Replacing potato salad

I grew up with my mother's potato salad and I enjoyed it. It was a typical blend of cooked potato chunks, chopped celery, hard boiled eggs and diced onion with a mayo/mustard dressing. Paprika sprinkled on top.  We had it on summer picnics with chicken.

Once I went off sugars and most starches in 2002 I simply replaced the potatoes with steamed, cauliflower chunks and never looked back.

But this week a friend asked me for my salad recipe at our 4th of July cook out and I realized that I make my salad different every single time I do it.  In fact this year's was quite different since all of my celery was bad and I didn't add eggs because there would be yummy deviled eggs on the same table.  I also let the ingredients I had in the garden lead me.

So here for my writing partner is how I remember making my  

2013 Cauliflower Salad.

Combine in a large bowl --
Steam a large cauliflower, cool and chop. Chill in fridge.
3 mild white radishes, chopped.
3 green onions, chopped small.
large handful of garlic chives minced.
large handful of tarragon de-stemmed.
salt and pepper to taste.

Mix together for dressing --
1c homemade mayo [I know made this with olive oil but can't remember the seasonings]
1 tsp coleman's mustard
1 tsp paprika 

Dress salad and chill it in the fridge all afternoon for dinner. Invite a few friends over to enjoy a truly beautiful 4th of July summer night with good food and laughter. I think the occasion and the people added to the taste of the salad. But you may be able to duplicate it.

As for me I am grateful for the normal summer we have had thus far. It has been hot and sometimes muggy but not unusually so. The garden is doing well and strawberries are bearing and the birds are singing along with the waterfall.

Wishing all some summertime joy! xox


 

Was that April?

Does is seem like Beltaine to you today? Chances are if you live in my neck of the woods you are thinking 'hell no'.

The idea that spring is half over is ridiculous. It just started last Friday after all.

April was snowy and dreary and cold and odd and I don't know a single local person who didn't find themselves taking the weather very personally at times. I noticed myself doing this but I wasn't able to turn it off. I feel like I spent most of the month accepting the shitty weather and accepting myself for letting it bother me so much. Time for a change.

April contained more than the icky weather. There were volunteer trainings and dining out for life and seeds being planted and a few walks. There was weight-lifting and continued wearing of boots. There were sweet tiny ideas being born. There was healing in the family. Vacations have been figured out.

Unlike so many Springs this one will be remembered.
I am ready for May, although it is snowing out there as I type this. 

Happy Beltaine irregardless. xox

2013! It's here.

It's 12th night tonight [starting from Solstice] and Yule is almost over. The holidays have been wonderful and my month long bout of the flu is wrapping up and I couldn't be more delighted.  I am looking forward to all the joys and gentle lessons of the new year and thanking 2012 for it's many sweetnesses.

I have been an 'anti-clutter' person since April of 2002 but it's a cycle like so much in life. Right now I am in high gear sorting and giving/throwing out stuff. It may have been prompted by holiday shopping or perhaps by incoming presents. I am having a blast and feeling so much lighter.

Related;  I decided to do Project 333 officially for January - March of this year. This has made my closet so wide open and spacious, I sometimes open the door to gaze in it. I am at 27 pieces but I did not count my snow boots or some of my necessary winter weather accessories. I do not have them by choice after all. There may be something in the laundry that I want to add, so we'll see where I end up for this three month period.

I also did not count my jewelry. I cull my accessories often and only have what fits in my hanging organizer but I don't have an interest in limiting myself to 6 pieces for 3 months. Right now it is a joy to decide which piece I want to wear on a given day with a plain top. Although I have had years where I have worn the same stud earrings for months or limited my choice in some other way so that may happen again in the future.

Also this concentrated decluttering is moving many things onto new homes. I may use the spare room as a meditation space this winter. We'll see how it shakes out.

Party like it's 12-21-12

Happy Yule all!!

December thus far as been very full of bronchitis, traveling and planning for the solstice bash that we threw on Friday. You know before the world ended. Except it didn't.  

Good thing really, it gives me more time to enjoy these grain and dairy free Almendrados and hopefully you will as well as soon as you make them.

These are very easy to whip up. Some might say too easy...


