Mark Your Calenders - March is Marvelous

March has always been a special month for me. First - well, my birthday is in March. And my dear old Gram's birthday was in March. March 17th to be exact. Yep, Catherine Bridget Dalton Papp was born on St. Patrick's Day. March also welcomes in the first day of spring. What a great month!

Ah - but March is so much more!

Besides being Irish American Heritage Month, it is also International Mirth Month. What could be more mirthful than a festive St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Laughter is the best medicine, but being optimist can help you achieve better health and prosperity. So celebrate Optimism Month and help yourself become more successful. Seems

perfectly appropriate since March is also International Expect Success Month! If you expect success, and then work like that is the only option, you can be successful!

And what do you need to be successful? Well, it all starts with an idea. And during International Ideas Month, take some time to celebrate the good ideas that make things happen for you and for everyone.

If you like being a little more hands on, then March is for you with National Craft Month. Pick up an old craft project or start a new one. You may have to do some reading, so you'll also be a part of National March Into Literacy Month. Part of the Toys for Tots campaign, this month long celebration promotes the love of reading, especially among children. Reading is a fundamental skill needed for success.

With all this activity in March, you'll probably need a good nights rest. Luckily, it's also National Sleep Awareness Month. But getting to sleep shouldn't be a problem, if you realize it's also National Caffeine Awareness Month.

As you can see, there's a lot to celebrate in March. Whether you're sharing ideas with an eye towards success, or reading a humorous book, investigating Irish Heritage or getting a good nights sleep, March is one marvelous month. And you can always feel safe, because it also happens to be American Red Cross Month. This amazing organization provides first aid and CPR training and aid to those in the midst of disaster. I'm fairly fond of the Red Cross. My grandmother was a volunteer there for years.

Nollag Márta! Happy March!

Giving Bay it's Just Desserts

We often think of Bay leaves as those dry leaves we drop into soups, stews and sauces. It's a main meal type of herb. However, this pungent little leaf is more. And to honor it's place as Herb of the Year, I give you a tempting dessert recipe.

The main recipe appears in the International Herb Associations book "Bay (Laurus nobils) Herb of the Year 2009". This is a fascination collection of information, tips and recipes about and for Bay. I took the recipes from the book and played with them a little, and came up with this yummy dessert that's perfect any time of year.

Gingered Fruit with Bay Syrup


Start by making the Bay Syrup. Make a lot and store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. It can also be frozen. Bay syrup can be used to flavor drinks, over pancakes, let your imagination run wild. The fragrance and flavor is spicy and sweet.

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 cups water
10 bay leaves (fresh works best but you can use dried)

Put the sugar, honey and water in a heavy sauce pan. Add the bay leaves (bruise fresh ones slightly with a spoon). Bring to a low boil over medium heat. Cover and remove from the heat. Let it sit for an hour, or until room temperature. Remove the bay leaves, squeezing lightly to get out all the goodness. Place in a container and refrigerate.

Gingered Fruit

1 pound of fruit (fresh summer fruit works best - nectarines, peaches, plums, cherries, pineapple. You can also add some dried fruit like, currants, raisins, etc.)
1/4 cup of Bay Syrup
2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice.
1 tablespoon agar agar or gelatin

Cut the fruit into pieces. In a sturdy medium saucepan, combine the fruit, syrup and ginger. Cover and simmer on medium for about 7 or 8 minutes, until the juices are flowing and the fruit is slightly tender.

Stir in the lemon juice and gelatin or agar agar (you can find this in some grocery stores, health food stores, and oriental markets). Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn off heat and remove from stove.

You can serve this warm or chilled. It thickens quite a bit when chilled. My favorite - take apiece of pound cake, put on a scoop of ice cream, add some of the gingered fruit and a little extra Bay Syrup. Wow, is that good.

Extra fruit can also be refrigerated and nibbled as needed.

Happy Valentines Day!

In the cold chill of winter, we celebrate the warmth of the heart.

Have a wonderful, love filled Valentine's Day.

Just Pondering about the word Change

Everyone's talking about change lately. I started thinking about it myself. I know what the word means, but I still looked it up. Here's the definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:

Change
Pronunciation: \ˈchānj\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): changed; chang·ing
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French changer, from Latin cambiare to exchange, probably of Celtic origin; akin to Old Irish camm crooked
Date: 13th century

transitive verb
1 a: to make different in some particular : alter (never bothered to change the will)
b: to make radically different : transform (can't change human nature)
c: to give a different position, course, or direction to
2 a: to replace with another (let's change the subject)
b: to make a shift from one to another : switch (always changes sides in an argument)
c: to exchange for an equivalent sum of money (as in smaller denominations or in a foreign currency) (change a dollar bill)
d: to undergo a modification of (foliage changing)
e: to put fresh clothes or covering on (change a bed)

intransitive verb
1: to become different (her mood changes every hour)
2: of the moon : to pass from one phase to another
3: to shift one's means of conveyance : transfer (on the bus trip he had to change twice)
4: of the voice : to shift to lower register : break
5: to undergo transformation, transition, or substitution (winter changed to spring)
6: to put on different clothes (need a few minutes to change for dinner)
7: exchange, switch (neither liked his seat so they changed with each other)

I find it interesting that, as a word, change is neither positive nor negative. Change just means moving from one place, circumstance, position, course, etc, to another.

That could be a positive thing. As human beings we wish for things to change for the better. But, it could also be a negative thing.

I guess we'll have to be more specific about what we wish for.