“The everyday kindness of the back roads more than makes up for the acts of greed in the headlines.”
~ Charles Kuralt
There is an Italian saying, “L’unione fa la forza,” the literal translation being, “Union makes strength” or, to echo a recent sentiment, “Stronger together”. It is a common idea: that there is strength in numbers; that we accomplish more when we work together.
One of Aesop’s fables, The Bundle of Sticks, tells of an old man whose sons are constantly fighting with each other. One day, after a particularly ugly day of infighting, the man gathers his sons together and hands them a bundle of sticks. He asks each of his sons to try to break the bundle, but none of them succeeds. He then gives them the sticks to break one by one, which they have no problem doing. The moral of the story is that “United we stand; divided we fall.”
A couple of years ago, I wrote a post about how neighborhoods were putting up Little Free Libraries, in order to share books with one another. My current neighborhood has several of these little book depositories up in various front yards and I pass them daily on my walks.
Now, thanks to Jessica McClard of Arkansas, who was inspired by the Little Free Libraries that began showing up in her neighborhood, there is a new trend: the Little Free Pantry.
The Little Free Pantry is a place where neighbors can leave food and other grocery items for other neighbors. It’s just like borrowing a cup of sugar or an egg, except that no one has to beg or ask; one simply takes what they need when they need it. If you have extra of something, or want to donate, you add items. If you have need, whether it is for convenience or due to lack of funds, you simply go to the little box and get it. Giving or receiving, the process is anonymous – just neighbors helping neighbors.
The YouTube above explains the process briefly, along with simple instructions for building your own Little Free Pantry. You can read more tips and advice about starting one here at littlefreepantry.org. I recommend that you consult the website before you start, as it has lots of good info about how and what to stock, local rules and regulations and legal safeguards.
So if the noise and chaos of current events have left you feeling a bit breakable, put up a Little Free Pantry, and create a neighborhood bundle.
“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”
~ Charles Dickens
~~~~~~~~~
Meatloaf meets a cheeseburger and fries in Baked Beef and Potato Patties.
Baked Beef and Potato Patties This is comfort food at its easiest and most delicious. These little spicy, cheesy beef patties use frozen hash brown potatoes as their satisfying secret ingredient. I used an organic brand from Whole Foods, along with Eel River Ranch beef from pasture-raised, grass-fed cows. Seafood Cocktail Sauce from Trader Joe’s added spice and flavor. These are even tastier warmed up the next day.
1 pound grass-fed beef
2 cups frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed (measure before thawing)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley (packed)
1/2 cup chopped onion or 1/4 cup chopped chives
2 eggs
3/8 cup Trader Joe’s Seafood Cocktail sauce (or similar brand)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, for topping
Preheat oven to 400°F
Place a lightly oiled roasting rack inside of a large baking pan or lasagna pan.
Note: if you don’t have a rack to put inside your pan, you can line the pan with parchment paper instead. The fat will collect next to the patties, instead of underneath them, but they will still cook up just fine.
In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except the cheese. Mix well. Shape the mixture into 6 patties, about 3/4 of an inch thick. Place the patties on the rack inside the pan.
Bake for 20 minutes. Top center of each patty with about 2 tablespoons of the cheese. Bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and meat is cooked through.
Makes 6 patties
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“Every tree and plant in the meadow seemed to be dancing, those which average eyes would see as fixed and still.”
~ Rumi
Ever since I can remember, I have felt an awareness of a living presence within every animal, plant, tree, flower or rock. Even pieces of furniture, books, dishes, toys, appliances, automobiles or street signs have always seemed to me to be very much alive and just doing their thing, like the rest of us. As I grew up, I quickly realized that this was not a common world view. As an adult, seeing the expression of the Soul of the World in all things, and honoring that presence, is such an integral part of my being, I have come to accept it as not simply a personality quirk but, rather, as the center of my spiritual purpose.
So, imagine my delight at discovering Pimpa, an Italian cartoon character who exists inside a world in which everything talks, from the bed she sleeps in to the sack of flour in her kitchen cupboard. Pimpa lives with a human man called Armando; he’s kind of her adopted dad.
I often watch Italian children’s cartoons in order to improve my language skills. The pace and vocabulary is much easier for a non-native speaker like me to follow. The Pimpa character originated in the mid 1970s and continues today, with books, games and cartoons starring the polka-dotted dog.
I’m guessing that we all could use a little escapism this Holiday season, so I decided to share Pimpa’s magical world with you, my Philosopher’s Spoon readers, by posting two of my favorite episodes.
The first, “A Trip to the Sea” (“Una gita al mare” – located at the top of this post), finds Pimpa sound asleep, as her bed and alarm clock decide to go to the beach for the day and bring her, still snoozing in the bed, along with them. The second, “The Homemade Bread” (“Il Pane fatto in casa” – scroll down below), follows Pimpa and a friendly bag of flour, as they attempt to make bread together while stuck inside the house on a rainy day.
I hope you enjoy the surrealistic charm of these short cartoons as much as I have. Although they are in Italian, they are pretty easy to follow. So that you can fully appreciate the humor and the charm of Pimpa’s world, I have translated both stories below:
~~
Una gita al mare (A Trip to the Sea)
Pimpa is sleeping. Her bed, alarm clock and lamp are also sound asleep. The clock is the first to awaken, stretch and yawn. She hops across the bed to the window, saying:
“Pimp! Wake up!”
Pimpa still sleeps, but her bed opens his eyes and asks the clock, “What is it?”
The clock answers, “It’s a beautiful day!” She pulls back the curtain to reveal a shining sun, blue sky and green landscape. “Look! Let’s go to the beach!”
The bed replies, “First, we have to wake Pimpa.”
The alarm clock rings loudly and the bed shakes up and down, but Pimpa continues to snooze.
The alarm clock throws up her hands, “There’s nothing we can do!”
The bed shrugs and says, “Let’s go anyway, and take the flippers!”
In the next scene, we see the bed ambling down the hill with Pimpa still sleeping under the covers and the clock riding on top. He’s wearing a flipper at the base of each of his four posts, as they head to the shore. The bed enters the water’s edge and swims out into the ocean. The clock, perched atop one of the posts, announces:
“I’m diving in now!”
Pimpa finally opens her eyes, half asleep. Intending to head to the kitchen, she slides out of bed and into the water. She wakes up on her way down and swims back to the surface, asking the bed:
“But…. where did we end up?”
“The sea. Great idea, right?” answers the bed.
