Cold, snow, blah blah blah, it's winter

I've been watching the Today Show this morning, and I am amazed at what a big to-do and brouhaha that they (the media) are turning winter into.  For pity's sakes.  I am not sure where they all have been living, but last I checked our fair country HAS HAD cold weather and snow for quite some time now.  I think my irritation really escalated when the stupid Weather Channel started naming winter storms.  Don't be stupid.  It's snow.  And yes, it is cold.

Now that being said, I have been known to indulge in weather whining.  I understand how pathetic and ironic this all is.  LOL.  HOWEVER, unless you live up here, you just hush. (YOU probably don't have to drive into work in sub zero temps and then drive home in sub zero temps.... ) (Forgive my whining at any rate.)

 This sort of thing has been going on for a long time, folks.

If the weather holds up to what they are predicting, I will be going NO WHERE on Monday, which is fine with me.  Our high is supposed to be -18 after all, and I really don't have to leave the house.

Now, when I first moved up here back in 1980 (you know, the olden days.  LOL) I will NEVER forget coming home from a dance at the Legion hall (and lest you gasp, don't worry, the DH never did dance.)  or maybe it was a pork and dumpling dinner kind of thing, whatevs.  It was January of 1981 and we came home and it WAS cold.  I looked at the thermometer and there was no mercury in the little tube.  I said- FRED- there is no temperature!!  It was a maximum of -40.  Good grief. (This was not the first time I wondered WTF I was living up here and not the last either)  He said, guess we better put more wood on the fire....  yeah, we heated the first little house we lived in entirely with wood.  I think he got up a few times that night to put another few logs on the fire.  THANK HEAVEN that isn't the truth anymore.  Ugh.  And the entirety of northern Wisconsin went on about their business without the Weather Channel alarming us to the dangers of frost bite in minutes, because we knew it.  Because of the fact we live in the midwest.

Yeah, so that is my observation for the morning.  I am going to get moving soon go to the grocery store before the rest of the world does, because I plan to do some cooking this weekend and also on Monday!  :) But before that I am going to hit the snow-shoe trail at least twice today, because already tomorrow that won't be happening..... as it is winter and there is a cold front coming and I don't even need to name it!  Since I live in the midwest and it's winter!!!  hehehe

And so this weekend, ALL of YOU ALL stay so warm and safe and toasty.  It is supposed to be a nasty one for an awful lot of us and I want the joy of saying hi to you again on Tuesday!

Off to a good start

I'm not feeling an over all theme surfacing here, today, but I have a series of observations that have been boinking around in my brain.  yes, boinking, shut up.

(I began this yesterday, when it was actually Wednesday, and felt like Sunday)

• First of all, being a Gramma is the most freaking awesome thing and FaceTime makes life worth living.  Lol, well having FaceTime so one can visit with ones baby grandgirl does.  I am channeling Sunday and feeling like they will be calling soon, but alas it is NOT Sunday.  
• I began the new year with no less than 3 challenges.  A crunches challenge, a plank challenge and a push-up challenge.  OH yeah, also I am going to start working on a pull-ups challenge.  As in I am challenging myself to be able to do at least 2 unassisted pull-ups by the end of the year.  Honey, it drives me insane that I can't do one or two.  I mean, it seems I should have enough strength.  Blah.
• This winter is being quite assertive.  Isn't that a nice way to put it?  Assertive.  Actually this winter is being a PITA.  We've had close to a couple feet of snow, and the cold has been with us- a LOT.  Now I hear next Monday and Tuesday mornings we could have wind chill warnings with BRUTAL temperatures.  sigh. Positive note: I've been able to snow shoe!  Of course not when the wind-chills are -40, but still!
• Other than a preChristmas cookie fest, I am feeling quite zen about my eating.  This is NOT something that I have ever in my life been able to say.  I am in the process of getting myself out of diet mentality and into thinking about the many other things in my life other than what I can and can't eat yet today.  It is a terrifying and freeing process.  More to come on this subject.  It is a deeply different idea than we are used to hearing about both here and in the media.  Once again, this huge, alarmist, diet industry is driven my the media and it is eye opening when you are aware of it and are trying to combat it.
• Unbelievably, there is only 3 weeks left in the 1st semester.  This is astonishing to me!  I have a lot to do in the next 3 weeks AND that means that I will have to also prepare for new classes soon.  Wow.  
• I am such a procrastinator sometimes, it drives me crazy.  Lol, I get anxiety thinking about the above statement and knowing how much I have to do.  :)  Yet, I will be working on it, you guessed it, at the last minute.
• I am really excited about all the room that I am creating upstairs right now.  While the job is not done yet, I am over half way through it all, and it is REALLY nice to have it organized.  Out to the library, transfer station and thrift shop has gone many boxes and bags and there will be more to come.  It is amazing how much stuff you can acquire over the years....  And I didn't even save all that much.  
• I took down all my Christmas stuff yesterday.  I have 3 boxes of Christmas stuff I either don't use, don't want or don't have room for anymore.  The children better speak up or the whole lot is going to the above mentioned locations!  :)  I will keep the best of it (that I ran out of room for) and the rest is going to have to relocate.  It is hard to decide what to do with things you still like, but because of my remodeling, I have so much less surface to put things on.  AND it was amazing to slide the boxes easily into their designated location in a very neat and organized closet!! #ftw!!

