Archive for November, 2009

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November 29, 2009

The Space for Daily Ritual

Earlier this week, my mother and I went to the local Aveda salon for spa treatments. My mother got a massage while I got a facial.  This is something that we often do together on vacations, and certainly something that I only do with my mom. I look forward to this part of our time together most of all.

At the beginning of my facial, the technician started the facial by ringing a singing bowl.   When I first heard its clear tone, I cringed and thought to myself: Ugh, really? How cheesy!  But as she dragged the tone out, I felt myself relax more deeply and I wondered why I had that intensely negative reaction.  What was it about the ritualistic moment that triggered my cynicism?As the technician poked and prodded at my face, I thought about the moments I’ve allowed ritual into my life.  Lately, the space for ritual has been less prominent than I would like.

Once upon a time, I had more room in my life for ritual.  I had little mini-altars throughout our apartment, where I would light candles and sit.  Or at least, I would light the candles every so often and admire them as I passed by.  Until my knee injury in July, I made time (almost) every morning for exercise, a practice which helped me to clear my head for the day.  I also had the semblance of a writing practice, an act which helped me remain in touch with my internal rhythms.

I feel like I once had more time for quiet reflection, which I think is now taken up by school work, day-job work, and if I’m totally honest with myself, too much television and “entertainment”. This has left me with a feeling of constant and unrelenting busy-ness, which hasn’t been healthy for me.  There haven’t been many moments recently where I’ve felt truly relaxed. The things I turn to for relaxation (hi Glee and FlashForward) have only exacerbated my tension.

Now that I’m on the homestretch for this trimester’s work, I’m looking for ways to let ritual back into my life. I don’t know what that’s going to look like yet.

I think part of it, for me, will revolve around reorganizing my home space. I have a lot of clutter in our home, but I haven’t created those small sacred spaces that I used to have in my personal space.  If I’m being honest, that to me feels a bit like window dressing, more of a decorating project than a way to allow ritual back in.  The other part, the harder part, will be for me to consider the ways I use my time.  Even if I can’t exercise, how can I give myself time in the morning for quiet and composing myself for the day ahead? Since my last paper will be finished this week (hopefully), how can I use that time for writing and not wallowing in media?

I think it may be time for me to plunge back into morning pages, a technique I’ve used on and off throughout my creative writing life.  At least until I can recover a bit of the balance that I’ve lost these last few months. Perhaps by the time winter trimester starts, I will have developed enough positive habits to propel me and sustain me healthily through the next class.

 

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November 27, 2009

Dark Days #2: Thanksgiving

Once again, I’m cheating. I never considered myself a rule breakin’ rebel, but here I go again.  For this week’s Dark Days challenge, I’m highlighting the components of my Thanksgiving meal that are local. I don’t think any one dish is 100% local, but each dish has local ingredients.

So, without further ado, my super-cheater version of local Thanksgiving:

Cranberry Sauce from an old Cooking Light recipe

Ingredients include:

local cranberries from Wisconsin
local honey from Ames Farm
local tap water :)
juice from 2 non-local oranges
non-local allspice
non-local cinnamon stick
non-local brown sugar

An interesting note about the spices.  Both were categorized as local, because they were  distributed by a Minnesota company. But the food was sourced from foreign countries. (Mexico and the Philippines, I believe.) While I understand the importance of supporting local businesses, I don’t know if its fair to categorize a food product as local if the food still uses an airplane to get to the consumer. However, it does make me wonder about the potential gradations of local eating and consumption.

Chile Roasted Acorn Squash

local acorn squash from the farmer’s market
non-local brown sugar
non-local canola oil
non-local canned chipotle chiles in  adobo sauce
non-local kosher salt

This one – not so local, except for the ginormous squash.

Sautéed Carrots with Sage from Cooking Light

This dish was our most local and also my favorite, I think. This was super easy to make and had very interesting flavor combinations.

margarine — non-local
olive oil — non-local
carrots — local from the Saint Paul Farmer’s Market
sage — local from our co-op
kosher salt — non-local

Green Beans with Bacon & Shallot dressing from Cooking Light

This one, not so local. Most of the ingredients were from out-of-state. However, the bacon is from Beeler Farms and it is the greatest bacon. If you live in the Upper Midwest, I highly recommend it.

After all those delicious sides, and a stuffing to boot, we still had our turkey.

Back in late September, we decided to go with an all-natural, locally farmed turkey, just to see the difference. While we were picking up groceries at the Farmer’s Market, we decided to reserve a 10-12 pound turkey from Bar 5 Farms.  Our little orange ticket told us that we had to pick it up from the Minneapolis Farmer’s Market between 9-12 on November 24.

Well, my mom’s in town and November 24 came and went.  We shopped, ate out, and generally had fun on November 24.  When it was November 25, I panicked.  We could get a conventional turkey, but there was no way we could find a good locally raised turkey.  Luckily, I had enough presence of mind to call the farm, just in the off-chance they still had my turkey. Lucky for me, they would be at the St. Paul Farmer’s Market from 10-4, which perfectly fit our schedule. So, disaster averted. As an added bonus, I found my carrots, some kohlrabi and some fresh garlic bread, which we’ll have tomorrow night for dinner.

