Eucharisteo

I have been wanting to do a post like this all week but I haven't because I thought maybe it was too good to be true. Maybe what I have felt and written down was only going to slip through my fingers, elusive, all the way to the ground and I'd be back where I have been.

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My mom and I recommend books to each other frequently. I like all kinds of books; novels, classics, mysteries, history. But I am leery of some Christian books. I just need someone to be real with me about their life and often I find that they can be so glossy, so not real, that it's hard to care when I feel talked down to. I like the nitty-gritty. My mom actually mailed me a book she recommended this time and I thought, hmm ok. What will be new about this one. Pretty sure I have heard it all.

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But this week, as I couldn't put the book down, as her totally transparent and beautiful language captivated me and as I started a very simple practice, I have felt something inside me growing. A different outlook. And all because of a list. One thousand gifts.

Eucharisteo. Gratitude. Living as though each moment were something to write home about. Thanking God for what he has given without asking him to change anything. On the author's long road, after much heart break in her life, she believes that when we are thankful, we are fulfilled. One of the ways she started on this journey was by taking a dare a friend made and making a list of 1000 things she loved.

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Everyday, in the mundane, in the heartache, in the boring home duties, she keeps a journal nearby and writes down what comes to her....sunlight on a dish soap bubble while doing dishes, walking over a dog in the dark, a big harvest moon through the window. Practicing in a practical way being grateful.

Naming what you have, she says, naming what you see so that it has meaning and joy. So that you recognize it. Because gratitude takes over all emotion. Gratitude, joy and grace, three words that come from the Greek word Eucharisteo, which if I remember correctly, means thankfulness in Greek. True communion with God. The way to show love to him.

And then everything else falls into place.

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So. My tiny blurb on this book is nothing compared to her silky, poetic and heart rending words as she tries to make sense of this and put into her life as a farmer in Canada with six children and a past of heartache.

And can I do the same, in my life, in my work, in my day to day mundane? Can I erase the discontent, see the joy?

This week I took my camera with me a few days and took some pictures of the little things on my list, to record the everyday. And I started on my own list to a thousand.

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By no means is this one week going to change me in an instant. But I feel it could take me, the person who lives a lifetime of pride, of discontent, the person who takes all the blessings of God and throws them back in his face in one long whine, it could take me somewhere different. I like that.

I am going to keep my list on a separate page on this blog, as a reminder to me, as an accountability to get to 1000 and then do 1000 more!

Here is a link to the book that I have been talking about. And also her blog if you are interested in checking it out.

Thanks for reading and I would love to hear what makes you thankful today!

Fête for Mother's Day

All women become like their mothers.  That is their tragedy.  No man does. That's his.  

~Oscar Wilde

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11pm last night Witt and I crashed on the couch and watched an old SNL re-run while the dishes stayed piled high in the sink and the two long tables piled with more dishes looked cheerfully spent with half eaten cake and raspberries. Bright pink and red flowers were scattered around in vases and a pitcher filled with yummy chardonanny soaked fruit was sitting there and I really wanted to eat it but I was too lazy to get up. There were cheesy grits stuck like glue to the sides of my red cooking pot and spinach on the kitchen floor but I didn't care because all that could wait. I felt happy and full with that after party feeling. We had our families over for a Mother's Day dinner and it was a fun night with sangria, shrimp and grits, toasts with pink sparkly wine and time together. 

Sunday the weather started out nice and the plan was to eat outside like the autumn party, since we have big families and our house is small. As the afternoon came winding down, clouds were slowly moving in and I knew it was going to rain but I refused to believe it. Since I was in denial I set up the tables, we hung the lights and everything was ready.

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Waiting for the first sprinkles. 

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The rain suddenly came pouring down and we scrambled to get everything inside and cover the chairs with a tarp until we could bring them in. We rallied and decided that if we moved half our furniture into the loft upstairs we could fit the two tables in and have the party inside. 

After much re-arranging, the table was set again, we opened all the blinds and I felt like we were in a little Italian Vila. Ok not quite, but I liked the effect very much.

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Little box of homemade truffles for the moms. My sister Cate made rose bud corsages. Everyone wrote love letters to their mother.

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On the menu, shrimp and grits, ceaser salad and brussel sprouts with lemon cream sauce. Cate made a delicious flourless chocolate cake with raspberries and Nan made sugar free dark chocolate cupcakes.

