 to 1 pound of asparagus
2 bunches of broccoli florets
2 cups of snow peas
2 cups of edamame (soy beans)

Cut the asparagus on the diagonal, cut the broccoli florets from the stem and then cut the floret in half.

Prepare your sauce.
1/4 cup orange juice (I used juice from 2 medium oranges)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup white semi dry wine
1/2 cup water
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper (I used a good heaping teaspoon) we like things spicy
2 teaspoons of corn starch or arrow root powder, to thicken

Add all the ingredients to a bowl and whisk together until corn starch has dissolved.

In a large skillet add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and heat up your skillet. Add 3-4 chopped garlic cloves. Let the garlic saute a couple of minutes and then add your cut vegetables and make sure the oil and garlic coat all the vegetables. Let them saute about 3 to 4 minutes. Then pour in your sauce and stir until the sauce is thickened. It's done....how easy is that!

Serve over brown rice and drizzle a little sesame oil over the top. You could saute thin slices of top round beef or chicken breast before you start your vegetables if you wanted meat in this stir fry.

Serves 4-6 people

ENJOY!

"LIMITATIONS LIVE ONLY IN OUR MINDS. BUT IF WE USE OUR IMAGINATIONS, OUR POSSIBILITIES BECOME LIMITLESS."
PAOLINETTI

From Seed to Seedling to Plant!

Come follow me on my first journey to become a seed saver as well as a producer of heirloom vegetables. Let me clarify something first, when I say producer, I don't mean a big time supplier. I'm talking family, friends maybe a restaurant or two.

I ordered my seeds from Baker's Creek Heirloom Seeds. I went to a wholesale plant supplier and bought my plug trays, Redi-earth plug and seedling mix, and white plastic tabs to record type of plant and date planted. I filled the trays with the seedling mix and it happened to be raining that day so I sat them outside to get the soil wet. When you water these trays, sit them down into water and the water will absorb from the bottom up. Don't pour water over the tops of the trays. I hadn't planted my seeds yet so I could let the rain soak the trays.

To plant the seeds: I used tweezers. Be careful not to damage the seed by pinching the tweezers to hard. Lay a seed in each plug. Then go back with the opposite end of the tweezers or a toothpick and gently push the seed barely under the soil...not to deep.

I have my seed trays sitting in front of a big south window that gets plenty of sunshine. You do not want your seedlings to get below 50 degrees. At this time, I do not have a commercial heating pad for plants so I'm using a regular heating pad and putting it between a folded towel and sitting the tray on top of it. If it's a pretty day and the sun is shining I turn the heating pad off. If it is cloudy and cold I leave it on. I started putting the heating pad on low and that wasn't warm enough so I raised the heating pad to medium and that has worked very well. Make sure you water when you see the soil dry out. It is usually every other day. I try to water in the morning and let the plants sit in the sun. If you water in late evening or at night, it cools the soil too much.

On the white tabs put the name of the plant, the day you planted it, the day it sprouted, and the day you transplanted it to a 2 or 4 inch pot.

I have planted 14 different varieties of heirloom tomatoes. I went crazy looking at all the varieties and I couldn't stop myself. I have also started 4 different varieties of basil, dill and echinacea. My rosemary, lavender, chives, mint and oregano have made it through the
winter. We have had a more severe winter this year than we normally have. I was pleasantly surprised that those herbs survived.

As my seeds progress on their journey I will keep you informed of their progress every step of the way. Hopefully, this summer my garners will be full furnishing every kind of produce!

At this time, I want to share with you this beautiful story "A Seed's Prayer." It is written by a dear friend who is a writer and I loved it and wanted to share it. Hope you are blessed by it!

You actually want me to die?Yep, He says. Life from death, that's My way.I don't want to do that - it's painful. How could You love me and want this for me? I feel safe where I am.But you are confined, He says. This is not what I created you for. And what a world you are missing, down there deep in the blanket of warm soil. No blue sky? No sunsets? No thunderstorms even?What? What are those, Lord?Trust me, little seed. Growing is breaking apart life as you know it. You won't know about these things unless you are willing to leave what you think you know.So, out of the seed, stretching and thirsting. Some of the journey takes me through darkness still. Thirst overwhelms me. I'm in more need than ever before. Is this right, I wonder? Should I stop right here? Give up in the temporary darkness, longing to go live back in my seed. At least, there was a hard shell to protect me. But I can't go back. My life will never be that tiny womb again. It's broken. And though I pray for Him to fix it, He is strangely silent on the matter.Lord, help me keep stretching, allowing You to do what is natural but what doesn't feel natural to me.I can hear Your voice coaxing me . . . telling me there is a promised land. And it's near . . . The soil doesn't help me get there, I cry out. It's pushing on me from all sides, resisting me . . . and it's still dark. Yes, the soil is helping you, I hear You say. I created the soil and it serves My purpose in your life. He doesn't explain exactly how . . . how could He explain the science of nutrients and oxygen to a small green shoot? That I need the soil to grow. That the soil is endless on either side of me. He doesn't reveal that part to me, it would be too daunting right now. But I would be glad to know that later, this soil will give my roots just the room I need. This same soil will serve me. What is important for me to know right now is this - I must move upward.Keep stretching, keep letting Me do what comes naturally to Me . . .Trust Me. The promised land is near. And oh, the things I have ahead for you, little seed.

