March Rememberances

Guess what I'm thinking he said…and she laughed and said you're smiling so loud you have to be up to no good.

Thank you for all of the days you made me feel wanted….

Always on my mind...

Sorbet

6 frozen bananas
1-20 oz can crushed pineapple w/ juice
1/4 small bag frozen strawberries

Variation:
½ small bag frozen raspberries or blueberries

Serves 8

Times are Changing

…a day for Storypeople….

She held her grief behind her eyes like an ocean and when she leaned forward into the day it spilled onto the floor and she wiped at it quickly with her foot and pretended no one had seen.

The days go by with so many little things that don't seem to matter until they're no longer there and suddenly they're are all that really mattered.

No hurt survives for long without our help, she said.  And then she kissed me and sent me out to play again for the rest of my life.

Her whole life changed the day she started to tell the truth about what made her happy. I never knew it could be that simple she said.

Smiles for a Happy Valentine's Day my sweet ones!!  The times…they have changed…..

…and some songs for the day….Landslide…Flight Attendant


Quick Tapioca Pudding

Combine and stir in a double boiler:
3 Tablespoons quick tapioca
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 teaspoon salt
2 cups almond or coconut milk
Cook these ingredients without stirring over rapidly boiling water for 7 mins.  Stir and cook 5 mins longer.  Remove from the steam.  The tapioca thickens as it cools.

Fold in:
½ teaspoon vanilla or 1 teaspoon grated orange or lemon rind
¼ cup or more coconut or toasted almonds; ½ cup or more chopped dates; ½ crushed banana and ½ diced banana
Makes 4 servings

Comfort

Masks are one of the tools of transformation.
It helps us to change what we are into what we want to be.

Words of Comfort...There are days I drop words of comfort on myself like falling rain & remember it is enough to be taken care of by myself.

Song of the day....Tim McGraw-Highway Don't Care

...it feels good to be strong, and independent.....


Grilled Carrots with Carrot Greens Pesto
(makes 4-6 appetizer-sized servings)

1 bunch carrots (as fresh as you can find, and preferably thin)
greens from that bunch of carrots
1 large clove garlic
about 1/2 cup and 1-2 tablespoons good extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
optional, for the pesto: nuts such as pine nuts, walnuts, pecans, almonds, etc.

Snip the carrots from the greens leaving about 1/2-1 inch of the stem on the root. Set carrots aside. Remove any long stems and wilted leaves from the leafy greens. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and boil the greens for about 1 minute. Drain well for at least 5 minutes. Coarsely chop the garlic clove and the greens, and transfer to a food processor as well as salt, pepper, the 1/2 cup of olive oil and optional pesto ingredients. Pulse for a few seconds, stopping to scrape down mixture with a spatula as needed, until well blended. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as desired.

Cut carrots lengthwise so that they’re about equal in size and thickness (you may want to halve skinnier carrots lengthwise, or quarter them). Drizzle with olive oil just to coat and season with salt and pepper. Get a grill hot (note: or substitute heating a cast-iron or heavy-bottomed pan) and place carrots cut side-down. Let cook for 1-2 minutes, or until charred marks form on the underside, and flip. Cook another 2-3 minutes, turning occasionally, until each side is slightly charred and remove from heat. Serve with the pesto.

A Gift for 2014

"My eyes have been opened,"

  he becomes alike to night's sky,

perceives the past

  left below,

fragments flicker and 

  become part of his

     soul.

Therein lies consolation

  retrieved in times disconsolate,

a piece that will

  forever glow

and ignite the spirit,

  as a fire it grows and

will be carried on to

  places untold.

There is no death in 

  this feeling.

From it, more life

  is sure to be sown.

How can one arrive

  if they need yet to have left.

"It has been beautiful here," 

  he sees there are more stars above,

and wonders how what has been done

  shall shine in what is still to come.

….Ben J

…song of the day…Better Days...Eat...Pray...Love…...

…"Do not look backwards unless it is to say, 'How beautiful is the path that I have traversed!'  Do not regret the past.  You are moving forward, traveling life's path to find happiness once again, and this time an enhanced happiness."  The Outcome….The Quiet Mind

Mele Kalikimaka

“The timeless in you is aware of life's timelessness. And knows that yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream.”― Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet (Make each day special so in retrospect you will enjoy it a second time.)  …Across the world…thank you Melanie….

…songs of the day….

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Christmases When You Were Mine


McDougall’s Baked Kale Chips
Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

Wash the kale well and leave some of the water clinging to the leaves. Strip the leaves from the thick stems and cut into uniform sized pieces. (Mine are usually about 2 x 2 inches.) Place on a non-stick baking sheet or on top of parchment paper on a regular baking sheet and sprinkle with seasonings of your choice (do not oil the pan or spray kale with oil).

Bake for about 30 minutes until crispy. Store in a tightly covered container to keep them crispy; they taste best the day that they are made.

Try spraying them with a light coating of Bragg Liquid Aminos or balsamic vinegar before baking, or just a light dusting of sea salt. They are easy to re-crisp if you don’t eat them all right away, just put them back in the oven for a short time.

Happy Birthday Ma Grande!!

Miranda Lambert The House That Built Me

...Happy Birthday my girl!!


Also...some alternative cooking techniques!!

Solar cooker for prepping/cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner.  

If not enough sun, then use a rocket stove for minimal fuel consumption.

"Hay box" technique to slow cook breakfast overnight.

...some good ideas to try out!!

Eskimo Cookies--her childhood favorite!!

¾ cup margarine
¾ cup sugar
1 Tablespoon water
½ teaspoon vanilla
3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2 cup quick oatmeal
Powdered sugar
Put margarine in a large bowl and let stand until soft.   Beat well.  Add sugar and mix well.  Mix in water, vanilla and cocoa.  Mix in oats.  Keep in refrigerator overnight.  Shape into small balls and roll in powdered sugar.  Store in the refrigerator.

11-11-11

The Holiday:  Iris' monologue ...it turns out he wasn't in love with me like I thought...I understand feeling as small and as insignificant as is humanly possible...and how it can actually ache in places you didn't know you had in side of you ...and it doesn't matter how many new haircuts you get or how many gyms you join, or how many glasses of Chardonnay you drink with your girlfriends...you still go to bed every night going over every detail and wonder what you did wrong or how you could have misunderstood...and how in hell for that brief moment you could think you were that happy...and sometimes you can convince yourself that he'll see the light and show up at your door...and after all that...however long all that May be...you'll go somewhere new...and you'll meet people who make you feel worthwhile again ...and little pieces of your soul will finally come back...and all that fuzzy stuff...those years of your life that you wasted ...that will eventually begin to fade...