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.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Friday, October 11, 2013
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
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
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
Monday, October 7, 2013
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
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
Thursday, October 3, 2013
on my love of food.
there is just something about food.
to me, even an ordinary dinner can speak volumes. at least that is my perspective. i know not everyone can understand this, but some of my most intimate and involved relationships have revolved around food. to me, cooking and eating together = love.
i have always taken pride in our family dinners. as the years have passed the dinners have changed. we no longer have the chaos of a young family, which was both wonderful and maddening, and it is something i have sorely missed. we still have dinners together just not as routinely as we used to. but it means a lot to me that i have taught my children how important it is to take some time to enjoy a meal together and i am grateful to have had the opportunity to instill this ritual in our family.
i feel eating connects people in such a good way. perhaps it goes back to my childhood where my mother always saw to it that we sat down to a proper meal each evening. we learned a lot about each other around the dinner table. my memory of my own family growing up is that of a full dinner every evening with a million friends, a phone that was always ringing, a lot of plans, dinner parties, coffees, and people stopping by just because. one of my mother’s many gifts is her immediate and expansive warmth, the genuine way she welcomes everyone into her life.
she taught me you can experience a whole country through food without ever having been there. cooking has always been my easiest way of understanding the world. i can relate to food- it's just that simple.
there are still so many things in life i want to do and experience - food and travel are at the top of that list. when i have travel thoughts in my head they usually consist of a huge table filled with all sorts of dishes from wherever i am dreaming about traveling to. when i visited france i was truly amazed at the government decree that children spend a minimum of 30 minutes at the lunch table. meals aren't just about eating but also about socializing with friends. teaching children to patiently sit thorough meals and enjoy conversations with loved ones is such an important skill in life.
when we visited italy all my dreams came true. the food, the people, the connections, it was everything
i ever thought it would be. and of course, food was at the center of it all.
so maybe for today you can take some time to plan and enjoy a special meal with someone you love.
i think candles, tablecloths, and special dishes make things magical.
"all great change in america begins at the dinner table."
Ronald Regan
love sent, xo
to me, even an ordinary dinner can speak volumes. at least that is my perspective. i know not everyone can understand this, but some of my most intimate and involved relationships have revolved around food. to me, cooking and eating together = love.
i have always taken pride in our family dinners. as the years have passed the dinners have changed. we no longer have the chaos of a young family, which was both wonderful and maddening, and it is something i have sorely missed. we still have dinners together just not as routinely as we used to. but it means a lot to me that i have taught my children how important it is to take some time to enjoy a meal together and i am grateful to have had the opportunity to instill this ritual in our family.
i feel eating connects people in such a good way. perhaps it goes back to my childhood where my mother always saw to it that we sat down to a proper meal each evening. we learned a lot about each other around the dinner table. my memory of my own family growing up is that of a full dinner every evening with a million friends, a phone that was always ringing, a lot of plans, dinner parties, coffees, and people stopping by just because. one of my mother’s many gifts is her immediate and expansive warmth, the genuine way she welcomes everyone into her life.
she taught me you can experience a whole country through food without ever having been there. cooking has always been my easiest way of understanding the world. i can relate to food- it's just that simple.
there are still so many things in life i want to do and experience - food and travel are at the top of that list. when i have travel thoughts in my head they usually consist of a huge table filled with all sorts of dishes from wherever i am dreaming about traveling to. when i visited france i was truly amazed at the government decree that children spend a minimum of 30 minutes at the lunch table. meals aren't just about eating but also about socializing with friends. teaching children to patiently sit thorough meals and enjoy conversations with loved ones is such an important skill in life.
when we visited italy all my dreams came true. the food, the people, the connections, it was everything
i ever thought it would be. and of course, food was at the center of it all.
so maybe for today you can take some time to plan and enjoy a special meal with someone you love.
i think candles, tablecloths, and special dishes make things magical.
"all great change in america begins at the dinner table."
Ronald Regan
love sent, xo
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
dear october...
i think i say this every month, but again, i can not believe we are turning the page on another month.
october makes me want to wrap myself up in a quilt, eat bowls of soup and burn pumpkin spice candles all over the house. october has some heart hurting memories for me and i can't look at the month and not remember them. it's not that i don't think of those memories at other times, it's just that sometimes my heart is not prepared for some of the feelings that surface at this time of year. *sigh*
but it's just another confirmation of the balance of easy and hard that we all have to live through.
i guess this week summer is returning, and i must say, i am totally looking forward to it. sunshine always makes me feel better.
this month i plan to:
stay focused
listen to new music
sing in the shower (be glad you can't hear this)
make lists
take walks
get lots of rest
allow myself to make mistakes
count my blessings
plan a dinner party
burn pumpkin spice candles
be open
read more books
eat cider donuts
take more pictures (this might not be possible)
reflect on the memories.
love sent, xo
october makes me want to wrap myself up in a quilt, eat bowls of soup and burn pumpkin spice candles all over the house. october has some heart hurting memories for me and i can't look at the month and not remember them. it's not that i don't think of those memories at other times, it's just that sometimes my heart is not prepared for some of the feelings that surface at this time of year. *sigh*
but it's just another confirmation of the balance of easy and hard that we all have to live through.
i guess this week summer is returning, and i must say, i am totally looking forward to it. sunshine always makes me feel better.
this month i plan to:
listen to new music
sing in the shower (be glad you can't hear this)
make lists
take walks
get lots of rest
allow myself to make mistakes
count my blessings
plan a dinner party
burn pumpkin spice candles
be open
read more books
eat cider donuts
take more pictures (this might not be possible)
reflect on the memories.
love sent, xo
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