Live Blogging: Gratitudes

I'm thankful for my beloved Aunt Sis, who we just learned has fallen, broken her hip (again), and is in the hospital, where she'll spend the holiday before moving to rehab.  Again.  She weighs only 88 lbs now (at nearly my height, 5' 7" ish) and is sleeping a lot.  I hope she is peaceful and comfortable.

And I'm thankful for Goo, who showed up after a full shift at the hospital (he's a third-year medical student) totally prepared to play with his niece and nephew.  They have played the piano for him, watched "What Does the Fox Say?", had a dance/gymnastics party, and made two pies--pecan and apple butter pumpkin--before settling into Minecraft now.  He is a blessing.

Month of Gratitude: Other Parents

My gratitude for the weekend was for my Small Group Ministry (SGM) of parents of young children at our UU church.  This group meets monthly to discuss issues and ideas of concern and interest to parents, such as Newtown and also the spiritual lessons of parenting.  We also have monthly potlucks, more casual gatherings with the kiddos playing together.  I joined in January and we had a summer hiatus so I haven't been to many meetings, but the tight-knit group has been very welcoming.  We aren't even the only lesbian couple with twins!!  Go figure.  Though, we are the only family of color (but UU churches are pretty white, with a few multi-racial families.)  I'm not even the only vegetarian!!  So we fit right in.

And the food this weekend was great.

Chana Saag Aloo
A creamy savoury Indian dish using potatoes, spinach and chickpeas.
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1″ cubes
2 cups cooked chickpeas (one 19oz can)
1 large onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (398mL) coconut milk, or homemade (shockingly out of this, I had to substitute water during cooking and then stirred in some Greek yogurt for creaminess at end)
1 large bunch of fresh spinach, washed, dried, and chopped into thin strips (used frozen WF mixed greens)
1 large ripe tomato, chopped (used part of box of diced)
1/3 cup nutritional yeast (optional, but adds nice body to the flavour)
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
salt to taste
In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium. Add the chopped potatoes, onions, garlic, and all the spices, and saute until the onions are translucent.
Add the cooked chickpeas, nutritional yeast (if desired), and can of coconut milk. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
Stir in the chopped spinach and tomatoes and cook until the spinach has wilted. Serve over a fragrant basmati or jasmin rice.
Makes enough for 4-6 people.

from VeganMania


Piggy Cookies
If you cover them as soon as they cool, they will remain soft and fluffy for a while, but as the days go by, they will harden and have the snap of a traditional cookie. If you want them to harden faster, don't cover them.

You can find pig-shaped cookie cutters online, or use any shape you like — but then, you need to change their name.

1 3/4 cups (10 ounces) firmly packed grated piloncillo or dark brown sugar

3/4 cup water

1 Ceylon cinnamon stick

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature, plus more for the cookie sheets

2 tablespoons honey

4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten, at room temperature, plus

1 large egg, lightly beaten, for glaze

Confectioners' sugar for dusting (optional)

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the piloncillo, water, and cinnamon and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the piloncillo has dissolved and the liquid thickens to a light syrup. Turn off the heat and remove the cinnamon stick.

Add the butter and honey and stir until they melt.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the piloncillo mixture. Mix with a rubber spatula until well combined. Add 2 of the eggs and stir until thoroughly mixed. The dough will be very sticky and gooey.

3. Place two long pieces of plastic wrap, one running horizontally and one vertically, in a medium bowl, letting the ends overhang the edges of the bowl. With a rubber spatula, scrape the dough onto the plastic wrap, then bring the edges of the wrap over the dough and secure tightly (leave the dough in the bowl). Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days.

4. Preheat the oven to 375°F, with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Butter two cookie sheets.

5. Sprinkle flour on a work surface and a rolling pin. Cut the dough in half. Working with one piece at a time, roll out the dough about 1/4-inch thick. Using a 3-inch piggy cookie cutter, press straight down on the dough to cut out cookies, moving the cutter slightly on the work surface to make it easier to lift up the cookies. Gather the scraps into a ball and roll out again. Transfer the cookies to the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them about 1-inch apart. If the dough becomes too sticky, roll it into a ball, wrap it again in plastic wrap, and place it in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes before rolling again.

6. Gently brush the cookie tops with the remaining egg. Bake in batches for 7 to 9 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed and golden on top. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Sift confectioners' sugar on top of the cooled cookies, if desired.

on NPR
Excerpted from Pati's Mexican Table: The Secrets of Real Mexican Home Cooking by Pat Jinich. Copyright 2013 by Pat Jinich. Excerpted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Month of Gratitude: Bits and Pieces

While I am trying to be more aware of my gratitude for various things, I haven't been posting daily.

