Some of you have asked why I don't use ghee instead of butter. The answer is that I do use my own version of ghee, but I call it butter because my family doesn't want me embarrassing them by blurting out "Pass the ghee," when we have company for dinner.

Way back in the 70s health food advocates knew that margarine, with it's hydrogenated oil, was bad for you, but the medical community was still pushing margarine over butter. I came across a recipe for a buttery spread using butter and safflower oil that was lower in saturated fat than butter, but no chemicals or hydrogenated fat like margarine. I made it for years. Often when the menu was planned for a gathering of family or friends, someone would say, "Have Suzanne bring homemade bread and that butter of hers.

The BTD brought that to a screeching halt. Butter was a Type A avoid; safflower oil was a Type O avoid. The first time I made ghee, I realized it was just the fancy melted butter that they serve with crab or lobster in seafood restaurants. But when I put it in the refrigerator, it turned hard as a rock. This was not a practical butter substitute.

The second time I made ghee, I mixed it with olive oil the way I had in my old recipe. I got comments like, "Why is it a funny color?" "It doesn't taste the same," and "What are those specks in it?" It took several more tries, but I now have a recipe that spreads like margarine, tastes like melted butter, is easy to measure for recipes, and melts quickly on vegetables.

I start with Dr. D'Adamo's instructions for making ghee. You can find them at this link, or put the word ghee in the search engine at the bottom of his column.

http://www.dadamo.com/ask/ask2.pl?20033602.txt

Strain the ghee into a container with a cover. I have a porcelain covered metal bowl with a plastic lid that works great. I'm sure Tupperware or Glad Ware would also work. I strain with a metal strainer. A coffee filter or cheese cloth might even be better. Straining removes the blackened salt and milk solids. If your family isn't squeamish about specks, you could skip the straining.

Stir in ¼ cup light olive oil for every stick of butter you used for the ghee. If you used 1 lb of butter you would use 1 cup of light olive oil. I use 3 sticks of butter, so I use ¾ cup of light olive oil. Light olive oil does not distract from the buttery flavor of the ghee. Extra virgin olive oil, which I use for everything else, has a strong flavor that over powers the butter, plus it gives a slightly green tint.

Refrigerate the buttery spread and use it exactly as you would soft spread margarine.

Today several families went out to eat lunch together to celebrate a victory at a swim meet. The restaurant is known for hamburgers, grilled chicken sandwiches and salads. Though I had never eaten there before, that choice was fine with me. I usually order a hamburger, discard the bun, and see what side order I can substitute for fries. However as I studied the menu there were no other side orders. That meant my lunch would just be a hamburger patty with one slice of tomato and a piece of lettuce.

When it was my turn to order I thought, "It can't hurt to ask." So I said, "You have a grilled chicken salad on the menu. What I would really like is a salad with a hamburger patty. Can you do that?" She thought a minute and said, "How about if I order you a small salad and a side hamburger patty?" That fit into the parameters of her computer ordering system. It was fine with me.

Following the BTD in a restaurant often isn't easy. Some restaurants are more rigid than others. But it can't hurt to ask. You might end up with a delicious lunch.

It makes me think of Jesus' words "You have not because you ask not." I am convinced that God cares about all the decisions I make; the small ones as well as the big ones. I don't wait for a crisis to call on God. I am glad that He is active in the everyday affairs of my life.

I guess people don't like to donate blood on Mondays. Our local blood bank sends a thank you letter to all who donate blood that includes blood type and cholesterol level. But if you donate blood on Monday they send you a complete Cholesterol Lipid Panel. Two or three times a year I donate blood, and I try to do it on Mondays. I have lab reports in the medical file going back to 1995.

I donated blood on June 16, and my cholesterol panel arrived in the mail today.

Drum roll please.

With the exception of one report in 1996, this is the best cholesterol report on file!!

