Six for 50 - Decluttering is the Enemy (or is it?)

Zeke sometimes sits on my desk and judges me

I spent this past week training/on-boarding 2 new hires to my company.  Training is my main job and I do enjoy this part of it, but I have to say, being "on" all day is really a lot of work for me, and pretty tiring.  I was happy to have the weekend to relax.  I was "on" again for Zoom book club last night and by the end was tired.  I tried to bail saying I needed to get the garbage ready to go out, until they reminded me it was only Saturday.  Sorry, book club, I was getting tired!

Training was the usual array of system issues, coupled with trying to do everything virtually.  There was a fair amount of demands for sharing screen so I could see what was going on, and then requests for control so I could just do the 10 steps needed, vs. describing them.  ("Click the 3 little dots.  No, not the ones in the top bar, the ones in the blue bar.")  It is easier when I just push people out of their chairs and set it up myself.

We tried something new this week - Nordic Walking.  We had a one hour class to show us how to get poles that fit, and then how to use the things.  It is a way to get more of a whole-body workout from just walking.  It was fun and easy (even though I had trouble getting out of my own head and kept bringing up my right hand and right foot at the same time, vs. opposite hand and foot) and we got some poles to try out for a couple of weeks.  We used them during the class and then took our usual afternoon walk (1.2 mile loop) with the poles.  I guess it works because I had tired muscles in my arms and my core (though it didn't really feel like I was doing much while I was actually walking).  Then the outside temps sunk to the single digits or below zero.  Eric has been walking (I think it was -13 when he went out today) but I am a fairweather walker and even with all the layers won't walk when it is below about +15.  Due to some good walks early in the week (and Nordic walking class), I have 8.1 miles in this month.

2 new recipes this week!  And this is where "decluttering is the enemy" comes in.  In my quest to clean up my photos on my phone, I deleted the picture I took of the first recipe!  I was thinking I would have to describe it for you instead but then, when I went to upload the pic for the 2nd recipe, I discovered that I had already forwarded myself the other photo before I deleted from my phone!  Yay me!

Recipe Five

Another soup!  We had it for dinner 3 nights in a row, with breadsticks or crackers.  It is a recipe that tastes even better the 2nd time, so either let it simmer for 30 minutes as it suggests or cook and save for another day.  I love stuffed peppers - E not so much but he will eat finely chopped and well cooked peppers.  This soup is a winner because it has all those great stuffed pepper flavors, plus is easy and filling.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

adapted from Cooking Classy website - I'll help you out and give you not only the ingredients list but also how much of it to use (plus none of those freaking annoying pop-ups or ads. While I don't make any money from this blog, I also do not have annoying ads all over the place.).  I also skipped the olive oil for browning the beef (it is not needed) and cooked peppers with the beef instead of separately (helps the flavors blend and saves time too).  

the photo that once was lost but now is found

1 lb lean ground beef

3/4 C chopped green bell pepper (about 1/2 large pepper)

3/4 C chopped red bell pepper (about 1/2 large pepper)

1 C chopped yellow onion (about 1 small onion - we did not add this because someone doesn't like onion here)

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1/2 t dried basil

1/4 t dried oregano

2 1/2 T fresh parsley (I used about 1 T dried)

28 oz can petite diced tomatos with juice (I used my immersion blender for a quick puree, leaving a few small chunks)

15 oz can tomato sauce

14 oz beef broth (can use canned.  I used Penzey's beef base and hot water)

1 C cooked white or brown rice (I used Trader Joe's frozen organic brown rice, not the whole packet)

shredded cheddar or mozzarella to top soup

In a large pot (I used Dutch oven), brown ground beef with peppers and onions until beef is cooked through and veggies are soft. Add salt and pepper to beef while cooking.

Add in tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, and herbs.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes (or 15 if you are like me and impatient/hungry).  Prepare rice while soup simmers.

Add rice into soup.  Sprinkle each bowl with cheese, if desired.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe Six

This was a quick recipe from the Star Tribune.  After calculating the calories per serving, I eliminated part of the pasta and half of the ingredients for the sauce.  It was still very good and very filling at almost half the calories.  I did not need a dinner of over 800 calories.  I'll present it as I made it last night. The toasted sliced almonds really add a nice crunchiness and flavor - don't over cook them!

Pasta with Creamy Avocado Sauce

Serves 2.

