A Step into Nature and What is Natural

Saturday was clean up day for our county.  So, we took advantage by doing some clean up around here.  A friend brought over a trailer, and my husband and he worked together on both our place and his.  There were people at the unloading spot to take advantage of other people’s discarded stuff.  I’m not sure ours would be of use to anyone, but hopefully so.

Tulips at the Aboretum

I fixed a pretty healthy late lunch for us, a salad and lentil soup.  I throw everything into soups and salads.  They are vegan and mostly organic, so overall healthy.  Since lunch was late we weren’t so hungry for another meal but wanted something else.  Did you ever notice how husbands and wives after being together for a while have the same thoughts?  Sadly, we were both thinking MacDonald’s fries.  It’s been years since we’ve eaten anything at MacDonald’s.   My husband had his Ipad handy, so I said look up the ingredients for their fries.  The list cried out total GMO to us.*  We came back to our senses.  I thought I have potatoes, organic ones.  So, I got off my lazy butt and went into the kitchen.  The fries I made turned out great.  I sprinkled olive oil, sea salt, freshly ground mixed peppercorns, chili powder, and nutritional yeast on them and baked.

My Own Baked Fries

On Sunday we went beyond the natural wonders in our own back woods and explored The Arboretum in Lexington, Kentucky.  http://www.ca.uky.edu/arboretum/index.php  We have done two weekend Lexington trips in a row now.  I think we’ve pretty much used up our tax return on Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods.  On both trips I’m happy to say we took the opportunity to explore walking paths in Lexington.  On the first trip we took the 2.5 mile hike at Shillito Park.  It was a nice walking trail, but I much preferred the beauty of the arboretum trail.  The Arboretum trail with it’s sights along the way made the walk seem like it went by so fast.

Visiting other trails are often an inspiration for us for ways we can improve our own trail and property.  We have piles of saved up old lumber, barn wood, etc, that hopefully we will have a use for.

Me, Walking the Trail

A Sculpture Along the Trail

Walkway, and Possibility for Our Own Trail

Carving, Another Possibility

 

*McDonalds FRIES are cooked in genetically engineered oil. Prepared in vegetable oil (Canola oil (85% gmo), corn oil (85% gmo), soybean oil (90% gmo), hydrogenated soybean oil.  From:  Millions Against Monsanto by OrganicConsumers.org

Christmas Shopping

Over the weekend we decided to bite the bullet and get some Christmas shopping done.  We wanted to support artists and shop as local as possible.  We ventured to Berea, KY, not really planned.  We sat in a coffee shop, Third Street Stuff, in Lexington, KY and decided on a whim to drive 30 more minutes and go to Berea.  We found an ornament for our grandson at Third Street Stuff.

First stop was the Kentucky Artisan Center.  I used to do shows with so many of these people.  We were so thrilled to run into Joe Offerman, who was demonstrating wood carving.  Also, we saw that my weaving was on display.  A friend who works at the center suggested we take a picture. She is a potter and she remembered that our booths were next to each other at my first Kentucky Guild Show.  That would have been in 1990, twenty-two years ago.  Wow!  Time flies.  Joe also brought up the show where we first met.

My work is the three Scottish plaid rugs in the picture.

And, of course, of all things, there was a fiber exhibition at the Artisan Center.  It was a day of synchronicity.

We easily found Christmas presents for our family.  We almost came home but decided to head into the town of Berea.  I’m glad we did.  I used to spend so much time there.  We visited a few of the shops, talking to some people we knew and meeting a few new people.

It was a good day out.  That sounds so Wallace and Gromit.  Now, today, we have to get those packages mailed.

Below is one of Joe Offerman’s hand-carved Santa’s that we have as our own.  This weekend we hope to do our little bit of decorating.

Hand-carved Santa by Joe Offerman

Vegetarian Hot Brown

Before going vegetarian, hot brown, made famous in Kentucky, by the The Brown Hotel in Louisville, was always an okay dish with me, but not to be listed among my favorites.  I had never thought that hot brown could possibly be vegetarian considering its main ingredients were ham, turkey, and bacon, but the vegetarian version is definitely one of my favorites.

