Four Jewel Boxes

 

In England, they’d classify this as an onion chutney or onion pickle. Between the caramelized onion, balsamic vinegar and brown sugar, it’s definitely sweet enough to call “jam.” It’s a great accompaniment to almost any meat. Especially good with leftover turkey, in or out of a sandwich. But my favorite way to use it is over toasted baguette slices, with melted raclette on top.

 

Onion Jam

 

3 fairly large onions, quartered and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 – 4 tablespoons vegetable stock

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Salt to taste (if the stock was salt-free)

 

Sauté onions in oil over medium-low heat, stirring, until they’re soft and golden. Add remaining ingredients. Continue cooking over low heat until dark and syrupy. Cover and refrigerate for up to a week.

Three-Inch Churn Dash Blocks

 

“Jesus’ compassionate acts were not based on a list of tasks to be completed but expressions of His pure love for God and His children. Jesus was able to identify people’s needs even at a distance. It is not surprising that immediately after healing a certain centurion’s servant, Jesus traveled from Capernaum to the city called Nain. There, Jesus performed one of the most tender miracles of His earthly ministry when He commanded a dead young man, only son of a widowed mother, to rise and live. Jesus sensed not only the intense suffering of that poor mother but also the difficult circumstances of her life, and He was moved by genuine compassion for her. Just like the widow of Nain, many people within our circle are seeking comfort, attention, inclusion, and any help that we can offer them. We all can be instruments in the Lord’s hands and act compassionately toward those in need, just as Jesus did.” – Elder Ulisses Soares

Economy Block

 

Last autumn, during post-season clean-up, park ranger Tom Mazzarisi found a soggy Teddy bear along the Hidden Lake Trail in Montana’s Glacier National Park. The tiny bear had seen better days. Items like this normally end up in the rubbish bin, but Tom couldn’t bring himself to toss Teddy. They spent the winter together, and come spring, Teddy rode the dashboard of Tom’s patrol truck. Teddy had been Naomi Pascal’s when she lived in an Ethiopian orphanage. Her new family sent him to her while she waited to be adopted. Teddy had been by her side through family trips to Rwanda, Croatia and Greece. When Naomi and Teddy lost each other, friends and family turned to social media to get them back together. A woman who’d seen their posts spotted Teddy in Tom’s truck, and the girl and her bear were soon reunited. Their family sent Tom a new bear who’ll ride in his truck next spring.

Three-Inch Nine-Patch Blocks

 

I once saw a kitchen plaque that said, “Today’s menu: Take it or Leave it!” It made me chuckle, but I’ve learned the secret to feeding a picky family is to offer lots of choices. One of my most successful dinners when my own kids were small was Hawaiian Haystacks: rice and chicken with gravy and a variety of toppings like Chow Mein noodles, pineapple, onion, olives, bell peppers, toasted almonds, cheese and tomatoes. A couple of weeks ago I served quesadillas. They’re essentially grilled cheese sandwiches using flour tortillas instead of bread. Along with shredded cheddar, I stuffed them with pulled rotisserie chicken (chopped very fine, because my granddaughter isn’t an avid meat eater). Once they were toasted on both sides, I sliced them and served them with do-it-yourself toppings: salsa, sour cream, guacamole, scallions, tomatoes, black olives, and bell peppers. Dinner was a hit, and the leftovers became a lovely Denver omelet the next morning.

Tom Turkey Table Runner

 

It was November 24, ten years ago. We were enjoying our last lovely autumn in North Yorkshire. Christmas decorations and lights had been up for several weeks already; a very good thing, as sunset was falling earlier every afternoon. It was one of John’s days off. Instead of running errands, we decided to spend the day in York – our very favorite place – doing some of our favorite things. We parked near the Viking Museum and wandered through Marks and Spencer on our way to the Shambles. We hiked the city wall. We visited the Disney Store and Bettys, and a Christmassy nutcracker shop. Tea time found us at Nando’s, munching on pita wedges with hummus, olives and Peri-Peri chicken. We were just wondering if we’d left room for dessert when it dawned on us it was Thursday. We’d completely forgotten it was Thanksgiving, and still managed to have the best Thanksgiving ever. Here’s wishing you a great Thanksgiving, too.

