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Friday, September 28, 2012

Recipe of the week: Lemon Basil Brussels Sprouts

I feel as though I'm finally starting to come out of my funk, the proof is I've cooked 4 out of the last 5 days!  A few months ago my friend and I had lunch and PF Chang's and they'd recently put "lemon scented Brussels sprouts" on the menu, we both loved them.  This is my attempt at duplicating their recipe.  I used my food processor for this so if you don't have one, you'll have to slice everything.  Lots of people don't like Brussels sprouts, I'm not one of them.  This is going to become a regular recipe at my house.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!



Lemon Basil Brussels Sprouts

1 lb Brussels sprouts
1 lemon (for zest and juice)
1 one inch piece of ginger peeled & grated
3 green onions
1 Tbsp Thai basil (or regular basil if you can't find Thai)
1 clove garlic
olive oil
1 tsp salt
pepper






Using the slicing blade on the food processor, slice the Brussels sprouts and onion.  Transfer vegetables to a bowl and add the zest of the lemon, ginger, and salt.  Toss with the juice from the lemon.  In a large skillet heat about 1 Tbsp of olive oil, add garlic cook for about 2 minutes then add vegetable mixture.  Cook for about 6 to 7 minutes (half way through add the basil), add fresh ground pepper and more salt if needed.  Enjoy!



Thursday, September 20, 2012

Live like a dog....




Our dog Sunnie died on September 9th.  He'd been going down hill the past couple of months so it was expected but still sad.  He was a hyper but beautiful pure bred Pomeranian....and lived with us for almost all of his 15 years.  We got him when he was 10 weeks old because I'd been reading  'The puppy who wanted a Boy' to my son who at the time was a year and a half.   I decided that every little boy needed a puppy.  I may have rethought things if I'd known I'd be having a puppy and a baby at the same time, then again maybe not.  Some of my fondest memories of Sunnie are when he was a puppy and I was pregnant with Mackenzie.   He hardly ever left my side, where I was, he was.  If I was laying down, he was at my feet.  I had Mackenzie laying in the sun next to our bedroom sliding glass door and there he appeared to take peak at her from under the bed/dust ruffle.


Growing up the only pets we had were outside dogs, so having an inside dog was all new to me....now I can't imagine not having one.  Two years ago my son found a Yorkie (Sadie) in the middle of the street, after looking for a few days for lost dog signs and not finding any I decided to keep her.  Last year at almost 14 years old, Sunnie became a father, we kept one of the puppies and gave the other two away.  I'm so glad now, Simba has a completely different temperament but he's a great dog.  I've never really thought of myself as a dog person until now.  Sunnie was more my husband and son's dog, but Sadie is definitely my dog and Christian say's when he's grown and moves out, he's taking Simba with him....we'll see about that.

A friend sent me the sweetest email last week and it was a story of a six year old whose dog had died and he explained the reason that dogs don't live as long as humans.  He said "people are born so that they can learn how to live a good life--like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?"  He continued, saying "well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long".  Sounds like a pretty good explanation to me.  I've definitely been sad and maybe a little depressed...grief sometimes sneaks up on you.

Here's the poem that was in the end of the story about the dog:


Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you're not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.
ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!

Until next time....ciao.