A THOUGHT FOR THE WEEKEND

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.

Thomas Jefferson

1743-1826

BBQ Beef Sandwiches

My friend Beth and I have been best friends since we were 13. Every year on her birthday her mother would fix this recipe for Beth, and I have continued the tradition since her mother's death. Even if I am far from her (she lives in California) I still fix it and serve it in her honor. It's so easy, and the meat just shreds. Pile it onto those yummy french sandwich rolls and enjoy!

BBQ Beef Sandwiches

4-5 lb pot, chuck or rump roast
3 medium onions, sliced
¼ cup water
8 oz tomato sauce
¼ cup lemon juice
½ teaspoon dry mustard
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon chili powder
¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup ketchup
2 pressed garlic cloves
¾ teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoon brown sugar
Sourdough French rolls (sliced sandwich size)

Put meat in crock pot or heavy kettle. Top with onions. Combine remaining ingredients into a smooth sauce and pour over beef. Simmer covered for approximately 8 hours. (If it dries out add water.)

Serve on heated and buttered rolls.

Mother's Day

I am counting my blessings this day. I am a mother! There were so many times, in my twenties, when I didn't think that this would happen for me. And when it did my heart sang. When it happened a second time I thought all was right in my world.

I have two of the most compassionate, sweetest sons a mother could ever want. If I could have put in a special request, these are the boys I would have chosen. They make every day a special day for me. And I can't believe it's gone by so fast already; they are now 19 and 17!

But -- if ever I doubt the Lord's love for me, all I need to do is to look into the faces of these precious lambs He entrusted to me, and I know I am loved!

So True (again)!

A THOUGHT FOR THE WEEKEND

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.

Robert Louis Stevenson
Scottish Novelist
1850-1894

Book Review: True Colors

New York Times bestseller Kristin Hannah has done it again! She has created a beautifully written novel about three sisters, and the things that tear them apart, draw them together and keep them connected.

Sisters Winona, Aurora and Vivi Ann Grey have been raised by a cold-hearted, sometimes cruel father since their mother's death when they were girls. As a result, the three share a bond that seems unbreakable. That is, until an old friend and a stranger come to the town they call home on the Oregon coast. Jealousies, secrets and a competing desire to earn their father's love seems to tear the girls apart.

When a tragedy appears to finally do the trick the sisters learn about the gift and the power of forgiveness and how sisterly love is stronger than almost anything else.

I loved this book! Hannah is a writer I return to time and again. She paints a lush, colorful picture of women and life. Her characters are so real that I felt as if I knew them personally. As I finished this novel I was almost wishing there were a sequel in the works so that I could revisit these three women and see how they were doing. I'd recommend it to all women who cherish their relationships, be they sisters by birth, or sisters of the heart.

Sometimes it pays ...

I'm not one to verbally complain when I'm in a store. But today I wasn't in a very good mood. I've started going back to the gym this week to try to strenthen my bad leg and knees. The treadmill, the bicycle and the stair climbers were so hard, and I am in a lot of pain. This doesn't excute my behavior, but possible explains it.

So I'm in Safeway and looking at the steaks. Our anniversary is coming up and Stan and I decided we would have a BBQ steak dinner with the boys to celebrate. Safeway had steaks on sale and said they were sold in the family packs.

When I got there the family packs were packages of three steaks. I needed four, and thought that the most common number for a family is five, so what was Safeway thinking? So I complained, I guess a little loudly, to my boys. "This is so dumb!" I cried, and AJ suggested I buy the three and a single one to go with it. "No! That single one is over a dollar a pound more!" I put the steaks back in the tray and added, "I'm just going to go to Costco and get them there."

At that point a meat clerk, who was standing behind me (unbeknownst to myself) and asked what the problem was. When I explained he told me to pick out a single steak that I wanted and he would wrap the four steaks up and charge me the sale price for all of them.

"Really?" I asked. "Absolutely," he replied. "I'd rather not lose your business." Yipee!

I thanked him and as he walked away I turned to AJ and said, "I guess it pays to complain out loud, huh?" I guess so. Can't wait for our anniversary dinner!

Pineapple Cream

Here is another dessert recipe, from the 1920s. It's been passed down from my grandmother, and is easy to make (my sister used to make it when she was a little girl) and really yummy!

PINEAPPLE CREAM WITH SAUCE

2 cups milk

3/4 cup sugar

4 Tablespoons corn starch

Whites of 2 eggs, beaten until stiff

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shredded pineapple (crushed)

Heat the milk in a double boiler. Mix the dry ingredients together. Add them gradually to the hot milk, sitrring the mixture constantly until it thickens, and then occasionally until it has cooked for 15 minutes. Remove the cream fromthe fire and add the pineapple and the whites of two eggs. Mold, chill and serve with the sauce.

Sauce

1 cup pineapple juice

1 Tablespoon flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon REAL butter (no margarine)

Heat the pineapple juice. Mix the flour and sugar and add them to the hot juice. Cook until clear. Add the butter. Cool and serve with Pineapple Cream.

So True!

It's Just Like ...

I've discovered a television show that I am quickly becoming addicted to. It's "Whatever, Martha!" It so reminds me of sitting with my BFF, a bag of potato chips and a bottle of catsup and a couple of colas, and sitting and talking the night away.

Martha Stewart's daughter and her best friend watch old clips from Martha's myriad of shows and talk about them, make fun of them, dis each other and generally have a good time. As a result I have a good time when I'm watching it.

I'd recommend it to anyone who misses spending time with a good friend who is far away. It'll make you feel like they're there with you!