“Yahoo!” exclaims Pimpa, as she dives off the bed into the water.
Pimpa and the clock swim around the bed for a bit, then Pimpa swims off by herself. As she frolics in and out of the ocean, we see a shark swim by in the foreground, barking like a dog (the Italian word for shark is “pescecane” or “dog-fish”, so, of course, it makes sense that a “dog fish” would be barking; at least, in Pimpa’s world it makes sense).
The shark comes face to face with Pimpa and barks loudly at her
“How scary!” exclaims Pimpa. She asks, “But, what are you?”
He keeps barking aggressively at her and Pimpa scolds him for making such scary faces.
The shark confesses, “I was joking,” and asks her, “What are you doing in the middle of the ocean?”
“I was swimming” answers Pimpa.
“Ah, the shore is far away,” says the shark, “Will you be going back?”
“Why don’t you take me?” asks Pimpa. “Come on, let’s go!” she tells him, as she climbs on his back, holding onto his fin.
She and the shark are having so much fun, they cruise right past the bed and the clock, who are not happy at being forgotten. The clock rings her alarm to get their attention and Pimpa and the shark stop and turn around. The clock swings a lasso around the shark’s fin and he tows them all to shore.
When Pimpa hops onto the sand, she turns back to the shark, says goodbye and gives him some friendly advice, “Bye..and don’t go around scaring the people, understand?”
“O.k. beautiful,” says the shark, “Bow wow!”
The bed takes Pimpa and the clock back to the house.
Pimpa’s dad, Armando, comes home later on to find her in bed. He wakes her up, saying:
“Still in bed, lazybones?!”
Pimpa replies, “But I spent the whole day at the beach, swimming.”
“I don’t believe you” scolds Armando.
“Look, then.” Pimpa tells him, and shows him her sunburned back.
“A shark brought me back home!” she adds.
“Are you sure it wasn’t, maybe, a dolphin?” asks Armando.
“Uh, no!” she replies, “He had big teeth, like this.” and she makes a frightening grimace.
“Mmmmama mia, I believe you; I believe you!” he replies.
Pimpa smiles and winks at the audience.
The End
~~
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm7r2HtZXrU
Il Pane fatto in casa (The Homemade Bread)
The rain falls outside Pimpa’s house. She groans with bored frustration, as she walks around the living room. Rain is everywhere she looks. It’s even the only program on TV.
She opens the door and looks out. A tree is holding an umbrella and advises her, “Stay in the house; out here it’s raining.”
“Yes, I know; I know,” replies Pimpa, “But I’m tired of being closed up inside the house.”
“Me too!” pleads a voice in the background, knocking, “Open me, please!”
Pimpa walks to the cupboard and opens it. A bag of flour stares out at her.
“Hi” she says.
“Hi” he replies, “Listen, do you want to make something together? What d’ya say?”
“O.k.” she answers, “What do you know how to make?”
“Ask the cookbook,” says the bag of flour, “He knows everything.”
The cookbook jumps down from off the shelf announcing, “Here I am! What would you guys like to know?”
Pimpa asks, “What can I make with him?” pointing to the bag.
“My name is Flour” adds the bag, “I don’t care [what we make].”
The cookbook flips through his pages, “A, B, C, D, E, F… with flour you can make bread.”
“Thanks!” Pimpa tells the cookbook.
“Just doing my job, dear.” he replies, hopping back onto the shelf.
Now Pimpa holds a bowl of water as she tells Flour, “You need some water. Do you know how to swim?”
“And how!” Flour replies, “I’m diving in; yahoo!” and he empties himself into the bowl.
Now Flour has become a little blob in the bowl of water, doing the backstroke.
Pimpa tells him she is adding salt, as Flour Blob remarks, “This seems just like seawater!” and swims around.
She stirs him into the water until he becomes a nice ball of dough. She asks, “Would you like a bit of leavening?” and offers him a packet of yeast.
“Definitely! I like it. Give me a lot!” he tells her, and opens his mouth wide.
Pimpa pours some yeast into his mouth and he urges her to give him “More, more!” The leavening is already causing him to grow bigger.
Pimpa announces, “And now, a nice massage!”
She kneads Dough Ball as he chuckles and tells her, “You’re making me ticklish!”
Now they both sit on the edge of the kitchen table, worn out and panting. Dough Ball tells Pimpa, “I’m a bit tired.”
“Better take a little rest.” she advises, and they fall back to nap.
Dough Ball, now much bigger, wakes up shivering. “I’m cold” he tells her.
Pimpa remarks, “Do you have any idea how much you’ve grown?”
“I’m cold!” he repeats, “Could I rest in the oven?”
“But, of course” she answers. They walk to the oven and she opens the door, saying, “Please, make yourself comfortable.”
Unfortunately, Dough Ball has grown too big to fit in the oven. He tries and tries and tries and finally gives up, saying, “I can’t get in. I must have eaten too much leavening.”
“You need a warm bed” she tells Dough Ball, “Here, come with me” and she takes him to her dad’s room.
“This is Armando’s bed,” she tells him, “But he’s not here right now.”
The dough happily hops under the covers and begins to snooze.
Later that night, Armando comes home from work to find a stranger in his bed. “Look at that!” He exclaims, and goes to Pimpa’s room to wake her. He pokes her with his finger:
“Could somebody tell me what that thing is in my bed?”
“It’s a bread roll” answers Pimpa.
“What bread roll?” asks Armando, adding, “It’s gigantic and soggy.”
“It’s an uncooked bread roll” she replies.
“And why is it in my bed?” he asks.
“Because he couldn’t fit inside the oven” she answers.
“O.k., then” sighs Armando, “Make some room for me, please.”
Pimpa scoots over as Armando puts on his night cap and settles into her bed, his large frame leaving no room for Pimpa.
She throws up her hands and shrugs. All the beds are taken.
~~
Happy Holidays to all creatures great and small!
~~~~~~~~~
Cranberry Pistachio Christmas Bread requires no yeast, so it will definitely fit into your oven and fill your house with the smell of Christmas as it bakes. It’s also a wonderful way to use up leftover eggnog.
Cranberry Pistachio Christmas Bread Use good quality, organic, full fat eggnog for the best results. I like to support happy cows and hens by using pastured butter and Vital Farms Backyard Eggs (available at Whole Foods).
2/3 cup organic sugar
2 large eggs
1 & 1/4 cups organic eggnog
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Scant 1/4 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg
OR
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup roasted, unsalted pistachio nuts
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease bottom and partially up sides of a 9″ round cake pan, a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan or three 3″ x 5″ mini loaf pans.
