More Things to do with Leftover Mashed Potatoes . . .

 After having both my daughters home for three weeks, my cooking amounts increased and I keep forgetting to reduce servings now that one of them in back at school.

Yesterday, I ended up with about three cups of leftover mashed potatoes and didn't want to waste them although the dog was trying to send brain messages to me that she would gladly see to their disposal.

Being Easter, we went traditional but the daughter still at home does not like sweet potatoes and that was what was on the menu. I remembered the leftover white potatoes and decided to turn them into potato cakes. They ended up being more enjoyed than the rest of the meal!

My Last-Minute Recipe for Potato CakesAbout 3 cups of cold, mashed potatoes
2 eggs
1 cup of grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Swiss cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat over to 375 degrees.

Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. Use your hands because I won't tell!

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. I used an ice cream scoop to divide the mixture into even mounds directly on parchment paper.

Freshly grated Romano or Parmesan Cheese
Granulated onion
Granulated garlic

Grate about a tablepoon of your chose cheese on top of each mound of potato. Dust with the onion and garlic. With the bottom of a glass, press down to about 1/2-inch thick.

Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes or until starting to get golden around the edges.

Wisdom has no era . . .

The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.

- Confucius

Understanding our place in the world . . .

My 18 year old was discussing politics and such with his dad today. His main concern was prejudice and racism and how to make it stop. He felt there should be some kind of laws to make people be kind to everyone. The world is more simple in the teenage years when the thought of if only seems so feasible. Although he did want answers, there was no bitterness or anger in his discourse and he enjoyed venting and pondering aspects of the situation with his father.

The only answer either my husband or myself could come up with is to be a good example to the world, let people know where you stand, and work at changing one mind at a time. I said it reminded me of a Chinese Checkers board with all the marbles. Every player has their marble situated at the point of the triangular space. Consider the marble your place in life. Then look to the two marbles in front and talk and work with them to improve the world. In front of those two marbles in the pyramid are three marbles. If you can change the mind of the two marbles and they go on to impress the three who, in turn, come in contact with the next 'row', there is a difference happening.

The trouble with change is that it happens slowly and when it comes to a point where the bad change needs revising, that change, too, will happen slowly. It all begins in the heart of each person to change within themselves and pass on their thoughts to others.

Happy Easter 2012!

Christ the Lord is risen today:

Christians, hasten your vows to pay;

Offer ye your praises meet

At the Paschal Victim's feet;

For the sheep the Lamb has bled,

Sinless in the sinner's stead.

Christ the Lord is risen on high;

Now He lives, no more to die.

Roman Missal, Easter Week, Sequence Victimae Pacchali at Mass. (Tr. J. Leeson)
(Att. to Wipo, 11th Century.

A Problem in Evidence Today . . .

The political problem of mankind is to combine three things: economic efficiency, social justice and individual liberty.

John Maynard Keynes

From President Ronald Reagan . . .

President Ronald Reagan's quote:

"If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under."

Words to Silence a Room . . .

At a time when our president and other politicians tend to apologize for our country's prior actions, here's a refresher on how some of our former patriots handled negative comments about our country.

　
President Kennedy’s Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early 60's when  DeGaulle decided to pull out of NATO. DeGaulle said he wanted all US  Military out of France as soon as possible.

Rusk responded, "Does that include those who are buried here?"

DeGaulle  did not respond.

When in England, at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the  Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of  'empire building' by George Bush.

He answered by saying, "Over the years, the United States has sent many of  its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom  beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for  in return is enough to bury those that did not return."

There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers  were taking part, including French and American. During a break,  one of the French engineers came back into the room saying, "Have you  heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft
carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he  intend to do, bomb them?"

A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: "Our carriers have three  hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are  nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to  shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to  feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand  gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a  dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and  from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; How many does France have?"

A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included  admirals from the U.S., English, Canadian, Australian and French  navies At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large  group of officers that included personnel from most of those countries.  Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a  French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many  languages, Americans learn only English. He then asked, "Why is it that  we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than  speaking French?"

Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied, "Maybe it's because the  Brit's, Canadians, Aussie's and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't  have to speak German."

An elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on.

"You have been to France before, monsieur?" the customs officer asked  sarcastically.

The man admitted that he had been to France previously.

"Then you should know enough to have your passport ready."

The American said, "The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it."

"Impossible.. Americans always have to show their passports on arrival in France !"

The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he  quietly explained, ''Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in  1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to."