I might also extend this practice beyond November.

But for today I am particularly grateful for 

• Self-cleaning ovens--no work but lots of satisfaction!  Just in time to get messy again on Thanksgiving.
• Mugs of Earl Grey tea, especially on blustery fall days, while I read Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey.
• A fully-stocked sewing box and bits of leftover fleece that Sis and Bud are making into sachets for their first lesson in sewing.
• My giant soup pot filled with chicken-tortellini soup tonight (with some tomatoes--Sis can handle them in the soup as long as she doesn't have to eat them.  Sound familiar?  They both still avoid carrots!)
• The (until Friday) readily-available camera that was my smartphone--you (and I) have missed out on pictures of fleece pillows and blankets and sachets and many other things in the last 4 days.  So, I am grateful for all of the moments I captured with my smartphone camera.

Month of Gratitude: Health and Wellness

Generally grateful for our good health, even with a cold working its way through the family (everyone but me has it) and my chronic back thing.

Also grateful for our general safety . . . this time last year, my in-laws (and the Tri-State) were recovering from Hurricane Sandy (which totaled two cars and the entire contents of their basement, including all holiday stuff and family mementos) and now hundreds of thousands of people are experiencing such severe devastation in the Philippines.

Month of Gratitude: A "New" Friend

Today I am very grateful for my friendship with Karen, of Sew and Sow Life.  We have only known each other online, though through a mutual friend, but have been reading each other's blog and FB updates for years now.

And today we met in person, for lunch--you can guess where!  Yes, Bloodroot was the perfect place.

I'm still smiling with the warmth and connection of the almost-three hour lunch (yes, we both can talk!  I think I did more than my fair share.)  I really really enjoyed meeting her in person and look forward to more connections in person and, in between, online.

And so, Karen, thank you so much for being the wonderful you I've come to know.  Thank you also for the lovely sachet, a delightful, homemade piece of your "little bit of earth."  The picture below doesn't do it justice, but I thought you'd like it better than something staged.

Until we meet again . . . hopefully sooner rather than later.

Albus loves the woodsy scent (and the string! No worries, I got it away in time.)  

Month of Gratitude: Rain, Rain, Come Today

I am very grateful for the rain, even if it's measured in 1/100ths of an inch.   My part of Connecticut is in a state of drought.  Apparently, NYC and Westchester County have been declared in a state of drought, too.  So even a little bit of rain helps.  Besides, I like the way the fall leaves glow when its overcast.  And I like drinking mugs of tea and hibernating just a bit.

Gratitude Month: Lots to be Thankful for Today

Today, I am grateful for:

• my evening ramble with the kids down to "Goose Poop" park, where they played on the playground while I watched the ducks on the pond;
• Sis's courage and curiosity in taking on the new challenge of ice skating; 
• the right to vote, which came in my grandmother's lifetime.  She was 20 when she got the vote, but, because I was young when she died, I never thought to ask her about it.

And so many more.

Month of Gratitude: The Little Things

I'm also thankful for the little things (and these aren't all of them but the ones that come to mind now):

• my high school typing class
• tea bags
• apples and peanut butter
• autumn leaves
• yarn
• quilts and afghans
• beans
• Bloodroot
• mint
• cats, penguins, bunnies, otters, pandas, koalas, hedgehogs, pugs
• candles
• chocolate
• cheese and crackers
• books
• bookmarks
• iPods
• magazines
• rainbows
• prisms
• handwritten letters
• diaries
• recipes
• bread
• purple
• Star Wars, Harry Potter, Xena, Buffy, Doctor Who
• Girl Scouts
• boat rides
• costumes
• roses
• s'mores
• Fritos
• pizza

Month of Gratitude: Catching Up

Saturday:  I am grateful for Mama.  Have I mentioned that before here?  Right now, I love how she's researching and organizing our trip to Disney World and Harry Potter World.  Her childlike excitement is infectious and her planning skills top notch.  It'll be a great trip.

Sunday:  I am grateful for my friend Vivian, who taught me how to crochet, a skill that has brought me great pleasure over the years and enabled me to make gifts for others.  Now I'm in the process of teaching Sis, who purchased two skeins of different weights of yarn, both pink, and a J hook and L hook--she thought the letters meant "gigantic" and "large."

