Friday's Fave Five #443

Welcome to Friday's Fave Fives.  It's mid August already.  My vacation time is done, the nights are already turning cooler and we are gearing up for the start of school in a couple of weeks.  But there is always time to pause and look for the blessings over the past week and share 5 of them.  Please join in with us.

1.  Medieval Fair Fun.  Saturday we joined my sis and brother in law and took my son and his friend to the Medieval Fair.   Neither had been to anything like this and it was kinda fun to watch them experience it.   Knights in shining armor, jousting tournaments, midieval  villages, working blacksmith shop and other spectacles to watch and enjoy.

2.  Bountiful tomatoes.  At the beginning of summer we were given a half dozen or so tomato plants.  Seeing I don't have a garden and I haven't had a whole lot of luck growing tomatoes on the deck in a planter, my Mom said I could put them in her garden.  When I went to check on them the other day I was stunned to see all the tomatoes.  My mom says she has never seen the likes of the size and bounty on the stems since she's had gardens in Canada.  And that's something 'cause she's been here since 1956!  They are so heavy with tomatoes she's having a heck of a time. keeping them from breaking.  It must be the crazy heat we've had this summer.  At any rate, I see some toasted tomato sandwiches, broiled parmesan tomatoes and homemade spaghetti sauce in my future.

3.  Cooler evenings.  Southern Alberta has moved into cooler evenings and after the heat waves of June and July it really is a welcome relief.  We are back to a bit more of the kind of weather that is normal for this year around here which still means some hot days but the nights are nice and cool.  Open windows overnight letting in cool air is so much nicer than ac in my humble opinion.

4.   Vaseline.  A simple little thing like Vaseline makes my FFF list because it worked.  I think I sunburned my lips.  They were so dry they hurt.  And the lip balms I usually use just weren't helping.  Then I remembered a girl I used to know who swore by vaseline for her lips and used nothing else.  I thought what have I got to lose?  Within two days the extreme dryness and soreness were gone.  I think I'll be exchanging my lip balms for a tube of vaseline.

5.  This quote by Max Lucado that came through my facebook feed.  It really speaks to me especially in context with FFF and why I've continued it for so long.  Developing an attitude of gratitude and looking for the good things in my life intentionally and consistently really keeps my perspective in the right place.

"Gratitude gets us through the hard stuff. To reflect on your blessings is to rehearse God’s accomplishments. To rehearse God’s accomplishments is to discover his heart. To discover his heart is to discover not just good gifts but the Good Giver. Gratitude always leaves us looking at God and away from dread.  It does to anxiety what the morning sun does to valley mist. It burns it up."        

                                                                                                                             -Max Lucado

What were the things you were grateful for this week?

Hungarian Lecso

Lecso (there is supposed to be a little tick leaning to the right over the "o" but I don't know how to do that)  is a Hungarian peasant dish that I grew up with.  My parents came from Hungary and come August when the sweet yellow Hungarian or banana peppers start coming this dish was on the stove.  It is quick and easy:  30 minutes tops.  Flavorful and quite versatile as different ingredients can be switched up.  For example, it can be vegetarian or with sausage.  Traditionally the Hungarian sweet banana peppers are used but I have made it mixed with other sweet peppers too, such as purple, yellow bell or red bell.  We like it with HOT banana peppers added but that can switched with cayenne pepper if you don't have access to those or if you don't like heat just skip that altogether.  You can use whatever sausage you want.  I grew up with my mom using a ring of Ukrainian sausage but when I made it for my son the other week I used what I had:  smokies!  And it was delicious.   My mom always served it over rice, but noodles would work too, or it can be used as a topping for pork chops or as a vegetable side.  Our family traditionally used the egg but that makes some Hungarians twitch, depending on the region of Hungary they originally came from.  LOL.  So many options.

