Hiroshima

Arai is a survivor from the Hiroshima tragedy.  She was a school teacher and had sent her children out to play.

While she was inside and they were out, the bomb hit.  At the time, she was looking at a white sheet of rice paper that the children had made and brushed her name across in calligraphy.

When she looked outside, all the children were gone, only rags remained.

The black Japanese characters had absorbed the light and burned away.  Only the white paper, which had reflected it, remained intact.  The white paper had saved her from blindness but her name was now stenciled across her face.

She was told that she could have plastic surgery to help erase the scars.  But she chose to leave them there as a memorial to the dead children.

I read this in the Adventist Review dated September 9, 2010.

What a story!

Christ also has scars on His head and hands that will forever be with Him.  And He chooses to keep them there — just as He chose to come to this earth to save us from ourselves.

The Last Train from Hiroshima: The Survivors Look Back (John MacRae Books)

The Desire of Ages: A Classic on the Life of Christ

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Elk Grove, Illinois

While meandering through the Midwest, we got invited to a barbecue in Elk Grove, Illinois.

The area was  beautiful. 

This is a picture of a weeping willow tree.  I didn’t realize that they have a very short lifespan. 

The leaves and bark of the willow have been used as a remedy for aches and fevers.

Trees are so beautiful.

Bonsai Boy’s Weeping Willow Bonsai Tree
(salix repens ‘boyd’s pendula’)

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Edwards Apple Orchard


During our Midwest travels, our daughter, who lives in Illinois, took us to Edwards Apple Orchard.

It was the best fun I’ve had!

Our grandson also had a good time picking apples and throwing them in the basket we had.  He would plop them in and I would inspect them and throw the bad ones out (behind his back of course).

The apples are wonderful and we made apple crisp twice from them.

Looking forward to going there again some time.

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Monroe, Wisconsin

 Our trip to the Midwest took us many places — one of them Monroe, Wisconsin.

This tower sits in the middle of town.

It’s a quaint town but almost dead.  We walked around and found a small coffee shop.   The people there were very friendly.

 Quite different than Seattle in that you placed your order and sat down.  They came with water and then your order.

Very nice.

We then asked for directions to The Swiss Colony, a well-known cheese place.  We went to 2 places with the name but none that was for tourists.

Eventually, we found the store.  When we walked in I told the woman who was handing out free cheese samples of not being able to find the store.  Perhaps, I suggested, they put up a large sign so that people could find it.

Her response shocked me “There’s not enough money to do that.”

What???!!!  Not enough money to bring customers to your store?

I bit my tongue and kept looking for — cheese.

Ahhh well, everything can’t be perfect.

Street & Road Map of Monroe, Wisconsin WI – Printed poster size wall atlas of your home town

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Traveling

It’s always nice to come “home.”  A place where things are where  you want them to be.

And everybody knows your name — the neighbors, the cashiers, the baristas.  I remember that song “sometimes you want to go, where everybody knows your name … and they’re always glad you came.”  I think it’s from the sitcom Cheers.

Looking for a new state to move to will mean making new friends, learning new driving routes, finding coffee houses — looking for that perfect cup of cocoa — a new church, and spending time with blood family again.

We have been so fortunate to have friends who are just like family — hmmm, better than family?  Let’s just say equal. 

Will post pictures of our travels when I get settled back to normalcy.

Road Trip USA: Cross-Country Adventures on America’s Two-Lane Highways

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Traveling

Haven’t blogged much as I’ve been bouncing thru the Midwest looking for a good place to live.

So far, Dubuque Iowa looks promising. Who would have thought a city in Iowa would show promise?

Went to Madison Wisconsin also. Thought for sure that would be nicer than Iowa but the city is not laid out well.

More to tell when I return.

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Eggplant Parmigiana

Eggplant Parmagiana

Eggplant Parmagiana with broccoli

A very good vegetarian dish that even your non-vegetarians will enjoy (as long as you don’t tell them it’s eggplant).

1 large eggplant (I used 2 medium sized ones) peeled
3 eggs
3 tablespoons water
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
Oil for deep frying
2 cups marinara sauce, divided
2 cups shredded Mozarella cheese (about 8 ounces)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1.  Preheat oven to 375F
2.  Peel and slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch slices
3.  In a large shallow bowl, beat the eggs with the water.  Using a whisk, stir in the flour and salt until smooth.
4.  In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until it bubbles when a drop of batter is tossed in.
5.  Dip 3 or 4 of the eggplant slices into the batter, then fry in a single layer until browned on the bottom.  Turn and cook until browned on other side.    Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels.  Repeat with remaining eggplant slices until all are fried.
6.  Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9x13x2 inch baking pan.  Layer 1/2 of the slices over the sauce.  Top with 1 cup of the sauce, spreading to cover the eggplant slices.  Sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella over the sauce and top with 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan.
7.  Place the remaining eggplant slices over the cheese and spread the remaining 1/2 cup of the sauce over the eggplant.  Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozarella over the sauce.  Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.
8.  Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake 20-25 minutes or until heated through and the cheese has melted.

Enjoy!

1,000 Vegetarian Recipes

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Quiche

Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche

This is a really good quiche recipe.  A picture/name of the cookbook is below the recipe.

Makes one 9-inch quiche

Ingredients:

Pastry for one 9-inch pie or one 9-inch frozen deep-dish crust
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups of milk (I use half and half)
1 teaspoon anchovy-free Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (6 ounces)
2 cups chopped fresh broccoli (you could use frozen, thawed but the consistency may be different)
1/2 cup of sliced scallions (both white & green parts)

1.  Preheat oven to 425F
2.  Roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle.  Line a 9-inch pie dish with the rolled dough.  Weigh down the pastry using pie weights or dry beans to prevent the crust from rising.  Bake 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and remove weights.
3.  Decrease oven temperature to 350F
4.  In a large bowl, beat the eggs lightly.  Add the milk, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.  Beat until combined.
5.  After 10 minutes, remove the crust from the oven.
6.  Sprinkle the cheese into the bottom of the crust.  Add the broccoli and scallions and toss gently to combine.  Pour the egg mixture over all.
7.  Baker 50 to 60 minutes or until puffy and slightly browned on top.  Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

They say you can also use Gouda or another hard cheese in place of the Cheddar.

Note:  I baked this in a convection oven and it only took 35 minutes.  So, make sure you check it every now and then.  You can check if done by placing a butter knife in the middle of the quiche.  If it comes out clean, it’s done.

Enjoy!  (see recipe book below)

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