Korea and Kimchi

About 20 or so years ago, at the last minute, I was invited to travel with my daughter Becky to Korea to visit my other daughter Judie who was at that time in the Air Force.

The Korean Travel and the military had arranged for a package deal to encourage family members to visit Korea.

Hurriedly I applied for my passport and before we knew it, we were on our way. Judie met us at the airport and escorted us to the Hamilton Hotel where many visitors stay.

The next day, Judie took us to the local shopping mall to experience how to barter and get the best prices.

The area was lined with family businesses who each would rent a stall to display their wares.

One thing we quickly learned is that the Korean people love to negotiate. Judie told us that they all understand the words, “Better price!”

Most of those we met could understand and speak a bit of English.  It was the taxi drivers limited English that frightened us, but we always ended up where we wanted to be.

That evening Judie again escorted us to a banquet at one of the local restaurants. It was there that we were introduced to Baechoo KIMCHI along with a delicious meal.

The flavor was hard to describe but it was pickled and hot. Before long we were enjoying the tangy taste of Kimchi. We learned that the Koreans prepare their Kimchi and then cure it in large crocks, sometimes underground.

The juice is wonderful for a sore throat and they claim it will cure other ailments as well.

I wondered if the spicy hot vinegar flavor of the Kimchi worked the same way as my mothers home made remedy.

Mother made her own salsa using tomatoes and hot peppers from her garden. In the event of a cold, she would down a tablespoon full of her delicious hot stuff, and it would burn out all the cold germs. I kid you not!

I searched for a Kimchi recipe and will include a simple one that I discovered, but do take a look here for an education about Kimchi. http://www.treelight.com/health/nutrition/UltimateKimchi.html

This post has been entered in Ann Kroeker’s Food on Fridays at http://annkroeker.com/
Please visit her site and gather up some delicious and nutritious recipes.

Here is a recipe you simply must try - - -

KIMCHI
3 lbs Baechoo (Korean cabbage) or regular white cabbage
4 cups water
1 cup salt

1/2 cup shredded white radish (cut 1/8 inch thick and 2 inches long)
1 cup shredded green onions (cut in 1 to 1 1/2 inch strips)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh garlic
1 tsp chopped fresh ginger
2 Tbsp cayenne powder
3 tbsp salted anchovy juice or salted shrimp juice
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Remove outside 3 or 4 leaves of cabbage and set them aside. Cut cabbage into quarters lengthwise and put the quartered cabbage into a large deep pan.

Combine 1 cup salt and the 4 cups of water and pour over cabbage. Let it stand at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until the cabbage softens. Remove cabbage from pan; rinse the cabbage well with fresh water. Let it drain.

Combine shredded vegetables with garlic, ginger, cayenne, salted anchovy or shrimp juice, sugar and salt and pack mixture between the cabbage leaves. Put the cabbage into a jar and cover it tightly. Let it stand at room temperature for 2 days to ripen, then store it in the refrigerator. It stores for about 2 weeks.

This post has been entereed at http://denadyer.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/04/community-writing-project-crossing-cultures.html  in an interesting collection of Multi-cultural stories.  Inferior Mother is the Hostess.

Hippies in San Francisco

In a different way, the old South and San Francisco Hippies are of a sort, Multi-cultural. 

I am reminded of a visit one summer my husband’s Aunt Jessie, her son and his wife and their two teen age children came from Georgia to visit us.

We wanted to treat them to a China Town dinner in San Francisco, so we left early enough for a tour. We drove through Golden Gate Park, down to the beach, and the down town area where they could view the cable cars.  Our niece, our children and two of their friends accompanied us.

What Aunt Jessie really wanted was for us to take her to the district where she might see a real live Hippie. My husband knew the area well so he drove. Aunt Jessie wanted the windows down so she could see better so we obliged.

Very soon, we saw not one but a group of hippies, and with her thumb pointing as if she was hitch hiking, Aunt Jessie exclaimed, with her southern drawl, “Bob - - will you look at that!”

The hippies did not seem to mind and one of them smiled at our aunt and told her friends, “Will you look at that?”

We had reservations at Johnny Kan’s Chinese Restaurant. Upon arrival we were turned down at the door!

