Cathy Burnham Martin's Blog, page 40

Ahhhh, Compassion

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”

— Dalai Lama (1935 – )
14th Buddhist spiritual leader

See the Beauty

 

“I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.”

— Anne Frank (1929 – 1945) Celebrated German-born Jewish diarist,
noted for documenting life in hiding from the Nazis with her family in an Amsterdam attic

National Cheese Day

For National Cheese Day, you can celebrate with your favorite cheese and crackers or a charcuterie board, or a great grilled cheese sandwich.

I will also suggest a terrifically tasty Roasted Cream Cheese. (Yup… BBQ grill or oven.) You can serve it up in soooo many ways, you will love this for the summer and beyond.

 

 

Roasted Cream Cheese
1 pkg cream cheese
Olive oil spray or melted bacon renderings
Favorite BBQ dry rub seasoning

Open the cream cheese block, keeping it on the foil wrapper. Spray oil (or brush bacon fat) on top and all 4 side edges. Then liberally sprinkle the seasoning over the fat. Use the foil wrapper to invert the cheese, seasoned side down, onto an oil/fat coated spot in an oven- or grill-safe container (such as a pie plate). Use a sharp knife to cut ½“-deep, angled slices across the top. Turn the pan a bit and cut another row of slices, creating a crisscross pattern. Spray or brush oil or bacon fat on the cut side of the cheese and liberally sprinkle with BBQ seasoning. Bake in 275°F oven (or closed grill) for 30-45 minutes.

Use this as a base for a fabulous bacon-caramelized onion jam, or drizzle it with a favorite Thai sweet chili sauce or a hot sauce, or simply serve it as is with crackers, warmed Naan dippers, or anything else! You can also totally mix this up by replacing BBQ seasoning with blends that deliver a totally different taste treat…. Try an Italian herb blend, or Asian spiced sea salt, or Everything Bagel Seasoning. Ooh-la-la! You can also garnish the roasted cheese with toppings that work with your seasoning, such as warmed marinara for your Italian herb blend. Another treat is a favorite chutney and a generous sprinkling of crumbled, cooked bacon. The options are endless!

Steak Out!

 

June is National Steakhouse Month… ooh-la-la!

 

 

 

 

I can taste a perfect steak right now. Bits of crispy yumminess on the outside and tantalizingly tasty succulence inside. Little is more mouthwatering than the intoxicating aromas that waft from the sizzling steaks on a great steakhouse grill.

For the very best flavor, texture, and healthy beef, choose your favorite place that serves top quality, grass-fed, hormone- and antibiotic-free steaks. Welcome to summer… a perfect time to celebrate the art of the great steak!

Ahhh, Truth!

“The trouble with too many people is they believe the realm of truth always lies within their vision.”

— Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
American statesman; 16th President 1861-65; assassinated following Civil War

 

Dress Pretty

 

June 1 is National Wear a Dress Day… to celebrate wearing dresses. Be sassy, sophisticated, or silly. Of course, some people wear them better than others. My hubby has perfect legs for skirts, so when he chose to dress as Minnie Mouse to me as Mickey, I had no problem making him a snazzy little red and white polka-dot number, with shoes, pantaloons, and a petticoat to match.

 

 

 

Hmmm… Whatever your reason, skip the jeans today and go for lovely.

Believe!

Image by Jorge Vasconez

 

“Do not despair when the sun sets with sadness, for each new dawn delivers defiant radiance, even when the sun shrouds herself in clouds.”

— Cathy Burnham Martin (1954 – )
Author: “The Bimbo Has Brains… and Other Freaky Facts” 2017

Philosophers and Kings

“There will be no end to the troubles of states, or of humanity itself, till philosophers become kings in this world, or till those we now call kings and rulers really and truly become philosophers, and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands.”

–Plato (427-348 BC)
Greek philosopher

Live Well

Image by John Hain

 

 

“The purpose of life is a life of purpose.”

— Robert Byrne (1930 – 2016)
American author

Truth Beyond Opinion

“Not the violent conflict between parts of the truth, but the quiet suppression of half of it, is the formidable evil. There is always hope when people are forced to listen to both sides; it is when they attend to only one that errors harden prejudices, and truth itself ceases.”

— John Stuart Mill (1806 – 1873)
Naturalist & English language philosopher
Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom