EASY BREEZY DESERT

I have an easy recipe for a light summer dessert with strawberries and blueberries. At this time of the year they are bursting with flavor. After hulling and halving the strawberries, place them in a bowl and sprinkle with 2 tablespoon powdered sugar and 1/3 cup of your favorite liquor ( cognac, brandy etc.) let it stand for an hour. This application draws out the juices from the strawberries and produces thick and tasty syrup. Add blueberries to this mixture. Place a slice of pound cake or angel food cake on a plate and put the berry mixture over the cake with a dollop of ice cream or whipped cream and pour the syrup over everything. Peaches can be substituted for strawberries. It is soo DELICIOUS... .

WORDS! WORDS!! WORDS!!!

Did you ever think about the English language? I did and I became more confused than ever. Like why do we "park" in the "driveway" but drive in the "parkway"? When we a have "yard or garage sale", are we selling our yard or garage? How about the "hot dog"? Are we eating a dog that's hot? Why does a" night cap "mean a drink before bedtime but not something we wear to bed? Anyway, my interest in the language takes me back to the etymology and pun on words. For instance "Palindrome" refers to a word or text that can be read the same back words, like "Mom" or "Wow". "Portmanteau word" refers to a blend of words like "Brunch" (breakfast and lunch) and "Smog"(smoke and fog). And then there are words that are pronounced the same but have completely different meanings and spellings.They are referred to as "Homophones" like, "Maid made the the bed" "Reigns are rained on" etc. "Neologism" on the other hand refers to a made-up or coined word. For example, "My dog Ginger was so human like I nick named her "Hominique".

No matter how much quirkiness we find in a language it is a skill that one should master to be able to communicate more effectively with one another. After all, many world famous authors have mastered this art. Thus we have literary classics and linguistic masters.

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE.

My husband is an avid reader. Whenever he has time and whatever he can get his hands on be it history, fiction non- fiction, best sellers, bad sellers, sports, he'll read . Recently he came across an article about Mark Twain and found his books in our little library among his saved books from his high school ( yes we even have books from his childhood). Anyway I asked him to write me an article about his latest find and here it is:

Approaching age 60, I recently read for the first time both "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", the 19th century classical literary works written by Mark Twain. For some reason, they were never required reading in the schools I attended and I never had an interest to read them on my own.

I was inspired to do so by a recent article I read in "Time" magazine about the life and legacy of Mark Twain ( nee Samuel Clemens) the great American writer. It peaked my interest to read these books. I found both books in my library, apparently having owned them for many years, oxidizing and unread. Once started I could not stop reading them. Each is a masterfully written exciting tale about the adventures of young men living in the USA circa the mid 1800's. Not only did each entertain me with its clever writing style, each also gave me a vivid portrait of American life, culture and society in that bygone era.

Although I regret not having read these great American classics earlier in my life, it just goes to show you that it's NEVER TOO LATE.

THE POWER OF BELIEF

Years ago I used to visit an old church near my high school. Whenever I had a pressing issue I would go there and light a candle. The name of that church was San Antoine. I am not one who follows organized disciplines or views of religion. I follow my heart. I said prayers at different houses of worship. I believe that everything that is said with a pure heart is a prayer. Anyway few years ago I was leafing through the mail and I came across a piece of mail asking for donation. Among various donation requests we received this one stood out. This was St. Anthony (San Antoine) . I mailed in my donation along with a request for prayers for an acquaintance who was going through difficult time. A few weeks later the same card appeared with a medallion in it. All of a sudden I had a flash back. I realized that one particular wish that I had made years ago had come through, so I send in a donation. I received another medallion. I then decided that as long as I have a medallion I would give it to someone who needed encouragement and hope. Recently one of my husband's client's came to the office and told us about the battle she was going through with cancer. Being a cancer survivor myself I tried to counsel her. I hesitated to give her a medallion only because she was of a different religious persuasion. Nevertheless with the medallion and a prayer card in my hand I approached her and just as I was about to explain her my story, she saw the card and joyfully rose from her chair and exclaimed that she was looking for St. Anthony prayers and medallion. I was speechless. She took the them from me with gratitude and tears in her eyes. I had tears in my eyes also.

I leave my story to the reader's interpretation and imagination. People can deduce what they want and I respect that. Here is a brief summary of St. Anthony's life.

He was born in 1195 in Lisbon, Portugal. He was ordained in the early 1200's. His sermons were noted for their eloquence and persuasiveness. In 1226 he settled in Padua, Italy where he tirelessly worked to help the poor and the sick. He died at the age of 36 in 1231. He was canonized a saint the year following his death and declared Doctor of the Church in 1946 by Pope Pius XII. He is known as the "Miracle Worker".

SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Would you believe that this is not spaghetti ??. Well, it isn't. It is spaghetti squash. It is a vegetable which when prepared tastes and looks like its pasta counterpart. Great for vegetarians and it is a novel and fun way to feed children their vegetables. Here is the easy recipe.


1 spaghetti squash cut in half and seeded. Turn fleshy side down on a oven tray lined with aluminium foil and brush the rind with olive oil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes (depending on your oven). Wait until cool to touch then with a fork gently scrape away the flesh from its rind on to a platter. Put a ladle full (or more) pasta sauce on top, grate your favorite cheese. You'll receive kudos from your family and friends with this surprise dish. ENJOY.

ALEX THE CAT

My next door neighbor's cat Alex
doesn't go out much. He is thirteen years old but he looks much younger. He is a beautiful tabby cat (but I still remain faithful to my GINGER's memory). Tonight when Alex graced us with his presence I was able to take some nice pictures of him. I caught him in between his "meows" he looks like he is telling me that he had just about enough of this picture taking !!

GARDEN FLOWERS

You could make a beautiful floral arrangement with your garden flowers. Just trim the flower stems under running water to keep them fresh longer. Running water stops air from getting into stems, thus making them stay fresh. If you stick the stems through the leaves of the other flowers you don't need a florist's sponge to keep them upright. Tie a pretty bow on a simple vase and voila' you have an expertly arranged bouquet.

I also dry cut lavender flowers in small vases with a pretty bows tied around their stems in different rooms all summer long. Once they dry I put the dried flowers in a small sachet bags and hang them either in my linen or dress closet. To retain their sweet scent longer I roll the bag gently between my palms.

The picture on the left is lavender, the picture on the right is lilac from the begining of the season. The lavender sachet next to the fresh cut flowers is made out of tulle. I thought the colors complemented my theme. Lilacs have sweet scent but they don't last long in vases. I've tried different methods to keep them longer unfortunately they have a short life span indoors.