Four Barn-Door Holes

Winter isn’t my favorite season. I don’t ski or skate, and I detest snowmobiles. I’ve never gone ice fishing, but I suspect I wouldn’t like it. I hate driving in winter weather and I’m not a fan of shoveling snow. One of the things I dislike most about this time of year is I’m cooped up in the house with so many smelly things: dirt laundry, the cat’s litter box, yesterday’s tuna casserole, a bad onion or potato the bottom of the bin. Frequent cleaning helps. So does a nice potpourri in the slow cooker. Throw in an orange peel, a cut-up apple, two cinnamon sticks, a tablespoon of whole cloves, a tablespoon each of vanilla extract and almond extract and a few cups of water. Cover and set on low. By the time you’re done cleaning the kitty litter, taking out the trash and folding the laundry, the whole house will smell wonderful.

Nine Old Italian Blocks

“The Apostle Paul taught the Corinthians about some of the many different spiritual gifts available, such as faith or healing. He instructed them to ‘covet earnestly the best gifts.’ It might be hard to wrap your brain around the idea that coveting can be a good thing, but in this case it can be. We’re instructed to look at some of the spiritual gifts we see in others and ask God to bless us with that same gift. Our hope in doing so should be to better serve others and build God’s kingdom. There are so many gifts—many more than you’ll find in the scriptures. Patience is a spiritual gift. So is optimism and courage and being a peacemaker. Elder Larry R. Lawrence taught: ‘I sometimes visualize a large storehouse up in heaven, completely filled with spiritual gifts, available to all Saints who have the faith to ask for them. Unfortunately, not too many are asking, so the storehouse is always overstocked.’” – David Dickson

Hole in the Barn Door

I have a confession to make. If I’m making a big batch, I don’t wash potatoes by hand. I don’t take a scrub brush to each and every individual Idaho russet before popping them in the oven. Who has that kind of time? I let my dishwasher do the dirty work for me. I empty the dishwasher and fill it with unwashed spuds. I let the full cycle run, then I prick the potatoes, rub them with olive oil and salt, then bake at 400F for an hour. I’ve heard there are lots things you can COOK in the dishwasher, such as poached salmon, lasagna, soft-boiled eggs, even barbecued ribs. I’m told since these foods are all hermetically sealed in foil, you can actually wash dishes at the same time, detergent and all. I may someday be brave enough to try using my dishwasher to cook, but NOT with dishes and detergent. Nope. Not going there.

Four Old Italians

I’ve always been a sucker for a good story. Thirteen months ago I read about a homeless veteran giving up his last $20 to rescue a young woman who ran out of gas in a dodgy part of Philadelphia. I couldn’t wait to share how she repaid his help with a GoFundMe account. Donations flew in, proving I’m not the only one who loves a good tale. Then in September we learned the veteran, the woman and her boyfriend were fighting over how the money should be spent. Now it appears the whole thing was a scam. The three of them cooked up a lie about a down-on-his-luck good Samaritan to pull at peoples’ heart strings and yank open their wallets. The only good thing about this fairy tale is it has a happy ending, for the donors at least. All the money - $400,000 – has been returned.

Four Nine-Patch Blocks

Oatmeal Meatloaf

 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (We’ve also used turkey)

 3/4 cup uncooked oatmeal

 3/4 cup minced onion

 1/2 cup catsup

 1 egg, lightly beaten

 1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (If you’re out, you can always use soy sauce)

 2 cloves minced garlic

 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt

 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

  

Heat oven to 350F. Combine all ingredients in large bowl; mix lightly but thoroughly. Use a bread pan to shape meatloaf; unmold onto a cookie sheet or broiler pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until meatloaf is no longer pink in center and juices show no pink color. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Cover and refrigerate leftovers promptly and use within 2 days, or wrap airtight and freeze up to 3 months. I’m told leftovers make wonderful meatloaf sandwiches, but we never seem to have any.

Old Italian Block

I’ve been dealing with an uncooperative knee for months now. I’m not sure if it’s RA, an injury that’s taking a LONG time to heal, or something else. I’ve tried KT tape, RICE, NSAIDs and turmeric. Several friends have recommended avoiding wheat to reduce the pain and stiffness. That sounds less unpleasant (and less expensive) than seeing a doctor, so I’ll try it a week or two and see what happens. I’ve looked through my weekly menus from 2018 and was surprised to see many meals I cook are already wheat-free. I think the key word here is “cook.” When you eat out or use convenience foods from the store, you’ll find there’s almost always wheat used as a filler or thickening agent. When you prepare foods from scratch at home, you control exactly what goes into everything you make. It’s more work, of course, but if it means walking pain-free again, totally worth it.

Nine-Patch Block

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky, The flying cloud, the frosty light. 

The year is dying in the night; Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

The year is dying in the night; Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old; ring in the new. Ring, happy bells, across the snow.

The year is going; let him go. Ring out the false; ring in the true.

The year is going; let him go. Ring out the false; ring in the true.

Ring in the valiant men and free, The larger heart, the kindlier hand. 

Ring out the darkness of the land; Ring in the Christ that is to be.

Ring out the darkness of the land; Ring in the Christ that is to be.

  

-          Alfred Lord Tennyson