Mango Salsa

2 ripe mangoes, peeled and chopped

2 large yellow tomatoes, peeled and chopped

2 Tbs grated white onion

2 Tbs finely chopped red pepper

2 Tbs finely chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 tsp cumin

zest and juice from 1 lime

salt & pepper, to taste.

DD#3 developed this recipe in 2010 and I have served it with repeated success.

In addition to being a refreshing appetizer, this salsa pairs well with grilled or baked fish.

Vows: Church Membership

Vows for Admission of persons to Sealing Ordinances:

1.    Do you acknowledge yourselves to be sinners in the sight of God, justly deserving His displeasure, and without hope save in His sovereign mercy?

2.    Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and Savior of sinners, and do you receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation as He is offered in the Gospel?

3.    Do you now resolve and promise, in humble reliance upon the grace of the Holy Spirit, that you will endeavor to live as becomes the followers of Christ?

4.    Do you promise to support the Church in its worship and work to the best of your ability?

5.    Do you submit yourselves to the government and discipline of the Church, and promise to study its purity and peace?

On xx September 1979, I answered these questions affirmatively when I joined Chalcedon Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, GA.   I believe it was a transfer of church membership from St James Anglican Church, Atlanta, GA, where I was confirmed on 8 March 1970 (age 11y11m).

Daffodils

          I wandered lonely as a cloud
          That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
          When all at once I saw a crowd,
          A host, of golden daffodils;
          Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
          Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

          Continuous as the stars that shine
          And twinkle on the milky way,
          They stretched in never-ending line
          Along the margin of a bay:
          Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
          Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

          The waves beside them danced; but they
          Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
          A poet could not but be gay,
          In such a jocund company:
          I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
          What wealth the show to me had brought:

          For oft, when on my couch I lie
          In vacant or in pensive mood,
          They flash upon that inward eye
          Which is the bliss of solitude;
          And then my heart with pleasure fills,
          And dances with the daffodils.


William Wordsworth

Jehovah Tsidkenu

I once was a stranger to grace and to God, 
I knew not my danger, and felt not my load; 
Though friends spoke in rapture of Christ on the tree, 
Jehovah Tsidkenu was nothing to me. 

I oft read with pleasure, to soothe or engage, 
Isaiah's wild measure and John's simple page; 
But e'en when they pictured the blood sprinkled tree 
Jehovah Tsidkenu seemed nothing to me. 

Like tears from the daughters of Zion that roll, 
I wept when the waters went over His soul; 
Yet thought not that my sins had nailed to the tree 
Jehovah Tsidkenu - 'twas nothing to me. 

When free grace awoke me, by light from on high, 
Then legal fears shook me, I trembled to die; 
No refuge, no safety in self could I see-- 
Jehovah Tsidkenu my Savior must be. 

My terrors all vanished before the sweet name; 
My guilty fears banished, with boldness I came 
To drink at the fountain, life giving and free-- 
Jehovah Tsidkenu is all things to me. 

Jehovah Tsidkenu! My treasure and boast, 
Jehovah Tsidkenu! I ne'er can be lost; 
In Thee I shall conquer by flood and by field 
My cable, my anchor, my breastplate and shield! 

Even treading the valley, the shadow of death 
This watchword shall rally my faltering breath; 
For while from life's fever my God sets me free 
Jehovah Tsidkenu my death-song shall be. 

by Robert Murray McCheyne 
Scottish Presbyterian Minister 
1813-1843

(Tsidkenu is Hebrew for The Lord our Righteousness) 

Easter Hymn

Praise the Savior now and ever;
Praise Him, all beneath the skies;
Prostrate lying, suff’ring, dying
On the cross, a sacrifice.
Vict’ry gaining, life obtaining,
Now in glory He doth rise.

Man’s work faileth, Christ’s availeth;
He is all our righteousness;
He, our Savior, has forever
Set us free from dire distress.
Through His merit we inherit
Light and peace and happiness.

Sin’s bonds severed, we’re delivered,
Christ has bruised the serpent’s head;
Death no longer is the stronger,
Hell itself is captive led.
Christ has risen from death’s prison,
O’er the tomb He light has shed.

For His favor, praise forever,
Unto God the Father sing;
Praise the Savior, praise Him ever,
Son of God, our Lord and King.
Praise the Spirit, through Christ’s merit,
He doth us salvation bring.

