Fun Facts about Rice

Yesterday I worked on, and created, a new Chicken and Rice recipe for the crockpot.  Today as I was adding this recipe to my collection of those that will make it into my cookbook I thought it would be fun to do a little research on Uncle Ben's Rice.  I found out some interesting facts as well as some other uses for rice so I thought I would pass them along to you, my readers.

Uncle Ben's Converted Brand Rice can:

• Remedy intestional disorders.
• Prevent moisture from clumping up salt.
• Make a Maraca for children.
• Clean stains from a thermos bottle.

A Short History

Until the end of World War II, Converted Brand Rice was produced for use solely by military personnel.  Then in 1946, Converted Rice Inc., brought this special rice to American consumers for the very first time, using the familiar portrait of Uncle Ben as its trademark.  Consumer response was so great that in just six years Uncle Ben's Converted Brand Rice became the number-one packaged long-grain rice sold in the United States.

Strange Facts

• The original Uncle Ben was a black rice farmer known to rice millers in and around Houston for consistently delivering the highest quality rice for milling.
• In the 1980's, the company dropped Uncle Ben from the rice boxes for two years.  Sales plummeted, and the company quickly reinstated Uncle Ben's portrait on the boxes.
• Adding one tablespoon of butter, margarine, or oil to the water before adding the rice will prevent the rice from sticking.
• To reheat cooked rice, put it in a coffee filter placed in a vegetable steamer and heat over boiling water.
• Rice is thrown at weddings as a symbol of fertility.
• Rice is grown on more than 10 percent of the earth's arable surface.

I hope you found this interesting and that you learned a little something about rice that you may not have known.  I had a professor in college that would call this an IFNWK, an important fact not worth knowing.  I thought that we could all use this kind of knowledge to impress our friends and family with.

The recipe I am sharing with you today is not an original however, I really enjoyed it and I spiced it up to make it my own when I made it.  This is one of my favorite ways to eat eggplant.  Traditionally eggplant parmesan is breaded and fried before baking.  I made this by roasting the eggplant in the oven instead, using reduced fat mozzarella and fat free ricotta.

Enjoy and have a blessed day!!!

Lighter Eggplant Parmesan (6 servings)

• 1 large eggplant (2 lbs)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 12 oz fat free ricotta
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Pecorino Romano
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 egg
• 2 cups reduced fat mozzarella
• 1 jar roasted tomato and garlic pasta sauce
• salt

Slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch thick slices.  Lightly salt the slices and put them into a colander to release excess moisture for about 1/2 hour.  Lay on paper towels to soak up any extra moisture.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Brush eggplant lightly with olive oil on both sides and place on cookie sheets.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning half way through until eggplant is golden brown.

In a medium bowl combine ricotta, egg, parsley and 1/4 cup of grated cheese.

In a 9x12 baking dish, put a little of the sauce on the bottom of the dish and put a layer of eggplant to cover the bottom of the dish.  Top with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture, mozzarella cheese and sauce.  Add another layer of eggplant and repeat the process until everything is used up.  Top with sauce and the mozzarella and the remaining grated cheese.

Cover with foil and bake until cheese is melted and everything is bubbling, about 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 8-10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let it sit about 10 minutes before cutting.

Empty Nest Envy

I heard a story about a mother who's soon to be 27 year old son would not move out of her home and stay out.  It was so bad that the woman suffered from terrible migrane headaches because she did not know what to do or handle this uncomfortable situation.  You see, she did not have the courage she needed to set limits for him around the house or a time frame for him to leave.  She was desperate to have her home back again, just her and her husband. 

They support him with food, cable t.v., electric and internet.  They even give him money to go out, never asking him to contribute with household chores or anything.  He has it very cushy, no responsibilities he is self-satisfied enjoying time with friends, he can eat, relax, watch t.v. and play on the computer.  The mother constantly prayed for courage to take action but yet, she did not want him homeless.

