–50 is the new 30

–60 is not so unsettling when I see how well it can be executed.

–TIME FLIES!!!!!!…don’t hesitate!!!

–We rarely get to spend long periods of time together, so I really appreciate the current small points of contact I have with both…the texts, the phone calls, the occasional book, card or postcard in the mail–I love the tangible ones best.

–I really appreciate the history we share.  They have introduced me to one of my favorite applications of Hazelmail–old photos scanned and that history arriving in the mail…makes me smile.

–There is a lot of comfort and fun to be had in the company of minds who share your same memories.  Wings are great…so are roots.

So, reach out to your old friends (and, I mean OLD!   Share your memories and your current adventures.  Give people memories that the can hold in their hands.

Happy Birthday to two of my favorite people on the planet.

Prepare one 0.6 oz package of sugar free strawberry Jello as directed…

Stir in 2 cups blueberries (one bag frozen)

1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks or tidbits (equals one can…include the juice)

3/4 cups pecan or walnut pieces

Chill and serve with whipped cream.

You can get creative and make a mold out of it.   Easy, fun and fairly healthy dessert!

The summer season is beginning…time for a break.  Take a break from your routine, try something new, take a vacation from the completely familiar, or find the new in the day-to-day places that you frequent.

For an adventure, you don’t even have to leave your home, office or computer.  Look around.  There’s new everywhere…give some of it a try and let it work on you.  Take a new way home from work, go to a different supermarket, try that ethnic cuisine about which you have no idea, see what the museum had added to it’s collection.  It a big world, and the most adventurous explore the far reaches of it.  But, a new path in a familiar landscape has a lot of surprises waiting for you as well.

So, this summer remember to be that person who tries new things.  Be an explorer…even in your own back yard.  See what you haven’t seen that’s just outside your front door.

And, share what you learn with the people you love…via HazelMail.

Wherever you go or stay, have a great summer!

Mix…

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 good dashes of nutmeg

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup butter melted

Pour batter into a 9-inch square baking pan.

Spoon…

2 cups of fresh fruit on top of the mixture. (blueberries, strawberries and/or peaches are great…pineapple is really good, too).  Bake for an hour or until the crust is light brown.  The crust comes to the top during baking.

Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.  You can double this recipe for a crowd.

It’s a winner.

Their story reminds me of many things about love and parenthood.  I think it’s possible that the human need for love maybe be exceeded only by a human’s need to give love.

On Mother’s Day, spread love like wildfire.  Let your people know that you care.  Food is a good way to say “I love you”, so are flowers…and you can’t forget the power of a good custom postcard 

Have a great Mother’s Day and make your poeple (and even your pets) feel loved.

MAW MAW’S BREAD RECIPE

5 lbs All Purpose Flour

5 tbsp salt

1 cup sugar

1 cup olive oil

4 to 5 cups  warm water…not hot, just slightly warm to the touch

1 pack of dry yeast (3 perforated)

Mix salt, sugar, olive oil, 4 cups of water and yeast…mix till dissolved.  Mix the flower with the wet ingredients, then add the remaining water (if needed).  Put the dough in a warm place to rise.  Let rise for an hour or so.

Work the dough.  Let it rise for another hour and work again.  Cut a large handful and place on bar with flour, fold over several times, then roal into a ball and put into a pan.  Set aside to rise.

Heat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30-40 minutes.

Now, the easier one…

BEER BREAD

3 c. self-rising flour

2 tblsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 can beer  (room temperature)

mix all ingredients.   Pour into greased bread pan.  Bake at 375 for about 50 minutes.

Also, for the next few weeks (through May 2010), go to www.CajunBrands.com and enter the promo code HAZELMAIL2010 for 15% off your entire order.

This spring, we at HazelMail wish you lots of seed-planting!  It’s a time of renewal, new growth, and rejuvenation…don’t miss it!   And (here’s the pitch), plant some seeds and cultivate some relationships this spring.  Send some memories that people can hold in their hands.  Send some postcards, and make your people feel special.

“Awaken your spirit to adventure;

Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk;

Soon you will be home in a new rhythm,

For your soul senses the world that awaits you.”

from For A New Beginning by John O’Donahue

In a food processor, combine

3 cups of Garbanzo beans …(”Garbanzo” is capitalized here because it is such a good word) Soak and cook dried Garbanzo beans until they are soft…drain most of the water, saving about 1/3 cup.  Or use 2 cans of organic Garbanzo beans saving the water.

2 big tablespoons of tahini

2 big tablespoons of lemon juice

1 teaspoon of chopped garlic…2-3 cloves chopped

1/4 cup of the saved liquid

1/4 cup of olive oil

1/2 teaspoon cumin

a dash of cayenne pepper

salt & pepper to taste

Blend in the food processor until smooth…if it’s too thick, add a little of the saved liquid.  Makes plenty, so share with a neighbor.   Eat with pita, crackers, tortilla chips or celery.

Optional:

Blend in a can of black olives and a bunch of cilantro (minimize the stems)

It’s a beautiful country with a very diverse landscape.  The Blue Nile Falls lie in the north, the desert in the east, the Simian Mountains in the west, and the Great Rift Valley takes over the center.  

My first trip to Ethiopia was in 1992 shortly after the country was introduced to democracy for the first time in its history.  My last trip was two weeks ago.  The changes that have taken place in the last  18 years are remarkable.  It’s still not a robust economy, but it’s growing fast.  Kids who would have begged me for money years ago are now too busy texting buddies to be concerned with a tourist; the country is wired for cellular and internet access–it’s pretty amazing.

There is always beauty in imperfection.  Ethiopia–rough and raw– is a safe place; it the strongest case for proving  that poverty and crime do not go hand in hand.  It’s not the easiest place in the world…Day-to-day life does not always cooperate–roads are rough, electricity disappears on occasion, etc.–, but locals learn that acceptance is a great way to protect your happiness…words to live by anywhere on the planet.

Ethiopia is stimulating, challenging, and it makes you a better person if you let it.

How does this relate to HazelMail?  Well, I think I was the only customer from Ethiopia that week, the site itself was a really nice touch of home, and my postcards arrived long before I returned home–that in itself was a BIG difference from 18 years ago.

Make your people feel loved…send some postcards via HazelMail.

Mix together at room temperature…

2 cups sugar

8 whole eggs

4 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Pour the mixture into the loaf pan.

Bake in a Mary’s Bath (…put the pan in a layer of water sitting in a larger pan to ensure cooking at an even temperature) at 300 degrees for 1 hour…or until firm in the center.

Refrigerate and let sit for 24 hours before removing from the form and serving.