The Host said our men folks were not wearing a coat and tie, and coats and ties were required!  I told him we are neatly dressed; women in dresses, men in slacks with nice shirts and pull over sweaters.

The Host emphatically stated; no coat and tie, no entry. I argued, but we have a reservation for fifteen persons, but that didn’t seem to matter.

My husband was very angry and he was ready to return to Oakland to our local Chinese buffet, but I asked him to let me make a phone call to the restaurant across the street from Kan’s.

My questions were, do you require the men to wear coats and ties?

Answer, “No we do not require coats and ties.”

Question, can you take a part of fifteen without a reservation?

Their answer was “Yes we can take you, when ever you arrive.”

So we walked across the street, and were accepted without question.

At this lovely restaurant that evening, seated at a large round table, we sat viewing our menu. In a loud voice Aunt Jessie, proclaimed, “Bob, don’t you pay over a dollar and a half a plate for us.” My sweet husband assured her that she needn’t worry, and we all enjoyed a magnificent meal.

It was sad to see our family return to Georgia for that was the last time we saw them.

Not long afterwards Aunt Jessie joined her husband Joel in heaven, and one day we except to see them all again.

I know we will also see some sweet Jesus Freak Hippies and many others we knew long ago as they will also be there.

Yes, a reservation is required - - Receive Jesus as Lord, but no coats and ties are required.

This post has been entereed at http://denadyer.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/04/community-writing-project-crossing-cultures.html  in an interesting collection of Multi-cultural stories.  Inferior Mother is the Hostess.

Secret Passwords and User ID

Have you ever wanted to purchase an item using your computer? It is easy to compare prices by quickly doing a search on Google and checking out different companies.

I do it all the time for books, kitchen ware, vitamins, medicine for my animals, and many other items. A word of warning; always compare the shipping costs as a cheaper item may cost more with the shipping than another competitive company. Amazon.com for instance offers free shipping on many items if you order at least $25 worth of product.

Many sites on your computer require you to have a user identification name. Often it is your e-mail address. They also expect you to think up a secret password, one that you will remember. If you are like me, you may have trouble remembering which site has which password.

Therefore I have a system that might work for you.

Instead of writing on scraps of paper, I type it on my computer to keep it neat, and then I print my copy on colored paper.  I have an entire page of cheat sheets that is full of my user ID and passwords. 

Now what?

For safety sake I save it to a “USB FLASH drive,” NOT my hard drive. I will not take a chance to save my codes and secret words to my hard drive in case someone would ever accesses my files. This method also keeps my information safe from a computer hacker who may want to steal my important records.

I print my Pass word Sheets on colored paper for a reason. Colored paper is easy to find when most of my printing is done on white paper.

Just in case you are not aware of what a Flash drive is, it is a small plug in attachment that is removable that you can back up your information unto. I create a folder on my flash drive and save special documents that I will need later but do not want others viewing them on my computer.

Flash Drives can be purchased for under $10 if you watch the sale papers for Staples, Office Depot and other office supply stores.

Each time I post to my blog, I have a special Flash Drive that I back up my words to. I first save it on my hard drive, but have you ever heard of a computer crash?? The Flash Drive is additional security.

By now you have learned a couple of my computer secrets. Hope you can keep your identify safe and secure by using a similar method.

Rise Table Rise

When I was in the 7th grade, one of my friends invited me to join their group of Camp Fire Girls. Once a week we would meet at our sponsor’s house and there we were assigned projects to earn badges that we could sew on our uniforms.

At one of these meetings, one of the girls suggested that they play a game called “Rise Table Rise.”

They asked the Camp Fire sponsor for her card table and the girls gathered around it on three sides, leaving one side open. They placed their hands softly, flat on the surface of the table.

Then they began to chant softly, "Rise table, rise" over and over again.

Suddenly the table started rising up on two legs! No one was pushing down on any side, and the table would tap out answers to our questions -- one tap, yes; two taps, no.

Was this really a game??  Was it harmless?   I was excited and scared all at the same time.

This was all new to me, and the girls were laughing and having such fun. Yet there was something sinister about using the table in this manner and it seemed a bit devilish to say the least.

I wondered if this could be a cheap version of the Ouija Boards (also known as: spirit boards which is another form of fortune telling using spirit guides.)

