>ABC order – by adjective?

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>I gather many recipes online. Some come from other blogs, some from recipe sites, some from email newsletters. I copy them into work documents and save to a file named “Recipes.” Ah, you guessed it; I don’t always change the name of the recipe, making it a challenge to find later. Just for fun (and for La Petite’s amusement), here are a few examples.

Under B for Baked:
Baked Crab Cakes
Baked Hush Puppies
Baked Zucchini and Tomatoes
Classic Baked Corn Pudding is actually filed under C for Classic.
Also under the letter C:
Country Swiss Chicken Thighs
Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta with Shrimp
Crispy and Creamy Potato Pie
Not one, but three recipes find a home under the letter E for – are you ready for this? – Easy. How about Fresh or Five Minute, both brought to you by the letter F? Those make the two Fruit Cocktail selections look almost logical. G is even with E: three Grilled something-or-others make the list just before Gumbo.
Remember my home made baked macaroni and cheese? It’s not listed under Baked or Macaroni or even Cheese. It’s under M, though – for My Mac and Cheese Bake. Yes, it is. That’s almost as nonsensical as Overnight (O) or Pull-apart (P). S has Simple, Savory and Special.
And for the last, La Petite’s favorite filing term: Q. Quick. Quick and Easy.
At least I only filed one under T for The.

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>Maple Oatmeal Muffins

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>My entire family was home and awake Saturday morning. La Petite was up earlier than usual to babysit for her adorable cousin, Amigo was home from school and had no Forensics meet or sporting events, and both Chuck and I were up and at ’em. Having everyone here at once is a big enough deal that I baked. I love to bake, and I like cooking brunches, but we never seem to have the right occasion to celebrate with a brunch or breakfast. This time, I picked a muffin recipe to treat the entire family.

Whole wheat pastry flour has become my go-to for baked goods such as muffins. If you don’t have it, go ahead and use all-purpose flour. It’ll work just fine.
Ingredients for Maple Oatmeal Muffins
1 cup quick or old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup milk
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Directions for Maple-Oatmeal Muffins
1. Prepare muffin tin for 12 standard size muffins.
2. In a medium bowl, combine oats and milk. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
4. Stir maple syrup, melted butter, and eggs into the oats mixture.
5. Add wet ingredients all at once to dry. Stir until just moist; batter may still be lumpy.
6. Add half of the chopped pecans.
7. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling about 2/3 full. Sprinkle with remaining nuts.
8. Bake in 400 degree oven for 15-18 minutes. Cool for ten minutes, if you can wait that long. Serve warm – with coffee, of course.
Daisy’s notes:
Use real syrup. The cheap kind in the plastic bottles? Forget it. Get real, pure, maple syrup. Look around; someone near you may have had a good maple sap season and have some to spare!
This recipe turned out slightly dry. Next time I might add a bit more milk or butter. It wasn’t a problem; everyone in the family ate them and pronounced the muffins “good.”
Raisins might work in these, too. What do you think?

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>Relapse, again

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>It’s a marathon, not a sprint. It’s a long term commitment, this recovery from depression, because depression isn’t like the common cold or even influenza. It’s not like a sprain or a break that can be splinted and healed over time. Recovery from is slow but steady (remember the tortoise vs. the hare?) and may consist of two steps forward, one step back.

The times that are toughest are the times when I feel like I’m making one step forward, two steps back. Those are the days that the dark cloud hovers, never rises, never moves away. Harry Potter fans? It’s like a dementor undeterred by my patronus charm.
I felt improvement – I did! I felt like between the medicines, the rest, and the therapy, I was getting somewhere. In fact, I know I was. Feeling more energetic, getting excited about events in the world (Super Bowl!), and smiling and even laughing more often. Then suddenly and unexpectedly, I was back to square one. Two naps a day, difficulty waking up, pounding headaches, no motivation.
Doc tweaked the medicines slightly. Then he added another one. Next? Internal attitude adjustment. Personal effort. It’s my health, after all, and my responsibility. On that note, I made another therapy appointment. If only the effort didn’t take so much energy….

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>The Wild Asparagus Economy

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>Long ago, but not so far away, I worked with a single mom of four grown children. We were sitting down to a lunch which included fresh vegetables when she told me this story.

When Joan (not her real name) was newly divorced and on her own with the young children, she was worried about paying the bills. A creative thinker, she walked to a nearby area that looked like all weeds – but it wasn’t. Joan noticed wild asparagus in the ditch alongside the dandelions and other spring greens. She picked a large batch of asparagus to take home. Joan washed the delicious vegetable, tied it up in nice, presentable bunches, and sent her children door to door to sell it.
As she put it, “Honest to God, it held us over until payday.”
The downside: her children, now young adults, haven’t eaten asparagus since.
Is there a moral to this story? No, not a morel – that’s another kind of foraging altogether. No, I don’t have a lesson or motivational saying, sorry. As the asparagus begins to peek out of the ground, a sure sign of spring, it’s also a sign that we moms are often creative in feeding and supporting our families.

