Snowflakes and Winter Kisses

Forests, lakes, and rivers, clouds and winds,




stars and flowers,
stupendous glaciers and crystal snowflakes






every form of animate or inanimate existence,
leaves its impress upon the soul of man.

Orison Swett Marden

she leaves her impress

upon me.





















One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Winter Fun

Something about a snowman makes me smile...

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

One The Subject of Courage

Courage doesn't always roar:
sometimes its the quiet voice
at the end of the day saying,
I'll try again tomorrow.

~Mary Anne Radmacher

I remember my father saying to us girls,
Tomorrow is a new day.
I got in trouble a lot.
I suppose I needed to hear it.
It was a reminder that I had
the opportunity to start over fresh.
I never understood at the time,
how profound my father's word were.
All he got from us were exasperated sighs
and major eye rolls, having heard it 8 million
times before, and knowing those words wouldn't
save us from being grounded.
I never understood what he was giving
us...I do now. Courage, a reminder to keep
trying, that no matter how badly I'd screwed up,
I always had another chance to get it right.
We may not get do overs.
We do get start overs.

These words have served me well over the years.
More often than not I hear them in my head, when
life gets challenging. I dig my heels in, keep pushing through,
no whining, head held high, and get through quietly,
remembering I can, tomorrow is coming, all I have to do
is get through today.

I don't screw up so much anymore. : )

It's funny...growing up I was the child
who did everything but what she was supposed to.

As an adult I am more my fathers daughter than
either of us ever imagined I would be, and this is a good thing.


Tomorrow is a new day.
Tomorrow we begin again..













One love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Winter

I prefer winter and fall,
when you feel the bone structure of the landscape ...



the loneliness of it,
the dead feeling of winter.

Something waits beneath it,
the whole story doesn't show.



~Andrew Wyeth











One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways

Salami Wrapped Snacks

First let me wish you all Happy Holidays~!

A friend of mine sent me this message,
and I feel it says my wish for all of you better than
I can put into words.

I wish you joy, I wish you all the pleasures The world has to give,
Pleasures of a pure heart
And soul I wish you the exhilaration Felt atop mountain peaks,
I wish you the cool comfort Of a shaggy, shady oak
I wish you the thrill Of watching your children
Grow up and blossom Into a loving, caring maturity I wish you all the passion
That a love for the ages, A nurturing, spontaneous love,
Can generously give I wish you never know loneliness,
Never know pain and sorrow To excess or extremes,
And if you do, It gives birth to future joys I wish you good health Of mind, body and spirit,
That your journey through life Be a peaceful one I wish you friendship
The kind that supports you, Sustains you,
And makes you stop to smile I wish you love and friendship,
Comfort and peace, I wish you joy!

Because I love all things Italian, I asked my Italian friend to write
me the Italian version...in full he did, Thank you Gio.



Ti auguro la gioia di avere sempre qualcuno con cui dividere ogni cosa... Mostra tutto…
Ti auguro di avere dei bei ricordi cui ritornare col pensiero nei brutti momenti…
Ti auguro una tra le migliori piccole gioie quotidiane:
aprire un libro che ricordi bene, lasciarne le pagine, leggere le prime parole famigliari…
Ti auguro la primavera e la meraviglia di constatare che è sempre migliore di quanto avevi osato sperare…
Ti auguro la felicità di un regalo da un bambino:
- un mazzo di denti di leone appassiti, - una caramella succhiata a metà - una rana - un bacio …
Ti auguro che tu possa, anche se solo una volta nella vita, vedere qualcosa di infinitamente raro, strano e bello…
Ti auguro la malinconia di un giardino in inverno e, dopo mesi d’attesa, i piccoli, verdi vegetali della primavera…
Ti auguro di rimanere affascinato dall’infinita varietà della vita animale…
Ti auguro la fiducia di una creatura selvatica, conquistata con pazienza e amore…
Ti auguro che tu possa non dover comprare l’amore al prezzo dell’umiliazione…
Ti auguro che tu possa sempre trovare le parole giuste per mantenere al loro posto gli spacconi e avere abbastanza forza nelle ginocchia per camminare con dignità…
Ti auguro che tu possa avere un cuore pieno d’amore e giudizi accorti…
Ti auguro la gioia di essere desiderata, e di trovare il regalo perfetto, sentire il profumo della terra, dal prato aperto…
Ti auguro lettere: con una calligrafia che riconosci immediatamente, con una calligrafia che non vedevi da anni…
Ti auguro lettere piene di elogi, piene di incoraggiamenti: lettere di gratitudine e di amore.
Ti auguro lettere sciupate, macchiate di inchiostro, scritte tutte storte coperte di baci.
Ti auguro la felicità di dimenticare il passato e di trovare nuovi inizi.
Ti auguro la felicità delle idee, l’eccitamento della ragione, il trionfo della conoscenza, lo schiarirsi della vista, l’acuirsi dell’udito,
il protendersi verso nuove scoperte, il trarre piacere dal passato così come dal presente.
Ti auguro la gioia della creatività.
Ti auguro felicità… ma non la felicità che si ottiene chiudendo fuori il mondo.
Nemmeno quella di rinnegare il tuo sogno per amor di agiatezza.
Ti auguro la felicità di fare quello che fai nel migliore dei modi.
Di correre il rischio di tentare, di correre il rischio di dare, di correre il rischio d’amare.
Tratta la felicità con gentilezza: è un prestito.
BUON NATALE..