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Guests of Honor, Cathy and my Mom.

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Mary and Nan

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It ended up being a beautiful rainy night and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

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Witt and I

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I'm thankful for our mothers, for homeschooling us and giving us happy and creative childhoods. I'm also thankful that because we were homeschooled they knew each other when we were little and so when they met again when we were adults...they pretty much set us up. I guess we have more than our childhoods to thank them for!

Now that this party is over I am sad. What else can I have a party for? Witt's 30th is coming up...

Here is my recipe for Shrimp and Grits, yummy and fresh. We marinaded our shrimp in soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, lime, olive oil, chili powder and agave nectar before cooking it. 


Shrimp and Grits


4 cups water
Salt and pepper
1 cup stone-ground grits
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups frozen spinach
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 slices bacon, chopped
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped parsley, plus some for garnish
1 cup thinly sliced scallions
1 large clove garlic, minced


Bring water to a boil. Add salt and pepper. Add grits and cook until water is absorbed, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter, cheese, parsley and salt and pepper. Saute spinach with a little garlic and oil. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until browned; drain well. Cook shrimp in skillet just until shrimp turn pink. Spoon grits into a serving bowl and top with spinach and shrimp. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon and a squeeze of lemon juice. Garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.. 


Enjoy!

Change Your Mind

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It's raining and I like summer rain, the way it sounds, the way it makes me want to curl up and read or do something crafty. But it feels so much like a Monday, like the rest of the week is there in front of me, like a path, each day a box, each box after the other. And I wish that I could re-arrange the boxes and put Friday right after Monday but I can't. In a way I can't help thinking that the summer is going to feel the same way, except that there are a lot of boxes in front of me and I wonder how I will get through each one and not want it to be over already. 

This year I have been thinking about new perspectives and I like what the quote says, reality is really just in your mind. (Never mind that I found the quote on Etsy. It's still legit). One perspective I have been thinking about is forgiveness. I have such a strong sense of justice but I am learning that forgiveness doesn't mean you give up on justice, it means that you leave the justice up to God. I am so good at holding on to grudges and wallowing in my own mind and thinking that if I forgive someone I am letting them get away with it. Grace. Grace. Grace. Some people are so good at it and others, like me, have to turn a switch off in our minds. No more hanging on. I want to be less opinionated and more passionate about people. I want to focus less on myself and more on peace and giving people a break. I want this summer to be filled with impressions and pretty footprints that I left behind so that I will have been the one who gave and gave. Mostly though, I don't want to rush the summer away and bring on what's next. But if it does go by quickly I am not complaining. 

So this summer I am excited about hot juicy homegrown tomatoes and basil and mozzarella salads and going to the pool with the kids and cookouts with our new small group and brand new friends and blackberries in the field and strawberry mint cocktails and date nights outside with Witt and my hair growing long again and finding out what Lauren's new baby will be and the first leaf that will fall before I know it.

Life is good!

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Witt and the Infamous Pastry Crust ~ Falafels

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There is nothing like a tangy, savory falafel. I can't wait to share this recipe with you. But first, I am so lucky to have a rose garden on the property where we live. And free reign to pick the roses. I want to be unique and choose something exotic, but I can't help it. Roses are my favorite flower. What's yours?

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 You know how I mentioned that I get home later than Witt does and so he has taken on a few dinners a week? Well, he got out of the gate with a bang; Eggplant Parmesan. Tacos. Good stuff. But now he has started to understand how it feels when you get home and are tired, have dealt with work all day and would really just like to go outside and work on your birdhouses. (This is in Witt's case. I don't know how to make birdhouses). The other night Witt skipped his night to cook because there was a birdhouse in production. So the next night he decided he would make quiche which is pretty simple and straight forward. For the quiche he asked me if he should make a crust. I told him not to worry about it, since pastry can be complicated and frankly, irritating (there is nothing that makes me want to stab myself more than cutting butter into flour with two knives. Really? Who though of that? It's like trying to eat asparagus with a spoon). He said he wanted to try it anyway so I sent him a fairly easy recipe by Emral Lagasse where you use the food processor. 

