Cathy Burnham Martin's Blog, page 106

Attention bibliophiles everywhere! Today has been proclaimed to be your special day!

“Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.”

— Mason Cooley (1927 – 2002)

American aphorist

“There are many ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.”

— Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1929 – 1994)

First lady of the United States, 1961 – 1963

“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”

— Haruki Murakami (1949 – )

Japanese writer

If I’m not writing, recording, or editing, I love to read. I always end up with a very large collection of books, many of which get eventually given away or donated. Hubby likes action novels. I tend more toward nonfiction books… those I can read with a highlighter in one hand. (I am a notorious note-taker and like to stay in the learning mode.) But I also like humor, travel, and books about food. Sometimes a memoir or two crosses my path.

I just finished reading a cute little book called “Outnumbered: How an Average Super Mom Raised Five Professional Athletes.” It was written by Diane Gronkowski, Rob’s mother. She shares a number of adventures and misadventures that occurred in the course of raising 5 rambunctious little boys who all grew up to become professional athletes… one in baseball and four in football. All 5 started out playing hockey. While the next to youngest, Gronk #87, is the most famous, it was delightful to hear his mother sing everyone’s praises. Personally, the fact that all five of her children played either MLB or in the NFL strikes me as downright remarkable, easily qualifying her for Super Mom status.

If you have a vegetable garden, you inevitably have faced the dilemma of what to do with the plethora of zucchini that hits right about now. I never before knew there was an official day to sneak zucchini onto your neighbor’s porch. Go figure. Just remember, they are apt to do the same thing. LOL. Many of us have been able to bless co-workers with an abundance of various freshly picked veggies. Plus, everyone has favorite recipes to share. From zoodles to stuffed zucchini boats, if you’re a fan, you’re a fan! I like this little gem that my notes showed I’d pulled from Mom’s recipe box on September 30, 2007. By then, of course, we’d already been enjoying these crispy beauties for a great many years.

Zucchini Rounds

These remain a timeless favorite, served plain, with salt & pepper, or even with a little warmed marinara sauce.

1 c Bisquick or other baking mix

½ c shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/8 tsp salt

2 eggs, beaten

¼ c chopped onion

2 c shredded thin zucchini (including skins)

Butter, for frying

Combine ingredients, mixing well. Melt butter in large skillet over med to med-high heat. Drop heaping spoonfuls of mixture into the hot skillet, pressing mounds down with back of the spoon. Fry 3-4 minutes per side till golden brown. Serve hot.

Okay, go ahead. Make a double batch. That way, a few might actually make it to the dinner table!

I have been deeply blessed with one sister by birth, many sisters through the sisterhood of the ZTA sorority, and countless more through friendship. A sister sees the best and worst in us and loves us anyway. A sister is there for us when we need them… and even when we don’t know that we need them.

My grandmother often called me Phyllis, which was the name of Mom’s younger sister. I took it as a compliment. My sister, Deborah, taught me so much. We shared amazingly wonderful times… playing games, pillow fighting, listening to music, swimming, skiing, skating, weeding gardens, and enjoying countless adventures through the years… even though she and I seemed to have little in common. The photo is from 1954 at Mom’s vanity, which later became the site of many fun hours playing “dress up.” To this day I call Deborah an angel living on this earth. She is a kind, gentle, healing soul. We all could use a little more “Deborah” in our hearts.

Thank you to Deborah and all the other wonderful women who are or have been like sisters to me. You have my love and respect on National Sister Day and always.

Dad loved root beer floats…. A&W or made at home. Scoop that rich, creamy vanilla ice cream into a tall glass. Pour in the bubbly root beer. Insert straw. Go crazy with happy flavors and fizziness!

A favorite memory of making root beer hails from my childhood. Dad’s Mom made her own root beer in a variety of bottles, all carefully corked and resting on her side porch… until that day when the corks started popping out of the bottles. And I mean they all popped… with root beer spraying wildly all over the porch, side of the house, and ceiling. Ooooh! Picture the sticky mess! Ah, these are the prices we pay sometimes when home brewing!

But. Silly stories aside… I must share another twist on the classic root beer float. Talk about Super Simple!!!

Root Beer Float Pie

Strawberries, seedless mandarin orange sections, peach slices, or chocolate shavings or chips also make yummy garnishing options. Also, the root beer extract is not essential, but it adds a nice intensity to the flavor. And if you like to make fresh whipped cream, rather than using Cool Whip, by all means… THAT is the very best, in fact.