Christmas isn't only about the Christmas cookies ...

Someone shared this little tidbit of a snack with me
and I'm going to share it with you.

Seriously I had my doubts, I thought its going to be "okay"
Yawell it was beyond okay, it was GREAT.

Salami Wrapped Snacks

Thinly sliced salami
Thinly sliced havarti cheese with dill
Chicken in a Biscuit.

Layer as shown in the photo.
Fold and eat.

Small bite, big flavor, nice crunch.

Wishing you all a wonderful Holiday season.








One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

La Creme de Soupe de Champignon

Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats 

Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Le Creuset. 

 Voting is now open. I sure hope you'll vote for me!  

I'm # 27 and #28  

 Voting will end on December 19th.  
CLICK THIS TO GO TO THE VOTING PAGE

I love James Beard. 

He's one of my absolute favorite chefs.

I have over 500 cookbooks.

His book American Cookery, is one I reach for time and again .

Don't think I have a big head about my collection.

I know there are people out there with thousands.
And my mom keeps me humble by
reminding me with a couple of credit cards
she could outdo my collection in a matter of minutes.

This was the one book I got from my Granny.

Until today,  I hadn't noticed her handwriting there on the page.

She is one of my favorite "comforts"

Makes me smile and remember.

I love her script.

.

Sharon is her daughter and my mother.
My mother is another favorite "comfort"

: )

On with the food yes?

***************************



Cream of Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

1 pound mushrooms

1 quart chicken broth

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons sherry or Cognac (optional)

2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon Tabasco (I say optional)

I also added:

shallots

garlic

and a dash of nutmeg

Preparation:

Mushrooms. I used white button.That's what I had in the frig.

Note that this is only a base recipe, use any and all mushrooms you like.

More mushrooms the better, a variety of shrooms

will add depth to the flavor of your soup and different textures are a good thing.

It's recommended 

you clean your mushrooms 

with a dry towel, 

or a mushroom brush.

Remove the stems, set those aside.

As for the mushrooms,

mince them. slice them...

Mr. Beard wants you to melt equal parts butter, and or olive oil

and flour, add mushrooms saute, add broth, cream and season.

I say,

instead of the roux,

(yes I dare to disagree with the master of all things culinary)

do the butter/olive oil.
lightly saute the shallots and garlic,
 deglaze with sherry.

Toss in the mushrooms,

add pinch of salt,

cook until they are softened.

set aside.

oh hey those mushroom stems?

Add those to your chicken stock. I use what two or three cups if that?

You want to steep these in the broth, until the mushroom flavor is imparted.

40 minutes or so.

Strain the mushrooms using cheesecloth.

Pour the strained liquid into the stock.

Grab your mushrooms....

Into the stock they go...

Add your cream...
*if you choose to skip the roux,
use enough stock to barely cover the mushrooms,
then add the cream.

Let it sit on low for a bit. 

Garnish with parsley, pinch of nutmeg. salt. pepper.

On a cold wintry Sunday afternoon, there's nothing more comforting for me ...

Note from the Cook:
Do your sauteing and deglazing in a heavy bottomed dutch oven/soup pot. I love and use Le Creuset
Then all you have to do is add your home made chicken stock and cream to the cooked mushrooms,
 with no major clean up, it can all be done in one pot.

While you're at it ...

Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Le Creuset















One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Vietnamese Beef Pho

Pho'd out yet?

Culinary peer pressure happens.
Pho'realz.

I saw the rush of Vietnamese Beef/Chicken Pho recipes
from the Daring Cooks
being published all ova the place.
Like a little wannabe I ran to the store like a dog looking for a bone.

My Pho is a little less traditional because ...

• I live in a small town.

• Things like Thai Basil and good fish sauce well,
• that makes me laugh, I was lucky to find star anise.
  

• I'm not a picky eater but I like what I like.

