I believe that everything happens for a reason. I believe in signs. I believe in synchronicity. I wrote a blog post about my New Year’s resolutions, or goals as I prefer to call them. I wrote about how I prefer to set goals on my birthday rather than January 1 but how I did the reverse this year. I wrote a post that’s probably similar to all the other New Year’s resolution posts that hit the blogosphere on 1.1.11. And then I read an old blog post that someone linked to on Facebook. This blog recommended selecting a word for the year instead of making resolutions. And I began to rethink my post. I struggled with this concept but the word “trust” quickly came to mind… …and then balance …and simplify …and the phrase release control. It was like a flood of words came to mind; I only had to harness them. Fast-forward past the champagne toasts and the much needed New Year’s Day nap and I picked up the copy of Take the Cake that’s been sitting on my night table for weeks. It was my … [Read more...]
For the Love of Apples
I love anything apple. Apple juice. Apple cider. Apple pie. Apple cake. Apple dumplings. Apple crisp. I especially love apple crisp but I never seem to make it right. I recently tried the apple crisp recipe in The Earth-Bound Cook. It came out ok but not great. I fault the baker, not the recipe. I used oat flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour because, well, that’s what I had on hand. Doesn’t quite do the trick. Pastry flour probably makes for chewier crisp. I omitted the nuts because 1) I didn’t have any because little guy is allergic and 2) I don’t like them in my desserts. In this case, I think you need the nuts for the necessary crunch. And I didn’t peel the apples because I’m lazy when it comes to peeling any fruit or vegetable. I just don’t like to. The apple peels made the apples stringy. My husband was not a fan and asked me to let him peel the apples next time. Baker fail. Overall, my version tasted like baked cinnamon apples with too many oats on top. Maybe … [Read more...]
What’s a GMO?
Did you know that yesterday was Non-GMO day? I didn’t either until I saw it on Twitter. Wait. Are you wondering what a GMO is? GMO stands for genetically modified organism. Its an organism that has been created through biotechnology, not by nature. So, then a Non-GMO is an organism that is not genetically engineered. I know. Its confusing. I didn’t understand what it meant either until I read The Unhealthy Truth by Robyn O’Brien. I had noticed Non-GMO labels on many of the organic products I was buying and thought “ok, whatever that means.” Then I got to the “Soy Secrets” chapter in O’Brien’s book and realized I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know what the label meant. It had been a foreign acronym to her, too, until her youngest was diagnosed with food allergies and she began to research the food supply. “At first I thought GMOs were a kind of nutritional supplement,” (O’Brien 64). And what she found was shocking! I don’t think I could do the book justice by paraphrasing it … [Read more...]
Eat. Pray…My A-Ha Moment
No, Eat. Pray. Love. did not change my life. That’s not what this post is about. Nor is it really about the book or the movie, although, I did read it and do play on seeing it. And this post isn’t about Elizabeth Gilbert either. Well, not exactly. She does, however, play a significant role in the moment that I keep referring to as my A-Ha moment (although, I don’t know if it’s quite up to Oprah’s definition). Last spring, I attended a local literary event featuring Elizabeth Gilbert. This annual event spotlights a published writer in an effort to increase literacy in the county. I’m all for that! As I sat in the audience listening to her talk about why she writes, I began to wonder why I wasn’t writing. If this is my passion, why am I not doing it? My husband’s been asking me the same question for years and my answer has always been: I just don’t have the time. Right there, right then, in that moment, I decided it was time. Time to make my writing a priority. Time to start … [Read more...]
