~ Thomas Alva Edison

Nearly all the meat, dairy products, poultry and eggs that fill our supermarkets come from animals raised in factory-like facilities called "Confined Animal Feeding Operations" or CAFOs.  The animals are raised in crowded, filthy conditions and fed mainly a diet of genetically modified corn and soy that are low-cost due to government subsidies.  To cut costs even further, the animal's feed can also contain municipal garbage, stale pastry, feathers and even candy!  Believe it or not, up until 1997, cattle in the U.S. were also fed meat from other cattle, a practice believed to have been the probable cause for mad cow disease.  These practices create cheap food and high profits for the producers.  The costs include numerous other problems such as animal stress, disease and abuse; air, land and water pollution; unnecessary use of hormones, antibiotics and other drugs; food with less nutritional value and more risk of contamination with things like E. coli and staph.  

A growing number of ranchers have started to revolt against industrial agriculture. These new farmers raise their animals on pasture from birth to market, allowing them to roam and forage on their natural diet.  Grass-fed and pasture-raised animals produce healthier meat, dairy products and eggs, which are lower in saturated fats and higher in omega-3 fatty acids, the healthy fats found in salmon and flaxseed.  Milk from grass-fed animals is also higher in conjugated linoleic acid, which can protect against heart disease and cancer.

Raising animals on pasture is also better for the environment.  A recent study by USDA scientists actually found that raising cows on grass instead of factory farms produces fewer greenhouse-gas emissions and other pollutants.  On pasture, the animals eat greens that are grown with solar energy in the ground that they graze upon.  The animals themselves provide the fertilizer, in the way nature intended. Kate Clancy, the author of a recent report by the Union of Concerned Scientists, states that a change from raising animals on grain-based feedlots to a purely pasture-based system "would be better for the environment, animals and humans."

Ask your local grocer about pasture-raised meat, eggs and dairy products.  To find a farm, store or supplier near you, visit Eat Wild, a resource for information about pasture-raised and grass-fed farms and products (see the link under Elaborations, up and to the right).  You can also find information and resources using the links for Local Harvest, Eat Humane and Slow Food USA.  Be sure to visit the sites for Vital Farms Pastured Eggs and Organic Valley Pasture Butter, two of my favorite pasture-raised products.

Choose a healthier, more humane and environmentally-friendly way of eating. Choose pasture-raised.  The grass is greener on the other side.

~~~~~~~~~

Choose a pasture-raised chicken to make this simple recipe for Chicken, Potatoes and Onions.

2 pounds of your favorite chicken pieces

About 2 cups of olive oil

1 white onion, thinly sliced into rings

4 large baking potatoes, scrubbed and cut into quarters

2 to 3 teaspoons of salt 

Freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon of dried oregano

1 cup of chopped fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley

Preheat oven to 350°F

Rinse chicken pieces and pat dry.  Sprinkle with 1/2 of the salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper.  Fill a large 9" x 13" or 12" round baking pan with about 1/2 inch of oil.  Arrange chicken pieces in the pan.  Separate the onion slices and spread out over the chicken.  Add potatoes.  Sprinkle everything with oregano, parsley, remaining salt and more pepper.  Mix everything thoroughly with a pair of tongs or by hand.

Bake for about 45 to 55 minutes, stirring with tongs or a big spoon every 15 minutes, until potatoes are soft and chicken is done.

Serve with a green salad.

Serves 4

     ~ Neil Armstrong, NASA astronaut and the first man to walk on the moon

Anyone who practices yoga is familiar with the mantra Om.  Om is a sound which symbolizes the primordial vibration, in other words, the sound that created everything in the Universe, much like the biblical statement, "In the beginning was the word, and the word was God."  In this sense the actual word itself (Om) that created the universe is God.  

Imagine there was nothing, absolutely nothing.  Now imagine a voice singing one beautiful note.   The vibrations of this beautiful note become louder and fuller and begin to vibrate until the nothingness is shattered into countless pieces like the wine glass shattered by a legendary opera singer.  There you have it: the Big Bang!

Om represents the idea that all matter, whether physical or spiritual, on a microscopic (tiny) or macroscopic (huge) level, is the result of an energetic vibration.

Scientists at the Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology at the University of New South Wales in Sidney, Australia have recently announced the creation of an electrical wire just 4 atoms wide and 1 atom tall.  This finding could lead to the creation of powerful computers that operate on the quantum level (the level of things that are the size of atoms or smaller).  To illustrate just how small this wire is, ponder this:  the human body contains about 60 to 90 trillion cells and there are approximately 100 trillion atoms in a single ordinary human cell.

And here is where Om meets the law of Ohm.  Ohm's law is a very important rule in electronics that is named after a famous experimenter in electricity, Georg Simon Ohm.  Ohm's law states that voltage (E) is equal to current (I) multiplied by the resistance to that current (R).  Ohm's law is symbolized by the equation E = IR.  

Many scientists believed that Ohm's law would operate differently at the quantum level and therefore computing at this level would be impossible.  However, this tiny electrical wire, 4 atoms wide and 1 atom tall, obeyed Ohm's law and showed that the basic law of electricity still holds true even when constructing a wire from the very building blocks of nature - atoms.

     ~  Hermetic philosophical statement

Whether you practice yoga, meditation, prayer or none of these, take some time to ponder the vastness of Om, the sound of all matter.  If the sound that symbolizes everything in the Universe as one cosmic exclamation of joy is too much to ponder, think about the miracle of an atomic-sized electrical wire.  

Sometimes the best way to know the biggest thing in the Universe is to understand the smallest.