Great Pot Roast

I was making a pot roast recently for a friend who was coming home from the hospital and I thought this would be a good recipe to share. This is a recipe I usually take to friends and family who are coming home from the hospital, to someone who has had a baby or if I am taking food to a family who has lost a loved one. This is a good comforting recipe, nothing fancy and very easy. You should have most of the ingredients on hand except for the pot roast seasoning. The meat and vegetables are all in one pot. All you need to add to it is a salad and some rolls and you are on your way.

2-3 pound chuck roast
5-6 potatoes, peeled and cut into fourths
2 onions, peeled and cut into sixths
6-7 carrots, peeled and cut in half then into halves again
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope of McCormicks Rot Roast Seasoning

Wash your roast off with water and pat dry. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste on both sides of meat. Take about 1/3 cup of flour and cover one side of the meat with the flour. Take a large skillet and heat 1/4 cup of vegetable oil. When the oil is hot lay the floured side of the meat down into the oil. Now flour the other side of the meat while this side is getting brown. Just sear and brown each side of the meat.
Have a Dutch oven ready and waiting for your meat. In the Dutch oven put about 5-6 cups of water. Whisk in the mushroom soup and the envelope of pot roast seasoning. When the roast is brown and seared lay the roast into this mixture. You want the water to come to the top of the meat. It doesn't have to cover the meat but if it does it won't hurt it. Cover with heavy duty foil. Cook at 275 for 3-4 hours. Check meat after about 3 hours and see if tender if not let cook another hour. Before the meat is done. Prepare your vegetables. When the meat is tender add the vegetables around the meat in the Dutch oven. Put the foil back on the pan and let cook about 45 more minutes. Fresh mushrooms are also good in this pot roast. I add them with the vegetables. Not everyone likes mushrooms. So unless I know for sure that someone like mushrooms I don't add them. After the vegetables are tender your good to go. Meat, veggies and gravy in one pot. Believe me, they'll love it!

Just double this recipe for a large family. Two 2 or 3 pound chuck roasts will fit into the bottom of my Dutch oven. Then I use 2 cans of mushroom soup and 2 envelopes of seasoning and double the veggies.

Gardening Tip for the Day!

Put those old banana peels to work! You won't believe what they will do for your roses. I just take my old banana peels and lay them under my rose bushes. They are full of potassium and roses love them. I have even laid an over ripe banana under my roses.

A gardening friend told me that he keeps his old banana peels in the freezer and when he plants his tomato plants in the spring, he takes his old banana peels out of the freezer and lets them unthaw and then plants them around the tomato plant and then covers the plant and banana peel with soil. He said he could tell a difference in his tomatoes. I'm going to try it this year. I know it makes a difference in the roses and I'm interested to see the difference in my tomatoes.

Displaying Heirlooms

We all have keepsakes from infancy to

childhood. I've displayed my two daughter's hand print and foot print. Below is my baby dress, my braclet from the hospital with my name on it.

A baby quilt, plate, shoes, birth announcement, spoon. Vistors to your home will enjoy seeing these special treasures that relate to your past.

Displaying Keepsakes (continued)

This display is of some hankies that belonged to my mother. I folded over the top of the hankie about an inch and sewed on baby buttons along the edge to make a valance on about 5 different hankies. I then put them on a spring rod and made a valance out of old hankies for my bath room.

Displaying Keepsakes

Years ago, when I decided to take my keepsakes out of the attic and cedar chest. I have worked on ways to display my keepsakes. In these pictures are some very treasured keepsakes. There are two pins one belonging to my great grandmother and the other to my grandmother. They have the birthstones of their children on them. My dad's ring and his pocket knife. My great grandfather's cigarette lighter. My grandmother's glasses and her pocket book. A handkerchief that belonged to my grandfather as well as his wrist watch. A replica of a antique card that has a very special note from my uncle.