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Prague: My Long Journey Home – by Charles Ota Heller

By J Laznicka

Prague: My Long Journey Home is a different kind of Holocaust memoir, giving readers access to information via a unique personal story. Son of a mixed marriage, Ota Karel Heller was born in Czechoslovakia three years before the Nazi occupation of his country. Raised a Catholic, he was unaware of his Jewish roots, even after his father escaped and fifteen members of his family disappeared. He was denied the rights to attend school and to live with many of life’s necessities. Later in the war, before his Christian mother was taken away to a slave labor camp, she hid him on a farm in order to protect him from deportation to a death camp. All the while, he was told that the persecution stemmed from the fact that “your father is in the British army, fighting against the Germans.” This made his suffering a point of pride despite the fact that he faced danger every day. During the waning days of the war, he picked up a loaded revolver thrown away by the retreating occupiers and shot an escaping Nazi. He was elated and proud of the fact that, like his father, he had helped to defeat the hated Germans. He was nine years old.

Prague is, concurrently, a riveting adventure story, a moving recollection of a loving family nearly destroyed by the Nazis and a personal account of a long journey of persecution, of struggle and survival in first Nazi- and then Communist-controlled Czechoslovakia, of eventual escape from tyranny to America, and of the author’s return to a newly-free Czechoslovakia only to confront  the demons of the past which had been buried deep in the recesses of his soul.

It is the narrative of an assimilated American, who left the horrors of the past – and even his name – behind in the Old World to become a successful student, athlete, engineer, educator, entrepreneur, mentor, investor, husband, father, and grandfather in the U.S., only to find confusion and uncertainty following the death of his father and Czechoslovakia’s Velvet Revolution.

As he reconnects with his native country, he discovers, or perhaps remembers, that he had three Jewish grandparents, and thus – at least genetically — is more Jew than Christian. The memoir recounts his dealing with guilt for having denied the existence of his martyred family members. It concludes with two poignant moments – one in Prague and the other in Jerusalem – which help him make peace with his guilt and to come to the realization that it is spirituality, and not one’s religion – his or anyone else’s – that matters. In a rare moment of clarity, he knows that, going forward, he will no longer hide from his ethnicity and that he will take great pride in telling the true story of his family.

Inspirational Gift Idea

By J Laznicka

This year give a gift that will not only inspire friends and family, but will help support and spread the word about the hope, healing, and guidance we provide to so many deserving young women…

Butterfly Tears: Stories of Entrapment to Empowerment

Years in the making, this newly released book features the stories of nine young women who suffered childhood abuse, neglect, and much, much worse. Some found themselves in gangs, others in prison. But Pathways to Independence offered them a way out, and they took it. Reading these women’s first-person accounts of their metamorphoses from victimhood to victory will elicit both tears of sorrow and tears of joy.

Butterfly Tears also details the story of Pathways founder Dave Bishop, relating the six key steps in his own life’s journey that led to his founding of this groundbreaking organization.

Butterfly Tears…A Powerful Voice for Empowering Women!

Purchase your first-edition hardcover TODAY at Amazon

Recipe: Steak with Red Wine Sauce

By J Laznicka

Recipe: Steak with Red Wine Sauce
A vino spin on a traditional steak that will impress your guests.

Serves 6

  • 2 bottles (750 milliliters each) hearty full-bodied red wine
  • 8 ounce apple wood-smoked bacon, cut into ½-inch strips (about 2 cups
  • 2 cups ½ inch diced sweet onions
  • 2 cups quartered cut button mushrooms
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
  • 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
  • Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to state
  • 3 steaks, ideally 32 ounces each.

The Sauce
In a Medium saucepan simmer the wine over medium heat for 1 hour or until it is reduced to 2 cups

In large skillet sauté bacon over medium heat until fat has reduced about 10 to 12 minutes. Spoon off the fat. Add the onions, mushrooms and garlic and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until soft.

Add the wine mixture to the bacon and slowly whisk in 8 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, sprinkle in cornstarch and stir until the sauce is thickened. Remove from the heat. Add the tomatoes, and parsley. Cover and keep warm. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.

Preparing and Cooking the Steaks
Preheat a barbecue or stove top grill to medium heat.

Spread the steaks with the meaning 3 tablespoons of the butter. Season them on both sites with salt and pepper. Place the steaks o the grill and cook until browned about 3 minutes. Turn the steaks and brown on the other side about 4 minutes or more. Transfer the steaks to a cooler part of the grill. Cover and cook for 20 to 23 minutes more for medium-rare.

To  Serve

Place the steaks on plate and server the sauce on top of the steak.

    • sauces recipes

 

 


Simple Instructions – How to Carve the Perfect Holiday Turkey

By J Laznicka

Good instructions on how to carve a turkey properly.Take the Mystery Out of Carving the Holiday Bird.
    • It is up to your preference but don’t feel required to carve table side. Though a common tradition in many families, it’s perfectly fine to carve the turkey in the kitchen and bring the arranged platter to the table. This especially holds true if you’re a novice at carving.

Turkey Carving Tools

Use a carving knife or a chef’s knife. The longer the knife, the better it will work, as a long, smooth slicing motion will make for better slices. We used a long carving knife with oval indentations along the blade to reduce friction. Tip: Be sure to let the turkey rest for at least 25 minutes before slicing: this helps the juices redistribute through the meat, making for a better-tasting turkey. (It also makes it easier to carve.)

