The Old Paths

Lots to do today around the homestead and I really have no creativity either so with that said I am posting an email I received this week.  

THE OLD PATHS

I liked the old paths, when Moms were at home.
Dads were at work. Brothers went into the  army.
And sisters got married BEFORE having children!

Crime did not pay; Hard work did;
And people knew the difference.

Moms could cook; Dads would work;
Children would behave.

Husbands were loving; Wives were supportive;
And children were polite.

Women wore the jewelry; And Men wore the pants.

Women looked like ladies; Men looked like gentlemen;
And children looked decent.

People loved the truth, And hated a lie.

They came to church to get IN, Not to get OUT!

Hymns sounded Godly; Sermons sounded helpful;
Rejoicing sounded normal; And crying sounded sincere.

Cursing was wicked; Drugs were for illness;
And divorce was unthinkable.

The flag was honored; America was beautiful;
And God was welcome!

We read the Bible in public; Prayed in school;
And preached from house to house.

To be called an American was worth dying for;
To be called an American was worth living for;
To be called a traitor was a shame!

I still like the old paths the best!

'The Old Paths' was written by a retired minister who lives in Tennessee. 

 

 

Great Quote For The Day

I was out and about today and ran across this great quote:

"A good memory is one that can remember the day's blessings

and forget the day's troubles."

-author unknown

Even hotter at supper time tonight but I will choose to remember the fact that we have beautiful, wonderful, gorgeous winters here in Arizona. 

Arizona in Word Pictures

The temperature at supper time tonight!

Our skies last night - gorgeous!

Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday - Oriental Chicken

I seldom make anything without a recipe and I follow that recipe to the T.  I can not credit my mother for any culinary ability I may have because she is the kind of cook that just throws it together.  I smile when I remember asking her how she could forget the sugar in a muffin recipe I gave her.  The first thing the recipe says is blend the sugar and shortening.  Her answer was she just throws it all in and mixes it up.

It was my Aunt and my Grandmother on my Dad's side of the family that taught me to cook.  My Grandmother I especially remember following the recipe and measuring things accurately.  My Aunt taught me cooking in 4-H and that was a special time in my life remembered very fondly.  My Aunt had a new home and her kitchen seemed so modern and professional to me as a ten year old.  Why even her cookie sheets had their own custom made storage space.  This was all very inspiring as a young girl. 

I say all that to say this, the recipe I am sharing today is one that you can adapt totally to what you like or what you have in the fridge at the time.  You most certainly don't have to follow this recipe exactly.  Use it as a base and go from there.   I originally found this recipe in 1985 on the Rita Davenport TV show (a local program at the time).  Precious Husband really enjoys this meal and we have it quite often. 

Oriental Chicken Stir Fry

4 boneless chicken breasts, cut in small pieces
1 large green pepper, diced
1 cup celery, sliced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
15 ounce can chicken broth
3 tablespoons corn starch mixed in 1/4 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce

Sauté in some butter or oil the chicken and then remove and sauté the veges.  Remove from pan and pour broth in pan and add cornstarch mixture.  Cook till smooth and thick then add soy sauce and return chicken and veges heating everything through real well.  Serve over rice.

That is the original recipe but as I said use what you like or have on hand.  My favorite is onions, mushrooms, little miniature peppers, and broccoli.  We like food with a little kick so I also add red chili flakes and also almonds for added crunch.  I always serve it over brown rice.  Colorful, attractive and nutritious meal in a bowl.  Very easy too.

As always on Tuesday go see Lisa and check out all the other bloggers great recipes.

Cupcakes and Saturday

Probably 26 years or more ago a special aunt gave me a big picnic basket full of candy molds and a nice box of Wilton's decorating tips.  I use the candy molds often and have added quite a few to the basket but I never have tried my hand at decorating a cake with the tips.

This last Saturday was I believed the birthday of one of our young men that had lived in our Pampa house.  He has left the house to return to COTS so Precious Husband and I planned to attend the Saturday evening service so we could give our birthday wishes to Cliff.

Rather than a cake that would be hard to serve I made Cliff birthday cupcakes and I decided after all these years to retrieve the Wilton tips and try my hand at decorating.  It was great fun and quite easy actually to take my plain cupcake and make it so festive.  I think I am hooked and am even considering taking a Wilton class at Michael's sometime soon.

We got to church and after the service we tracked down our birthday boy only to find out his birthday is the 14th of September not August.  Oh well, the young man is in need of extra love at this time so the cupcakes and accompanying hugs and kisses were still much appreciated.  He said he will look forward to September 14th now knowing what he can expect : )

I got to use this vintage cake carrier that I wrote about here to transport my cupcakes.  Lots of fun!!