3/4 c cold root beer (diet or high test)

2 tsp root beer extract

½ c milk (regular, 2%, or skim)

1 (1-oz) pkg instant vanilla pudding mix (sugar free is AOK)

1 (8-oz) Cool Whip, thawed (1/2 c set aside in refrigerator for garnish)

1 (9”) graham cracker crust

8 maraschino cherries, garnish

In large bowl, combine root beer, extract, milk, & pudding mix, whisking very well. Use a rubber spatula to then fold in half the Cool Whip. Spread evenly in crust. Spread remaining Cool Whip on top of pie and freeze overnight. Use the reserved ½ c of Cool Whip to place 8 dollops around edges of pie, one on each of what will be 8 slices. Top each with a cherry and serve cold.

“There can be no doubt that our Nation has had a long and unfortunate history of sex discrimination.  Traditionally, such discrimination was rationalized by an attitude of “romantic paternalism” which, in practical effect, put women, not on a pedestal, but in a cage.”

— William J. Brennan (1906-1997)

US Supreme Court Justice 1956-1990; justice in NJ Supreme Court from 1952-56

It’s been said many times in many ways. Our true character is reflected in our integrity.

“Integrity is doing the right thing, even if nobody is watching.”

— C. S. Lewis (1898 – 1963)

British writer

“A little integrity is better than any career.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1892)

American essayist, philosopher & abolitionist; aka The Sage of Concord

“Character is what you are in the dark.” 

— Dwight L. Moody (1837 – 1899)

American evangelist & publisher

“The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.”

— John Wooden (1910 – 2010)

American basketball coach & player

(Photo by Trimisu)

Nic“Begin challenging your own assumptions.  Your assumptions are your windows on the world.  Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.”

— Alan Alda (1936 – )

American actor

I deeply appreciate all the inquiries regarding the release of Book 2 in my historical fiction Destiny Trilogy. Destiny of Determination: Faith and Family is set for release on my Dad’s birthday… November 2… in both paperback and eBook formats, with the audiobook to follow. Yes, it is written! Books 1 and 2 tell the true story of the Armenian side of my family, my Mom’s side. (The Destiny Trilogy will conclude next year.)

I invite anyone who wishes to read the book to please send me your email address via personal message. I will then keep you posted on its release. If you would like to review the book, please let me know which format you prefer… pdf, mobi, or epub… and I will forward one to you now via email. Once the book is officially released, I will provide you with potential links for posting your comments. Honest reviews are vital to book positioning online, but, most importantly, they help me to write better books!

While having read Book 1 Destiny of Dreams… Time Is Dear provides a powerfully haunting foundation, it is not essential. That said, the digital format of Book 1 is marked down from $5.99 to just $2.99 on Amazon to make starting there Super Simple, if you so wish! PLEASE note that Destiny of Dreams… Time Is Dear carries a warning for violent content. While there is nothing gory, nor gratuitous, it is most assuredly adult material.

Book 2… Destiny of Determination: Faith and Family is also available with a Pre-Sale discounted price of $3.99 for everyone placing an order for the digital version prior to the November 2nd release.

“To reach a port we must sail, sometimes with the wind, and sometimes against it. But we must not drift or lie at anchor.”

— Oliver Wendell Holmes (1841 – 1935)

Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 1902 – 1931

(Photo by Renan Brun)

Those of you who know me best, also know that I am far from being a fan of politics. Now and then, however, a few sage tidbits pique my interest. For example, as you likely know, Barbara Bush and Abigail Adams have the distinction of being the only two women to be married to a U.S. President and be the mother of another U.S. President. Barbara Bush was married to George H.W. Bush, the 41st U.S. President, and was the mother of George W. Bush, the 43rd U.S. President. Anyone who met Barbara Bush loved her and her ability to relate to anyone with the utmost honesty and wit. I was blessed to meet and interview her several times, including when she gave the commencement address at Wellesley College in Massachusetts on June 1, 1990. Always a powerful advocate for children and families, she offered up plenty of sage words for the graduates, including this tidbit.

“You must read to your children, and you must hug your children, and you must love your children. Your success as a family, our success as a society, depends not on what happens in the White House, but on what happens inside your home.”

— Barbara Bush (1925 – 2018)

Abigail Adams, now referred to as the 2nd First Lady of the United States, although that title had not yet been established during her tenure, was also the mother of John Quincy Adams, the 6th President of the United States. Further, she was not only the wife of John Adams, the 2nd President of the United States… She also served as his closest advisor. Even prior to the American Revolution she was utterly unimpressed with political “talk,” as indicated in the following quote from a letter she wrote to John Adams in 1774.

“We have too many high-sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them.”

— Abigail Adams (1744 – 1818)