I knew that the Bible speaks about wizards and witches and fortune tellers, and we are warned to have nothing to do with them.

Leviticus 19:3 
‘Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.”

My mother would not even allow us to even look at the Horoscope in the newspaper, because this is a method worldly people use to seek out guidance for their day.

I quit the Camp Fire Girls, because all they wanted to do was play with that table.

Years later, I realized that I needed to repent for even having been a part of their game playing, and I needed to renounce all and any forms of unholy fortune telling in my life.

God sends us His HOLY Spirit, and He wants us to be filled with His Spirit. The inward leading of the Holy Spirit is how God will guide our pathway. When we are so filled with His Holy Spirit, we may not be afraid but understand that He is holy and only has good gifts for His children.

Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, there is no shadow of turning with thee.”

Birds of a Feather

Each spring, we have an invasion of birds wanting to build their nest on our porch steps.

They have favorite places and return each year to an overhang on one side of our house, and on the overhang to the back steps. They seem to seek out the crook in the downspouts because their nest is then semi sheltered there.

A couple of the nests remained all through the winter, and yesterday we viewed a sparrow inspecting the nest for possible reuse.

Sparrows have a life span from 4 to 7 years, so this bird could be from previous years.

A Google search informed me that they often will use the same nest if it is in good condition, with some minor alterations. Usually they are happy with the old habitant.

It is always fun to observe the mother bird resting on her nest and it seems all too soon, she is flying in all directions gathering food for her young ones. Their tiny beaks open wide as she approaches.

Before long, these same teeny little babies will fly away and be on their own.

I am reminded of one of our Bible teachers who drew a tiny bird with open mouth on the black board. He remarked that many Christians are like these baby birds. Mouths open wide to accept any teaching, or doctrine placed there by their trusting leaders. Our teacher went on to say, those baby birds will accept BB shot if it is placed in their mouth, and it might even kill them or make them very sick.

When we as Christians listen to our Pastor or a preacher on TV or even read a book, or a magazine article, we must be watchful and be on our guard to match up what we are being taught with the Holy Scripture.

I can remember years ago, hearing my Pastor relay a teaching he had heard at a conference. Something in my spirit went screech, like fingernails on a blackboard.

It had something to do with the Pastor being our authority and we were to obey the Pastor even if we felt he was wrong.

Now I must confess that I have a streak of rebellion, but this did not set too well with me.

My Bible tells me to be led of the Spirit and to obey God. If a teaching causes you discomfort, it is very possible that you need to place it on the shelf and not accept it for the time being. Later when you examine it again, you may discover that it was indeed false teaching and you will discard it all together.

Also I might suggest that you not return to the book, TV program, or even the church where you heard this error. :-) 

Raisin Bran Muffins and Hot and Cold Cereal

My husband, Robert loves to cook! During the cold winter months, he often will make us up a special hot cereal for our breakfast. He will then place the extra cereal into a deep 6 x 9 inch Pyrex dish and then into the refrigerator. Each morning we could slick off what we wanted and enjoy it for several days.

Various methods of serving later: 1. Using the Microwave heat in a bowl and serve with milk, or a bit of  butter.  2. In a small skillet fry with a few drops of Olive oil and an egg.
Robert’s measurements for cooking the cereal:

3/4 cup Grits (quick 5 minute)
1/4 cup Wheatena
3 cups water
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt

Stir with long wooden spoon until it bubbles. Be careful not to let it splash on your hand!
When it is thickened it is ready to eat, and store the extra in the Pyrex dish for later.  ~ ~ ~

As spring is in the air, and we might want a variety, I checked our supply of cold cereal.  WOW, there must have been a sale on Kellogg’s Raisin Bran, because I had 3 boxes in the pantry.  What to do?  I discovered a wonderful recipe for muffins using the Raisin Bran.   And I share it here for you all to enjoy:

Raisin Bran Muffins

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar ( I mixed 1/4 C brown 1/4 C white)
• 3 cups Kellogg's Raisin Bran cereal
• 1 1/4 cups 2% milk
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil or shortening
• 1 Tablespoon molasses

1. Stir together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.
2. Measure KELLOGG'S Raisin Bran and milk into mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Let stand 1 to 2 minutes or until cereal softens. Add egg and vegetable oil. Beat well.
3. Add flour mixture to cereal mixture, stirring only until combined. Portion batter evenly into twelve 2 1/2-inch muffin pan cups coated with cooking spray.
4. Bake at 400° F for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm

This post has been entered in Ann Kroeker’s, Food on Fridays at http://annkroeker.com/
Do visit her site and gather up some delicious and nutritious recipes.

