My Love

Happy birthday Jim , I love you !

39 Years Ago...

God has been so good to me.39 years ago today I married the man I love.I love him more & more as the years go by. Thank-you God for my husband. Thank-you Jim for your love to me.What an adventure we've had.Happy Anniversary! "...keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins...as each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." I Peter 4 :9,10

Decades Of Love ! Happy Anniversary Jim ~

I have been married to the man of my dreams for almost 4 decades. I have known him that long. We were high school sweethearts, and married while we were both in college and working part time jobs to support ourselves. My beloved was still going to college and working two jobs when our first born , our daughter Autumn , joined our family. Shortly thereafter our two sons were born and we were still working part-time jobs , my husband was still attending his college classes. I am amazed when I look back on our lives to see how hard my husband worked for us ( often 2 jobs at a time), and still took time to play with our children, help me out with the children, keep up our home, and enjoy many simple yet rewarding family times, the times that count in the grand scheme of things that matter. My husband also made sure we were at church every Sunday morning, often helping out at church too.He supported our homeschooling the children in a time when home-schooling was unheard of and friends and family were not so supportive. Without the quiet strength and love of my husband, my beloved, I do not think we would have fared as well and God was so kind and gracious to me to give me my Jim. Happy anniversary Jim, I love you.~ ~" For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother , and shall cleave unto his own wife; and the two shall become one flesh..." Ephesians 5:31

Thai Chicken Salad & Lemon Pudding Dessert

My favorite foods at dinner were the Thai Chicken Salad,Chicken Nibbles, the duck itself, and the herb cookies I made. I will post 3 of the recipes here , a few will be posted on our Family Recipe Blog* later. I could have filled up on just the salad and been happy, but I had to share. Isn't this a stunning looking salad? Here is the recipe for Thai Chicken Salad ~

• 1 large carrot, peeled
• 3 cups shredded Napa cabbage, from 1 small cabbage
• 3 cups shredded Romaine lettuce
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and deveined, thinly sliced
• 2 Tablespoons fresh Thai basil leaves or fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 2 grilled boneless, skinless chicken breasts lightly coated in with Thai dressing, grilled, set aside and cooled.
• 2 Tablespoons toasted white or black sesame seeds
• won ton wrappers
• pea pods (4 per plate)

Using a vegetable peeler shave the carrot and add to a large bowl. Stir in the cabbage, lettuce, pepper, Thai basil, and sesame seeds. Dressing:

• 1/4 cup peanut or vegetable oil
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• sea salt and pepper
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 to 2 Tablespoons sesame oil

Whisk together all the dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and toss. You can view the picture above to see how Jim plated the salad, with pea pods and thinly sliced chicken arranged on the plate, the salad in the center . GARNISH with diagonal cut won tons fried in corn oil and lightly salted. ( you can do this the night before) Too bad I had to share this, but I know the chef~ so maybe he'll make this again for me, as a personal favor!

Mint Orange Shortbread I altered a shortbread recipe and believe me, these are so good!

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1 teaspoon orange extract
• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 2 teaspoons fresh orange zest

In a mixing bowl using electric mixer at medium high speed, beat butter til light and creamy , 2 to 3 minutes. Add confectioner's sugar, beating until smooth and fluffy. Add orange extract and set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour and salt. With mixer at low speed, slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture.Increase speed to medium, mixing until combined. Add mint and orange zest, combining thoroughly. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill, at least an hour. I simply shaped the chilled roll and then sliced the cookie dough and placed the cookies on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake until lightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes. I am eating some now as I type,oh, they are perfect with a cup of hot tea!

Lemon Pudding Dessert

This dessert is from Taste Of Home Best Holiday Recipes, 2006 and was submitted to them by Muriel Dewitt of Massachusetts. Very, very good and a light dessert after eating a lot of food.

