Have leftover mashed potaoes? This is a great way to use them. Quick, easy and delicious.
                                                                            

Leftover Mashed Potatoes (1-2 cups)
2-4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 medium onion (cut in quarters and sliced)
2-3 leeks, white and very light green part only, thinly sliced
4 Tbls butter
½-3/4 cup water
Up to four cups of Milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Using a large sauce pan, saute onion and leeks in butter, until soft and fragrant. Set aside. In same pan,  cook potatoes, in water, until tender; do not drain. Add mashed potatoes and onion/leek mixture. Mix until well blended. Add milk gradually until desired consistency. Use more milk if necessary. Bring to a slow simmer, do not let boil. If soup is too thin, soften 2-3 tsp cornstarch in small amount of water. Add slowly to soup, until desired thickness is reached; add a little milk, if soup gets too thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Be very careful to not let soup boil, as milk will curdle; milk also burns very quickly.

Enjoy!

6 eggs

1 ½ cups orange juice

½ cup milk

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

½ tsp nutmeg (freshly grated is best)

1” thick slices of French bread (cut on diagonal)

¾ cup chopped pecans

Beat together eggs, juice, milk, sugar, vanilla and nutmeg.  Grease a large baking dish (15x10). Arrange bread slices in bottom of baking dish. Squeeze tightly together. Pour juice mixture over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight. When ready to bake, heat oven to 350 degrees; carefully, turn over each piece of bread. Sprinkle with pecans. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 25 min. Uncover and bake for 5-10 minutes more or until very lightly browned on top and egg mixture is set. Serve with Orange Syrup.

ORANGE SYRUP

1 cup sugar

½ cup butter

2 cups orange juice

1-2 teaspoons cornstarch, softened in a little orange juice

Melt butter over low heat, add sugar and orange juice. DO NOT BOIL. Slowly stir in cornstarch mixture until consistency of thick maple syrup or desired thickness.

Serve warm with French toast

Notes. This makes a large pan, enough for 8-10 people. You can also sprinkled Dried Cranberries over top before baking.  Both toast and syrup can be made with Splenda and works fine. If using Splenda for syrup, heat butter and juice till butter is melted. Slowly sprinkle in Splenda while stirring constantly, (otherwise, it will “clump”) Recipe can easily be cut in half.

     Cooking can be very intimidating to some people, but I can assure you it does not have to be.  In order to eat, we must cook. Some of us grew up knowing how to cook almost before we could walk; to others, cooking is as foreign as an unfamiliar language. No one needs be afraid of the kitchen or cooking. It is very rewarding and satisfying. 

     The most important factor in cooking is having a simple equipped kitchen. It need not be elaborate. Just a few utensils, i.e.: measuring spoons and cups, mixing bowls, etc. and some basic staples.  Basic staples should include, flour, sugar, salt, pepper, olive oil, vinegar, variety of spices, red and white wine, jarred tomato sauce, rice, pasta, potatoes, garlic, onions, carrots, butter, milk, eggs and lemons to name just a few. The next step is to choose a recipe. It is important to follow the recipe exactly, the first time around. Read the recipe carefully to make sure you have all the ingredients and know approximately how long it will take to prepare and cook. Most recipes today, tell us the prep and cooking time. Gather and measure out all ingredients, including utensils that will be needed. If you are not completely satisfied with the result, do not be discouraged. Make the dish again, changing ingredients to match your taste. You then have created an original!

     Cooking yourself is definitely an economic boost. Simply put, it is cheaper than eating out! Homemade dishes allow you to have more healthy meals. And, do not be afraid to use some convenience foods; canned beans, meats, grains and tomatoes are wonderful to create nutritious, tasty meals. In no time at all you will become an “old pro” around the kitchen, and enjoy the compliments of family and friends. You will also realize, “what took me so long”?

If you are a person with a serious medical condition, or have a family member with one, it is imperative to organize all your medical records. One of the easiest ways to accomplish this is to purchase a large 3-ring binder containing dividers with pockets, and purchase a hole puncher that will punch 3 holes at a time.

Start, by labeling each section; i.e.: medications, lab reports, x-rays and scans, Doctors (one section for each Doctor that you have), and miscellaneous. Each time you have any appointment for anything, ask for a copy of the report, and place it in the proper section in your binder. Keep everything in chronological order, by date.

A very important step is to make a list of all medications. An easy way to do this is on a computer using whatever word processing program you have. List name of each medication, the strength, when to take, and name of prescribing Doctor; include any over the counter medications and vitamins you take. Save the list on your computer and update it whenever medications are added or changed.  Keep a copy in the binder and always print a copy to take with you to all Doctor Appointments.

Always take notes when at an appointment and put in proper binder section. This is much easier than trying to remember everything that was discussed.

Get a small day planner to keep track of all appointments and take it with you to all appointments. That way, you will avoid conflicting appointments and the need to reschedule.

You may also wish to take the binder with you to appointments, in case any questions come up about whom you have seen and the results of any tests.

Following these steps, will make it much easier to keep track of all information regarding your illness and care.

Prayer is an extremely powerful force in your life. It has benefits that are unending, far reaching and can be used by any religion or culture. Prayer can be spoken aloud, sung, or be silently meditative; can be done alone or with a group of people. Prayer is a means of communicating and establishing a relationship with your God. There is no right or wrong way to pray and God does not critique us for the way we do pray.

One of the greatest benefits of prayer is the healing that occurs both emotionally and physically. You only need to have faith and trust God to do his will in your life. Another benefit is the strengthening of relationships by giving you the strength, patience and understanding to handle even the most difficult situations. Prayer also creates a wonderfully satisfying relationship with God. The more you pray, the stronger that relationship becomes. Also, the more you pray, the easier it becomes. You also can allow God to make difficult decisions for you. Tell God the problem and allow Him to let happen whatever is going to be best for you. You may also ask God’s forgiveness for anything in your life that you know He would not be pleased with. Thanking God for your daily food and shelter is an excellent, simple way to start  praying and you will quickly realize how easy and comforting it will be.

God answers all prayers, even though you may not always recognize the results immediately. Also, the answer God gives you may not always be what you wanted or  were expecting, but is what God knows is best for you.  After praying for a time, you will begin to see the miracles that God performs on a daily basis.