If you are still checking in on me - don't faint! I've thought of so much I've wanted to say - but I don't seem as determined as I was in the beginning - I get sidetracked or after cleaning the kitchen until 9 pm -- I am just too tired and my back hurts continuously! I am finally going for an MRI after a eight days waiting on hospital to schedule! Then I meet with the doctor on Friday morning. Maybe then he will know how to procede. The Celebrax has helped but I don't want to be on it long term!! Oh well- lots more exciting things to tell!!
Tonight I just returned from Hollytree where the Red Cross with the generous help of Woodman of the World hosted a dinner and had Dave Sanderson speak! Who is Dave Sanderson? He was the last person to US Airways Flight 1549 that crashed into the Hudson River on January 15, 2009 with 155 passengers - after staying on the plane to help others off. He wound up in the Hudson River with weather 11 degrees and the water even colder. He was so frozen when he was hauled out - after swimming to the ferry that it took eleven hours to thaw him out! It is an amazing story of God's grace, the New York Waterways, and the American Red Cross. The Red Cross handed him a blanket he credits with saving his life, and gave him sweats to wear when all of his clothes had been cut off - his underwear literally frozen to his body. When he arrived home, he found the CEO of the entire American Red Cross there caring for his family. He told things that I never heard on the news - like the plane was headed straight for the bridge and somehow Captain Sully glided the plane over the bridge - saving 155 lives plus the unknown number of others that would have been on the bridge or nearby. It is an amazing story and Mr. Sanderson is so humble and nice - giving God all of the credit for "The Miracle on the Hudson."
I've had many teary experiences the last couple of weeks! A friend that I haven't known but for a couple of years lost her husband. He died of a very unexpected heart attack and now she is trying to pick up and lead a life without him. That made me think of how close Travis came some years ago when he was waiting on his heart procedure (which showed the artery leading straight to his heart was 99% blocked) and he was working so hard digging a ditch to try and finish a job. The Doctor said he had no idea how why he didn't die out there. Well I can tell him - God had other plans for him - he was not through with him and had work for him to do here on this earth. Then a friend of my mother's passed away. They had a friendship that spanned 65 years and was a beautiful friendship - one only a few people find. It was a sweet, sweet service and we got to briefly visit with her children - some I had not seen for probably 35 years. She was the sister of one of my best friend's husband. After the funeral, they flew off to France for three weeks!
Happy times occured too! We attended ETCA auction and got to visit with lots of people, including good friends, Leeland and Pat Scogins. One of my bank customers was there and he bought several items I had donated, including the loaf of bread and jelly. Only he told me he would buy it if I would trade the jelly for a jar of Mango Salsa. I told him "sure" - anything for ETCA!! So I delivered the salsa yesterday!!
One of the things I donated was the Red Velvet Cake that I mentioned in my last blog. Here is the recipe:
ORIGINAL RED VELVET CAKE
½ Cup Shortening
1-1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. butter flavoring
1 Bottle (1-1/2 oz.) Red Cake Coloring
3 Tablespoons Cocoa
2-1/2 Cups Sifted Cake Flour or All Purpose
1 Cup Buttermilk
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Soda
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 3 –9 inch round pans
Combine shortening and sugar and cream well. Add eggs, flavorings and red coloring. Combine with shortening/sugar mixture.
In separate bowl, combine cocoa, salt and flour. Add soda and vinegar to buttermilk and stir. Add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately to mixing bowl with sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour.
Pour into pans (it will look like there is not enough batter, but just divide evenly – it will rise as it cooks!) Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool about 5 minutes and remove from pans. Allow to completely cool before icing.
ICING
1 Tablespoon flour
½ Teaspoon salt
1 Cup regular milk
1 Cup shortening
1 Cup sugar
2 Teaspoons vanilla flavoring
¼ Teaspoon butter flavoring
Combine flour, salt and milk in small saucepan and cook, stirring constantly until thick. Remove from stove and allow to completely cool. (Very important)
After this is completely cool, add shortening and sugar to mixing bowl and cream until no grains of sugar can be felt. Add the cooled milk mixture and flavorings. Mix well. Frost cooled cake!
NOTE: My cake did not have enough icing to look great - so I made another batch of icing and it turned out beautiful!!!
I made some very good potatoes the other night -- an original!
POTATO MEDLEY
2 OR 3 New red potatoes
2 Purple potatoes
1 Medium Sweet Potato
1 White Russett Potato
1 Purple onion
2 Cloves garlic, minced or pressed (what I do!)
Salt
Pepper
Fox Point Seasoning
1/4 cup white wine
2 - 4 Tablespoons Olive oil
Peel potatoes and cut in bite size cubes. Combine potatoes and season with garlic, Penzey's Fox Point seasoning, salt, pepper, and chopped onion. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large non-stick skillet and pour in potato mixture. Cook and turn potatoes, slightly browning (adding olive oil as needed to keep from sticking. After slightly browned, add white wine and cover. Cook until potatoes are tender. If potatoes start to get dry before getting tender, add a little more wine. No you won't get tippsy eating this - and if you object to using wine - use chicken broth!!
(I served this with creamed fresh spinach and beef cutlets, seasoned and baked and topped with swiss cheese slices.)
Have a wonderful evening and thanks for checking in on me! As Dave Sanderson said his Mom always told him and his sisters: "Do the right thing and God will take care of you!" So - find someone and do the right thing and HELP!!!! If no one comes along in your path, pray and God will send someone or help the Red Cross - every 61 minutes, our local Red Cross helps someone!!
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