Anyway, enough of my ramblings.  It seems that I had more things that I was going to say when I began this, but those things must not be too important.  I have not so much resolutions as goals this year.  One is the whole pull-up thing.  I want to work on that.  I am also going to really concentrate in a focused way towards a personal weightlifting goal- last year I felt very unfocused and I know now what I want to do.  I also want to continue doing bodyweight exercises and keep my knees running smoothly by constantly working on squats and doing yoga stretches.  I want to travel someplace new this summer, but I also realize that I have to take a class for my teaching license renewal....  Hopefully one won't get in the way of the other. And of course there is that procrastination issue....

Mostly, I want to continue being NOT stressed out by things I can't control.  I don't NEED to spend my life obsessed with things in the environment or the government or things I hear in the media that I have no ability to change directly.  My anxiety level gets too high. If you think I am a weakling or wuss because of it, so be it.  What I will be is -  happier than you!  :) After living for 50 some years, you learn which battles to fight, which worries to allow and what things and people should be important (and unimportant) in life. I have addressed this already in many ways, and every so often I find another thing that I have to think about and deal with. There are so many good people in my life, I will always put the effort into being a great friend to them. The people who try to bring me down or belittle me, well they are just going to quietly fall to the side of the road that I am traveling on.  Of course I know that life cannot be one big love and hug fest, but it is possible to avoid a lot of unnecessary stressors. Chances are that if you are reading this, you are one of the ones worth the effort.  Because you ALL bring me so much joy.

Off to Thursday/Monday and a short week of school!

What?? How can it be the end of the year??

I know it is the end of 2013, but it really doesn't seem like it should be.  It is astonishing to think that the school year is only 3 weeks from being half over.  Without trying to be too over sentimental, let's take a quick peek...

Happy New Years
Eve!

Unlike what a lot of people here and there scattered across the country and the blog-iverse say, 2013 hasn't been a bad year at all for me.  It is nice to be able to say that.

The best thing about the year was the arrival of my little grand girl Ella and the next best thing about the year is the fact that we found out next year will give us another grandchild.  THAT is the most awesome thing - the joy this brings is indescribable.

Other highlights:

Well I HAVE to say that the ongoing renovations of my house are a JOYFUL part of my year.  The total gut and rebuild of my living room was spectacular and finished with a painting orgy over the weekend of the school play which is where the Mad Art Teacher found out she teaches her children well and that she is indeed dispensable with a less than spectacular bout of the flu on dress rehearsal day.  The Thursday of the play weekend was my day down and out and then Friday night, Saturday and Sunday were dedicated to painting....  and of course the actual play performances.

Following on the heels of that, later in August came the application of new siding on my new garden shed and also my house.  I can't tell you how amazing it is to see that beautiful grey contrasting against the snow right now.

Related to all of this, that I haven't actually blogged about is the total disarray parts of my house was in because of those two events.  This was distressing to me, but I never really had the time, energy or ambition to do much about it until Christmas break here.  Let's just say the upstairs is many boxes lighter than it had been and that there is more to come.  I'm making excellent inroads into reorganizing closets that NEED it- badly.  And when the upstairs is done, the downstairs will fall into line.  And hopefully there will not have to be anymore "chocolate pie incidents".