In a large bowl, beat eggs with sugar until well blended, bubbly and lightened in color.
Beat in eggnog, butter and vanilla.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Add to eggnog mixture and stir until just combined (do not overbeat). Fold in cranberries and pistachios.
Spoon into prepared pan(s).
Bake cake pan for 50 to 60 minutes, large loaf pan for 55 to 65 minutes or 3 small loaf pans for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in center(s) comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan, then move to a rack to cool completely. Wrap loaf to give as a gift from your kitchen, or slice and store in an airtight container in refrigerator.
Serves 8
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“Though my soul may set in darkness, It will rise in perfect light, I have loved the stars too fondly To be fearful of the night.”
~ Sarah Williams (Twilight Hours: A Legacy of Verse, 1868)
After a year filled increasingly with hateful bullying, angry shouting, profanity and scapegoating, the recent triumph of these tactics has left many of us depressed and disheartened, in deep mourning of what seems to be the death of basic forms of civility and humanity. Many of my clients and friends have recently described a sudden onset of physical symptoms that are similar to those that appear when one is fighting an infection: fatigue, body aches, digestive problems and difficulty sleeping.
In order to fully recover from this malady, we must first determine what has infected us. The answer can be found within the plot of the film Ghostbusters II:
Simply put: we’ve been slimed.
In the 1989 film, the Ghostbusters encounter “Mood Slime”, a psycho-reactive substance fueled by hate, anger and hostility. Direct contact with this psycho-reactive slime would fill a person with the negative emotions that were stored up in it. The movie’s villain and evil tyrant, “Vigo Von Homburg Deutschendorf”, uses this anger-charged substance to gather more power and to attack his enemies. The slime has infected the entire city of New York with its negative influence and threatened to give permanent power to the evil tyrant. Just in time, the Ghostbusters discover that Mood Slime can also be positively charged and they use it to animate the Statue of Liberty to walk down Broadway, inspiring and uplifting New Yorkers to feel joy and comaraderie, instead of rage and division, weakening Vigo and ultimately defeating him.
Anger, being one of the five stages of grief, is an understandable reaction to those who would demonize their fellow human beings based on race, religion, culture or gender, and a bit of righteous anger can inspire us to action: to push back against voices of hate and division and to fight attempts to institutionalize bigotry and normalize injustice.
The danger is in letting negative reactions and emotions become our default state of being. Too much wallowing in despair is incapacitating. Sustained anger becomes a self-administered poison and, eventually, a contagion.
Answering the hate and anger of others with still more hate and anger, even if you feel yours is justified, only feeds into the darkness. Instead, diffuse anger and hate with light and love. If you can’t quite bring yourself to feel love for those who bully, harass and marginalize others, leave them be. Hate has a way of consuming itself. Instead, direct your light and love to those who are most vulnerable, who are in need of protection and healing.
Become a beacon of light in the midst of darkness. When you are feeling strong and filled with light, share it with others, who can, in turn, light the way for you if your mood takes a dark turn. There are many ways to shine the light. Speak up when you see people harassed or bullied. Contribute to or volunteer for organizations that advocate for and defend those in need of protection. Come together with others to form meditation/visualization groups that meet regularly to be conduits of healing and positivity.
Even though you are only one person, one soul, you can contribute to illuminating darkness and healing our collective hearts. You may ask how, if you feel depressed and defeated, you could possibly have anything to offer someone else. Remember that, when you focus on the light, you are channeling the Soul of the World, which contains the loving strength of an entire Universe. When you allow yourself to be a conduit of light and love, that light and love moves through you and benefits you with healing on its way to others.
You can begin by using the simple meditative technique of candle meditation.
Here’s how:
Candle meditation is the simple act of gazing at a candle flame and focusing one’s attention on a single point of light. It helps one to quiet the mind and focus on the moment, on the “now”.
First, make sure the room is dimly lit (shades drawn, lights turned down). Choose a candle that will stand on its own or fit inside a candle holder. Select an appropriate color (white or lavender for healing, pink for love). Find a comfortable place to sit where you can place the candle in front of you at eye level or slightly below (you don’t want to have to crouch down or strain your neck). Make sure you will be able to sit comfortably and that the candle will be at least 20 inches/50 cm away from you, so that the flame does not appear too bright as you gaze. Light the candle, sit back and gaze at the flame, letting everything else around it blur. At first, your thoughts and eyes may try to wander. Keep refocusing on the candle flame and, in time, your mind will quiet.
Inhale and exhale deep, steady and slow breaths, preferably in and out of your nose. Imagine that you are breathing in the golden light and, as you exhale, visualize yourself surrounded by its protective halo. See the candle flame as a concentrated point of pure universal love and visualize sending it out to people and communities that need protection and healing.
When you are finished meditating, whether you leave the candle burning or put the flame out until your next session, take a moment to give thanks for the opportunity to be a conduit of universal light and love. Ask or set the intention to continue to be so as you move through the coming moments, hours, days and weeks.
Take a deep breath, keep moving forward and hold the light in your heart as you travel. Together, we will find our way.
In the words of the late Leonard Cohen:
“Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything, That’s how the light gets in.”
~~~~~~~~~
Light up your Thanksgiving dessert table with Pumpkin Cannoli.
Pumpkin Cannoli (Cannoli alla Crema di Zucca) These traditional Sicilian pastries get a Thanksgiving twist with the addition of pumpkin pie filling. Ask your local Italian bakery to fry you up some ready-to-fill cannoli shells. If you can’t find them, you can use puff pastry shells to hold this scrumptious filling. You will need to start these two days ahead. Use any leftover canned pumpkin to add to soups or muffin recipes.
Ingredients
For pumpkin pie filling:
1 & 1/4 cups canned organic pumpkin (from a 15 oz can)
1/4 cup organic sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla
~~
1 (15 oz) tub of whole milk ricotta
1 (8 oz) tub of mascarpone cheese
6 Tablespoons powdered sugar (plus some for dusting)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 dozen prepared cannoli shells
To make cannoli filling:
The night before:
Drain ricotta inside a large sieve placed over a bowl, overnight in refrigerator.
The next day:
In a medium bowl, stir together pumpkin, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and 1 teaspoon vanilla until sugar dissolves.
Combine drained ricotta, mascarpone, pumpkin pie filling, powdered sugar and additional vanilla. Mix well and push through sieve using a large spoon (pain in the booty, but worth it). Chill until serving time.