~~~~~~~~~

These yummy muffins made with Chai Tea and Chocolate chips are the perfect little accompaniment to your morning coffee or afternoon tea.  I used Rishi's Chocolate Chai, which is Fair Trade Certified, Organic and delicious!  See the Rishi Tea Website link under Elaborations, up and to the right, for details and where to buy.

1 cup milk

1 cup water

2 tablespoons Rishi Chocolate Chai tea

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 stick of butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix milk, water and tea in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Strain tea through a mesh strainer into a container.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.

Preheat oven to 400°F

Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.  Set aside

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well mixed.  Set aside.

Measure out 1 cup of the prepared chai tea.  

In a smaller bowl, combine eggs, 1 cup of the chai tea, the brown sugar, butter and vanilla.  Whisk together until thoroughly mixed.

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir together until just combined (do not overmix).  Don't worry if the batter isn't smooth.  Fold in the chocolate chips.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean.  Let cool for a few minutes before removing from pan.  I let them cool to room temperature in the pan and they were delicious.

Makes 12 muffins

     ~ Frank A. Clark

The Elves and the Shoemaker is an old fairy tale by the brothers Grimm that tells the story of an old cobbler who is the recipient of anonymous kindness.  It goes something like this:

The shoemaker, a very honest and hardworking man, was having trouble making a living at his craft.  One evening he found himself left with nothing in the world but a single piece of leather.  With a heavy heart, he cut out the leather in order to make up one last pair of shoes and went to bed.  The next morning, he awoke to find the shoes already made and sitting on the table.  The workmanship was flawless.  That day a customer came in and liked the shoes so much that he paid a premium price for them.  This enabled the shoemaker to buy enough leather for two more pairs. He cut the leather out and went to bed.  The next morning there were two beautiful pairs of shoes waiting on the table, already made.  The mysterious helper continued to make shoes for the cobbler every night and soon his business was thriving and profitable.  

One evening the shoemaker and his wife decided to stay up all night and watch from behind a curtain in order to discover the identity of their mysterious helper. At the stroke of midnight two little naked elves entered the room, sat at the cobbler's bench and began making shoes.  They worked as fast as lightning and then departed before daylight.  The next day his wife told the shoemaker, "Those little elves have made us rich.  It is a shame to see them going around this cold winter with no clothes.  I will make each of them a shirt, a coat and some pants and you can make them each a pair of tiny shoes."  The shoemaker agreed and when all the clothes were finished, they laid them on the table and hid behind the curtain to see the elves' reaction.

