Sweet and Savory Easter Favorites

Saturday 9 March 2013 - Filed under Recipes

Frosty Mandarin Orange Dessert
by Marilyn Brandt Smith

• 1 small package Jell-O
• 1 cup hot water
• 1/2 can mandarin orange sections
• 1/2 pint orange sherbet

Pour Jell-O into a quart container. Add one cup of hot water, and shake, covered tightly, until Jell-O is dissolved. Stir in 1/2 can orange sections along with the juice from the can. Add 1/2 pint sherbet, one spoonful at a time. Stir until sherbet melts. Pour into bowl. Chill until firm. Serves four. You can easily double this recipe.

Ham Balls
by Marilyn Brandt Smith

• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 small onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional)
• 2 teaspoons prepared mustard
• dash of pepper
• dash of thyme

• 1 pound boiled ham

  In a large bowl, beat the egg and water. Add the breadcrumbs, and let stand until liquid is absorbed. Stir in chopped onion, parsley, mustard, pepper, and thyme. Mix in chopped ham, and shape mixture into 1-inch balls. Place on a large baking pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. After removal from oven, spear each ball with a pretzel stick for easy serving.

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Smells like Spring

Saturday 9 March 2013 - Filed under Fragrance

Ever enjoyed a candle in a bowl–light, fragrance, warmth–no flame, no wick, no danger! Roses, gardenias, lilacs, violets, and magnolia blossoms can be fresh and fingertip close in your home. Spring and florals remind us that new life is here. Find out about bouquets you can create with waxes and room sprays at candlesandbeyond.scentsy.us. Ask me about my favorites.

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A Poem

Wednesday 9 January 2013 - Filed under Writing

This is an acrostic poem, a bit of a riddle. If you read the first letter on each line of poetry, you will spell something interesting. Want to try it? Here goes!

Winter Pleasures
by Marilyn Brandt Smith

Sounds like cornstarch ‘neath your feet,
Numbs your fingers without gloves;
On a whim kids hit the street,
Winter warriors everyone loves.
Bring a bowl of fluff inside,
Ask for sugar and some flavor;
List the ski trails you’ll soon glide,
Let Frosty steal that hat you favor.

2 comments  ::  Share or discuss  ::  2013-01-09  ::  Marilyn Brandt Smith

Winter Travel Tips

Wednesday 9 January 2013 - Filed under Writing

Winter Travel Tips
by Marilyn Brandt Smith
First published in the Matilda Ziegler magazine, November 2011

Recent snows in the northeast raise questions. Is this just the tip of the iceberg? Will this be a fierce winter? Ski resorts can’t wait for it to start. In the south it’s one of those “This can’t be happening to us down here!” moments. It’s time to get prepared.

A bucket of hot soapy water, “Dawn” dish washing liquid is recommended for some reason, is a quick trick for melting the stuff on your steps and porch. It can also be a mild preventative between snowfalls or before it ever starts.

Layering clothing keeps warmth in and cold out, and it allows you to peel off what you don’t need depending on the temperature indoors. Start with snug foundation garments; use leggings of your choice if the wind is likely to find its way under your pants or dress.

Some hoods, hats, and scarves have ear flaps. If they’re knitted loosely you might be able to travel safely and receive enough information. You can pin or Velcro those flaps out of your way until you’re finished walking. Good traction is necessary on ice. Bumpy treads that stretch over your shoes or boots can help. These cleats, along with good winter clothing, can be found at sporting goods stores and in major department and discount stores in the north and west. If you are in the south and are planning a cold vacation, you may have to order them from a catalog or online. Unfortunately, the thicker your footwear, the less information you’ll receive about your walking surface.

Wrap ends of scarves into your coat or around your neck for extra warmth. A “turtle” is a neck warmer which can be pulled up to cover part of your face. Mittens don’t offer as much information as gloves, but are warmer. The Maryland School for the Blind sells mittens with a hole for a cane to slip through. This gives you more tactile contact with the walking surface than you would obtain through wool or leather. For more information call 410-444-5000 and ask for the mobility office. They cost about $6.

