Good evening! Hope you had a great and successful day - whatever you were doing. Just wanted to visit a few minutes, give you a recipe, and share a wonderful story! Just think - maybe perhaps with God's will - we will go from 104 today to - I hope, hope, hope - 84! Won't that be a wonderful relief!!!
Monday night I cooked dinner - first time in a long time because Travis starts saying "oh don't heat the house!!!" I had been wanting to cook hamburgers with Hatch chilies since they are in season and that is what I did! Hatch would have been proud of my meal!! I took a pound of 96-4% fat meat (very lean) and combined it with chopped red onion, chopped roasted green chilies (about 2), and 2 garlic cloves, pressed. I also added Penzey's Fresh Ground Black pepper and then formed 4 patties to be grilled. On really lean meat, I usually add a couple tablespoons of olive oil but decided to try something else. In lieu of olive oil, I sprayed the grilling hamburger peppers with apple juice -- thus very moist patties. I heated hamburger buns, added a slice of low fat cheese, topped with tomato and a slice of roasted Hatch chilies. They really were delicious - had to make myself stop with a half!! Then I did creamed corn with Hatch chilies and sauted red onion and a minced Jalapeno. Added milk and half and half cream and it was really good! I am having creamed corn for the Wednesday meal next week at church, but will omit Hatch Chilies, jalapenos, and onion because so many people don't want anything spicy! So here is the recipe I will make for next week. This recipe make approximately 50 servings so I will probably double it -- and you will probably want to half it or quarter it!
RUDY'S CREAMED CORN
4 lbs. frozen sweet corn
2 -8 oz. blocks cream cheese, diced into 1 inch squares
1 stick (4 oz.) of salted butter
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Throw all the ingredients, without any sort of ceremony or circumstance, into a crockpot on medium or low for at least 4 hours. If you need it done faster, cook it on the stove or on high in crocpot, but be prepared to sacrifice a little of the savory goodness that results when corn is allowed to soak in dairy for hours. All of the cream cheese pieces should be completely melted and will easily break down and combine with the cream and butter to make the 'gravy.'
Do not over salt. There is plenty of salt in the butter and cream cheese. Over salting will ruin the dish.
Enjoy!!
Well that is the recipe I will share tonight and now for the wonderful heart felt story!
The Sandpiper
by Robert Peterson
She was sixx years old when I first met her on the beach near where I live. I drive to this beach, a distance of three or four miles, whenever the world begins to close in on me. She was building a sand castle or something and looked up, her eyes as blue as the sea. "Hello," she said. I answered with a nod, not really in the mood to bother with a small child. "I'm building," she said. " I see that. What is it?" I asked not really caring. "Oh I don't know. I just like the feel of sand." That sounds good, I thought, and slipped off my shoes. A sandpiper glided by. "That's a joy," the child said. "It's a joy. My mama says sandpipers come to bring us joy. The bird went gliding down the beach. Good-bye joy, I muttered to myself, hello pain, and turned to walk on. I was depreseded, my life seemed completely out of balance. "What's your name?" She wouldn't give up. "Robert," I annsered. "I'm Robert Peterson." "Mine's Wendy...I 'm six." "Hi Wendy." She gigled. "You're funny, she said. In spite of my gloom, I laughed too and walked on. "Come again, Mr. P," she called. "We'll have another happy day."
The next few days consisted of a group of unruly Boy Scouts, PTA meetings, and an ailing Mother. The sun was shinning one morning as I took my hands out of the dishwaster. I needed a sandpiper, I said to myself, gathering up my coat.
The ever changing balm of the seashore awaited me.. The breese was chilly but I strode along, trying to recapture the serenity I needed.
"Hello Mr. P," she said. "Do you want to play?" "What did you have in mind?" I asked, with a twinge of annoyance. "I don't know. You say."
"How about charades?" I asked sarcastically.
The tinkling laughter burst forth again. "I don't know what that is." "Then let's just walk."
Looking at her, I noticed the delicate fairness of her face. "Where do you live" I asked.
"Over there." She pointed toward a row of summer cottages. Strange I thought, in winter.
"Where do you go to school?" "I don't go to school. Mommy says we are on vacation." She shattered little girl talk as we strolled up the beach, but my mind was on other things. When I left for home, Wendy said it had been a happy day. Feeling surprisingly better, I smiled at her and agreed.
Three weeks later, I rushed to my beach in a state of near panic. I was in no mood to even greet Wendy, I thought I saw her mother on the porch and felt like demanding she keep her child at home.
"Look. if you don't mind," I said crossly when Wendy caught up with me, "I'd rather be alone today." She seemed unusuallly pale and out of breath.
"Why?" she asked.
I turned to her and shouted, "Because my mother died." and thought My God why was I saying this to a little child?
"Oh," she said quietly, then this is a bad day."
"Yes," I said, "and yesterday and the day before and --oh go away.!"
"Did it hurt?" she inquired.
'Did what hurt?" I was exasperated with her, with myself.
"When did she died?"
"Of course it hurts!" I snapped, misunderstanding, wrapped up in myself. I strode off.
A month or so after that, when I next went to the beach, she wasn't there. Feeling guilty, ashamed, and admitting to myself I missed her, I went up to the cottage after my walk and knocked at the door. A drawn looking young woman with honey- colored hair opened the door.
"Hello, " I said, "I'm Robert Peterson. I missed your little girl today and wondered where she was."
"Oh yes, Mr. Peterson, please come in. Wendy spoke of you so much. If she was a nuisance, please accept my apologies."
"Not at all--! she is a delightful child." I said, suddenly realizing that I meant what I had just said.
"Wendy died last week, Mr. Peterson. She had leukenia. Maybe she didn't tell you."
Struck dumb, I groped for a chair. I had to catch my breath.
"She loved the beach, so when she asked to come, we couldn't say nol
She seemed so much better hereand had a lot of what she called happy days.
But the last few weeks, she declined radidly..."'
Her voice faltered, "She left something for yhou, if only I can find it. Could you wait a moment while I look?"
I nodded stupidly, my mind racing for something to say to this lovely young woman. SHe handed me a smeared envelope with "MR." printed in bold childish letters..Inside was a drawing in bright crayon hues-- a yellow beach, a blue sea, and a brown bird. Underneath was carefully printed:
A SANDPIPER TO BRING YOU JOY.
Tears welled up in my eyes, and a heart that had almost forgotten to love opened wide. I took Wendy's mother in my arms. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," I uttered over and over, and we wept together. The precious little picture is framed now and hangs in my study. Six words-- one for each year of her--- that speak to me of harmony, courage, and undemanding love.
A gift from a child with sea blue eyes and hair the color of snad -- who taught me the gift of love.
NOTE: This is a true story sent out by Robert Peterson. IT happened over 20 years ago and the incident changed his life forever. IT serves as a reminder to all of us that we need to take time to enjoy living and life and each other.
The price of hating other human beings is loving oneself less.
Life is so complicated, the hustle and bustle of everyday traumas can make us focus about what is truly important or what is only a momentary setback or crisis..
This week, be sure to give your loved ones an extra hug, and by all means, take a moment,...even if it is only 10 seconds to stop and smell the roses.
Hope you loved this and it make you feel moist at the corner of your eyes and remember the ones you love. Talk soon!!!
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