As usual, the elves came at midnight and went to the table to begin their work. When they saw the clothes that had been left for them, they laughed and sang with delight.  They dressed themselves and danced out the door and into the forest. The shoemaker and his wife saw them no more, but from that day forward their shoemaking business thrived and their lives were happy and full.

There is something special about anonymous gestures of kindness and love.  When I was a little girl, I used to receive letters and occasional surprise gifts from someone who called herself, "Queen Forestina".  She told me she was queen of the forest and sent me notes describing her fairy kingdom.  I loved getting letters and surprises from Queen Forestina, who I now suspect was either my mother or one of my aunts, although none of them admits to it.

This past holiday season, some unidentified individuals known as the "layaway elves" paid off layaway bills at stores around the country so that people could take home their purchases before Christmas.  Other benefactors anonymously paid the bills in the stores ahead of time, so that when shoppers reached the cash register, they were told, "The bill has already been paid."  

The next time you find yourself a little bit down, remember that the best way to forget your own troubles is to be of service to someone else, and the most humble (and fun) way to be of service to someone else is to do so anonymously.

~~~~~~~~~

Cobbler is not just for dessert.  This Savory Mushroom Cobbler combines a creamy mushroom filling with a rosemary biscuit topping.  It is delicious as an appetizer, side dish or vegetarian main course.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 lb assorted mushrooms, wiped clean, trimmed and chopped or sliced

2 good sized cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon paprika

Dash of cayenne

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

Salt and pepper to taste

1 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary

5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup milk

Optional:  4 to 8 oz soft chevre style goat cheese

Heat oil in a large saucepan or deep skillet over medium-high heat.  Sauté mushrooms for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Lower heat to medium.  Add garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, thyme, paprika and cayenne.  Cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until mushrooms have softened.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Turn off heat.  Pour mushrooms and liquid into an 8" x 8" square glass or ceramic baking pan (should be at least 2" deep).  Wipe out saucepan and set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat milk over low heat.  

Meanwhile, over low heat, melt butter in the pan you just cooked the mushrooms in.  Stir in flour and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Slowly whisk in the hot milk.  Return pan to the heat.  Simmer slowly, whisking constantly to smooth any lumps (do not boil).  Then, over low heat, cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally to prevent lumps.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour over mushrooms in baking pan and stir everything to combine well.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and rosemary.  Add butter pieces and cut butter into flour mixture using a large fork or two knives.  Mixture will resemble cookie crumbs.

Add sour cream and milk and stir with a fork until liquid is absorbed, then use your hands to knead dough several times until a sticky ball of dough is formed.  Turn ball of dough out onto a lightly floured surface and, using your hands or a rolling pin, press out into a flat shape that is large enough to cover the mushrooms.  Lay flattened dough over mushrooms in baking pan.  Using a sharp knife, cut out 5 small holes in dough to vent.  Brush surface of dough with a little milk or some lightly beaten egg.  

Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until top is golden brown.  Let cool 5 minutes or so. Serve hot, topped with crumbled goat cheese.

4 to 8 servings

     ~ Lin Yutang

Welcome to 2012!  You could call this first week of the year the "post" holiday season.  After the recent few weeks of frenzied buying, eating and celebrating, and after getting a whole bunch of new stuff, now is the perfect time to clean out your closets, cupboards, bodies and minds and lighten up for the new year ahead.

Open up those drawers and closets.  Pull out anything you haven't worn in the last year.  Let go of all those clothes, shoes and accessories that you've been meaning to wear "someday" and give them to a local charitable organization.  There are lots of folks who would love to have them right now.  Say goodbye to that favorite old shirt that has seen one too many weekends and put it to good use dusting off your shelves to make room for something new.

Go through your books and donate the ones you'll never read again to your local school or library.

Do the same with your CDs and DVDs.  Have any old vinyl records?  A local DJ would love to look through them.  Donate them to a local second-hand store like Goodwill or The Salvation Army.

Clean out your pantry cupboard.  Give those non-perishable food items that you've been meaning to try but never will to a local food bank.

If you're short on time, keep it simple:  Each day in January, throw out ten things you don't need.  You will be surprised how easy it is to find ten things each day, just lying around your house, that you don't really need.  This could mean papers, cosmetics, a lonely sock who never found its mate, an unfinished jar of something in the refrigerator or that mystery nut, bolt, firewire or power cord that you once found and put away "just in case it's something important".  

No matter how you decide to clean house, remember that we are also smack in the middle of winter, the quiet season.  If your weekend comes and all you want to do is relax, read a book, take a walk, or daydream about the summer, just make sure that the first item you throw out is your to-do list.

     ~ Ann Landers

