Marys Community Corner

Ingredients 5 large shallots, peeled and halved 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh thyme 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 4 4-ounce filet mignon or sirloin steaks,1 1/4 inches thick, trimmed 3/4 cup Madeira 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium beef broth 1 teaspoon butter, softened 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon tomato paste 1/4 cup pitted prunes, coarsely chopped Preparation 1. Preheat oven to 425°F. 2. Toss shallots with 1 teaspoon oil in a small baking pan. Roast until beginning to brown, about 25 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, combine thyme, salt and pepper in a small bowl; rub the mixture all over steaks. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steaks and cook, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent burning, 4-6 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to a plate; tent with foil to keep warm. 4. Add Madeira to the pan and cook for 1 minute. Add broth and br...

2 sm. eggplants, split in half lengthwise 1 pound ground turkey 2 tbsp. cooking oil 6 tbsp. sweet butter or magarine 1 tbsp. chopped shallots 1/2 lb. mushrooms, chopped 1 tsp. minced garlic (more if desired) 1 tbsp. tomato sauce 1 tbsp. salt 1 tsp. white pepper 4 tbsp. bread crumbs 1 egg, beaten 1 tbsp. chopped parsley 1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese Sprinkle cooking oil over eggplant halves; bake, uncovered in preheated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Melt butter in saucepan. Add shallots, saute 5 minutes (do not brown). Add mushrooms, saute 5 minutes, add garlic, saute 2 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Stir in ground turkey and sautee until done. Remove eggplant pulp and chop finely. Add mushroom mixture and blend over stove. Mix in bread crumbs, egg and parsley. Fill eggplant shells with mixture. Sprinkle with grated cheese and place in preheated 450 degree oven 10 minutes or until brown.

Recessions are an historical fact. In the United States the first recession to occur since the signing of the Declaration of Independence was the Panic of 1797. There was the Depression of 1807 and another again, the Panic of 1819. You get the idea. There have been a total of 22 recessions we have encountered since this country was founded. That is an average of one recession every 10.59 years since 1776. Have we been through this before? Yes. Unemployment, stock market declines or “crashes”, inflation, deflation, stagflation are all part of our vocabulary due to a rich history of experience, experimentation, and evolution of our current market system. Today we live in a society with the largest middle class historically. Much of this has to do with the evolution of economics from the very earliest of times. At any rate, WILL we recover from current market conditions? History tells us we will. WHEN will we recover from current market conditions? No one has a crystal ball although many ...

I am awake tonight, my spouse in bed, and I am contemplating Forgiveness. Why, some may ask. And it is no wonder. I met my spouse at the age of 40… and came to the relationship with more than a little baggage. She knows that deeply. Even after 10 years of sharing love, passion, and life, I still have some work to do. Not life changing work. More like life affirming work. I found a webpage and it speaks to me on this topic: http://www.bhaktilife.com/forgiveness.html “The spiritual path is a path of letting go of our false identities and learning to identify with our True Nature - the Self. Forgiveness is an essential element of letting go, a purification that clears away karma. Karma, both good and bad, binds us to our human existence. Karma is the unfinished business we have with the world. When Jesus hung on the cross he asked God to "forgive them, for they know not what they do." His Cosmic Compassion and Cosmic Wisdom allowed Him to forgive those who were torturing Him and...

There are two types of people: Those who spend first and save last and those who save first and spend last. Will there be a silver lining in the economic conditions our country (and our planet) is coping with these days? I have this graph that shows how dramatic savings rates in this country have declined over time and how dramatically consumption has increased. Oddly enough, it was 1984 when the two intersected and our savings rate fell below our consumption rate. It's quite remarkable actually. The divergence of the two lines is dramatic and through the years they have continued to pull apart. I am hoping that out of this entire experience people actually start spending what they can afford, save at the same time, and not live on credit...I say it is odd that this divergence occurred in 1984 because it was then that 401 K plans were popularized. That's when the average worker started to actually put money away into the market. Prior to that time it was really viewed as a vehi...