On entertaining

It has been a VERY long time since I have had a guest over for dinner at my home. Something like three years.

It makes me sad to think about it. I love to cook and take care of friends. Making cocktails and munchies, finding the perfect playlist, and preparing a special meal. Laughter and good times. I'd grill veggies, create a mini fiesta of tacos and burritos, shrimp with couscous, and all sorts of things. I miss entertaining and hosting terribly. Sitting on the couch with a glass of wine and talking until midnight.

But life has been extremely complicated. And the longer the break from entertaining, the more distant the idea, the messier the house got. The messier the house, the more daunting the idea of cleaning. It became a terrible cycle that needed to be broken. And there's a little bit of shame and embarrassment thrown in there too.

Life throws things at you sometimes that you can't handle with the grace and strength you thought you had. But it's okay. Because I think in losing part of myself, I found another part I did not know existed. The part who is patient, and kinder, and more strategic. I became more appreciative of friends who have stuck by me, and who have been kind and patient.

And now I'm letting go of things that keep me down. Letting go of some of the fears that kept me from my friends and family. Not caring about things that used to make me cry. I started by cleaning. One room. Then another. Then, to get me over the hump, I just did it. I invited a good and understanding friend over for dinner. And with a little help from hubby, made the house presentable.

Homemade tortilla chips and mango salsa. Margaritas. Vegetarian burritos and braised brussel sprouts. Good conversation. All the things that make me happy. I'm so glad I got here.

Better Than Popcorn

Yesterday afternoon, I came home with a plan: to veg in front of my television and watch movies until I fall asleep. But first, I had to take on dinner.

As I was preparing the meal, I was daunted by the very large bag of kale I bought from BJs earlier in the week. What on earth was I going to do with all this kale? I had already chopped some up into tomato sauce for pasta and hubby even included some in the crock pot for turkey earlier in the week. However, there was still a lot of kale.

Then it hit me. Instead of popcorn for my veg night, I could make kale chips! I made kale chips before and enjoyed them immensely.

I tore the leaves off their woody stems; sprinkled it with olive oil, salt and pepper; and rubbed the leaves until they were fully covered. Then I baked it at 300 degrees for about 15-20 minutes until they became light and crispy (but not brown). Finally, the thing that made this batch special...I sprinkled the finished product with nutritional yeast, an ingredient I had bought for a single recipe over the December holidays.

Voila! This was perfection! If you have ever craved popcorn for movie watching, please try this. You will NOT be disappointed. The chips are so light and crisp they melt in your mouth. The bitter green taster gives way to an earthy flavor. Then, the nutritional yeast adds a creamy, nutty, almost cheesiness to each delectable bite. Oh my goodness, why did I wait so long to make these?!

A new beginning

The last time I posted to this blog was just over two years ago. I was in the middle of an extremely rough patch in my life, to say the least. My husband and I were both unemployed and I was just beginning a new position.  

The two years following have been full of obstacles, hardship, joys, pain, and learning opportunities--too many to outline in any blog. The rough patch is still ironing itself out, but my mind is beginning to refocus.

I need to write. I realize I need to write in order to be happy. Being confined to only write about certain things has left a lump in my throat that needs to be cleared. So this post is titled "a new beginning " because I feel like I need to start over and almost erase the previous posts. But I won't. I need to write to be whole. So today, I will start writing.