Lasting Light Poetry April 22, 2002 Welcome back! I'm glad to have this time to visit with all of you. I wrote a poem for my mother recently. The painting is a beautiful still life by Richard Schmid and I hope you'll enjoy this poem about an unforgettable person in all our lives. Have a look! My Mother http://lastinglight.com/mymother.html My Mother =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= New at Lasting Light ~ I now have all my poetry listed in alphabetical order instead of by category. I was having a problem finding my own poems, so I decided it was time to change this. It's much easier to just relax and browse through the pages. The lastest four poems will have "new" by their title. If you click on "Karen's Poetry" on the homepage it will take you right there. The drop-down menu is still in place as well for easy navigation. Thanks...... Karen's Poetry Page http://lastinglight.com/poetry.html Karen's Poetry Page =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Deja Vu or Maybe New ~ Here are a couple of poems you may have already seen or perhaps they are brand new to you. "Power of A Woman" continues to be a poem very dear to my heart. It's about the positive change a woman makes wherever she may be and the difference she makes in the lives of those she loves. "Gratitude" was written when I recalled how much I had to be thankful for one afternoon. I share them with you again, or maybe for the first time. ~ Power of a Woman http://lastinglight.com/powerofawoman.html Power of a Woman Gratitude http://lastinglight.com/gratitude.html Gratitude =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Deb & Lynn's Spot Deb's newest page.... Mother's Hands http://weeinspirations.com/mothershands.html Mother's Hands Inspirational Gatherings - Lynn's website A gathering of inspiring poems, postcards, angel poems, living with depression and more. http://inspiringyou.com Inspirational Gatherings =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Recipes from the Board ~ These recipes are right off the Lasting Light Poetry Message Board. I'm truly amazed at the variety and creativity of the recipes posted there. You will also find a wealth of sharing, caring, smiles, and many good things. Please take time to visit this wonderful exchange between friends. You can take or leave something of value. Let's cook! ~~ The BEST CHEESECAKE on EARTH ~ Posted by Hart Crust: 3/4 cup chopped walnuts 3/4 cup fine graham cracker crumbs 3 TBS. Melted butter * Mix all together and press into the bottom of a greased (bottom only) 9" springform pan. Filling: 4 pkg. Softened cream cheese 4 eggs 1 1/4 cup sugar 1 TBS. Lemon juice 2 tsp. Vanilla * Mix together and pour on top of crust. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. If you use a smaller springform pan bake 50-55 minutes. Topping: 2 cups sour cream 1/4 cup sugar 1 tsp. Vanilla * Mix together and pour on top of cheesecake right from the oven. Place back in the oven and bake another 5 minutes. Cool on a rack and then refrigerate. This tastes best when made a day ahead of eating. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ~~ Sauerkraut With Sausage ~ Posted by Joni Makes 4 servings 2 cups sauerkraut 3/4 teaspoon caraway seeds 3 strips bacon, diced 1 small onion, chopped ˝ pound smoked sausage, sliced (we used Polish sausage) 2 teaspoons sweet paprika 2 sweet pickles, thinly sliced 4 tablespoons sour cream for garnish, if desired Combine the sauerkraut and caraway in a small sauce pan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside. Heat a heavy skillet. Add the bacon and saute until crisp. Remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the onion and sausage to the skillet and saute until lightly browned. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the paprika. Drain the sauerkraut and add it to the skillet. Add the bacon and pickle and stir to combine. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Serve the sauerkraut topped with sour cream, if desired. My husband is from Pennsylvania and through him I have come to enjoy sauerkraut. This is a Hungarian style recipe. This goes very well with creamy mashed potatoes, chunky applesauce sprinkled with cinnamon and hot crispy bread. When the bacon is frying and then you cook the sausage and onions, it smells sooo good! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Sunday Dinner ~ Posted by Beatrice Come right on in ~ dinner's at six ~ "Cabbage may not be everyone's favourite vegetable as it is often overcooked and stewed. Mine is stir-fried and steamed in the same pan in seconds which brings out all of its lovely flavours, yet leaving it crisp, nutritious, and utterly delicious." ~~ Medallions of Lamb with Creamy Cabbage Ingredients: 4 x 6oz lamb fillets, trimmed 1 tbsp olive oil 4 rashers smoked streaky bacon, rinded and chopped 1 large onion, peeled and chopped finely 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped finely 1 carrot, peeled and chopped finely ˝ Savoy cabbage, finely chopped few sprigs fresh thyme and rosemary 200ml/7floz chicken stock 200ml/7floz whipping cream salt and freshly ground pepper Method: 1. Heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan and brown the meat over a fairly high heat, add the thyme and rosemary. Reduce the heat and continue cooking until the meat is done to your liking. Remove to a plate. Cover and keep warm. 2. Add the tablespoon of olive oil to the frying pan and cook the chopped bacon until it is golden brown. 3. Add the onion, garlic and carrot and continue cooking for a couple of minutes. 4. Put in the cabbage and cook it over a high heat for about a minute then add the stock (it will give a lot of steam). Stir thoroughly to dislodge the sediments from the bottom of the pan. 5. Finally add the cream, briefly reheat and season to taste. 6. Carve the lamb into thick oblique slices and serve it with the creamy cabbage. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ~~ Make Ahead Meatloaf ~ Posted by George This is the quick and easy recipe I used for years when I was working. 