Which may make this very "unpho".


However...

It tastes damn good.


Let me give you the link to the
original recipe I found over on Jaden's page
"Steamy Kitchen"
[yeh click that]

Actually I found 23456574556 recipes.
Hers is based on a cookbook I happen to love.

I know.
How lazy am I...
She does all the work of
laying out the recipe and I say here click the link.
Hey, I'm all about credit where credit is due
not a copy and paste cheat.
She's well worth the click and has a cookbook
recently published you can find it on Amazon
yeh click that too.

I made a few changes.
I went to the grocery store and the guy
tells me his flank steak is frozen.
I opt for another cut and he says well,
I can't use the meat slicer because I'd
have to sterilize it we're slicing hams for people
right now. They only have one? okay okay I'll be nice.

[charring vegetables for stock is new for me. i like it ]

I ended up running to a butcher who operates out
of a gas station. Really. True story.
His flank is frozen too.
BUT he'll thinly slice whatever I want.
Instantly I like him.
Shrugging my shoulders I say what the hell, I'll have the filet mignon.
That's right people. FILET MIGNON.
I figure what it cost me for that was equal to a pig n jig. : )
OMG, in the pho, it was melt in your mouth.

[fennel, cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, mr. coriander was late for the party]

I used lo mien noodles.
I used spinach instead of basil.
Green onions instead of white.
Purple instead of yellow.
Green peppers and mushrooms because I wanted to.
I let my stock sit over night,
in the frig after simmering.
Which made it easy to skim off the fat.
Come to think of it wouldn't the scum
stick to the fat? Making for easy removal of scum?
Call that an afterthought, more like an after question.
Charring, not Charo. I used the broiler.
Top shelf and door semi open.
Lime is good, I liked lemon best.

Maybe my dish is more like a Japanese Hotpot.
Honestly I'd eat this every night
with a basic beef broth and a little sesame oil.

I love winter I do.
But I miss the warm summer light for photographs.

KAT! Yes you! C'mere.
Don't look at the beef.
Don't look up.
Look down.
Do you see????
I know. Right?!

You can make this.
Vegetable broth baby.

It's a cold rainy night.
Dancing with the Stars is on tonight,
paying tribute to Michael Jackson.
I have a bowl of nice warm soup.
And to think I spent the last month
eating lean cuisines. What was I thinking?
I dunno I was child free and didn't have to cook.
Don't say I it. I already know.
My frig is filled with vegetables.
I promise.

If only someone would bring me
an ice cream bar and a kiss...

it'd be a perfect night. : )


















One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Ramblings...

It's funny how lessons remain ever present.
I'm watching what I say to someone at work,
and well the same words flow to personal life.

This week its about trust and respect.
We show it in action.
Its the only way.
Words are too damn easy.

And I think to myself let my actions always
reflect my heart, where it counts the most.

It's been an interesting Fall.
Snow before the leaves are done falling from the trees.
Reminded me to not waste a second.

I'm not a fan of getting sick.
But I don't mind it.
I know when I need to slow down.
So does my body.

In two weeks I have another show
up at the Coho, up on the north shore.
She wants food.
Leave it to me to come up
with a new approach at the last minute.
I'll be hustling to get this done.

Food shots are great, but c'mon,
who's going to buy a fabulously photographed
plate of calamari for their kitchen wall. right?

Mostly I just want to wish all of you a
wonderfully peaceful Sunday....













One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

On the Subject of Being...

You are not what happens;
you are the space in which it happens.
You are not your thoughts; they come and go.
You are the vastness in which these thoughts appear and disappear
because underneath all your thinking there is the stillness of pure being,...
pure consciousness, the timeless dimension of yourself.

Eckhart Tolle

















One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

On the Subject of Giving...

If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one.
~Mother Teresa

















One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Be True..

At the heart of each of us,
whatever our imperfections,



there exists a silent pulse
of perfect rhythm
which is absolutely
individual and unique,


and yet which connects us
to everything else.


~George Leonard

















One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Personal Boundaries......ain't always easy.

I'm making it a practice to re-post this frequently.
And it's been a while.
Its the most important contract I've ever written for myself.
And a promise I intend to keep.
We cannot be all things to all people, there are times
when we for sanity's sake have to pull back and self care.
Sometimes we do have to draw the line, or ask for a time out.
Why people react so strongly when we do is beyond me.
I suspect ego has much to do with it, and a need to control the outcome.
When we set a boundary, we remove that control as well as the outcome.

"When we set a boundary, we let go of the outcome."