A friend told me about a restaurant in Lexington, Kentucky, called Stella’s, and how the vegetarian hot brown was her favorite dish there.  So, I tried it.  It was great.  Therefore, as I usually do, I did my best to come up with my own version at home, down to making my own sprouts.  The hot brown pictured above is my own version.  It is always a little different depending on the veggies on hand.  The tomatoes in the picture came out of our garden.

Ingredients:

Various vegetables, chopped finely – Some good ones are squash, zucchini, broccoli, onions (the tops of green ones look pretty), red bell peppers, tomatoes.  I will stop here as these are my favorites, but use what you like.

Sprouts – optional, but they do had a health aspect to the dish, and personally I love sprouts on a variety of things.

Bread Slices – a good bread makes the difference

Oil

Mornay Sauce (recipe below)

You will find it on this site:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-live/mornay-sauce-recipe/index.html

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk
• Salt
• Freshly ground white pepper
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, 1/2 cup at a time. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook, stirring constantly for 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the and whisk in the cheese. Serve hot

Note:  For my mornay sauce I use gruyere cheese, and I sometimes add more than called for.  My husband loves cheese.  Also, I grind mixed peppercorns, as I’ve never purchased just white.

Overall Directions

Saute chopped up veggies, except tomato, in high heat oil until tender.  I use safflower.  Use just enough oil to get the job done.  You could use a little water if you are trying to avoid oils.

While veggies are sauteing, make mornay sauce.  It doesn’t take long.  Next step, toast bread slices.  You could use either one or two per person.

Place toast on plates.  Spread veggies over toast. Pour mornay sauce on top of that.  Top with chopped tomatoes and sprouts.  Salt to taste (sea salt).

This is the dish from Stella’s that inspired it.

 

Vegetarian Hot Brown

On Sunday we enjoyed vegetarian hot brown at Stella’s Deli in Lexington, KY.

 

Inspiration

I was recently honored with the Inspiring Blog Award from A Story Book World:  http://astorybookworld.blogspot.com/

I started this blog as mainly a lesson in thankfulness – a lesson for myself.  I do, also, if possible, try to inspire others as well as myself.  Writing and sharing can be inspirational in itself.  Although this blog is about my own journey, it is also a connection to like-minded people.

Inspiration for me comes from what I term the “real world.”  By real world I mean the most pristine example I can think of – nature.  I’m one of those people who energize in sunlight and in the peacefulness and the solitude of wooded areas, and flowing water.  I’m also inspired by the true nature of humans, maybe what some would term as the soul.

Too often, the artificial world slips in and inspiration slips out.  The artificial world to me is sadly mostly the world we live in with so much technology, the world of egos, and the world of money.  It’s the things that without balance can reap havoc on the human spirit.  This existence on earth is an existence of duality in all things.  Balance is key.

This past weekend we visited the Abbey of Gethsemani near Bardstown, Kentucky.  It was a place of beauty and serenity.  http://www.monks.org/ It was definitely a place full of inspiration.

I’m thankful for the inspiration found there, and I am also thankful my husband and I live in a place surrounded by nature.  Thanks, Deirdra from A Story Book World for finding my blog to be inspiring.

 

Serious Trouble Will Bypass You – Part 1

Serious Trouble Will Bypass You – Part 1

We didn’t know just how true that was as my husband and I read our identical fortunes from our cookies after lunch before catching a plane.  We had allowed plenty of time and then some for our two and one-half hour drive to the airport.  We had stopped at our new favorite restaurant, Asian Wind, in Lexington to enjoy a leisurely lunch before running several more errands to catch the plane.  At this point everything was working out to a little more than an hour before departure.

One item on the agenda was to get myself a pedicure (I was planning being barefoot a good portion of the time.) and a haircut for my husband before departing Lexington.  A series of synchronicities were already falling in place.  We had fully intended on driving back to the mall some distance away to get these things done, but a little birdie, or guardian angel said, “No!”