6 oz pasta (we used farfalle/bow ties)

1 avocado

6 T chopped fresh parsley (I used about 1 T dried parsley - did not measure)

Grated zest of one lemon, plus 1 T juice (ended up with very little zest because I forgot and cut the lemon in half first, making it really hard to zest.  The full/as published in paper recipe called for 1 T and I decided I needed that full amount for flavor even though I only used 1 avocado vs. 2)

1 T olive oil

1 T grated Parmesan (recipe called for nutritional yeast which would allow this to recipe to be vegan but said could sub parm, so I did.  Because I don't have nutritional yeast and was not about to buy it just for this recipe.)

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

1/2 chile or few pinches of chile flakes (I had some red pepper flakes so used that, but less than a pinch because I am a wuss)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 T sliced almonds

Boil pasta according to directions on package.  

Halve the avocado, remove stone (duh) and scoop flesh into a bowl.  Add parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, cheese, garlic and chili. Season with salt and pepper. Blend together (I used a potato masher), taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Toast the almonds in a dry skillet until golden brown.

Drain the pasta and stir together with the avocado sauce ("sauce" will be thick like guacamole).  Divide between 2 bowls, sprinkle with lemon zest (or if you are me, you don't because you didn't read the directions and had stirred zest into the sauce) and scatter sliced almonds atop the dish.  

You can also serve with fresh spinach or arugula.

Book 5

Becoming by Michele Obama - this book was shared with me by a coworker who I adore.  She mailed it to me a couple months ago and said when I am done, I can pass it on.  I enjoyed this book and though I already knew a lot about the presidency of Barack Obama, I didn't know much about the First Lady, other than that she is classy, smart and compassionate.  I was delighted to learn more about her childhood, college years and first job, and then behind the scenes at the Obama home while Barack was first in state politics (and away from home most of the week) and then on the path to the White House, plus what it was like to live in the spotlight and in the White House.  Good book - I would recommend to most anyone. 

Hindsight 2020

Speaking of books, and picking up where I left off last week, here are the rest of the books I read in 2020.  The * indicate a book club selection.

 *This Tender Land byt Wiliam Kent Krueger (MN author, this was the 2nd book we have read by him.  This one was part Huck Finn, part Homer's Odyssey, and all around a pretty good read.  It takes place in MN during the depression and the main characters are orphan brothers.  I really do need to read The Odyssey sometime because the story line keeps coming up in other books.)

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah (Funny, 'cuz Trevor Noah, but also racially enlightening.  I laughed and cried, sometimes on the same page and love his mother. Very good book.)

White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin DiAngelo (I read this one for a book club we had at work, starting it after, but finishing before, How to Be an Antiracist (below).  I found it easy to understand and we had some good discussion about it at work.)

100 Cookies: The Baking Book for Every Kitchen by Sarah Kieffer (I like this cookie book a lot.  Directions are easy to follow and though I have only made 2 of the recipes so far, the results are delicious.  I love that she gies the basics and then also options to jazz up those basic recipes. I can't wait to try the pan-banging recipes which went viral after being written about in the New York Times, earning their own hashtag.  Look for cookie posts in the future.)

How To Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (Another for the at work book club, I liked how he interwove his personal story with different aspects about racism and antiracism to illustrate his points.  This one is worth a re-read.)

Talk Before Sleep  by Elizabeth Berg (Berg is a solid writer and this book did not disappoint.  It was not my favorite of hers - Joy School probably is - but it was a good read about women friends.  One of the main characters, Ruth, is dying of cancer, we know that from the beginning.  Seeing the relationship between her and Ann made me appreciate my own friendships, and know that I have people in my life who are there to laugh and cry with.)

Charlotte's Web by E. B. White 

My review from Goodreads:

I’ve read this book a number of times: as a child, as a young adult aloud to children, and as an adult. I’ve seen the movie as well. And I always have loved the story and characters. I read it again this year though apprehensively, because I was afraid I would be too sad at the end and really who needs more sadness this year?? But as I read, I really was struck by the beautifully crafted story, the rich descriptions, and fully developed characters. Who knew there could be so much humanity in a pig, a spider or a rat? I felt like I was right there at the farm, and knew exactly how it smelled and what the air felt like. Amazing work, E.B. White. Adding more reads or rereads from this author to my lis

*The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson (This was an interesting book from a few different perspectives and I learned about the blue people of Kentucky as well as about the Pack Horse Library Project which brought books and other materials to the people in the hills of Kentucky during the Great Depression.  Good discussion for book club as well.)