Almendrados 

preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Mix together ~

2.5 cups almond flour
1 t cinnamon
4 t lemon zest
1/2 cup honey [add two more tablespoons if you want them sweeter]
1 egg
sprinkle of salt

This forms a soft sticky dough. If needed chill it so that you can handle it with ease.

Form dough into walnut shaped blobs, dust with more cinnamon, and press an almond down in the center of the cookie. This movement will flatten the cookie into a disc.

Bake these on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for 15 minutes or until the edges are golden.
These freeze well and are heavenly with coffee.

makes 2 dozen


Wishing everyone a very happy, peaceful and sweet end to December. xox

Lughnasadh 2012

This post will go up late but that's fine. Lughnasadh was brilliant in every way. In memory it inspires  many happy smiles.

There is so much depth to this date for me. It's the date my most recent border collie was born. She was so dear.
This is the date a dear one lost her father unexpectedly a couple of years ago. [[ hugs and sighs ]]

This is the year that Lughnasadh showed her sweetest face to me. I played all day. 
I had meet ups with four dear ones and a short time with a fifth. So many different types of love, acceptance, joy, sangha. 

I went off my grain free and low starch eating and indulged in pizza at dinner, fries at lunch and enjoyed a spponful of maple syrup on a buckwheat pancake in the morning! Holiday foods. I tasted a crumb of chocolate cake and made my "ick sugar" face to laughter. 

To quote one friend "Life is magnificent".

I was the celebration all day long. Deep gratitude and welcome to August. I'm glad you are here. xo

Summer Solstice 2012

Summer Solstice is here and the word I need to use is glorious.

It's been muggy and sticky most of the day, and now it is storming. The wet weather is adding a shine to all.  The cherries are not ripe although everything else is weeks ahead. I'm surprised but not disappointed. The cherries will come. I had the day off work, I had a massage, it's all been lovely. Heck I am even eating rice for dinner. It's a holiday after all and that's a time for treats. I spent a good chunk of the day reveling in sympathetic joy.

All of the above are lovely and I am grateful but glorious? Luminous even? They don't seem to match up exactly. But then the sum of the parts.... can be magical - luminous and glory-full.

There is a shift happening and I am opening my arms to it. Here we go.

Happy solstice [and summer perhaps] to all!

Happy Beltane 2012!! and labyrinths

The first day of May and I spent part of it cutting grass. The season must be a month ahead -- at least. Surreal and wondrous.

I didn't blog last week but I did make many updates to my workshop information page and spent my time on this labyrinth, a demo for the workshop. 

For this one I moved outside my favorite color pathway, it has a gingham effect which is not typical 'me' but has charm I think.

I am looking forward to teaching this class. It will be fun and has space for becoming what the attendees need most. I love the accessibility of labyrinths as a meditative tool and I also love the making of them. I find making can pull you into a labyrinth in a whole new way. 

I am planning on teaching this workshop two other times in 2012, hopefully once outside this summer, and will update the page with those plans as they settle. If you have questions about the workshop check out my other page or shoot me a message. 

Meanwhile I hope May 1st gives you a flowery kiss of sweetness.

silence -- deep listening

If you celebrated Imbolc on Wednesday I hope it was a lovely one. We have unusually warm temps here with melting snow. It really does feel like we are halfway to spring.

Many of my imbolc hopes and plans got derailed by not feeling well. I had waves of feeling semi-normal but those usually occurred when I wasn't doing much. :) I also spent quite a bit of time with other people and I had guessed previously that my practice on Wednesday was going to centered around presence but when I reviewed my day I realized the main thread had been silence.

It may be that my sore throat made it a bit easier to be silent, to ease into that space. But I was very aware of it. Letting the silence be it's own thing that does not need to be filled. Enjoying the room that gave for the listening. Even when no one was speaking. I think I have a fever so I may not be very coherent so back to silence.

xmas 2011

I have been thinking about this year's xmas and decided what I really need to do is Friday chicken about it. [The link will take you to the explanation of this wonderful ritual on the fluent self.] Even though there is no Friday nearby.

The Grinchy Stuff--

Blue Music --I played a xmas album from my childhood and I was propelled into a cranky and weird place. It took me several songs to realize this and turn the damn stuff off. Then I was sad because I didn't want the music to make me sad. Huh.