Now the secret to Lesco is not making a stew out of it.  The way you do this is to stir fry the peppers just until they collapse and add the tomato at the very end and cook down just enough to take the raw tomato taste away and produce a small amount of sauce, a minute at most.  You don't want it too liquid (which is what happens when you cook the tomatoes down too much) and you don't want the peppers boiling and stewing in the tomatoes making them bitter.   A bit of liquid in the bottom of the pan is what you are going for, you don't want the peppers swimming in it.  Add the salt in the end so that it doesn't draw more liquid from the peppers.  It may sound too complicated & intimidating but it really isn't.  Once you get down to making it you realize just how easy it is.

Lecso

-1 kg (2 lbs) sweet banana peppers (or combination of sweet peppers)
-1 or 2 hot banana peppers OR   1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
-3 Tbsp cooking oil
-1 large onion, diced
-1 ring of sausage of choice or equal amount of smokies (approx. 450 gr or 1/2 lb.), sliced**
-2 tsp. paprika
-2 large ripe beefsteak or other tomato, cut in chunks
-1/2 - 1 tsp. salt (to taste)
-1 egg, beaten (optional)**

Wash the peppers and dry them well.  Slice the stem off and dig out the seeds and membrane.  Slice into rings or long slices.  (I prefer the long slices).    **Note:  if you are using the hot banana peppers wash hands immediately and do not rub your eyes or near your nose!  Also wash your cutting board.

Heat oil in saute pan over medium heat and add onion.   Also add sausage if using.  Cook until onion is transluscent and sausage has a bit of brown on it.  Add paprika (and cayenne if using) and peppers.  Stir fry just until the peppers collapse.  If too much liquid is being released, turn up the heat a little bit.  You are wanting to basically stir fry, not stew.

Once peppers collapse, add cut up tomato and salt (and beaten egg if using).  Stir gently until tomato heats through and turns mushy and egg thickens the sauce... about a minute.

Serve over or beside hot rice, noodles or even toast.

**If using as a topping over pork chops (or are wanting a vegetarian or vegan dish) omit the egg and sausage.

These two are just too adorable and make me grin like a fool every time they are on.

Fridays Fave Five #442

Good morning everyone!  Sorry this is late going up.  Unexpected company last night made it so I couldn't get to my computer.  I don't know when today I'll be able to make my own Friday's Fave Five but don't let that stop you!  I'll put up the Linky and you go right ahead and I'll jump on board whenever I can.  Happy Friday to all!


And we're finally back...

Whew, it's been a crazy day with everything so far but I'm finally able to catch a minute to see if I can get 5 favorite blessings from the week posted.

1.  Visit from my son.  My son was able to get some well deserved down time and come home for a few days.  So very nice to have him here.  His friend came along with him and we've been having a good visit.  I love whenever my kids can get home.  I really miss them.

2.  Day trip to Calgary.  This is always fun and we always have our favorite places to visit there.  This time we took a trip to the Calgary Farmer's Market and the Chinook Mall.  The Farmer's Market is always a treat with lots of delicious food and fun products.  There is almost always buskers playing and singing and providing entertainment.  It's just such a fun, busy environment.  I even found a Christmas present already.  Just hope I remember I bought it come December.  :/

3.  First lesco of the year.  Come August when the peppers start making an appearance we start getting a craving for a wonderful Hungarian peasant dish called lesco.  Growing up in a Hungarian household my Mom made the best but I give it a good shot each year.  It's usually made with sweet banana peppers or sweet yellow Hungarian peppers, but this time at the farmer's market I was able to score some wonderful purple peppers too.   Big bonus is it takes only about 1/2 hour at the most from stove to table and is super easy.   And seeing my son loves this dish, I made a batch while he was here.  I'll post the lecso recipe this week.  It was fun to get his friend, who is from China, to try this dish as had brought us all sorts of Chinese treats to try.  I can now officially say I have tried Chinese snack foods such as Shredded dried Squied, Spicy Bean Curd, Spicy rice crackers, and something like a cereal square but chewier rather than crispy, and a meat appetizer that was cooked with all sorts of traditional Chinese spices such as cinammon and cardomon.  