When Bryce Met Ruth

As a teenager, Ruth loved playing the piano – especially for her church in Lindsay.

The Exeter church was without a pianist for worship services, so they invited Ruth to play for them. When they promised to provide someone to pick her up and take her home, she accepted.

Once a month, the nearby churches would have a rally for the young people. With the rally coming up the next week, a young man named Bryce was looking forward to some fun. He already had a girl friend, but since her body was still growing, she was taller than Bryce. This caused him to be extremely uncomfortable.

The other boys at church teased Bryce, and suggested that he should ask Ruth to go with him to the rally. It was almost a joke as they figured she was too shy to accept!

As it turned out, Ruth was excited to attend the rally with Bryce, and they both had a wonderful time.

Much shorter than Bryce, Ruth was quiet, sweet, and very pretty. They became a twosome and before long, Bryce proposed. Soon afterward, they were married and a year later, they became my Mom and Dad.

Their first few years of marriage, during the 1930 depression-era, were difficult, but they never went hungry. Dad worked for farmers, picking fruit, and was later hired by the WPA to clear brush in the mountains.

Even though I was a young child, I still remember his face, swollen from the poison oak he was clearing! I did not understand what it was until much later

By the time I was five, Dad was hired by the Southern Pacific Rail Road. We moved to Oakland where we settled in and enjoyed life.

Because our church was active, and our Pastor had a Missionary heart, each year he hosted a Missionary Convention. All the churches cooperated. Being inspired by all the wonderful, colorful speakers with their stories of suffering or glory, I started learning how to participate by giving.

As I grew up and became a teen, that same church is where I met and married my husband. We have been together for over 60 years!

Yes, Bryce met Ruth at church and I’m glad they did!! It is my feeling that church is the best place to find one’s life mate.

Of course, that does not guarantee that life will be perfect. Even Christians have their moments, and must employ give-and-take to maintain a happy home.

My dad and mom put Jesus first. They treated each other respectfully - as honored guests. This went a long way toward obtaining a perfect balance as I was growing up. I am so thankful for the faithful lives of my parents, Bryce and Ruth Stanton.

TREASURE IN HEAVEN

Matthew 6:19-21 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

The above scripture seems to indicate that you can send treasure ahead up to heaven and it seems to mean that Jesus was speaking about wealth and money. One method is to share what you have NOW here on this earth, and you will be credited in heaven.

A step further would be our service to the Lord, and our sharing of the Gospel with others. Their conversion will be a treasure added to your account.

I do believe in tithing to your home church, and also in charitable giving of support to reputable missionaries, and Christian organizations that are using their funds wisely.

When you present your gifts to the Lord, know that giving is a form of worship and your attitude is important. Give cheerfully and with joy.

2 Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver.

Recently a friend asked me to recommend a good Bible study on the subject of “Heaven and Hell,” or perhaps a good book on the subject.  The best source is the Bible. 

Many persons have written books about their experience of having visited Heaven and/or Hell. However one must remember that unless their happening lines up with scripture it is nothing more than an interesting story.

I believe in both heaven and hell. I believe there is much more to heaven than what we know at present. I am certain that we will all be surprised and pleased when we arrive.

Jesus spoke quite a good deal about the Kingdom of Heaven. Stephen saw Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father, as he was being stoned for his faith in Jesus. The Apostles, Peter, Paul and John also reported much about heaven.

Study of the scriptures seems to indicate that Heaven is now the place where the dead in Christ go for this present time. Also included are the Old Testament saints when those in Paradise were released. These few scriptures certainly create a lot of questions!

Matthew 27:51-53 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

My desire is to have a massive amount of treasure in Heaven; my family, my service to the Lord, and my wealth are treasures that I hope to find there. 

How about you?  What are you sending ahead??

