The Grey-Haired Brigade - Thought Provoking . . .

Grey-Haired Brigade

They like to refer to us as senior citizens, old fogies, geezers, and
in some cases dinosaurs. Some of us are "Baby Boomers" getting ready to retire.

Others have been retired for some time. We walk a little slower these
days and our eyes and hearing are not what they once were. We have worked hard, raised our children, worshiped our God and grown   old together. Yes, we are the ones some refer to as being over the hill, and that is probably true. But before writing us off completely, there are a few things that need to be taken into consideration.

In school we studied English, history, math, and science which enabled us to lead America into the technological age. Most of us remember what outhouses were, many of us with firsthand experience.
We remember the days of telephone party-lines, 25 cent gasoline, and milk and ice being delivered to our homes. For those of you who don't know what an icebox is, today they are electric and referred to as refrigerators. A few even remember when cars were started with a crank. Yes, we lived those days.

We are probably considered old fashioned and out-dated by many. But there are a few things you need to remember before completely writing us off.

We won World War II, fought in Korea and Viet Nam . We can quote The Pledge of Allegiance, and know where to place our hand while doing so. We wore the uniform of our country with pride and lost many friends on the battlefield.

We didn't fight for the Socialist States of America , we fought for the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave." We wore different uniforms but carried the same flag. We know the words to the Star Spangled Banner , America , and America the Beautiful by heart, and you may even see some tears running down our cheeks as we sing. We have lived what many of you have only read about in history books and   we feel no obligation to apologize to anyone for America .

Yes, we are old and slow these days but rest assured, we have at least one good fight left in us. We have loved this country, fought for it, and died for it , and now we are going to save it. It is our
country and nobody is going to take it away from us. We took oaths to defend America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that is an oath we plan to keep. There are those who want to destroy this land we love but, like our founders, there is no way we are going to remain silent.

It was the young people of this nation who elected Obama and the Democratic Congress.
You fell for the "Hope and Change" which in reality was nothing but "Hype and Lies." You have tasted socialism and seen evil face to face, and have found you don't like it after all. You make a lot of noise, but most are all too interested in their careers or "Climbing the Social Ladder" to be involved in such mundane things as patriotism and voting. Many of those who fell for the "Great Lie" in  2008 are now having buyer's remorse. With all the education we gave you, you didn't have sense enough to see through the lies and instead drank the 'Cool-Aid.' Now you're paying the price and complaining about it. No jobs, lost mortgages, higher taxes, and less freedom.

This is what you voted for and this is what you got. We entrusted you with the Torch of Liberty and you traded it for a paycheck and a fancy house.

Well, don't worry youngsters, the Grey Haired Brigade is here, and in 2012 we are going to take back our nation. We may drive a little slower than you would like but we get where we're going, and in 2012 we're  going to the polls by the millions. This land does not belong to the man in the White House nor to the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. It belongs to "We the People" and "We the People" plan to reclaim our land and our freedom. We hope this time you will do a better job of preserving it and passing it along to our grandchildren. So the next time you have the chance to say the Pledge of Allegiance, Stand up, put your hand over your heart, honor our  country, and thank God for the old geezers of the "Grey-Haired Brigade."

~Author, Anon. Grey-Haired Brigade Member

Just a hint . . .

Although I do share a lot of recipes in this Blog, my other Blog, Philling Philosophy, is written solely for recipes. If you don't find what you need or want on Crazy Quilts, Catholics, and Cookies, you might check the other one.

Making every moment count . . .

"Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it."
-- Mahatma Gandhi

Variety Cake!

I like a recipe that is open to my notions! This is such a cake.

Variety Cake
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups chocolate cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and continue until well combined. Beat the vanilla and sour cream into the mixture. Sift together the dry ingredients and stir into the butter mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips. Bake in a 9x13 greased baking pan for approximately 30 minutes or until it bounces back when gently touched.

Variety Ideas . . .
Use another flavor of chocolate chips like dark, mint, peanutbutter, butterscotch.
Add a tablespoon of grated orange zest to the above recipe for a fresh citrus tang.
Substitute a cup of dried cranberries for the chocolate chips.
Use half chocolate chips and half dried cranberries.
Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts to the above recipe.
Add 1/2 cup toasted coconut and 1/2 cup dried pineapple, finely diced.

What exactly is our job?

I've met some interesting stay-at-home mothers over the years and strange as it may seem, few of them were very interested in cooking meals for their family. They all had 'good' reasons but the bottom line was they were really not seeing to the health of their children and husband. I'm probably more devoted to my time in the kitchen each day because my mother was a working mother and our meals were either fast food on the run or sporadic because her work started around seven every morning and she didn't usually come home until eight at night. For school children, that is a long time to wait for a hot dinner. I didn't want to ever treat my children like that.

I worked until my first child was born and it seemed so natural to me to be the major caregiver for him and to do my best to see that he ate what was good for him rather than what he liked. My husband, early one, had a rule that everyone had to eat a bite of everything to leave the table. If they wanted dessert, they had to finish their vegetables. These rules inspired me to cook and bake healthy but pleasing meals so there would be happy children and a happy husband at mealtime. It took the edge off of any hectic days when we could all come together and share the meal. Sure, we had our arguments with stubborn children. No one liked everything all the time but I felt like I was keeping my commitment to my family and marriage.

I was an okay cook when I got married but I knew how to read and . . . you read cookbooks! It reminded me of when I started work in my single life. I didn't know everything about my job when I first started but I looked for ways to improve. Same with life in the kitchen! It is really depressing when you present someon with a box of homemade cookies or invite them to dinner and their compliment is, "Well, it comes easy tfor you."

Feeding your children is like helping them with their lessons. You feed their mind through books and you have to feed their bodies in a nutrionally valid way in order for them to progress in their learning.

Just my feelings . . . If you get married, part of love, honor, and cherish includes a decent home and proper meals. When the children come, the love, honor, and cherish should spill over into their care, too.

Inspired myself!

I guess posting salad dressing recipes resulted in some self-inspiration for this evening's meal. We had just been shopping so I had some fresh fruit and vegetables at hand. There was also some bacon in the freezer. Since broccoli was my dominant vegetable in the refrigerator, I decided on a cold broccoli salad. My basic recipe was:

About two cups of raw broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
Some crispy fried bacon - use your own judgment on this!
One diced apple with the skin.
One diced pear with the skin.
About 1/2 cup sliced bell peppers (I used red, orange, and yellow baby bell peppers)

I went with the No Cream Dressing I posted earlier today but added some dried dill to it. As you can from the picture, it is ready and waiting in the refrigerator for dinner. My husband likes to snack but, according to the doctor, has to lose a few pounds. I always make extra of these kinds of salad as it fills him out but not out. It's healthy, too.

The rest of dinner? Braised beef and smashed potatoes.

I make my smashed potatoes by peeling and quartering the desired amount needed for dinner. I boil the potatoes in salted water until just tender. With a heavy spoon or potato masher, I break up the potatoes and add some milk, butter, salt, and pepper and continue stirring and mixing. Not exactly whipped potatoes but my family seems to prefer this rougher version. For extra taste, I throw in several peeled garlic cloves into the potatoes as they cook.

A good reminder . . .

"It is not to remain in a golden ciborium that He comes down each day from Heaven, but to find another Heaven, the Heaven of our soul in which He takes delight." ~St. Therese of Lisieux