Cathy Burnham Martin's Blog, page 52

Let Adversity Build Your Strength

Photo by Max LaRochelle

 

 

“Storms make trees take deeper roots.”

— Colonel Sir Claude McDonald (1852 – 1915)
British soldier and diplomat

 

 

Practice Hope

“Practice hope. As hopefulness becomes a habit, you can achieve a permanently happy spirit.”

Norman Vincent Peale (1898 – 1993)
American clergyman and author
(Quote is from “Positive Thinking Every Day.”)

Ice Cream for Breakfast

We celebrate Ice Cream for Breakfast Day with ice cream straight up or served on waffles. Make it your favorite ice cream flavor or flavors… or go for bacon ice cream to feel more “traditional” at breakfast time.

 

I do not know who comes up with some of these crazy days of celebration. However, I do presume they are sitting around drinking some adult beverages… or eating ice cream for breakfast. So… when should we gather next to eat some ice cream for breakfast? Er, uh… I mean develop some MORE crazy days to celebrate our human silliness?

Have a Hot Breakfast

 

We’re celebrating National Hot Breakfast Month during February. Fresh, warm muffins… eggs and bacon… hot cereal with raisins or berries and brown sugar… pancakes or waffles with warmed 100% pure maple syrup. Whatever you choose, you can’t go wrong. In the hot breakfast spirit, I share my recipe for a basic Spinach Mushroom Omelet.

 

 

Spinach Mushroom Omelet
This makes 2 omelets; size it up or down as you wish.

Butter and/or olive oil
4 lg or x-lg eggs, beaten with 1 T water & seasoned with salt & pepper
½ – ¾ c Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Swiss, or Muenster cheese (or combo), shredded
1 c (packed) fresh baby spinach (tough stems removed)
½ c chopped sweet onion & 2 T diced sweet red pepper; microwaved 2 min
½ – 1 c sliced mushrooms, sautéed 2 min; seasoned with thyme

Preheat griddle or skillet over med heat. Add 2 T butter and/or oil or combo. Pour in half the egg mixture (if using single skillet) or all of it in two sections (if making both omelets at the same time). Lift edges to allow extra liquid to run under the omelet. Sprinkle the cheese over the entire top surface; divide spinach leaves over the cheese, followed by sprinkle the onions, peppers, and mushrooms. When the eggs are just about set (2-3 min), fold both outer edges of the egg toward the center, forming your omelet. Transfer to warmed plates and serve with your choice of meats, toasts, breakfast potatoes, and fresh berries or fruit.

Optimist Day

When it comes to name calling, call me an optimist each and every day of the week, for I’d much rather be called an optimist than a pessimist. So, do I see the glass as half full or half empty. Duh. But either way, there’s room for more wine!

P.S. Please serve my pinot grigio on plenty of ice.

Perspective

“Do not condemn the judgment of another because it differs from your own. You may both be wrong.”

— Dandamis
Brahmin philosopher 4th Century BC

National Croissant Day

 

I was first introduced to croissants while on a college internship in Copenhagen, Denmark. Each morning, as I traversed the walking street near my destination, I learned to stop in at a pastry shop.

 

 

 

 

What started as one croissant in the morning, turned into two. I mean, that light crispy wonderful exterior and whispery flakiness inside required a double! Often it became one topped with sliced almonds and a dusting of confectioners’ sugar and filled with a delightful almond filling.

 

 

 

And it became increasingly difficult to resist a plain one… filled with melty chocolate bits.

 

 

 

 

If I was choosing a breakfast sandwich, that deserved a plain croissant, which was stuffed with a BLT and sometimes cheese or even a fried egg. Ahhhh… enjoy National Croissant Day.

Things that make us say, “Hmmmm.”

 

This aphorism would be seven words long if it were six words shorter.

Ahhh… to Seek Wisdom

“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.”

— Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)
British philosopher, mathematician, author, Nobel laureate

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

 

January 27 is the day established by the United Nations in 2005 for all nations to remember the Holocaust committed by the Nazis.

 

 

 

From 1933 and 1945 they eliminated 6-million Jews, two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population and countless others. Just as the Ottomans chose to settle their “Armenian question” in 1915, the Nazis attempted to implement their “final solution” to their “Jewish question.”

 

 

 

 

 

January 27 was chosen as the International Holocaust Remembrance Day as this was the date on which the Red Army liberated the concentration camp at Auschwitz in 1945.

 

 

 

 

 

And yet, chaos continues throughout the world. We humans are dreadfully slow to evolve.