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That evening I called him about 4pm, after he'd gotten off work, to see if he'd gotten my email with the recipe and to see if he had any questions. "Oh, I'm at Lowes," he informed me, "Getting more wood for my bird houses." Ok, fine. He'll get home and still have time to make it since I have to go running after I get off at 5:30. On the way to my run I called to check in and he sighed, that sigh I recognize, the one I use when I'm surrounded by flour and sugar at 10pm. "Just trying to get this crust stuff done," he said, sounding defeated. I decided that wasn't too bad of a sign. After my run I came inside the house to find Witt standing in the kitchen, fiddling with a pie plate, a glazed look in his eye. I asked him how long the broccoli had before it was ready and he said he hadn't roasted it yet. The eggs were still in the fridge. The cheese was not grated. I realized, sympathetically, that the pastry had taken him the entire time. I inwardly sighed, then started to get the quiche going.

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I got out the broccoli and the eggs and then looked in the fridge for the pastry crust. It looked good. I got some wax paper down on the bar and grabbed a glass to roll it out. As I was rolling the first particularly heavy mound, suddenly, the glass slipped from under my hand. It careened into the ceramic utinsal holder beside it, exploding into pieces and falling with what seemed like thuds onto the dough, sprinkling it with jagged edges. I dared not look up. When I finally did Witt was staring at me. I waited. Then he shrugged. "It's not worth it," he said. "Don't try to pick the glass out. Just throw it away." And just like that, grace all over me from my poor husband. I apologized profusely. He did manage to throw in his favorite word, impetuous, and asked why I didn't get out the rolling pin. I don't know, impetuous I guess!

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It's nice to be married to the gracious one. I can't say I am always that forgiving. To make up for it though, I may just have to make a few dinners to freeze over the weekend that he can heat up on his night to cook. Surprisingly, falafels are a great thing to make and freeze. They aren't time consuming and you can freeze the balls before you fry them. Thaw them in the fridge, throw them in some oil to fry and then on a pita with some tzatziki sauce, olives and peppers for a delicious and quick weeknight meal. And hummus, of course. Here is the recipe I used. I haven't made this Tahini sauce but I'm adding it because it looks really good. I also didn't use dried chickpeas, just canned ones so I changed that from the recipe.

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Tyler Florence Falafels

• 2 cups chickpeas
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 small onion, coarsely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 handfuls fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves coarsely chopped
• 1 handful fresh cilantro, leaves coarsely chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 8 warm pita bread, store bought or homemade recipe follows
• Tahini Sauce, recipe follows
• Shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, chopped cucumbers
• 
  

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Go:

Put the chickpeas in a food processor and pulse to coarsely grind, not until smooth but with no whole chickpeas remaining either. Add the baking powder, onion, garlic, spices, and herbs; process until the mixture is pureed; scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate while heating the oil, this should take about 15 minutes.

Pour 3-inches of the oil in a deep fryer or deep heavy pot and heat to 375 degrees F.

Roll the falafel mixture into ping-pong size balls. (Alternatively, use an ice cream scoop.) Carefully slip a few at a time into the hot oil, making sure they don't stick to the bottom. Fry until the chickpea fritters are a crusty dark brown on all sides, turning as needed, about 5 minutes per batch. Remove the falafels with a slotted spoon and drain on a platter lined with paper towels.

Open the pita bread halves to make pockets (don't split all the way) and put 4 fried falafels into each. Drizzle with the tahini sauce and layer with lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Serve immediately.

Tahini Sauce:

1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)

1/2 cup plain yogurt or water

1 lemon, juiced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

Pinch salt

Pinch paprika

Combine all the ingredients in a blender, process on high speed to make a smooth and creamy sauce. Adjust seasoning, to taste, and serve with falafels or as a salad dressing.

Spring Harvest Italian Soup

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I've been spending a lot of my computer time lately on Etsy editing photos I re-took of my vintage pictures. I borrowed my sister-in-law's nicer camera and tried to stage some good shots. It was raining on my day off and since our house is about as big as a small chicken coop it was very dark indoors. Much of the day later, however, they do look cuter. I am still working on putting more up but you can check it out here if you want.

Witt's computer time has been spent researching bees and worms. He has decided to become a beekeeper. I am not sure how I feel about this. On a positive note, I dislike spiders more than bees, so that's one point in their favor. Second, the bee hive will be almost in the woods and I can just admire it from afar. But still, we're inviting creepy creatures that sting to come and live near us. Yet there will be honey at some point. And bees are needed now more than ever for pollination. The worms on the other hand are for the compost he is starting which I am fine with. I grew up putting worms on a fishing line hook so they don't bother me (don't we sound like we are turning into country folk?). Composting is a great idea, I always hate wasting the stems, leaves and coffee grinds leftover from vegetables and cooking and it will help the soil in the garden.

