2/7/13

After spending a great deal of time fine tuning some comments about the Super Bowl game, I decided to put them in file 13.  First of all, I am not a football fan. Until last evening  I had never watched a Super Bowl game. All I knew about either team was that brothers were rival coaches. No one is more surprised than I am that I watched the whole thing. I was impressed with the surge of talent from the underdogs after the break from no lights, hoping they would go on to win. Since it looked more like a war than a game and I was extremely disappointed in the half time show, let’s just say that next year I am going to read a book or try to find a good love story on a less known channel.

Yesterday reinforced my belief in the theory that much magic can be found in the ordinary things in life. I went to church, sat in my usual spot, but noticed an unfamiliar lady who entered my pew and smiled graciously as she knelt beside me. I silently nodded a hello to her. When the service was over she turned to me and said “Have a wonderful day”. When I asked if she were just passing through Edgerton or happened to be one of our three parish members, she introduced her husband and said they were  members of our sister parish to the north.  It was a familiar name, but I had never met the couple. Her response to my name was “Maxine!! You must write Magic Moments. I get the Edgerton paper and read your column every week”!  She had nice things to say about both , the Earth, a very nice hometown paper, and Magic Moments.  I just gave her my best smile and believed everything she was saying! A magic moment indeed.

To fill out a great day, my niece and her husband, because of our advanced ages and the snow covered roads, provided transportation to the Hicksville hospital for my sister-in-law and me. We wanted to visit my sister who is having a lengthy convalescence from a second surgery following complications from a knee replacement. To celebrate her upcoming 85^th birthday on the next day, we took an angel food cake with pineapple, pudding and whipped topping for filling between layers and frosting. Coffee was supplied from the cafeteria and we had a nice quiet celebration.  To every ones delight we decided to not sing “Happy Birthday”!!  Another evaluation of her progress is to be held on Tuesday to decide the next step of her recuperation.

Serving the birthday cake brings us to a nice introduction to food.  I have a very simple, perhaps not as inspiring as a dessert like the cake we just mentioned, but healthier idea for an everyday meal.  Perhaps not something you would want to impress guests with but I have it on my regular list of things to eat, especially for those of you who might eat alone.  My daughter is on a very, very limited diet. She comes to visit me often, sometimes I fix her lunch and she suggested it as something that she can eat.  For your health’s sake, do try it.  I read an article about foods that stated that kidney beans are shaped like a kidney, hence their name, and are very beneficial for kidney health.  I ate it because it tasted good.

                        

KIDNEY BEANS AND RICE

2/3  cup rice

3 cups water

1 can dark red kidney beans, with juice

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons butter

Bring water to boiling.  Add rice and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender but not sticky. Add kidney beans and butter. Serve with peas and/or a salad and fruit.  A simple to prepare meal and a healthy one.

Are potatoes as appetizing to you as they are to me? I can’t imagine anything that you could do to them to make me not like them.  Well, maybe scorch them!  I clipped this recipe  from a bag of shredded hash browns to make when I have more people to feed than just me.  Should make a nice dish to take to a potluck dinner.

                        

CHEEESY HASH BROWNS

1 package shredded hash brown potatoes

                       (enough to serve 8 to 10)

1 can (10 ¾  oz.) cream of chicken soup

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

¾ cup sour cream

¼ cup butter, melted

TOPPING:   1 ½ cups corn flakes, crushed

                       2 tablespoons melted butter

Combine all ingredients. Mix well. Pour into greased 2 quart glass baking dish. Stir together corn flakes and melted butter. Spread evenly over potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

           

Enjoy the snow as it looks as if we  are going to have plenty of it. This should be a good casserole for a cold snowy winter evening .