~~~~~

If all of that rich holiday food has left you feeling a little bloated, make up a big pot of this simple Cleansing Kale Soup.  Full of detoxifying Kale and Butternut Squash, it's simple to prepare and simply delicious!

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 clove of garlic, minced

10 oz package (about 1 & 1/2 cups) organic butternut squash cubes

2 cups of water, divided

8 oz package of pre-washed, chopped organic kale (12 cups)

32 oz (4 cups) organic vegetable broth

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Pinch of cayenne

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly (do not burn garlic), about 1 minute.  Add squash cubes and stir to combine.  Sauté 3 or 4 minutes, add 1 cup of the water and stir again.  Add kale and cook, stirring until kale is wilted.  Add broth, thyme, cayenne, lemon juice and remaining cup of water.  Stir to combine, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.  Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

4 to 6 servings

     ~ From Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Early Monday evening,  I was driving to a friend's house when I looked up and saw something rare and wonderful in the sky.  The Moon appeared as a dark circle, perfectly outlined by a hint of iridescent blue.  On the lower portion of the Moon was a brilliant white crescent shape, the phenomenon known as earthshine.  Isn't that a cool term?  Earthshine is sunlight reflected by the Earth toward the Moon. It gives our closest neighbor an almost three dimensional appearance.

Directly to the left of our gorgeous earthshiny Moon was one of the brightest stars I had ever observed.  Stars have to shine pretty brightly to be seen by us city dwellers and this one glowed with so much brilliance and intensity it had the effect of an exclamation point hanging in the middle of the night sky.  I found out later that this bright white pinpoint of light keeping company with our Moon was not a star at all but the planet Venus.  According to the folks at NASA, Venus was shining that evening with 11 times the brilliance of Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.

This intense and brilliant light of Venus illuminating the sky on the night after Christmas reminded me of the story of the Three Wise Men or Magi who followed a star to the place where the child Jesus had just been born.  The term Magi comes from the Old Persian term magus, referring to a priestly caste of Zoroastrianism. A large part of Zoroastrianism involved the study of stars and planets, and these priests earned an international reputation as astrologers.  In those days astrology was a highly regarded science.

Currently, many do not consider astrology a science.  For the Magi, however, studying the movement of the stars in search of a miracle birth was as serious an endeavor as today's physicists searching for the Higgs particle in order to understand the birth of our Universe.

Miracles are born of possibility.  Our ancestors would have seen magic in our modern conveniences.  Carriages that move down the road without horses and boats that carry passengers across the sky are the cars and planes that we take for granted.  We see the fossil fuels that propel them as outdated.  A car or plane that is powered by thought would seem like magic to us, but can you say for sure that it would be impossible?  Just fifty years ago, the idea of humans landing on the moon was part of this nation's hope, rather than its history.

We listen to entire orchestras on little devices in our pockets.  On those same devices we can watch revolutions taking place halfway across the world in real time. Thanks to telescopes we can look back in time to what our Universe looked like just moments after the Big Bang.  We can fly to another continent in a matter of hours and, if a few hours is too much time, we can talk to or even see someone living on that continent in seconds by telephone or computer.