Monday:  I am grateful for my friends, near and far, including the two I met with today, one for breakfast and one for lunch.  They are my inspiration, my support, my advisors, my confidants, my role models, my rest and relaxation.  And I hope I am theirs.

Month of Gratitude: Extracurriculars

I'm grateful today for the chance to give our children after-school activities that expand and challenge them, particularly Bud's kung fu and piano lessons and Sis's Girl Scout troop and gymnastics classes.  They derive such pleasure from these, learning new skills, meeting new friends, exploring their own interests and talents.  And I get to watch--to see Bud do a tornado kick or to hear him play "Joy to the World," to be there when Sis sells 300+ boxes of cookies and takes pride in learning to do a back bend.  It's a gift to them and to me.

Month of Gratitude: Insurance Again

Yesterday it was health insurance, today it's property insurance: I am thankful that, with the addition of a garage door today, our garage is back in working order after the accident in early September. Now we just have to fill it with the stuff in the POD!

Month of Gratitude: Health Insurance

Month of Gratitude:  Thankful for health insurance, which we've used so much in the last few years (and for Mama's job which provides it).

Month of Gratitude: Thanksgiving

I'm grateful for Thanksgiving, not only the chance to gather with family and to cook special foods, but also to contemplate gratitude itself (and compassion and generosity, especially with yearly food bank donations), as well as to reexamine the early history of European settlers and the Wampanoag who were here first.

I'm starting to work on our family menu for next week.  How is it already next week??  I think we'll have pretty much the same as always:

• turkey
• dressing (I've got leftover cornbread, homemade biscuits, and Italian bread in the freezer!)
• gravy
• homemade rolls
• cranberry sauce(s)--jellied, homemade, fresh, horseradish varieties
• sweet potatoes
• green bean casserole
• jello
• pumpkin pie
• pecan pie

The rest is up for discussion.  I'm considering broccoli rice casserole, roasted Brussel sprouts, something to snack on, and whatever Goo wants to make.  I haven't done the shopping for us yet, but I did fill a cart with sets of 10 for $10 deals at the store to donate to the food bank.  I usually get boxed stuffing, mainly because it is so much lighter to carry than canned green beans or cranberry sauce.  We'll take those to church this week.  

And I'm prepping to do a presentation on pilgrims at school for Sis and Bud's class.  I have my white pilgrim coif/cap and will wear my maroon colonial outfit (which can look 17th century for the occasion, especially with the cap.)  Of course, talking about Thanksgiving is fraught.  I don't want to whitewash the time period or present myths of a friendly "First Thanksgiving" with cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes, but it has to be appropriate for second graders.  I'm hoping to read the original account of the 1621 Harvest Feast adn talk about life for the settlers and also life for the Wampanoag, including the thanksgiving rites of both--European harvest festivals, the Strawberry Thanksgiving, and native traditions of gratitude for Mother Earth.  I might also mention what our own town looked like in 1621, which was essentially a summer village of the local tribe; Europeans only showed up 20+ years later.  I'm still conceiving of it, drawing ideas from Oyate, an organization for Native American/American Indian advocacy and education , and Plimoth Plantation, which has led the research on the original 1621 feast as well as a more accurate and responsible understanding of the Wampanoag and settlers.  

Lastly, I'm enjoying contemplating what I'm thankful for each day and posting it here.  This was yesterday's gratitude, actually.  When I reflect tonight, I wonder what I'll be grateful for today?

Month of Gratitude: Sunday and Monday

Sunday:  I am thankful for my Unitarian Universalist faith community, our second UU church, which we've been attending a little less than a year.  We're finally settling in and getting to know people, which took longer than we expected, with all the craziness of our spring . . . and summer . . . and fall.; the kids are very happy with their religious education class.

Monday:  Today, I am extra thankful for computers.  I'm working simultaneously on GS stuff and the school arts contest--emails, flyers, shopping, research.  All while watching "Doctor Who," first "Doomsday" and now "Runaway Bride."

Month of Gratitude: Arts Education

Today, as I start organizing our school arts contest, I am grateful for arts education (visual, music, dramatic, dance, literary) in our schools and educational programs in our museums. As the t-shirt reads, "Earth without art is just 'eh!'"

Month of Gratitude: Hospice

Today, I'm grateful for hospice.  I went to my hospice team meet-and-greet to met the other volunteers and staff (no, I haven't had my first patient yet due to logistics).  And I just finished a great book, The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe, a memoir about a mother-son relationship during her struggle with pancreatic cancer and their connection through books.  It was, oddly, like Mitch Albom meets Azar Nafisi (Reading Lolita in Tehran).

