LEMON CURD

3/4 c. lemon juice
1 tbsp. grated lemon peel
1/4 c. butter, cut into pieces
1 1/4 c. sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten

In a double boiler over simmering water, combine lemon juice and peel, butter and sugar, stirring until butter has melted. Add beaten eggs to lemon mixture, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Continue to stir over medium to low heat until mixture is quite thick, it should coat the back of the spoon. (Be careful not to over cook or it will separate.) Remove from heat.

Cool, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Keeps up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

Makes about 3 cups.

Check out this page for other uses for lemons: Loving Lemon

Today I have a suggestion. Shut it off!!!! That’s right. I said, SHUT IT OFF!!! I suggest that you turn off the radio, television, internet, IPOD, and every other media news source for one whole day. Don’t read the newspaper, political magazines, or any other political message online or in print. Give your mind and eyes a political break for one whole 24-hour period. I guarantee you the world won’t fall apart in that one day because you didn’t keep up with the news.

Think of how relaxing it’ll be to have a quiet home for a day…no background noise, unless it’s music! With no political chatter being taken in there is less to get uptight about…so less stress. If you say, “But I have to have my daily dose of politics,” well then I say, “You’re addicted and that’s all the more reason to shut it off.” There really is no reason not to give your mind a break. You may find you like it so much you’ll try it again…maybe, dare I suggest, even once or twice a week!

Are you willing? Come on…I know you can do it…reach over and shut it off!

Regardless of what the current or next U.S. President will say the State of the Union is, I wonder…what is the “State of Your Union“? No, I’ll admit, I’m not speaking of politics here. I’m wondering about your marriage. What’s the “State” or status of your marriage? Is your “Union” strong? Is it falling apart at the seams? Have you and your spouse stopped in the hectic pace of life and evaluated the “State of Your Union”?

Perhaps you believe you have a solid, strong marriage. Does your spouse agree? What? You haven’t asked? Hmmm…perhaps you could take the time today to askfor their honest thoughts on the “State of Your Union”. If, after that conversation, you both agree that you do have a solid, strong marriage, take some time to discuss what measures you can take to keep it that way. Even the greatest of nations must continue to work at keeping out the enemy, building and maintaining safeguards, and developing better communication skills. The same goes for our marriages. We must be ever viligant.

If you believe that your marriage is on shaky ground now is the time to begin to strenghen it. Why now? Well, tomorrow might be too late! Shaky marriages occur for numerous reasons including, lack of maintenance, intentional neglect or sabotage, and crossing marital boundaries. If you’re concerned about your marriage go to your spouse and express your feelings about the “State of Your Union.” Do not blame or point fingers, unless it’s at yourself. Casting blame statements will only cause resentment and walls of defensiveness to go up. Many times it’s helpful to see a marriage counselor to help you navigate to solid ground. This should not be a shameful thing. You’d go to the doctor if your arm was hurting…why not a counselor to help you improve your hurting marriage? Ask your spouse if they’d be willing to go with you to counseling. If you’re spouse is hesitant, or you think they’ll be adverse to going to a counselor, say that you’d like to speak with a counselor and would like them there to support you. If they still won’t go, there is no harm in you going by yourself. Changing yourself for the better can have a ripple affect on your spouse and your marriage.

Perhaps your marriage is about to fall apart or has already done so. Don’t despair! While there is life, there is still hope. Miracles can occur. This is the time to concentrate first, on making yourself the best spouse you can be. How do you do that? You must begin by taking responsility for your part in the demise of the marriage. Don’t just say, “I take responsibility.” You must believe that you did have a part in the marriage problems and trully address the personal issues that led you to that point. Seek the help of a counselor to help you address the personal issues. Eventually, if you make positive changes, hopefully your spouse will notice and be willing to seek help with you. Even if that does not occur, you’ll have experienced positive personal growth that you won’t regret!

So, what is the “State of Your Union”? Don’t delay, check it out today!

My husband loves curry. I, on the other hand, could do without. Or so I thought. My husband had been asking me kindly to make something with curry in it for months and I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. However, when we decided to invite a number of his international students over for dinner, I decided to branch out and attempt a curry dish. If you like coconut, which we do, then this curry dish will be a great introduction to this complex flavor. My husband says curry gives him a “happy tummy”. Maybe it will give you one too!

Curried Coconut Chicken (allrecipes.com)

2 lbs boneless, skinless chilcken breasts cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1 tsp salt and pepper, or to taste

1 1/2 TBSP vegetable oil

2 TBSP curry powder (yes, this seems like a lot, but it’s great)

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 (14 oz) can coconut milk

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

3 TBSP sugar

1) Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.

2) Heat oil and curry powder in a large skillet over medium-high heat for two minutes for two minutes (very important step for flavor). Stir in onions and garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 7-10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in center and juices run clear.

3) Pour coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, approximately 30-40 minutes.

4) Serve over steamed rice.

There is much that could be said and has been said about food as it relates to kids. In the future I may readdress some of those topics, but today I’ll just touch a bit on what we’ve done to get our kids to eat a wide variety of foods. It’s been my observation that many children are very picky when it comes to food and I’ve observed and read enough to realize that a lot of responsibility (I didn’t say all) rests with the parents and how they handle food issues when the children are quite small.