4.  Chocolate Cherry Bread Pudding.  I have not baked in a long, long, long time.  My hubby no longer eats sugar, and I have cut way, way back.  If I have a sweet it's at dinner at someone else's house or a restaurant and it's rare.  If I have it around I know I will just eat it until it's gone.  But seeing the guys were home AND I had stale hamburger buns and some frozen cherries that needed eating I made this yummy bread pudding.  I used half the sugar and it still was so delicious.  It was a hit with everyone and again so easy.  I'll post that recipe next week too.

5.  Mini at home holiday.  Wrapping up our staycation week last weekend Hubby and I took some bike rides, river bottom walks and actually ate pizza at a restaurant.  I love holidays and going places but I also like staycations too.  I find they are a bit more relaxed.  On holidays we tend to be on the go so much, taking in sights and events and shopping of the place we are visiting.  But at home it's totally down time and we go with the flow.  Sleeping in, chilling with me reading and him doing his music stuff on the computer, not having to be anywhere or do anything.  We had pizza at a pub where hubby has does business with the owner and it was amazing.  We'll be getting that again.   I could have used another week, it seems I just get the stress of work and day to day shaken off and get totally relaxing and the week is over, but I am thankful for that week!

Whew, so there were my favorite blessings from the week.  Thanks for joining in! 

Before I Go To Sleep by S.J.Watson ~ Book Review

Christine is a woman who wakes up each morning in a panic not knowing who the man next to her in the bed is.  And she doesn't recognize the middle aged woman staring back at her in the bathroom mirror.  And each morning the man patiently explains that he is Ben, her husband of over 20 years, and that she had a horrific accident 20 years ago that wipes her memory everytime she goes to sleep.   Each day she also gets a phone call from a man who tells her he is a Dr. Nash who is working with her without her husband's knowledge to try to bring some memory back.  Each day she writes in a journal what happened that day and hides it in her closet and each day Dr. Nash tells her where to look for it.  As the entries start to add up, and as she rereads them each, Christine starts to have some questions and some things are not lining up and making sense.  But who does she trust and believe?  Her husband? Dr. Nash? herself?  She can't even remember yesterday!

This was one tense, page turning, can't put it down psychological thriller.   Christine is totally dependent upon her husband, Ben, each and every day to fill in the facts of her existence.  But as she journals her days something in her tells her not to let her husband in on what she is doing just yet.  And the more she journals and rereads her days, while answering some questions it also raises so many more.  The tension in this book runs through each page  and doesn't let up.   The pacing is really good and keeps you riveted and turning the pages to find out what is going on.  Your emotions are really engaged with the main character as it is so hard to imagine this happening to anyone and the utter confusion they would live under on a daily basis yet the book is inspired in part by the lives of several amnesiac patients whom the author mentions in the author's note at the back of the book.  You really are rooting for Christine to get her memory back or at least to get the questions answered.

I gave this a 9/10

Friday's Fave Five #441

Happy Friday!  Another week to look back over and take note of the blessings in our lives.  Please join us!  This is holiday week for me so my whole week is one to be thankful for.  Though this year is a staycation with a few day trips it has been great!

1.  Day trip over the Logan's Pass on Going to the Sun Road.  Friends put together a spur of the moment day trip and invited us.  This is my most favorite scenic drive I've ever done.  Such beauty all the way.  There are so many little pull overs with waterfalls, hikes, trails, views, everyone of them different from the one before.  We did it a few years back with the kids and it was so much fun to do it with somebody else because we saw Glacier National Park from a different perspective.  They showed us trails and little treasures we didn't know about.  A fun lunch of delicious burgers at a diner in West Glacier and then we headed back.  A day in the company of dear friends surrounded by God's artistry and creation is the greatest stress reliever ever!