Every day this woman gets up early with her husband, her sons stepfather, and sends him off to work.  He works very long hard days to provide a roof over their heads and food on the table.  He pays the electric bill, the cable bill, water bill and all other bills for the household.  All of this happens while the son sleeps until noon and stays out partying all night.  The stepfather never complains because he does not want to add to his wife's stress.

After work the husband has to come home to mow the lawn, weed the garden, wash the cars and take care of all the other chores around the house while the son looks on or leaves to go out with his friends. He never steps up to lessen the burden on his stepfather, he just takes advantage of the situation and lives the good life.

As parents we are caregivers for our children.  As they come home or they stay home, it is difficult to assume a different role.  There is a tendency to expect mom and dad to continue to cook the meals and pay the bills.  The children assume the role of permanent house guests, with limited responsibility and maximum freedom from mundane tasks.

The key is to talk about the situation and not leave things unsaid.  Understanding that this is not an optimum situation for either party is important, but trying to make it the best possible situation through open communication is imparative.

You see, I know this first hand because I am the woman with the son who won't leave, the migrane headaches and the lack of courage to handle the situation.  I envy my friends who's children have grown up, moved out and moved on.  I pray for courage with this situation.

Have a blessed day.

Today's recipe:

Italian Meatloaf

1 - 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1/4 lb. diced bacon
2-3 slices bread soaked in milk
1/4 - 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Bread crumbs, flavored or plain
1 medium onion, sliced

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, except the bread crumbs.  If mx is too wet, add more parmesan cheese.  Shape into flat loaf and coat with bread crumbs.  Brown in frying paintil golden on both sides.  Bake in roasting pan at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Add sliced onions all around the meat and bake another 30 minutes.  If making a bigger loaf adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Self Improvement - Personal Change Part 2

There will always be barriers when we are trying to change our lives.  It is easy to find problems and cite ideas but actually making changes to our lives can be a bit trickier.  Learning how to focus or what to focus on is a major part of the challenge.  Mastering what you can change in your life will take practice and dedication.  You may have to try several approaches before you get it right.  Here are a few simple ideas to help you get started.

1. Clear all of your distractions and make a list of things you would like to do...aim high.  Maybe you want to go back to school and get a degree in Nursing-put it on the list.  Maybe you want to learn to play the piano-put it on the list.  Maybe you want to learn to speak a different language-put it on the list.  I think you get what I am trying to say.  The idea of creating this list is not a rediculous idea, but rather to give yourself an idea of all the things you want to do.  Dream a little and then live a lot!
2. Have a focus...and see your goal.  If you just pick one thing on the list and aim to do it, you will have a better chance of success.  Many of us jump in and try to do everything on the list all at once.  It is better to zone in on one goal at a time.  Remember the shortest distance is a straight line.  So look at each item on the list as a single straight line and aim for it--a much simplier approach.
3. Believing in that focus and your list is half the battle.  If you believe you can do something, then you  will.  Looking for the solutions will remove the belief that you can't do it and keep you on target.
4. Don't spend time thinking about it...just do it.  Most of us have tendencies to analyze everything.  We arre guilty of coming up with obstacles and reasons for not being able to do something.  We want to make sure it is the right decision.  The problem is we spend way too much time thinking about it.  What is the obstacle--it is the time that we spend thinking and analyzing.  So, stop analyzing and just do it--let's change our lives.
5. Do it slowly, one step at a time.  I am sure you have heard of the phrase "baby steps".  This means that you do one little thing to get to the next thing.  If you want to learn to play the piano you don't start by playing a Concerto.  You start by learning the basics, the keys, the scale, etc.  As you get better at each step you progress.  Remember what they say, "Rome wasn't built in a day".
6. Change how you look at things.  If you close your eyes, change will seem impossible.  Opening them to the possibilities will bring you to a realization that there are different ways to achieve your goals.  Be thankful for what you have.  Adding a little bit of gratitude can make these changes more simple and put you in a frame of mind that is open and calm.
7. Start asking the right questions and ask them in the right places.  If you wan to learn about something it is important to know what you want to learn.  To do this you must ask the questions that are relevant to the topic.  The same is true in change.  Asking yourself what is relevant can be very enlightening.  People that have prospered are often ones that failed many times before.  As part of the process they have reviewed their actions and learned from their mistakes.
8. Take time for yourself..just for you.  Taking time for yourself is a big step in making chnages.  It offers you a time to reflect, time to enjoy life and a moment to reallize what you want in life and what changes you need to make.  So take a minute or two everyday to change your perspective on life and enjoy it.
9. Find your strengths.  Finding out what our strengths are is something many of us have done, yet we continue to do things we are not good at in the hope of getting better.  Take the pressure off and stop stretching yourself!
10. 
    
