Shirleys Cottage
Cook & Chat from Shirley's Cottage... Get a glimpse of small town living on the lake. Weekly I will share my stories and recipes with you. Yes, you will get to know my family and even some of the towns people, and maybe even a little about me. Well, maybe alot about me! So grab your cup of coffee or tea, be sure to have your favorite mug, and relax while I share my life with you...from Shirley's Cottage.
About Me

- Name: Shirley
- Location: Cambridge, Wisconsin
There is an old German saying: "We grow too soon old, and too late smart." I am trying to prove it wrong. I'd rather go with the saying: "It's never too late." I heard 70 is the new 50 with us 'oldsters' living longer. I certainly hope so. I can use the extra twenty years to go with my hopes, dreams, and ambitions. The first being my writing. I have written things here and there over the years. I was even inspired to write a poem or two. Two years ago I got up my nerve , went to the local newspaper and started a Cook & Chat column, titled "From Shirley's Cottage. With this blog, I hope to share with you some of my recipes, hopes, and dreams. Thanks for coming along. Let's go relax on the lake... from Shirley's Cottage.
Sites I Like
- Kelly's Blog
- Paula Deen
Monday, July 21, 2008
From Shirley's Cottage
My column should be on Cambridge News website by now
www.cambridgenews.com
if not please email me
sherwinshirley@yahoo.com
Those of you who know Kelly know her blog
otherwise, my daughter Kelly has a blog-interesting especially to quilters and designers
and those interested in wedding websites
Paige's wedding is in October and their website is super
I'm sure the site is on Kelly's blog, the proud mom of the bride.
Hope to see you on the News
Thanks you bloggers
Shirley
believe in the birds
It was early Monday, July 14th. I was working on my column, and at the same time talking to my niece, Corri, via e-mail.
I had just told her how her cousins had all been to the lake the day before. And how we were missing Gram and her uncle. Today was a bittersweet day, the fourteenth year on the 14th, without Ted. Sr.
I wrote: "There is a hummingbird pecking at my window screen, not two feet away-just like he or she is looking right at me. Why talk about hummingbirds? This may be the best thing I see today."
I was in the mood to take this little hummer as a sign.
Corri’s answer. believe in the birds. I cannot say if the hummingbird is a sign, but I have a story for you that might help you decide."
She went on to tell me about her close friend, Pam. In the past few years, she has had a very tough road.
She became single. She lost her mom and dad. Her favorite "cool" cousin lost his life, way too young, with no warning and no indication.
She could have given in to grief. But she "kept on keepin’ on"
Recently she bought "a very cute house." Even though she has been through hell, she said she slept well the first night and it felt like home already.
Corri continued: "The second night in her new home, she was sitting on her deck before bed. A cardinal and a blue jay landed on the fence and sat awhile. She couldn’t remember the last time she saw a blue jay.
Why is this so significant? During her mom’s last days, Pam was sitting with her. Her mom kept saying, ‘Red bird, blue bird, red bird, blue bird’. Pam had no idea what this meant.
Now she believes it was her mom and dad saying goodbye and all will be well. Pam said she has stretched some of the signs she has seen, but the quote from Pam: ‘I’m going with this one.’ Pam believes in that power greater than yourself: It may just be that little hummingbird."
Love, Corri
Dear Corri,
Thank Pam for me. "I’m going with this one, too."
Love, Aunt Shirley
P.S. I only saw that hummingbird that day for those few minutes. It has not come back.
Corri has some good recipes. Here is one she recently tried and liked.
Fajita Steak Salad from Lisa Lillien’s Hungry Girl
you will need for one serving:
3 oz raw boneless top sirloin, thinly sliced
4 oz Diet Coke
½ small yellow onion, sliced
½ medium each red and yellow pepper, sliced
3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
4 baked tortilla chips, crushed
1/4 cup salsa
2 T fat-free sour cream
salt, pepper, any spices of your choice
marinate the steak in the coke and refrigerate for 30 minutes
Coat a frying pan with cooking spray
Add steak and marinade to pan over med-hi
Stir fry for 1-2 minutes until no longer pink
Remove meat. Leave marinade in pan
ad the onions stir for two minutes
add peppers for a minutes
return stead to pan
Serve on lettuce and top with crushed chips
salsa and sour cream
enjoy