Before our eldest child was born I ate out at a salad bar restaurant with several of my coworkers. One lady brought her son, who was about 7 or 8 at the time. I remember being amazed when I noticed the little boy had a plate with a large salad on it that he was happily eating away at.  I knew then that I wanted my children to grow up eating vegetables willingly.

1) Model good food behavior. As parents, we must model good eating habits for our children. Our kids will not grow up eating healthy foods if we eat junk and refuse to eat vegetables. We need to first change our eating habits and our attitudes about food if we want our children to grown into adults with good food habits.

2) Don’t become a short order cook. It’s easy to fall into this trap. Joey doesn’t like beans, so I’ll fix potatoes instead. Sally hates broccoli so I’ll stick with corn. Edward refuses to eat rice so I’ll fix pasta. Soon all we’re doing is servicing our own family cafe with mom running ragged trying to keep all the kids happy. Sorry folks, but this shouldn’t be happening. Serve one meal. If your children are hungry, they’ll eat and I guarantee you they will not starve by the next meal time if they don’t.

3) Help children learn to eat foods they’re not fond of by saying something like “eat two bites of beans and then you may have more cheese.” We’ve used this technique since our kids were quite young. It doesn’t work to tell your young child to eat all of one thing before they can have another since they don’t have a good concept of how much that is. Instead give them a number of bites they need to eat first before they get something they really want. If you do this consistently and don’t give in to begging your children will learn that you mean business and will eventually quit whining about what they have to eat. Just this morning my eldest son said to my younger one, “You have to eat your cereal first before you can have a plum.” He gets it!

4) Don’t allow negative comments about food at the dinner table. Don’t allow words like “yuck, gross, nasty” to become a part of your language. This goes for adults as well. Remember your kids are watching how you act and react!

5) Consistently give small portions of all the foods the family is eating. Even if your kids are not fond of something on the table insist that they take at least a small bite. Over time as we’ve given our eldest little bits of garden salad he has begun eating more and more. We didn’t pressure, we simply placed it on his plate and encouraged him to try it.

6) Develop fun names for food. For instance, we call broccoli “trees”.

7) Find different or unique ways of eating something. If your kids aren’t fond of peas trying giving them to your kids when they’re frozen. They thaw quickly but my children love to munch on “froze” peas. I’ve also tried this with frozen corn, but it doesn’t thaw quite so quickly so it’s a bit harder to eat. If your kids are reluctant to eat sweet potatoes try baking or frying up a batch of sweet potato fries. They’re sweet and yummy and easy to make.

It reminded me, however, that men and women are considerably different when it comes to solving problems. My husband was ready to put on his toolbelt and fix the problem. I was equally ready to go and discuss the issue and share my reasoning. It’s helpful to remember these differences when we’re frustrated with our spouse – guy’s want to fix it; girl’s want to discuss it. If you find yourself in a conflict back up and talk about your differences in communication and then with that in mind move forward, each attempting to understand the inherent male/female differences.

Guys: hold off on that tool belt. Don’t attempt to fix your wife’s problem. Hear her first. Listen and attempt to understand.

Ladies: gently remind him that you just want to talk about the issue before moving to resolution. Let him know that he doesn’t have to fix it to make you feel better. You’d just like him to listen and understand.

When we’re going through difficult or trying times in our life there are many of us who would rather hole up in our homes and shut the world out than allow others to help us. When we give into this “make the world go away” mentality we rob others of the blessing they receive when they reach out and help us. Some people seem to be born with a personality characteristic that wants to shut down and attempt to heal emotions on their own, but by doing this they tend to shut out their friends and family who would love to show how much they care. If you’re the type to shut down and shut out, next time you’re experiencing a difficult situation try to open up a bit and allow someone to do something for you and receive it graciously. This may not be easy to do, but you need to remember that your friend or family member is just trying to show how much they care about and for you.

For those on the giving end please don’t take it personally if your hurting loved one rejects your offer of help or comfort. Chances are they just have difficulty receiving comfort during crisis. Please remember to be gentle and by all means watch your tongue. This is not the time to be saying a lot, unless your friends wants to talk. You don’t need to fill up the silence with chatter. It’s okay to be quiet. Most of us seem to think that silence is a bad thing, but it’s not. It can be a blessing not to feel the need to speak.

One other suggestion for those who want to reach out and help: don’t ask if your loved one needs something…just do it. Take them food, arrive at their house and say you’re taking them to lunch (give them ample time to get themselves together), take them shopping, go to the grocery store for them, bring in take-out. There are numerous low-key ways that you can gently walk with them into the sunlight.

Cherry Chocolate Cake

1 chocolate cake mix

1 can cherry pie filling

1/4 t. baking soda

1/3 cup boiling water

2 eggs

Frosting, regular whipped topping, or chocolate whipped topping

Grease and flour a 9 x 13″ pan. Combine all ingredients and beat with a mixer for 2 minutes. Bake for 40 minutes at 350° or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool. Frost or dollop whipped topping on individual pieces just before serving.