Men grocery shopping

See my bloomers?

Corn and Blueberry Salad

I wish I could remember where I got this recipe so I could give the author credit. I know it sounds a bit odd when you read through the ingredients, but it's delicious, I promise.

I made a few adjustments: I used canned corn rather than fresh (and will do so again as a time-saver or when corn is out of season).  Also, I didn't use as much jalapeño as the recipe called for, thinking that I might share this with my husband. As it turned out, he had enough of his favorite meals to carry along for lunches, so I was able to hoard this salad. I'd use more jalapeño next time around - I don't think it would overwhelm the salad.

Try it and see what you think!

INGREDIENTS:
6 ears corn, husked
1 cup fresh blueberries.
1 small cucumber, sliced
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded & minced
2 tbsp. lime juice
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. ground cumin

DIRECTIONS:
In Dutch oven bring salted water to boiling. Add corn. Cook, covered, 5 minutes, or until tender. When cool enough to handle, cut corn from cobs.

In a serving bowl combine corn, blueberries, cucumber, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeño. For dressing, in screw-top jar combine lime juice, oil, honey, cumin, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cover; shake well to combine. Add to salad; toss. Cover and refrigerate overnight (up to 24 hours).

Who's the cure for?

Puppy wants a kitty

Our paperless future...

...most likely won't be completely paperless.

Cancer as a teacher

Nearly 40 years ago, I had cancer surgery. No other treatment was required, (for which I thank God), and I've had no evidence of recurrence, (for which I thank God wholeheartedly). When the subject comes up, sometimes people respond by saying they're sorry that I had cancer. Oddly enough, I'm not. It taught me things I might not have learned otherwise, or at least gave me the opportunity to learn them much sooner.

For the past 14 years of my nursing career, I've worked with oncology patients. Most of my patients have leukemia, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma, and the majority of them are undergoing stem cell transplantation or undergoing chemotherapy in hopes of getting ready to do so. Many of my patients are young, some with young children. Many who do undergo transplant have undergone multiple other types of conventional treatment with no progress toward gaining an upper hand on their disease. Some will die. When I tell people where I work, often they say, "Isn't it depressing?" Oddly enough, it's not. I have never worked in an environment where I've seen patients with so much courage, so much supportiveness toward each other, and yes, so much humor. It's as if the situation they find themselves in strips away the non-essential stuff and reveals what is truly important. It puts a spotlight on the true priorities of life.

I recently saw a 7-minute video which is a series of brief thoughts from patients undergoing treatment for cancer. Perhaps what they have to say can explain more clearly what I'm trying to express. To view it, follow this link.

Roasted Cabbage with Lemon

My husband and I enjoy cabbage, which is funny, because neither of us remember eating it as kids. But it's only recently that we discovered roasting as a method of preparing cabbage, and lemon as an ingredient to pair with it. It makes for an interesting change, and I hope you'll enjoy it, too!

Ingredients
1 medium-sized head of green cabbage
2 T olive oil
3 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
Generous amount of sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Lemon slices, for serving cabbage (optional)

Preheat oven to 450F/232C. Spray a roasting pan with non-stick spray or olive oil.

Cut the head of cabbage into 8 same-size wedges, cutting through the core and stem end. Then carefully trim the core strip and stem from each wedge and arrange wedges in a single layer on the roasting pan, leave some space around them if possible.

Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice, then use a pastry brush to brush the top sides of each cabbage wedge with the mixture and season generously with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Turn cabbage wedges carefully, then brush the second side with the olive oil/lemon juice mixture and season with salt and pepper.

Roast cabbage for about 15 minutes, or until the side touching the pan is nicely browned. Then turn each wedge carefully*** and roast 10-15 minutes more, until the cabbage is nicely browned and cooked through with a bit of chewiness remaining. Serve hot, with additional lemon slices to squeeze lemon juice on at the table if desired.

***I usually wind up with my cabbage wedges 

falling apart at this point, but they still "eat good".

Play ball!

Shelter

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
          will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
          I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
          my God, in whom I trust.”

Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare
          and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers,
          and under his wings you will find refuge;
          his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

- Psalm 91:1-4

The weather man was right!

Tropical storm Andrea has been making her presence felt along the eastern coast. Fortunately, she's a tropical storm now -  not a hurricane - but anyone who'd made plans to water their garden this weekend can do something else instead! As for today? It's a grand day for staying inside and curling up with a good book!

Grocery shopper's helper

I've put together a list of frequently purchased items from our household. I laid it out in the order in which our supermarket has the aisles arranged. I saved the file on my computer and print off several at a time and clip them to the frig. As we run low on things or realize that we need things for the upcoming week's shopping, we mark the item on the list, then take it with us when we head for the store.

As our tastes change, or the store rearranges things, or we start shopping at a new store, the list can be (and has been) modified.

Hope you find this idea helpful!

The Drop Box

Hundreds of babies - some disabled or deformed, some simply unwanted - are abandoned each year in South Korea... abandoned and left to die. Pastor Lee Jong-rak, however, wasn't able to close his eyes to the situation. He responded by creating the Baby Box - the first and only box in Korea that intended for collecting abandoned babies who are physically or mentally handicapped or are simply unwanted by their parents. He built a "drop box" outside of his home. The box is lined with a towel and warmed by a light which bears the legend, “Place to leave babies.”

When a baby is placed inside the box, someone comes immediately to move the babies inside, where they will receive care. Some of the babies are left without a word. Some are left with heart-wrenching notes from mothers who are clearly torn by the decisions they feel compelled to make.

A 22-year-old named Brian Ivey made a documentary entitled The Drop Box which tells the story of Pastor Lee Jong-rak and his Baby Box. Through this documentary, we have the opportunity to learn of the story of a man who chose to Choose Life.

To read more about Pastor Lee and about Ivey's documenatary, check this link.