This post has been entered in “Changing the World One Word at a Time” Please visit and check out the other great posts at:  http://peterpollock.com/2011/04/treasure-blog-carnival/

How to Start a Blog



Taking Notes for a Blog

Please understand that the following is merely suggestions, and you will find your own way and also you will learn much from other bloggers.

Determine why you want to begin a Blog and what is your purpose? My rationale was to tell stories about my youth, about my children, and also stories of the present day.

Next select a comfortable and dependable host site to enroll your blog.

I selected Google’s www.blogger.com/  for several reasons.

1. It is Free.
2. It is simple to set up.
3. It is easy to post and edit and effortless to view your stats. (Page views)
4. It is dependable and has fewer site break-downs than any other blog sites.
5. Much information is offered to assist you in creating a really nice site.
6. At the top of each page there is a button “Next Blog”

“View Next Blog” enables you to see what other Bloggers are doing and obtain more ideas for your Blog Site. They will find you by the same method.

If you do not already have a Face Book account, now is the time to set one up. Also set up a Twitter account for yourself.

You are ready to do your first post. Go to the “Google log in” and enter your information. It should take you direct to the Dashboard, then click on "New Post."

You have previously written up your short, simple post (not too deep) and saved it to a “Word File,” so here is where you copy and paste it into your blog. When you are pleased with your entry click, “Publish.”

Next click on “View your post” and ask yourself if you like what you see? Now it is time to send your notices.  At the top of the page in the address box, copy the new address that will mention this particular post you just did.

Each time you do a blog post; send a notice first to Twitter then to Face Book.  Here is how!

Note at the top of your recent post there is a share MORE button. Click "more" and then on Twitter.  Complete the log in and insert the Title of your new post.  Twitter gives you a short cut address for each post.  Highlight and copy the notice, then hit Tweet.

Next go to Face Book. In the News box “Paste the post address you saved.”

Any Blogs that you view, be sure to leave a comment no matter how short. This is one of the best methods to have others view your Blog. Happy Blogging! More later!

Kathy Dishman Richards often gives helpful hints and you will find her here:
 http://katdish.net/2011/03/the-katdish-ultimate-guide-to-successful-blogging/

Art for your post:
Do a search on google using the word for the art  you desire and then write free clipart
find the art you like and right click and save it to a picture file.
On your dashboard there is a small icon for photos.  Click on that and search for  your art and click copy and past.
Do your own header banner in a similar method.  Write banner and the art you desire.  Once you save the new banner, right click and click on edit.  It will take you to a page where you can enlarge, write the name of your site and save it back to your picture folder. 

Where’s the Corn?

When I was a young girl still in school, I was given the task each Saturday to bake cookies or cup cakes for our school lunches. Usually during the week it was also my duty to make the salad for our dinner.

I knew very little about preparing a meal and almost nothing about cooking. I could fry an egg, boil water, cook hot dogs, and fry a burger, bake cookies, but that was about it.

In 1949 when my betrothed and I went to the County Court house to purchase our marriage license we were also given a free cook book that contained some coupons and some wonderful hints and recipes for the newly weds.

I began to experiment and slowly learned to vary my cooking. In the book I discovered a spaghetti recipe that I used during the time our children were growing up. What made it different was the fact that it called for a can of whole kernel corn in the sauce, and the spaghetti was all mixed together.

Years later my son’s wife decided to make him some spaghetti. As he was served his meal, he asked politely, “Where is the corn?” My children always thought this was the way spaghetti was supposed to be! Here I share my favorite Spaghetti recipe.

Hazel’s Spaghetti with Sauce

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced (I use a garlic press)
3 cans tomato sauce (8 oz. can)
1 can tomato paste
1 can water (I use the water to get all the extra sauce out of cans
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp. Italian seasoning, crushed
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp. pepper (optional)
1 can whole kernel corn drained
8 oz. dry spaghetti, cooked in salted water with a T of oil and drained when tender.

In medium skillet, brown beef with onion and garlic. Drain well. Stir in tomato sauce, paste, water and seasons, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Last 5 minutes add corn, to sauce. Mix the cooked spaghetti into the sauce. Serve with a green salad and hot French bread.

This post has been entered in Ann Kroeker’s, Food on Fridays at http://annkroeker.com/
Do visit her site and gather up some delicious and nutritious recipes.