The last year has been both difficult and miraculous.  The year ahead is a blank canvas waiting for you to paint your vision into being.  If you could dream anything into reality, what would it be?  If you think your dream is impossible, stop and look at the wonder that is all around you.  Become aware of the miracles that power your life each and every day.  Cars on the street, food in a refrigerator, songs on an iPod, humans flying through the sky, me typing on this computer and you reading what I type: all these were once miracles that someone believed were possible to achieve.

As we say goodbye to 2011, give thanks for what already is.  Then, get busy imagining all the possibilities of what could be.

~~~~~~~~~

Ring in 2012 with a bowl of Hoppin' John Hummus, a delicious dip based on the traditional New Year's dish.  Hoppin' John is an African-American-inspired recipe made with black eyed peas that is traditionally eaten on New Year's Day to bring luck and prosperity to the year ahead.

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chopped chives

1 (15 oz) can of black eyed peas, drained

2 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Hot sauce to serve (optional)

In a small, heavy saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil.  Sauté garlic and chives over medium heat, 1 or 2 minutes, stirring constantly (you don't want garlic to burn).

Add beans, water, cumin, oregano and paprika.  Stir to combine until heated through.  Turn off heat and mash with a potato masher until mostly smooth.  Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed.

Serve in a pretty bowl, with extra olive oil drizzled over the top and a few drops of hot sauce, if desired.

Makes enough for two.  Recipe can be doubled, tripled, etc. for more guests.

     ~ William Shakespeare

Happy Winter Solstice!  Depending on what time zone you live in, the Solstice happens either Wednesday or Thursday.  Here in California, the annual mark of the shortest day of the year occurred Wednesday evening at 9:30 p.m.  For those living south of the equator,  summer and winter are reversed and this time of year brings their longest day.  In fact, locations in the Antarctic Polar Circle receive 24 hours of daylight now.

For those of us in the northern hemisphere, the Winter Solstice represents the quiet season.  It is a time for moving indoors.  It is a time to look inward, both into our homes and into our hearts and minds.  Now is the time for curling up on the couch with a good book or watching an old movie as the wind blows cold and the rain pours down from the clouds outside.  The winter season is also the perfect time for quiet meditation.

Problem is, the start of the winter season coincides with the busy and sometimes downright chaotic holiday season.  It can be tough to find any time or place to quiet the mind when there is so much to do and so many demands on our time and attention.  With all of the to-do lists, social occasions and emotional triggers that the holidays bring, our minds can seem as crowded as a shopping center parking lot on Christmas Eve.  

When too many thoughts are swirling around my head, when the problem is not that I can't hear myself think, but that I can hear nothing but the chaotic conversations of my inner dialog, I know it is time to use an old trick I learned from Samantha Stevens.

When I was a little girl, I would come home from school every day and watch reruns of Bewitched, an old comedy show about Darren Stevens, an regular-guy-type advertising executive and his wife Samantha, who happened to be a witch. Samantha had made a promise to Darren that she would not use her magical skills and try to behave like an everyday housewife, but every once in awhile she cheated and cooked up dinner in a matter of seconds or made the nosey lady across the street disappear.

One of Samantha's best skills was her ability to stop time for a few seconds.  If things got crazy or out of control she would wiggle her nose (the source of her power) and stop everyone and everything in the room in its tracks.  This would give her a few moments of peace and quiet and then she would scrunch her nose up once more and everyone would return to whatever they had been doing.  I like to employ this very method when I need to quiet the noise in my head.

The next time your mind is full of too many chaotic thoughts, simply imagine all of them freezing in place.  Hold that image of the contents of your mind suspended motionless within the space between your ears.  Take a few deep, slow breaths. Take a look around you and become aware of the present moment.  Feel the connection you share with everyone and everything.  Now close your eyes and take a look inside your mind at the frozen images that represent your thoughts. Imagine yourself walking around them, as if in a museum.  The things your thoughts depict are probably not as overwhelming when you realize that you can control the speed and direction of their activity in your mind.

Celebrate the quiet season.  Freeze the hectic activity in your head.  Enjoy some chill time.