Total cholesterol - 193

Triglycerides - 44

HDL - 82

LDL - 102

Ratio - 2.3

Remember - These numbers are after a year of eating hearty servings of beef or lamb daily. These numbers are after a year of generously putting butter and olive oil on my vegetables. These numbers are after a year of (almost) no wheat.

There could be a subjective element to the fact that my stomach feels better on the Type O Diet or that I have more energy. But a lab report is totally objective. No question the Type O Diet is right for me!

I often write about seasoned salt because I use a lot of it. Today, for instance, my daughter is at a luncheon for honor roll students and both my husband and son are at work. I put lamb, raw spinach, cooked okra, and cooked onions in a bowl. I topped it with olive oil and seasoned salt. With carrot sticks on the side it made a tasty lunch.

Before the Blood Type Diet, I had four standby seasoned salts. After comparing the labels to the "Food Beverage and Supplement Lists" two of them had to go.

I had used Spike for years, but it had multiple avoids for both Type As and Type Os.

A fajita seasoning also had to go. I was inspired by Heidi and decided to make my own. I filled a shaker jar half full of salt. Then I added chili powder, cumin, and cayenne until it tasted good to me. I use it on fish, meat, and salads. It is an avoid for Type A.

Lawry's Seasoned Salt has been a favorite since I was a child. It contains sugar (WHY do they put sugar in seasoned salt?) and the 7th of 11 ingredients is cornstarch. I use it on chicken. It is fine for the As, and I'm hoping the amount of cornstarch that actually winds up in a serving is negligible for Os.

Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, I was relieved to find, is fine for Type O. I try to keep it away from my husband, but he really likes it in spite of the Type A avoids. I put it on fish and salads.

I had never used much curry powder until I read that it was beneficial. When I toss leftover vegetables and meat together for lunch, I often top them with olive oil and a mix of curry powder and salt. My husband will eat unfamiliar grains if they are seasoned with curry.

Jim wrote in a blog how much he liked Herbamare. I needed something to replace Spike, so I looked for Herbamare in the store. The ingredients look great for As, but the #3 ingredient is leek (avoid for Os). Before I had time to get disappointed I noticed another seasoned salt by the same company called Trocomare. Its ingredients are great for Os, but avoids for As. So, I bought both. I had Trocomare on today's lunch. I haven't called attention to the Herbamare, but every time I've used it, the food has received compliments.

This isn't an attempt at an exhaustive list. It's just what's in my cabinet at the moment. I like trying new things, so I'm sure I'll write more on this subject in the future.

Last night we went to a fireworks show. The weather was perfect. We set up lawn chairs on a grassy hill and had a picnic with friends while we waited for the sun to go down. Peanut butter sandwiches on sprouted bread for my husband and daughter. Zucchini and lamb in Tupperware for me. The fire works were wonderful. We ooohed at the new style that looked like a string of Christmas lights and ahhhed at the giant bursts that seemed to fill the sky.

After the finale, my husband suggested we all go out for ice cream. That would work for me. They have several flavors of ices which, while loaded with sugar, don't contain avoids. We arrived at the ice cream parlor moments after they closed for the night. Before disappointment could set in, our friends said, "Let's get ice cream at the store and go to our house." Great idea! Then the discussion began about what flavor. Chocolate was definitely carrying the day. My husband remembered me and said, "What can you eat?" I said to go ahead with chocolate, but to buy a small container of sorbet for me. He wasn't sure what sorbet was, so I said look near the ice cream, it's made with fruit.

The men went to the store; the women and teenagers went to the house. Soon the men were back with a half gallon of chocolate and a half gallon of pineapple ice cream. My husband was beaming. Ice cream was on sale, buy one get one free. And he had found pineapple which he remembered was beneficial.

My daughter and I made eye contact. She knew ice cream was an avoid for us both. Quick decision - do we criticize in front for friends or are we thankful that he tried to buy the right thing? We smile. We have a small bowl of pineapple ice cream. To borrow from 1 Peter, Love covers a multitude of lectins.