2.  Trail of the Cedars.  This is my favorite trail in the park and neither Hubby or my friends had ever walked it.  So it was my pleasure to show them.  Thick with 3 different kinds of cedars and lush forest floor, humid and so easy to breathe with wonderful nature smells and of course, a gorgeous little watter fall at the end.  I could take a book in there and spend hours.

3.  Foot dip into a glacial stream.  What is better than cooling the feet in a beautiful, crystal clear, cold glacial stream after hiking all day?

4.  Free coffee.  Yesterday I popped into the Starbuck's drive thru to grab a iced coffee, which is a real treat when running errands.  Long story short, but the till froze up and neither the young lady at the window nor the shift manager could get it to go after 5 or 6 tries so they gave me my drink free!  Yummy.  You really gotta try the iced coconut mocha macchiato.  So good.  A rare treat as I've cut sugar waaaaaay back.  But sometimes a girl just has to indulge.  And for free?  Bonus!

5.  New glasses coming.  It's been three years since my last glasses purchase or eye check up and I've noticed a change.  So finally I got that done this week, and ordered new ones.  Yipee!

What were your favorite blessings this week?

The Face of the Earth by Deborah Raney ~ Book Review

Mitch and Jill Brannon have a wonderful marriage.  Both have careers they love, Mitch is a principal at a school and Jill is a grade 3 teacher at another school.  Their kids are both grown, their son in university and their daughter soon to join him there.  Jill is struggling a bit with the thought of their daughter leaving at the end of summer for school, so Mitch encourages her to attend a teacher conference with her colleagues so she can unwind and get her mind off it.  Now conference is over and Mitch is excited to see her and hear all about it.  Just having heard that she is on her way home, he's planning a quiet steak dinner at home with her.

But Jill doesn't come home.  Hours tick away and still no Jill and no calls from her Mitch is beside himself.   Jill's best friend, and the Brannon's next door neighbor immediately comes over to be with Mitch as he calls police.  Days later police still have not a clue what has happened to her.  As the days turn into weeks and then months, Mitch is frustrated with what he feels is not enough proactive action on the part of the police and he starts to take matters into his own hands.  Bringing Shelley along to help in the search they spend days and miles together looking for Jills's car in ditches and trying to unearth even the smallest of clues that would help to find her.   With the common goal of Jill's well being and finding her driving them, Mitch and Shelley's friendship deepens to the point where Shelley's deep buried attraction to Mitch is starting to surface and becoming harder and harder to hide.

I  enjoyed the concept of the story.  It explored life going on after tragedy that has not had closure and when, if any,  time should be the right time to move on.  It delved into marriage vows, and explored the depth of them as Mitch's loyalty to the vows he made Jill where thrown into confusion and temptation when it was becoming more and more apparent that Jill had literally disappeared off the face of the earth. With the police believing she disappeared of her own accord, how long could and should he hold onto his vows to her?  I appreciated the author's portrayal of a character who took his vows seriously and treated them as sacred and important while still being very human.  Mitch's character was so well written and you could feel his struggle and confusion as he was torn between putting all his focus into finding any clues to Jill's whereabouts and facing maybe having to finally just give up and move on with life for the sake of family.  The characters of Mitch and Shelley had much to struggle with as the search for Jill kept coming up empty and Shelley was finding it harder and harder to squash her feelings for Mitch.  At times I really, really disliked her character as she seemed very self serving at points in the story and was very quick in justifying her words and actions in pushing Mitch to move on way too early, in my humble opinion, and  giving him the space and time he needed to grieve in his own way and time.  I liked how the author portrayed real people struggling with real temptations and justifications in hard situations, how she portrayed how selfish motivations can cause us to, while sounding like a good thing,  do wrong things and justify them,  but I also love how she portrays that good marriages and holding onto to vows don't always come easily and must be fought for.   A good read that makes one think what "till death do us part" really means. 

I gave it an 8.5/10