Just A Little Change.

My local paper had published a story by a Wal Mart cashier explaining how they were raising lots of money for CMN (Children's Miracle Network).They do it by asking customers to round up their total purchase to the next dollar and donating the change. It's called a "round up". In this stunted economy she was saying the company was actually well beyond it's goals. I'm thinking good and happy thoughts for once about this much bedeviled corporate giant. Maybe there is some good in the world after all. That is until I make the mistake of reading people's comments to the story. At first they were all positive and encouraging. Most people seemed as surprised as I was that this company known for it's stinginess was being so thoughtful and helpful.

And then it happened. Some woman posted a reply saying she was "offended" that every time she went into the retailer she was asked to surrender her change for charity. Offended?
How could you be offended by a cashier asking you to drop a few cents for a child's charity? It could be one cent, or it may be ninety-nine cents, no big deal. Her reasoning was "times are tough and getting tougher." Her pocket book was going to be empty just because she was asked to donate a few cents.
I am unemployed and not collecting any state assistance and have no car to drive to Wal Mart to be "harassed" into giving up my change, so I know tough times. Thank God my girlfriend and I have been able to support our family on her retail store paychecks. Hard times, sure, but every time she is asked to donate her change to CMN she does it with out blinking.

I understand to some people being constantly asked to fork over a portion of your hard earned money, no matter how small an amount is annoying. It's not like it's a huge bother, nothing to fill out, no little trinket to carry around, they just want your change. I look at it this way, every penny I turn over to Wal Mart they in turn give it to a charity that allows sick children to get the medicine and treatment they normally couldn't afford. For me it's a chance to be someone's hero. I need no superpowers, no funny tights, and no special training to help save someone's life, or at least make their life a little more comfortable before they pass on.
No one should have to watch their child suffer just because some people felt "offended" enough not to donate their spare change. We live in a country where "helping thy neighbor" used to be automatic and done without whining about "tough times." It was done out of kindness and concern for other people. Most people I run into today can only think of themselves. We are at a crossroads good readers, we can continue to walk the wicked path and only do for ourselves, or we can go back to a time when charity started at home. Just picture yourself or your family in need and there is no one there to help. We live in a world where heroes are few and far between, this maybe your chance to be a hero.

We all have tight budgets now, it's the way of the world. It doesn't mean we shouldn't be charitable, especially when it comes to the children. I could quote some cheesy Whitney Houston song explaining how they are our future, but by now we all understand that. All I ask is never be "offended" by someone asking for a little help from you. I challenge my readers to say "yes" every time a Wal Mart cashier asks you to "round up". I want to believe that everyone who reads this blog can be a hero.
                                                                      http://childrensmiraclenetworkhospitals.org/

Fear And Loathing Here On Earth.

The end is near. According to some it's Saturday, bummer. Haven't we heard enough of these wacko predictions in the past to realize it's most likely false. I just keep flashing back to Y2K. It never happened, we all have lived though this before. I just keep wondering on who's authority do these people get the right to scream "the sky is falling." The Bible talks of the end of days, but real Christians don't run around proclaiming the end is near. They don't know when it's going to happen so they live their lives the best they can every day. Shouldn't we all take a hint from them and just live really good lives, bringing peace to the world, doing good things, and being really cool people overall?

It's simple, life is hard. We watch bad things happen to good people, friends and family die, and bad people get ahead. Some people just get angry, others just ignore it, and still others turn to God to help them understand the world around them. It's called faith. Faith is a beautiful thing because it allows you to have strength you never thought you had. I used to fear death, when I became "Born Again" that fear disappeared. Now I am free to live my life the best I can because I believe God knows better than I do. I pray everyday for wisdom and inner peace so I can go out into my community and do good works in His name. The coolest thing is that I haven't stopped being myself, I'm just a better version of me. I've cut down on the stupid stuff in my life. Who can't use a little of that?

So I say to all the people who keep bringing up the "End Times". Live a little. If the world ends you can't stop it, so why worry. Concentrate on what you can change, your destructive behavior. I guess what I'm trying to say is have a little faith and you too won't care when the "End Of Days" happens because you'll be a Godly man who will spend eternity with our Lord. Now what could be better than that!!!

A Field Of Nightmares

Tradition. That's what lacks in sports today. Gone are the days of the myth makers, the golden boys who were treated like royalty everywhere they went. We would later learn just how flawed many of them were as humans, but in the moment they were our heroes. They shined brighter than any star in the sky ever could, and they soared high above us in the clouds. They were untouchable. We as kids dreamed of one day being just like them, bigger than life. Call it naive, or juvenile but these were our dreams.

Add in the fact that these heroes played in monumental palaces like Yankee Stadium, The Polo Grounds, Candlestick Park, and The Boston Gardens. These iconic buildings became as famous as the people who played within their walls. They were as much the identity of the team as the players were, sometimes even more. The buildings each had a nuance that went unmatched anywhere else. Seats that were hailed as sacred, overhangs that made the cheap seats seem really good, and groups of fans that were so fanatical they in turn had their own fans. Sports seemed magical.

Fast forward to now. Most of the players have become spoiled millionaires who could care less about the fans and the sports they play. They bring guns into locker rooms, fight amongst themselves, and of course the drugs. Not just the ones the are used for enhancement, also the ones for recreation.  It seems between the generations somehow our games were stolen from us by greedy owners and greedy players. Even the great hallowed halls fell to the wrecking ball of greed. Now we have mostly cookie cutter stadiums with all the warmth and charm of a cobra. You can blame free agency all you want, but the truth is we allowed this to happen. It's our fault as fans, we let our need to cheer and support our favorite teams get out of hand. We started paying the outrageous ticket prices to see our teams play, never thinking it would get this out of control. Pretty soon you're going to have to mortgage the house just to see a ball game with your kids, sad really.

