Friday, January 22, 2021

MUSHROOM STUFFED POTATO CAKES

 

Makes – 8-10 cakes

Ingredients

1 kg potatoes, peeled and diced
3/4 cup gluten-free plain flour. Regular plain flour will also work
Salt & pepper to taste

For the mushroom filling

250g mushrooms, finely diced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
15g dill, roughly chopped
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
Salt & pepper to taste
Pinch of chilli flakes
More oil for frying

Method

Add the diced potatoes to a large pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and leave to simmer until cooked through (20-30 minutes). Drain, mash and season well with salt and pepper. Leave to cool while you make the filling.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan and sauté the onions for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, mushrooms, lemon juice, chilli flakes and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the mushrooms and soft and most of the liquid has evaporated. Take off the heat and fold in the chopped dill.
Mix the flour into the mashed potatoes and start shaping. Take a couple of tablespoons of the dough and flatten them out into flat patties. Add about a tablespoon of the mushroom mixture in the middle, then top with more of the potato mixture and shape into round potato cakes.
Heat some oil in a frying pan on high. Once the oil is hot, add the potato cakes and cook on each side for about 2 minutes or until golden brown.
Enjoy!

nadiashealthykitchen.com


Thursday, January 21, 2021

A NYC Taxi driver wrote:


I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but inst

ead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard
box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her.. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive
through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly..

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice..'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired.Let's go now'.
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.
They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut.It was the sound of the closing of a life..

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day,I could hardly talk.What if that woman had gotten an angry driver,or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.....Wishing you all a wonderful weekend...

Vintage lace and ribbon embroidery
















 

Something to ponder over - “It is amazing how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness.”

 


  1. “Someone will declare, “I am the leader!” and expect everyone to get in line and follow him or her to the gates of heaven or hell. My experience is that it doesn’t happen that way. Others follow you based on the quality of your actions rather than the magnitude of your declarations.” ―Bill Walsh


  1. “Courage is like a muscle. We strengthen it by use.” —Ruth Gordo


  1. “Relentlessly prune bullshit, don't wait to do things that matter, and savor the time you have. That's what you do when life is short.” —Paul Graham


  1. "More is lost by indecision than wrong decision.” —Marcus Tullius Cicero


  1. "If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever." —Thomas Aquinas


  1. "You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there's still going to be somebody who hates peaches." —Dita Von Teese


  2. “Keep a little fire burning; however small, however hidden.” ―Cormac McCarthy

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Words of Wisdom for Women

 


  1. Women challenge the status quo because we are never it.” — Cindy Gallop


  1. We don’t just sit around and wait for other people. We just make, and we do.” — Arlan Hamilton

  1. “The strongest actions for a woman is to love herself, be herself and shine amongst those who never believed she could.” — Unknown


  1. “Whenever you see a successful woman, look out for three men who are going out of their way to try to block her.” – Yulia Tymoshenko


  1. “Some women choose to follow men, and some choose to follow their dreams. If you’re wondering which way to go, remember that your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn’t love you anymore.” — Lady Gaga


  1. “The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it. ” ― Roseanne Barr

  1. “A witty woman is a treasure; a witty beauty is a power.” ― George Meredith


  1. “When a woman becomes her own best friend life is easier.” – Diane Von Furstenberg


  1.  “If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.” – Margaret Thatcher


  1. “We need women at all levels, including the top, to change the dynamic, reshape the conversation, to make sure women’s voices are heard and heeded, not overlooked and ignored.” – Sheryl Sandberg


  1. “It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.” – Madeleine Albright


  2. “Women must learn to play the game as men do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt


  1. I swear, by my life and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.” — Ayn Rand

Deciding on a divorce is never easy

 


Deciding on a divorce is never easy. Telling someone that you once thought you’d love that you don’t want to be with them anymore can be awfully distressing. Some people grow apart, some people change, but it is also very easy to take a person for granted.

This story is bound to tug at your heart strings, get the tissues ready!