    Read motivational quotes.  Reading motivational quotes on a regular basis can change your whole life for the better.  If you read motivational quotes in the morning before starting work and at night before going to bed, then after a few days your thoughts and beliefs towards your life will change.
    
    
    

There are several other ways to change your life.  Keep your eyes wide open and you will discover them.  Look for those precious gems and the changes will no longer be a mystery.  If you want to change your life, there is only one person that can make that happen--you.

Today's Recipe - Pork Chops with Blackberry Mustard Sauce

4 boneless Pork Chops

4 teaspoons dried thyme

4 teaspoons sage

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1 cup seedless Blackberry Preserves

7 tablespoons Spicy Brown Mustard

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  In a small bowl, combine crushed thyme, sage, salt and pepper.  Rub evenly over Chops.

Melt butter and olive oil in a nonstick skillet.  Cook pork chops for 6 to 7 minutes on each side, turning once.  Remove from skillet and keep warm in preheated oven.

In the skillet, combine blackberry preserves, spicy brown mustard, honey, vinegar and dry mustard.  Bring to a boil, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping up any bits from the bottom of the skillet/  Cook until sauce is reduced to desired consistency (sauce will thicken as it cools).  Spoon sauce in a pool onto a serving plate, and top with pork chops.  Garnish with fresh blackberries.

Self Improvement - Personal Change Part 1

Self improvement advice comes from many sources. I choose to get mine directly from the Wonderful Counselor, Jesus Christ. Jesus came to earth for this very reason: to help those of us that need it. He did not come to condemn us and point out our weaknesses. He came first and foremost, to redeem us in the eyes of God, and redeemed, we are!







With that being said the best improvement advice I can give you is this:

• Stop picking on yourself. Lose the negative self speak and retrain your brain.



• No matter what your circumstances are, or what you may have done in the past, allow yourself to be happy! Allow yourself? Absolutely, you can choose to be happy.



• Live forgiven and forgive yourself. Stop trying to earn redemption and rest.

You might be asking yourself, "Where do I start? I do desire improvement in my life but how can I change?" These are questions that I have asked myself many times. I am working on this series for Personal Change to show you that the only person that can change you is YOU. No change will ever take place unless you allow it. Sometimes, we do need help in finding out how to change our minds and our lives.

Our minds are such a powerful tool that whatever you keep in it will affect your whole life experience. If you believe that you cannot change then you are very correct. But, if you believe that you've got unlimited potential available to you, then you are probably even more right.

There are many types of personal change work that may help us improve our lives. In the following days I will be revealing what I believe we can do to change ourselves and our lives. Remember life can be wonderful and fascinating. We can expand our awareness, understanding and abilities. Removing limits on ourselves can change into freedom, weakness can become power and drudgery can turn to joy.

I hope that you will take this journey of change with me. Together we can attain great and wonderful things.