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>If the doc fits

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>

No one, including medical professionals, can be a perfect fit for every patient. Some, however, are a worse fit than others.

She was 30 minutes late. I know psych offices have to be flexible in case of emergencies. I understand that. But no one mentioned she was running late, no one said a word about my 1:00 appointment being pushed back to 1:30. When I finally got in, there was no apology for her tardiness. In fact, she didn’t say a word.

Counselors are listeners. They read the files, listen to the patient’s words and feelings, interpret the information and guide the patient. Listeners. Interpreters. Guides.
She assumed. She saw that my “official” diagnosis of depression had come in late November/ early December. “Ooh, you should be taking vitamin D!” she exclaimed. She assumed within seconds that the timing of my depression had everything to do with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and I should have been on vitamin D all along.
She didn’t listen to or read my recent medical history. If she’d done her homework, she might have known that my exhaustion and anemia dated back to last July. If she’d listened, she may have found out that the December diagnosis had been building since a student hit me in September.
She had no knowledge of education – in fact, she made at least one statement that was downright ignorant. It’s not my job as patient to educate the doctor or therapist.
She didn’t listen to how I was feeling, either. After an extremely brief discussion and the suggestion of vitamin D, she pointed out a poster on the wall illustrating various emotions. She singled out three of them, defined them very narrowly, and then tried to put me in my boss’ place and interpret what she must have been thinking and feeling.
What the heck?!?
I came in for counseling as part of treatment for my depression. I left the office feeling worse than when I’d arrived.
  • The unacknowledged 30 minute delay
  • Presumption of vitamin needs based on too little information
  • Lack of empathy, minimizing my illness to the level of a poster on the wall
  • Unrealistic expectations: attempting to put me, in the depths of clinical depression, in someone else’s shoes.
It took me a while – the entire drive home and a stop to buy litter, to be exact – to realize that this simply wasn’t going to work. Coming back to this clinic and counselor was not going to be effective. In fact, everything about the first session led me to believe that a second would be a complete waste of time.
Making decisions while depressed ranges from difficult to darn-near-impossible, but this one came fairly easily. I gave myself overnight to avoid over-reacting, and then called to cancel the appointment.
Then I took a deep breath and made coffee, and life went on.

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>Starting Seeds

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>I’ve tried starting seeds early a couple of years with minimal success. I’m trying again, this time with a better plan – I hope.

My Ultimate Greenhouse (set of shelves with a fitted plastic cover) is assembled and sitting on the deck. The herbs that survived the winter are there, as are the newly planted seeds. With about 6 weeks until planting time, let’s see if I can put together a garden from scratch.
So far, I have:
  • jalapeno peppers
  • green bell peppers
  • broccoli
  • cilantro
  • oregano
  • yellow pear tomatoes
If I can maintain these and care for them well, I’ll have seedlings when spring becomes summer-like and frost warnings are over, well, minimal. If the list doesn’t sound like much, remember that I usually buy tomato and pepper seedlings in mid-May. I’ll have them in plenty of time to join the pre-planted pals. Beans and peas and squash will wait until the end of May, too. I have a wish list of seeds that I might give in and buy from Hometown Seeds. I tested a variety pack from their site last year with excellent results.
My goal this year is to fill both new and old plots. Instead of telling you, I’ll show you – when there are actually plants to show, that is!
Warm breezes, dirt under my nails — it’s definitely spring.

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>Mac and Cheese Bake

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Sometimes life gets ahead of me, and cooking supper just doesn’t feel worth the time and effort. Last night I almost – almost, but not quite – gave in and dug a frozen pizza out of the oven. I decided, instead, to go with a fairly easy recipe for comfort food. This is the kind of recipe that is easy to make and much more satisfying than the alternative.

Incredibly Delicious Mac & Cheese Bake

1 can condensed cream of chicken (or celery or mushroom) soup
2 cups milk
2 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Mozzarella
1 package (16 ounces) macaroni, any shape. I used elbow mac.

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water. Drain.
2. In a separate bowl, mix condensed soup, cheeses, and milk. Stir in cooked pasta. Pour into a greased casserole dish. Cover.
3. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

The cheeses called for were actually Parmesan and Mozzarella. I vary mine according to the kinds of cheeses in our refrigerator.
Add-ins are good. I added 1/2 cup of diced ham, 1/2 cup frozen peas, and a handful of fresh basil. Sprinkle it with ground pepper and serve!

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>Pennywise, green, or both?

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>Regular readers might know I’m on a medical leave of absence. Some might deduce that this means there’s less income coming into the home.

