Interesting reading in my devotional book on Monday. . . . .JESUS CALLING. . . .
"You will not find My Peace by engaging in EXCESSIVE planning, attempting to control what will happen to you in the future. When your mind spins with multiple plans, peace may sometimes seem to be within your grasp, yet it always eludes you. Just when you think you have prepared for all possibilities, something unexpected pops up and throws things into confusion.
I did not design the human mind to figure out the future. That is beyond your capability. I crafted your mind for continual communication with Me. Bring Me all your needs, your hopes and fears. Commit everything into My care. Turn from the path of planning to the path of Peace." (taken from 1 Peter 5:6-7, Proverbs 16:9, and Psalm 37:5)
You would think that I would have learned this by now. But yet, even when I read this, if I'm honest with myself, my first thoughts are. . . "No! I need to plan, I NEED to be prepared!"
As with anything, I suppose much of it has to do with BALANCE. . . . the priority I place on my planning, and the intensity with which I respond when things don't go according to MY plan, and yes, the focus of my heart. Learning this will be a life-long process.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Fun Food
"Starve a cold and feed a fever". . . .or "Feed a cold and starve a fever". . . . . I can never remember which one it is. Yesterday I had both, so I traded off just in case. I got slammed with a cold on Thursday, took extra vitamin C, used my essential oils, took some natural logenzes from my wonderful school secretary, and even went and bought some cold medicine. . . . sure I would kick it before it got the best of me. Yesterday morning I woke up feeling like my head was going to explode, so I opted to stay home and refrain from exposing my colleagues and kids to both my germs and my bad mood.
As I alternated between being hot and cold, hungry and sick to my stomach, I rummaged through the cupboards and the fridge looking for something to "feed my cold. . . or my fever" whichever it was supposed to be. I haven't been grocery shopping for awhile, so pretty much just had random food items left. (which are sometimes the most fun) It reminded me a little of when we would search for something that would sound good to Sara when the chemo was getting the best of her, but she still needed to eat. Even as I am writing this I think. . . no one probably cares or wants to read about this. . . . but this is something that I wish I could tell Sara because she would laugh with me. . . so I write it here.
Anyway, when I was cold, and looking for something to warm me up, I came up with this nice little treat. . . Heat 3 corn tortillas in the microwave. Lightly spread butter and sprinkle sugar and cinnamon between the layers. Roll and eat. . . . They were delicious! (I guess 1 or 2 would work just as well, and be a few less calories)
Then, later, when I was hot, and thought I should eat something a little more healthy and substantial, I concocted this bit of deliciousness. . . .Mix 1 packet of white tuna, finely chopped veggies (romaine lettuce, carrots, celery, spinach, cilantro - whatever you have, but I think the cilantro is a MUST), and enough Bacon Ranch dressing to make it smooth. Use as a dip with Cracked Black Pepper and Sea Salt Mini Rice Cakes. . . . .This was not only delicious, but also looked pretty fancy. I believe this might be worthy of pintrest. . . if I only knew how to use pintrest. :) Of course, as with any recipe, the beauty of it is that you can substitute any of the ingredients with something you like better. (in MY opinion, the bacon ranch dressing and cilantro should remain as the basics in this one)
I also read alot yesterday. Ecclesiastes is another one of my favorite books in the Bible. (No, I did not read my Bible all day - that would definitely be giving a false impression) I often go there when I'm feeling like "What is the point anyway?" Solomon seems to have similar circular thoughts as he writes about his quest for meaning, purpose, and satisfaction in this life. But even though he repeatedly presents the "vanity" or futility of life here on this earth, he always (divinely inspired) comes back around to the conclusion that eternity is NOT here on earth, that God holds all things in His hands, and that we bow to Him as our Savior and Lord. This may sound crazy, but I like reading in Ecclesiastes, knowing that God used Solomon even as he struggled with understanding what this life is all about. . . just like we do.
184. The time when you are still sick enough to use it as an excuse NOT to do some things, but not sick enough that you can't get up and do what you really want to do
185. Random foods
186. Those moments when you get glimpses of God's direction, and the way He is working in your life
187. Our incredible kids and their incredible families - pets and all!
188. Free pizza from Pizza Barn (and not knowing it's free till you get there)
189. When weekends are slow enough that you can get caught up from your week
200. The fact that the gifts of God are constant, even though it often takes awhile for us to acknowlege them
As I alternated between being hot and cold, hungry and sick to my stomach, I rummaged through the cupboards and the fridge looking for something to "feed my cold. . . or my fever" whichever it was supposed to be. I haven't been grocery shopping for awhile, so pretty much just had random food items left. (which are sometimes the most fun) It reminded me a little of when we would search for something that would sound good to Sara when the chemo was getting the best of her, but she still needed to eat. Even as I am writing this I think. . . no one probably cares or wants to read about this. . . . but this is something that I wish I could tell Sara because she would laugh with me. . . so I write it here.