Recipe for today:

Kickin Crab and Corn Chowder (Serves 8)

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 large stalk celery, minced

Cajun Seasoning to taste (I use Slap Ya Mama)

1 cup chicken broth

1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels

2 cups milk

2 cups heavy cream

1 pound lump crap meat

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; then gradually whisk in the flour. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, whisking constantly, until a golden roux forms; set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a Dutch Oven over medium heat. Combine the onion, garlic and celery, cook 1 minute. Add the Cajun Seasoning to taste, the more you add the more the kick! Stir in the broth and the corn. Bring to a simmer, then pour in the milk and the cream. When the mixture begins to simmer, reduce heat to low and simmer 7 minutes. Stir in the roux, 1 tablespoon at a time, blending thoroughly. Continue to cook, on low heat, whisking until mixture thickens. Stir in the crab meat and simmer 6 to 8 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy and have a very blessed day.

Stone Soup

How many of you have ever heard "The Story of Stone Soup?" For some reason as I watch the news coverage about the devastating earthquake in Haiti and hear them talk about how they have no food and water I am reminded of this story. I think about what the people of Haiti must be going through at this very moment and I quietly say a prayer to God to watch over them. I ask Him to bring to them the necessary food, water and medical supplies that they so desperately need. I also ask for guidance as to how I can help. My heart breaks for all of the little children that have now become orphans, the ones that are still lost and the ones that have died. I wish that I could be there to hold as many of them as I can to give them comfort and hope for a better future. Yesterday God put something on my heart. What if we came together and made Stone Soup. I know you are asking how this will help. Please read on and you will soon see what God has spoken to me.

The Story of Stone Soup takes place in post-war Eastern Europe, there was a great famine in which people we hoarding any food that they could find keeping it from all of their friends and neighbors. One day a soldier came into the village looking as if he needed a place to stay. He was told that there was no food at all in the province and that he should just keep moving on. He told the Villagers that he had everything he needed. In fact, he was thinking of making some stone soup and he would share it with them. With that he opened a velvet bag and dropped a stone into the water he had begun to boil.

Hearing the rumor of food, most of the villagers had come to the square to watch. As the soldier began to "sniff" the broth and lick his lips in anticipations, hunger began to overcome their skepticism.

Then the soldier said to the villagers, "I do like a tasty stone soup. Of course, stone soup with cabbage--that's hard to beat."

Soon a villager approached hesitantly, holding a cabbage he had taken from hi hiding place, and added it to the pot. Then the soldier said, "You know, I once had stone soup with cabbage and a bit of salt beef as well.

The village butcher managed to find some salt beef and so it went in. As other villagers began to add potatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms and so on, there was a delicious meal for all. The villagers offered the soldier a great deal of money for the magic stone, but he refused to sell and left the next day. The moral to this story is that by working together, with everyone contributing what they can, a greater good is achieved.

I once read a quote that said, "In every community there is work to be done. In every nation there are wounds to heal. In every heart there is the power to do so." What if we could heal the wounds of the Haitian people by making Stone Soup as a community of believers. We can organize this through our places of worship or our neighborhoods. We can set aside an evening or an afternoon where everyone comes and contributes something to the soup. At that time we can also ask for a monetary donation that we could then send to an organization such as the Red Cross or Franklin Grahams' Samaritan Purse.

I have attached a recipe for Stone Soup to help to get us started. Hopefully those reading this will take this to their neighbors or their Pastor and begin cooking.

Stone Soup

1 stone, big enough that it won't get lost in the soup
1 tbsp. butter or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped fine
1 large carrot, cut into coins
3 medium red potatoes (unpeeled, and cut into halves)
1/2 sweet red pepper, chopped
1 large clove garlic, pressed
6 cups of chicken broth (or a combination of broth and water)
1 medium zucchini, diced large
1 medium yellow squash, diced large
1/2 cup frozen corn
2 cups ditalini, or other soup pasta (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese
Croutons

The first step is to thoroughly wash your stone. Drop it into the water to boil while the rest of the soup is being prepared.