~~~~~~~~~

Celebrate the holiday season by whipping up a Candy Cane Semifreddo. Semifreddo is a yummy Italian dessert that is chilled or frozen.  The name means "half frozen" or "partially frozen" but it is totally delicious!  It tastes like a wonderful peppermint ice cream but no ice cream maker is necessary to make this holiday treat.

2/3 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup of crushed candy cane pieces (8 candy canes or 4oz)

To crush candy canes: place in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin, mallet or heavy jar to crush.

Line two 8" x 4" x 2 1/2" loaf pans with plastic wrap.  Set aside

Whisk the eggs with the sugar in a medium bowl until well-combined and lightened in color.  Over medium heat, warm the milk in a small heavy sauce pan (do not boil).  When the milk just begins to bubble a little, pour the milk very slowly into the egg/sugar mixture, whisking constantly.  Pour the mixture back into the pan and heat slowly until thickened, stirring constantly (mixture will be the consistency of runny pudding).  Let cool to room temperature. Stir in vanilla and peppermint extract.  Cover and chill in fridge for a few hours.

Whip the cream to stiff peaks.  Gently fold whipped cream and candy cane pieces into the custard mixture until completely combined.  Pour into plastic-lined loaf pans.  Cover with plastic wrap, then foil.  Freeze at least four hours.

Remove semi-freddo from loaf pan, peel off any plastic wrap and cut into slices.

Makes 10 to 12 servings

     ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

Finally the Iraq war is coming to an end.  President Obama has ordered all of our soldiers out of Iraq by year's end.  In his October announcement he told the country, "Our troops in Iraq will definitely be home for the holidays."

The idea of being home for the holidays resonates with so many people because the holiday season is a nostalgic one, filled with memories of childhood wonder, family traditions, special sweets and treats.  It is a time when we desire to reunite with friends and loved ones, to spend time with those we care about.  The Christmas season is also a time of giving to others and, in spite of the gross commercialism this gift-giving tradition encourages, in giving to others, in thinking of someone else's needs rather than our own, we open our hearts and the coordinating chakra.

A popular way to gather friends together in recent years has been to give a "Cookie Exchange Party."  Here's how it works:  Each guest brings 2 dozen cookies to share. The host provides beverages, plates, napkins and to-go bags.  The guests sample cookies and enjoy each other's company.  At the end of the evening each guest leaves with 1 dozen cookies of their choice.

In a year when so many people are out of work and so many families are in need, why not take your cookie exchange party to an extra level of goodness by collecting items to help others?  Give a cookie party full of kindness.  Ask your guests to bring an extra item in addition to their cookies.  Here are some suggestions:

Cookies and Cans Party:  Each guest brings one canned food item, such as vegetables, soup, beans, tuna, juice, etc.  Don't forget dog or cat food to help families with furry members.  The host takes all the collected food to a local church, food bank or other organization for distribution to local people in need.

Cookies and Coats Party:  Each guest brings one warm winter clothing item, such as coats, sweaters, gloves, hats, socks, scarves, sweat pants or rain ponchos.  The host takes the collected items to a local homeless shelter for distribution to people in need of protection from the elements this season.

Cookies and Christmas Toys Party:  Each guest brings a new toy, game, stuffed animal, etc.  You can specify age groups, if you like.  The host takes all the donated toys to a local Toys for Tots drop-off or similar toy drive charity for distribution to local families.