Shortly before serving, fill shells using a pastry bag or skinny spreader. Dust with powdered sugar.
Makes 12 cannoli
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“Never forget the most powerful force on earth is love.”
Nelson Rockefeller
Our modern lifestyle of extended sitting, whether in a car while commuting or at a desk while working, whether crouched on a couch while scrolling screens or semi-folded, watching TV, can make our back muscles stiff and sore. Are you canvassing and knocking on doors to help get out the vote for the upcoming election? Walking is wonderful, but walking on concrete can also cramp our spine’s style by compacting the vertebrae, making for less fluid and comfortable movement of the spinal column.
If current events are interrupting your body’s ability to go with the flow, there are two simple yoga stretches that can help. Called the Cat and Cow poses, these stretches are easy for almost anyone to do and they can be done practically anywhere: either sitting in a chair, sitting on the floor or on all fours.
The alternating movement between Cat pose and Cow pose stretches the spine, as well as the back and hip muscles, helping to improve posture and keep the spine fluid. In addition, these poses open the chest and lungs, making breathing easier. The abdominal muscles (also known as the “core”) get a nice mini-workout too.
Here are simple instructions for doing 3 versions of Cat-Cow pose. The seated versions are both good for those with wrist or knee issues, who cannot position themselves on all fours. The chair version is great while at work or on an airplane:
Traditional Cat and Cow Flow
Begin on all fours. Place your wrists under your shoulders, about shoulders-width apart and knees under your hips, about sit-bones-distance apart, with your torso flat and your abdominal muscles firm, as if you were a four-legged table. You can put a towel under your knees for more comfort.
Inhale into Cow Pose:
As you inhale slowly (preferably in through your nose), sink your mid-section towards the floor as you move your chest and shoulders back and up and your hips and tailbone up toward the sky. Glance upward, being careful not to throw your head too far back.
Exhale into Cat Pose:
Exhale (again, preferably out via the nose), arching your back like the image of a Halloween cat on top of a pumpkin, dropping your head gently and bringing your shoulders down and toward your hips and your hips toward your shoulders, crunching your abdominal muscles inward to squeeze out the last bit of breath.
Repeat, alternating between inhaling Cow Pose and exhaling Cat Pose for 3 to 9 sets.
Bring your torso back to your starting, neutral, table position.
Seated Version (Floor)
Sit in a comfortable, cross-legged position. Begin breathing deeply, evenly, slowly, preferably in and out of the nose. Inhale, looking upward and bringing the torso forward, shoulders and hips back. Exhale in the opposite direction, rounding the back and bringing the shoulders and hips forward and bringing the chin gently towards the chest as you squeeze out the last bit of breath using your abdominal muscles. Repeat several times, then return to neutral, starting position. You can lightly hold onto your front leg to anchor your hands and guide your movement.
Chair Version
Sit upright in your chair with your feet evenly on the floor in front of you. Place your hands lightly over your knee caps. Begin breathing deeply, evenly, slowly, preferably in and out of the nose. Inhale, looking upward and bringing the torso forward, shoulders and hips back. Exhale in the opposite direction, rounding the back and bringing the shoulders and hips forward and bringing the chin gently towards the chest as you squeeze out the last bit of breath using your abdominal muscles. Repeat several times, then return to neutral, starting position.
“Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.”
~ Lao Tzu
~~~~~~~~~
Philly meets the Southwest in this mash-up of regional favorites: Green Chile Cheesesteak Tacos (or Tortas).
Green Chile Cheesesteak Tacos (or Tortas) If you can still find fresh green chilies in your local market, you can roast them yourself. However, you can find them pre-roasted and canned or frozen all year round at your local market or online. This last August, my local Whole Foods was selling freshly-roasted Hatch green chilies (a New Mexico specialty) in the produce section. I took them home, diced some and left some whole for stuffing and froze them to enjoy this fall and winter. This fiery Southwestern twist on the traditional Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich was my first delicious experiment with them.
You want the thinnest cut of beef possible for a good, authentic Cheesesteak sandwich. Be sure to choose grass-fed, humanely-raised beef for the most flavorful, healthiest and kindest beef. Mine came fromEel River Organic Grass Fed Beef (click for link).
This recipe serves two people. You can double or triple the ingredients for more servings.
1/2 lb Milanesa-cut beef (or similarly thin-sliced, lean, rib-eye, flat iron or flank steak)
2 green onions, trimmed and chopped (green and white parts)
2 tablespoons diced roasted green chilies
(Hatch, if you can find them – you can use defrosted from frozen or canned)
A splash of soy sauce
Dash of ground cumin
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Warmed corn or flour tortillas for tacos
Or
Warmed hoagie-style rolls for tortas
Optional for tortas:
Mayonaise
To get nice, thin slices of beef:
Tightly roll steak into a log shape. Wrap log in plastic wrap and then foil and place in freezer for about an hour (you want it frozen, but not rock-solid).
Remove from freezer and remove foil and plastic wrap. Using a very sharp, serrated knife, slice log into almost paper-thin strips. Season beef with salt and freshly-ground pepper, cover and place in refrigerator to defrost all the way.
In a large skillet over low heat, add smashed garlic clove and stir to release flavor. Push clove to outer edge of pan. Add chopped green onions and stir until translucent. Push to outer edges of pan.
Turn heat up to medium and add beef slices, stirring often, until browned and cooked through. Add diced chilies and stir to combine. Add a splash of soy sauce (and a few drops of water if needed to deglaze pan). Add dash of cumin. Stir the green onions into the mixture and continue stirring until chilies are softened. Discard garlic clove.
For tacos:
Line a warm corn or flour tortilla with shredded Jack cheese. Top with warm beef mixture and serve.
For tortas:
If desired, spread one half of roll with mayo. Top other half with shredded jack cheese and pile beef mixture on top of the cheese half. Put the two halves together and serve.
Tip: Fruit salad and french fries are nice on the side. Vanilla ice cream will cool the heat after a spicy meal.
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“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”
~ Thích Nhat Hanh
Turn up the corners of your mouth.
As a yoga therapist, my goal when teaching is to benefit both body and mind, to facilitate healing not only at the physical level, but also emotionally, mentally, energetically and spiritually. My instruction to students to subtly shift their facial expressions during yoga practice aims to improve how they feel as well as how they appear to those around them.