The turkey, by the way, was delicious and definitely worth the drama.

So that was my somewhat local Thanksgiving. How was yours?

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November 22, 2009

Reflection

Lake of the Isles, Minneapolis taken with my camera phone

My mother arrived in town today, for the Thanksgiving weekend, as she does every year.  She used to live in Minneapolis, several years ago, but moved back to the west coast for better weather.  Back when she lived here, we used to walk around our neighborhood lakes. We called it excercise, but really, it was an opportunity for us to chat and connect. It was my favorite part of living in the same neighborhood as my mom.

Typically, when she comes back for Thanksgiving it’s too snowy or icy to walk the lakes. Yet today, we were blessed with warm (for November) weather and we walked around one of our lakes.  In fact, the weather was so calm that the lake perfectly mirrored the tree border. 

I see my mom so rarely now that she lives half across the country that it becomes a special event. We see each other twice a year and each time I get caught up in the preparations.  I clean or pack, plan activities, and cram Fun into every waking moment.  I love it, but it’s exhausting. I’m glad that today, we had this hour at the lake.   We walked, chatted, and watched mallards cut paths through the lake’s reflections, just like we used to. 

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November 19, 2009

Dark Days #1: Squash and Pasta

Inspired by last weekend’s experimentation with Butternut Squash and Greens over Pasta, my husband and I decided to modify this recipe to make it more local.  Now, I should mention that I am following my co-op’s definition of local. When they say that a product is local, it comes from Minnesota or one of our border states: Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota, or South Dakota. Depending on the producer’s location in these states, this is a bit farther than the 150 miles proposed by (not so) Urban Hennery.  However, I am sticking with it, because darn it, good produce  is hard enough to come by in the winter. I’m such a cheater.

So, my modified recipe now includes the following ingredients:

  • Acorn Squash purchased at the Minneapolis Farmer’s Market from a farmer in Brooklyn Center, MN
  • Garlic purchased at my co-op & labeled local
  • Onion purchased at my co-op & labeled local
  • Sage from RockSpring Farm in Decorah, Iowa
  • Elbow Macaroni from Dakota Growers Pasta Company, purchased at my co-op.
  • Red Pepper Flakes — crushed from a red pepper wreath we bought at the Minneapolis Farmer Market from a local grower
  • Olive oil — non local
  • Salt — non local
  • Pepper — non local

And that’s it.  I cut the Asiago cheese (from my half), because I’m unsure of the provenance.

Funny story about the pasta: While we were in the co-op, my husband and I wondered about the Dakota Growers Pasta Company.  I argued vehemently that they must grow the pasta, until my husband asked what tree elbow macaroni grows on. I imagine that it’s quite beautiful (and soggy). I learned from their website that they work directly with the wheat farmers. So there.

A note about my next week’s Dark Days post — my mother and my in-laws are coming in to town on Sunday and Wednesday, respectively. Since we’ll be entertaining, and eating out a lot, I’m going to post on Thanksgiving and highlight the parts of our meal that are locally and ethically raised and grown. 

Wait until you see our turkey…

 

This post is part of the Dark Days Challenge to make 1 meal with 100% sustainable, local, organic and ethical foods.  Check out (not so) Urban Hennery to learn more about the Dark Days Challenge and visit other participants.

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November 16, 2009

Fall’s Simple Things

The Simple Things prompt is back for the fall, hosted by Christina at Soul Aperture. I love this prompt because it encourages me to slow down, pay attention, and cultivate a little gratitude for my life.  To play along, visit this prompt and post a list of simple things that you are enjoying right now. 

My simple things include:

  • The abundance and variety of squash we’ve been enjoying this fall.
  • Working half days and quarter days
  • Re-watching one of my favorite TV shows and calling it “research for my final project”
  • Baking cranberry and chocolate chip cookies for a dinner gathering
  • Eating some of the raw cookie dough, throwing caution to the wind
  • The way my husband makes me laugh
  • Anticipating Thanksgiving, in all of its time-off, family visits, and big meal wonderfulness
  • Colder weather, which causes my kitties to snuggle more
  • Coming off a weekend where I got to spend time with my husband, study, and relax by myself… it’s been rare to get all three in lately
  • Winding down my first class in my grad program
  • Seeing the syllabus for the next class – I’m such a nerd!
  • Golden fall light in the mornings (when it’s sunny)
  • Sleeping in, even if it means I still get up earlier than I wanted

Those are the simple things that are filling my life right now.  How about you?

Don’t forget to check out the other bloggers who are participating in the prompt today!

