Any day, every day: roasted vegetables

A meal that a friend and I hurriedly prepared for important guests. Thanks to the simple perfection of the ingredients, plus great wine and bread, it was a success.

Very often, before dinner, I go through my fridge (and, season allowing, the garden) and from it assemble a pile of vegetables.  Sometimes it’s only cauliflower, garlic, carrots and kale.  Or Brussel sprouts, onions, potatoes and garlic.  Or tomatoes, asparagus, leeks and garlic.  But always garlic.

I cut everything up, scoop handfuls into a baking dish, sprinkle everything with olive oil and salt, and push it into the hot oven. I am rather insouciant about temperatures and times, so I can’t tell you at what temperature and for how long

Raw, ready for the oven

I leave the vegetables to brown to perfection. (An educated guess about my own cooking habits would be 400*F on Convection for 30 minutes?)

It’s always a success, and it’s always healthy.  The kale is especially superb, since it dries into tight, crispy chips of flavor — a perfect contrast to the warm, sweet garlic underneath it.

Mozart and Bach are not a mere luxury

Today I heard two pieces on Classical Radio that transported me out of my rental car, away from south Florida’s mad traffic, and brought me into a place of magnificence, clarity and energy.  On the way to work, I heard Mozart’s Symphony 25.  Brilliant. Restless. Moving.

And after a productive day in a cold, grey cubicle, I had the pleasure of immersing myself in JS Bach’s Orchestral Suite 3.  Beauty in audible form.  Oh, to be a musical conductor!  To know, to feel, to understand the music in such a way that one could lead others to play it.  Amazing.

I highly recommend that you purchase the pieces in their entirety.  For example, as MP3 or from iTunes.

Speaking of Johann S. Bach:  I was in Leipzig earlier this year, and attended a service at the Thomaskirche, where Bach taught and composed for 27 years, (1723-1750).  What a city!  What a heritage!  What music!  (I recommend you purchase a ticket to Leipzig, too. For you runners, if you need an additional reason to go, there’s a yearly Leipzig Marathon; I ran the 10K this year.)

I’ll end this brief note with one thought: Music is not a mere luxury.  My 5 and 3 yr olds hear this often from me; and they will commence with musical lessons soon.  I think musical training needs to go right alongside mathematics and literacy in the early years.

Quote of the Day: Saint-Exupery

(I’ve been reading The Little Prince to my children. There are life lessons and philosophical questions on each page.)

“Only the children know what they are looking for,” said the little prince. “They waste their time over a rag doll and it becomes very important to them; and if anybody takes it away from them, they cry…”
“They are lucky,” the switchman said.

Cappuccino at home

This morning, a cold, foggy morning in June, I took time to make a perfect cappuccino. My trusty Nespresso machine groaned into action and dripped a Cosi espresso into a tea cup. I went to the stove and poured organic whole milk into an All Clad sauce pan, whipping the milk with a whisk while I turned up the gas heat. (The trick here is to whip furiously, quickly, while the milk heats up.) When the sauce pan was full of froth, I spooned off a great deal of white softness, poured a little hot milk in after it, and dusted it with “raw” cane sugar.

Nothing is perfect, ever; but this cappuccino came fairly close! It helps to take time for little bits of beauty throughout your daily routine.

Quote of the Day

If you’re going through hell, keeping going.
- Sir W Churchill

Showing kids the world…

This post is inspired by a friend’s photo that he took in Paris.  I have not taken my children to Paris, (except for its misery-inducing airport). When I saw this photo, I thought, “My kids will see this in person… and oh, how I hope they will see its beauty.”

My children and I just spent a week in Miami, which is a great distance removed from where we reside “most of the time.”  I say “most of the time” because my son, daughter and I truly feel at home in 4 countries.  There are times when I feel a pang of guilt that I am not giving my children a typical upbringing in one town and one culture, but most often I am pleased that they are becoming global citizens for whom the whole world is their hometown.  My husband and I are their true home, and as long as we remain stable, loving and adhere to a routine for them (art, writing, exercise) every day the kids do just fine.

Next week I am off to Cologne, Reykjavik, London and Zurich, and the children are greatly disappointed that they won’t be coming along on this trip.  I will miss them, but in March I’ll be packing their little suitcases for Italy and Switzerland again.

Therapy

I was heading to the laundry room a few days ago, feeling overworked and overwhelmed… But I never got to the laundry. My psyche steered me to my art room, where I pulled out my acrylics and canvas… (see picture below)

One hour later, I emerged from my [psychologically luxurious] basement relaxed, as if I had just received a full body massage. Art is therapy for my soul.

I hope you also have a go-to hobby that allows you a healthy escape from daily pressures.

Batman Costume

I spent the better part of my morning recreating Batman. He now flies around my house in a shiny blue hooded cape and mask, and is as tall as a four year old.

As I sewed, I kept one eye on my kids who were alternating between my fly-tying gear and buckets of water for their bath tub penguins (all in my carpeted work room). There were innumerable moments when I criticized myself for sewing a costume when so much else had to be done, “Adam Smith was probably married to someone like YOU,” I told myself, “that’s how he became certain of the need for specialization of labor– someone else could have sewn this better and faster.” “You are not focused! Did you plan on sewing a costume today? No! So why are you doing this?” I actually felt extremely low at the end of my musings.

So low, in fact, that I knew the only thing that would help was facing the ugly wind/rain storm outside. The bewildered kids and dog silently joined me out on the deserted streets. We ended up racing through puddles back and forth on our street… And came home exceedingly happy. Oh, and my son loves the costume, and so I do too. The End.

All is well that ends well, right?

Teaching my children sustainability

I have ongoing talks with my kids about recycling and sustainability.  Not in some strange, self-righteous way; simply in practical terms about what works in the long run –and what doesn’t.  I’m fortunate to work for a great company.

Go to Regalsprings.com for a look at one of the world’s best companies, in terms of social and environmental responsibility.

Here are a few photos of my recent trip to one of our farms.

Sustainable tilapia farming in clean lakes.

Our floating cages don't disturb nature; they become part of the landscape.

We teach local families to farm fish, and provide them with the fish.

Ceviche with our fish, just a few meters from the water's edge.

We fund over 70 schools around one farm, paying teachers to actually show up to teach, and providing supplies.

School of Fish Foundation – truly a dining experience (via Soulspiration – AC Blog)

It’s always good to share good, fun news, such as this blog piece about the School of Fish Foundation’s restaurant. It’s also good to alert our kids to cool ideas like a restaurant floating on bottles and fish raised in such a way that the environment is left intact and people benefit from food and jobs.

            Recently, I had the honor of tasting some of the dishes from Vancouver's popular seafood restaurant, C Restaurant.  The interesting thing was, we weren't seated in C Restaurant.  Instead, we were brought to a floating dining area right outside C.  Yes floating…in the water!  With the great creations of C Restaurant and the most intimate ambience of the floating restaurant, we inevitably had a most memorable evening.            The i … Read More

via Soulspiration – AC Blog