Reflections of Summer

Yesterday, I returned to work. After 5 1/2 weeks of no work, I have returned to my job, along with 700 other fellow employees. This week, as with all first weeks in years past, we go through orientation, various training and inservices, and get ready for our students to arrive next week. These are the days we all look at each other and wonder, "Where did the summer go?".

I look back at the things I said I would do this summer, and laugh at my absurdity. Work out one hour a day!?!?!? Who was I kidding? I did, however, learn to like walking, and found that I could happily walk myself into town to run some errands. I also like getting up out of my very uncomfortable beach chair to wander down to the ocean and walk in the waves.

We did not get to Vermont or to Maryland to visit loved ones. We did get to drive up and down the coast of Maine, reconnecting with our boys and our love of the wild terrain that state has to offer.

I read some great books - The Time Traveler's Wife, The Schwarzbein Principle (for the 4th time), Everyday Grain-Free Gourmet, and some of Suze Orman's books on finances.

We took apart the bathroom, pulling out the really disgustingly colored blue tile and replacing it with lovely white tile. The room is not finished, but at least it's been started. Perhaps we'll wait until next summer to get the rest finished (gulp).

I made some great meals - when I wasn't complaining about the rain, or the intense heat and humidity. I learned how to satisfy my savory cravings with fresh latin food.

I learned how to block out constant chaos and pounding as the house next door began it's transformation. I tell you - it takes all my strength not to holler, "Be Quiet!!!" at their incessant hammering, sawing and yelling. But hey - they tell me it will be beautiful. I think it's different when the contractor tells you that so you'll be more patient - when it's your own house that they are making the noise on. When it's someone else's house - WHY SHOULD I CARE IF IT'S GOING TO BE BEAUTIFUL??? It's still terribly disruptive.

Ah. But back to summer ending. What will Fall hold? I happen to adore Fall. Every little thing about it just tickles my fancy. I love the leaves turning, the crisp sound of them crunching underfoot as you walk through the park. I love the chilling of the air - gone are the thoughts of humid sunrises where breathing was challenging. Here come the slow-cooked meals, long-simmered soups and casseroles. Mulled cider and wine have my name all over them.

How about you? What do you look forward to as summer comes to a close and Fall comes down the road? Will you miss the summer, or look forward to the next adventures to come?

Summer's Over Tostadas

Had to - just had to come up with a new recipe for the blog. (And oh, by the way - you're getting four with this post tonight!!) It's been weeks since I last gave you a mindful dose of cookin'. I was reading the article about Jennifer Aniston's cooks who made this super-yummy looking tostada and salad meal. I was really inspired to use kale in my tostadas, as I am always looking for new ways to get my kids to eat greens. What follows is my rendition, which is why I can name it. Please let me know if you make it, and tell me what you think.

By the way - many weeks ago, I asked for your recipes to put into a menu plan. I haven't forgotten, still have what you sent, and welcome more additions. This project asks for more time than I was able to give it this summer to complete it, but I'm almost done with a 2-week trial for your perusal. Feel free to send me more ideas!

Summer's Over Tostadas

Preheat over to 400 degrees F. Brush olive oil over one side of 18 corn tortillas. Bake for approximately 8-10 minutes on a cookie sheet (I had to do mine in batches) or until browned. You may want to turn them over, but you will not need to brush more oil on. Remove from over and let sit.

Topping:

2 cans black beans

3 scallions, minced

2 T feta cheese (optional)

1/2 C chopped greens (I used swiss chard because that is what I had on hand. You could use chard, kale, bok choy, or other leafy green)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 C monterey jack cheese, shredded

Put all ingredients except monterey jack cheese in a large bowl to mix. Spread 2T bean mix over each baked tortilla. Put back in over and bake until cheese melts and bean mixture is hot.

Top with salsa verde, guacamole, sour cream. Serve with Enchanted Salad.

Salsa Verde

12 tomatillos, husked and chopped

4 scallions, minced

1 large handful cilantro, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3T Apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

1 jalapeno pepper, minced (optional)

To make this salsa the easy way, put everything in the food processor and pulse until somewhat chopped and uniform in texture to your taste. Refrigerate after using. Makes about 1 cup. Use to top tostadas.

Enchanted Salad

3 Cups various salad greens, torn into bite-sized pieces (I used Organic microgreens)

1 red pepper, chopped

1 avocado, cut into small slices

1 blood orange, peeled, cut into large chunks

Mix all ingredients, putting avocado and orange pieces on top (they look pretty there!).

Dress with Cumin Dressing, below

Cumin dressing

1/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 C Apple Cider Vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

1 T cumin

Mix all ingredients and pour over salad. So good. So, so good. Mmmmmm.

Ambrosia Delight

(in honor of my mother)

Fill a large drinking glass (16oz) with ice. Pour in 1/2 cup both pineapple and guava juice. Fill the glass with Seltzer (or Sprite) and mix with a spoon.