In another large pot, melt the butter or oil, then saute the onion for 2-4 minutes. Stir in the celery, carrots, potatoes, and red pepper, sauteing for 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds, then add the broth. Using a spoon, fish the stone out of the other pot, add it to the soup and bring to a boil. Add the zucchini, squash, corn and pasta, cooking for another 8 minutes or until the zucchini is the desired softness. Season with salt and pepper. before serving, sprinkle on the cheese and croutons, then ladle, minus the stone, into bowls. This recipe serves 6 to 8 people as it is written. You can add many for ingredients to this soup such as sausage, broccoli, fresh green beans, etc.

I hope you enjoy the soup. Please let me know the results.

Have a blessed day.

Self-Confidence

I have to admit that for most of my life I had no confidence in myself or my abilities to make something of myself. It wasn't until I accepted the Lord into my life as my Savior did I finally realize that without confidence I was not fully serving Him as I should. I knew that this would mean I had to step out of my comfort zone, try new things, make mistakes and try again. I would need to keep trying until my confidence soared as high as the heavens.

When we are young and first learning to ride a bicycle we fall many times before we have it mastered. I remember my Dad holding on to the seat of my bike, running along behind me, then letting go. We repeated this scene until the one time he let go and I kept on peddling the bike all by myself riding down that sidewalk and not falling. I fell many times before I rode that bike alone, but I kept trying. I thank my Dad that I did because today I love bike riding. If I would have given up after falling so many times I would have missed an awful lot.

I have had many failures, and disasters, in the kitchen. I have messed up my share of recipes but I am determined to persevere. Take for example my ability to bake bread from scratch. I have thrown out more un-risen dough than I care to think about. I had decided that bread making isn't exactly my thing and that I will never be able to do it. I look at all of these bread recipes and I want so much to give them a try then the vision of my last failed attempt flashes before me and I decide to let it go, at least for now.

I want to write and publish a cookbook. I have been praying for guidance on how to begin. More than that I have been praying for the confidence to begin. Today I was guided to Hebrews 10:35 which tells us, "Do not throw away your confidence, it will be richly rewarded." Not only must we believe in our Lord Jesus, we must also believe in ourselves. Self-confidence is the first step to doing great things.

I am learning that the way to develop our confidence is to do the thing we fear the most. I am going to once again try making bread from scratch and I am starting to write my cookbook. I have set a goal for myself in that I am working on developing at least 2 new recipes a week. As I work on and perfect these recipes I will share them with all of you. Trust in the Lord and you will be able to accomplish great things. Come out of your comfort zone, set a goal big or small,
and together let's build our confidence in ourselves.

Please send me a post and let me know the goal you have set for yourself. Maybe we can all stick together and help one another to overcome our fears. We should all set the goal that 2010 will be our year to step out and accomplish something that in the past we have only dreamed of.

Have a blessed day!

What If I Fail?

Thomas Edison once said, "Many of life's failures are people who do not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." Undoubtedly Mr. Edison had failures in his attempts to invent the light bulb. Where do you think we would be today if he had just given up and walked away from his belief in what he knew he could do?

Last year I had six different, original recipes entered into four different contests. Out of those six recipes one made it into the top twenty. In this particular contest there were over two thousand entries and to make it into the top twenty was an honor. From those top twenty the recipe with the most votes and, four others that the judges chose, were to be flown to New York city for a live cook-off. Yesterday I found out that I did not make it into the top five and my dreams of going to the cook-off had been just that, a dream.

Now I could have taken all of this and told myself what a failure I am. After all, I can cook. I prayed over every recipe submitted and I prayed everyday after that, asking God to please let me win just one of these contests. When that did not happen I could have taken that rejection and turned it into a failure. I could have turned my back on God for not answering my prayers. Why is it that He did not think I was worthy enough to win. I really could use the money and God more than anyone else knows this.