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Speaking of vegetables, I want to share this delicious rainy day soup I made with veggies from the garden. The garden has really outdone herself in the past few weeks. Kale here, spinach there. It's amazing to me how these things can grow from seeds. And that I can grow them from seeds! Ok, wait, I can't take credit for them. The three things I planted died. But Witt's 98% of the garden has done so well. We've had enough lettuce and spinach to give away. And it's so fun to be like, oh let me go grab something, from the garden. Our radishes are huge as you can see from the picture. Radishes are one plant that I think are fun to harvest (I wonder if I can say harvest when I'm talking about radishes) because when they are ready they come up halfway out of the ground. You just pull back the leaves and one day, pop, there they are. Normally all I think about radishes are the forgettable little slices in salads, but Witt discovered online that you can actually roast them and they turn into little delicious chips. You just slice them into thin round slices and roast them with a drizzle of olive oil at 375 for about 20 minutes or until golden. They were addicting, I promise.

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This soup was perfect for yesterdays cool, rainy spring weather. It's like Italian Wedding soup but even better. As I was putting it together I kept finding vegetables I needed to use up it's packed with flavor. A very light but rich tomato broth with mushrooms and garlic, peppers and celery. The sausage adds a sweetness that contrasts nicely with the earthy taste of the spinach and kale.

Spring Harvest Italian Soup

2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 Italian sausage links, out of casing
1/2 cup red wine
12 ounces mushrooms, sliced
5 cups of chicken broth
1 14 ounce can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups shredded kale
1 cup fresh spinach, stems removed
1 14 ounce can white beans, drained
3-4 drops hot sauce
Salt and pepper

Saute the onion and sausage with the olive oil until nice and browned. Add the celery, pepper and mushrooms and red wine. Saute for about five minutes. Add chicken broth, tomato sauce, tomato paste, white beans, kale and spinach. Simmer for at least thirty minutes or until everything is tender. Add the hot sauce and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with fresh parmesan cheese and serve.

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Buon Appetito!

Dirty Lemon Martini and Spinach Garlic Cream Sauce

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One of the perks of the little brick house is the weekends and the spring evenings when we pull out the wooden table and chairs and set up dinner outside. I love this part of spring. In the winter, when I get off work its dark. Even though it's only 6pm, I feel like I'm already running late on dinner and so I hurry through the cooking and we often we end up eating in front of Wheel of Fortune (I don't know why I love Wheel of Fortune so much. I really can't help it). The evenings are just so short. But when the days are longer I feel fine taking my time getting dinner together and eating late. Witt has started taking on two dinners during the week which is really helpful for me since I get home later than he does. The first evening he made dinner he set the table outside, with flowers! and silverware and actual napkins under the forks. I was impressed, and since I can't be outdone, now when it's my turn during the rest of the week I try to set the table as well. Epecially since we're in the outdoor phase, the best phase.

This weekend was so beautiful and sunny. We spent Saturday at an outdoor flea market and then went to the Company Shops, our local health food store, for their annual wine tasting. The sun was warm but the wind was so strong I set my wine glass on the table and it blew right off and crashed to the pavement. I felt bad, until two more glasses came crashing down at another table and then I felt better. That night Witt grilled steaks and I worked on the rest of dinner.

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While some cauliflower and turnips were roasting in the oven, I made us a martini. I like all kinds of cocktails, Strawberry Mint and Berry Basil to name a few that I have concocted. Witt is not a big mixed drink guy, he prefers his scotch on the rocks, but he does like martinis. This one was really springy and fresh. I put it together myself, but I'm sure it exists somewhere and since I don't know the real name I'm calling it a Dirty Lemon Martini. If you want to be frou frou you could call it a Dirty Lemontini! It consists of equal parts Vodka and Dry Vermouth (I think sweet Vermouth would be good in this as well) and a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Add a splash of tonic water and shake it up in a shaker with ice. Strain into glasses and garnish with a twist of lemon peel.

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I am not big on sweet drinks but I was just thinking that if you are, instead of lemon juice you could add lemonade. Or add a lemon simple syrup. With a cherry thrown in. Or an olive for a more savory drink. A splash of olive juice even. If I don't stop pretty soon we'll have a whole other recipe.

