Today's Moment of Mindfulness

 

Practice breath awareness whenever you do something like brush your teeth or put on your socks.  When we interrupt automatic behavior, we give ourselves the chance of being in the present moment and remembering that we have choices. 

One drawer at a time - pots and pans

 

Sometimes it can get overwhelming to go through each and every drawer and cabinet, but I am going to keep at it and go forward.  In the long run, I know it's good for me to have things better organized and to give a proper home to as much as I can without overcrowding my spaces.  And I do enjoy it, truly.  It's just that sometimes it can be hard to motivate myself into action LOL

I am about halfway through the kitchen.  My next cabinet will be where all of my pots and pans are.  Well, at least that is where more than half of them are haha!  There really is not a great way, at least in my experience, to organize pots when you have limited space.  A hanging pot rack is not an option based on how my kitchen is laid out and I'm ok with that.  I would probably just walk into the pots and hit my head anyway.  I do have one of those pot racks in a cabinet where I can hang them, but the cabinet is so narrow only two small pots and pans fit in there.  Ah, well.

One thing that is nice is that I don't have more lids than pots.  Every lid has a base to it.  Whew! But there are a few pots that I need to find a new home for.  One is an old stock pot.  This was Mom's.  It's just old and worn and I have since gotten new pots that suit my needs better.  I will probably put this out in the garage and hopefully find a fun use for later.  I want to repurpose it for something.  I'll have to do research on that!  The other pot is a cast iron Dutch oven. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this piece, I simply do not use it.  It's heavy and bulky and just takes up space.  Luckily, this was a Christmas present to Michael and me from his brother. So, this will get boxed up and put into the Michael space of the garage. Now, I just need to get off my butt and do it!

The process works for me and it does make an improvement in things.  That makes me feel better.  It's the little things, people!

Recipe of the Week - Garlic Shrimp

 

Shrimp is one of the staples of my cooking canon.  I absolutely love it and am always on the lookout for new shrimp recipes.  This one did not disappoint.  I hope you enjoy it as well!

Garlic Shrimp

2 lbs jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 Tbsp olive oil, divided

1 1/2 tsp creole seasoning

1 tsp paprika

1/4 cup unsalted butter, divided

5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1 tsp lemon zest

1/2 tsp fresh black pepper

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

kosher salt

3 Tbsp lemon juice

Toss shrimp with 1 Tbsp olive oil, creole seasoning and paprika.  Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a pan and cook shrimp until pink and curled.  Remove from pan and wipe the pan clean.  Add 2 Tbsp butter to the pan and melt over medium heat.  Stir in garlic, lemon zest and pepper, cooking til fragrant.  Pour in the wine and let simmer 2 minutes.  Stir in lemon juice, shrimp and remaining butter.  Cook until butter is melted and shrimp heated through.  Salt to taste and top with fresh parsley.

I served this over vegetable rice and it was delicious!

Christmas music

 

When I was growing up, Christmas music was never played in our house until after Thanksgiving.  Of course, that was back in the day when stores waited until the Christmas season to begin blaring the music everywhere.  It's just how things were back in the day. In my personal life as an adult, I do not follow that philosophy LOL  I listen to Christmas music all the time. It makes me happy and it relaxes me.  I have a huge collection of Christmas vinyl that I have amassed over the years and I'm always looking to add to it. They have become a part of my listening canon, and I enjoy them all through the year.  Now, I only do that in private because I would not want to subject anyone else to Christmas music outside of the season.  That is unless they were a Christmas music junkie like me.

 I also enjoy Christmas podcasts all year round as well. I have probably 15 different ones that I listen to.  Some are focused on music, others on Christmas literature.  Some are about holiday foods.  Some are just overall Christmas joy.  I love each one of them.  Christmas is such a special time of year that I want to carry a part of that feeling with me all year long. It's not for everybody but it works for me. And that is what counts.  So, if you want to hear some Christmas tunes or listen to a fun holiday podcast, come on over!

Today's Moment of Mindfulness

 

If you struggle to get to sleep at night, give yourself some time to unravel your stresses beforehand.  Keep your laptop out of the bedroom and create surroundings that are a haven of tranquility.  Limit the stimulation of television and turn towards self-nurturing with warm drinks, relaxing baths and slow, calming music. 

Daily Challenge for March

 

Now that we're halfway through March, I have finally chosen my daily challenge LOL The challenge for March will be letter writing.  Like I posted the other day, I feel much more connected to other people when I write a letter as opposed to an email or a text.  I'm old fashioned (no kidding) and letter writing is a part of that for me.  I have been writing letters for most of my life. And people remember that. They don't usually remember emails or texts, but they will remember getting a letter. And I am including into this birthday cards, thank you notes and condolences.  It's my way of reaching out to people who are not in my immediate vicinity.  Even then, someone close by might receive a letter LOL  It brings me joy so it is something I would love to incorporate into my everyday life.

Recipe of the Week - Oriental Slaw

 I found this recipe on YouTube several months ago and tucked it away for later usage.  Several weeks ago, I decided to try it.  I'm so glad that I did because I absolutely love this recipe.  It's a great salad.  It's tastes fresh and crisp.  And it lasts for a good bit in the fridge. I ate on it for a week and at the end of the week, it was still delicious.  It can be a great side dish for you, or you can use it as an entree salad.  I had it both ways.  I have since learned that there are many different versions of this salad, but this particular one is going to be the keeper for me!  Enjoy!

Oriental Slaw

1 bunch green onions

2 bags of broccoli slaw mix

2 packages of Beef ramen noodles, crushed

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1 cup sunflower seeds

Dressing

2 ramen flavor packs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup white vinegar

Combine slaw ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. Whisk together dressing ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Pour over slaw and serve.  I chilled my slaw mix for a few hours before adding the dressing right before serving but go ahead and add it sooner if you wish.

I had the slaw topped with soy garlic shrimp as an entree salad.  Yum!