The Natural by Bernard Malamud (This is one I read aloud in the car so it took a really long time for us to get through it because we weren't in the car very much last year!  I don't remember the movie very well but this was an interesting story about a baseball player in the early part of the last century.  I am not the hugest baseball fan and the writing is a little old-fashioned but it was a good story and made me want to keep reading to find out what would happen with Roy.)

*Last Orders by Graham Swift (another re-read of an early book club selection, and another story involving death and frienships, this time the friendships of men.  I would have enjoyed my re-read more if I hadn't stopped and started so much - I had trouble keeping the characters straight until I really focused on it and made a chart.)

Fifty for 50 Tally

Books completed – 5 (4 more in progress)

Recipes tried – 6

Blog posts published– 6

Miles walked in February – 8.1

                Miles walked year-to-date –51.87

Scrap book pages completed –6

Hats donated – 6

Hours volunteered – 0

Until we read and eat again,

Hallie

Five for 50 - Frozen Fingers, Furnaces and Fame

 This week started off ok, I delivered hats, walked and then blogged all about it on Monday.  Much of my work time was spent trying to manipulate my training schedule around my "other stuff" schedule, preparing to train 2 new-to-us underwriters starting tomorrow.  I was in a meeting (virtual of course) on Tuesday afternoon and had my office door closed as I typically do, to keep the noise and pets out. It seemed to be getting chillier in there, so I added a couple of shawls I have in my office, one on my legs and then one around my shoulders.  After the meeting, I went to check the vent in my office (sometimes one of the cats bumps it closed). That was fine so I checked the thermostat.  Strangely it said the temp was 65, though it was set to 68.  I called my handyman up from the basement (he also serves as my accountant, grocery shopper and husband), we changed the filter, rebooted the system, checked the thermostat again and now it was 64 degrees.  I went back to work, adding my mittens (they have finger pop-out spots so I could still type) and another blanket, plus later my scarf.  It was chilly, ok?  Long story somewhat short, the heat exchanger in the furnace had died and we had to replace the furnace.  It was Thursday by the time it was replaced but we got by ok with space heaters (in fact my closed office became so warm that E said we should try hot yoga in there.  I hate hot and yoga, so that did not happen.)

I didn't walk very much this week - Tuesday and Wednesday it was cold and the thought of getting cold and coming back to a cool house was unappealing.  Instead I spent some time on the stationery bike while reading.  Thursday afternoon I walked but then not on Friday and Saturday because I wasn't feeling well.  So overall, I will miss 50 miles in January but plan to make it up later in the year.  Ice, the coldest temps so far this winter (of course during the days the furnace decides to die), and not feeling well are my reasons/excuses.  It's January after all.

Fame - where does that come in?  A little back story.  Over a year ago, I attended a scrap booking event hosted by Creative Memories and decided to become an advisor.  I have (or rather had until recently when she decided to become an advisor herself) one other customer besides myself - the woman who sat next to me at the event and said that if I signed up, she would buy from me (which really just entails picking my name as advisor when she ordered her stuff on the CM website).  I don't actively sell to anyone. Most people don't even know I am an advisor. Mainly, I make commission on things that I was probably going to buy anyway.  I am on a FB page for advisors to get ideas for my personal use, not for sales.  They had recently asked for feedback on what we liked about the 2021 Calendar Template so I put in my 2 cents.  I was pleasantly surprised to see my name and quote in the weekly newsletter.  Sharing it here, along with what my calendar currently looks like.  It is a page I made last week, photos from Yellowstone.  Fame - I'll try not to let it go to my head

Hindsight 2020

As noted previously, I read 30 books in 2020, despite difficulty with focus.  I posted about a few of them last fall, but here is the complete list, some with commentary. The * indicate a book club selection.

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell you She's Sorry  by Fredrik Backman (interesting story, probably not one of the best-known by this author)

Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood (a re-read of one of my favorites by one of my all-time favorite authors, the story of friendship and betrayal.  I very much enjoyed this reading, though differently than when I read it in the past.)

*Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Feat by Elizabeth Gilbert (a book club choice by one of my least favorite authors, though I liked this book better than Eat Pray Love which was another book club selection that made it on to my list of "books I hated".  I appreciated some of what she had to say about creativity.)

The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments by Margaret Atwood (see 9/27/20 post)

Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey (The author was park ranger at Arches in Utah before it was made a national park.  He has much to say about preserving natural beauty and wilderness.  I liked the book though found myself not liking him as a person much.)