I am also a massage therapist. Over my many years of practice, I have had countless opportunities to watch the faces of people at rest. Too often I see relaxed expressions that betray years of negative feelings and thoughts. Many people who may have been smiling and happy before reclining, have a default appearance that seems angry, hurt and disappointed once they close their eyes to relax. These people are not necessarily upset at the time, rather their faces have been etched day after day, year after year by continuous frustration, worry, judgment and fear.
A few years ago, I decided to be mindful of my facial expression, not to let my countenance get stuck in a scowl or grimace. I didn’t want my resting face to be a negative one. As a result of this effort, I noticed that, no matter what state of mind I was in at the time, when I began to smile, my mood shifted and improved almost instantly. I looked into the idea that facial expressions could influence attitude and discovered that there was published research which proved that the physical act of smiling can reduce stress and improve one’s perception and mood.
A few years ago, researchers at the University of Kansas found that subjects who smiled while performing stressful tasks had lower heart rates than non-smilers doing the same task. In fact, the study showed that those who formed fuller, more genuine smiles, involving eye muscles as well as those of the mouth, had even lower heart rates. When the parasympathetic response (also known as the “relaxation response”) is activated, one indicator is a slowed heart rate. Therefore, these results demonstrate that the physical act of forming a smile may help the body to reduce stress.
Smiling can also improve the way we see others and the world around us. A study back in the late ’80s demonstrated that subjects found cartoons funnier when they formed a smile with their facial muscles. Two separate studies, in 2012 and 2015, found that when someone smiles, their brain sees the facial expressions of other people more favorably, proving scientifically that (as Louis Armstrong wrote in his famous song) when you smile, the world really does seem to be smiling with you.
So, throughout your day, remember to stop for a moment and turn up the corners of your mouth.
In fact, try it right now.
“Peace begins with a smile.”
~ Mother Teresa
~~~~~~~~~
Here in Southern California, the weather is still warm and sunny, not quite baking season. No-Bake Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake will put a smile on your face without having to heat up your oven.
No Bake Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake Depending on local availability, you can use fresh or frozen raspberries to make this delicious and creamy no-bake cheesecake. You will need a pie plate or springform pan, a blender or food processor and a fine mesh sieve for this recipe.
Crust:
1 & 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 10 2-piece grahams)
3 tablespoons organic sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
Pinch of salt (omit if using salted butter)
Filling:
8 oz package of cream cheese, softened (do not use low fat)
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1 teaspoon lemon zest (1 lemon)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Make the crust:
Using a rolling pin, crush graham crackers cookies between two pieces of plastic wrap. Combine the melted butter with the graham crumbs, sugar and salt (if using) in a bowl and mix thoroughly with a fork. Press mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of an 8-inch or 9-inch pie plate or into the bottom and partially up sides of a 8 or 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate until set (about 1 hour).
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla. Mix again on low speed until smooth and free of lumps. Stir by hand with a spoon to finish smoothing.
Pull pie plate or springform from fridge and spoon filling evenly into crust. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 4 hours.
To make raspberry topping:
Combine raspberries, sugar and vanilla in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Place a medium bowl underneath and push raspberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve with the back of a large spoon until all the liquid is in the bowl. Discard seeds and remaining solids. Cover raspberry topping and store in fridge until serving time.
To serve:
If using a springform, carefully unhook and remove side of pan. Slice into wedges and drizzle with raspberry topping. Garnish with fresh raspberries, if available.
Serves 8 to 10
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The President’s, by now, well-known advice that casting one’s vote, rather than merely giving one’s opinion, is what determines to whom we citizens give the job of running our government, is not merely a funny line, or potential words to be tweeted out or printed on a t-shirt. His slogan illustrates the difference between having a say and having an actual vote. The right to protest was guaranteed by the First Amendment, adopted just a few years after our Constitution was ratified in 1788. The right of every citizen to vote, has been harder to achieve.
In the first few years of our history, only white men who owned property could vote. Men who looked like our current President could not cast a vote in any election until 1870, almost 100 years after our constitution was written. Our current Democratic Party nominee could not have voted, let alone run for President, or any office, until 1920, when women were finally able to vote. If you are eighteen and thinking of not bothering to vote, know that, until 1971, you would not have had the choice. Prior to the passage of the 26th Amendment, you had to be at least 21 years old to be eligible to vote.
Throughout U.S. history, various states in our union have tried to enact complicated rules (such as requiring would-be voters to guess the amount of bubbles on a bar of soap, or charging a “poll tax”) to prevent certain groups of people from voting. Women fighting for the right to vote were imprisoned. African Americans were beaten and attacked while protesting for voting rights. The ability of every citizen to vote is still not guaranteed. One must register and prove eligibility first. Currently there are different requirements for voter registration in every state, some complicated, some simple.
The Vlog Brothers (John and Hank Green) have put together an extensive collection of YouTube videos, explaining how to vote in every state and territory of the United States. The overall project and basic info for voting is simply and beautifully explained in the short YouTube above.
This link will take you to their channel, where you can find the corresponding YouTube instructions for how to vote in your state:
Hank Green explained the duo’s reasons for doing the massive project in a recent article for Mashable:
“I am very lucky to live in a democracy, but the only reason politicians listen to citizens is if they vote. So, traditionally, young people don’t get listened to because, traditionally, they vote less. We need to change that, not just on the national level, but on the local level, where the majority of governing in the U.S. actually happens.”
~~~
VoteRiders is an organization making sure that no eligible citizen is denied the right to vote for lack of ID. They have put up a page on their website with printable, wallet-sized voter information cards with the ID requirements for each state. Each state has different requirements. Find yours here:
California requires ID only for first-time voters who did not provide the info at the time of registration.
If you or someone you know is not yet registered, or may not have the proper ID required to vote, or if you are not sure of your status, check out the YouTube and VoteRiders links above for your state.
The great Abraham Lincoln famously described our government as one, “of the people, by the people, for the people.” We are the government. We hire our representatives with our votes. Money can only work to influence our opinion or our apathy. Our public servants can only be bought if our silence can be bought.
“If 99% of us voted, it wouldn’t matter how much the 1% spent on our elections.”
~ Barack Obama
Do your jobs. Make your voice heard. Participate in your democracy. Vote.
~~~~~~~~~
Active participants in a democracy sometimes need a pick-me-up. Cold Brewed Coffee is an easy method to prepare one of the smoothest, best-tasting cups of coffee you may have tasted.
Cold Brewed Coffee I recently discovered the cold-brewing method during our last heat wave. This way of making coffee eliminates bitterness and sour aftertaste, producing a smooth, rich flavor. When the weather returned to normal and I resumed my usual method of making coffee, I really noticed a difference. The cold-brewed taste was superior.