Rare insomnia--So little sleep the night before made me much less resilient. [and crabby part of the next day]

The haddock-- not skinned

Meaningless communications from afar--left me feeling inauthentic and grumpy. It also awakened a younger past hurt self which may be why the music affected me so much.

Missing friends who are sick -- :(

Bad Guessing -- Must return present, not the right size.

Pain -- hip, foot, neck, shoulder. Ow. Carrying a lot of pain and trying to be gentle about it. Hating how hard it is to sit.

Breaking -- brand new stuff breaking like mini acceptance reminders. Disappointing but I did remember to be curious about it.

The Sparkly Stuff--

Best Music--some xmas music did make me happy and this version of this song is my favorite this year. Does it make you want to dance? There was lots of dancing in our kitchen. I am shocked to find I like it better than the Chuck Berry version. Any other opinions on best music?

Dinner -- the food turned out wonderful. People ate more pasta than in past years, so next year cook at least 2# and make triple batch of Pollo alla Cacciatora.

Gifts -- The care and thought supporting some of gifts I received moved me to tears of awe. I love that people know me. Also my wife loved the gift I bought for her last June. It was totally worth waiting until now to give it to her.

Weather -- I have been grooving on the brown lawns and clear sidewalks. For once I don't miss the snow. I have been walking every day for 7 days in a row and watching the blackbirds with wonder. They are awesome. Today they all had patches of orange light on them as the sun hit their sooty feathers just right.

Halfway through Yule -- Feeling smooth as I swoosh downhill toward more revision time.

Dharma talks and Play time -- I had space and time for myself to do self-care, nurturing stuff. I was pretty good and hushing my gremlins who tried to tell me to do 'shoulds' instead.

winter solstice 2011

What a wonderful solstice this year! We got a bare dusting of snow yesterday afternoon and it was fun to see everyone's eyes lighting up when it started. Most were hoping for several inches but it was not meant to be. I felt upbeat over the sear, brown holiday vista. It was still solstice.

There were presents and my favorite mock duck rolls and a massage and laughter and hard cider. I opened my wonderful new scent. I chortled over a super drive for my air book. I reread The Dark Is Rising, that classic tale.

A lot of the laughter was generated by HOT CORN! at the Bryant Lake Bowl which has at least one more performance next week. I was also told by one whose taste I can depend on that the Klingons in Chicago still have honor. Through my tears I urge you to see the Klingon Xmas Carol if you have the chance that I, alas, do not this year. I also had tears, this time happy ones, from this story. Opinions can and do change.

All these delightful trappings aside the light is coming back, and in the end that is what makes midwinter celebrations so meaningful. As we start in on 12 days of festivities I hope all can find some joy or peace or ease. Perhaps all three.

no weather grumbles

In the spirit of "everything changes" my attitude towards snow and December has transformed this year.

Formerly I was, let's call it bitter, if we did not get snow in December. For years I saw it as my 'right' for living so far north. I certainly had a strong attachment to snowy Decembers and a whole snow fort full of expectations.

I had many brown Decembers as a child and back then I always yearned for snow. Currently I like snow and cold and all the seasonal fun stuff, and I do enjoy winter coming in with a white blanket. It puts me in a festive mood.

This year though we are brown and green and mild and I don't mind at all! It's like my eyes suddenly changed colors. It seems strange and natural at the same time. I think I got so full of snow last year that my snow cup is still full. Or perhaps I am just enjoying the now that is right here. My thyme is still green in my herb garden? I just picked some along with kale yesterday!

There is no snow on the near horizon and I feel fine. Grumble free! Me but different.

I hope everyone is gearing up for a peaceful week whether you celebrate the holidays, the snow or not. It's all good.

some seasonal things

Has my mental landscape resulted in a few dreary posts this week? I believe so. While the gloom is a true thread it is not the entire story so I want to mention the bright spots that were intertwined with the gloom, three leap to mind.

This week contained the anniversary of the day I met one of my oldest and dearest friends. I am so grateful for this amazing woman and I love her dearly. We spent a whole day together shopping, talking, laughing, eating and remembering. I hope I have many more decades with her in my life. A true sister of the heart.

We put our tree up and the lights on it. It smells like a magic forest. We used red and white lights for the first time and it looks like a giant peppermint. The tree shadows on the walls are delicate tracings of shadow lace.