Flying Geese

 

Bessie Coleman was born in 1892 in Atlanta, Texas. She was one of 13 children born to Susan and George Coleman, who were both sharecroppers. Her father, who was of Native American and African American descent, left the family when Bessie was very young. Her mother did her best to support the family, and all the children pitched in as soon as they were old enough to help. It was Bessie’s dream to become a pilot, but no flying schools in the United States were open to her. Undeterred, Bessie learned French and moved to France, where her gender and the color of her skin didn’t hold her back. She earned her pilot’s license in just seven months. Bessie’s specialty was stunt flying; she earned a living barnstorming and performing high flying tricks. She was rehearsing for an aerial show when an accident took her life at the age of thirty-four.

Four Turkeys

 

Koko the Gorilla was born in the San Diego Zoo in 1971. Her trainer, Penny Patterson, taught her American Sign Language. At age four, she had a vocabulary of 170 words. Koko lived most of her life in Woodside, California, at The Gorilla Foundation's preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains. She was a media darling, in spite of (or perhaps because of) a debate in scientific circles over whether she was actually “speaking,” or whether Dr. Patterson and others had simply trained a gorilla to perform like any circus animal. A variety of celebrities came to visit Koko at the preserve, including William Shatner, Leonardo DiCaprio, Betty White, Robin Williams and Sting. Perhaps Koko’s favorite visitor was Fred Rogers, who she seemed to recognize from his PBS show. She told him she loved him. Then, as she’d seen him do countless times on TV, Koko removed Mr. Rogers’ shoes. Koko died in her sleep in 2018. She was forty-six.

Four-Inch Red Sails

 

“Let me share two areas of counsel for those with elevated starting points. First, can we show some humility for circumstances we may not have created ourselves? As former BYU president Rex E. Lee quoted to his students, ‘We have all drunk from wells we did not dig, and warmed ourselves by fires we did not build.’ He then called on his students to give back and replenish the educational wells that earlier pioneers had built. Failure to reseed the fields planted by others can be the equivalent of returning a talent without increase. Second, focusing on a high starting point can trap us into feeling we’re thriving when our slope may be stagnant. Harvard professor Clayton M. Christensen taught the most successful people are the humblest because they are confident enough to be corrected by anyone. Even when things appear to be going well, we must seek out opportunities to improve through prayerful petition.” – Elder Clark G. Gilbert

Tom Turkey

 

A month ago, I shared that we’d made pumpkin pie from scratch, following a recipe we’d found stuck to the bottom of a pumpkin. Since then, I’ve had requests for the recipe, but alas, we tossed it. I should have attached the sticker to an index card and filed it. It’s too late for that, but I’ll do my best to recreate it:

 

Pumpkin Pie from Scratch

 

1 medium pie pumpkin (Ours was around 2 pounds.)

3 eggs

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons pie spice

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

1 pre-made pie shell

 

Line a baking sheet with foil. Cut pumpkin in half and scoop out seeds. Place cut side down on sheet and bake at 350F at least an hour. Cool. Discard peel and thoroughly mash pumpkin flesh. Add next six ingredients and blend well. Pour into pie shell and bake at 375F about an hour, until set.

Continental

 

In January 1886, Carl Benz applied for a patent for a vehicle with a gas-powered engine. The following July he turned heads tooling around in his horseless carriage. It had two large spoked wheels in back, a small wheel in front for steering, a seat, and a tiny, four-stroke engine. Most people saw it as a novelty: interesting, but not particularly useful. Two years later, Carl’s wife Bertha decided to change their minds. Without his knowledge or consent, she took Carl’s invention on a road trip from her home in Mannheim to Pforzheim, where she’d been born. Her two sons Eugen (He was fifteen at the time) and Richard (fourteen) went along for the ride. By the time they made it home, she’d driven 180 kilometers (111 miles): the world’s first long-distance automobile trip. When she got back, Bertha recommended adding a third gear for climbing hills, and she suggested installing brake pads.