I could wallow in self pity, sit around in my robe all day feeling sorry for myself or maybe, I could have a pity party. Not knowing what kind of food one serves at a pity party I would have to say that this option is not open to me. For I am a cook! I love to create and entertain therefore, none of these options seem to fit.

I know that God hears and responds to my daily prayers. He knows what it best for us. He is in charge of the timing and the destiny of our lives. Whatever the reason is for my not winning these contests I will not retreat into myself, turn my back on God or vow to never pray again. Instead I will pick myself up out of my chair, shower, put on clean clothes, get back into my kitchen and try again. For God did not send me here to fail but rather he sent me here to succeed. He gave me a gift. The gift of cooking and creating. I will move forward from this and not look back.

In 2Corinthians 13:5 we are told that we should test ourselves, examine ourselves and know that Christ Jesus is in us. Knowing this too be true how can we fail? This is just merely a learning experience for me. It has not shattered my faith in God or in myself.

Let this be a lesson to all of you. If you burn the pot roast, air out your kitchen, clean your oven and try again. We learn from our mistakes as long as we don't look at them as failures. God does not want us to fail, rather he wants us to succeed. So go forward and SUCCEED! I know I am.

Today's Recipe:

Sausage Ravioli Bake

1 medium onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Olive oil
1 bag (25 oz.) frozen sausage-filled ravioli, thawed
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/8 inch slices
2 1/2 oz. pepperoni slices
1 jar (26 oz) fire roasted tomato and garlic pasta sauce
2 cups shredded 6 cheese Italian Cheese

Heat oven to 350. In a large warm skillet put enough olive oil to coat the bottom, add onions, peppers and garlic. Saute until the onions are soft, add the jar of pasta sauce and heat thru. In an ungreased 8-inch square glass baking dish spoon a little sauce into the bottom and then start layering your remaining ingredients beginning with the ravioli. Continue the layers with the zucchini, pepperoni slices, cheese and sauce. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Enjoy!

Have a wonderful and blessed day.

Cooking With Grandma

As I sit here in my freshly painted, newly redecorated kitchen watching the snow fall my mind wanders back to a day when I was in the kitchen with my Grandma Fields baking a cake for my Grandfather. She had come across this new recipe she thought we should try out so into the kitchen we went.



As my Grandmother always did when she was in her kitchen, she turned on her radio and began to pull out all of the necessary items for the cake. As she sang along to the music she asked me to grab the Mayonnaise for her. It was close to lunch time and I thought she was going to make us a sandwich. I quickly reminded her that I did not like Mayo on my sandwich so please hold mine. She let me know that the Mayo was for the chocolate cake we were baking and not for lunch. I immediately started to protest and told her that I was sure Grandpa wouldn't like this very much. She laughed, kept singing and began to mix all of the ingredients together, including the Mayonnaise. As I again began to protest she reminded me of something God had said, "Ye of little faith, why are you so afraid?" So as the Chocolate Mayonnaise cake went into the oven I asked God to please make it come out of there tasting good. I put all of my faith in Him that he would take care of this cake with the Mayonnaise and that my Grandfather would love it when he tasted it after dinner that night.



As we were cleaning the kitchen the timer on the oven went off and out came the cake. After it had cooled it was time to make the frosting and put the finishing touches on our cake. When Grandma opened the cupboard to find food coloring, I insisted that we put a colorful frosting on it, she saw that the only color she had was green. I knew that Grandpa would be ok with this

after all, there was Mayo in the chocolate cake.



When my Grandfather came home from work that night I met him at the door and told him we had a surprise for him. I told him that Grandma and I baked him a cake and he was going to be so surprised when he tasted it. I didn't tell Grandpa, but all afternoon I prayed that God would make that cake taste really good. I was so scared when he took his first bite. Was he going to have a funny look on his face, was he going to smile and tell me how good it was while spitting it into his napkin? Oh I was a very scared little girl. I didn't have to wait long until Grandpa started telling me that it was the best cake he had ever eaten and he even had a second piece. I will never forget the excitement that I felt. Grandma and I shared a secret that day when we put Mayonnaise in the Chocolate Cake. She taught me two things that day without even knowing it. One, is to have faith in God for He will take care of us and our cake. The other was that you can add many different, strange and sometimes bizarre things to your food and they will turn out to be the best you have every had. Just ask my Grandpa!!!