Anyway, when I was cold, and looking for something to warm me up, I came up with this nice little treat. . . Heat 3 corn tortillas in the microwave. Lightly spread butter and sprinkle sugar and cinnamon between the layers. Roll and eat. . . . They were delicious! (I guess 1 or 2 would work just as well, and be a few less calories)
Then, later, when I was hot, and thought I should eat something a little more healthy and substantial, I concocted this bit of deliciousness. . . .Mix 1 packet of white tuna, finely chopped veggies (romaine lettuce, carrots, celery, spinach, cilantro - whatever you have, but I think the cilantro is a MUST), and enough Bacon Ranch dressing to make it smooth. Use as a dip with Cracked Black Pepper and Sea Salt Mini Rice Cakes. . . . .This was not only delicious, but also looked pretty fancy. I believe this might be worthy of pintrest. . . if I only knew how to use pintrest. :) Of course, as with any recipe, the beauty of it is that you can substitute any of the ingredients with something you like better. (in MY opinion, the bacon ranch dressing and cilantro should remain as the basics in this one)
I also read alot yesterday. Ecclesiastes is another one of my favorite books in the Bible. (No, I did not read my Bible all day - that would definitely be giving a false impression) I often go there when I'm feeling like "What is the point anyway?" Solomon seems to have similar circular thoughts as he writes about his quest for meaning, purpose, and satisfaction in this life. But even though he repeatedly presents the "vanity" or futility of life here on this earth, he always (divinely inspired) comes back around to the conclusion that eternity is NOT here on earth, that God holds all things in His hands, and that we bow to Him as our Savior and Lord. This may sound crazy, but I like reading in Ecclesiastes, knowing that God used Solomon even as he struggled with understanding what this life is all about. . . just like we do.
184. The time when you are still sick enough to use it as an excuse NOT to do some things, but not sick enough that you can't get up and do what you really want to do
185. Random foods
186. Those moments when you get glimpses of God's direction, and the way He is working in your life
187. Our incredible kids and their incredible families - pets and all!
188. Free pizza from Pizza Barn (and not knowing it's free till you get there)
189. When weekends are slow enough that you can get caught up from your week
200. The fact that the gifts of God are constant, even though it often takes awhile for us to acknowlege them
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Childhood Cancer Awareness - Wear Yellow Day
178. Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
179. The color yellow
180. Good friends
181. My mom - her example, her love, her faith
182. Compression socks - MIRACLE socks
183. Days that are better than your expectations
I left for work this morning, got about half-way to school, and realized that I had forgotten to put on my watch and my earrings. Now, that might not seem like a big deal to many people. . . . but I must confess that on other mornings when I have done this, I have promptly made a U-turn to go back home and finish getting dressed. I comtemplated that this morning. . . . but since I was already running late. . . . I battled the urge to give in to my borderline OCD. . . . and kept on driving to work. I kept telling myself. . . "It doesn't really matter. There are clocks in every classroom, and no one is going to care if I have on earrings or not. No one will probably even notice!" (I did, however, check to make sure my sweater was on right-side out and right-side up before I went in to the building) Aside from looking at my wrist about 20 times, and continually rubbing my naked earlobes. . . . . being watchless and earringless really did not have any negative effect on my day. In fact, I probably had a better day today than I did yesterday. My girls and I often say to each other. . "It's all about expectations".
The good thing about today was that I DID wear my new compression socks (or as seen on TV - MIRACLE socks). And I think I would have to say that they ARE pretty miraculous. My legs are always sore and achy when I get home from work, but tonight. . . . they actually feel pretty good. If only they made Miracle BODY suits!!
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. I got an email through our school district today, saying that tomorrow, September 13th is "Wear Yellow Day" in honor of those that are fighting, or have lost the battle of childhood cancer. It was sent by a teacher in our district, a mom who lost her young daughter to cancer last spring. It made me cry. . . . but I will wear yellow tomorrow, and I hope many others will as well.