Home is where the heart is.  Make yours warm and cozy.  Hanging out with friends, family and loved ones can warm the heart even more when you come together to help your fellow beings here on earth. 

~~~~~~~~~

Cardamom cookies are a popular Iraqi treat.  Celebrate Peace on Earth by taking a batch of these yummy butter cookies to your next holiday party.

Kindness toward the animals that provide us with food is good for your heart in more ways than one.  Organic Valley believes that "Healthy milk from healthy cows makes healthy butter for healthy families."  Their Organic Pasture Butter is made from cream from the milk of cows that graze on fresh May-September pasture grasses, just as nature intended.  This results in a butter that is rich in beneficial fatty acids - CLA, Omega 3 and 6 others, as well as beta-carotene (a benefit of the fresh summer grasses the cows graze on). I used Organic Valley Organic Pasture Butter to make these cookies; it's my new favorite!

3/4 cup organic sugar

2 sticks of butter, softened but not melted

2 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Seeds from six cardamom pods

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Your choice of either: 

1/4 cup lightly crushed, unsalted pistachios or 3 tablespoons sesame seeds

Optional: zest of one orange

Preheat oven to 350° F

Finely crush cardamom seeds with a mortar and pestle.  You can also place seeds in a plastic baggy and crush them using a rolling pin or heavy glass jar.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together, along with the zest (if using).  Set bowl aside.

In a smaller bowl, mix flour, baking powder and crushed cardamom seeds.  Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the butter mixture.  Mix well using a large fork, wooden spoon or clean hands.

The dough will be crumbly.  I find it easiest to use a round 2 tablespoon-sized measuring spoon to shape the cookies.  I pack the dough into the spoon and then gently tap out the formed cookie onto an ungreased baking sheet.  You can also use the traditional method of shaping the cookies:  Gather up a walnut-sized (2 Tbl) amount of dough and use the palms of your hands to make a small ball.  Place the ball onto the baking sheet and press down gently to flatten slightly.

Bake these about an inch apart for 15 to 20 minutes.  Let cool for a minute on the baking sheet, then use a spatula to slide cookies onto a rack or foil-lined counter to cool completely.

Makes 2 dozen cookies

     ~ John Muir

Most people are familiar with the Hawaiian greeting of Aloha.  However, Aloha contains within its meaning much more than just hello or goodbye.  

Those of you who practice yoga are familiar with the word, Namaste, spoken at the end of every yoga practice.  Namaste represents the belief that there is a divine spark within each of us.  The gesture of namaste (bringing the hands together at the heart chakra, closing the eyes and bowing the head) is more than a mere salutation; offering namaste symbolizes the recognition of the soul in one to the soul in the other.  Similarly, Aloha is a recognition of the divine in all people, places and things.  To native Hawaiians, Aloha is a way of life referred to as, "The Spirit of Aloha" or "The Way of Aloha".  The concept taught to Hawaiian children of long ago went something like this:

The Aloha Spirit is such an integral part of being Hawaiian that it has been made into law.   Meant to be a guide for public officials when performing their duties, The Law of Aloha can be found in the Hawaii Revised Statutes section 575:

The statute ends with this direction:  

How lovely would it be if, within the laws of all states, all countries and all people there was a recognition of the divine spirit in all things?

In keeping with this holiday season, I would like to wish everyone on earth a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Solstice, As-Salaam Alaikum, Namaste and Aloha!

"To gain the kingdom of heaven is to learn what is not said, to see what cannot be seen and to know the unknowable; that is Aloha."  ~ Queen Lili`uokalani

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      ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt 

6 oz of humanely-raised Canadian-style bacon 

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 shallots, chopped (about 1/4 cup)

1 (15 oz) can organic tomato sauce

2 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans, drained

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

32 oz carton of organic vegetable broth

2 teaspoons real maple syrup

Dice bacon into small chunks.  In a heavy 5 quart soup pot, over medium-high heat, fry bacon in the olive oil, stirring frequently, until fat melts and bacon browns (2 to 3 minutes).