Posted in Inspiration, Paying Attention, Uncategorized | 8 Comments »

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November 15, 2009

Me & The Oven

We don’t have the greatest relationship.  In fact, I’ve come to cooking pretty late, compared to most people.  When I was a teenager, I resisted all attempts to learn cooking, since it seemed too expected of me as a girl and future wife.  In my twenties, I fell in love and married a man who was an excellent cook, so I didn’t need to learn anything beyond the microwave.  Lucky me. 

These days, I realize that I want to learn how to cook.  I’ve always loved eating, so it seems natural to me (after 32 years) that I should know how to cook it well.  So, I’ve been subscribing to cooking magazines, accumulating cookbooks, and reading some cooking blogs. I also spent six weeks acting as the main cook in the house, while the husband taught some evening classes. And it’s all starting to rub off on me. 

In the past week, I’ve bought 3 very cool cookbooks: Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry, Almost Meatless by Joy Manning, and How to Eat Supper by Lynne Rossetto Kasper.  Since buying them, I’ve been itchy to try a recipe or two. So last night, when our plans broke down, I decided to try something out of How to Eat Supper.  With our excess squash, I made Sweet Roasted Butternut Squash with Greens over Bowtie Pasta.

I don’t know if it’s the extra practice or the accessibility of this particular cookbook, but this was one of the first times that I’ve tried a recipe where everything worked like it should have.  The cooking time was exactly right, even with some squash and greens substitutions, nothing was burnt and it turned out wonderfully.  (Sorry, I was too busy eating to take a picture.)

I can’t quite describe the feeling of victory I felt when this relatively easy recipe turned out right.  It felt similar in some ways to writing a poem or making a collage, in that I had that sense of a flow experience.  It also felt like good stress relief after a busy week at work, which cooking has never felt like before. 

So, I think I’m going to continue to play some more and nail down this cooking thing once and for all.

Posted in Filling My Well, Food | 2 Comments »

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November 9, 2009

Reframing My Week

empty maple

This week, I will breathe before doing.
This week, I will focus on all that I have, rather than all that I do not have.
I will notice all the time that is left, not all the time I have lost.
This week, I will relax into my work, instead of bracing against it.
This week, I will take time to care for myself.
This week, I will assume abundance. 
I will take joy in the work that I do and remind myself of the ways it fills me.
This week, I will ask for help when I need it.
I will remember that it is more than just work and studying, it is the work and the studies I have chosen.
This week it will change, because I am changed.

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November 6, 2009

Dark Days Challenge 2009-2010: I’m In!

I think I must be crazy.

After all, I live in Minneapolis, where it can get to be -40 for up to a week at a time.  Before windchill.  One of the most difficult things about winter here is that it feels like all of the good produce disappears. We’re left with watery yellow rocks that we call “oranges.” They’ve been shipped from South America and they taste like it. 

I know this, and yet, I also know that we have a pretty good local food chain here.  I know of lots of people who eat locally and eat well. (Maybe they are urban myths.) After shopping at my co-op all last winter, I’ve already spied the staples that are local.  Knowing this, I’ve decided that I want to participate in the 3rd Annual Dark Days of Winter Eat Local Challenge hosted by the (not so) Urban Hennery. 

Yep, I’m crazy.

Here are the rules: 

Between November 15, 2009-March 31, 2010, I will make one dish a week that focuses on Sustainable, Organic, Local, Ethical (SOLE) ingredients.  I will cook it, take pictures of it, eat it, and write about it on this blog. 

Here are my caveats:

  • I live in Minnesota.  It will be winter. Every single ingredient may not be local. In fact, I say now that I will definitely be using non-local oils and spices.  I may have to supplement with some processed (canned or frozen) foods, but I will do my best to choose foods that are made within 150 miles of my home. 
  • I will be freezing a lot of squash soup now.  This will count.
  • You may see a lot of pictures of eggs and toast, because I know they sell a good SOLE egg at my co-op and they bake fresh bread there, daily.
  • I may freak out and give up in February, but I will have made it to February.

So, this is my plan. Looking at the group of participants, there are not that many in the Midwest. I think we’re realistic, us Midwestern-ers.  Except for me, apparently, but I’m chalking that up to the Californian in me. 

I feel it important to mention that I am inspired by a certain friend who ran the lovely Simple Spoonful. She did this challenge last winter. Hint. Hint.

If you would like to participate in the Dark Days Challenge, click on the button in my sidebar or visit (not so) Urban Hennery.

 

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November 1, 2009

What I Was, Yesterday

I dressed up as an unfinished poem.

unfinished 1

Note the eyes bleeding ink and the mouth that is stitched closed.

unfinished 2

I took this in the bathroom mirror, so the “Write Me” is actually written backwards. Redrum, redrum!

unfinished 4

I didn’t get a very good picture of the full effect, as it gets very dark in our condo after the sun sets. So, this morning I took a picture of the piece de la resistance, the skirt. It was an $8 silver satin skirt from a thrift shop, which I decorated with the drenched flowers and half-finished lines of poetry.

Yesterday, I was asking my husband why it couldn’t be Halloween every day. 364 more days until the next costume.

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