My mom is having to use a wheelchair now to get around in her house. She has a severe muscle strain in her back and it is too painful for her to walk. And yet. . . while I am kind of in a place where I just keep bracing myself for the next heartache that is going to happen. . . my mom looks at everything and says, "I need to find what God wants to teach me through this. I know He has a plan and His timing is perfect. She is always thankful." I am so thankful for our friend Cammy, and other friends there in California who are able to be there to help my mom. I hate it that I am so far away. We'd appreciate prayers for my mom, and for us as we work out details.
179. The color yellow
180. Good friends
181. My mom - her example, her love, her faith
182. Compression socks - MIRACLE socks
183. Days that are better than your expectations
I left for work this morning, got about half-way to school, and realized that I had forgotten to put on my watch and my earrings. Now, that might not seem like a big deal to many people. . . . but I must confess that on other mornings when I have done this, I have promptly made a U-turn to go back home and finish getting dressed. I comtemplated that this morning. . . . but since I was already running late. . . . I battled the urge to give in to my borderline OCD. . . . and kept on driving to work. I kept telling myself. . . "It doesn't really matter. There are clocks in every classroom, and no one is going to care if I have on earrings or not. No one will probably even notice!" (I did, however, check to make sure my sweater was on right-side out and right-side up before I went in to the building) Aside from looking at my wrist about 20 times, and continually rubbing my naked earlobes. . . . . being watchless and earringless really did not have any negative effect on my day. In fact, I probably had a better day today than I did yesterday. My girls and I often say to each other. . "It's all about expectations".
The good thing about today was that I DID wear my new compression socks (or as seen on TV - MIRACLE socks). And I think I would have to say that they ARE pretty miraculous. My legs are always sore and achy when I get home from work, but tonight. . . . they actually feel pretty good. If only they made Miracle BODY suits!!
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. I got an email through our school district today, saying that tomorrow, September 13th is "Wear Yellow Day" in honor of those that are fighting, or have lost the battle of childhood cancer. It was sent by a teacher in our district, a mom who lost her young daughter to cancer last spring. It made me cry. . . . but I will wear yellow tomorrow, and I hope many others will as well.
My mom is having to use a wheelchair now to get around in her house. She has a severe muscle strain in her back and it is too painful for her to walk. And yet. . . while I am kind of in a place where I just keep bracing myself for the next heartache that is going to happen. . . my mom looks at everything and says, "I need to find what God wants to teach me through this. I know He has a plan and His timing is perfect. She is always thankful." I am so thankful for our friend Cammy, and other friends there in California who are able to be there to help my mom. I hate it that I am so far away. We'd appreciate prayers for my mom, and for us as we work out details.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Daisies
So many things we take for granted, and all are God's gracious gifts. . . . family, health, the beauty of nature. . . . .
174. My mom and my mom-in-law. . . gracious, beautiful, precious ladies
175. Green plants and colorful flowers
176. Sprinkler systems. . . even though they always need to be fixed
177. WATER and SUNSHINE
Friday, September 7, 2012
The only thing that seems to get easier is hiding how I truly feel. A year after Sara's death I still miss her just as much. . . my heart aches just as much. . . .there's something in me that still has a hard time believing she's never coming back. . . .and life just doesn't seem right. The daily battle is spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical. It is hard work to keep focused and to keep moving forward, for everyone. I feel like one little slip sends me sliding down the mountain I'm climbing, and into the pit of despair. I have much to be thankful for. . . . much to be thankful for. . . much to be thankful for. . . much to be thankful for. . .
I HATE to write "downer" posts, but I think that perhaps it is sometimes necessary to acknowledge the "pits" in order to be able to drag myself out again. It's been a long week.
I HATE to write "downer" posts, but I think that perhaps it is sometimes necessary to acknowledge the "pits" in order to be able to drag myself out again. It's been a long week.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Home-cookin'
Three day weekends are wonderful things. I think Labor Day is an especially helpful holiday for students and those of us working a school schedule, as it makes it a little easier to ease into the Fall routine. I have no idea what happened to me this weekend . . . . but I spent more than a little time cooking. Anyone who knows me well. . . and especially my family. . . knows that I have a relatively small repertoire when it comes to the kitchen. I remember my dad once asked me what I would have in my "dream kitchen". It only took me a minute before answering. . ."NOTHING!"
