I haven’t written here for quite a bit. Life has been hectic to say the least. About a year ago I had a son, and since then life has been moving at a clip that honestly took me by surprise. I have slowly been piecing my life back together, although I am not sure that is an accurate description. My life isn't a puzzle that has distinct pieces coming back although certain things have felt like that, cooking and exercise specifically. I think it is more like a garden. My life is like a garden with areas of new growth and areas of perennials returning after the winter. I have found new depths I didn't know I had and some regeneration or really familiar plants in a new terrain. Everything feels fresh and new and also familiar. I am slowly finding my path to the life I want. I am cultivating again and again. Cultivating for my family and my son, but also for myself. This blog post and this blog in general is something I want to cultivate. I miss writing and I want to have it be a part of my reflective life. I like the format of a blog, the longer post that take conscious effort and typically multiple days to complete. That being said, I also long to be inspired while I write. I want to not box myself in. I will continue blogging when and as I feel actually moved and inspired to do so. I am going on a journey to be true to myself and to figure out what that actually means. I plan on cultivating my life like I would a beautiful garden and that might mean I try things out and share about it here. I hope you enjoy this new format, and a more authentic me.
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Happy November! Between mid-October and now my reading life has actually been quite active. I have quit a number of books, but found a few I actually enjoyed. The first one is pregnancy specific, but the rest aren't. I realized this month I need to read things just because I love them not solely to prepare myself for life with a newborn or the birthing process.
Hypnobirthing: Practical Ways to Make Your Birth Better by Siobhan Miller
When I first got pregnant I had hear of hypnobirthing, but if I was honest I really did not think it would be for me. To be fair I put down quite a few books about hypnobirthing, but this one I thoroughly appreciated. I felt it was approached as a more practical book about birth, dealing more with the science of what is going on than any sort of hypnosis, which I appreciated. I would recommend this to someone who is skeptical, but wants to arm themselves with tools and tips for coping with birth.
Book Rating: 4/5 Second Nature by Michael Pollan
If you have been reading this blog for a while you will know I most of the time love the works of Michael Pollan. He makes me want to garden, grow my own food, and get out into nature in a way that is practical. This book fulfilled that niche and expectation. I found myself reading about his trials in the garden and the larger context of gardening and I appreciated his writing and his point of view. I love that he is able to point out his flaws and to situate himself in relation to his family and the world at large.
Book Rating: 4/5 Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
I got this book for Christmas of last year and wasn't sure if I would enjoy it. I did find that in reading it there are parts that feel dated, specifically gender roles, but for being written in 1955, I found it to be understandable. I really appreciated how this felt like a book about being present in the world around you. I found the knowledge to still be quite wise and I appreciated the fact that this was a quick read and enjoyed the wisdom within.
Book Rating: 4/5 The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick
I found this book to be wonderful. It fits in the old man genre that I tend to love and have written about here. I listened to this on audio and appreciated the narration. I also found this to just be a charming story of exploring the world to come back and find yourself. Arthur is coping with his wife's death and seeks to learn about her life and in doing so discovers more about himself.
Book Rating: 5/5
I have loved finding my stride in reading. What are you reading lately? Any suggestions?
This recipe is adapted from this version by the New York Times.
One of the things we have made year after year after year is pecan pie. When I was growing up my mom had us do the laying down of the pecans to create designs in our pies, and we always made two. I still take time to design how I lay out my pecans as you can see below. The first picture is one layer of a total of two.
The following is the final pie, as you can see they shift a tad, but I think it is worth it overall, then again I love the process and I do not mind taking the time to be meticulous
I still in this recipe from her, make two. I also have made some rather large adaptations in the quantity of pecan to filling ratio, much more pecans that originally called for and I have shifted from bourbon to maple syrup, but you do as you see fit. As the fall continues on and I am starting to think about Thanksgiving, I know I will be making this pie recipe again this year as I have in years prior.