1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef (approx) 2 eggs 1 cup (approx) seasoned bread crumbs 1 pkg Lipton Onion Soup mix 1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce 2 tbsp. ketchup Beat eggs with soup mix, ketchup, worc. sauce. Mix well into meat, then add enough crumbs to form loaf. Pack firmly into nonstick pan or one sprayed with Pam. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 24 hrs. Just before baking, make a depression down the centre of the loaf and brush top with Bull's Eye Old Hickory, or any good bbq sauce. Bake @ 350 about 50 - 55 min. Cover top loosely with foil during last 20 min to prevent excess browning. I usually bake potatoes and squash at the same time. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ~~ Chocoholic’s Delight! ~ Posted by Joni one box of chocolate cake mix (Duncan Hines) one small box of instant chocolate pudding 1/4 cup oil 1/4 cup water 1/2 cup sour cream 4 eggs 12 oz. Semisweet chocolate chips Mix ingredients, in order. Pour into greased Bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes and remove from pan. Glaze: 1/4 cup water 1/4 cup corn syrup 2/3 cup sugar 6 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped coarse In a small saucepan, bring water, corn syrup and sugar to a simmer over low heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, swirling pan to submerge chocolate in hot syrup. Let chocolate stand in syrup 2 minutes and whisk until smooth. This cake is rich and satisfying, even without a glaze. It freezes and travels well too. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Note from Karen ~ Spring is definitely a time of renewal. I'm glad the winter has passed. I hear the neighbors mowing lawns, washing cars, and see flowers blooming along the roadways. Even in the most remote places, we find a touch of God's beauty planted and blooming. It's time for new plans and dreams. I'm glad to have you along on my journey. Please take time to encourage someone and share a smile. It doesn't take much time, and the dividends are awesome on that investment. Love has a way of never getting lost. Shine on, dear friends......Karen =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Quotes and Inspiration from Lasting Light Message Board...Friends Sharing with Friends ~ How would you define the word "HOME"? ~ Posted by heart That question was once asked in a magazine, which later listed the seven best answers received from readers. 1. A world of strife shut out, a world of love shut in. 2. The place where the small are great and the great are small. 3. The father's kingdom, the mother's world, and the child's paradise. 4. The place where we grumble the most and are treated the best. 5. The centre of our affections, around which our heart's wishes twine. 6. The place where our stomachs get three square meals daily and our hearts a thousand. 7. The only place on earth where the faults and failings of humanity are hidden under the sweet mantle of charity. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Breath-Taking Moments ~ Posted by Beatrice One of my favorite poets is W.H. Davies, who wrote these famous lines, What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare . . . . He had a great love for the simple things of Nature and conveyed this in his poems and other writings. He once said that we measure life in the wrong way ~~~ by the number of breaths taken, so that when breathing stops we say life has stopped. He pointed out that real life is measured by the breaths we do not take ~~~ those "Breath-taking moments" as we describe them, moments of wonder, beauty, goodness, gladness, gratitude and glory. It is then we really live! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Statistically, the probability of any one of us being here is so small that you'd think the mere fact of existing would keep us all in a contented dazzlement of surprise. -- Lewis Thomas =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Here is a post by Beatrice that really put things in perspective for me. Thanks! Risking To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. To cry is to risk appearing to sentimental, too weak. To reach out for another is to risk involvement. To place your ideas, your dreams before the crowd is to risk their loss. To love is to risk not being loved in return. To live is to risk dying. To hope is to risk despair. To try is to risk failure. But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, and is nothing. ONLY THE PERSON WHO RISKS IS FREE! God holds us responsible, not for what we have, but for what we could have. . . .not for what we are, but for what we might be. "Listen. . . accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life." {Proverbs 4:10,13} =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Let's end this visit with a smile...thanks to George who posted a list of these on the Board, and here are a few. :) Words to Live By *If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried. * A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking. * Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it. * For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism. * He who hesitates is probably right. * No one is listening until you make a mistake. * Success always occurs in private, and failure in full view. * The colder the X-ray table, the more of your body is required on it. * The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of the bread. * The severity of the itch is proportional to the reach. * To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research. * To succeed in politics, it is often necessary to rise above your principles. * Two wrongs are only the beginning. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Until next time........Be good to yourself.....and do stop by for a visit. The light is always on at Lasting Light Poetry. I deeply appreciate your letters of encouragement and if you have time, please sign my guestbook. It means a lot to me. See you soon! May's on the way... :) Karen =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Lasting Light Poetry http://lastinglight.com Lasting Light Poetry Karen's Musings http://lastinglight.com/musings.html Karen's Musings =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ARCHIVE HOME Background graphics and creation of this site Copyright © 2002 "Lasting Light Poetry" and Dreamwork Designs All Rights Reserved