Venantius Fortunatus

cir­ca 530-609

Music: Upp, Min Tun­ga
 Swed­ish Kor­al­bok, 1697

Lemon Curd Trifle with Fresh Berries

*Trifles and Truffles are easy to eat Delicious Delightful Delectable Treats

 * A trifle is an English treat
 It's tasty and it's very sweet
 It's made with cake and jam and cream
 So fattening it could split a seam.

 Frederick S. Goldstein Bobbye S. Goldstein

 Recipe Links
 http://hiddenart.xanga.com/2009/04/14/lemon-curd-trifle-with-fresh-berries/ http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/lemon-curd-trifle-with-fresh-berries-recipe.html

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide.

Now, of my threescore years and ten,
Twenty will not come again,
And take from seventy springs a score,
It only leaves me fifty more.

And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room,
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.

A.E. Housman
1859 - 1936

Parting with a view

I don't reproach the spring

for starting up again.
I can't blame it
for doing what it must
year after year.

I know that my grief
will not stop the green.
The grass blade may bend
but only in the wind.

It doesn't pain me to see
that clumps of alders above the water
have something to rustle with again.

I take note of the fact
that the shore of a certain lake
is still-as if you were living-
as lovely as before.

I don't resent
the view for its vista
of a sun-dazzled bay.

I am even able to imagine
some, not-us
sitting at this minute
on a fallen birch trunk.

I respect their right
to whisper, laugh,
and lapse into happy silence.

I can even allow
that they are bound by love
and that he holds her
with a living arm.

Something freshly birdish
starts rustling in the reeds.
I sincerely want them
to hear it.

I don't require changes
from the surf,
now diligent, now sluggish,
obeying not me.

I expect nothing
from the depths near the woods,
first emerald,
then sapphire,
then black.

There's one thing I won't agree to:
my own return.
The  privilege of presence-
I give it up.

I survived you by enough,
and only by enough,
to contemplate from afar.

Wislawa Szymborska

 1923 - 2012

 Polish Poet

 1996 Nobel Prize Literature

HT: Carol Bakker

Blogger Friend

Photo Credit: Yours Truly
Gibbs Gardens, Ball Ground GA

Nothing is so beautiful as Spring   -     

   When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush;         

   Thrush’s eggs look little low heavens, and thrush         

Through the echoing timber does so rinse and wring         

The ear, it strikes like lightnings to hear him sing;

   The glassy peartree leaves and blooms, they brush         

   The descending blue; that blue is all in a rush         

With richness; the racing lambs too have fair their fling.         

What is all this juice and all this joy?         

   A strain of the earth’s sweet being in the beginning

In Eden garden. –
 Have, get, before it cloy,         

   Before it cloud, Christ, lord, and sour with sinning,         

Innocent mind and Mayday in girl and boy,         

   Most, O maid’s child, thy choice and worthy the winning.         

Gerard Manley Hopkins
English Poet
1844 - 1889

Mustard Sauce

1/2 cup Duke's mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2-4 Tbs prepared mustard (according to taste)

Stir until smooth.  Store/refrigerate in glass container.

I use this sauce in a variety of ways.  In addition to trying different mustards (dijon, stone ground), I substitute prepared horseradish (for the mustard) when serving with corned beef or roast beef.

Here are some examples:

topping for steamed broccoli
*icing* for baked fish
sandwich spread, especially *Flat Rocks*

Fashion on Fridays

Released last September, Pantone's Spring palotte is just now coming onto my radar.

Marsala (bottom left) is the *color of the year* which has received mixed reviews.

I'm open to incorporating these colors into my wardrobe planning and home decor, even when I dont *like* them because they help me feel organized.

Like Lucite Green....

stay tuned for a picture of my fashion statement necklace,

and Happy New Year!

Coconut Pound Cake

Sharing food is a delight for me, whether it's around the dinner table or the proverbial water cooler.

In this case, I wrapped up pieces of coconut pound cake and shared with whomever I met the weekend after Christmas.

Here's the recipe ~

1 1/2 cups butter
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup half 'n half
1 tsp rum flavoring
1 tsp coconut flavoring
1 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Sift together two dry ingredients and set aside.  Add flavorings to milk/half 'n half and set aside.

Cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs one at the time.  On low mixing speed, alternately add dry and wet ingredients until combined.  Do not over beat.  Stir in shredded coconut.   Transfer batter to a large greased and floured tube pan.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until golden brown and cake test comes out clean.

