Caribbean Lentils

from our Carpenteria, CA family vacation, August 2011

First, make a fragrant broth with the following ingredients:

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 large carrot (peeled and grated)

1/2 large sweet onion, chopped

5 whole sprigs (stems and leaves) cilantro

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 teaspoons brown sugar

2 cups chicken broth

juice of 1/2 small lime

1/4 teaspoon each of cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, salt and black pepper (if you like it spicey, you can also add 1/4 tsp of (optional) cayenne pepper)

1/8 teaspoon of Sumac (optional)  (you can substitute Curry Powder)

Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer about 30-60 minutes (until vegetables are soft).  Remove the cilantro stems (if leaves fell off, that’s OK, you can leave them).  Mash all the vegetables until fine and incorporated evenly throughout the broth.  Add more chicken broth to bring total volume to 2 cups.

When the broth/veggie mixture is finished – THEN add 1 cup dried lentils (I prefer the orange colored ones). Cook at low temperature until liquid is absorbed and lentils are soft (add more chicken broth, if needed, to allow enough liquid to be absorbed – do not let the lentils dry out and burn on the bottom).  The final consistency will be like a thick oatmeal.  Can be served plain as a main or side dish ( you can also add a dollop of sour cream or greek yogurt just before serving).

 

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As promised, here is the script for our 2011 Family Play:

REDEMPTION ISLAND  (click on link to open)

Also, some photos for your (laughable) enjoyment.  We all made our own treasure chest and made most of our own costumes and props.  It was a fun time!

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Dedication

This blog is dedicated to my family – you are the source of my pride and strength.

                                I am not much of a gardener, but I am proud to have nurtured the branches and roots of our family tree.     

                                                     I am not much of a navigator, but I am confident that we will always find our way when we follow our hearts.                         

                                                      I am not much of a seamstress, but the fabric that is our family can always be mended and forever will be a strong bonded seam.

                                 I am not much of a musician, but the melodies of your voices and laughter fill me with joy.     

                                                 I am not much of an artist, but the brush strokes, of each of you, color my canvas with beauty.         

                                           I am not much of a negotiator, but my love, for all of you, is unconditional.

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Remembering the people and events in our lives keeps us connected to our past and encourages us to create new memories in our future.  The silliest things make the most lasting memories and those stories are told over and over again with affection and laughter.  Even sad events give us memories and teach us lessons, if we are willing to learn… All of the building blocks of a solid family, (Traditions, Celebrations and Encouragement) are enriched by Reminiscing.  It keeps us focused on the good and goofy and grim (but useful) events that make us who we are.

By reminiscing we can re-live special moments and re-kindle emotions of the past.  We can re-connect with loved ones who have passed or are otherwise away from us.  Most importantly, we can travel along the lines that connected us in the past so that we can strengthen the lines we build today.

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Many of our most pleasant memories are of travel to many varied destinations and experiences that have given us great joy and are the subject matter at many family gatherings or conversation while on another one of our road trips.

Clam-digging, extreme sunburns, first love and deep-sea fishing in Cape Hatteras; delicious beef-in-beer ribs and my young brother Rick’s encounter with a magician at Busch Gardens (“I saw how you did that!”); the giant Ferris wheel, roller-coasters and vanilla custard with French-fries and vinegar at Cedar Point; Pirates of the Caribbean and watching my brother Phil hula at the Polynesian restaurant in Disneyland; Thanksgiving turkey legs on the curb to watch the Electric Light Parade at DisneyWorld; running from “monsters” at Knott’s Scary Farm; wolves outside the tent, bears in our food and trying to make Chinese noodles by twisting and banging rather than cutting in Mammoth; taking the train to Grand Canyon and getting upgraded to first-class; our son and his Grandpa driving to Oregon for college; and watching thunderstorms then wimping out for a motel room at Cave Lake are a few of our many cherished family adventures.

Coming from a small town where extensive travel was not the norm, we boasted about our quests to those less adventurous than we.  I suspected that many envied our sense of adventure and experiences.  It occurred to me, many years later, that what they really envied the most was our unique sense of family and togetherness.  I credit those trips as part of the glue that kept us close in a time when divorce and estrangement became popular alternatives for many.  Those
experiences shared and challenges met helped us understand and support each other and to be tolerant of our differences and to celebrate our accomplishments and band together in trying times. They helped build many strong bonds that have served us well over many years to follow.  While expanding our interest and understanding of other regions and people, we learned the importance of coming home.