Maple Pecan PieOne of the things I love about being married is that I have a whole extra set of family members than before. Now don't get me wrong, my husband and I were together for quite a long time before we got married so I felt like I had already been part of the family for a while. Along with being involved in someone else's family you get to experience the joys of their food traditions. I have found over the years that sitting down to dinner at his home provided me with new foods and new flavors that I enjoyed but just did not grow up eating. Take this recipe for example, it was developed from my mother-in-law's spaghetti sauce. I grew up eating spaghetti sauce, but not in this way, usually with meatballs added, but not in a more meat sauce form. This was something new that I remember eating at my husband's house and just wanting the sauce it was so good it didn't even need the pasta. Developing this recipe was quite a challenge. First of all it feeds many people, so one batch lasts a long time and I did not want to only eat spaghetti sauce for weeks on end. Second my mother-in-law is an intuitive cook, meaning she cooks by feel and taste rather than by measurements. This means each batch she makes ends up slightly different but all great. I remember asking her to make this so I could watch and I stood next to her at the stove eyeballing measurements and writing down ingredients hoping it would be something I could eventually make myself. Then as with all recipe testing there were the usual pitfalls, the testing it using canned tomato sauce, which was too metallic for my taste. I am glad to say I am finally here at a recipe that is close to hers, it is not the same and it never will be. Hers is made with a few changes, but as I have written about before part of what makes food great is the setting and the people. I cannot replicate meals at her table without her, so it will never taste exactly right, but I think this is as close as I will ever come. I hope you try it out and enjoy the flavors and then feel free to make it your own, as with all things our tastes are different and what I enjoy might not be the same for you. Bulk Spaghetti Sauce
This last month was actually a good reading month for me. In order for me to actually enjoy what I was reading though I quit a number of books. I am learning that that is sometimes what is required in order to find the books I actually enjoyed.
I'd Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel
This was one of the first books I read that I just enjoyed. I loved how Anne writes about reading and makes you remember what you loved about it in the first place. This book is a short read, but I really just was reminded of why I read and it made me more dedicated to picking up books this month.
Book Rating: 4/5 The Sh!t No One Tells You: A Guide to Surviving Your Baby's First Year by Dawn Dais
I was a little nervous with the title, because I am not one who typically enjoys cursing in books. This book though I found to be one of the best books on parenting, not for your typical run of the mill advice, but because it made me laugh out loud until I cried a few times. I read parts of it with my husband and I found we were both laughing. I have found during pregnancy the need to laugh is something that is not talked about enough. I love how she describes children's books and that at the beginning your baby may not be as cute as you think. Overall I really enjoyed this book and read it quite quickly.
Book Rating: 4/5 Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie
I have been listening to these on audio with my husband. We have found them to be a good series to listen to in a similar vein to Sherlock Holmes, which we have listen in entirety. I particularly liked this collection on audio because it is short stories, so you are able to listen to one and not feel the need to finish the whole audiobook at once because they are not connected. I also find myself growing to love the detective and I can effectively never guess the ending. I also appreciate that they are not gruesome in the way a modern detective story can be. Overall I am excited to continue reading the next Poirot book and glad we have a new audiobook series.
Book Rating: 4/5 Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
This book has been sitting on my bookshelf for literally years. I have wanted to pick it up and have started it and stopped it many times, not because it was bad but usually because my reading life was not as consistent as it has been recently. This is a detective story of sorts and the protagonist is Maisie Dobbs. I appreciated how this wove her backstory into the actual story so we got to know her better and the best part of enjoying this book is that it is part of a series so I can actually pick up another for a long while. I found this to be similar to Poirot in that it was not gruesome and has a similar feel to Sherlock Holmes. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to picking up the next one in the series.
Book Rating: 4/5
My books this month have a clear detective or mystery theme to them, but I am glad that I found books I enjoyed. What are you reading lately? Any suggestions for me? Please share them below!
I am sure I am late on the bandwagon even though fall only started this weekend. I have to say I have loved trying out different fall foods. Also none of these recipes are originals from me, but they are all tried and true. I do not want to recommend recipes without having tested them and enjoying them. Fall to me speaks of pumpkin and squash. Fall may not speak of salads to you, but these are quite delicious. Also I feel like being healthy in the colder months is not always appealing, but these salads for me are a treat. I have made this Sweet Potato & Cranberry Salad from Love and Lemons for years. Also I find that all the toppings and dressing make this salad really work together. This one does take some time to assemble, so either make the sweet potatoes and wheat berries on the weekend as part of meal prep or make the whole meal a weekend meal. I also love this Autumn Maple Salad from Delish Knowledge. This one I have made with both butternut squash and delicata. If you are using butternut squash be sure to peel it first. This is also one if you want to make the squash ahead of time the salad comes together quickly. I plan on sharing some of my favorite fall desserts soon as well. What do you like to eat in the fall?