It must have started with the pumpkin pancakes on Saturday. Since I had a LARGE can of pumpkin, I still had quite a bit left after the pancakes. . . so on Sunday afternoon it was time for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. That still didn't exhaust the supply of pumpkin. . . .so today, the inspiration was pumpkin applesauce chocolate chip muffins. Woody doesn't know what hit him! We also had a friend stop by with tomatoes, chili peppers, and some other goodies from his garden. I am not a huge fan of tomatoes, but these were truly calling for salsa. . . . so I made a "Noreen" version of chunky salsa. . . which is heavy on the "chunky" and light on the tomatoes. I was so amazed by my efforts that I did a "Heidi" thing. . . I pulled out my camera to take some pictures. I am no photographer, but these do look almost good enough to eat!
171. Fresh garden produce - God's bounty
172. Chocolate chips - in almost everything
173. An extra day
It must have started with the pumpkin pancakes on Saturday. Since I had a LARGE can of pumpkin, I still had quite a bit left after the pancakes. . . so on Sunday afternoon it was time for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. That still didn't exhaust the supply of pumpkin. . . .so today, the inspiration was pumpkin applesauce chocolate chip muffins. Woody doesn't know what hit him! We also had a friend stop by with tomatoes, chili peppers, and some other goodies from his garden. I am not a huge fan of tomatoes, but these were truly calling for salsa. . . . so I made a "Noreen" version of chunky salsa. . . which is heavy on the "chunky" and light on the tomatoes. I was so amazed by my efforts that I did a "Heidi" thing. . . I pulled out my camera to take some pictures. I am no photographer, but these do look almost good enough to eat!
171. Fresh garden produce - God's bounty
172. Chocolate chips - in almost everything
173. An extra day
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Delicious!
I decided I needed to write about the results of my pumpkin pancake adventure. LOOK OUT ORIGINAL PANCAKE HOUSE!! I have also decided that in November I am going to stock up on about a dozen cans of pumpkin, so that I can make these delicious treats at least once a month . . . all year long. Actually, a large can of pumpkin will probably make 3 or maybe even 4 batches for Woody and I. We could eat them once a week!! They met every expectation I had since first thinking about them this morning. Here is my amended recipe (outline):
About 1 1/4 cups of flour
About 1/4 cup brown sugar (increased from 2 Tblsp in original recipe)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cloves (no measuring, just shake it in - heavy on the cinnamon)
1 cup of milk
About 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree (maybe more)
A big dollop of applesauce (instead of the 2 Tblsp of oil in the recipe)
1 egg
A large pat of butter (because it was the end of a stick and I needed to wash the butter dish)
This made about a dozen good sized pancakes that looked, smelled, and tasted delicious.
I could go on "Pancake Wars"! (If there was such a thing) Next time I just might add chocolate chips! The only thing missing was The Original Pancake House's REAL homemade whipped cream. I didn't have the courage to attempt that.
(Oh - along with the pancakes, I also made scrambled eggs with spinach, cheese, sweet red pepper, and cilantro - also delicious) Who ever knew I could blog about cooking????
This also sparked another "Sara memory". The last time I remember making pancakes (for breakfast that time - not pumpkin, but chocolate chip), was on a snowy January morning in 2010. Sara was due to go back to San Francisco for chemo, but I-80 was closed because of a snow storm. As it happened, the snow extended all the way to Fallon, so schools here were also closed. We couldn't get to San Francisco, and I didn't have to go to work either! We celebrated by making chocolate chip pancakes - although those were from Bisquick.
Tonight, besides the pancakes, we had a lovely evening with an old high school friend of Sara's, who brought his girlfriend back to town and came over for a visit. We are so thankful for so many of Sara's friends who still think of us. Precious gifts! Tonight, the girlfriend came back to the door after they had left, to thank us for the difference Sara made in her young man's life, and she never even knew Sara. It meant so much.
166. Sara's friends
167. Red gerber daisies and encouraging notes
168. September
169. Pancakes for dinner
170. Sleeping deeply enough to dream
About 1 1/4 cups of flour
About 1/4 cup brown sugar (increased from 2 Tblsp in original recipe)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cloves (no measuring, just shake it in - heavy on the cinnamon)
1 cup of milk
About 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree (maybe more)
A big dollop of applesauce (instead of the 2 Tblsp of oil in the recipe)
1 egg
A large pat of butter (because it was the end of a stick and I needed to wash the butter dish)
This made about a dozen good sized pancakes that looked, smelled, and tasted delicious.