We never understood how very special those bonds of love, home and belonging were because they came rather easily to us all.  I credit our parents for that.  It was important to them that we worked through the bad times and worked equally hard at creating good times.  Not until I was a parent myself, did I even begin to appreciate how difficult and special those values really are.

We try to generate more lasting memories by taking an annual “family vacation” and also to take shorter jaunts together throughout the year. Yes, we have to coordinate schedules and vacations and we sometimes run into a rough patch when personalities clash, but all in all, we pull it off and enjoy each others’ company.  My Dad and I are both now retired and have the luxury of taking more continuous time off to take cross-country excursions.  Many memories and bonds are formed during those trips and I will be sharing some with all of you in the future.

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Everyone has dreams and goals. We all appreciate it when others sincerely support our efforts and encourage us. Everyone has their ups and downs.  We appreciate it when others stop to help us as best they can.  These concept are SO SIMPLE, yet we often find the execution so difficult.  Maybe it is the distraction of day to day responsibilities or being absorbed in our own issues – but often, it takes an extra effort to break away from our self-centered existence and draw a line to another dot in our family-tree.

We can support each other in many different ways.  There is moral support when someone is feeling down; emotional support if they have suffered a loss or blow; or financial support to take some pressure off another as you are able.  We can also encourage our family members by attending their games, performances and events; recognizing their talents and abilities; bragging about them; and providing infrastructure and opportunities to succeed.  Again, obvious concepts that often take a conscious effort on our part to execute.

One of my personal regrets is that I did not ackowledge or take enough of an active interest in my Mom’s compositions and posts.  She was quite the avid writer and always wanted to share her works with me, but there was always something in the way – work, kids, laziness.  Only after her passing, did I take the time to read every post and manuscript to see her talent and passion for the written word.  Too little, too late – I never got to tell her how much I enjoyed them and she never had the satisfaction of seeing me appreciating her effort.  However, it did teach me a lesson about the importance of not letting future opportunites with the rest of my family go down the same sad path.

Our family has MANY stories of encouragement and support that I will share as time goes on.  The first was years in the making and will likely be appreciated by those of you who have experienced the evolution of a GARAGE BAND…

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This is the first in the series of stories which illustrate the role of encouragement and support in keeping a family strong and connected.

As young teens, my brothers and some friends had an affinity to music and aspired to be Rock Stars.  At first presentation, this sounds so simple, but in execution the logistics can be problematic.  First, you need some financial backing for instruments and possibly lessons and associated equipment.  Then, you need a secure place to store it all; vehicles to haul it all.  Worst of all, you need a TOLERANT place to practice – loudly and repetitively!

My parents met this hierarchy of needs – even to the point that they had no functional “garage”, so a den in the house had to be sacrificed.  Just think how annoying that must have been – but it was done with love and support in their heart.  I was away at college during this time, so I was spared.  I suspect at their young age, the band members did not really appreciate the sacrifices being made – but the privileges were given freely without expectation of appreciation.  The goal was to help them succeed in their dream. Many years passed, as did band names, members and enthusiasm. But, every time the phoenix arose from the ashes, my parents were in support.

Recently, The Roof Rats have come upon a successful mix of members and have been playing local gigs for real money.  The success of today is linked to the support of the past. As a result, we have all become more connected. We show up for just about every performance and talk them up everywhere we go.  Dad beams like a light-bulb as he watches his sons’ dreams become a reality and has great pride in their talent and accomplishments. Mom is doing the same from her cloud in the sky, I am sure.

 

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As promised, here is the first of many more to come delicious recipes from our Mom’s cookbook, “I Smell a Memory”.  The recipes below are VERY EASY and would be fun to make with small children (not as an ingredient…as a helper).  These recipes aspire to the KISS principle and may even get you a real kiss in the meantime from someone that you love. 
 