It’s super easy if you have a French press coffee maker, no. 2 filters and a one cup cone :
I’ll give instructions for with and without a French Press. Cold brewing takes about 12 to 16 hours.
You will need:
Coffee, ground fine.
A French Press coffee maker or large glass container
A one cup coffee cone and filters
Or
Cheesecloth and a fine mesh sieve
A mason jar or pitcher to store your brewed coffee
Milk, cream and/or sugar, if desired
French Press Method
Add 1/2 cup of coffee and 2 & 1/2 cups of cold water into the glass carafe of your French press. Stir well and cover. Let sit on the counter top at room temperature or inside the fridge for 12 to 16 hours. Stir once again, place the plunger top into the carafe of the French press and push down (make sure the mesh screen is open).
Line your one-cup with a filter and place over a jar big enough to hold the brewed coffee. Pour the pressed coffee through the filter into the jar, to filter out any remaining sediment.
Non French Press Method
Stir 1/2 cup coffee and 2 & 1/2 cups cold water into a large mason jar. Stir well and cover. Let sit on the counter top at room temperature or inside the fridge for 12 to 16 hours. Stir once again.
Place a mesh sieve, lined with cheesecloth over a bowl or jar. Pour your brewed coffee through the lined sieve (you may need to do this twice) to filter out all grounds and sediment.
Store your brewed coffee in the fridge and enjoy cold with or without ice. Stir in sugar, milk or cream, if desired.
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“Now I am light; now I fly; now I see myself beneath myself; now a god dances through me.”
~ Friedrich Nietzsche,
From Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None
This morning I woke up a bit down. Not a debilitating depression, but one that causes you to awaken with a “sigh” rather than a smile.
I poured myself some iced coffee and went to sit on the porch to savor this week’s slightly milder summer temperatures. I sat, sipping my cool, strong coffee and attempted to shift my mood, but I was unsuccessful. As I turned to go back inside the house, I heard a familiar buzzing sound behind me. Even before turning around to look, I knew the source. My old friend, the California Fig Eater had returned.
The California Fig Eater (cotinis mutabilis), is a scarab beetle, native to the southwestern United States, that feeds on summer fruits like figs, peaches and plums that have fallen to the ground or are damaged. Fig eaters are bright, velvety green on their tops, while their undersides are a metallic blue green. They move through the air awkwardly, and seem to be perpetually trying to maintain their balance, almost reminiscent of single engine planes from the first years of human flight. Their low buzzing is equally awkward, sounding like a sputtering engine. The fig eater’s life cycle is the same as the fruit it is named for; they arrive in mid summer and last until late August or September.
Each season, when the fig eater returns, he always seems to arrive just when I am in need of uplifting. He buzzes by as if to say, “Remember me? In case you forgot, I am here to remind you that everything will be alright!”
The abrupt shift of my mood upon seeing my old acquaintance reminded me of my friend’s son Austin, just before his first birthday. A group of friends and I were all on a camping trip at Jalama Beach and, as his mom and I put together an outdoor dinner for the group, Austin sat on top of a picnic table, strapped into his carrier. Maybe because of the heat, or the wind blowing sand around, or his mom otherwise occupied, Austin began to cry with frustration. He sounded as if his world had come to an end. Just then, his grandmother held a peach in front of his face. Suddenly he stopped crying, broke into a huge grin and took a happy bite. Crisis averted.
I have never forgotten Austin and the peach. I was impressed with how easily he let go of whatever was worrying or frustrating him a minute before and fully immersed himself in the joy of a ripe piece of summer fruit. I couldn’t help but compare his childhood ability to live in the moment with my adult tendency to drag my mental and emotional baggage around throughout the day, weighing down multiple opportunities for my spirit and mood to take flight.
Which reminds me…
The first round-the-world flight of the Solar Impulse, a completely solar-powered aircraft, was recently completed. Like my friend, the California Fig Eater, its flight was not without bumps, but the return of the plane, powered by 17,000 solar cells located in its wings, has brought hope along with it.
Here in California, with record temperatures amid another year of drought, it’s easy to look at the empty part of our glass. But, the Solar Impulse reminds us that the Sun’s power is one that is full of potential, not only to heat us, but to cool us; not only to wear us down, but to power us up; to cause drought, but also to bring hope for healing. The Sun’s warmth initially gave life on Earth the opportunity to grow. Solar technology has the potential to save life on Earth as we work to adapt to a changing climate.
In fact, California now produces more utility-scale solar power than all the other states combined. We are the first U.S. state to get 5% of our annual utility-scale energy from the Sun. Renewable energy, including hydro power and rooftop solar, now makes up about one third of California’s electricity.
So, a day that began with dampened spirits was made joyful by visit from an old friend, the California Fig Eater, and an appreciation for the summer sun that brought him to me.
My glass is 3/4 full.
“Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.”
~ Karl Barth
~~~~~~~~~
One of the joys of summer is cooking outdoors. Add some extra fire to your next cookout with super-spicy Piri Piri Grilled Chicken. Ask your grocer for a pasture-raised chicken. Pastured chickens are raised compassionately, with the highest standards and with plenty of grass, shade and places to perch. They are slower growing than factory chickens and enjoy an environment modeled after their natural habitat.
Piri Piri Grilled Chicken Piri Piri sauce is traditionally made with the Bird’s Eye Chile, a very hot pepper that grows in Africa. Piri Piri Chicken is a Portuguese specialty, also popular in Brazil. Serve with a cool potato salad, green salad and cold, fresh fruit. Ice cream, or another dairy dessert, will cool down taste buds after a spicy meal.
Piri Piri Marinade:
Zest of 3 lemons
Juice of 3 lemons
3/8 cup olive oil
3 crushed, dried bird’s eye chilies or other small, red chile peppers
1 & 1/2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 & 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger root
7 to 8 cloves of garlic, minced
3/8 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 & 1/2 lbs of your favorite chicken pieces
Combine ingredients for marinade in a glass jar.
Rinse chicken pieces and pat dry.
Place chicken pieces in a 9″ x 13″ glass or ceramic baking pan and coat thoroughly with 2/3 of the marinade. Cover chicken and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. Save remaining marinade in a small container and store in fridge to use for basting.
To grill:
Remove chicken and discard marinade. Place pieces on a charcoal grill over a solid be of medium coals (or over medium heat on a gas grill). If using a gas grill, close the lid. Cook, turning occasionally and basting with the reserved marinade, until skin is browned and meat is no longer pink, about 40 minutes.