With this story being told I will tell you that I made Zucchini Apple Bread with a Crumb Topping yesterday that contained lots of ginger. The recipe is below. I hope you enjoy it.



Have a wonderful and blessed day.



Zucchini Apple Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

3 heaping teaspoons ginger paste

3 eggs

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar firmly packed

1 cup vegetable oil.

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups grated zucchini

3 cups apple chunks

1 cup chopped pecans (optional)



Topping

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 dash ground cinnamon



Preheat oven to 350. Stir together flour, salt, soda, cinnamon and baking powder. Beat eggs and stir in ginger paste. Add and mix well sugar, vanilla, and oil. Add zucchini and apples to egg mixture. Add dry ingredients, mixing well. Stir in nuts if desired. Pour into 2 ungreased loaf pans. In a small bowl combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over the loaves of bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake for 1 hour.

New Beginnings

It is a new year, with a new beginning, a new adventure and a newcomer to blogging. I am on a mission while at the same time, trying to fulfill a lifelong dream. My dream has been to write and publish my very own series of cookbooks. So at the young age of 51 I have decided that there is no time like the present to get started. Let me explain why I believe this to be true.





Last week I had lunch with someone that has become a very dear friend to me, Karen Moore. She is a writer and has several books in publication with 2 more coming out this month. She is also a very spiritual person and believes as I do that God has given all of us a talent. We discussed how need to take that talent, embrace it and not hold back. We spoke about how God is in charge of our destiny and the timing of everything is in His hands. We may think we are in control but sometimes things happen to show us that we could not be more wrong.





Take my life for example. I was born and raised in Central California. While visiting Upstate New York on vaction 5 years ago I announced to my husband that we should move here. That's right, I gave up sunny CA. for the cold and snow of Unadilla, NY. I felt very strongly that God was pulling me here for a reason but, for the life of me I did not know why. I will give you the short version and tell you that we left our family and friends to make the move East and start a new life. With the help of our oldest daughter and our son-in-law we opened a business where we sold gourmet food and kitchen accessories. The buiseness grew and soon evolved over 4 years into a Cafe and Gourmet Coffeehouse. It was here at our store that I met Karen. She was this beautiful woman that walked through the door one day and grabbed a hold of my husband, gave him a kiss, a hug and stood arm in arm with him while I just loooked on in bewilderment. Who was this person that thought she could just walk in to my store and latch onto my husband? As I was to later find out she was a former classmate of my husband, you see he grew up in Unadilla, and they had not seen one another for several years. The jealousy soon disappeared and we became friends. Karen is now my moral support who has made a promise to me that she will nag, nudge and even give me a swift kick when it becomes necessary for me to listen to God and develop my talent for cooking and writing my books. God brought her into my life and now I owe it to God and to myself to move forward with His plan. So here we go.





I am going to need help and input as I go along so bear with me. I have an assignment for everyone reading this in that I am asking you to share your most memorable cooking disater with me. Since the first book in my series is a beginner cookbook from boiling water to planning a small dinner party I would like to include stories from people that others can relate to. I will not publish your name in my book, if you don't want me to, just make me aware that this is your desire to remain anonymous.





I will be posting new recipes that I am working on and asking for feed back from you, my readers. I have other ideas that I will be incorporating into my blog as I go along. However, if any of you have a suggestion as to what you would like to see or a cooking question you would like answered please do not hesitate to let me know. Here it goes we are off and running. Start getting those disaster stories into me. By the way I will notify you if your story is one that I have chosen for the cookbook.





Take care and have a blessed day!!!!