I did a bit of traveling here and there during this year, the best of the best was a weekend I spent in Janesville, then Chicago and then Janesville again.  I met a person who was an online friend but has turned into a true best buddy and confidant and I can not wait until I can meet up with again next summer.

Being the person I am, a lot of things that I think of as 2013 big items are not things I discussed on this blog.  Either too busy, or it was too personal, or it involved someone who wouldn't want to be discussed.  (this doesn't happen too often, but once in a while I leave a bit of my life unexplored.)  I have things I am working on, and at this point aren't really shareable, and I may have travel plans coming this spring.  We shall see how that comes out.

So what do I want to think of when I might choose to remember 2013?  Well Ella's birth is the prime thing, along with a really long winter and weird northern Wisconsin weather.  A healthy weight, a better attitude about life and eating and exercise.  Not expecting perfection, but not giving up or giving in.  Finding joy.  Giving myself a break, but pushing myself along.  Accepting that I don't have to do it all, but doing the things I choose to well.  Really well.

And I'm looking forward to 2014 and the adventures to come.

And always looking forward to joy- both in the giving and receiving.

Vegetarian recipe WIN-WIN!

After 2 nights of not a lot of sleep, I decided that today had to be a good workout day.  While I like getting all of this cleaning done upstairs, it is not conducive to calorie burns or even relaxing.  Too much going on in the mind, dust that infested every nook and cranny of my body, and tired but not apparently tired enough.

Beans and kale with the peanut sauced tofu

Today, I went back to the cabin with the MA and I merrily built a fire in the fireplace.  Once you are forced to have to start those things to keep your house warm (which I did for many years) you become an expert.  I am SO GLAD I don't have to do that any more. Once I began my full time job, it was necessary for us to ditch that damn wood stove and put in a gas furnce.  Lp or whatever it is.  Lol. But that is neither here nor there!  It was fun to play around with the fire and it brought me back to the Boundary Waters and making a 1 match campfire.  Ah the good memories....

So after lunch, I went to the gym and kicked my own tail feathers doing a fabulous chest workout.  I am refocusing on my weightlifting - not that I haven't been doing it, but I lost some of my drive.  No wonder I have to rest my arms every so often here.  Then, because I do want to be exhausted tonight, I went for a snowshoe when I got back from the gym.... that ought to do it!

After all that, I decided to do a little cooking.  I had scoped out a few recipes and bought a couple ingredients.  I really didn't know if this actually "goes" together, and it certainly didn't photograph pretty.  But the flavors are divine.

Alright, the 2 things I made were Smoky Maple Black Beans and Kale  and Spicy Vegan Peanut Butter Tofu with Sriracha 

They are both somewhat spicy, but completely adjustable as far as the heat factor.  The flavors are wonderful, especially if you like the combo of spicy/savory/sweet.  What is not to like, right?

The pix I have are not terrific, they are just taken with my phone, as I decided during the making of this that it might be enjoyable to blog about it if I like the way it tasted.  Well let me tell you, totally glad I at least took a pic with the phone.  This is not beautiful stuff, folks, but who cares when it's in your mouth?? 

In my usual way, I substituted like a fiend in these recipes.  I have no problem messing around with the ingredients if the integrity of the taste is intact.  One thing called for agave and I subbed in honey.... you get the idea.  I didn't even realize that this was vegan until I was putting it on Instagram and decided I could use that hashtag!

Smoky Maple Black Beans and Kale
Calorie count is approximately 200 for 1/2 - 2/3 cup of awesomeness
adapted from a recipe by This Dish is Vegetarian

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium-size onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups coarsely chopped kale
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups cooked black beans or 2 (15-ounce) cans beans, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons tamari (which is a low salt soy sauce)
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar (apple cider vinegar)
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 chipotle chile in adobo (optional), minced (I used smoked jalapeno chili powder)

Instructions
1. Heat the oil or water in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, cover, and cook on low until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and heat until you can smell it, about 30 sec. Add the kale and season to taste with salt and pepper, add a bit of water if necessary. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the beans, then add the remaining ingredients, stirring to combine. Simmer for 10 minutes longer to blend the flavors.

The maple, though there is only 2 Tablespoons of it is really forefront in this dish.  Divine!!  If I make this again, I will add additional veggies, maybe carrots and celery with the onion and garlic. 

