Cathy Burnham Martin's Blog, page 6

Fall Flowers

“Earth laughs in flowers.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882)
American writer & philosopher

 

Generosity of Spirit

Photo by Aaron Burden

 

 

“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”

-Greek proverb

You Gotta Have Heart

“A good heart is better than all the heads in the world.”

Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873)
English statesman, poet

Peace, Please

Photo by Casey Horner

September 21st is the annual International Day of Peace. May peace grow in everyone’s hearts.

 

“The world is now too small for anything but brotherhood.”

— Arthur Powell Davies (1902 – 1957)
English American Unitarian minister

Sweet!

Photo by Tiffany Chan

 

 

“A bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives the rose.”

— Chinese proverb

Respect for the Aged Day

I find it healthy to pause daily and express gratitude for the sage advice and guidance I have received from my elders. We are very blessed when those who have lived much longer than we set great examples and create a path which we can follow.

My 95-year-old Mom always gets my utmost respect. She raises the barre and consistently exudes more love, compassion, and energy than I could ever imagine.

(Thank you, Mom!)

“Those who respect the elderly pave their own road toward success.”
– African proverb

If You Believe…

Photo by Shayna Douglas

“If you believe free speech is for you but not your political opponents, you’re illiberal.

If no contrary evidence could change your beliefs, you’re a fundamentalist.

If you believe the state should punish those with contrary views, you’re a totalitarian.

If you believe political opponents should be punished with violence or death, you’re a terrorist.”

— J. K. Rowling (pen name of Joanna Kathleen Rowling) (1965 – )
British author & philanthropist, best known for Harry Potter series
Posted in her X account on September 11, 2025, following the assassination of Charlie Kirk

Wake Up Call

America felt a wide swath of hatred and intolerance on 9/11/2001. Today, we pause to reflect on more weaknesses in our human existence. From Martin Luther King, Jr. to Charlie Kirk, our nation has endured political and philosophical assassinations and assassination attempts. No matter what one’s philosophy, politics, or faith, violent responses or even advocating violent responses to someone whose views may differ from our own is ALWAYS wrong.

Freedom of speech is not just for those with whom we agree. Name-calling, derogatory labeling, and other extremist rhetoric that calls for violence as a response to political disagreement have absolutely no place in a democratic society. Diversity of opinion makes this country strong. Intolerance, especially expressed by those who regularly espouse tolerance, breaks us down.

Anyone who snickers or believes the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk is worthy or somehow good for America needs to do some serious soul searching or even seek mental health support. (That is not sarcasm.) Pray for sanity for violence advocates.

Meanwhile, remember one thing. Martyring Charlie Kirk does not silence his conservative advocacy, especially among our nation’s young people. Silencing one strong influencer merely awakens thousands more.

National Mai Tai Day

August 30 is National Mai Tai Day. The timeless rum-based cocktail was created in 1944 by Victor Bergeron (founder of Trader Vic’s) in Oakland, California. The name hails from his Tahitian friends, who said it translates to “out of this world” or “the best.”

Here’s the original Mai Tai recipe.

4 parts gold rum
1 part orange curacao
½ part simple syrup
1 part orgeat syrup
2 parts fresh lime juice
Combine and shake ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Strain into glass; add crushed ice. Garnish as you choose… mint leaf, twist or round slice of lime, or some other favorite.

Super Simple Beef Stroganoff

Super Simple Beef Stroganoff

 

Last night we enjoyed dinner with friends and served up Super Simple Beef Stroganoff.

One of our friends is not a mushroom fan, so we kept them separate for his sake and served them tossed with the stroganoff sauce in a separate bowl.

(This recipe is for you, Elaine!)

 

 

Stroganoff Preps

Super Simple Beef Stroganoff
Serve simply with crispy onion bread and tossed salad on the side. This recipe can also be cut in half easily.

2 lbs of steak strips
1 tsp salt
2 T olive oil
6 T butter (divided)
2 lg sweet onions, peeled & sliced
1 lb shiitaki and/or cremini mushrooms, sliced
½ tsp minced garlic
2 T flour
2 tsp paprika (sweet or smoky)
1 T Dijon mustard
2 c beef bone broth or stock, whisked with 1 T Better than Bouillon Beef
2 c light cream or half-and-half
1 c sour cream
Ground black pepper, to suit your taste
4-6 T chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Sprinkle beef with salt; heat the oil and 2 T butter in skillet over med-high heat. Add steak strips; stir-fry 3-4 min. Transfer steak with slotted spoon to a large bowl and set aside. Add 2 T butter to pan; add sliced onions; reduce heat to medium; let cook for 5 min, stirring a couple of times. Transfer onions to bowl with steak. Add 2 T butter to pan and the sliced mushrooms and garlic; cook 3-4 minutes till mushrooms have released their moisture and started to brown. Transfer mushrooms to the bowl with steak and onions. Remove pan from heat and whisk in flour, paprika, and a couple spoonfuls of broth. Then whisk in mustard and 1 cup of the broth. Return pan to heat and whisk in remaining broth. Stir over med heat till stock thickens. Reduce heat to low; add the cream; bring to a simmer over med heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the sour cream, beef, onions & mushrooms. Season with pepper. To serve, spoon over hot cooked pasta (egg noodles or rotini) or rice and garnish with parsley. Makes 8 servings.

KISS Tips: Remove steak, onions, and mushrooms from pan with slotted spoon, reserving liquids in pan. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. (Thaw in refrigerator.) This makes a creamy sauce, which we like as pasta absorbs sauce liquids, but you can cut back on the broth for a thicker sauce. You can also keep this warm in a slow cooker, with or without the pasta stirred into the mixture. While cooking steak and veggies, boil water and cook & drain pasta.