The Possibilities of Left Overs

I've been practicing with spicing up my leftovers for a while now. I do watch a lot of cooking shows and have been intrigued by the random ingredients that the contestants are given to work with. My refrigerator is my 'basket'. I also get to be the judge and jury requiring taste testing! This creation is one of my favourites from my 'basket'.


Curried Rice with Fresh Basil and Pepper Flakes
Preparation time:  10 minutes (sort of)
Serving size: one - but I've been known to double, triple or quadruple it.

Ingredients

About a cup of left over rice.
Fennel seed - a light sprinkle*
Pepper flakes - hot or not so hot*
Some curry powder (1/8 tsp)*
One egg
Thin slices of leftover meat loaf, chopped or crumbled* (just tried this today)
The last slice of orange (or red) bell pepper*
About 6 fresh basil leaves - if you have a basil plant.*
About a tablespoon of butter.*
Salt and Pepper to taste*

Directions

Melt butter in a frying pan at medium heat (today I got the pan a bit too hot). Sprinkle in the fennel seed, pepper flakes and curry powder. Let them warm up 'releasing their aroma' (That's chef talk). Put the egg on top - stir it all around to break the yolk, blending the egg and spices. Add the rice and toss to mix. Add meatloaf and toss so all the ingredients are balanced. Chop the bell pepper - add and toss lightly. Last -  (always add fresh herbs last - more chef talk).  Lightly roll up the basil leaves and slice thinly - known as a chiffonade - add and toss.

Plate the finished rice on a small plate leaving room for tomato slices. Rice cakes with cashew butter, drizzled with honey finish the plate. The plate is now headed for the dishwasher.

*Optional!!
Change it up to suit your taste, preferences and of course your 'basket'. That is the fun part of cooking!

"Rational habit permit of discarding nothing left over, and the use to which 
leftovers (and their economic allies, the wild things of nature) 
are put is often at the heart of cooking's character."

Richard Olney (1835-1917)

From Marshland to Float Homes

Early weather reports suggested the possibility of rain
Morning cloud and cool seemed to agree
Skies were swept clear of cloud letting 
Warm sun brighten and cheer on an outing with friends.

It felt like a Saturday afternoon.
At Swan Lake wildlife sanctuary ~ a small lake ~ then to Fisherman’s Wharf at a harbour in from the ocean.
And all still in Victoria!

Song birds, ducks, turtles and dragon flies
Tourists, harbour seals and a busker and his guitar
Walking, talking and lunch in the sun. It felt like a Saturday afternoon - on Friday afternoon.

“The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected.”

~ Jonathan Grimwood,  The Last Banquet

What If? ~ 2

What if?
After all these years of writing about addictions nursing care
Shelving the so-called manuscripts
Putting them under the bed
Filing them in drawers behind the utility statements

What if?
The books I’ve rattled on about are already written
Broken into pieces like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle
To be dumped out, sorted and put together
Creating huge possibilities from all of my words

What if?
I found the courage and bravery for such an archeological dig.
To search through the shelves and under the beds
Freed them from the files and the utility statements
Putting them in order in my mind, heart and between covers.

“You’re worried about what-ifs. Well, what if you stopped worrying?”

~ Shannon Celebi, Driving Off Bridges

Brain Drain

Early morning ideas and plans
swirling on the pillow ~
diluted as the clock ticked through shared possibilities to surface again in the morrow ~
ready once more for energy and interest.
Personal possibilities waiting to be blossom.

“I am somewhat exhausted; I wonder how a battery feels

 when it pours electricity into a non-conductor?

~ Arthur Conan Doyle,

  The Adventure of the Dying Detective

Following My Feet

“Stay where your feet are”
Four words recommended
Grounding for worries and anxieties

‘Practice what you preach’
Four more words recommended
Action for integrity and ethics

I followed my feet today. From the time I stepped on the carpet in the morning til now when they are up on a pillow. My actions became more thoughtful, my steps paced more calmly and I felt the earth solid beneath my feet. Although my feet carry me into thousands of situations filled with possibilities, my words and deeds set the scene. Whatever tasks are asked of our feet, whether they have shoes or not, whether they are cared for or not, our feet continue to carry us through each day.

“The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art.”

~ Leonardo da Vinci

Funtimes!

What I thought this morning was
‘What have I really wanted to do?’
I puzzled and wondered and gave myself a headache
Memory told me nothing except stories from others.
I really just wanted to have fun
Read any book on the shelf over and over
Go for long walks on prairie roads
Figure skate like the older girls that won medals
Work in the garden was always fun ~ landscaping was a thought!
Play piano without knowing about the notes or the ‘right’ form
Have my own horse like my cousins ~ and a palomino
Writing stories like Jo March in Little Women up in her garret
Dance like Ginger Rogers ~ and wear the fantastic dresses!
No thought to the possibility that
work is always involved in just having fun!
Not only that…..each time I’ve had real fun
Real deep down enjoyment ~ I’ve always worked
Put my heart into it and come out tired and smiling
~ except maybe when I’m reading a good book

“We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, 

or more deeply engrossed in anything , than when we are at play.”

~ Charles E. Schaefer

Self-Talk

Self-talk has power ~
Left inside the mind
to spin, bounce and echo
words, ideas, questions run amok,
tangled and confused

Spoken out loud
  ~ in the privacy of home ~ 
Such words resound and ring true.
When heard as a message or a question
possibilities bubble up in surprising clarity

Written and journaled
 ~ grammar and spelling unimportant ~ 
Words flow across the page
Questions, ideas seen for what they could be
Feelings scribbled across the page shift and settle.

“Your self-talk creates your reality.”

~ Abhishek Kumar, Stardust Family - We Are One