  • Remove the drumsticks and thighs. Start by pulling a drumstick away from the bird and using the knife to disconnect the thigh bone from the body. Set it aside to carve later, and remove the second drumstick.
  • Remove the wings in the same fashion to fully expose the breast for carving. The wings on modern, commercial birds contain very little meat, so they’re often used mainly for presentation on the platter.
  • To carve the bird, make sure it’s lying on its back, breast-side up. Begin with a long horizontal cut at the base of the breast. You might be able to feel where the breast meat ends and the bone begins–cut as close to that area as you can.
  • Begin slicing the breast from the top down, working at a slight angle to cut away from the carcass. The horizontal cut at the bottom provides a convenient stopping point, making it easy to finish each cut. Transfer slices to a warmed serving platter.
  • To carve a drumstick, hold one end and slice off one side. Lay it flat on the cutting board and continue carving. Slice each side, turning the drumstick a quarter turn until you’ve removed all the meat.
  • Place the thigh on the cutting board and begin slicing parallel to the thigh bone. Cut into even strips.
  • Arrange the rest of the meat onto the warmed platter and serve.

 


How to Keep Rabbits Out of Your Garden – Rabbit-Resistant Plants – Zone 9

By J Laznicka

How to Keep Rabbits Out of Your Garden –  List of Rabbit Resistant Plants
We’ve pulled together a list of  rabbit deterrent plants that grow in 
Orange County USDA Zone 9 that will help keep rabbits out of your yard.

Allium
From the cute 6-inch-tall rock garden types to the 6-foot-tall giants, alliums are great garden plants. Perfect cut flowers and long-lived garden residents, it’s an added bonus that deer, rabbits, and even squirrels tend to pass them by.
Name: Allium varieties
Growing conditions: Full to partial sun and well-drained soil
Height: 6 inches to 6 feet tall
Zones: 3-10, depending on variety

Anise Hyssop
An incredibly rugged North American native plant, anise hyssop bears spikes of violet-blue flowers from midsummer to fall. The flowers and the foliage have a decidedly anise scent, hence its common name.
Name: Agastache varieties
Growing conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Height: 2-6 feet tall, depending on variety
Zones: 4-10, depending on variety

Baptisia
One of the toughest plants in the garden, baptisia bears spikes of violet, blue, yellow, or white flowers in early summer. The plants are very heat- and drought-resistant and their blue-green foliage continues to look great all the way to frost.
Name: Baptisia Australis
Growing conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Height: 5 feet tall
Zones: 3-9

Bee Balm
Rabbits may not like bee balm, but hummingbirds sure do! This easy-growing plant produces lots of pink, red, violet, or white flowers from summer to early fall. The flowers are long lasting and great for cutting.
Name: Monarda varieties
Growing conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil
Height: 1-3 feet, depending on variety
Zones: 4-9

Daffodil
While many spring bulbs are rabbit magnets, the pesky critters avoid daffodils. These bulbs bloom in shades of red, orange, yellow, white, and pink and offer a variety of flower shapes. Daffodils are also long-lived garden plants.
Name: Narcissus varieties
Growing conditions: Sun or shade and well-drained soil
Height: To 1 foot tall
Zones: 3-9, depending on variety

Daylily
One of the hardiest garden plants, daylilies bloom in a rainbow of shades and can take all but the toughest conditions. Grow them in full sun and enjoy their easy-growing beauty.
Name: Hemerocallis varieties
Growing conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Height: 2-6 feet tall, depending on variety
Zones: 3-10, depending on variety

Fritillaria
Fritillarias are underused spring bulbs. These interesting bulbs offer a wide variety of flower colors, forms, and sizes. Among the best known are crown imperials (shown), which grow 3 feet tall and are one of the most flamboyant plants in the spring garden.
Name: Fritillaria varieties
Growing conditions: Full sun or partial shade and well-drained soil
Height: 6 inches to 4 feet tall
Zones: 3-9, depending on variety

Hellebore
A nearly indestructible shade-garden plant, hellebores bloom in late winter or early spring and produce black, red, pink, white, cream, or green flowers. In many climates, the plants are semi-evergreen.
Name: Helleborus varieties
Growing conditions: Shade and moist, well-drained soil
Height: 1-2 feet tall
Zones: 4-9, depending on variety

Iris
Iris are great,  not only for their rabbit resistance, but also for their gorgeous frilly flowers (that are great for cutting) and for their sweet scent. Plus, the flowers appear in almost every color of the rainbow. Reblooming iris offer the extra advantage of blooming again in fall.
Name: Iris varieties
Growing conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Height: 3 feet tall
Zones: 3-9

Salvia
There are a whole host of salvias great for the garden and almost all are nicely rabbit resistant. The blooms range from bright red to shades of purple and blue. Most make great cut flowers, too.
Name: Salvia varieties
Growing conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Height: 1-5 feet tall, depending on variety
Zones: 3-9, depending on variety

Siberian Iris
Siberian iris is our favorite of the iris tribe. It blooms a little later than the tall bearded types and features wonderful grassy foliage with elegant blue, purple, rose, or white blooms. The flowers, like most iris, are great for cutting and the plant has especially nice form even when it’s not in bloom.
Name: Iris sibirica
Growing conditions: Full sun or partial shade and well-drained soil
Height: 1-3 feet tall
Zones: 4-9

Yarrow
Lovely yarrow is not just rabbit resistant, it’s also a hardy, drought-resistant perennial. This rugged plant blooms through the summer in shades of yellow, pink, red, and white. The long-lasting blooms are beautiful in the vase and in the garden.
Name: Achillea varieties
Growing conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil.
Height: 2-3 feet tall
Zones: 3-9, depending on variety


 


How to Keep Rabbits Out of Your Garden – List of Rabbit-Resistant PlantsHow to Keep Rabbits Out of Your Garden – List of Rabbit-Resistant PlantsHow to Keep Rabbits Out of Your Garden – List of Rabbit-Resistant Plants

 

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