Month of Gratitude: Wednesday and Thursday

Wednesday:  I am grateful for snow.  I love snow.  I didn't have it as a child and I can't get enough of it as an adult.  SNOW!!!!!  It's the second thing I love best about Connecticut, right after the left-leaning citizenry.

Thursday:  I am very grateful for my physical therapist. Especially today, because I graduated from PT tonight!!!!  Surprisingly (and perhaps a bit frighteningly!), I realized she was right when she suggested I didn't need regular therapy anymore.  I hadn't seen her in a month, a month in which I'd done more things, including fall on my butt in the street, without needing immediate PT attention.   So I'll continue with Pilates and everything else, like walking everyday and limiting sitting and also being mindful. I'm so much better than where I was almost a year ago when I started with her.  I recognize that I will always have limitations and challenges, but I know better how to deal with them now, both physically and mentally.  She gave me my life back!

Month of Gratitude: Voting

Election Day, November, 1884 

by Walt Whitman

If I should need to name, O Western World, your 

   powerfulest scene and show,
'Twould not be you, Niagara--nor you, ye limitless 

   prairies--nor your huge rifts of canyons, Colorado,
Nor you, Yosemite--nor Yellowstone, with all its 

   spasmic geyser-loops ascending to the skies, 

   appearing and disappearing,
Nor Oregon's white cones--nor Huron's belt of mighty 

   lakes--nor Mississippi's stream:
--This seething hemisphere's humanity, as now, 

   I'd name--the still small voice vibrating--America's 

   choosing day,
(The heart of it not in the chosen--the act itself the 

   main, the quadriennial choosing,)
The stretch of North and South arous'd--sea-board 

   and inland--Texas to Maine--the Prairie States--

   Vermont, Virginia, California,
The final ballot-shower from East to West--the 

   paradox and conflict,
The countless snow-flakes falling--(a swordless 

   conflict,
Yet more than all Rome's wars of old, or modern 

   Napoleon's:) the peaceful choice of all,
Or good or ill humanity--welcoming the darker 

   odds, the dross:
--Foams and ferments the wine? it serves to 

   purify--while the heart pants, life glows:
These stormy gusts and winds waft precious ships,
Swell'd Washington's, Jefferson's, Lincoln's sails.

I voted today, taking part in "America's choosing day" with Sis and Bud, who were as excited about the bake sale as the ballot!  They know we support President Obama, but they kept asking why.  And I tried to explain . . . .

I voted for President Obama and the Democratic Party because I am a woman, a mother, a mother of a girl, a mother of children who might be LGBTQ, a lesbian, a married lesbian, a lesbian with a Chinese wife, a member of a bi-racial family, a person with health problems, the wife of a person with health problems, the daughter of parents on Medicare, a sister to healthcare workers, a person outside of mainstream Christian  religion, a person who supports public schools and higher education, a person in the arts not corporate America, a person who believes in federal funding for the arts and museums, a vegetarian, a mother worried about the foods and medicines she gives her family, a person worried about the environment, a person who doesn't believe in the exceptionalism of the United States, a person who believes in the responsibility of government in supporting and protecting those least able to help themselves be it because of natural disaster/ age/illness/disability/hardship, a person who believes in the government's responsibility to regulate business including agribusiness/military-industrial complex/Wall Street/Big Pharma/etc, a person who believes in national healthcare and childcare subsidies and maternity leave, and for so many other reasons . . . .

Sis and Bud, one day you'll understand . . . and one day you'll vote, too.

And I am grateful for that right to vote, which didn't exist for women when my grandmother was born in 1902.

Month of Gratitude: School

As a public-school Democrat, I am grateful for our teachers and staff.
 

Month of Gratitude: Distraction

Today, I am very grateful for penguins, sea lions, and beluga whales.

Yep, we went to Mystic Aquarium and had a wonderfully distracting and enjoyable time.  The kids didn't remember having been there before at all, which was quite surprising because I bet we'd been 6+ times!  They really liked the white whales and the sea  lion show, but of course the highlight was the penguin exhibit.  In fact, Mama and I decided that Bud was kinda like a cartoon character with hearts floating above his head every time he saw a penguin!  He would get this blissful look on his face and even tilt his head.  I think he could've watched them dive and swim all day.