I could go on "Pancake Wars"! (If there was such a thing) Next time I just might add chocolate chips! The only thing missing was The Original Pancake House's REAL homemade whipped cream. I didn't have the courage to attempt that.
(Oh - along with the pancakes, I also made scrambled eggs with spinach, cheese, sweet red pepper, and cilantro - also delicious) Who ever knew I could blog about cooking????
This also sparked another "Sara memory". The last time I remember making pancakes (for breakfast that time - not pumpkin, but chocolate chip), was on a snowy January morning in 2010. Sara was due to go back to San Francisco for chemo, but I-80 was closed because of a snow storm. As it happened, the snow extended all the way to Fallon, so schools here were also closed. We couldn't get to San Francisco, and I didn't have to go to work either! We celebrated by making chocolate chip pancakes - although those were from Bisquick.
Tonight, besides the pancakes, we had a lovely evening with an old high school friend of Sara's, who brought his girlfriend back to town and came over for a visit. We are so thankful for so many of Sara's friends who still think of us. Precious gifts! Tonight, the girlfriend came back to the door after they had left, to thank us for the difference Sara made in her young man's life, and she never even knew Sara. It meant so much.
166. Sara's friends
167. Red gerber daisies and encouraging notes
168. September
169. Pancakes for dinner
170. Sleeping deeply enough to dream
Recipes as Outlines
I woke up this morning and the air coming in the window was definitely COOL! For the first time that I can ever remember, I decided before 8:00 in the morning what I am going to make for dinner. Are you ready. . . . . PUMPKIN PANCAKES. I checked, and yes, I do have a can of pumpkin in the pantry. I checked, and yes, there is a recipe on recipes.com that lists ingredients that I already have. And. . . no, I have never made pancakes from scratch, only with Bisquick. So, this may be my adventure for the day. I suppose it is kind of fitting, since this is September 1st and on the menu at The Original Pancake House up in Salem, Oregon, pumpkin pancakes are served only September through February. You also may be wondering . . . . why not make pumpkin pancakes for breakfast, why wait till dinner? Well, I did consider breakfast. . . . but I'm not much of a morning cook, and Woody is at a soccer tournament at the high school. . . . so, I am waiting till dinner. Woody doesn't even know what he's in for!
Speaking of recipes. . . . I found another treasure this week. (this may seem like a rabbit trail, but bear with me) I usually have a stack of books waiting to be read, or sometimes several stacks. I have to admit that lately I have been picking up my kindle more and more (yes, I love it), even though I continue to collect stacks of books that are on my "want to read" list. Well earlier this week, I thought my kindle died. I just found out through talking to Sam, that it actually just turned itself off. All this time that I thought I was turning it off, I was just letting it sleep. (I did occasionally wonder why there was still a picture on the screen when I thought I was turning it off) To finish the kindle "rabbit trail", Sam was able to help me turn it back on this morning. He also promised me he wouldn't tell anyone of my total lack of techno "know how". I'll let him off the hook by just putting it out there now. I kept looking everywhere for my kindle guide, because I knew I had read directions and all that stuff. After Sam helped me get it turned back on I realized everything I had read was actually on my kindle. So I ask. . . What help is that when you can't turn the darned thing on?????
Note to self. . . . just call Sam.
Anyway. . . . one of the books I picked up when my kindle was "dead", or actually just "off", was one that my dear friend Leslie had sent to me. It is by Katie Couric, entitled "The Best Advice I Ever Got" (Lessons from Extraordinary Lives). I love it too, especially because it is short little chapters from different people. . . very interesting . . . and yes, often inspiring! One of my favorites so far is the chapter from Mario Batali, a celebrity chef and restaurateur. His chapter is entitled, Life is Not a Recipe. (so you see, we have finally come back around to recipes!) Here are some quotes from his chapter that I love. . . "The more fake and commercialized the world gets, the more people respond to things that have a real core of truth. Whatever you choose to do with your life, whether it's running a company or cooking dinner, stand for something you know is true. If there's a recipe for success, it's staying real and true. . . . Which reminds me, life is not a recipe. Recipes are just descriptions of one person's take on one moment in time. They are not rules, they are just suggestions that got written down."