Not all December traditions were canceled, I'm so grateful for that. The annual food shelf concert by Ellis was yesterday. I have been enjoying this performer since 2003, and this concert is a big part of my enjoyment. She tours so check her out the next time she is your backyard.

It's good to remember the shiny stuff that goes on in my life and to sink into the darkness of this month as a friend not as something to push away. After all the light is coming back soon.

no Klingons

Everything changes and sometimes it's great. Like my best friend just bought a new peridot green bike and I foresee many rides together in 2012. Yeah!

But I want this blog to be authentic and some things suck.

Sometimes change is not great at all. Go ahead click on the link, it's a short notice. Did you see the relevant [to me] part?

The 2011 production marks the 6th time the show has been put up, and the 2nd time in the Windy City.

There are no other productions in 2011.

No Klingon Xmas Carol in Minneapolis this year. [you know it's hard to type when you have a fist in your mouth to hold back the sobbing]

Seriously, really I couldn't be happier for you all in Chicago. They are introducing a new score this year and everything. Wonderful. Look at all those showings through the end of the month. You should totally go and tell me about it. I want them to do well, really. I mean it.

Yeah. Enjoy. sniff

Only a week Late

Remember that crazy secret goal I had to not just write 50,000 words for nanowrimo but complete my entire first draft in November?

I didn't make it.

But last night, just under a week late, I did!!

I wrote an entire first draft between November 1 and December 6.

I am happy but my head hurts so it's hard to be too happy right now. Still it feels pretty awesome especially since I did it during a very hard and busy month+.

My next goal is not to collapse in a heap for December but to keep my writing momentum going. So I am starting a serious revision of my first novel. The kind of revision that when I am done I have something I could let a friend read.

I have my steps mapped out. I have found my theme. I have written a blurb to help me remember what it should be about. I have printed the entire first draft out.

Using all that paper was guilt inducing but I think it will be worth it. My old revision attempts did not have clear steps, now I have them.

I want to set a 'revision done' goal. I am thinking January 31.

Too soon? Pushed out too much?

weekend writing report 2

Well the weekend is almost over and my word count isn't quite where I would like it to be.

word count = 24,191

I am on pace for Nanowrimo, but I am starting to wonder if I can meet my secret goal of a complete first draft in a month. The month is almost half over and it's filling up with non writing stuff.

Today I made some venison stew with dumplings, I think it's a good one, although I'm not sure if/when I'll have time to write it up.

There is Thanksgiving to plan-- although that's a happy event. There are the other holidays to start planning. And perhaps even a wedding to host?!

Lots of stuff to think about when I am not writing, but when I am writing I plan to

write like the wind! Happy week to all.

soggy summer solstice 2011

It's almost typical to have soggy cold summer solstices around here and this year did not buck that trend. It's been a very rainy 12 hours and my cherries on my tree are still hard green marbles. No early spring this year.

But still the season is now officially summer no matter what the weather does and the long hours of daylight have been wonderful. I took a long weekend from work so I am enjoying a holiday, the humidity is a bit more tolerable now that we have a breeze and there was a dry period this morning when I really enjoyed sitting on my new arbor bench that my wife built in my new geometric herb garden.

So now it's onto the joys of summer. Throwing a big party for my wife next month, visiting with my in-laws, seeing my favorite niece and god-daughter, enjoying my CSA, women's basketball and biking. It's hard to believe July is just around the corner. I hope that I can really be mindful and enjoy it. And I hope you do too.

one cold Beltane

I had many good intentions of arising before dawn to watch the morris dancers on the river greet the sun. Then I woke up and heard it was 32 degrees out and just stayed in bed shivering.

The whole holiday was chilly and my body is no longer acclimated, apparently. I wore a hat all day inside.

Still it was a wonderful mayday and I did warm up dancing for 3 hours that night, which was lovely. And May is here, spring is here and there is even a warm up happening. So that is all good.

It is the big plant sale this weekend and I am planning a new herb garden which I will probably start talking about here way too much soon. Although it's been chilly spring really does feel hopeful to me this year.

Which is great, I feel like I can use all the hope there is to spare right now.

well hello there 2011

The holidays can certainly lead to seriously blog neglect can't they?

