For Saturday, May 7th, 2011

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

MAY 7TH, 2011

If you can't see the bright side of life, polish the dull side

It's SATURDAY!

JOIN HANDS DAY

Get together with other people in your community and pitch in on a project to beautify your neighborhood. Plant a garden, repair a fence, or repaint some homes.

If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself

Henry Ford

NEW IN THE KITCHEN

With Mother's Day approaching and possibly larger numbers of people to feed, consider a roast leg of lamb as a succulent alternative to the usual red meat selection. It's spring, its National Roast Leg of Lamb Day, and spring lamb is on the menu!

About the only way I ever have lamb is in a Gyro sandwich. To me there is nothing better than a Gyro in a warm pita slathered with garlicky cucumber sauce, put an order of fries on the side and I am in a state of bliss. I normally only get Gyros out but I found this recipe if you'd like to try making your own.

Home made Gyros

4-5 pounds lamb meat
10 cloves of garlic, minced

Marinade ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Dry seasoning ingredients:

2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
dash cayenne pepper

Tzatziki sauce ingredients:

16 ounces plain yogurt
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
dash salt
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
6 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

To serve:

Pita bread, warmed in the oven
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
4-5 tomatoes, washed, cored, and thinly sliced
Lettuce leaves, optional
Crumbled feta cheese, optional

Begin by making the tzatziki sauce. Before measuring the yogurt, be sure to pour off any watery liquid that might be separated in the container, rather than just stirring it back into the yogurt. Take the minced cucumber, place it inside a clean tea towel or dish cloth, and squeeze to remove the liquid. Combine all of the tzatziki sauce ingredients, and then refrigerate, covered, for at least an hour. This sauce will keep for several days in the fridge.

Trim fat from meat. Place meat in a large glass dish. Rub the minced garlic cloves onto both sides of the meat.

Combine the meat marinade ingredients. Pour over lamb steaks. Cover dish and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or as long as 6 hours, turning steaks once or twice during that time.

Remove dish from refrigerator and allow the meat to warm to room temperature. Combine the dry seasoning ingredients with a fork or whisk.

Place dry seasoning on a plate or in a shallow dish and then coat both sides of the steaks with the dry seasoning. After coating, place steaks on a clean plate 6. Preheat grill to medium. Grill until meat is done

Thinly slice the lamb steaks. Serve meat on warm pita bread, topped with onion, tomato, and tzatziki sauce.

PRAYER FOR OUR TROOPS

Please pray for God's protection of

our troops and HIS wisdom for their

commanders.

Lord, hold our troops in

your loving hands.

Protect them as they protect us.

Bless them and their families for the

selfless acts they perform for us

in our time of need. I ask this in the

name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

AND bless our Police Officers, Firefighters

and Paramedics and EMT's

GOD BLESS YOU!

AROUND HOME

Just sharing these wise words with you all today

I Have Learned:

I've learned that no matter what happens

or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life. I've learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life.

I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back. I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you, but if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.

I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch - holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. I've learned that you should pass this on to someone you care about. I just did. Sometimes they just need a little something to make them smile.

Note: people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel......

Author Unknown

I hope your Saturday is a great one!

COUNTING THE DAYS

To those who see with loving eyes, life is beautiful. To those who speak with tender voices, life is peaceful. To those who help with gentle hands, life is full. And to those who care with compassionate hearts, life is good beyond all measure.

Author Unknown

45 DAYS UNTIL SUMMER!

Keep looking ON THE BRIGHT SIDE of things.

A little smile, a word of cheer,
A bit of love from someone near…

Love,

ma