PARTY
FOR A PRINCESS
RECIPES
 
Bologna Spread Triangles (makes
about 1 quart of spread)
 

½ LB. BOLOGNA – 3 STALKS CELERY – 1 C
SWEET PICKLE RELISH
1 TSP PAPRIKA – 1 C MAYONNAISE
Run everything but the mayo through a fine food grinder twice -or- process in food processor until fine but not liquid. Cut Whole Bologna into pieces before use.Put the fine mixture into a mixing bowl and add the mayo. Mix with a wooden spoon until all is a smooth, moist, spreading consistency.

Trim crusts from fresh bread (wheat and white are nice). Spread one slice of bread thickly with mix, top with another slice, and cut corner to corner into four small triangles. Cover and refrigerate up to three hours. You can use 2 slices white or wheat, or one slice of each per sandwich. A variety is pretty.

 

Peanut and Jelly Fingers
2 C Creamy or Crunchy
Peanut Butter at room temperature ( or 1 cup of each)
½ C Grape Jelly — ½ C Mint Jelly

Mix Grape Jelly into one cup of the Peanut Butter, and the Mint Jelly into the other cup, blending well.

Trim crusts from fresh bread (wheat and white are nice). Spread once slice of bread thickly with mix, top with another slice, and cut into three equal ‘fingers’.

You can use 2 slices white or wheat, or one slice of each per sandwich. A variety is pretty. Cover and refrigerate up to two hours.

 

Creamy Banana Nut Bread Circles
1 loaf of your own Banana Nut Bread (or 1 Cylinder can of commercial brand)

8 oz Whipped Cream Cheese

4 oz. Crushed Pineapple, drain well, reserve juice

2 T Mayonnaise — 2 T Reserved Juice

4 drops Yellow Food Coloring

Cream together the Mayo, Pineapple Juice, and softened Cream Cheese, until well blended and creamy.  Mix in the drained Crushed Pineapple. Add food coloring 1 drop at a time, until desired color. Mixture must be room temperature to be soft enough to spread easily on banana nut bread.

If using your own nut bread, cut thin slices and then use a whiskey glass or other small cutter to cut round circles (small, shaped cookie cutters would also work well).

When using cylindar can of bread, just remove the roll of bread from the can and slice thinly.

Spread one circle thickly with filling, top with another circle. Continue until all is used up. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

 

Royal Gelatin Salad
This can be any gelatin salad or dessert that you prefer. It got its name from using Royal Gelatin. I believe it was a simple CHERRY GELATIN with SLICED BANANAS, PINEAPPLE CHUNKS and cut-up MARSHMALLOWS in it. (No mini marshmallows in those days.)

You need to drain the pineapple very well before adding it to the gelatin, but the juice can be measured to replace half of the cold water in the original box recipe, and ginger ale or lemon soda for the rest of the cold water in original recipe. If you have a pretty jello-mold use it, if not a cake dish will do. Cool Whip makes a pretty topping for each serving.

Princess Party Punch
Several Large Envelopes of Cherry or Grape Kool-Aid

2 Quarts of Ginger Ale

1 Orange Sliced — I Lemon Sliced

Ice Cubes — Punch Bowl

Prepare the Kool-Aid according to instructions—Chill overnight.

Chill the unopened Ginger Ale overnight.

To Serve: Put the Chilled Kool-Aid into a punch bowl. Stir in the Chilled Ginger Ale. Add the Ice Cubes. Float the fruit slices on the top.

 
 

 

Posted by GrannyJo at 8:04 PM

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Celebrations are another essential component to successful family connections.  Everybody has a need to be a queen or king for a day.  Even when people say, “don’t make a fuss over me” – they secretly want to have others celebrate their occasions and accomplishments (big or small, it doesn’t matter).  It doesn’t have to be an elaborate affair, but acknowledgment of those that you love means alot to one’s self-worth and helps to keep those DOTS CONNECTED.

I am very fortunate to come from a family with a legacy of celebrations.  Dots started to connect way before I was born.  I am sharing a story that my mother wrote about her 6th birthday party – a party that she remembered and cherished for decades.  The story gives a nice outline for a super kids party – but more importantly, it reveals the underlying message of the “Celebrations” section of this blog:  taking the time to honor and recognize those we love will build memories and bonds that last a lifetime.  So, with tears in my eyes, I turn over the rest of today’s Celebrations blog to the “Six Party” (as told by my Mom).