I think one reason I like that so much is that I am one who prefers to cook without adhering exactly to a recipe. For instance, I am already thinking about how I am going to adjust the pumpkin pancake recipe I found. . . to put in more of the ingredients I like (for instance, chocolate chips), and less of those I don't like (the recipe calls for vinegar???). That may sound scary to some of you. . . . and well. . . . it might turn out scary too. . . .but I don't care. . . . Woody will still love me. (and we can always order a pizza) Sara and I loved to watch cooking shows while she was in the hospital, or at home having to lay in her chair. While she was on chemo she used to say that even if she couldn't eat, at least she could enjoy thinking about some of that deliciousness. It dawned on me that one reason I liked those shows (because I really don't like to cook all that much), was that you never saw any of those people following a recipe. They just took ingredients and made something up! (I am speaking specifically of Chopped and Cupcake Wars, our favorites)
Now. . . I DO believe in recipes. I know you (or at least I) have to have an outline, and there are certain things that have to be maintained. . . like cooking time and temperature, and some basic ingredients. But beyond that. . . is the adventure. My adventure for tonight. . . pumpkin pancakes from scratch. I may or may not blog about how they turn out.
160. Sam's technological genius, and the fact that he doesn't make fun of his mother
161. Recipes as outlines
162. Saturday mornings
163. Productive work weeks
164. Simple pleasures
165. Three day weekends!
Speaking of recipes. . . . I found another treasure this week. (this may seem like a rabbit trail, but bear with me) I usually have a stack of books waiting to be read, or sometimes several stacks. I have to admit that lately I have been picking up my kindle more and more (yes, I love it), even though I continue to collect stacks of books that are on my "want to read" list. Well earlier this week, I thought my kindle died. I just found out through talking to Sam, that it actually just turned itself off. All this time that I thought I was turning it off, I was just letting it sleep. (I did occasionally wonder why there was still a picture on the screen when I thought I was turning it off) To finish the kindle "rabbit trail", Sam was able to help me turn it back on this morning. He also promised me he wouldn't tell anyone of my total lack of techno "know how". I'll let him off the hook by just putting it out there now. I kept looking everywhere for my kindle guide, because I knew I had read directions and all that stuff. After Sam helped me get it turned back on I realized everything I had read was actually on my kindle. So I ask. . . What help is that when you can't turn the darned thing on?????
Note to self. . . . just call Sam.
Anyway. . . . one of the books I picked up when my kindle was "dead", or actually just "off", was one that my dear friend Leslie had sent to me. It is by Katie Couric, entitled "The Best Advice I Ever Got" (Lessons from Extraordinary Lives). I love it too, especially because it is short little chapters from different people. . . very interesting . . . and yes, often inspiring! One of my favorites so far is the chapter from Mario Batali, a celebrity chef and restaurateur. His chapter is entitled, Life is Not a Recipe. (so you see, we have finally come back around to recipes!) Here are some quotes from his chapter that I love. . . "The more fake and commercialized the world gets, the more people respond to things that have a real core of truth. Whatever you choose to do with your life, whether it's running a company or cooking dinner, stand for something you know is true. If there's a recipe for success, it's staying real and true. . . . Which reminds me, life is not a recipe. Recipes are just descriptions of one person's take on one moment in time. They are not rules, they are just suggestions that got written down."
I think one reason I like that so much is that I am one who prefers to cook without adhering exactly to a recipe. For instance, I am already thinking about how I am going to adjust the pumpkin pancake recipe I found. . . to put in more of the ingredients I like (for instance, chocolate chips), and less of those I don't like (the recipe calls for vinegar???). That may sound scary to some of you. . . . and well. . . . it might turn out scary too. . . .but I don't care. . . . Woody will still love me. (and we can always order a pizza) Sara and I loved to watch cooking shows while she was in the hospital, or at home having to lay in her chair. While she was on chemo she used to say that even if she couldn't eat, at least she could enjoy thinking about some of that deliciousness. It dawned on me that one reason I liked those shows (because I really don't like to cook all that much), was that you never saw any of those people following a recipe. They just took ingredients and made something up! (I am speaking specifically of Chopped and Cupcake Wars, our favorites)
Now. . . I DO believe in recipes. I know you (or at least I) have to have an outline, and there are certain things that have to be maintained. . . like cooking time and temperature, and some basic ingredients. But beyond that. . . is the adventure. My adventure for tonight. . . pumpkin pancakes from scratch. I may or may not blog about how they turn out.
160. Sam's technological genius, and the fact that he doesn't make fun of his mother
161. Recipes as outlines
162. Saturday mornings
163. Productive work weeks
164. Simple pleasures
165. Three day weekends!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)