Four-Inch Checkerboard

 

It’s a musical instrument with a lot of names: armonica, glass harmonium, harmonica de franklin, and bowl organ are just a few. It was one of Benjamin Franklin’s many inventions, conceived after the founding father saw a musician play at Cambridge on a set of water-filled glass wine goblets. Franklin designed a series of graduated glass bowls that rotate on a horizontal spindle. A performer with moist fingers could play it much like a keyboard, with lower notes to his left and higher to his right. Franklin was thrilled by the ethereal sound it made, and by the fact the player had broad control of dynamics (a rarity for musical instruments in the 1700’s). Many people found its music disorienting, and some believed it caused madness, primarily because of the way we perceive sound. Above 4khz we use volume for location. Below 1khz we use phase differences. The armonica plays in a range that confuses the brain.

Illinois

 

When he was born in 1969, his parents named him Sheldon Bergson. He’s described as a “Canadian politician” and “perennial candidate.” While he was a university student, he ran in the federal election as a candidate for the National Party of Canada, which, in spite of its name, lasted less than four years. He received 1% of the vote. Before the February 2016 election, he paid a judge $137 to legally change his name. Sheldon is now Above Znoneofthe. (The Z is silent.) Because candidates’ names are listed alphabetically, with surnames first, every time he appears on a ballot, it will be at the very bottom and be pronounced, “None of the Above.” Most of the articles I’ve found about him only share these few points. But I can infer more: the candidate formerly known as Sheldon is creative, has a good sense of humor, and is probably unmarried. Who’d want to be known as Mrs. Znoneofthe?

Jewel Box

 

Five years ago I posted a recipe for Tuna Noodle Casserole that doesn’t call for canned soup https://mombowe.blogspot.com/2016/11/fish-platter.html. It’s delicious, and well worth the effort. But if you’re pressed for time or don’t have Dijon and Monterey Jack on hand, this will do:

 

Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole

 

1 can (10 1/2 ounces) cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons chopped pimiento (Optional, but don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.)

1 cup peas

2 cans (5 ounces each) tuna, drained

2 cups cooked egg noodles (Other pasta varieties work, too.)

2 tablespoons plain dry bread crumbs

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

 

Preheat oven to 400F. Combine first six ingredients in a large bowl; gently toss. Transfer to a covered baking dish and bake 20 minutes. In a small bowl, mix butter and bread crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over casserole and continue baking about five minutes, until top is golden brown.

Forever Stars

 

“The scriptures speak of a rich young ruler who ran to Jesus and with genuine sincerity asked, ‘What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?’ After reviewing a list of commandments this fellow had faithfully kept, Jesus told the man to sell all his belongings, give the proceeds to the poor, and follow Him. The boldness of this directive caused the young ruler—in spite of his expensive sandals—to get cold feet. He went away sorrowing because, the scripture says, ‘he had great possessions.’ Obviously, this is an important cautionary tale about the uses of wealth and the needs of the poor. But ultimately it is a story about wholehearted, unreserved devotion to divine responsibility. With or without riches, each of us is to come to Christ with the same uncompromised commitment to His gospel that was expected of this young man. In the vernacular of today’s youth, we are to declare ourselves all in.” - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Duck and Ducklings

 

At least once a week, I get to do a sing-along with people who are in their eighties and nineties. There are even a handful of centenarians who cheerfully chime in. What do we sing? “It’s a Good Day” and “I Love Being Here with You” by Peggy Lee; “Bye-Bye Blackbird,” “Has Anybody Seen My Girl?” and “Button Up Your Overcoat” by Ray Henderson; and “Three Coins in the Fountain” and “It’s Been a Long, Long Time” by Sammy Cahn. We sing a lot of “Accentuate the Positive,” “Pennies from Heaven,” and “Catch a Falling Star.” We also cover a slew of Broadway show tunes, especially Rogers and Hammerstein’s. The lyrics are upbeat, and the rhythm gets everyone’s toes tapping. In a couple of weeks, we’ll add “Chestnuts Roasting,” “Home for the Holidays” and “Jingle Bell Rock” into the mix. Because even when you’re ninety-something (maybe especially when you’re ninety-something), it’s important to have something to look forward to.

