8 what you will Recipes

old age, i decided , is a gift., i am now , probably for the first time in my life, the person i have always wanted to be., i would never trade my amazing friends , my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. as i ve aged, i ve become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. i ve become my own friend., i don tsp chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that i didn tsp need, but looks so avant garde on my patio. i am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant., whose business is it if i choose to read or play on the computer until 4 am and sleep until noon, i will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50 s, 60 s, & 70 s, and if i, wish i will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if i choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set., will get old ., i know i am sometimes forgetful. but there again , some of life is just as well forgotten. and i eventually remember the important things.., over the years my heart has been broken ..., but broken hearts are what give us strength andunderstanding and compassion. a heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect., i am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. so many have never laughed, and so may have died before their hair could turn silver., as you get older , it is easier to be positive. you care less about what other people think. i don tsp question myself anymore. i ve even earned the right to be wrong., answer your question , i like being old. it has set me free.. i like the person i have become., i am not going to live forever, but while i am still here, i will not waste time lamenting about what could have been, or worrying about what will be. and i shall eat dessert every single day. (if i feel like it), may our friendship never come apart especially when it s straight from the heart, may you always have a rainbow of smiles on your face and in your heart forever and ever

white rum (50 to 55 proof or dark rum from 43 proof), brown sugar (if using dark rum use a little less sugar. you will have to experiment to find what suits you) or 1 oz cane sugar syrup, lime

roma tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes, seeded, chopped, avocados, pitted, peeled, chopped, white onion, chopped, jalapenos, seeded, chopped into small pieces (you could use 1, i prefer 2 for the spice), cilantro, large stems removed, chopped, lime, salt (i prefer kosher ), cooked shrimp, tail-off, shelled, deveined, cut into approximately 1/2 inch size pieces (optional)

edgell super sweet corn, drained, eggs, grated tasty cheese, bacon, finely shredded

apple tartin, quick cooked tart it is called an apple tartin and is very simple and beautiful. my daughter has made this for school and she never brings any back, plus she always has a large number of requests for the recipe. this depends on the size of the saute pan you use. i start with about a 10 pan well coated with no stick pam and i use about 2 sliced apples, about a 1/2 to 1/4 thick (i like granny smith, but use what you like). i then melt unsalted butter and enough brown sugar to cover bottom of the pan and make a thick syrup after it cooks. i thin put the apples into the syrup and cook a few minutes so they get coated good with the syrup., i over lay the apples or shingle them is the tech term in a round circle like a huge sun flower design or something that works for you, be creative! i then use bought flake pastry dough and put on top of the apples enough to cover completely and make an edge on the outside of the tart. you can roll the dough at the edge make a little design in it to close the edge or just leave the edge open but in a round shape no rough edges.then i put in the oven and brown the pastry dough. when it is done (doesn tsp take long to cook) i have a large plate that i put over the saute pan and invert so the whole thing comes out with the, apples on top and the crust on bottom. i then coat with my simple water and sugar syrup ( recipe above) for a shiny coat and then i serve with cool whip or ice cream. 1 thing i forgot . you will have a center hole the apples you can cut a round shape ot of the apple or fill with cool whip, but if you can cut the top of the apple with the stem intact it looks nice in the hole. i have used cookie dough for this recipe and it works , but the pastry works best for me.

shrimp, peeled, tails removed & cooked (i used ex large, but large will work fine, use what is on sale, and take advantage of the seafood co), head napa cabbage, thin sliced (i used a mix of napa and romaine, but use what you enjoy best, the napa is just very good with this ), romaine lettuce hearts , rough chopped, cucumber , cut in half lengthwise and then very thin sliced in half moons (i happen to love , but depending on the size, use as much as you want), onion, cut in quarters and thin sliced (i prefer a vidalia or fl sweet onion), bean sprouts, rinsed and drained (but if available, 15 oz, or about 2 cups of fresh bean sprouts), red pepper , thin sliced in matchsticks (optional), water chestnuts, rinsed, drained and rough chopped, chow mein noodles (1 to 1 1/2 in the salad, and as much as you want as a garnish), kraft toasted asian sesame dressing , you can also serve more on the side if necessary and see the note below on dressing substitutes (lite or regular version), scallion, fine diced (optional), toasted sesame seeds (optional)