Here we are all firmly planted in 2011 and I hope to start getting used to it. The new year seemed to sneak up on me, although I don't quite understand why. Could it be age?

There I was last Friday night out with my wife. [and 100's of other people] Since the weather was predicted to be cruddy and the roads worse we had a brilliant plan for new year's eve that revolved around not having to drive too much.

We had dinner at Pizza Biga, pizza and salad, wine, coffee, etc.
Digression warning: It was good, but why can I never find pizza as good as in Rome? I promise I am not being a food snob here. Pizza is not a complicated dish, and this was cooked in a wood fired oven, high quality yet it lacks something... is it the type of flour? and digression over. Anyway it was still enjoyed a light dinner after holiday indulgences.

Then it was easy to walk half a block to see Lizz Winstead, whose show was extremely funny. We were sitting there in the theatre and I looked at the stage and saw the balloons printed with '2011' and thought, oh my god, it's going to be 2011! in less than 3 hours, what the hell? I had to laugh, somehow I hadn't realized that fact until right then. Thank goodness for those balloons reminding me the year was about to change.

It's been a good year so far. It's time to get ready for the Playford so my legs are readjusting to English Country Dancing [3 hours last night] and Heidi's has reopened! Many reasons to rejoice already.

Today there is a gentle snow falling like a song in the air. It is beautiful. I'm enjoying a day fit for an introvert and testing my pecan tassie recipe for you all again. Fingers crossed it will be fit to share soon.

I hope you all can see some beauty where you are. xo

winter holiday wrap up

So many things have happened in the past week that there was very little time for posting, but I wanted to acknowledge them in some way if only to get that feeling of completion.

So reaching all the way back to December 17th here's what's been happening.

Great Ellis show and food drive at Ginko's, another annual tradition for me since 2003. Finally bought the new album. Fabulous.

Followed by more snow, cookie baking, solstice and a chest/head cold. My illness wasn't too bad, but bad enough that the only thing I could do on solstice to celebrate was show up for a massage. No ritual, no dinner, no concert as planned.

There was much rejoicing over the generous blanket of snow everywhere, it looks like something out of a holiday movie even now.

Then some long days of work, then we cooked and hosted dinner for 12 on Friday night. [xmas eve] This was really wonderful for me. Again I cooked my family's traditional italian recipes. Speak to any Italian family who follows this tradition and you will hear different recipes. My family has a haddock-leek stew, a paprika sauce with cod, hot bread crumbs with cod, calamari, and fried smelts and fillets of various fish with platters of pasta.

I made the first 3 along with pollo alla cacciatora to balance out all that fish. This year it was followed by my variation on my family's nuthorns and my recipe for pecan tassies [recipe coming sometime]. I had three people offer to help with the cooking but I could only handle one helper so that I could maintain focus. It is really such a simple straightforward meal. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and it was a fun time.

For us it is the 9th day of Yule today. We have opened up a handful of presents already. I got a really lovely watch, the nicest I have ever had and a small messenger bag. Much needed since most of my old bags/purses seem to have died.

We went out for breakfast xmas morning to Common Roots and it was wonderful, low key and really enjoyable.

Then I spent a lot of time meditating and reading over the weekend. Doing some year end wrap up on the spiritual side. There will be stuff to share in the future from this musing.

This week is whipping by between work and spending time with friends. I know that this can be such a hard time of year for people and I certainly have had challenges of my own in that regard. My hope it that all can find some space and love in their circumstances right now, a bit of ease. And hold on, it's almost over.

winter solstice 2010

I have a bit of a cold and am feeling under the weather. Our weather, by the way, is chill and snowy. We certainly have the winter wonderland this year and it is so beautiful. Here it is the winter solstice, and the full moon and lunar eclipse all wrapped up in one day. I am still zen-like from my massage this morning and feeling low keyed. But still a welcome back to the light is order, perhaps by poem?

*The Shortest Day*
By Susan Cooper

And so the Shortest Day came and the year died
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive.
And when the new year’s sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, reveling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us – listen!
All the long echoes, sing the same delight,
This Shortest Day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, feast, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And now so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome Yule!

Luckily there is lots more yule to enjoy, hopefully without my cold.