Cathy Burnham Martin's Blog, page 62

National Chocolate Day

Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don’t. But if chocolate is a passion, try these super simple beauties! Your tastebuds will thank you.

Super Simple Dark Chocolate Pecans
1 ½ bars Lily’s intensely dark chocolate
5 oz pecan halves
5 T coconut oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1-2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pink Himalayan salt

Melt chocolate & coconut oil together for 1 min in microwave, stirring at 20-second intervals till smooth. Stir in vanilla, cinnamon & salt. Add pecans, stirring till coated. Spoon into 24 silicone mold squares, 3-4 pecans per section. Or spread on parchment paper. Salt heavily. Freeze 30 min.

Liberty!

 

“When governments fear the people there is liberty. When the people fear the government there is tyranny.”

–Thomas Jefferson (1743 – 1826)
2nd US Vice President; 3rd US President; architect & author

Honesty

 

“If you give me six lines written by the most honest man, I will find something in them to hang him.”

— Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1642)
(given name: Armand Jean du Plessis)
French statesman and clergy

Life!

Photo by David Mullins

“What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.”

— Crowfoot (1821 – 1890)
Native American warrior and orator

Feast of Good & Plenty!

Go ahead. Satisfy your sweet tooth today, because we’re celebrating the pink- and white-coated candy from by-gone days. You either love it or hate it, but Good & Plenty is the oldest brand of candy in the U.S.A., originating in Philadelphia in 1893. The Choo Choo Charlie TV commercials boosted its popularity in the 1950s. Come on… sing it! “Charlie says, ‘Love my Good & Plenty.’ Charlie says, ‘Really rings the bell.’ Charlie says, ‘Love my Good & Plenty. Don’t know any other candy that I like so well.’”

CHOO choo choo choo! CHOO choo choo choo!

While the choo-choo-chewy centers may not be true licorice, licorice extract gives a satisfying finish.

Okay. My teeth hurt thinking about this. Time for some potato chips. (Sorry, Charlie.)

Peace

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”

– Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970)

American guitarist, songwriter, and singer

Advance Reviews for “Destiny of Daring”

Though a plethora of personal life issues had me running wayyyyy behind in finishing the 3rd book in my Destiny historical fiction trilogy, I was still able to zip a few advance copies out to some reviewers. I am beyond humbled at the unanimously positive responses. Five Stars are landing across the board for “Destiny of Daring: Never Forget” ahead of the November 1st release. Here’s a bit from Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews. (I added a couple of her comments to the book’s cover.)

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Masterfully written!

I am a big fan of Cathy Burnham Martin and this trilogy. I couldn’t wait to read the last iteration, hoping it could be more. This author has a grand imagination, and talent for showing the story. I recommend reading the book from the beginning, including the Dedication, Foreword, and the list of characters. I also hope that you have read the first two books in this trilogy, although they can be read standalone. The reader will get the full picture of the family dynamic and the Armenian culture. I know I learned a lot. Meet the Gulumian Family. Cassie is the granddaughter of Hrant and Marjorie, and she has a gift. There are horrors in their past, how Armenians were treated in their own homeland, and suddenly, without having given her details to the tortures, Cassie dreams of her family’s past, and tells them the stories. Cassie shares stories of Armenians by writing their story, and some would have never known about their family lives had she not written their stories. And that’s just the beginning of this magnificently written historical tale, with all the hints of truth. The story is endearing and heartbreaking. An embraceable story. An emotional rollercoaster. Un-put-downable! What an inspirational title. Bring the tissues, and don’t put it down until the end. Destiny of Daring is a definite recommendation by Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews. Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews recommends that anyone who reads this book also write a review.

Have Words

 

“Words form the thread on which we string our experiences.”

— Aldous Huxley (1894 – 1963)
English writer & philosopher

No More!

There is no decent nor acceptable rationalization or justification for terrorism. Period.

Such acts are cowardly efforts to inflict pain and suffering among innocent people who are not responsible for the perpetrators’ anger, issues, or complaints. And yet, these are the deliberately inhumane actions of radical groups who are angry because negotiations failed to get them what they wanted.

Unlike when the Ottoman attempted to annihilate the Armenians or the Nazis tried to obliterate the Jews, we now have social media, so all filters are removed. Cell phone videos reveal sickening images and videos coming out of Israel that reveal a complete lack of human decency, to say the very least. And yet, as appalled as most people are after observing or learning of the multitude of heinous Hamas crimes against families, women, and children in Israel, I still found myself wanting to understand how so many otherwise seemingly sane people in the United States could possibly be attending rallies and cheering for Hamas.

History and society often clash, but it helped my perspective to read one particular article. This is the link to “Israel and Palestine: Where Should History Begin and Should It Matter.”

Most Read of 2021: “Israel” and “Palestine”: Where Should History Begin, and Should it Matter?

And yet, I still contend that it is nothing less than viscious for any leadership to encourage terrorism and utterly barbaric behavior against innocent people. We humans are desperately slow to evolve.

Friendship

 

“It’s not what we have in life, but who we have in our life that matters.”

— Unknown