Cathy Burnham Martin's Blog, page 60

Save the Eagles

 

When we see an eagle soaring through the sky, we tend to stop whatever we were doing and just watch.

 

 

One of my most memorable moments came as stood in my own backyard in New Hampshire. With our land abutting a wetland, I had been able to watch an annual eagle nest. Just once I happened outside in time to observe an eagle teaching its eaglet to ride a thermal updraft. The little one would catch it and go up and around, but then, whoops… out it slipped, drifted back down and caught it again. On its third attempt, the eaglet “got it.” Then I watched as they both gracefully drifted up, up, up and away out of sight. It was glorious.

 

So, on January 10th, National Save the Eagles Day, I like to pause and thank those who have worked hard to protect eagles from extinction. Since 1787 the bald eagle has been our national symbol.

 

 

Though there are some 60 eagle species, only the bald and golden eagle are found in the U.S. Here, the eagle is a symbol of freedom, and we all know far too well how deeply freedoms are endangered around the world.

 

 

Threatened by extinction, the bald eagle began receiving special protection in 1972. By 2007 the bald eagle population had rebounded enough to be removed from the endangered species list. May freedom for everyone be so fortunate. Just like the eaglet, we must never give up.

The Sun Rises with Hope in its Heart

“Of all the forces that make for a better world, none is so indispensable, none so powerful, as hope. Without hope men are only half alive. With hope they dream and think and work.”

— Charles Henry Sawyer (1868 – 1954)
American painter and photographer

Well, thank you. Thank you very much.

Many music icons were gone too young, and Elvis Presley was one of them. He was born into a poor family in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935. His twin was delivered 35 minutes before him, stillborn. In 1946 for his 11th birthday, his parents gave Elvis his first guitar. At age 13, his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where he received a “C” in music class in high school. His teacher told Elvis that he just didn’t have an aptitude for singing. So, he brought in his guitar and sang a song that had just been released by Fairly Holden and His Six Cold Papas… “Keep Them Cold Icy Fingers Off Me.” The teacher agreed that Elvis was right. She didn’t appreciate his kind of singing.

 

Elvis Presley could not read music, but he played and sang by ear. If he heard a song that he liked, he could make it his own. In 1954, at the age of 19, Elvis and his group performed their first live show and he signed his first contract with RCA records at age 20. In Nashville, Tennessee, in 1956, Elvis recorded his first album, which included the hit single “Heartbreak Hotel.” His stardom grew rapidly, even while he served in the U.S. Army from 1958 – 1960. Elvis continued recording music and making movies until his sudden passing in 1977 at his home in Graceland in Memphis at just 42 years of age.

 

The singer and actor still reigns as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century. He holds many records to this day, including the most certified gold and platinum albums, the most albums charted on the Billboard 200, the most number-one albums by a solo artist on the UK Albums Chart, and the most number one singles by ANY act on the UK Singles Chart. In 1971 the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences recognized Elvis Presley with its Lifetime Achievement Award. He was also posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Today marks what would have been the 88th birthday of Elvis Presley. Fans have been celebrating at Graceland with 4 days of live music and special tours.

National Soup Month

January is National Soup Month. Soup makes a marvelous mouth-watering way to warm up on a chilly winter’s day. A favorite of mine is Chinese Hot and Sour Soup, which I have been making and enjoying since the mid-1970s. Here’s my only slightly updated 1975 recipe.

Cathy’s Hot-and-Sour Soup
Update of my 1975 recipe

2 T peanut oil
1 T finely minced garlic
1 T minced ginger or ginger paste
¼ lb boneless pork, cut in matchstick-sized slices
½ c coarsely chopped cabbage leaf, optional
¼ c shredded, chopped, or matchstick-sliced carrots
3 T tamari or soy sauce
1 c bamboo shoots, sliced
12 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
12 canned straw mushrooms
12 lily buds (golden needles) (rehydrated in boiling water, if dried)
12 tree ear fungus (wood ears, cloud ears) (rehydrated in boiling water, if dried)
4 c chicken bone broth or stock
1/3 c dry sherry (or saki)
1 c red wine vinegar
2 T cornstarch combined with ¼ c cold water
1/3 c diced fresh bean curd (tofu)
2 green onions, thinly sliced (white and green portions)
¼ lb shrimp, medium-sized (optional)
1 egg, lightly beaten, optional
1 T sesame oil
3-5 T hot chili oil, or a few dashes crushed red pepper
1 tsp ground white pepper
In 2-handled wok or large saucepan, heat peanut oil; add garlic and ginger, stirring ½ minute.

Add pork, cabbage, and carrot, cooking till the pork loses its pink color. Add tamari, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, lily buds, tree ears; stir 1 minute. Stir in broth, sherry and vinegar; then cornstarch/water mixture. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat. Add tofu, green onions and shrimp. Add the egg in a thin stream, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in sesame oil, hot oil, and white pepper. (Add salt and black pepper to suit your taste, if desired.) Serve with crispy fried Chinese noodles, if desired. Makes 2-3 servings.
KISS Tip: I have also made this as a Mushroom-Hot-and-Sour Soup, by omitting the pork and shrimp and quadrupling the mushrooms.

Cuddle Up!

Every year on January 6, we celebrate National Cuddle Up Day. No gifts, no parties, and no pressure. Just cuddle up and relax. Chill. Ahhhhhh.

Fly, Baby! Fly!

 

For National Bird Day, I thought we’d consider some favorites. I have always loved the long plumes of the peacock. (And, as a child trying to snag one of the loose and dangling tail feathers, I got scolded by attendants more than once for chasing the peacocks at the York Wild Animal Kingdom in Maine.)

 

 

As an adult, I love the songs of the mockingbird. We have some amazingly talented ones at our home in the North Carolina mountains. They can trill on and on for up to an hour, with seemingly no repeats. (I was sorely disappointed when I returned to Lake Winnipesaukee last summer to find the mockingbirds favoring the calls of the crows and seagulls.)

 

The hummingbirds, goldfinch, and cardinals are all lovely.

 

 

 

 

 

But I feel especially blessed by the plethora of bluebirds around our ranch. They are gorgeous.

 

 

 

 

Then there are the big birds… and we have plenty of hawks, owls, great blue heron, and even the occasional eagle.

They all make me so happy I could chirp!

Food, Glorious Food!

As noted yesterday, I enjoy sharing recipes on my website and social media articles. In 2023, I am pleased to note that I shared 90 recipes with you. They ranged from appetizers, tapas, beverages, and brunch items to entrees, side dishes, snacks, soups, and sweets. Here is the full list of my recipes shared via my website & social media in 2023. They are all archived on this site in their respective articles.

APPETIZERS & TAPAS:
Asian Shrimp Bites
BBQ Roasted Cream Cheese
Beer Cheese Dip
California Dip
Cathy’s Mouth Watering Stuffed Mushrooms
Clams & Oysters on the Half Shell
One-Bite Newburgs
Oysters Rockefeller
& Super Simple Oysters Rockefeller
& Chicken Rockefeller
& Cheesy Rockefeller
Sassified Bacon Jam Dip
Stuffed Celery
Super Simple Caprese Kebabs
Super Simple Nachos
Tataki Nacos
Tuna Tataki Crisps

 

BAKED:
Sesame Bagels
Super Simple Banana Bread
Super Simple Perfect Popovers
& Blueberry, Blackberry, Cherry, & Peachy Popovers

 

 

BEVERAGES:
Bellini Cocktail
Classic Margarita
Daiquiri
& Strawberry Daiquiri
Harvey Wallbanger
Ruby Bellini Punch
Super Simple Sparkling Lemonade
True Bellini a la Harry’s Bar

 

 

BRUNCH:
Apple Sausage French Toast
Eggs Benedict
Eggs Benedict Royale
Florentine Eggs Benedict
Skillet Stuffed Egg Rings
& Italian Skillet Stuffed Egg Rings
& South of the Border Stuffed Egg Rings
& Super Simple Omelet Stuffed Pepper Rings
Super Simple Neptune Eggs Benedict

ENTREES:
BEEF:
Super Simple Burritos
Super Simple Chop Suey
Super Simple Wiener Schnitzel
Hot Dog Celebration

LAMB:
Super Simple Kufta/Kafta/Kofta Bites
Super Simple Roast Leg of Lamb

MIXED:
Crunchy Tacos
Something on a Stick

 

SEAFOOD:
Cathy’s Crab Cakes
Seafood Spaghetti a la Scrumptious
Super Simple Tempura
Super Simple Yucatan Shrimp
Tuna Tataki

 

VEGGIES & CHEESE:
Cheese Toast
Fettuccine Alfredo
Mac & Cheese Waffles
Super Simple Caprese Sandwiches