Add shallots and reduce heat to medium.  Stir until shallots are translucent (1 to 2 minutes).

Add tomato sauce and use a spoon to loosen any crispy bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add beans, salt and pepper.  Stir well.  Using a potato masher, mash the beans but not completely (leave at least a third whole).  Add broth and maple syrup and stir again well.

Increase heat and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until soup has thickened.

Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.

6 to 8 servings

     ~ An example of a piem (author unknown)

Recently, the public and the media were caught up in the fascination of 11-11-11. People even planned their weddings to take place on this easy to remember date. Yesterday it occurred to me that the date 11-22-11 was even more powerful, being in actuality, 11-11+11-11.

As you may have guessed, I am somewhat obsessed with number.  In particular, I cannot look at a group of multiple digits without adding the numbers together quickly in my head and reducing them to a single digit.  For instance, you may see tomorrow's Thanksgiving date as 11-24-11;  I see it as a one (11+ 24 +11 = 22 + 24 = 46 = 10 = 1).

I have a special fondness for the number represented by π.  π, or pi,  is an infinitely interesting number that relates to circles because π = C/d.  In other words, pi is equal to the circumference (distance around) a circle divided by its diameter (distance across).  This is true no matter what size the circle is.  So π is known to be a mathematical constant; you can depend on it.  However, π is also an irrational number because it cannot be written as a fraction of numbers like 1/3 or 3/4.  Therefore, in decimal form, π never repeats and never ends.  So far, with the help of supercomputers, the decimal representation of π has been calculated to over 1 trillion digits.  Dependable and irrational, pi is like creation itself (and most of my friends).  

Recently, I discovered another surprise in pi: piphilology.  Piphilology is the art of creating mnemonic (memorization) techniques for remembering the digits in π. One way to memorize π is to create a piem.  A piem is a poem whose words each represent a digit in π.  For example, here are the first 49 digits in π:  3.14159 26535 89793 23846 26433 83279 50288 41971 69399 375...

Now, here are some examples of piems:

Thank you.

Here is a similar, more adult version:

prevent recalling any of pi's sequence more simply.

(Notice how I censored the salty dialog using the correct number of dashes)

Piems are a world-wide art form.  Here is one in French:

Translation:

How I like to teach this number useful to the wise.

immortal Archimedes, artist, engineer,

in your opinion who could estimate its value?

Here is a Spanish piem (rounded to 10 decimal places):

Translation:

Sun and moon and world proclaim the eternal Author of the Cosmos.

I decided to try my hand at writing a piem to 23 digits of π (not rounded):

So, now it is your turn.  I would love some of you to try your hand at writing a piem, a poem out of π.  Use any language you prefer.  Just employ the correct number of letters in each word to correspond to the digits in π.

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Here is a recipe for Cranberry Pear Crostata and Cranberry Blueberry Crostata, two perfectly delicious desserts who are not only circular, but poetically delicious!

1 single pie crust for a 10" pie (22 oz) thawed

1 & 1/2 pears, cored, peeled and sliced 1/8" thick

1/2 cup fresh whole cranberries

3 tablespoons sugar

1 & 1/2 tablespoons of cold butter, cut into small pieces

Zest of 1/2 a lemon or 1/2 an orange

1 egg, beaten with a little water (to brush pastry)

1 to 2 tablespoons sugar, for sprinkling on crust

Preheat oven to 400°F

Place thawed crust on a large baking sheet.  Using a floured rolling pin, roll crust out a bit more until it is about 13" across.

Leaving about 2 inches at the border, fan the pear slices out from the center in a spiral pattern.  Scatter the cranberries among the pear slices.  Sprinkle the 3 tablespoons of sugar and the zest over the fruit and scatter the bits of butter evenly over that.

Fold the border into the center of the crostata, partially covering the outer part of the fruit area.  Make a few pleats with the dough to make the circle neat.  Brush edge of pastry with the beaten egg (you won't need all of it) and sprinkle it with 1 or 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown.  Let cool on a rack.

Best served the same day or next day.

Serves 8

Omit pears.

Toss together with 2 teaspoons of cornstarch:

1 cup frozen blueberries (not thawed)

1/2 cup fresh whole cranberries

Omit zest and substitute 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon.