So it’s been a heck of a year. I lost my young cousin in August and that drags on as his killers are being tried for the crime. My mother just passed away a few weeks ago. We were clobbered by a couple storms. All that being said, I oddly feel a sense of calm and well, resurgence, is the only word I can really think of. I know life is what you make of it and I know now I have to make something of it. I’m going to start taking care of me as well – mind, body, and soul. Today, I started my morning with a 35 minute walk/run on my treadmill and wow, that’s why I’m a little soft around the middle. Funny how just a teeny bit of exercise shows why you’re not the way you want to be there, and there, and oh yeah, there. It is my goal to get at least a 30-something beach-ready body by the time we go on vacation. Oh yeah, vacation, another thing my husband and I decided we needed to do for ourselves this coming year and we booked but because of our luck, Hurricane Sandy took out the town. What luck didn’t account for is resilience. My resilience, my husband’s, and the resilience of strong, determined people. My mother would never have wanted us to be defeated.
Potato, Bacon, and Egg Hash September 29, 2012
I got inspired this morning as I attempted to be as lazy as possible and stay in bed watching TV. Giada had this awesome recipe for Salami, Bacon, and Spinach Hash and because I can never leave well enough alone and I didn’t have some ingredients, of course I modified it. These measurements are a guesstimate as I just added what amount looked right. It was delicious!
- 3 slices thick cut smoked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 medium russet potatoes, unpeeled and cubed
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 /4 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
- 1 cup shredded cabbage
- 3 slices Genoa salami stacked on top of each other and cut into chunks
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 small Roma tomato, diced
- 2 large, organic eggs
- chopped fresh parsley
Directions
- Cook the bacon in a stainless steel skillet over medium heat. Stirring occasionally to brown evenly and crisp. About 5 minutes. Remove bacon to paper towel and reserve.
- In the bacon fat, cook the potatoes sprinkled with salt and pepper. Stir often until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove and add to paper towel.
- Add oil, onion, green pepper, salt, and pepper to pan. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add cabbage, salami, tomato, nutmeg, salt and pepper and cook through about 4 minutes.
- Add the bacon and potatoes back in and stir well. Make 2 openings in the mixture and crack an egg into each opening. Cook until the eggs are set but yolks are still runny. My eggs took about 7 minutes.
- Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve. Yum!
Working my Way Back September 24, 2012
So it’s been quite a while since I posted. Well, I admit, I mentally and emotionally crashed. I am disappointed in myself that I let that happen but knowing I have seen even the strongest people crash now and then, I feel hopeful and ok with letting myself wallow for a little while. Mourning and grief are normal and natural, I have to remember that. Since my cousin was murdered in the beginning of August, my life seemed to nose-dive. Two of my uncles were diagnosed with cancers that are not treatable. My dog needed surgery. I was in a minor car accident. My mother’s myelodysplasia (MDS) was upgraded to acute leukemia and she’s been in and out of the hospital. She also requires a lot of help that of course I am so happy I am able to supply it. Everything just seemed/seems to go wrong lately and I began to learn things that were sad and unpleasant – I learned that I have been wrong for a long time about people I thought I knew so well and I am very disappointed in who they are. I hope they can find some spiritual guidance to help them become who they are capable of being. I am certainly not perfect and now is a time I am taking to also improve.
I was listening to a podcast today about Zen and Buddhist Dharma hosted by Zencast.org entitled “Practice Simplicity.” I found so much comfort in its insight. Gil Fronsdal introduced me (and his audience) to a tremendously important Buddhist instruction to, “Set your mind at ease, and notice what takes away from that.” It’s one of the hardest things to do – to set your mind at ease. But it is easier to see what takes away from ease – these people who are purposefully hurting others and are not who I thought they were. The only problem with this instruction is that’s the end of it. So… what do we do about what takes away from our ease? There’s nothing more, no more instruction. Fronsdal also noted that issue but said this instruction in itself is difficult, so to start – just “notice.” Notice the moment, don’t react to it, don’t let your mind do anything about it, just notice. So as I listened to this program as I drove, I practiced and noticed something that made me really, truly smile and appreciate the beauty of everything – the leaves are changing colors. Even walking to my car this morning I pulled a couple leaves stuck on the back of my car and STILL didn’t notice the leaves were changing. So from today on out I will track one beautiful thing each day as I do nothing else but “notice.” Today: the leaves are changing.
Being Thankful August 19, 2012
I haven’t posted in a little while. Usually when I think about posting I’m thinking of something I’m attempting in the kitchen, how my garden is doing, or some book I’m reading that I’m really into. This past week felt like a month though. My family had terrible news that we lost a young family member and even worse, to violence. Violence doesn’t happen in our family, illness and accidents do, but violence? No. So it’s been a tough week with circumstances ridiculously difficult to fathom. But I’ve learned a lot, I realize I take so much for granted, forgetting that for some, tomorrow just might not come. It sounds sad, it is sad, but then there’s the other side of it. My cousin is in heaven and doesn’t need to worry about all the silly stuff we worry about here. He’s taught me a lot this week. First, that even in death you can give life: my cousin’s organs immediately went to several people waiting for more time with their family. He also taught me that sometimes we are so caught up in worry about silly things that we forget to be thankful for what we do have. I woke up this morning for the first time in a week feeling ok, even a little happy because we learned justice will be served. But, most of all, I took a few minutes to enjoy things I sometimes let pass me by as mundane: how the room was just a tad chilly but under the covers was perfect. I relished the warm, precious dog who curled up next to me and looked at me like I am the best person in the world. I took in every moment of comfort and happiness I feel having my loving, doting, protective husband sleeping by my side. So I guess today’s post is a public service announcement of sorts: don’t sweat the small things that really don’t matter and remember to enjoy the small stuff that means everything.
Wine Cork Plant Markers July 31, 2012
I love Pinterest. Of course, I am sure there are plenty of misleading things on there, just like blogs too. But I found this little crafty idea and I did it and am so happy with the results. What a cool idea! I took used wine corks (of which I have many), drilled a hole in the bottom, inserted cheap-o wine stirrers, and wrote the crop name in a Sharpie. Seriously easy and much sturdier than regular plan markers, not to mention economical and environmentally-friendly.
Greek Style Pasta July 22, 2012
Sometimes I want something really simple but not run of the mill. This recipe hits both the important “quick” and “easy” features I am looking for. Definitely season to taste on this one or it can be overpowering!
Greek Style Pasta
Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef or lamb (I don’t eat baby animals so I use beef)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp. cubed zucchini
2-3 Tbsp. sliced carrot
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes (14-1/2 ounces), undrained
1 can (5-1/2 ounces) V8 or tomato juice
1/2 tsp. instant beef bouillon granules (or 1/2 bouillon cube)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 cup dry shell macaroni
1 cup frozen green beans
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Directions
1. In a 12″ non-stick skillet, cook and break up ground beef and onion. When almost browned, add zucchini, carrot, and garlic. Cook until meat is browned. Drain fat.
2. Stir in undrained diced tomatoes, V8, bouillon granules, cinnamon, and garlic powder.
3. Bring to boiling. Add shell pasta and green beans and stir well. Return to boiling, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 7 minutes. Add water, return to boiling, reduce heat, cover, and simmer another 7 minutes or until pasta and green beans are tender and cooked through. Serve topped with feta. (Not sure what happened with this part of the directions earlier, sorry!)
What Vacation Teaches Us July 15, 2012
So I took a week-long vacation last week, a vacation my husband and I have been planning for about 8 months. This vacation has been my light at the end of the tunnel and of course, I am suffering the grief and loss that I usually encounter when vacations are over. I hadn’t realized just how much I really needed this one. A week at the beach was so necessary that I wonder if I hadn’t gone, how crazy would I be right now? I took time for myself and time for my husband and I to be a couple as well as friends instead of the strange, robotic routine animatrons we tend to become at home over time. I also learned something – when left to our devices, without the stress of expectations, we can all get a really good look at who we really are. I realized something, I realized I am very little like that person I “become” in the daily work week. I am much more fun, happy, kind, and active. I like “vacation me” better. I’m also pretty sure other people like “vacation me” better too. I somehow have to try to let “vacation me” become “daily me” and I think I would be happier and healthier. I say it after every vacation though but this one is different (do I say that after every vacation too?) Regardless, vacations happen for a reason and instead of banking vacation time for the money or impression it might make on our superiors, take it. Take vacation, learn who you are, grieve when it’s over, and come home to the routine with a new set of eyes.
Slow Down and Unplug June 25, 2012
I woke up this morning and immediately grabbed my phone and checked the weather. I came downstairs and turned on the laptop. I checked my phone for messages while I made my coffee. I got my coffee and sat down at the computer and checked my email. Now I sit here typing this. Do you even remember what we did before all this technology became requirements for us to function normally in our daily lives? Sometimes I strain to remember. I think I got my coffee and talked to somebody, maybe after that I walked my dog. One thing I do remember is being able to separate work, school, and my personal life. I think we all have become too aware of ourselves and what needs to be done that we forget to just live. Everyone needs time to unplug. We are so busy “checking in” we forget to look around and see what the world is trying to show us. Beautiful paths carved into the woods, natural phenomenon like the boulder field created from an ancient glacier, and finally realizing humans are just as much a part of nature as any other creature – we just need to do it right.
Egg Salad with Attitude June 24, 2012
Egg salad = hard-boiled eggs, mayo, and celery or onion right? No way. Egg salad can have some major attitude if you let it!
Ingredients
1/4 cup diced carrot
1/4 cup diced radish
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp. chopped chives
1/2 tsp. chopped cilantro
1/4 tsp. chopped parsley
1/4 tsp. chopped celery leaf
1 Tbsp. chopped watercress
1/4 tsp. olive oil
salt & pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
Directions
1. In a small bowl, mix all ingredients up to salt & pepper. Let sit for 15 minutes.
2. Add mayonnaise and mix well. Add eggs and fold into mixture. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
Marinated Collard Greens June 23, 2012
My collard green addiction has not waned. I still try to find new ways to prepare them. I happened upon a truly interesting recipe that has become a staple for me. This recipe uses collard greens but is great with other similar greens as well like radish greens, kale, and swiss chard.
Ingredients
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup diced radishes
1/4 cup chopped onions or leeks (white part only)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 tsp. sea salt, divided in half
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 bunch collard greens, washed
1/8 cup olive oil
Directions
1. In a small bowl, combine vinegar, tomatoes, radishes, onions, garlic, red pepper, 1 tsp. sea salt, and pepper. Set aside.
2. Take several collard green leaves, roll up like a cigar, and cut into thin strips. Continue until all greens are sliced. Place in a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and 1 tsp. sea salt. With hand, massage into collard greens.
3. Add marinade and mix with hands until all are well coated. Let marinate for at least 4 hours in the fridge.
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