I asked before leaving the restaurant about beauty shops for haircuts and pedicures.  She didn’t really know of any.  But, lo and behold, as soon as we stepped outside a pedicure place was right next to the restaurant.  I think it’s true that we only notice what we are drawn to.  For instance, I can spot a Starbucks a mile away, but MacDonald’s is totally off my radar screen.  A barber or beauty shop was also within walking distance.  Thus far, everything was working like clockwork.  We were both taken right in.  The pedicure was even cheaper than back home.

Still we needed just a few things for the plane – those small airplane items.  A very small Wal-Mart was also within walking distance.  I like the concept of very small in the case of Wal-Mart.  It’s one of those places I avoid for the most part.

By this time I felt the urge to get on the road.  The airport was still an hour away.  I had originally intended to stop at Whole Foods for a few snacks.  In my book, airplane food is an oxymoron.  But, that little birdie kept tweeting even louder, so we decided to skip Whole Foods.  Good thing.

As we were on the road twenty-six miles from the airport, traffic came to a standstill.  Two out of three lanes were closed.  The clock in the car kept ticking on.  Well, they don’t actually tick anymore do they?  I turned my thoughts toward people who must have been involved in a horrible accident.  The GPS time of arrival kept getting iffier and iffier.  I kept asking my husband, who is always calm and cool in these situations, are we going to make it?  As over thirty minutes passed his answers became less clam, and I detected a bit of sweat hovering over his brow.

I tried to enter that meditative state and take life as it comes.  What is meant to be is meant to be.  I noticed the license plate of the car in front of us.  It had 444 on it.  I’ve always equated this number with your guardian angel is looking after you.  I see it rarely, but usually at the most significant times.

Traffic finally started to move.  There was no horrible accident to my relief.  Construction workers were filling potholes.  Everyone complains about potholes, but still is there ever a good time to actually fill them?  I must say, we did break speed limits, but in the safest possible way.  There was still long-term parking to contend with.  Luckily there were no bags to be checked.  When we did reach the automated ticket station the message was basically see an agent.  She called ahead but made no guarantees that we would make it.  In fact, she highly doubted it.  We ran to security, some distance away.  I went through quite easily.  I looked back to see Chris with his arms up, making the circle in front of the guard holding the wand.  Finally, here he came.  We ran another considerable distance to our gate.  I was so out of breath.  There is a difference between running to burn calories and panic running.  My throat was getting sore at this point.  Chris kept looking back.  I shouted go on without me.  We were the last ones on the plane.  The guardian angel was probably just laughing at our panic. There just happened to be two spots left in the over bin for our carry-ons, as if to taunt us in a good way, “Oh, ye of little faith.”

I am thankful that we made our plane.  Little did I know though that there was more serious trouble ahead to be bypassed?  More to come…

A Grand Day Out

It was a grand day out, not as in Wallace & Gromit’s trip to the moon, but as in Chris and Jerri’s Valentine’s Day extravaganza.  It being the weekend, we decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day by a trip out today.  We ventured west to Lexington, KY.

The first spectacle on the mini getaway was in discovering a new restaurant, Asian Wind.  We wanted to try something different.  It was Chinese with a wide selection of vegan.  I had the Orange Kwachic and my husband the Sesame Kwachic.  Kwachic is a meatless chicken.  We also had veggie pot stickers.  Everything was delicious and the service was excellent.

The next stop was the Apple Store.  My husband is in seventh heaven, waiting for the arrival of his new Mac book pro.  It was the least I could do.  I didn’t get him a card.  Basically, I just gave him permission to spend his own money on the computer he’s been salivating over for some time now.

From there it was a mini massage for me – one of those acupressure places in the mall aisle.  Next was a free facial by the Origins lady.

No out of town trip is complete without a trip to Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.  It was only Whole Foods since there is no Trader Joe’s in Lexington, although there have been rumors of one coming soon.  The last stop was Starbucks, then home.

I’m thankful for a very nice Valentine’s Day treat and fantastic weather.