In the past month I read a few books, but this book was the one remarkable one. This is a nonfiction book where the author looks at how women spend their time. Specifically she looks at women who make over $100,000 and have kids. She divides their time into work, family, and self. Within each category she makes observations and notes what she realized was unique or important about those who utilized their time "well". I found her analysis to be interesting. I did not agree with everything she wrote, but I found insight in most of it. I also found it gave me hope that if I want to return to the workforce I can do so and find ways to best utilize my time. I did find the ending to be a bit abrupt, but enjoyed the book as a whole.
Book Rating: 4/5 Welcome back to another tip Tuesday. I feel like sharing small cooking tips helps those of us who want to become better in the kitchen. This tip is related to food storage. Moisture and bacteria cause decay.If you want to have your food last you need to avoid moisture and bacteria. They cause rot avoiding them means avoiding your produce turning bad. One way to do this with fresh produce is to use paper towels to catch some of the extra moisture and then replace them as they dampen over time. I use this when I have chopped vegetables ahead of time, like lettuce which allows it to stay crisp rather than get soggy and start to go bad. In a bag of spinach even one leaf that is damp and soggy can easily ruin the entire bag, I typically am quite thorough in getting rid of those leaves to ensure my greens last longer.
One of the unexpected things I have noticed in being pregnant is laughing quite a lot more. People always share about pregnancy mood swings, but typically I have heard it referred to in the context of sadness or frustration. I am pleased to say laughing until I cry is something that happens more regularly. I am not sure if this is honestly pregnancy related or that I am simply able to laugh at myself more. I often find things to be humorous when I have misheard or misunderstood or misinterpreted. I am able to laugh and enjoy the moment rather than feeling frustrated at having been confused. The simple things that have made me laugh can be varied, but I really enjoy the ability to let my guard down and just enjoy all the hilarity of life even if it is something that was only real in my head. What has made you laugh lately? I find laughter to be contagious and I am looking for more laughter on a daily basis to help find the joy in all the complexity of life.
Fall has officially started a week or so ago. I have been enjoying a few fall activities here and there. I am curious what are your fall traditions? What do you do to celebrate fall? We have a few small traditions that we typically participate in every year. I have grown to appreciate the fall more and more as time has gone on. We lived in Florida for a few years and I felt like I missed the chill in the air and the changing color of the leaves. When we moved to Iowa, I took the photo below on our drive, just so excited that the leaves would be orange. I have since developed an appreciation of fall, both the cooler weather that allows for more cooking freedom, while not being too hot and as a time of new beginnings and changes. I love to celebrate all fall has to offer me. Cider DonutsOut of all of the things I make, I have yet to make my own cider donuts. If I am honest, I do not really even like cider donuts. My husband thoroughly enjoys them and dunking them into cider. We usually try to find local cider donuts and apple cider as part of our fall traditions. In Connecticut, where we grew up, Iowa, and here in New Hampshire, that means going to a farm stand and picking them out. This year we had the opportunity to try fresh cider donuts, rather than the typical cake like ones coated in cinnamon sugar and to be able to watch the donuts fry up was amazing. We will not see the donuts in the same light. Occasionally this means we also pick up an apple pie or a lot of apples. In the past, we have picked our own apples. I love getting out to see the farms and find that farm stands feel like the embodiment of fall. Look at the changing leavesWe either walk or drive and spend time intentionally looking at the trees and noticing how the leaves change color. We look for bright trees, or yellow trees, or trees that look like sunsets. This is a simple tradition and yet is one I enjoy of just spending time absorbing the world around us. Jump in Crunchy LeavesEven as an adult, when I find a patch of very crunchy leaves I take the time, even if it is a minute or so to stop and jump in the crunchy leaves. I find that it changes my mood and makes me grateful for all I have around me. Sometimes this can be hard to come by depending on the level of rain, but when it happens it just feels like magic. I no longer rake them into piles to do this a shallow layer of leaves does the trick, but as a kid I remember jumping into leaf piles with great abandon. Fall FoodsI typically make a few fall salads every year. I shared them last week here. I also typically test out recipes with fall ingredients, squashes, pumpkins, and apples in particular. I find that celebrating the season with an abundance of new foods makes me feel connected to the world around me. I plan on sharing some of my favorite seasonal desserts as well. If you have any fall recipes you love or traditions please feel free to share them with me because I am always excited to find something new. If you have any fall traditions please share them below. I would love to try out some new ways to celebrate a wonderful time of year.
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About MeI'm Sarah; a wife, traveler, foodie, and adventurer. Archives
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