Gathering recipes

 I have been mulling over the idea of putting together a cookbook of my favorite recipes.  I think it would be fun to do, and people seem to be very encouraging about the idea.  I am thinking it would be something along the lines of the church/junior league/fundraiser cookbooks that I have so many of.  That feels appropriate since that is where most of my favorite recipes have come from.  I believe that there is an automatic feeling of comfort whenever you open up one of those types of cookbooks and read it. These recipes were not developed in any kind of a test kitchen but in someone's home.  They are recipes passed down from one generation to the next.

For me, it is a way to preserve some history.  Some of the recipes would be those of Mom's and of Grandmother's and of other important people in my life. Others would be from the wonderful recipes I have found in cookbooks like the kind I would be creating.  I have so many church cookbooks and I love them.  I love seeing the names beside the recipes.  I especially love it when I see someone's name multiple times. It gives me an idea of what that person may have been like and how their kitchen operated.  It's fun to imagine these things for me and I hope other people would find joy in it.

I have already started compiling some recipes for the cookbook.  I decided to limit my number to 100 recipes. At first that sounded daunting to me but once I got started, it was a lot easier than I anticipated.  I have so many recipes that I have enjoyed making that now I am to a place where I need to pick and choose.  I need to create a balance so that the different sections are similar in size. Like I do on my blog, I want to include stories about the recipes when I can. I think that gives it a more personal aspect.  And that is part of the beauty of cooking to me, the stories behind the recipes. 

Whether or not there is an audience for this remains to be seen.  But I am going to keep going and see where this takes me. I have already enjoyed the process so far.  I know there is a lot more to it than what I have been doing, but it will be a learning process for me.  And, as I have said before, I love learning.  I especially love learning in the kitchen and want to spread that joy!

What's next in my educational journey?

 

Achieving a Master's degree is never something I really saw myself as doing.  But, here it is in my 50th year and I have done exactly that. Now what?  I ask that as far as education goes.  I love being a student.  I always have.  Even when I didn't show it, I enjoyed my classes from kindergarten through today.  Somehow, I cannot imagine that my education is done. I have been a student for the last 6 out of 10 years and it is a strange feeling to think of not being in class.

Now I want to look ahead as to what comes next in my education.  While I do not necessarily want to get a doctorate, I will not completely dismiss the idea. But I want to keep learning.  Especially in something like gerontology and, for that matter, social work where my undergraduate degree came from.  In these kinds of humanities, there is always going to be something new to learn. So I am excited about that. I am going to look for some classes, be them online or in person, to enhance my degree.  I might even look for some certifications that would be beneficial for me.  These are all things I need to discuss with my advisor while I still can.  I mean, she would talk with me anyway, but might as well make it official before actually graduating!

I do better in life when I am learning something.  And that could be a skill or knowledge or whatever.  I look back on my life and I realize that those periods of my life where I was not doing well and having major issues (it happens, people lol) that I was not learning anything. I was coasting through life and doing things that were bad for me.  But when I am learning, I am much more focused in my everyday life and that is a good thing.  So, there's another reason for me to keep learning.  There are a few items on my 50 at 50 bucket list that involve learning.  Those are all recreational, but I am going to pursue them anyway. It's still learning, and I might as well learn something fun now that I've been in school for the past three years.

If I stop learning, I stop growing.  Mentally, that is.  I don't need to grow anymore physically right now haha!  So, here's to more adventures in my education!

Recipe of the Week - Mexican Stuffed Peppers

 I am sure that there are many recipes out there for Mexican stuffed peppers, but this one is one that I made up in my kitchen one day.  A friend of mine gave me a bag of green peppers from her parents' garden. I wanted to try stuffed peppers again but do something different. I had made them once before in the traditional style and they turned out ok.  I will come back to that recipe again one day.  Anyway, I had all of the ingredients for another recipe I enjoy called burrito bake.  So, it occurred to me that I could combine that with the green peppers.  It turned out really well and I have made this several times since.  Enjoy!

Mexican Stuffed Peppers

8 Medium Peppers

1 lb ground beef

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 can refried beans

1 cup Bisquick

1/3 cup water

1 cup Salsa

2 cups cheese, divided

Cut tops off of peppers and take the seeds out. Cook in boiling water for 3 minutes.  Place peppers in casserole dish. Brown ground beef and onions. Drain.  Mix together beans, water, Bisquick,salsa. Fold in 1 cup of cheese.  Add beef and onions to mixture. 

Stuff peppers with mixture and top with remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Serve with sour cream and guacamole. 

Great is Thy Faithfulness

 If all goes as planned, tomorrow I will make the drive back to my hometown of Monroe, NC to attend the funeral of a dear friend.  She and her family have been a part of my life since birth.  I am reminded of my time at First Baptist in Monroe and all of the wonderful people that are in my life because of that.  This hymn is a favorite of mine and just wanted to start my day with it.  Thank you.

Toys I never had but wanted

 It's not like I didn't have my share of toys as a child.  I had plenty.  And back in those days on Brookgreen Drive, all of the kids shared their toys. But there were ones that I always wanted that would end up repeatedly on my wish list for Santa that I never got.  Who knows?  I may still be on the lookout!  What were some of yours?

1. Fisher Price Tree House

2. Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine

3. Pound Puppies

4. Hungry Hippos

5. Masters of the Universe

6. View Master

7. Transformers

8. Glo Worm

9. Lite-Brite

10. Simon

Another Quote of the Week

 

Just some motivation and hope for this Thursday.  A good reminder for me in achieving some personal goals. 

Today's Moment of Mindfulness

 

Enjoy the gift of each moment, giving space and attention to your experiences.