• 1 cup cold butter
• 2 cups flour
• 1 -8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1 - 8oz. carton frozen whipped topping, thawed and divided
• 3 cups cold milk
• 2 - 3.4 oz. pkgs. instant lemon pudding

CRUST :In a bowl cut butter into the flour until crumbly. Press into an ungreased 13 X 9 X 2 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 - 22 minutes, or until set. Cool . In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.Fold in 1 cup of the whipped topping. Spread over the crust. In a mixing bowl, beat milk and pudding mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Carefully spread over the cream cheese layer. Top with the remaining whipped topping. Refrigerate for at least an hour. I usually freeze this a few days in advance of needing it, and take it out of the freezer about an hour before serving.

My husband enjoying lemon pudding dessert, you could say after preparing and serving this great meal he is partaking of his just desserts.

The dishes are washed , stacked, and await storing, the few cookies remaining are there for tea time, the flowers are barely hanging on after adorning our dinner party. The tablecloth and chef's coat have been washed and put away. The remnants of leftovers were eaten tonight and good memories remain, hopefully for a long , long time.Thank-you Jim, thank-you sisters and brothers.Thank-you Lord for such bounty. "Whose bread I eat; his song I sing." German Proverb

NOT Jamie Oliver Friday, How Bazaar!

I have been crazy busy getting ready for the Lake Lawrence Christmas Bazaar that starts tomorrow. My husband and I set up my booth tonight, which means I was NOT cooking...however last night he cooked for us! He is an excellent cook.( He is the better cook in the family, but don't tell him I am admitting to that!) Since he was the cook he did not use a Jamie Oliver recipe, he used one we read on Noble Pig's blog. Here was my dinner last night, Vanilla Cider Pork & Walnut Wild Rice. It was delicious. My husband was not too crazy about the pears but it turns out his pear was almost too ripe before he sauteed it but I thought my pear was perfect. It was warm and flavorful and still firm inside. The cider pork was perfection and the wild rice dish could be served as a dish all by itself. In fact, I think we will be making the rice dish for a potluck and we had better make a lot because I could eat a LOT of this! To get the recipe from Noble Pig herself click here* and check out the November 4th recipe. ( For some reason my computer will not allow the hyper-link to the specific recipe, sorry) I made this pie for a potluck awhile ago and this Mile High Apple Pie With Cranberries is from Mary's blog One Perfect Bite. I love, love , love cranberries. Sometimes I eat the cranberries just by themselves, no cooking, or sugar, or embellishments of any kind, so I was delighted at the idea of adding them to apples to make a pie. We have a lot of apples from the trees in our orchard and I have been told my pies are pretty good so hey, I tried it. Looks good on the outside if I must say so myself, and there was no pie left-over or tossed in the garbage at the potluck so it must be tasty. My grandchildren informed me it needed more sugar and I can see where they were coming from. I used the least amount of sugar called for in the recipe, next time I will add the max amount. The grandchildren ate their pie, so it was good, they just prefer MORE sugar!For this recipe click here.* I can't wait to have the busyness of the bazaar over so I can get down to holiday baking and cleaning and decorating and....

Jim & Jamie In The Kitchen

Tonight my husband, Jim, prepared dinner following one of Jamie Oliver's recipes. I asked him especially because venison is almost always cooked by him. Venison is deer meat. My husband is a hunter and any venison in our freezer is there because my husband was successful in his hunt.Not only does my husband hunt and kill the deer , he cuts and wraps the deer for the freezer. Thus, all venison we cook is thankfully received from God, and thereafter preserved and prepared by my dear husband. Jamie Oliver aptly named this dish : "Wild Mushroom & Venison Stroganoff For Two Lucky People" (If venison is not available to you, I think any beef fillet would do nicely) because the ingredients and flavors were a very pleasant surprise to us!

(above:My husband in the kitchen) Wild Mushroom & Venison for Two Lucky People

You will need:

• 7 ounces white rice
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 med. red onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 11 ounces venison loin, fat and sinews removed, trimmed and sliced into finger-sized pieces
• sea salt & freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 9 ounces mixed exciting, robust mushrooms, wiped clean, torn into bite-sized pieces ( we only had supermarket mushrooms, exciting enough for us)
• a small bunch of fresh flat-leafed parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped, stalks finely chopped
• a knob of butter ( don't you just love the way the Brits describe this?)
• a good splash of brandy
• zest of 1/2 of a lemon
• 1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
• a few little gherkins ( pickles) sliced