Four Floating Stars

 

Swedish Meatballs

 

1 pound ground beef

1/4 cup panko-style bread crumbs

1 tablespoon parsley chopped

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 cup onion finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 egg

1 tablespoon olive oil

5 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups beef stock

1 cup cream

1 tablespoon Worcestershire

1 teaspoon Dijon

 

In a large bowl combine ground beef, crumbs, parsley, allspice, nutmeg, onion, garlic powder, pepper, salt and egg. Blend well. Roll into about 16 meatballs. Brown in a large skillet with oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Remove meatballs to a plate; cover. Add remaining butter and flour; whisk until sauce begins to brown. Stir in beef broth and heavy cream. Add Worcestershire and Dijon. Simmer until sauce begins to thicken. Return meatballs to pan. Serve warm over egg noodles, rice or potatoes. We like ours with fingerlings, green beans and lingonberry sauce.

Turley's Inn

 

Many American holidays wander around the calendar. President’s Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day are always on Mondays, so their exact dates are different every year. It’s the same with Thanksgiving (on Thursdays), and Mother’s and Father’s Days (on Sundays). Easter – always on a Sunday – is sometimes in April and sometimes in March. But Veterans Day (notice there’s no apostrophe before the S) is always November 11, regardless of the day of the week when it occurs. That’s because it marks the anniversary of the end of World War I. Major hostilities were formally ended at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918 when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. In case you were wondering, Memorial Day honors those who died in military service. Armed Forces Day is to celebrate those currently serving. And Veterans Day pays homage to anyone who has served in the military.

Floating Star

 

Sesame Street was first aired on November 10, 1969. The show’s target audience was preschoolers – ages three to five. I didn’t quite fit into that demographic, but my sisters and our brother did. I’ve probably seen every episode between 1969 and 1976. It was still running when my own children were old enough to appreciate it, so the Sunny Day theme song was a familiar sound in our house during the 80’s and early 90’s. We were all fascinated by the Sesame Street Muppets: Oscar the Grouch, who lived in a trash can; Cookie Monster, who lost all control at the sight of chocolate chips; Count von Count, who made numbers sound like so much fun; Elmo, who’s been three years old for four decades now; and Big Bird, who stole all our hearts with only one working hand. The show aired on PBS until 2015. My three-year-old granddaughter can catch it today on HBO Max.

Girl Next Door

 

I had leftover Granny Smiths last week. I thought of making Dutch apple pie, but this was easier.

 

Apple Dump Cake

 

2 21-ounce cans apple pie filling (Or homemade. See below.)

15-ounce yellow cake mix

1/2 cup chopped pecans

3/4 cup butter, thinly sliced

 

Spread pie filling in 9x13” pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over the top. Completely cover cake mix with butter slices; dot with pecans. Bake at 350F for 1 hour.

 

Homemade Apple Pie Filling

 

3 to 4 apples

1/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 more tablespoons water

 

Peel, core and slice apples. In a large saucepan, melt butter and cinnamon. Add apples, 3 tablespoons water and sugar. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until slightly soft. Combine cornstarch and remaining water. Add to apple mixture. Continue stirring over medium heat until sauce thickens. You’ll want to double recipe this to make dump cake.

Four Counterpanes

 

“In acknowledging that God loves us perfectly, we each might ask, ‘How well do I love God? Can He rely on my love as I rely on His?’ Would it not be a worthy aspiration to live so that God can love us not just in spite of our failings but also because of what we are becoming? Oh, that He could say of you and me as He said of Hyrum Smith, for example, ‘I, the Lord, love him because of the integrity of his heart.’ Let us remember John’s kind admonition: ‘For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.’ Indeed, His commandments are not grievous—just the opposite. They mark the path of healing, happiness, peace, and joy. Our Father and our Redeemer have blessed us with commandments, and in obeying Their commandments, we feel Their perfect love more fully and more profoundly.” – Elder D. Todd Christofferson

Chloe's Cabin

 

In 2013, in a small town in Romania, fourteen-year-old Cristian Marian Becheanu was heading home from school. Along the way, he saw a crowd gathered and heard the sound of heavy machinery. Three-year-old Gabriel Ruiu had fallen into a well in his family’s yard, and most of the town had gathered for a rescue attempt. Eleven hours passed while men and machinery dug and little Gabriel wailed. The pipe was impossibly narrow and the child was impossibly deep. The solution was an elegant one. Thin-as-a-rail Cristian volunteered to be lowered, head-first into the well with a lamp strapped to his head. When he reached the toddler, he held on tightly and signaled to be pulled back out. The town was so grateful they rewarded Cristian’s bravery with a house and a plot of land. The skinny teenager must be in his twenties by now. If I spoke Romanian, I might be able to tell you how he’s doing.

