A few months ago, I was going through a box of old books and came across Life’s Little Instruction Book by H. Jackson Brown. The author wrote the book as a gift for his son who was heading off to college. With two children in university and another heading that way in few years, I was intrigued. I sat on the floor of the basement and starting reading, and then tucked the book into the bin of stuff going up to the chalet for the Christmas holidays.

Over the holidays, I pulled out the book to stimulate dinner conversation and our family took turns reading five instructions at a time. While some of the instructions were out of date, such as: “Own a great stereo system”, and “Learn how to operate a Macintosh computer”, most of the instructions were relevant and great food for thought.

There are 511 instructions in Life’s Little Instruction Book. Here are a few that ring true with me.

#42 Write “thank you” notes promptly. (Prompting me to encourage the kids to write emails to thank relatives for Christmas gifts)

#2 Have a dog. (Done, we have 2)

#23 Floss your teeth. (Memories of my Mom)

#164 Be punctual and insist on it in others. (My Dad)

#188 Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.

#463 Be open to new ideas.

#470 Don’t interrupt.

#300 Don’t expect life to be fair.

#511 Call your mother.

Once we finished the book, I asked the family to take some time and each write five of their own instructions. I shuffled the collection and read them on New Year’s Eve.

Here is the Hill family’s version of Life’s Little Instruction Book:

1. Take family ski trips.
2. Work hard; play hard.
3. Own a dog and go for a long walk every day.
4. Keep a hard copy agenda.
5. Don’t give up after the first failed attempt.
6. Strive to communicate in the fewest number of words.
7. Try hard at everything you do.
8. Be willing to admit defeat; nobody likes a sore loser.
9. Have your own variation of religion.
10. Read the rulebook and follow the rules.
11. Teach something to yourself.
12. Practice what you preach.
13. Being genuine is better than being fake.
14. Trying and failing is much better than never trying.
15. Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Confront fears.
16. Keep your friends close.
17. Take the road less travelled.
18. Spend quality time with your family. Friends will come and go, yet your family will always be there for you.
19. Ask for others’ opinions and don’t be afraid to give your opinion.
20. Take the high road. Learn to forgive and move on.
21. Learn to cook. You will eat healthier and save money.
22. Aim for goals greater than you think you can achieve.
23. You only live once. Make the most of every moment.
24. Don’t waste too many hours each day in front of a screen.
25. Watch good movies.

26. AND one final instruction for this blog… share your favourite recipes with friends and family. Thanks to my friend Dianne, who shared this recipe with me. It is delicious!!

Beef Teriyaki
Adapted from ricardocuisine.com

It is usually recommended to brown meat in a skillet before putting it in a slow cooker, to enhance the flavours. Not with this recipe, though. The sauce is particularly concentrated, so the meat ends up being incredibly flavourful.

3 T brown sugar
2 T cornstarch
½ c chicken broth
2 lb. flank steak, cut against the grain in ¼-inch thick strips
½ c ketchup
¼ c soy sauce
¼ white wine
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 t finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
½ t sesame oil
1 t garlic chili sauce
2 carrots, peeled and sliced into sticks
toasted sesame seeds
salt and pepper

In the slow cooker, combine the brown sugar, cornstarch and broth. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the sesame seeds. Season with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

Serve over jasmine rice or rice vermicelli. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds.