So, is everybody still full from the holiday madness? Christmas cookies, potato latkes, briskets, turkey, pie, eggnog...what have you. I know, New Year's Eve is right on the doorstep; the last big blowout before the resolutions and diets begin. But I thought I'd start thinking about 2015 now. I think I am anxious to put this year to rest. It started out great, but is losing steam in these last few weeks.
Things have been weird here in the Animal House. Lots of unrest I'd rather not get into. Suffice it to say that I have sort of circled the wagons and have not done a whole lot of shopping for food. So I haven't done much cooking to brag about. I did, however, make a bitching batch of granola today. I've been threatening to do that for awhile, and I found myself with time to do it. It was a great way to clean out the cabinets and fridge. Here's what I found to throw in a bowl:
Regular oats (not steel cut) I guess it was about a quart
Some pepitas, chia seeds, chopped cashews, chopped raw almonds, cactus honey powder (think agave sugar) and flax that has been living in the back of my refrigerator forever
Then I combined:
About a 1/2 cup of vegetable oil, the rest of a bottle of flaxseed oil that was also living in the dark recesses of the fridge (it was only about a teaspoon), about a tablespoon of vanilla, a shot of maple syrup, and about a 1/4 cup of what my sister-in-law calls peach syrup that she cans.
I mixed all the wet and dry together, spread on an oiled sheet pan, and cooked at 250 for about 2 hours, stirring every once in awhile. Once it came out and cooled, I added all of the last bits of all of the dried fruits I've been keeping; craisins, cherries, blueberries and chopped up apricots.
Holy cow is this stuff good! I had some this morning with a dollop of coconut Greek yogurt. Lisa had two bowls with almond milk.
Let me tell you something, when you put that much flax into your breakfast, your stomach makes interesting noises for the rest of the day...
Ok, let's change the subject. What are you all doing for NYE? I never go out. I spent most of my life working in a kitchen on the big night, so ended up ringing in the new year with my restaurant family. Now that I no longer work nights, I prefer to stay home. Last year, I made a big fancy meal with oysters, lobster risotto and chocolate peanut butter mousse. (check out the blog entry) This year, I think it will just me some snacky foods. A big bowl of steamed edamame with sea salt, some Old Bay and garlic shrimp I will wrap in foil and cook on the grill, probably some bruschetta with tomato topping and an artichoke topping. Who knows what else? We will see where the mood (and about 20 bucks) takes me. I already have the bubbles chilled. Last year for my birthday, my friend Suzie Rogers gave me a bottle of something called "The Chook". It is a sparkling shiraz; red, dry and delicious. I've been saving it for...oh hell, I've been saving it for too long, it's time to enjoy it. As we did last year, Lisa and I will have a rousing game of Jenga. Maybe we will even stay awake to watch the ball drop. Maybe not. Call me old, but it's really losing its luster since Dick Clark left us.
Anyway, I want to get my you-know-what back together in 2015. The usual stuff; eat healthier, drink less, exercise more...but more than that, I want to work on my inner self. Lisa and I have started going to Quaker meeting on Sunday mornings. That one hour every week to sit and think is giving me time to revisit myself, my priorities, my values, and my place in this world. I don't want to spend the rest of my life working to pay bills. There has to be more. It has to be better than that. And I have to be the one to find it. No one is going to hand me the answer.
I will blog again very soon, and not be so maudlin. I'm not depressed or anything. I just want to do better. Don't we all? I am going to try to live the three basic tenants of Judaism:
Tzedakah- giving of myself to others
Tfilah- continuing to learn and study
Tikkun Olam- repairing the world, as best I can from my own little perch
Maybe we can all try to do these things, huh? I wish you all peace and happiness, success and love, and all things good for 2015.