SALADS:
Chicken Salad
Seafood Salad

SAUCES & CONDIMENTS:
Cathy’s Crab Cake Drizzle
Hollandaise Sauce
Mom’s Raisin Sauce for Baked Ham
Spicy Apricot Sauce
Super Simple Blueberry Syrup
Super Simple Everything Bagel Seasoning
Super Simple Peach Salsa
Super Simple Spiced Cranberry Raisin Chutney
Super Simple Tzatziki Sauce
Wasabi Cream

SIDES (inc VEGGIES):
Fluffy Corn Fritters
Mexican Street Corn
Roasted or Grilled Veggies
Super Simple Sauteed Spinach
Super Simple Tobacco Onions
Twice-Baked Potato

SNACKS:
Bacon Cheddar Popcorn
Caramelized Walnuts
Everything Bagel-Seasoned Almonds
Fried Wonton Chips
Super Simple Dark Chocolate Pecans

 

 

SOUPS:
Creamy Carrot Soup
Creamy Celery Soup
Super Simple Lobster Newburg

 

 

SWEETS:
Café Martin Crème de Menthe Brownies
Crackin’ Toffee Crunch
English Toffee
Fabulously Fudgy Frosting
Melt-in-Your-Mouth Chocolate Cake
No Bake Peanut Butter Balls
Red, White, and Blueberry Shortcake
Super Simple Peanut Butter Cookies
Super Simple Red, White, & Blueberry Pie
Super Simple Smores

Wisdom to Share

What fun I had writing articles, posting insightful and silly quotes, and sharing recipes with you in 2023. In total I shared 174 “Notable Quotables” from a wide array of folks, from Eleanor Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, and Ronald Reagan to Thomas Sowell, Kahlil Gibran, Aristotle, Voltaire, Socrates, and proverbs from many cultures. Words rang out from John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Dolly Parton, Doris Day, and Bob Hope, along with Albert Einstein, Karl Marx, Amelia Earhart, and Douglas MacArthur. The lists continued with diverse thoughts shared by Andy Warhol, Ernest Hemingway, Mae West, and Martin Luther King, Jr. to Mark Twain, Norman Vincent Peale, Michael Jordan, and Auguste Rodin… to name just a few. We covered politics, war, philosophy, family, relationships, nature, wisdom, behavior, and encouragement.

“The wisdom of the wise and the experience of the ages are perpetuated by quotations.”

— Benjamin Disraeli (1804 – 1881)
British statesman and twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

May You Always Have the Friend You Need

 

“Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it’s all over.”

— Octavia Butler (1947 – )
American science fiction writer

May 2024 be your best time yet.

January 2nd is National Science Fiction Day, so Butler seemed like a timely author to quote today.

National Bloody Mary Day

While the Bloody Mary is typically consumed by mid-afternoon, enjoy one any time you like! Let our recipe get you started.

Bloody Mahhhvelous Mary
A classic Bloody Mary is a combo of vodka, double that amount of tomato juice, some prepared horseradish, tabasco, Worcestershire, salt & pepper… all shaken together, served over ice, and garnished with a celery rib and perhaps a wedge of lemon or lime. But personalizing one is both fun and fabulous… and makes your Mary Mahhhvelous!.

2 oz vodka
4 oz tomato juice, V-8 veggie cocktail, or Clamato juice
1 tsp – 1 T prepared horseradish
½ – 1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
1-5 dashes Tabasco (or other favorite hot pepper sauce)
Salt & pepper, to suit your taste
Combine in a shaker; shake gently. Then pour in a tall glass over ice and garnish as desired.

KISS Tips: Consider rimming your glass before making the drinks. Celery salt on a small plate will do just fine, or combine celery salt with dillweed or Creole seasoning (such as Tony Chachere’s) or Old Bay seafood seasoning. Simply squeeze the juice from a lime or lemon wedge directly onto the rim of your glass and you move the citrus wedge around the circumference of the glass. Then invert the glass and roll through your desired seasoning mix. Then fill with ice and set aside, ready to fill. With your garnishes, you can go Super Simple with a celery rib, or add a combination of items to suit you. Consider skewered, filled olives, or a dill pickle spear and a citrus wedge, or 2 chilled shrimp and a sprig of parsley, or a lobster tail, and/or a crispy peppered bacon strip. You can also switch up the vodka. Make your Mary with gin for a Red Snapper Mary or with tequila for a Bloody Maria.