If you have to dress for success you’ll need an extra pair of shoes in the bag you’re carrying. Don’t hand-carry anything you can toss over your shoulder. You could lose your balance if you start to fall. When you’re at your destination, stuff hand protection into your coat pockets, and your scarf or neck warmer into a sleeve of your coat. They tend to go wandering if not safely tucked away. Of course, if they’re wet, you’ll need to find someplace to dry them. You can buy pocket-sized warmers that produce heat for hours by pulling a tab or shaking the packet. Slide them into your boots or pockets. They aren’t expensive. Sporting goods stores may give you other ideas for clothing and warming options.

There’s not always a way out of walking in the crunchy stuff. A coworker may not be going your way. There’s safety in walking in a crowd, especially if there are streets to cross. A cane can give you additional information about your environment because of the tricks ice and snow can play. Shovelers, snowplows, and natural wind drifts can block crosswalks and hide familiar landmarks. By using a shoulder bag or backpack you can have both hands free, which offers you the option of using a second cane or probe for really tough travel days. Heft one of those old wooden “dog killers,” as we used to call them when we gave them away at the lighthouse in Washington, D.C., with a traditional mobility cane. You can push snow around and clear a path while exploring your environment for drop-offs. Perhaps this is not a strategy you’d normally employ, but it worked in downtown Salt Lake City during a couple of winters.

Each time your mobility cane touches snow or ice with your usual tap or glide pattern, push it a few inches forward before stepping. It may find wind-blown branches, cars where they’re not supposed to be, or the edge of a sidewalk. A shuffle step may not be pretty, but it could protect you from conditions that are confusing. If you travel too fast or don’t use cleats on slick ice, you may find yourself in a horizontal position. It’s no fun getting up. Keep a charged cell phone if you’re out alone. Getting lost in winter weather is scary and dangerous.

If you’re traveling with others in a vehicle in areas where businesses and residences are sparse, be sure there are extra blankets; plenty of fuel; water and snacks; and a charged cell phone handy. Breakdowns could require jumper cables and other quick fixes the driver should know about. Keep a signal light if you’re traveling at night, whether by car or walking.

The Hadley School for the Blind offers mobility tips for children, and may have some that would work for adults too. Check with them at 800-323-4238 or hadley.edu.

Get away and enjoy some tubing, sledding, and skiing; or snow-angel and snowball fun if you can. Fresh cold air and softness under your feet create that proverbial “Winter Wonderland.” If you’re a dog guide user, please offer some tips in the readers’ forum.

Play it safe, be warm, be tolerant of delays and confusion. Make a checklist if you need it. The one thing you forget is the thing you’re sure to need.

1 comment  ::  Share or discuss  ::  2013-01-09  ::  Marilyn Brandt Smith

Penned by a Friend

Wednesday 9 January 2013 - Filed under Penned by a Friend

Latitudes
By Nancy Scott

Ice melts before noon
in New Mexico cities
david says with a smile.

Kentucky widows in winter,
Marilyn writes,
glide Dawn dish soap
on outside steps,
hide inside with Sousa marches
and purring persians wanting cream.

In Pennsylvania, I hear
frozen precipitation pinging
to precisely solidify,
despite all this racket,
to a slick new architecture
which I will listen to for days
hoping for earfulls of beauty
from windchiming trees
instead of the avalanche off the roof
that starts with what isn’t
quite a gunshot.

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Book Recommendations

Wednesday 9 January 2013 - Filed under Books

In “The Plum Thicket,” Janice Holt Giles revisits her eight-year-old Arkansas summer when innocence turned to laughter and tears. The women and men she trusted and obeyed took stands that changed her life and theirs forever. It’s available at bookstores or from the Library of Congress as DB48128.

“A Light Between Oceans” by M. L. Stedman. Strengths, weaknesses, needs, and loyalties combine with hidden identity to turn a baby and her parents’ lives upside down. Set on an island off Australia’s coast, this story has the reader hurting for everyone. DB75192.

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Freelance: Mac and Cheese Plus

Wednesday 9 January 2013 - Filed under Recipes

Freelance: Mac and Cheese Plus

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 regular or 1 family-size Kraft or equivalent Macaroni and Cheese
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 16-oz can green beans or 2 cups frozen green beans.

Prepare macaroni and cheese according to package directions. Place in three-quart casserole dish. Mix in soups, green beans, and browned ground beef. Cover and cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

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My Scent for January

Wednesday 9 January 2013 - Filed under Fragrance

Lavender! Wear it; burn it; sleep with it. Ask me how in the comments.

Comments Off on My Scent for January  ::  Share or discuss  ::  2013-01-09  ::  Marilyn Brandt Smith