Not the prettiest of pictures, but definitely tasty

Spicy Peanut Butter Tofu with Sriracha sauce

I am guessing the calories is about 175 for 3 pieces.  And a BUNCH of protein!!
adapted from a recipe by Kalyn's Kitchen 

Ingredients:
14-16 oz. firm or extra firm tofu
1 T olive oil
2 cloves peeled and lightly crushed garlic

Sauce Ingredients:
3 T soy sauce (reduced sodium is fine) I used Bragg's Aminos
3 T rice vinegar (I used seasoned rice vinegar)
2 T smooth natural peanut butter
1 T honey
2 T vegetable stock or water
1/2 T Sriracha Rooster Sauce (more or less to taste)

Instructions:

Drain the tofu well in a colander placed in the sink.  Then put tofu pieces between a double layer of paper towels and press down with your hand so the liquid in the tofu is absorbed by the towel. (I use a cotton flour sack clean dishtowel, so I don't waste all that paper towel.)  Cut tofu into lengthwise strips about 1 inch wide.  

Whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, peanut butter, honey, stock or water, and then add the Sriracha Sauce.  (I would start with a smaller amount of Sriracha, taste, and decide when it is hot enough.)  Cut the pieces of garlic.

Heat a heavy pan (I used a cast iron frying pan) over high heat for one minute.  Then add the olive oil and heat about 30 seconds more.  Add the sliced pieces of garlic and cook just until they are fragrant (about 30 seconds); then remove and discard.  Add tofu pieces, lower heat to medium high and cook, turning often, until the tofu is nicely browned on all sides, about 7-8 minutes. The website where I got this has a nice picture tutorial if you need that.

When all the tofu pieces are browned, add the sauce, turn heat to low, and cook just until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the tofu.  Remove from heat and eat!

So the cool thing is that BOTH of these were made in under 30 minutes and I managed to multitask them finished in about 45.  That is a definite YAY- plus left overs and I will freeze some of the beans in containers for school.  

This was a great way to end the day!  And definitely gave me some joy.  

Cherry and White chocolate scones

So it was a tough night for sleeping last night.  It is always a mystery why in the world this happens, but it does.  So attempt sleep in several locations, get in a solid 4 hours,  then go ahead and get up and make scones makes total sense, right??   When I woke up I didn't even know where I was, so I am not sure why I thought baking was a good idea.  I'm glad I didn't fall down the stairs in my stupor.  Sheesh.

The scone, taken with the iPhone camera with cheesy cute coffee mug full of Snowplow blend coffee.  

Well, one really should not attempt to bake when one is bleary.  Actually the results were really good, but there was one weird thing after another that I either did or discovered in the recipe, or thought I discovered in the recipe but in reality I just needed the caffeine to kick in.

First off, in my glee to find a CRANBERRY white chocolate scone,  I didn't manage to read the part that said dried cranberries. I have some frozen cranberries that I wanted to use- guess I will make the cranberry chutney! Anyway, I didn't notice that until I had the recipe partially put together.  FFS.  Fortunately, I did have dried cherries, which worked really well.

The recipe itself called for coating the formed mega-scone, which was placed on a sheet of parchment, with egg-white and sprinkle with sugar.  I read it as coat the parchment with egg-white.  Yeah.  Fortunately I had decided there was no way I was going to separate an egg to put it on the parchment.  For pity's sakes.  Then I reread it later and noticed they said to put it on the scone- you know to hold on the sugar.  ugh.  Oh well, didn't matter because I sprinkled that beast with turbinado sugar and it stayed in place, as I had moistened the top with water anyway.

The other thing that is a bit misleading is the fact that they say (in the original recipe) that this is lower calorie, but when one cuts ANYTHING into 12 pieces it is going to be lower calorie.  We all know that we are eating 2 of them.  That is a decent sized breakfast.  Let's be serious here people.  And you really don't care about the calories if you are having a scone.

You'd think this would be a disaster, but you would be wrong!  :) I did all sorts of thing differently, so I'll just write out my recipe, but the original link is above.

Disorganization at 6 am

Notice that the coffee creamer is close by and my coffee cup must be within reach somewhere!

