Posts by Lutece

44

40 Years Ago Today

by RAYZORBLADE in

on september 8, 1963 my sister, carmen elizabeth was born.. she was, and would remain the only girl in our family.

she was so adorable, brown haired, brown eyed and had a great smile.

she was less than a year younger than i, and we were like the 'best of pals' as kids.. she'd allow me to put beans in her ears, or get her to put peas in her nose or carrots on top of her teeth, and make me laugh.. she was born in cape breton, nova scotia.

Lutece

Rayzor, So sorry to hear that you lost someone so special. Your poor mother, that had to be hard to bear. This time of year is hard for me too, 11 years ago this fall my only brother died. He was missing for a week and the whole time we knew something bad had befallen him, but we tried to keep up hope until he was found. He died in a freak car accident and his truck had been covered completely from sight by a tree so search parties drove right past it several times. A jogger saw the light shining from his truck one morning and found him. It was the time of year when the trees just started to change color. It was so hard on all of us, but my parents, it was the saddest thing to witness. It took them a long time to just enjoy things again, like they felt guilty if they laughed or had a good time. They still keep his ashes in his old bedroom. It keeps my mom holding on to the witness faith because she wants to see him again in the "new system". I always imagine him bringing his kids over to play with mine, teaching them all to fish (his favorite sport) and stuff like that. We just have to try and remember the good things about them and try to live our lives in a way that brings some honor to their memory. My brother was a very generous person so I try to be more generous and pay some kind of respect that way.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{RAYZORBLADE}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

Anne

33

What do you miss the most not being a witness anymore?

by JH in

jw
friends

is there anything that you miss, since you don't belong to the jw's anymore?

friendship, family, or maybe just the feeling of belonging to some groupe that had you dreaming of a better world?

Lutece

I miss not having my magic words that could take away my fears.

I hate flying and before, when I was scared, I'd pray to Jehovah. Now I don't have that. But, even though I don't have that I have less fears about dying and death than I did as a witness. I find that very interesting and much healthier.

39

Did you really believe?

by barbar in

i am interested to know whether jw's or ex jw's on this board really did believe 100%.

did you have doubts all of the time, did you have some confusion or did you never doubt at all?

i recognise that most on this board will have had doubts at the end but was this always the case when you were a good dub?

Lutece

I believed it all, but had doubts about doctrine at times that made me "bend the rules" to fit my own life which in turn made me seem weak. I was one who had to read as much as I could and talk to people who'd left before I made up my mind to leave. I felt betrayed, deceived and shattered when the veil was lifted, but like Hamas said, "I will survive and am surviving". :)

Anne

24

A LITTLE CHEESE WITH THAT WINE?

by little witch in

jw
friends

in an effort to try new things, and also because my husband got a raise in pay this week,

i am planning a special dinner, and time aside for hubby and me.

i bought some cheeses last night, and a mediocre white wine, and i am in need of assistance.

Lutece

Make sure you get good brie, squeeze it to make sure it's kind of soft and gives, it should also say triple creme for best flavor (forget about calories, lol).

If you see St. Andre, get that, it's expensive, but worth it. It's fantastic stuff.

24

A LITTLE CHEESE WITH THAT WINE?

by little witch in

jw
friends

in an effort to try new things, and also because my husband got a raise in pay this week,

i am planning a special dinner, and time aside for hubby and me.

i bought some cheeses last night, and a mediocre white wine, and i am in need of assistance.

Lutece

Brie tastes like poop? How would you know Gumby? hmmmm

24

A LITTLE CHEESE WITH THAT WINE?

by little witch in

jw
friends

in an effort to try new things, and also because my husband got a raise in pay this week,

i am planning a special dinner, and time aside for hubby and me.

i bought some cheeses last night, and a mediocre white wine, and i am in need of assistance.

Lutece

I love brie, especially this one called St. Andre, decadent stuff! I love to serve cheese at room temperature, the flavor is better that way. Just take it out a half hour to an hour before you're going to eat. I like red wine with my cheese, but it's kind of strong if you're not used to it. Just cut the top of the rind off of the brie (pie type slice) and provide a cheese or butter knife to scoop off some of the brie onto the crackers or bread. It tastes great with rye bread you toast in the oven with just a brush of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Cut into triangle toast bites. Yummy with the brie and crab dip recipe below. :)

The rind is edible, but not very nice texture with the soft buttery brie, so you can just slice it off and eat it with bread or crackers or get it nice and cold and slice off the rind, cover with Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, bake and serve. Here are a few recipes I just snagged off the net:

Ingredients

1/2 (17.5 ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 (8 ounce) wheel Brie cheese

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Directions

1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degree C). Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan.

2

Slice the wheel of Brie in half, horizontally, so that the halves are two, flatter wheels of Brie. Lay the puff pastry in the pie pan. Place half of the Brie (rind-side down) onto the pastry dough. Sprinkle almonds evenly over the top. Place the other half of the Brie (rind-side up) over the almonds. Bundle the pastry dough around the Brie.

3

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

PASTRY-WRAPPED BRIE WITH RASPBERRIES

1/2 cup raspberry preserves
1/4 cup fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed
1 13.2-ounce Baby Brie cheese (about 6 to 7 inches in diameter)
1 large egg, beaten to blend (for glaze)

Crackers and baguette slices
Grapes

Preheat oven to 400°F. Stir preserves, berries and rosemary in small bowl to blend. Season berry mixture with pepper. Roll out pastry on lightly floured surface to 12-inch square. Cut top rind off cheese; discard rind. Place cheese, rindless side up, in center of pastry. Spoon raspberry mixture onto cheese. Fold pastry on 2 opposite sides over cheese. Brush remaining 2 sides of pastry with glaze. Fold over cheese; press seams to seal. Brush pastry with glaze; place on baking sheet.

