Cathy Burnham Martin's Blog, page 114

Let’s Cool the Divisiveness

“We need to stop being so hyper-focused on gender, race, age, and sexual stereotyping. Live and let live for crying out loud. From my perspective, we’ve gone so overboard with attempts to not insult someone or stereotype something about them that divisiveness is now the rule… far too often.”

― Cathy Burnham Martin, American author, voiceover artist & dedicated foodie

From 2017 book: “The Bimbo Has Brains: And Other Freaky Facts”

(Image by Gerd Altmann)

National Hamburger Day!

Pick a burger, any burger… fresh or frozen. Today is the day to dig in! Choose your favorite, be it a basic burger or the cheesiest possible. Perhaps you like some of the nation’s regional flavor twists or a simple BBQ-style. Others must decide to lean toward spicy or mild, beef or a meat combination, or a preferred veggie burger. For me, I often opt for a stuffed or even double-stuffed variety. That said, here’s my own rendition from 2009. Still worthy today.

Super Simple Mushroom-Stuffed Burgers

1 T olive oil

1-1½ c sliced button or baby portabella mushrooms (cut, if large)

½ c finely chopped sweet onion

1 lb ground beef

2 T steak sauce (any variety)

1 T freshly ground black pepper

½ c shredded Swiss cheese (or other fave)

Sauté mushrooms & onions in olive oil over medium heat for 2 minutes; set aside to cool to room temperature. Combine beef, steak sauce, and pepper; shape into 8 (4”) patties. On 4 patties, divide mushroom mixture and cheese, not quite to edges. Top with remaining patties, pinching edges to seal well; flatten slightly, keeping edges sealed. Grill on medium hot grill for 2-3 minutes per side for medium-rare, 3-4 minutes per side for medium. Serve on toasted buns with your choice of toppings such as bacon, lettuce and tomato slices, and whatever condiments you enjoy.  I find them particularly tasty simply topped with a spicy mustard and crispy fried onions. Of course, a generous slice of extra cheese and some sliced pickles never hurt! Makes 4 burgers.

Be Astounding!

“If we did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves.”

— Thomas Edison (1847 – 1931)

American inventor & businessman

National Paper Airplane Day

Fly! Fly! Fly! Every May 26th comes this simple day of fanciful fun for children and adults. If you like folding your own paper airplanes, you may know the whimsical term “aerogami,” a nod to origami, the Japanese art of paper folding. So have fun folding and flying. If your competitive spirit flutters, you may enjoy also knowing that today’s competitions tend toward 2 basic paper airplane flight categories… distance and time in the air.  Have fun in flight!

(Image by Febrian Spaputra)

Know Thyself

“Master the perception principle.  Learn to know yourself.  Know the real person deep within you.”

— Norman Vincent Peale (1898 – 1993)

American Protestant clergyman and author

from his best-selling book, “The Power of Positive Thinking”

(Photo by Katrina Wright)

Fanaticism

 

“A fanatic is someone who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.”

— Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

British statesman, soldier & author; former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

From an article in the “New York Times,” July 5, 1954

But I Protest!

 

“One man’s civil disobedience may be another man’s riot. One man’s riot may be another man’s civil disobedience. Our definition tends to vary based on which side of a protest we stand.”

— Cathy Burnham Martin

American author, voiceover artist & dedicated foodie

(Photo by Joe Yates)

National Strawberry Month

Very little rivals the nutritious scrumptiousness of a freshly picked strawberry! Raw or cooked, they are simply yummy! By request, I just made a strawberry-rhubarb pie for hubby… a favorite of his. (He actually wanted it for Christmas, but I was unable to get rhubarb till now.) Another favorite of ours was a dessert offering at a former restaurant in Manchester, NH. Locals will likely remember Spatt’s on the Massabesic Traffic Circle. We’d go there for their fabulous prime rib and king crab legs, but if we had room, the “Strawberry Blossoms” were a must for dessert! (No, not the flowers.) Naturally, (back in 2008) I had to create my own recipe in tribute. Enjoy!

Super Simple Stuffed Strawberry Blossoms a la Spatt’s

3 oz cream cheese (plain or strawberry), softened to room temperature

2 T confectioner’s sugar (or Splenda-type substitute)

1 T sour cream

12 large, fresh strawberries, hulled; berry tips cut partway thru for “petals”

½ c semi-sweet chocolate chips (or some chocolate syrup)

12 large, fresh blueberries

Fresh mint leaves, torn into 12 mini leaf bits

Beat cream cheese, sugar & sour cream together till light.  Spoon into a plastic food storage bag, pressing into one corner; snip off the tip of the filled corner with scissors, forming a pastry bag. Push that tip down into the center of each strawberry & squeeze out some cheese filling, so it shows between the “petals.”

Melt the chocolate with 1 T water in the microwave; stir.  With a spoon, drizzle chocolate over the blossoms.  Top each with a blueberry and add a bit of mint by each berry.  Chill till serving time.  Makes 1 dozen blossoms.

Notes: A fun twist is adding 1-2 T of a favorite liquor, such as Peachtree or Amaretto to the cheese mixture. You can also make these even easier by replacing cheese mixture with whipped cream straight out of the can.

Vision and Value

“Having a vision for your life allows you to live out of hope, rather than out of your fears.”

— Stedman Graham (1951 –  )

American educator, author, and businessman

(Image by Gerd Altmann)

National Date Your Mate Month

Okay! It’s Friday… Date Night! For us that has often meant a trip to Home Depot, where we find ourselves so often, the staff calls us by our first names. We can do better for a Date Night…. For example, even when we must go to Home Depot, we can plan a little out-do-dinner stop afterward… or even just grab an ice cream cone.

Why not plan an actual date? Remember movies and popcorn? Even when we are not going “out,” we can go out for a date with our mate without leaving home. Movies and popcorn! Or a multi-course dinner. Or simply sitting out on the deck with a glass of wine for happy hour. You don’t need to hop on a cruise ship or plan an expensive night out. Sometimes all we need to do is deliberately be less busy. Or do a little something just for your mate. Make them feel special.

For me, it’s all about using our minds. (Those are our biggest sex organs.) Remember how fun it was to be dating? We’d look forward to the event with such wonderful anticipation! We’d plan where we’d go and what we’d do with great glee! It truly matters little what we do or what we wear or how our hair looks. To me, it matters most that we focus on each other. Time together. Joy shared. Letting each other know that we actually LIKE each other.

Especially after being with someone for many years, it becomes easy to take each other for granted. We can all very easily get caught up in being busy, busy, busy. We might lack patience with our mate. We might no longer truly listen when they share. We may not always use a particularly fond, nor respectful tone when speaking to them. We may demand, rather than politely asking for their assistance. Flames flicker… they sometimes burn high and sometimes burn low. If you sense the fire has gone out, re-ignite it!

So, I like thinking of National Date Your Mate Month as a time to reflect on everything that made our mate someone we liked dating. No one expects that butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling, and that’s okay. There’s something very wonderful about total comfortability with our lover and best friend. Try to remember what was most special about each other in that “wowza,” falling in love stage. There is no need for expense. Just focus on romance. And smile. You are both worth it.

(Image by Bingo Naranjo)