I guess the bottom line is this. I miss the games of my youth, the heroes of my youth, and most of all the dreams of my youth. Maybe someday these millionaire cry-babies will remember a far away time when people played sports for the love of the game, not for a paycheck. Until then I just teach my kids to respect the tradition of whatever game they choose to play. I hope you do the same. If we teach our children to respect the game and their God given talent, maybe we can raise up a generation of pro athletes whom care less about money and more about the pure love of the game. This is my grown up dream.

Not The Same Old Pork And Beans!!

I know what you are thinking, how can you dress up the old stand by pork and beans?
Well it's not quite what you think. The pork is boneless chops and the beans are French cut green beans. It's a quick and easy way to have a tasty dinner you and the family will love.

First heat an 8" skillet and add just enough oil to thinly coat the bottom of the pan. Next add a cup of chicken broth, a half cup of apple juice, and two heaping tablespoons of minced garlic, this will create a brazing liquid. Let simmer for about a half hour before adding three or four boneless pork chops you have tenderized and lightly salted. Cook until chop starts to turn white on the bottom side, flip over and repeat on uncooked side. Now return to original side and cook for five minutes per side. Finish cooking when the chops inner temperature is 160 degrees. You can use a meat thermometer to check for doneness.

While you are waiting for your brazing liquid  to come to temperature you can heat up a frying pan to toast a half cup whole almonds. After the almonds are toasted, lightly salt them and rough chop them in a food processor. In a dutch oven boil one cup of chicken broth and add a pound of French cut green beans . Cook the beans in the broth until most of the liquid is absorbed. Strain out the rest of the broth to use with the pork chops. Put beans in a small casserole dish and combine with a can of cream of mushroom soup and sprinkle the almonds evenly over the top. Place in the oven at three hundred and fifty degrees for about ten minutes.

So there you have it, a quick meal for you and the family and none of those nasty pork and beans. Enjoy and God Bless.

Look Ma, No Hands!!!!!

Mom's are great, they patch us up when we fall. They give us love when we fall down. Mom's feed our tummies when we're hungry and our spirit when we need nurturing. My Mom is the reason I cook. She taught me a love for food and cooking for others. She cleaned our rooms, washed our clothes, and helped us with our homework. So today and everyday, no matter our relationship now, we should remember how our Mom's influenced our lives. So to all the mothers around the world I say Happy Mother's Day and God Bless.

I Cry For Those Who Seek Revenge.

I can't do it. I know he was a bad man and plotted to kill thousands of Americans, but I just can't do it. Bin Laden was a terrorist and a madman. He held the western world in contempt while training extreme Muslims to take innocent lives in the name of their belief system. He called himself a holy man while murdering those who opposed him. Still I will not celebrate his death, to me that just seems morbid. I would not celebrate the death of any man, woman, or child no matter their crime. I leave the final judgement up to my Lord and Savior, only He can judge the wicked. If I celebrate his death than I am no less evil then he and his kind are.

I will celebrate life. The lives of those who must live without loved ones killed in this war, I celebrate them. I pray for them. I am saddened that human kind has become so bent on revenge that we can no longer feel the sanctity of life. Life is what is important. We need to remember even our enemies are just people confused by what they don't know, or understand. Most violent people are just crying out in pain, or just plan scared. If we continue to think in cycles of revenge or vengeance what will happen to this world?
Will it come to a point where the last man on earth will pull the trigger on himself because he's avenging the death of the second to last man?

It's got to stop before it's too late. I know I will not teach my children to hate or hold grudges against other people. Sometimes the best thing to do is smile and walk away before things escalate to violence. Bloodletting is not a good way to settle disputes.

I just want to finish by saying I pray that there will come a day when everyone will live in peace and harmony. We all share this big beautiful marble we call Earth, and if we spent as much time taking care of her as we do fighting, this would be a great place to live. God Bless you all.

Smoking Is Good !!!!!

Not cigarettes. Meat. Smoking meat is awesome. Sure it is laborious but it is so worth it.
You haven't lived until you've tasted a chicken smoked for sixteen hours with a sweet BBQ sauce and garlic mashed potatoes.
That was what I did for my birthday on Saturday, I smoked a chicken. We ate like kings. I put the chicken to smoke at midnight Friday seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika, turmeric, and cumin, after it soaked for four hours in a brine of  salt, pepper, sugar, and rice vinegar before it was introduced to my smoke box.

Slowly that box smoker cooked that beautiful bird at 150 degrees until four o'clock Saturday. First off, the smell was enough to drive you crazy, second, the skin was crisp and a dark reddish brown. The taste was a smoky, salty flavor with a hint of sweet spices.
As the chicken finished off in my oven (about 10 minutes), I concocted a Kansas City style sweet BBQ sauce from Rice vinegar, brown sugar, cumin, paprika, ground sage, majoram, and a dash of ginger for a little heat.
The sauce  cooked for about a half hour to forty minutes while the bird set up and cooled off a little.
The chicken itself fell from the bone as I touched my 7" santoku to the legs and wings. The breast just surrendered when I carved the succulent poultry as I needed to add it to the sweet tangy BBQ sauce.
So let me tell you this, if you ever get the chance to have smoked meats.......just do it!!!!!