Makes about 8 servings
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“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”
~ Alice Walker
On the day of the New York Primary Elections this past April, women affixed their “I voted” stickers to the headstone of Susan B. Anthony’s grave, in tribute.
Susan B. Anthony, a leader in the women’s suffrage movement, died March 13, 1906, more than 14 years before the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, finally giving women the legal right to vote.
Anthony began collecting anti-slavery petitions at the age of 17 and eventually became the New York state agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society. She was also active in the temperance (anti-alcohol consumption) movement. She formed one of the first national suffrage (right to vote) organizations in 1869.
Women-led organizations, from the early 1800’s, had fought for various causes, including property and other rights for women, abolition of slavery, child labor laws, and temperance, but not all of them agreed on the right of women to vote as being a priority. In time, most women reformers realized that many politicians were not willing to listen to a group that did not represent voters. It is votes, after all, that ultimately determine whether a politician has a job. Therefore, women activists decided that, in order to achieve the reforms they sought, they needed to fight for the right to vote. Ratified on August 18th, 1920, the 19th Amendment was the single largest extension of voting rights in the history of the United States.
Photo by Andrew Cuthbertson, via Twitter and Facebook
The power of women to make change is also embodied in the image of Harriet Tubman, who, in addition to later helping to promote the cause of women’s suffrage, escaped slavery in 1849 only to risk her own life and freedom by making 13 missions to rescue approximately seventy enslaved friends and their families via the Underground Railroad. Tubman passed away in 1913, after a lifetime of heroism and service, becoming a powerful symbol of female courage.
On April 20th, 2016, the day after grateful women decorated Susan B. Anthony’s grave with their “I voted” stickers, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that a portrait of Harriet Tubman would replace slave-owner Andrew Jackson as the image on the front of the $20 bill.
Although the Tubman twenty dollar bill will not be available for another four years, I think I will donate that amount in her honor to one of the many organizations started by women doing good work today:
Moms Demand Action
Moms Demand Action was founded by concerned mother Shannon Watts, in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting. The organization is now a leading non-partisan force for gun violence prevention and grassroots movement for stronger gun safety laws with chapters in all fifty states.
The Malala Fund
Inspired by co-founder Malala Yousafzai, the teenage advocate for educating girls who survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban, the Fund’s goal is to enable girls around the world to complete 12 years of safe, quality education so they can achieve their potential and become positive change-makers in their communities.
The American Red Cross
Founded by Clara Harlowe Barton in 1881, the mission of American Red Cross is to provide compassionate care to those in need. The five key service areas of the organization here and around the world are: disaster relief, providing lifesaving blood, health and safety education, supporting military families and international humanitarian work.
The League of Women Voters
Founded by Carrie Chapman Catt, just six months before the 19th Amendment was ratified, The League of Women Voters was originally designed to assist women in carrying out their new responsibilities as voters. Today, this non-partisan organization continues to work at registering, protecting, educating and engaging voters, improving election processes, reforming money in politics, defending the environment, advocating for gun safety and more.
2016 has been a challenging year so far, filled with one tragedy after another. I had intended to publish this particular post weeks ago, but with successive shootings, attacks, candlelight vigils, and shocking events coming sometimes days apart, the time never seemed to be appropriate for a post celebrating and encouraging the role of women in the world.
But then it occurred to me that, maybe because of the excessive violence, anger and aggression expressing itself in the world today, traditionally feminine leadership qualities are exactly what are most needed now.
The willingness to listen, negotiate, multitask and forge relationships; the quality of supporting, encouraging and softening; the power of compassion, the strength of patient persistence, etc., all seem, to me, to be much needed antidotes to the current rhetoric clamoring for attention in a world that seems to be lashing out in fear.
The women and men that fought, died and sacrificed for our right to vote and for our freedom lived through incredible difficulties and experienced numerous setbacks and hardships. They kept going.
Don’t let the sadness immobilize you. Don’t let despair silence you. Get involved in whatever way you can and be a force, big or small, for peace, healing, love, tolerance and education. As civil rights activist and feminist Florynce Kennedy once said:
“Don’t agonize. Organize!
The power is already within you.
~~~~~~~~~
Eat some Pink Popcorn while watching the new Ghostbusters movie or whatever other events may be entertaining you during the next couple of weeks.
Pink Popcorn Soft, sweet and irresistible, this all-natural version of Pink Popcorn is caramel-glazed popped corn tinted with cherry juice. You can use air-popped corn or pop it without oil using a microwave oven and paper lunch bag (see instructions for this method below recipe).
12 cups plain popped popcorn (about 1/2 cup unpopped)
1/2 cup organic sugar
1/4 cup salted butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cherry juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Place the popped corn into a large bowl. Set aside.
Heat the butter, sugar, cherry juice and vanilla in a medium-sized heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring. Let boil for 1 minute, stirring often. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly pour over the popcorn, while stirring corn. Continue to stir to mix well and coat popcorn evenly. Let cool, stirring a few times during cooling. Eat within 24 hours.
Paper Bag Popcorn Two batches of 1/4 cup corn each should give you the 12 cups you need for the recipe above.
You will need:
Organic popping corn
Brown paper lunch bags
Butter, salt and other seasonings, if desired (omit for Pink Popcorn recipe)
In a brown paper lunch bag, add 1/4 cup popping corn. Fold the top over a couple of times, using small folds. Make a small tear in the center of the folded part and fold either side down in opposite directions to hold the top shut.
Place bag long side down in the microwave and heat on high for 2 to 3 minutes, until there are 4 or 5 seconds between pops. Do not leave the microwave unattended. you want to be able to listen for the rate of pops and stop immediately when it slows down. It only takes a few extra seconds to burn the popcorn and you don’t want to risk ruining your corn or, worse, starting a fire.
Open the bag carefully, because steam will have built up. Use in a recipe, eat it plain or flavor with salt, butter or other seasonings.
“That the birds of worry and care fly over your head,
this you cannot change, But that they build nests in your hair,
this you can prevent.”
~ Chinese proverb
Recently we’ve been bombarded with news of mass shootings, forest fires, politics and the consequences of xenophobia (throwing the UK into chaos and nominating a candidate for US President). Lately, it seems as though we have been weathering one storm after another. The media, whether on television, internet or print, contributes to the general panic by pushing the “clickbait” of negative news to the forefront, all in the name of page views, ratings and advertising dollars. Some days it is difficult not to get swept up by fear and a general feeling of helplessness, especially if you make the mistake of reading comment sections.