The purpose of setting boundaries is to take care of our self. Being forced to learn how to set boundaries is a vital part of learning to own our self, of learning to respect ourselves, of learning to love ourselves. If we never have to set a boundary, then we will never get in touch with who we really are. ~Robert Burney

I will not apologize for setting my own personal boundaries.
I will not apologize for doing whatever it takes to enforce those boundaries.
I will not apologize for doing whatever it takes to protect my emotonal well being.
I will not apologize for keeping out those who are not healthy.
I will not apologize for taking time to think before I speak.
I will not apologize for telling someone their behavior is not acceptable to me.
I will not apologize for deciding what behavior is and is not acceptable.
I will not apologize for stepping back from a situation in order to evaluate my feelings, however long that takes.
I will not apologize for setting strict boundaries when I need and sticking to them.
I will not apologize for asking for space when I need it.
I will not apologize for taking responsibility for the way I allow others to treat me.
I will not apologize for cutting someone completely out of my life if I feel they don't respect my boundaries.
I will not apologize for not believing everything I'm told.
I will not apologize for letting your problems, your dysfunction be yours.
I will not apologize for not being able to be all things to all people.
I will not apologize for loving myself enough to set boundaries even if it means I risk losing people in my life because of them.




















One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Ode to Autumn

I love this time of year.

I've spent the summer chasing the light.
Racing the light some days.



Fishing every chance I get,
photographing every thing I see.



Making the most of days
that bring with them green grass,
bright blue skies and big billowy clouds.




[Until it gets too hot, my days are then spent grateful for central air.]




Sooner than I realize the season changes,
I love the fall.
The crisp wet air.
And the smell.
The smell of rotting leaves that have fallen
from the trees, makes me feel more alive than the warmth of a summer sun.




I know that winter is coming,
and for the first time I feel like summer has lasted to long.
I feel this every year.
I'm no longer fighting for every hour of daylight.




I relish the thought of coming home,
to warm glowing lights by candle or by lamp.
I find my way once again to the kitchen,
and books that have been left to wait on the shelf,
will be read.
The days getting shorter... excites my
innate need to hibernate, to slow down
and settle in.
It renews me in a way I cannot describe.





It is on this night I wish you were here
to celebrate with me the coming of quieter months.
















One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Be Here. Be now..

"The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly.
Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.
To put it more accurately,
it is not so much that you use your mind wrongly—
you usually don't use it at all.
It uses you."


~Eckhart Tolle




















One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

My sweet Hannah,
walked three miles and
did a bit of mindless
wandering with me.
This is a huge deal.




We walked for over two hours,
more than three miles,
when all was said and done.




She let me lead her thru the woods,
down trails she'd never seen.








We got temporarily misplaced
a couple of times and had to reroute.
A few whimperings prompted the occasional reassurances.
I love that she never lets go of my hand.
She is my favorite hand to hold.


Save for one other.




conversation:

Hannah: Drumming?
Me: Drumline
(Hannah smiles because I know what she means)
Hannah: Boom? Boom?
Me: Boom Boom Boom.
(Hannah smiles because she likes me to say it in threes)

I take Hannah's hand which is holding mine, and make the three beats
so she can feel my words.
I ramble on about music and rhythm.

A few minutes later she prompts me to do it again.

Repeat this 50 times. With me once n a while doing a 1 2 3.
And waltzing in the woods to make her laugh.
She did.






If I lay on the ground to photograph something,
she'll sit down behind me. : )
I photograph all of it.
So we both remember.




This morning
She gets up and goes to the bathroom on her own.
No prompting by me. yay. seriously.

Then comes to the kitchen for juice.
Hannah: dio.
Me: radio, you want the radio?

I go get it thinking she wants music in the kitchen.
We listen to music a lot.
Lately I have it playing in the bathroom
while she takes a bath.



She takes me by the hand and brings me to her room.
She wants the music in her room.
Martin Sexton.
(she has great taste)
If you've ever heard his music, you might understand
why she gravitates to it. I like to say he's autistically pleasing.
(as in.. especially pleasing to her autistic ear)
If that makes sense.





I plug in the ipod, she wraps herself in her favorite blanket
and tells me Bye.

How 16 of her.
I'm smiling.


She comes out a few songs later.
She claps her hands and says push ding.
Which means push swing.
And says walk too.
She remembers.
She knows she did something good.
She's proud of herself.
She should be.

I clap too and say You did good Hannah.
She turns around and goes back to listen to Martin.






I love this girl.



She

is

LIGHT
ON
THIS
EARTH.


















One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Be Brave..

Most of our
obstacles
would melt
away if
instead of
cowering
before them





We should
make up
our minds
to walk
boldly
through
them.


~Orison Swett Marden














One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.