"This venison stroganoff is absolutely fantastic , of course you can use the more traditional beef fillet instead of venison, and any mushrooms you like, but there's something about venison and wild mushrooms that works so well together. Have a go at this and you'll know what I mean." J. Oliver "Cook the rice according to the package instructions until it's just undercooked and drain in a colander. Put the rice back into the pan, cover with aluminum foil and leave to one side to steam~this will give you incredibly light and fluffy rice." "Heat a large frying pan on a medium heat and pour in a glug of extra virgin olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and cook for about 10 minutes until softened and golden. Remove from the heat and spoon the onions and garlic out of the pan onto a plate. Keep to one side." "Season the meat well with salt, pepper and the paprika. Rub and massage these flavorings into the meat. Place the frying pan back on a high heat and pour in some more olive oil.Add the mushrooms and fry for a few more minutes until they start to brown.Then add the meat and fry for a minute or two before adding the parsley stalks ( you can do this in two pans or in batches if your pan is not big enough) and the cooked onion and garlic. Toss and add the butter and brandy." "You don't have to light the hot brandy, but flaming does give an interesting flavor so I always like to do this. Once the flames die down, or after a couple of minutes of simmering, stir in the lemon zest and all but 1 tablespoon of the creme fraiche and season to taste. Continue simmering for a few minutes. Any longer than this and the meat will toughen up~it doesn't need long, as it's been cut up so small." "Serve your fluffy rice on one big plate and your stroganoff on another. Simply spoon the remaining creme fraiche over the stroganoff, then sprinkle over the sliced gherkins* and the parsley leaves. Eat at once!"

*My husband and I almost did NOT add the sliced pickles. However, I am learning from following the recipes as precisely as possible that things I would have normally ignored because they seem yucky to me might not be as yucky as I imagined and here Jamie Oliver is RIGHT! We did add the gherkins ( pickles) and were very, very pleasantly surprised. Be sure you add pickles to this dish whether you use venison or beef. You'll be glad you did!The lemon zest also contributed to the taste experience, for the better. My husband did a wonderful job of preparing this dish following Jamie Oliver's recipe and if you are fortunate to have a bit of venison or beef this is well worth your time. I am giving you an A+ Jamie and Jim! Jamie well-named this dish " for two lucky people", and WE are!

Where Did The Time Go?

This is a honeymoon picture of my husband. We had hiked 9 miles one way to Flapjack Lakes in the Olympic National Forest. We camped on an isthmus in between two very beautiful and pristine alpine lakes. There were, and still are , no motor boats, vehicles or ATV's there. We back-packed everything we needed for the next few days, but not as much food as we should have. The fish we caught were very much appreciated and consumed, as were the berries we found. I love this picture of my mountain man husband ( above ). Before we were married he climbed to the top of Mt. Rainier, and he has spent many enjoyable vacations back-packing and hiking the beautiful, wild, and precarious trails in our mountains and rugged coast lines.

My husband paddling a canoe he made. This week was the anniversary of our wedding 36 years ago. My husband has had to be away on business all week. He is coming home tonight. Yay! Happy Anniversary Jim!

"Are you fishing for dreams ? Then bait your hook With a bit of reality, then swing out and cast your line Far out into Life's sea. Let every dream have a fighting chance, Give it plenty of slack, But settle only for the biggest and best- Throw the little ones back. Are you fishing for dreams? Then I wish you luck, It's a good dream-fishing day, May you catch a beauty-but oh, take care, Lest the big one get away." Helen Lowrie Marshall

Thank-you Lord the "big one" did not get away and we have more days to "dream-fish"!

On The Day That You Were Born....

"On the day that you were born , the angels got together and decided to create a dream come true.

~So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair~

With gold and starlight in your eyes of blue.."

Happy birthday Jim! Lyrics from Karen Carpenters' CLOSE TO YOU

May He Kiss Me.....

~"May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is much better than wine....I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine." From the Song of Solomon

~Blessed, I am truly blessed .I married my beloved, my Valentine, more than 35 years ago!~

Happy Valentine's Day Jim!