*Loving Frank by Nancy Horan (This was my selection for book club.  I liked it but I don't think most other people did.  It is a fictional account of Mamah Borthwick Cheney who has an affair in the early 1900s with Frank Lloyd Wright, the renowned architect. Both were married with children at the time and the relationship ruined her reputation, but did not have the same effect on his. Interesting from a historical, architectural and also feminist perspectives.)

Falling Boy by Alison McGhee (Not the strongest novel from this author.  I would suggest Rainlight or Shadowbaby instead.)

*An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (We read this one before the killing of George Floyd.  I would be interested to read it again, particularly after some of the other race related books I read later in 2020 to get some different perspective. At the time, I did not care for any of the characters really, but think I could get more ouf of the story now.)

At Knit's End: Meditations for Women who Knit Too Much by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee 

*The Giant's House by Elizabeth McCracken (Re-read of an early book club choice that I had remembered loving.  It was ok on re-read.)

*The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton (I liked this one - good writing, interesting story that I did not see where it was going.)

*Vacationland by Sarah Stonich (See 9/27/20 post)

The Intellectual Devotional: Revive Your Mind, Complete Your Education and Roam Confidently with the Cultured Class by David S. Kidder (This is the 2nd one we have read in the series.  We learned about religions of the world, philosophy (though those often made my brain hurt), history, music, and science.  Nice "bite-sized" readings on 7 main subjects and I now feel so much smarter.)

*I Thought it Was Just Me (But It Isn't): Making the Journey from "What will people think?" to "I am enough" by Brene Brown (I think her other books are more approachable, though I appreciated the ideas in this one.  Also, her podcast is supposed to be good.  The only one I have listened to, though, was a conversation with Ibram X. Kendi on race and his How to Be an Antiracist.)

Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris (a thirller in the vein of Gone Girl, this book freaked me the heck out.  My review on Goodreads was "I don't even know what to say. Gripping and highly disturbing both at once. This one will stick with me." And it did.)

*Why Religion?: A Personal Story by Elaine Pagels

*Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (Quirky and likeable, though even the reader could tell Eleanor was not completely fine.)

Laurentian Divide by Sarah Stonich (see 9/27/20 post)

Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs by Michael T. Osterholm (Only I would choose to read about deadly germs in the middle of a pandemic.  I have had this book for 3 years and put it on my list to read in January 2020.  I struggled with this one but it was very good.  Very approachable (not too sciency) writing from Osterholm who was once our state epidemiologist and very recently helped advise President Biden on COVID-19 response. The "worst case scenario" he outlined in the book, and has presented to previous administrations was eerily how this pandemic has played out so far.)

I'll tell you about the rest next time.

Fifty for 50 Tally

Books completed – 4 (4 more in progress)

Recipes tried – 4

Blog posts published– 5

Miles walked in January –43.77

                Miles walked year-to-date –43.77

Scrap book pages completed –6

Hats donated – 6

Hours volunteered – 0

Until we read and eat again,

Hallie

Two for 50 – And so the adventure begins

 

Despite the troubling chaos mid-week, or maybe because of it, I tried to focus back on what I can control.  I kept walking, started reading a childhood favorite to escape, tried a new recipe, and kept my fingers busy knitting a new baby hat.  It didn’t stop me from asking “what the holy hell is going on???!” repeatedly but it helped some. 

Fifty for 50 Tally

Books completed – 0 (3 started)

Recipes tried – 1

Blog posts published– 2

Miles walked in January –16.5

                Miles walked year-to-date –16.5

Scrap book pages completed –0

Hats donated – 0 (3 ready)

Hours volunteered – 0

 

Recipe One - Smoky Chicken, Tomato, Brown Rice, and Corn Soup

It is the soup time of the year and I LOVE soups.  This recipe came from a grocery store magazine called Real Food that I picked up, apparently, in Fall 2009.  I have been meaning to try it ever since. I’ll enter it here as published, my comments or changes in parentheses.  Capital T = tablespoon, small t = teaspoon.  We liked this soup and would make it again – it was easy, very flavorful, and a nice winter dinner served with breadsticks or biscuits.  All the main ingredients are usually stocked at my house.

Smoky Chicken, Tomato, Brown Rice, and Corn Soup (gotta love a title that tells you almost every single ingredient)

Use cooked chicken leftover from a rotisserie chicken for this quick, easy and substantial soup.