Counterpane

 

The USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate that belongs to the United States Navy. She is the world's oldest ship of any type still afloat. She was launched in 1797, one of six original ships authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794. Old Ironsides is made primarily of seasoned white oak, which was hard enough to come by in 1794, and darned near impossible to find today. But wood – even seasoned white oak – doesn’t last forever. The Constitution has required several major restorations in its 2 1/4 centuries. So how do they do it? Well, near Crane, Indiana, 150 dedicated white oak trees are spread out over 64,000 acres. The oak trees of “Constitution Grove” are grown for one purpose: to replace the rotting planks of Old Ironsides. Today, only about 10% of the original frigate still exists, making it a real-life “Ship of Theseus.”

Crystal's Star

 

Colin Powell’s Thirteen Rules:

Rule 1: It ain’t as bad as you think.  It’ll look better in the morning.

Rule 2: Get mad. Then get over it.

Rule 3: Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.

Rule 4: I can be done!

Rule 5: Be careful what you chose. You may get it!

Rule 6: Don’t let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.

Rule 7: You can’t make someone else’s decisions. You shouldn’t let someone else make yours. (This one is HARD, especially when you have to watch people you love make horrible choices.)

Rule 8: Check the small things.

Rule 9: Share credit.

Rule 10: Remain calm and be kind. (Probably the best advice you’ll ever get.)

Rule 11: Have a vision. Be demanding.

Rule 12: Don’t take counsel of your fears or naysayers.

Rule 13: Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier!

Ripples

 

The day before Halloween (All Hallows Eve Eve?) I made a passing comment about the Tylenol tampering murders that confused a few people. I keep forgetting many of my friends were either not born when this happened, or were too young to follow the news. It started late in September 1982, in Chicago. Seven people – three from the same family – died shortly after taking Extra-Strength Tylenol laced with cyanide. At first, it was assumed the medicine had been tainted in production. J & J halted manufacturing and issued dire warnings. Then it was discovered the capsules had been purchased, tampered with, and replaced on shelves. The random (Or were they?) murders spawned a case of extortion, a mistaken-identity shooting, and hundreds of copycat murders and attempts. They changed the way medicines and other products are packaged. Yes, they put a serious damper on trick-or-treating for a while. And the original murderer was never found.

Coronet

 

Early in 1897, several very special street lamps showed up on the streets of London. Like regular street lamps, they burned gas to make the streets safer and easier to navigate at night. But Pluto Lamps also had vending machines at their base. A small coin could get you a quart of hot water in no time. You could also snag a cup of hot coffee, cocoa or even beef broth. Some lamps dispensed cigarettes or picture postcards. The vending machine lamps were terribly convenient and popular. At this point, you’re probably asking yourself the same question I did. Why aren’t there vending machine street lamps everywhere? It might be because London very quickly learned that a small tin slug could buy you a hot drink just as easily as a half-penny coin. Over a thousand pieces of tin were found in one machine that had only been running two months.

Three Inch Churn Dash

 

“The pandemic has demonstrated how quickly life can change, at times from circumstances beyond our control. However, there are many things we can control. We set our own priorities and determine how we use our energy, time, and means. We decide how we will treat each other. We choose those to whom we will turn for truth and guidance. The voices and pressures of the world are engaging and numerous. To avoid the inevitable heartbreak that follows, I plead with you today to counter the lure of the world by making time for the Lord in your life – each and every day. If most of the information you get comes from social or other media, your ability to hear the whisperings of the Spirit will be diminished. If you are not also seeking the Lord through daily prayer and gospel study, you leave yourself vulnerable to philosophies that may be intriguing but are not true.” President Russell M. Nelson