 For dinner I sauteed brussel sprout halves and then squeezed lemon over them. I also made a spinach cream sauce for our steaks to use up some of the spinach in the garden. It was really good and very simple and would be yummy over brussel sprouts or chicken or pasta.

Spinach and Garlic Cream Sauce

1 cup fresh spinach leaves
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup half and half
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 tablespoons water
salt and pepper

Saute the spinach and butter and garlic until wilted. Add half and half and bring to a simmer. Mix the cornstarch in water and add to the cream mixture and stir until thick. Salt and pepper generously.

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Happy Outdoor Eating!

Syrupy Lemon Cake and Easter

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Easter morning came streaming in through my bedroom window in full force. I heard Witt downstairs doing dishes from the night before, an entire kitchen full from my lemon cake extravaganza. It never stops amazing me how Witt gets up full of energy and can do the dishes and get ready for work and hum and practically dance around the living room before 6am. It takes me fourteen tries to drag myself out of bed, grope the room for my robe and stumble down the stairs to find my contacts. When I can finally see, I have used almost all the energy I had planned to get coffee. Still, I manage. Easter morning Witt had to work which made me sad. When he left, I sat on the couch and felt sorry for myself. My family was in Atlanta, all together, opening Easter baskets with my niece and sisters. I could see Ela's excited little face, happily picking out eggs and candy and Lauren taking a thousand pictures. Mom making stevia cinnamon rolls just for Nan and I. My dad reading the Easter story from the bible at breakfast. Getting dressed with my sisters for church. As silly as it sounds, it hurt my holiday spirit that this was the first year I would not get an Easter basket. Life has been so busy I forgot all about it. Lest you think I never grew up (though I don't make any promises) my parents have always given each other baskets when I was a kid. My dad's tradition was to get my mom a new basket each year. It was always a surprise. Some baskets included a window box, a watering can and a big piece of pottery. My parents love traditions. Holidays have always been a big deal. Our family will love them too and we'll have our own traditions. It just takes time. I knew that Witt hated having to work and I knew that next year would be different and that we'd have breakfast together before spending time with our families.

As I was feeling these very un-Easter feelings, I went outside to pick lettuce to take to my in-laws for lunch. The sun was bright on the field behind the house. The grass was green and sparkling from the night before and the wind was just slightly chilly and stirring the ivy. Few cars were going by and it was quiet and peaceful. The lilies were pink and my flowers were drinking up the sun and I guess it just took my breath away for a minute.

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He is risen indeed. So even if I spent Easter morning alone, and got dressed alone, and struggled to zip my thrift store Calvin Klein $5 dress alone (my mom's amazing find!), I wasn't alone. Because this is Easter. The sun casting a shadow from the big stone that was already rolled away.

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I found this recipe on my friend Katerina's blog and I thought it sounded so light and lemony and perfect for Easter. It was, even though mine did not turn out as pretty as hers! My cheapo gas stove top has one setting, boil, and so my candied lemons didn't candy as much as almost burn, twice. And the middle would not cook through. My fault, because I had to keep opening the oven door to scrape some ingrate burnt thing from a past recipe that was smoking and continuing to smoke even after scraping. So finally, in a moment of 10 p.m desperation, I just cut the middle out! It had a nice lemony taste and the syrup looked great and so in the end it turned out fine. Witt gave it a good rating and since Witt is not even a big fan of sweets I am going to say that is a good sign. You can find the recipe here.

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After I got dressed I headed to my mother-in-law Cathy's house and dropped my cake off and rode with her to their church. After church we headed back to their house and I helped put the finishing touches on lunch with some worship Opera in the background while Charlotte had an egg hunt in the yard. Witt got off work and met us at the house and we took some pictures before lunch.

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We had a wonderful lunch of lamb, asparagus, potato and fennel gratin and deviled eggs. It was a delicious time with family.

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After helping with the dishes we headed home to relax, clean up the house a bit and sit outside for some scrabble, something we used to play all the time and hadn't in a while, and a glass of wine.

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I am not saying that Witt looks totally ridiculous here, I just like this quote and it kind of reminds me of his redneck yacht club. That makes me smile. After about half an hour we realized why we stopped playing Scrabble, our attention spans are too short. So we packed it up and headed inside. 

I hope you had a happy Easter!