“Breaking bread is not only food inside your stomach,
it’s love you feel.”
— Yassin Terou, Syrian refugee and restaurant owner
2nd generation Pizza Monday-ers!
2nd generation Pizza Monday-ers!
Wishing everyone a Thanksgiving filled with family, friends, food and love!
Look back where you came from and let yourself feel proud about your progress….YOU’RE KILLING IT!!!
I’m not sure how I got there (possibly @wrightkitchen …gorgeous pics), but through some mutual Instagrammers that I follow…you know “you might like” “friend’s of” etc… I landed on @saltyseattle and followed her. Go check out her Insta account right now and just look at her gorgeous pasta creations! They’re colorful, fun and whimsical!
I was very lucky, and so excited, a few months ago to win The Cook’s Atelier cookbook from another Instagrammer, @thefrancophiles (have I mentioned how much I love Paris & France in general?) I’ve looked, from cover to cover, through the stunning photos and loved the stories that are shared about French life and the mother-daughter journey of getting to this place in their lives, but wow those recipes take some dedication and time. I think I am going to try the gougère recipe at some point, but that might be my only foray into French cooking. This leads me back to Salty Seattle and the excitement of finding out she had a cookbook coming out in October. Seemed a bit more manageable and fun for me.
Oh, how I wanted to make fun pasta! I ordered the book, borrowed a pasta making machine from a friend, shopped for the very specific ingredients, and had so much fun this past Saturday trying my hand at pasta making. First I read her very funny commentary throughout the book, which made it less cook-booky and then dove right in. Some people start with basics, perfect them, and then move on to the “advanced” techniques….but that’s not me. I’m impatient and wanted to make polka dot pasta, so I skipped to the “advanced pasta sheeting techniques” section and went for it! I wanted red pasta with black dots. The end result wasn’t perfect…I’m also not a perfectionist…but it was reasonably two toned, fun to make and gives me something to practice and strive for next time….i.e thinner dough, more “black” ingredient, and use of a rolling pin when making patterned dough to make it more manageable.
I realized when I was done, that the rolling out of the dough and the feeling of accomplishment when I was done was a bit akin to Pizza Monday. A fun activity that delivers yummy results…and probably different every time, like pizza! I envision future pasta making sessions with the grandkids…fun and messy…and kind of like playing with playdough!! Yes, I’m getting a simple pasta machine for myself!
Go buy this cookbook, check out her Youtube channel, and have fun making colorful pasta…no dyes, just natural colorants from nature!
NO EXCUSES!!…do it tomorrow!! Choose HOPE!
So, this past Sunday I was reading the NY Times, as I do every Sunday. The front-page news is required reading, no matter how hard, it’s necessary…the incomprehensible inhumanity to man, the ridiculous politics of our day, and, at the bottom of the page, the hope of what’s to come in the articles and pages that follow. (I’m sorry, in advance, if you can’t open/read the articles I’ve linked here…I think you can read 10 or less if you’re not a NYT subscriber??) Why did this week’s edition resonate more with me…that I felt like writing about it?
There’s the obligatory book review to see what’s new and what I need to add to the reading list; the travel section usually stirs my inner wanderlust (..like exploring the outskirts of Paris); the arts section just makes me want to live in NY and go to every exhibit and new Broadway show that’s coming (serious FOMO…not to mention the FOMO with these three);
…but what I really devour, and learn so much from, are the Sunday Styles and Sunday Review sections, which include interesting op-ed pieces. I don’t know whether I was just more receptive to the content this past weekend or whether the articles were a perfect mix of things that interest me, but, wow, I gleaned more than I usually do from these two sections for some reason.
I learned that CBD is everywhere and that I want to get this disposable pen. I learned that lots of women who decide to stop coloring their hair & go gray now have a “silver crown” that they’re proud of (I love my red-hair too much to cut the color/stylist cord). This article affirmed that writing in a journal during times of crisis, and also less stressful times, can help so much. “…journaling about traumatic or disturbing experiences specifically has the most measurable effect on our overall well-being.”…Dr. James Pennebaker. I’d never written a journal until I was 51 and I continue to do it at least once a month to keep myself in check and cultivate the gratitude that I revere. What an easy way to find meaning and see progress in your everyday life.
…who knew that there was so much to know about candy around the world?
…and finally, I learned, among other things, from this article, that the structure and purpose of my job in the attendance office of a high school might be fundamentally wrong in order for our students to reach their full potential…but, I also know that, for the time being, I have job security because the current model is unfortunately not changing anytime soon.
…here’s an interesting article that my friend, Gina, sent to me…maybe you’re a super-feeler??
Never stop learning!
Yup, there’s always something new to discover when you go to NYC/Brooklyn. Here are a few more fun things that I did this past trip while visiting Austin, Kate and 9 mth old Jude.
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…..and a couple more pics of adorable Jude!
….and a pretty Brooklyn door…
Your competition isn’t other people. Your competition is…
The lens that you wish to see the world through becomes your self fulfilling prophecy… Gloria Steinem
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!