happy halloween

                                                        hope everyone had a great night.

love sent, xo

world champs.. and a new fan

                                                                   this sums it up.
                         fantastic day to be a BOSTON RED SOX  fan!  AWESOME!

                    baby ryan,  the littlest fan,  arrived just in time to watch the sox win the world series.
               congratulations jill and steve.  love this new addition to our extended family.  love you guys.

love sent, xo

Let's Go Red Sox!!!!

love it.

yesterday i received a card in the mail from a friend.  really, it truly made my day.  it brought me back to childhood when getting something in the mail was so much fun. i get tons of mail every day mostly junk, bills, and occasionally,  an invitation.  so it was such a sweet surprise. it reminded me how such a gesture can mean so much.  it has inspired me to have a few cards on hand to send out for a spontaneous pick me up.  a simple note that just might make someone's day.

 i know it did mine.

love sent, xo

arugula salad with carmelized acorn squash

some nights dinner can be so easy.   there might already be some soup in the refrigerator that all you have to do is warm it up,  but unfortunately we didn't have that tonight.   i am not a big salad person but this might change my mind.  it looked so colorful and tasted fantastic.  when you need to watch the red sox and you want to make it quick and easy,  this is perfect.  plus after a weekend of eating maybe not so healthy and you know you have the burnt caramel bourbon ice cream with milk chocolate toffee that you made on the weekend.  the calories balance out = 0.
this is a basic vinaigrette to keep in your repertoire. 

ingredients:

2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 acorn squash, sliced in 1/2-inch thick rounds and seeds removed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 cup whole pecans, chopped
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
6 cups baby arugula
1 avocado, sliced
1 pomegranate, arils removed
1 seedless cucumber, sliced

pomegranate ginger vinaigrette
1/3 cup pomegranate juice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 garlic clove, freshly grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup olive oil

directions:

heat a large skillet over medium heat and add coconut oil. cover the squash slices with salt and pepper, then add them to the skillet and cook until golden, about 5 minutes per side. if desired, you can add the brown sugar to help the squash caramelize. heat a small saucepan over low heat and add the pecans. toast until they are slightly golden and fragrant, stirring and shaking the pan as they toast, for about 5 minutes. toss them with the pumpkin pie spice.
add the arugula to a large bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper. add in the avocado, pomegranate, cucumber, pecans and squash pieces. cover in the pomegranate dressing.
pomegranate ginger vinaigrette
combine pome juice, vinegar, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl and whisk together. stream in the olive oil while constantly whisking until the dressing comes together. store in the fridge for up to one week.

love sent, xo

listen.

it's the end of october and i sit here this morning looking at the clouds stretched across the sky and  they look like cotton.  i walk out into the yard soaking up the sunshine between the trees and think of all the things i want to do today.  but just for a moment i stop and listen to the sounds.
i can hear the bells from the church in the center, the church we actually got married in and it makes me smile. birds churp and i can hear the rustle of the leaves, fall is in full swing.    it's all so normal the sounds of my neighborhood but it's different when you close your eyes and really listen.
today is taking on a magical shape, so even if it's just for a minute i'll take it.  

hope you have a great day.

love sent, xo

pasta with melanzane and tomatoes

the final basket of produce from our garden.

and dinner from it.

1 bag of wide noodle pasta ( or any pasta you like)

4 tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves of garlic chopped
1 small eggplant cubed
1/2 jar of grilled sun dried tomatoes chopped
4 small tomatoes chopped
a handful of baby spinach leaves
4 small thick slices of smoked mozzarella chopped
2 leaves of basil for garnish
salt and pepper
shaved parmesan cheese
bring a medium pan of water with 2 tsp salt  to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to directions.

sauté garlic in olive oil until fragrant,  add chopped eggplant and sauté about 3-5 minutes. 
add chopped sun dried tomatoes saute 1 minute.  toss in chopped tomatoes and  sauté about 3 minutes
add spinach and cook about 2 minutes more.  add the smoked mozzarella and turn off the heat.  it will melt just enough.

drain the pasta and place a heaping scoop in each bowl. spoon over the melanzane mixture.
sprinkle with parmesan cheese and basil for garnish.

love sent, xo

dear dad

it is three years ago today since you left this earth and  i miss you every day.

there is  this song i listen to when i miss you and it helps me know i am never without you.  your guidance is always near.

Just for today when my heart feels like breaking, I will stop and remember that grief is the price we pay for loving and the only reason I hurt is because I had the privilege of loving so much." 

....Vicki Tushingham

“I don’t know where you are these days, what’s broken down and what’s beautiful in your life this season. I don’t know if this is a season of sweetness or one of sadness. But I’m learning that neither last forever. There will, I’m sure, be something that invades this current loveliness. That’s how life is. It won’t be sweet forever. But it won’t be bitter forever either. If everywhere you look these days, it’s wintery, desolate, lonely, practice believing in springtime. It always, always comes, even though on days like today it’s nearly impossible to imagine, ground frozen, trees bare and spiky. New life will spring from this same ground. This season will end, and something entirely new will follow it.”

- Shauna Niequist, Bittersweet 

love you to the moon and back.
forever. 
xoxo

great weekend!

unbelievable game. unbelievable!  now - on to the world series!!   go red sox!

                                                                                  love them.

seriously,  m used to hate crowds when she was little.  this is a party at one of the houses at keene during pumpkinfest. i guess she got over her dislike of crowds.  yikes. so glad i left.

my two loves.

some of the pumpkins were so creative.  i am sure there were many kids who felt like this the next day.

love sent, xo

around here...

here's to good days, a good week,  and a small sampling of what was on the menu.

happy almost friday.

  

loving the view from my kitchen window these days...

simple crock pot beef and broccoli

ingredients

1 lb         boneless beef chuck roast ( the kind you would buy for stew)

1 c          beef broth

1/2 c       soy sauce

1/3 c       brown sugar

1 Tbsp    sesame oil

3 clove   garlic, minced

2 Tbsp   cornstarch

2 Tbsp   sauce from the crock pot after being cooked

              fresh broccoli florets (as many as desired)

              hot cooked rice

directions

1.      place beef in a crock pot.

in a small bowl, combine beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, and garlic.

pour over beef. cook on low for 6-8 hours.

2.     in a cup, stir 2 Tbsp of cornstarch and 2 Tbsp sauce from the crock pot until smooth. add to crock pot. stir well to combine.   add broccoli to the crock pot. Stir to combine.

3.    cover and cook an additional 30 minutes on high (the sauce has to boil for it to thicken).

serve over hot cooked rice

 pumpkin ice cream

cinnamon raisin bread

my work from home lunch... i love working from home

sausage soup with tortellini and kale
find the original version here  i just added tortellni and kale.

kale salad with sweet potato and bacon with butternut squash ravioli

love sent, xo

the hardest part of change is the anticipation that comes before it...

the whole time i kept thinking, i wish i had the words, and if there were just words  i could begin. but there weren’t words and so instead i just nodded.

those thin lines between now and later,  open and closed, between one thing and another,  between life, and whatever comes after.
i glance at the table next to us,  there are old women gathered around with coffees and wrinkled hands and i think about their husbands now.  if they have them,  if they ever did, if they are good. the women nod, lean in, sip from their cups, they share their stories.  i silently feel so grateful for my life and realize i too, have had struggles, mostly internal, not something i have shared with many.  i have been so lucky, so very lucky. i look at my friend and there is no way to interpret the language of the heart.  i wish i had some better advice.

i tell her "you have these thoughts and choices and a thousand paths that can take you in a million different directions." we all go through trials, there are no right answers -  there are many answers,  and even more questions.  at some point she will just know. she and only she will know what to do.

in the dark, past midnight, past making love, past the news, past the promise of tomorrow,  i still think about her words and her confusion. 

i wish her the courage to live life as it changes, as the faults that went unseen in the initial rush of newness emerge, to adapt, and continue and be happy.

i hope she finds comfort in small moments, moments of knowing she is not alone.   and i wish her strength through all the big ones.

love sent, xo

dear universe,
i am constantly amazed at your timing and how you always seem to bring people into (and out of) my life with such explicit purpose. i feel moved and changed and inspired by so many people in ways that i cannot put into words.

thank you.

life is for exploring...

happy friday, hope you have a great weekend!.

love sent, xo

comfort food

when the nights begin to get dark early and there is a chill in the air,  my body craves the comfort that a warm meal can provide.   when i think of simple comfort food, chicken pot pie is one of the first things that comes to mind.

this could not be easier and can be easily made up any week night.  

simple chicken pot pie

a whole cooked chicken (you can buy this at any grocery store)
1 pkg frozen puff pastry (thaw for 40 minutes) you only need one sheet
1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables
3 garlic cloves (chopped)
1 small onion (chopped)
1+ tbsp. olive oil
4 tbsp. butter
4 tbsp. flour
2 cups chicken broth

thaw the puff pastry, either in the fridge overnight (if you are very organized), or remove from its package and thaw on the counter 40 minutes prior to use (my usual method).

dust the counter with flour, and gently unfold the puff pastry sheet—it's important to ensure that the pastry has completely thawed before you unfold, preventing any creases or tears.

shred the chicken and put aside.
add a tbsp. of olive oil in a medium sauté  pan,  add the chopped garlic and onion,  cook until the onion is
translucent about 3 min.  add the bag of frozen vegetables and sauté for another 3-5 minutes.
in another pan melt 4 tbps of butter and then whisk in the 4 tbsp. of flour, stir continually to make a rue.  when it is thickened slowly add the 2 cups of chicken broth.  when the sauce is the consistency of gravy add the shredded chicken and vegetables.  add salt and pepper to taste. 
pour into a 10 inch deep dish pie shell or a ceramic dish.
place the thawed puff pastry on top.  press along sides to make the crust.  with left over dough
you can make a little heart for the top. 

bake at 400 degrees for about 25 min. or until golden brown.

enjoy.

love sent, xo

walking under an autumn sky...

we headed out early on friday determined to make the weekend last as long as possible.

a beautiful fall weekend with no commitments.

just enough time to enjoy these early days of fall. enough time to take in all the beauty that the changing leaves provide.  the days sparkle and make my heart ache.  i know how much you loved this time of year.  it is so ironic that this would be the time of year you would leave this world.  these days won't last, as they never do,  and lucky this aching feeling won't last either. sometimes your absence from the world is so painful,   but there are so many wonderful memories and i know you watch over us.   i miss you dad.

after a beautiful dinner over looking the lake, we arrived at the house about nine.
the weekend was filled with memorable moments.  i sat on the deck wrapped in a blanket and felt the cool wind briskly blowing through the trees.  the early morning brought with it thick fog.. and cider donuts, many leaves already littering the entire driveway.  it was such a peaceful comforting view.  we had our first fire of the season and it smelled divine.
this house teaches me the secrets of how important it is to slow down and enjoy the peacefulness..
enjoy the ordinary days.

my dad's favorite tree

my favorite spot.

Ella winning second place in the scarecrow contest
(the fryeburg fair)  ---   love.

hope you had a wonderful weekend as well.

"these are our few life seasons.  let us live them as purely as we can, in the present".   anne dillard

love sent, xo