Ah there is my coffee- onto the dry ingredients

So it is a simple mix the wet and dry ingredients in bowls separately and then cut in the butter with 2 knives.  That always cracks me up.  Who does that??  I have a pastry blender that I can use like nobody's business- I have strange conversations with myself at 6:15. I'm sure I need more coffee.
It was right after this I discovered the whole dried cranberries thing.....  eye roll.

I see I only cut it into 10  HAHAHA!! oh well

So mix the whole thing together and pat it out and sprinkle with turbinado sugar or like they said, a mix of sugar and brown sugar. (Dirty little secret- these were meant to not be overly sweet- YOUKNOWWHO thought they needed frosting and so I melted a few white chocolate chips and made cheaters frosting that I artfully drizzled.  Yeah there are no pictures of that.)  So it was really good- either way.  I didn't need the drizzles, but that didn't stop me from having a piece and then promptly getting a tummy ache from it.  Oh well.

Cherry White Chocolate Scones
Oven- 375
Use parchment on a baking sheet for scones or grease baking sheet

3/4 cup buttermilk (HA I actually bought it for this, at least I had that one odd ingredient on hand!!)
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flout
1/4 cup oatmeal
1 TBSP baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

3 TBSP butter- softened
1/3 - 1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries or even raisins
1/2 c. white chocolate chips

turbinado sugar OR 1/4 cup white chocolate chips melted for later

Mix wet ingredients together in a big bowl.  Mix the dry ingredients in a smaller bowl. Cut the butter into the flour and for heavens sakes use a pastry cutter.  Mix the fruit and chips into the dry ingredients. Dump the flour stuff into the wet stuff and mix just until together.  Place on parchment on baking sheet, form into a disk.  Moisten hand with water and pat the scone so it gets damp and sprinkle on sugar.  OR just wait until the thing is done and frost with a little melted white chocolate mixed with a tsp or two of milk.
Cut dough into 12 pieces and bake for 22 - 25 minutes.  Don't separate the wedges, just bake it precut.

**NOTE- scones really taste best the same day that you make them.  So eat them or else put the extra in the freezer.  I mean, you can eat them the next day, but they are seriously best eaten about 1/2 hour out of the oven.

So onto a day full of cleaning and reorganizing.!

And that will eventually give me some joy!

Baked Cranberry French Toast

After all that cooking for our Christmas the weekend before actual Christmas, I really had no intention of doing too much for a while.  Enough already.  But as is my habit, I was checking out the blogs I follow on my feedly and there popped up a really good looking recipe for Baked Cranberry French Toast.

And since I had most of the ingredients, I decided to get the couple things I was missing- well the only thing- which were eggs, and make it for breakfast for the MA and I on Christmas morning.  

The original link is here-  http://www.kristendukephotography.com/almond-cranberry-french-toast-casserole/

I changed a lot of things.  First of all, I did NOT let this soak all night long as I totally spaced putting it together the night before.  Besides I know that for a strata like this, you really don't have to let it sit for more than a half hour or so. I also used halved cranberries. Next,  the recipe called for a cream cheese icing, but I thought that was totally unnecessary....  and I was right.  I also cut the recipe in half, except I used 4 eggs instead of 3.  So yeah, I really made it Debi friendly.  I added some walnuts later to mine as the DH doesn't like nuts.....  doesn't that figure!  :)

SO!

Baked Cranberry French Toast

This is the full recipe, I cut it all in half, except I used 4 eggs

1 loaf of french bread (consider using a grainy or fruit and nut rustic bread, also!)

6 eggs

3 cups of milk or almond milk

2/3 cup of sugar

1 T cinnamon

1 cup of cranberries- halved

1/2 cup brown sugar

walnuts or almonds (optional)

Whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar and cinnamon.  Tear up bread and place in a buttered13 x 9 pan.  Toss the cranberries with the bread. Pour egg mixture over top and sprinkle brown sugar over breakfast.  Let sit for at least 30 minutes.  Top with chopped nuts if desired.  

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until the egg looks set.

Top with real maple syrup if desired.  But it is not necessary!  SO yummy.  What a nice Christmas breakfast!

**This was so easy to do, would be nice with many sorts of fruit instead of the cranberries.  But the tart cranberries were good!  

**I used 3 french bread rolls as there was no french bread to be found.

Merry Merry Christmas!

To all of my favorite people in the world! 

Have a lovely, joyful day!!