Stew

I made stew tonight. It is cold out and I wanted to make something that will warm the soul. Beef, carrots, celery, potatoes, onions. True earthy fresh ingredients. Individually they are red, orange, green, white and yellow. But put them in a pot and simmer for several hours and the colors all blend together into a symphony. I normally make a stew that has alittle red wine to add color. Tonight I decided to add tomatoes. A can of pear tomatoes laced with basil. My mom makes tomato based stew, I prefer the brown type. But having it simmering for that last several hours makes me feel like Mom is the cook. She would make dumplings and gently ease the dough onto the simmering pot and let them puff up into puffy clouds. It was my Dad's favorite part of the stew. It is almost 9:30 and alittle late for the dumplings. Maybe tomorrow when I reheat it I will slip some on top. I made an irish stew with guiness a few weeks ago, not a big hit in the house, unfortunately. It smelled wonderful but it had a different flavor. At least I tried something different.
Sometimes different works and sometimes it doesn't. Tried and true is safe and a sure bet. But where would we be if all we ever did was the tried and true? Admittedly this is the first time I used tomatoes in my stew. I feel like I have expanded my horizons a bit. I think that I am going to exercise my right to step out of my box more often. I would say once a day, twice a week, once a month, but part of the reason to do it is to be spontaneously inspired. Sometimes I feel like we need more inspiration, but we choose to play it safe and do what we know, what is safe, what is predictable. I admit, I am not what you would call conventional about alot of things, but I think that I have become rather predictable lately. So tomorrow I will seek inspiration, part my hair on the other side, change my purse. My point is, tomorrow is a new day and why not rearrange the furniture a bit??
Carpe Diem!! Seize the Day!!
Here's to something new!!

Happy New Year to My Friends and Family!!

Lists

We make lists. We make lists for groceries, make lists for chores, make lists for work related tasks. We list our professional goals, our personal goals, our relationship goals. We list our needs, we list our wants. What does it all mean?? Do we have a need to see all of these things in writing? Is it a visual confirmation of our wants, needs, thoughts and innermost desires? I believe that some people need to make lists just to cross off what they have completed. I personally do not have that need. I am blessed with the ability to take pen to paper and remember exactly what I wrote down. Rarely do I need to take out my shopping list in the grocery store. I will admit that as I get older it takes alittle more concentration, but it can be done................
What would be on your list for 2010? It is a new decade.........10 years since Y2K....who ever thought we would survive that fiasco?? The year 2010 marks 20 years since I left New jersey and moved to North Carolina. That would mean that almost two-fifths of my life I have lived in this wonderful state which is now my home. The year 2010 will be the year my daughter Emily will be married. It will be the year I will officially have a son-in-law. And it will be my last year of saying I am in my forties..................but that is another post for another day...................
On my list I would say that I want to pay more attention to me. More time allotted for working out, doing yoga, being creative. Am I comfortable in my skin? What do I need to make a priority this year?
On my list would be time made to learn something new. Stepping outside my box......
At the top of my list would be making more time for Jim and I to get away whether for a weekend, a week, or a lifetime................it has been far too long since we had a true vacation. I love this man more than I ever thought possible. The pure joy I feel just being with him is always enough........it is so easy to not prioritize the need to get away from the norm............but I will add that to my list for 2010.
My list for 2010 will be simple, but meaningful. I have a friend from many years ago that I just found out is dying of bone cancer. My heart is hurting terribly for her and for her daughter. We have a past history that is oddly intertwined, and I am now feeling like I wished I had spoken to her more often. We live 500 miles away from each other, so it is not feasible that I could visit her for a few hours before the inevitable............but would love to make a list of things that I wished we had talked about................if for no one but myself.........
What kind of list would you make??? Would you share it with others or keep it for yourself? Would you write in ink or pencil? Would it be on lined paper or a post-it? Would you number your entries or write them at random?
Lists...............friend...or foe???

Earl says Merry Christmas!!

Unwrapped

I love the show "Unwrapped" on the Foodnetwork. I have watched the show for years. It is an easy retreat from all of the other shows that we subject ourselves to usually on a daily basis. Reality shows--cooking, dancing, singing, racing, fishing, truck driving, fire fighting, crime fighting...............you name it, it's out there. Then there are the crime shows--enough said. Then there is the news.....it goes on and on. When I turn on Unwrapped, I get an hour of entertainment. An hour of Marc Summers, getting older and more gray, but still a pleasure to watch. Marc can make something as simple as a cracker seem magical. I love learning how candy canes get their stripes............How PEZ characters are chosen and what flavors of Jelly Belly Beans flopped. I love the history of the companies that manufacture our favorite candies. The other thing I love to watch are the machines that are used to accomplish the task. Who on earth comes up with some of this stuff? Right now they are showing a company that makes gingerbread houses. What a cool job.........
My point is, with so many shows on tv that are so full of reality, the reality of learning where Harry and David came up with their cheesecake flavors somehow relaxes me................
Maybe someday someone will come up with the Good News Network. The Foodnetwork is close.................but I am sure that there is alot more good news out there to be had....................

Pumpkin watches TV