After removing the cake from the oven, allow it to rest in pan for 5 minutes.  Turn onto platter and glaze with the following mixture.

Glaze:
Combine these four ingredients in a saucepan and cook 2 minutes over medium heat after sugar is dissolved.

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tsp almond flavoring
1 tsp coconut flavoring

Fashion on Fridays

Yesterday I wore this outfit... probably for the last time this Fall now that the temperatures are actually cooler.

In August, as I was prepping for the change of seasons and the new palette, I was pleased to discover these floral twill pants already in the closet.

I had worn them a couple of times last month before I realized that the pattern is a perfect blend of aurora red, cognac, and cypress.

Bronze (very similar to cognac) flats complimented the scheme and were comfortable for working on my feet.

Since September is a hot month in Georgia, it's tempting to keep wearing the same summer outfits.

But where's the fashion in that?  

The key is changing to autumnal colors in light-weight fabrics.

Pantone's palette is helping me do that.

Constitution Day

“Dedicated to the coming generation of Americans, with the prayer that they will:
 1)restore the Constitutional principles we have abandoned,
 2)protect the freedoms we have neglected, and
 3)preserve the Republic we have almost lost,”

 Larry McDonald thus introduced the 1976 reprinting of his insightful commentary on the U.S. Constitution, We Hold These Truths.

Re-read the US Constitution today and purchase a copy of this insightful book. Our future depends on an informed electorate.

Fashion on Friday:Fall Palette

Independence Day

O! say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming:
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming,
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there:

O! say, does the star-spangled banner still wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mist of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam—
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream

‘Tis the star-spangled banner, O! long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And where is the band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a country would leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave!

And the star-spangled banner in triumph cloth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O! thus be it ever when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the foe’s desolation;
Bless’d with victory and peace, may our heaven‑rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just—
And this be our motto—“In God is our trust!”

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Francis Scott Key

IF EVERYBODY DID

Favorite book I plan to read to my grandchildren ~

Easter Feast

Honey Baked Ham
Squash Casserole
Roasted Asparagus
Beet Salad
Deviled Eggs
Black Olives
Pretzel Rolls

Zinfandel




German Chocolate Cake

H. Baptism II

Since, Lord, to thee

A narrow way and little gate
Is all the passage, on my infancy
Thou didst lay hold, and antedate
My faith in me.

O let me still
Write thee great God, and me a child:
Let me be soft and supple to thy will,
Small to my self, to others mild,
Behither ill.

Although by stealth
My flesh get on, yet let her sister
My soul bid nothing, but preserve her wealth:
The growth of flesh is but a blister;
Childhood is health. 

George Herbert
English Poet, Anglican Cleric
1593 - 1633


Photo taken 10 April 1988
on the occasion of the baptism of DD#3

After church we (17 adults & 8 children) enjoyed the following menu at Cochise ~
Fresh Ham
Sausage-Cheese Grits
Marinated Cold Asparagus
Tomato-Artichoke Aspic
Orange Fruit Cups
Zucchini Bread

Bloody Marys or Mimosas
Sun Tea
Coffee

Potato Chip Cookies
Fudge Bars
Lemon-cheese Cake

Southern Living, April 1986

Don’t Be Cross, Amanda

Don’t be cross, Amanda,

Amanda, don’t be cross,
For when you’re cross, Amanda,
I feel an albatross
Around my neck, or dank gray moss,
And my eyes assume an impervious gloss,
Amanda,
Dear Amanda,
Don’t be cross.

Do not frown, Amanda,
Amanda, do not frown,
For when you frown, Amanda,
I wamble like a clown,
My mouth is stuffed with eiderdown,
And I spatter coffee upon your gown.
Amanda,
Dear Amanda,
Do not frown.

Don’t clam up, Amanda,
Amanda, do not clam,
For when you clam, Amanda,
I dont know where I am.
What is it that I did you damn?
Shall I make amends for a sheep, or a lamb?
Amanda,
Dear Amanda,
Do not clam.

Please be gay, Amanda,
Amanda, please be gay,
For when you’re gay, Amanda,
The stars come out by day,
The police throw parking tags away,
And I want to kick up my heels and bray.
Amanda,
Dear Amanda,
Please be gay.

by Ogden Nash