There was a time, many, many years ago, when I was bored. I remember not caring who knew it. When I was a teenager my favorite saying was, “I'm bored.” Until the day came that I said it to the wrong person.
On one of our regular visits with her, I was in my usual, teen-aged, bored and mouthy mood. Betty had held her tongue for as long as she could and when I said “I'm bored” for the ump-teenth time, she spoke these words that I will never forget. “People who say they are bored are just too stupid to find something to do.” For the first time that day, or maybe in my life, I was totally speechless. From that day on, when I would get ready to say “I'm bored”, I would stop myself and find something to do.
As the years went by, I removed that phrase from my vocabulary. Any time I would visit Betty, she would always laugh and ask me if I was bored. I would always respond, “Not now!”
It broke my heart when Betty passed away but I have such wonderful memories of an amazing lady that taught me such simple words of wisdom. Very few times in the past 30-plus years have I found myself bored. And if I was bored, I would never admit it.
So, do not let me hear you say that you are bored. I just might tell you what Betty told me.
Betty was a friend of my mother's. She was an older lady and when I started going with my mother to visit her, I remember thinking she was so mean. Betty would always speak her mind. No matter what she was thinking, it always came out. Over time, I grew to love Betty and realized that she was not mean, she was just a woman that had had a lot of life's experiences and she did not care what anyone thought. I had one of those 'life experiences' with Betty and I will never forget what she said.
Here are some boring recipes that are no longer boring.
STUFFED EGGPLANT
●For the filling, chop and sauté in 1 Tbsp olive oil:
●1 chili pepper
●4 scallions (or 1/4 of a medium sized white onion)
●1/3 green bell pepper (or Anaheim pepper for a hotter flavor)
●4 baby portabella mushrooms
●A pinch of oregano and basil
Allow to cool to room temperature and add:
●10 crackers (whole grain or butter crisp), crumbled
●1/3 cup feta cheese
●1/4 cup smoked ham, diced (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the eggplant in half and use a sharp metal spoon to scoop out the center. Leave a shell that is 1/2" thick. Immediately stuff the eggplant halves with the filling. The filling will mound up on top, so press it down firmly to keep it from falling out. Place the stuffed shells on the baking sheet and cook them for 20 minutes. Serve warm with plain yogurt or low fat sour cream and fresh tomato. These garnishes help cool the taste of the chili pepper in this eggplant recipe.
POTATO SALAD
●3 whole diced red potatoes
●2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
●1 Tablespoon mayonnaise
●½ teaspoons celery seed
●¼ teaspoons cracked black pepper
●1 whole lemon, divided
●1 cup chopped green beans (pre-cooked)
●1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
●½ cups finely chopped red onion
●⅓ cups sliced almonds
Boil potatoes on the stove top until tender, but not mushy. Drain and chill until potatoes are cool to touch. In a mixing bowl, whisk mustard, mayo, celery seed, black pepper and the juice of half the lemon. Pour the dressing mixture over the potatoes and stir until coated. Next, add in the green beans, tomatoes and onions. Toss to combine and be sure that all the veggies get coated evenly. Next, add the sliced almonds and the rest of the lemon juice. Stir well. If desired, garnish with a wedge of lemon and a few sliced almonds on top.
●2 cups white sugar
●1 cup butter
●1/2 cup cocoa powder
●1 teaspoon vanilla extract
●4 eggs
●1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
●1/2 teaspoon baking powder
●1/2 teaspoon salt
●Hershey's Kisses, set aside
Melt the butter or margarine and mix all ingredients in the order given. Pour half the batter in pan. Place 1 Hershey Kiss every few inches so that when you cut brownies, each piece will have a surprise kiss inside. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes in a 9 x 13 inch greased pan.
NEXT WEEK—It's Jamaica, Mon!
Remember......Life is short. Eat Dessert first!!
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