Bake cheese until pastry is deep golden brown (top of pastry may split open), about 30 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes. Place baked cheese on serving platter. Surround with crackers, baguette slices, and grapes.

BAKED CRAB, BRIE, AND ARTICHOKE DIP

"While vacationing in Vero Beach, Florida, I had a magnificent meal at Tangos," writes Peter Colley of Silver Creek, Colorado. "The food presentation was superb, and the outdoor patio made for a very romantic dining experience. I would like to have the recipe for the divine baked crab, Brie, and artichoke dip."

1 medium leek (white part only)
1 medium Vidalia or other sweet onion
1/2 cup drained canned artichoke hearts
1/2 cup thawed frozen chopped spinach
1 pound Brie
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup Riesling or other medium-dry white wine
2/3 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill leaves
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1 pound fresh jumbo lump crab meat
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Tabasco, or to taste

Accompaniment: toasted thin baguette slices

Preheat oven to 425°F and lightly oil an 11-inch gratin or other shallow baking dish (about 6-cup).

Trim and finely chop leek. In a large bowl of water wash leek well and lift from water into a large sieve to drain. Finely chop onion. Rinse and finely chop artichoke hearts. Squeeze dry and finely chop spinach. Discard rind from Brie and cut into 1/4-inch pieces.

In a heavy skillet cook leek, onion, and garlic in oil over moderate heat, stirring, until pale golden and stir in artichoke hearts and spinach. Add wine and cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Add cream and simmer, stirring, 1 minute. Add Brie, stirring until it just begins to melt. Remove skillet from heat and stir herbs into mixture.

Pick over crab meat. In a large bowl stir together crab meat, mustard, Tabasco, and salt and pepper to taste and stir in cheese mixture. Spread mixture evenly in baking dish and bake in middle of oven 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden.

Serve dip hot with toasts.

42

Past lives?

by Lutece in

anyone here ever try past life regression hypnotism?

i'm curious and wondering what my "imagination" will come up with.

maybe it's true.

Lutece

I agree Robdar, it's interesting but should be for entertainment only. I would love for it to prove we move on and keep living, etc. but that's only because of experiences with visions of my brother after he died. He appeared in various forms to everyone close to him and I get interested in finding out what's out there. I was a "strong" witness when he died and denied all experiences as being demon driven. After I started pulling away from the witnesses, I started to feel bad that I may have misinterpreted things as being evil when it was meant to comfort or just say goodbye. It doesn't matter much though, we'll all find out in our own due time. I was just wondering if anyone else had experienced this regression stuff and what stories came out of their heads. It sounds fascinating, but kind of scary now. Considering I would never think of doing something like this as a witness makes it even more appealing for me. I love to learn and experience new things.

Too much time on our hands? Ha ha, I'm very good at time management. I have to be. I'm a newspaper columnist, reporter, food writer (look for my latest this month in France Today on Alsatian cuisine), mother of two children and one's a teenager! I'm also a web designer and am writing a cookbook. For fun, I produce community tv shows, one to coincide with my column about the internet called "Get Wired" and the other is in production as we speak called "Gourmates". It's about gourmet food and dating. I get on this forum and whip out a few posts, scan through the rest and pop over to a few other boards I like to visit and then it's time to make lunch for the kiddos. :) Never a dull moment and this subject is bound to help me in the creative department!

36

Has there ever been any who came here to snoop/snipe/whatever...

by berylblue in

jw
friends

...who ended up staying because her or his thinking had been changed by reading the posts here?

Lutece

Well Hamas, even Simon started this board for loyal witnesses to have an upbuilding and encouraging place to talk to other witnesses, LOL

I used to snoop, but waited until I'd read and read and read till I posted, by then I was just trying to get support to make the decision I knew I'd eventually make, to leave the cult.

Anne

34

research article on Jehovah's Witnesses

by Stephen Cox in

dear friends,.

this is to announce a long research article that i have published in the latest (sept-oct) issue of "liberty" magazine.

("liberty" is a libertarian intellectual journal and is available at barnes and noble, borders, etc., or from po box 1181, port townsend wa 98368. its price is $5.

Lutece

I just finished reading the article and I want to say WELL DONE Mr. Cox.

The Truth vs. the truth

Stephen Cox

Get LIBERTY (sept/oct 03) and read this article and send it to friends/family everyone. It's very well written and researched, a gem! If you can't find a copy, pm me with your email address. :)

Anne

34

research article on Jehovah's Witnesses

by Stephen Cox in

dear friends,.

this is to announce a long research article that i have published in the latest (sept-oct) issue of "liberty" magazine.

("liberty" is a libertarian intellectual journal and is available at barnes and noble, borders, etc., or from po box 1181, port townsend wa 98368. its price is $5.

Lutece

I'm heading to B&N this evening, I'll look for it, thanks for sharing. I used to be a witness and a couple years before I disassociated myself I started a newspaper column about using the internet. The witnesses always said I was learning "bad stuff" online and they blame it for causing my doubts. I can't wait to read your article.

Anne