My husband is an engineer,  we have been together 5 years, three years courtship, and two years marriage. I hate to admit it, but I am getting tired of it. I love his steady nature, and the feeling I get when I lay on his chest. But something just isn’t quite right anymore.

I am a very sentimental woman when it comes to relationships and my feelings. I crave romance, but I am the total opposite to my husband. He lacks sensitivity, and his inability to be romantic has disheartened me about love.

One day I finally decided to tell him that I wanted a divorce.

“Why?” he asked shocked. “I am tired it just exhausts me, instead of injecting life in to me.” I answered. He was silent.

He didn’t speak to me the whole night, which only increased my disappointment, that man who apparently loved me can’t even  express his feelings to me. Then he finally asked me, “What can I do to change your mind?”

 I didn’t know what to say to him at first, you can’t change someones personality just because you want them to change. I felt hopeless. Looking deep into his eyes I slowly answered “Here is the question, if you can answer and convince my heart, I will change my mind. Let’s say, I want a flower located on the face of a mountain cliff, and we both are sure that picking the flower will cause your death, will you do it for me?”


He paused for a moment and said “I will give you your answer tomorrow…”

My hopes sank even further listening to his response.

The next morning I woke up and he was gone. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a piece of paper with scruffy handwriting on it, underneath a glass of milk. The first line read: “I would not pick that flower for you, but please allow me to explain the reasons further..”, my heart sunk and I continued reading.

“I need my fingers so that when you mess up on the computer I can restore the programs for you. You have a tendency to leave your keys at home, so I need my legs so I can rush home to open the door for you. You always get lost when we travel to new cities, so I need my eyes to show you the way. You always have cramps when it is the time of the month, so I have to save my palms so that I can calm the cramps in your tummy.

I need my mouth to tell you jokes, and stories to cure your boredom. Your eyes are already bad, so I need to save mine because I’ll hold your hand and walk you down the beach as you enjoy the sunshine on your face and the sand between your toes. Unless there is someone out there who loves you more thanI do, I could not pick that flower yet and die…”

I felt the tears rolling down my cheek, which fell onto the paper and blurred the ink, I continued reading. “Now that you have finished reading, if you are satisfied I’m waiting outside with your favourite bread and fresh milk.”

I ran downstairs and opened the front door where he was stood waiting anxiously, but when he saw me he smiled.

In that moment I knew that no one will love me as much as he does, and I have decided to leave the flower alone…

When you are surrounded by love, the feeling of excitement can fade away, but it doesn’t mean it ceases to exist. We forget the fact that true love lies in between the peace and the dullness.

That’s life, and love. When one is surrounded by love, the feeling of excitement fades away, and one tends to ignore the true love that lies in between the peace and dullness.

Love appears in all forms throughout your day, flowers and romantic moments are only a visual surface appreciation of your relationship. Under all this, the pillar of love stands, and that’s our life…Words don’t win arguments, love does.

http://www.littlechurchmouse.com/

Vintage Wedding Gowns


Hartnell Wedding Gown - detail - 1933 - by Norman Hartnell - @~ Watsonette

  




This is a work of art!!! Crocheted Wedding Gown 1908



1920 Edwardian Wedding Dress




THE SERENITY PRAYER

GOD GRANT ME THE SERENITY
TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE;
COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN;
AND WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.

LIVING ONE DAY AT A TIME;
ENJOYING ONE MOMENT AT A TIME;
ACCEPTING HARDSHIPS AS THE PATHWAY TO PEACE;
TAKING, AS HE DID, THIS SINFUL WORLD
AS IT IS, NOT AS I WOULD HAVE IT;
TRUSTING THAT HE WILL MAKE ALL THINGS RIGHT
IF I SURRENDER TO HIS WILL;
THAT I MAY BE REASONABLY HAPPY IN THIS LIFE
AND SUPREMELY HAPPY WITH HIM
FOREVER IN THE NEXT.
AMEN.

--REINHOLD NIEBUHR