Readers, new or regular, know or can guess that I’m a green, eco-conscious type of person. While I deal with fatigue, the unpredictability of my career, and more, I need focus. My focus for the time being will be small changes on the pennywise-frugal and green fronts.
Here’s a weekly round-up.
Litter boxes cleaned:
  • Used plastic shopping bags for the garbage (I use my own bags – how did we get this huge crate of plastic?) – frugal and green
  • As always, used biodegradable litter – green, similar cost to other products
  • Found the “lost” litter boxes under a pile of snow – we must have left them out to rinse in the rain when the last snowstorm surprised us. Is this green, frugal, both, or neither?
Home thermostat:
  • Changed heating program by dropping the temps two degrees all day. I’m the only one home most days; I can dress in layers if I feel cold. Both frugal and green.
  • If I open windows, I turn the heat off. This is frugal, but it can backfire; I must remember to turn it back on at night when the temperature drops toward freezing.
Laundry:
  • The heavy items all hang on dryer racks until they’re merely damp: jeans, sweats, heavy sweaters use much less energy to dry, but the clothes still come out soft. Frugal, somewhat green.
  • Anti-static dryer balls! I rarely buy fabric softener. The only time I need it is in the sweater load. Frugal – very frugal.
  • Washing everything on warm or cold, never hot, saves shrinkage as well as saving money.
Garden:
  • I put together the Ultimate Greenhouse set of shelving.
  • Now it’s time to take inventory of seeds and plan the layout for both plots.
  • Then I can start a few seeds so they’re ready for planting when the frost danger is gone.
  • Green? Of course. Frugal? When we’re harvesting bunny food and making our own salsa, the grocery bills will go down.

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>Staying cool, staying calm, and fighting the good fight

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>But not getting down – that’s the trick.

On the to-do list: Two appointments and prescriptions to pick up. Along with the appointments, I need to discuss recent insurance communications. This will take energy, and energy is one thing I don’t have in abundance. These appointments may also be emotionally wearing; just what a depression sufferer needs, right? Uh-huh.
I found out recently that my coping skills make me look bad, too; because I’m good at coping, I’m not disabled. Not enough, anyway. But if I stop coping and just give up — no. That’s not an option, and I won’t apologize for attempting to make life’s glass appear half full.

Meanwhile, I’ll pick up up Harry Potter and remember that life could be worse: I could be teaching alongside Severus Snape. I don’t know how Minerva McGonagall stays cool and calm while he’s persecuting her precious Gryffindors.
Professor McGonagall is definitely a kindred spirit. She’s a leader, one who knows what’s right, and calmly deals with many big issues. With the Weasley family in her house, particularly Fred and George, I’m sometimes amazed at how calm she can be! When I saw the first movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, my first glimpse of McGonagall was a mild shock. “No, that can’t be her. She’s much too, well, old. She’s supposed to be me!” Several years later, now I can watch the movies and say, it’s okay. I can only hope to age as well. Can I wear a nifty green hat like hers? And where’s my wand?

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>Wild about Harry

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>

What makes a book or series worth re-reading? A good story, believable and likable characters, a unique world so strange and splendid it can’t be imagined – unless described by a brilliant storyteller. Harry Potter is one such series. I decided to drag all seven books out of the attic boxes and start from the beginning. Then I looked back: I’ve posted my thoughts and reactions to Harry Potter many times. Here’s one from fall of 2009.


Harry had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place.


Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone has a special magic. The shortest of the seven, it introduces Harry and his readers to a whole new world: a world of magic. Witches, wizards, a sport played on flying broomsticks, owl post, powerful potions, and more incredible yet believable things exist in this parallel world. In The Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry first learns of his family and his wizard identity.

Readers can share his awe as he learns that his new school has its own train that leaves from platform Nine and Three Quarters at Kings Cross Station. Somewhere between platforms nine and ten, he encounters the Weasley family, asks them for help finding the train, befriends Ron, and the rest, as they say, is history. Mythology? Legend? Wizardry? Ghostology?

I enjoy rereading The Sorcerer’s Stone because of JK Rowling’s genius. The settings are magically unique, but she describes them in a matter of fact tone so that we readers know this is only the beginning of the mysteries to come. When she describes the staircases at Hogwarts’ School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, all 142 of them: “…wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday…” it’s simply in a paragraph about Harry attempting to learn his way to his classes. What a vision of a magical boarding school!

And the classes! No Intro to British Lit here. Harry takes History of Magic (taught by a ghost), Herbology, Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, and the cursed (literally, but we don’t know that until a later book) Defense Against the Dark Arts.

The “strange and splendid place” in the first line is the Great Hall as Harry sees it on his arrival at Hogwarts. In his limited upbringing by his neglectful Muggle (non-magical) relatives, he had never even dared imagine a world so wonderful. Thankfully for all readers, JK Rowling did imagine such a strange and splendid place – a world nearby, yet far different from our everyday Muggle existance. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone stands on its own as a wonderful story and sets up the reading world for an adventure that begins – and ends, several books later – on Platform Nine and Three Quarters at Kings Cross Station.

I continue to reread the Harry Potter series in preparation for the final movie, coming this summer, but also because they’re stories that pull me in – into another world, a fascinating world. Hand me a wand and we’ll get started!

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