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Sixty-Five Long Years AgoImage Hosted by ImageShack.us
 
I Was A
Little PrincessAnd This Was My “Six-Party” 

 

PARTY FOR A PRINCESS

Somehow, my mother always made me feel I was the most important little girl in her
world. She never went out of her way to spoil me, yet she never missed doing the
loving “extras”. I can only hope that I have left the same feeling in my family that she left with me as I remember those early years. Like any youngster, the prime day of
the year for me was my birthday, which fell on April 2. No fool was I, but darn
close!! Mom played right along with my feeling of being special and executed a
big party for me every birthday for thirteen years. I’m sure there were family
celebrations after that, but she produced the traditional ‘invitations/decorations’ type
until I was in the seventh grade.

It came to pass that about two months before my sixth birthday, I went into the princess stage of my young life. I would dress up in one of Mom’s old dresses, put a
small pie tin on my head for a crown and proceed to reign over all the dolls at
my command. One morning in the middle of March, I woke up with the idea that I
should have a gown for my upcoming ‘six-party’. I spent the day working over Mom
and my aunt, Helen, trying to make them see that this was a great idea for a
princess. Finally Aunt Helen went up to her closet and took down a
blue taffeta gown that she had worn in a wedding several years before. “I guess
we could cut this down, don’t you think?” she asked my mother. “Yes! Yes!
Yes!” I yelled, hopping madly around the both of them. Mom laughed and
threw her hands up in the air. Out came the sewing machine, scissors and pins,
and soon the two of them had me standing on a table, all pinned up and
wide-eyed, listening to them plan my Princess Party. I’ll never forget
it.

They sent out invitations with a silver crown decoration, which
read:

“Your Attendance Is Requested At A Party
For
Princess
Joanne
On The Occasion of Her Sixth Birthday
To Be Held
on
April
2, 1942
At
The Royal Castle on 1010 Main Street”
 

A fever of activity (theirs) and expectation (mine) took over for the next two weeks. I
was beside myself with anticipation! On the big day, silver and blue
streamers wove their way among what seemed like hundreds of balloons that
decorated the rooms of the castle. I greeted my subjects in my lovely
blue taffeta gown and ‘silver’ tiara (left over from New Years Eve), from my
throne in the living room. It’s amazing what an armchair on an orange crate, all
draped with a red quilt, can do for the regal bearing of a six-year-old!

We played London Bridge, Catch the Prince, and Pin the Crown on the Princess–by this time I had descended from the throne to join the masses–until we were all hungry and thirsty. Aunt Helen magically appeared in front of the sliding doors to the dining room and blew three long toots on a toy horn she held in her hand. “The Royal Banquet is served!” she announced. Those were the days when a parent or two brought their child to the party and stayed for the fun, therefore many were the “ooohs and ahhhs” when we were ushered into the Royal Banquet Room for refreshments.

That banquet table: Oh My! It wasn’t a bit ‘Italian’! Tiny triangle sandwiches on sliced “American” bread with special sandwich spread fillings; little circles of banana nut bread sandwiched a luscious cream cheese and pineapple spread; bowls of potato chips and pretzels; Royalty Gelatin Salad; and a sparkling bowl of Princess Party Punch surrounded a huge sheet cake that proclaimed:  HAPPY SIXTH BIRTHDAY TO PRINCESS JOANNE!

When it came time to blow out the candles, I knew that I already had my wish–
A Party For A Princess!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PARTY FOR A PRINCESS**
MENU
(NOTE:  You can view these recipes by going to the
Traditions/”I Smell a Memory”
section of this blog – Enjoy!)
 
BOLOGNA SPREAD TRIANGLES
PEANUT AND JELLY FINGERS
CREAMY BANANA NUTBREAD CIRCLES
POTATO CHIPS ““ PRETZEL STICKS
ROYALTY GELATIN SALAD
BLOW OUT THE CANDLES BIRTHDAY CAKE
PRINCESS PARTY PUNCH

**With just a little bit of ingenuity, this
can be turned into a delightful party for a little Prince

 

Posted by GrannyJo at 8:04 PM

 

 

 

 


 

 

 


 

 

 


 

 

 


 

 

 


 

 

 


 

 

 


 

 

 


 

 

 


 

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