The key to surviving successive storms is located within the make-up of a storm itself. The area in the center of a hurricane or tropical cyclone is known as “the Eye”. Circling the eye is the area of the storm containing the most severe and powerful weather. However, within the eye of the storm there is typically no wind and the sky above is clear. In fact, the area just above the eye is the calmest section of a hurricane. So, hypothetically, if one were caught in the middle of a tropical storm, one would simply need to “rise above” to find serenity.
The metaphorical and energetic symbol of this place of calm in the midst of chaos is what is known in meditative practice as the “Third Eye”. Referred to in yogic circles as the Ajna chakra, it is an area of energy and focus, just above and between the eyebrows, through which one can access the realms of one’s higher consciousness.
Aligning oneself with these higher states of consciousness can be like comparing the view from the top of a tall building versus the perspective from the ground floor. Imagine a serious car accident in the street out in front of a high-rise. At the earthly level, people are hurt, frantic and feeling helpless. However, from the top floor there is a wider view and one can look further down the road, see an ambulance speeding toward the scene, and know that help is on the way. Tuning into a higher state of consciousness from our everyday earthly existence is like someone at the ground floor calling someone on the top floor to ask for help, guidance or perspective.
Whether you call this guidance God, the Gods, the Universe, or believe it is simply your own state of wisdom that resides beyond the noise of every day life; whether you believe this area of energy and perception exists, or simply use it as a visual tool during meditation, focusing on the area of the third eye, along with conscious breathing can help one find the calm within the center of any storm life may stir up for us.
Here’s how:
Find a quiet place to sit or lie down.
Breathe in slowly, through the nose, allowing your belly to rise first and your chest last, as you fill your lungs. Placing your hand lightly over your solar plexus, just below your rib cage, can be helpful in training yourself to do this.
Let your abdomen expand and your lungs fill with air completely.
Exhale slowly, also through the nose, squeezing out the last bit of breath using your solar plexus muscles.
Begin again with a new inhale.
As you continue to breathe in and out, close your eyes and imagine a lavender rosebud sitting above and between your eyebrows. As you inhale, imagine breathing in its sweet and lovely fragrance. As you exhale, see the rose opening, petal by petal, into full and glorious bloom.
Inhale the rose back into a fresh, new bud.
Exhale it into full bloom.
Repeat this visualization, along with conscious breathing, for at least three minutes and up to twenty minutes or more, whenever you need to find your calm center in the middle of a stormy day.
~~~
Alternatively, here is the lovely Lena Horne singing the perfect soothing soundtrack for stormy times:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJvYo5pZEfE
~~~~~~~~~
Give your taste buds and spirits a lift with Banana Tiramisù. Tiramisù means, “lift me up” in Italian. More colloquially, the dessert’s name can be translated as “pick-me-up”, probably named because of the espresso in the recipe.
Banana Tiramisù Mashed banana replaces the traditional raw egg in this recipe. This tiramisù is equally delicious with or without the rum. I chose to leave it out. Called “biscotti savoiardi” in Italian, lady fingers are the traditional cookie used for tiramisù.
1 medium banana, not too ripe
1/4 cup organic brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 oz mascarpone cheese, softened
1/2 cup organic heavy cream or whipping cream
8 oz lady finger (biscotti savoiardi)
1 cup very strong coffee, cooled
2 tablespoons rum (optional)
1 tablespoon sugar
To decorate:
Fair Trade Certified organic cocoa powder, for dusting
Or
Ground chocolate, chocolate shavings, crushed banana chips or toffee bits
Instructions:
In a medium bowl, mash banana well and combine with sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Stir in softened mascarpone until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
Using a chilled bowl and chilled beaters, whip cream to soft peaks with an electric mixer. Then, using a chilled whisk, beat to stiff peaks by hand.
Fold 1/4 of the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture and stir gently until combined. Fold remaining whipped cream into that.
In a shallow bowl, combine coffee, rum (if using) and sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves.
Begin with half of the ladyfingers. Working one at a time, dip each ladyfinger briefly into coffee mixture and then arrange them side by side in an 8-inch square glass baking pan or serving dish. Spread half of the mascarpone cream over the top of the ladyfingers. Dust with cocoa powder.
Now dip the remaining ladyfingers in the coffee mixture, one at a time, as before, and place over the mascarpone layer in a cross-wise pattern in relation to the first layer of ladyfingers.
Top the second layer of ladyfingers with the remaining mascarpone cream. Dust the top thoroughly with cocoa powder and/or chocolate shavings, ground chocolate, crushed banana chips or toffee bits. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
Serves 8
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“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.”
~ Atticus Finch, from To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
Peace, love, kindness, healing and resolve be with you all!
~~~~~~~~~
This week, in honor of love, I am posting my 2013 recipe for Jackson Pollock Muffins with a new name: Rainbow Pride Muffins.
Rainbow Pride Muffins These abstract expressionistic rainbow colored treats are easy to make. You simply add food coloring to a basic muffin batter. For an even easier recipe, you can prepare boxed white or vanilla cake batter, according to package directions, and then skip to the food coloring step in this recipe. India Tree makes natural food coloring with no corn syrup or synthetic dyes (I used them to make the muffins in the picture above). India Tree food colors can be found in the spice section at Whole Foods market or online.
(This recipe can be doubled to make a dozen)
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup sugar
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Zest of one orange
Food coloring in blue, yellow and red
1/2 cup slivered unsalted raw almonds
1 teaspoon anise seeds
Variation: substitute 1/2 cup white chocolate pieces or chunks for the almonds
Preheat oven to 400°F
Line six cups of a 12 cup muffin pan with liners.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well and set aside.
In another bowl, combine egg, yogurt, sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla and orange zest. Mix well.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Divide batter into three bowls. Add food coloring to each bowl to create three different shades. Add enough food color to make the shades intense and bright.
Divide the almonds and anise seeds (or white chocolate chips, if using) among the bowls and stir in briefly.
Now place some of each color in the muffin tins, spooning small amounts of different colors on top and alongside each other to create a splatter effect.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of muffin comes out clean.
Cool in pan for a few minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes 6 muffins.
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To access the Home Page of the blog, where you can scroll down through all the previous posts back to July 2014, click on the blog title The Philosopher’s Spoon Blog, located at the top left of the page.
For information about the author and her work as a Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT), click the links located at the top of the sidebar column at left under the Menu heading. You can also contact Gina via her page on the International Association of Yoga Therapistswebsite.
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