* Double check that the juice you use for this drink is only juice - no sugar, additives, etc. Sometimes the guava nectar is only fruit and gives the drink a nice, smooth texture. Ah yes, 'Ambrosia', my mother would say.

Viva La Salsa!

One thing I love about summer is farmers markets. One thing I love about farmers markets is freshness. On thing I love about freshness is...

SALSA!

You know, it's really so simple to make, yet so many people are truly amazed at how incredible fresh salsa tastes. And what's great is you can alter it in so many ways. You could make it spicy, nose-dripping hot (sorry), or much milder. You could use fruits such as watermelon, papaya, mango or peach. You could use no tomatoes whatsoever and make a salsa verde of sorts. Tomatillos or not. Onions or not. Super garlicky or not. Truly an improvisationalist's dream in cooking!

Here's my basic recipe - but you have to promise me you'll play with it to come up with new versions (then share them here!).

Viva La Salsa!

Makes approximately 4 cups

6 plum tomatoes, quartered

6 tomatillos, de-husked and quartered

2 cloves garlic

1/2 red onion, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

juice from 1/2 lemon

1/4 Cup apple cider vinegar

Salt to taste

hot pepper - do what tastes right to you: I use 1/2 small jalapeno pepper (no seeds) and it is pretty spicy. If you want the pepper taste but not the spice, try a lesser hot pepper, such as an Italian (or others). Always use caution opening and cleaning hot peppers as the oil becomes airborne and is quite easy to inhale. It also gets on your fingers (some folks use gloves) and can irritate your skin, or get into your eyes if you rub them. Wash your hands immediately after finishing with the pepper part of this recipe.

Put everything in the food processor. I typically do the tomatoes first, pulsing to get them just chopped but not too juicy. I do the same for the tomatillos. After pulsing, I put each of these ingredients into a medium sized bowl. Then comes the rest of the ingredients, including the pepper, if using. This time, you can let the processor run a bit longer, because this part can be more juicy. Put everything in the bowl and mix. Salt to taste. Add more vinegar/lemon if it needs more bitter, pungent flavors. In fact you could adjust any part of the recipe at this point to make it taste more to your liking.

Just don't expect it to stick around too long!

Enjoy!

Tomorrow's the Day!

Hooray! Tomorrow is my last day of work until September!

I have been looking forward to this day for a very, very long time. Last week I wrote about getting ready to sink my teeth into summer break. Now it is practically on top of me, and I must say, it feels fine. After posting last week, I started wondering... "Should I have made more plans for the month? Should I have booked some trips? Should I have made plans to remodel a room? Should I have organized some friendly gatherings? Will we be bored? Will we eat each other alive? Will we become slaves to the television?"

Ah. So it took a couple of days for me to relax from that anxiety-producing monologue. Now I can't wait to have a few crash days - days where we just let things happen slowly and quietly. Then we will take it as it comes. We have some ideas such as going up into Vermont to visit friends, or going south to Maryland to visit family. I would like to paint our dining room, but for those of you who live in humid climates like we do, you may understand how painting in humidity is not a treat, and not for those who do not like to sweat (such as Me!).

I have made a contract with myself to make sure I spend an hour each day exercising in some way. I can go to the gym, take a walk, use an exercise video, whatever. But an hour per day it must be. This may seem harsh to those who know that I am learning some self-compassion, but I really need a hard and fast rule to actually get out there and take care of myself.

Something my husband and I are working on is an activity program for our younger son. We brain-stormed on it into the wee hours last night, and I'm pretty excited about it. Currently just an idea right now, what I can share with you is that we are looking to develop a monthly program for boys and a parent (mom or dad) to build, create, explore, discover, learn and have a really great time. After seeing what an amazing time our son is having at an invention camp he is in, we want to recreate the experience throughout the school year, adding other boys his age (11). We thought of activities such as:

1. Building go-karts
2. Building ice forts
3. Building volcanoes that actually erupt without spewing all over the kitchen
4. Building model rockets
5. Cooking a full meal
6. Building a robot
7. Building inventions from trash and broken or disabled equipment
8. I'm sure many other ideas will surface as we contemplate cool stuff

We have nothing against girls - in fact, being surrounded by boys all the time makes me long to do things with more girls. However, we feel our son needs some real rough and tumble activities to learn how to make friends his own age, while doing things that do not involve a screen. When girls are involved, he tends to shut down or be obnoxious (he's just that age), completely bypassing the whole point of the gathering.

Have you ever done this? We will be focusing on the 11-12 year old boys in our town, helping our son to reach out to a wider circle of friends than the one or two he has now. We have several books with activities, such as "The Dangerous Book for Boys" as well as others, which I will consult for good ideas. But please - if you or someone you know has ever done this, do share your thoughts or ideas. Even if you haven't done this, but have thoughts or ideas, I would love to hear them. No one I know has done this, so I have nothing to go by as of yet. Of course, that won't stop me (he he).

I think it's going to be an amazing summer.

And by the way - another giveaway is coming!! Check back with me tomorrow!