2 T extra-virgin olive oil (I used garlic olive oil when I discovered I was out of garlic)

1 C chopped onion

1 garlic clove, finely chopped (see above)

2 t smoked paprika (Penzey’s for me, naturally)

1 t ground cumin

1 can – 28 oz – peeled plum tomatoes, with juices (used petite diced because that was what I had)

1 ½ C cubed leftover cooked chicken (used rotisserie chicken I had in the freezer)

3 to 4 C reduced sodium chicken broth (used 3 C water with Penzey’s soup base)

½ to 1 C leftover cooked brown rice, bulgur, quinoa, or other grain (used one bag of Trader Joe’s organic brown rice from frozen section – microwave 3 min and it is cooked, used all of it because I didn’t want a cup of cooked rice hanging around in the fridge)

1 C fresh, frozen or canned corn kernels (Trader Joe’s frozen corn because we always have it on hand)

½ C chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems, divided (I used Boathouse instant fresh herbs cilantro, about 2 T.  They are freeze dried and are as good as fresh once rehydrated, plus do not get slimy in the fridge when you forget about them)

¼ C pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped (we did not add these)

1 T minced jalapeno, or to taste (did not have and I don’t love jalapeno.  I did add a couple shakes of red pepper flakes though, for a touch of heat)

2 T fresh lime juice (I used some from concentrate squeeze bottle stuff.  I almost skipped it entirely but after tasting it before and after addition of lime, would definitely recommend it.  It makes the soup less tomato-y one note.)

½ C plain low-fat yogurt (I added a dollop to my serving, but it really didn’t do much so would probably skip it in the future)

Heat the oil in a large, broad soup pot over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and cook, stirring, until golden, about 10 minutes (did NOT take 10 minutes - watch this so you don't burn it). Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute (didn’t use garlic but suspect 1 min would be too long for this too). Turn off the heat and stir in the paprika and cumin.

Puree the tomatoes in a food processor (I added mine to the onion and pureed the lot with immersion blender so as to hide the onions).  Add the chicken and pulse once or twice or until chopped into small pieces (didn’t do this because I had cubed by hand). Add to the pot with the sautéed onion and spices. Add 3 cups of the broth and heat to simmering. Stir in the rice, corn, half of the cilantro leaves, olives and jalapeno. Heat, stirring, over low heat. Add remaining cup of broth to thin the soup if desired.

When the soup is hot remove from heat and add lime juice. Ladle the soup into bowls and place a spoonful of yogurt in the center of each bowl. Sprinkle the remaining cilantro over the top, dividing evenly (I didn’t do this).

I had 5 generous portions, especially with the additional rice in there. 

 

2020 Highlights and Reflections

Last week, before my blog post, I spent a good amount of time reflecting on 2020 (titled ‘Hindsight 2020’ in my journal – and yes, I felt clever).  I read 30 books, got stuff done at home and in the yard that had been fairly neglected, cooked hundreds of meals.  It was a crappy year in many ways but also had some shimmery parts to it.  I didn’t read as many books as I thought I would – I had trouble focusing for a good part of the year – but I did get 30 read.  I lost weight and ate better than I have in a long time.  I spent good quality (and quantity) time with my husband.  I learned about laundering money (binge-watched Ozark), forensic anthropology (all 12 seasons of Bones) and cattle ranching (Yellowstone), plus various other topics courtesy a variety of streaming services.  I scrap-booked once at a retreat, once at a virtual crop and then a few times on my own. Christmas cards and birthday cards were made AND mailed.  I walked over 800 miles, despite weather and a couple months of back pain that had me doing physical therapy.

Knitting has long been a source of solace for me.  As Elizabeth Zimmerman has said, “Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn’t hurt the untroubled spirit either.”  In April, I knit a cowl of gray soft baby alpaca yarn and called it my COVID cowl.  The pattern was easy to work, and the entire garment was sort of meditation. Then I started a sweater (corona crewneck?) with some yarn I have had for at least 10 years – soft blue wool – and began a top-down seamless crewneck knit in the round, without a pattern (just a general plan). Before summer and gardening season, I had the entire body of it, plus one whole sleeve, done.  And then it sat until about November.  I finished the last sleeve the beginning of December and it fits beautifully.  December found me working with angora rabbit wool to make some fuzzy warm mittens.  They are also are light gray color and the finished product is like plunging my fingers into the cat’s fur.  Warm and cozy – I better not lose them!  My next project will be to make a string to thread through my jacket like I had when I was 5.

Whew!  That was a long post.

Until we read or eat again,

Hallie