peace of mind

Until now, I could not claim to possess "peace of mind" or knowledge of how to achieve it. I like to stay busy, be creative, and work hard, but I've never been able to sit still for very long.  On a recent attempt to meditate 15 minutes every morning I literally could not do it. 

I loved so many individual experiences from our honeymoon to Saint Lucia, but the best thing that Josh and I did was shut off ALL the devices (no iPad, iPhone, kindle, or TV) and enjoy some real face time together. I read two amazing novels, lounged on a float in the ocean, and found that I could sit still for long periods of time without feeling antsy or uncomfortable. I truly found my zen. I felt calm, happy, and loved, and came home feeling refreshed, recharged, and excited for October fun...pumpkin carving, great beer, bonfires with s'mores, and long rides on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I told my mom I gained a few pounds of weight (the food was phenomenal) and a hundred pounds of perspective. 

We vowed on the way home to do a relaxing vacation at least once a year, even if on a smaller scale and just on a local beach closer to home. There is magic in escaping your daily life for a week, shutting off the devices,  and living with no plans. Just doing what feels good and right. 

FAVORITES FROM SAINT LUCIA

1. The BBC (Bailey's Banana Colada) - will post recipe shortly
2. Traditional Creole Chicken 
3. Ocean doughnuts - literally these ocean floats you crawl into with netting underneath so you can just nap with your bum and arms in the water and look out at the sea
4. Pat Conroy, his novel The Water is Wide rocked my world
5. Bacon and eggs for breakfast...every day.
6. Meeting newlyweds and couples who have been married for 50 years
7. Watching a crazy fun group of Canadian guys who have been friends since high school celebrate their combined 50th birthday party
8. Gifting Josh's giant sombrero to Tyler the bartender - and watch every bartender and beach server wear the hat over the next three days
9. Adventurous eating - we tried escargot, frog legs, and duck at the fancy French restuarant La Toc and loved it all
10. Sitting with Josh at night in the gazebo and talking about our dreams 

Guacamole Tostadas with Sweet Potatoes and Fried Eggs

 One of the perks of creating a food blog is your friends and family give you their BEST recipes, the ones that they deem "blog-worthy". A few weeks ago, my friend Ryan raved about this very dish after his fiance Brooke surprised him by cooking this for breakfast when he got home from work. He knew I would love it, and he was right!

Guacamole Tostadas with Sweet Potatoes and Fried Eggs
from the sweet life

4 corn tortillas (6 inch size)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large sweet potato, cooked in mashed (I cooked in microwave)
1 cup spinach, finely chopped
2 avocados, pitted and mashed
kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
4 eggs
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and brush the tortillas with olive oil on both sides. Place on a baking sheet, and bake, turning once, for 6 minutes or until browned. Remove and set aside.
2. Cook eggs (over medium was perfect) and season with salt and pepper
3. Top the tortillas with mashed sweet potato. Sprinkle spinach over potato and top with guacamole and feta. Finish with egg on top, and serve immediately.

wisdom from Skip

I basically won the lottery when I married Josh, because his parents were part of the package. I was honored to take on the family name. My in-laws (Skip and Judi) are simply the best, in so many big and little ways. Most recently,  Skip talked me into submitting a few of my best foodie photos to the local newspaper for a food styling competition, and my photos were not deemed winners. 

Skip just couldn't believe one of my photos was not selected, so he went out and bought me his own prize from the Salem fair. Below is a picture of my prize from Skip. I needed this little reminder, to keep putting myself out there, because even if I never win a competition I love what I'm doing! 

On another happy note, here is a photo of our girls on vacation at Skip and Judi's house, posing on their new Orvis beds from their grandparents. Meet the two winners of the "Spoiled Boxer of the Year" award. I'm not sure who will have more fun on vacation, us or them! 

back in a week!

I took a picture of the essentials for our Sandals vacation - cute swim suit, sunglasses, pretty new lipstick (Mac Viva Glam 5) and a coral polish (Essie Haute as Hello). I've downloaded good music and kindle books, and am ready to hit the sand! 

LIFE IS GOOD!! See y'all back in a week for lots of new FALL recipes...

Asian Lettuce Wraps

I laugh at phrases like "sleep is the new sex" and "30s are the new 20s". I mean, seriously? I don't think so. Here a few more I would like to believe: "spaghetti squash is the new pasta", "pesto is the new ranch" and "lettuce wraps are the new egg roll".

Soooo...maybe lettuce wraps are not the new egg roll, but they are delicous, crunchy, healthy, and satisfying, so that's why t I decided to make them for dinner tonight. We are obsessed with the lettuce wraps at PF Changs, but since there is not one here, why not just make them at home!

Asian Lettuce Wraps
adapted from all recipes
makes 16 lettuce cups

1 pound ground chicken
16 bibb (butter) lettuce leaves
1 Tbsp cooking oil
1 large onion, diced
1 can (8oz) water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1-2 Tbsp chile paste (I used 2 Tbsp sriracha)

Garnishes: 
3 scallions, thinly chopped
dry roasted peanuts, chopped

1. Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not to tear them. Set aside. 
2. In a medium skillet over medium high heat, brown the ground chicken in 1 Tbsp of oil, stirring often. Drain, and set aside to cool. Cook the onion in the same skillet. Add the water chestnuts and mix together.
3. Add the garlic, ginger, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, chile pepper sauce, and sesame oil. Then add the cooked chicken and mix together.
4. Place meat mixture in a bowl with lettuce leaves and garnish on the side for serving, or place 1 to 2 Tbsp of meat mixture into each piece of lettuce, and top with peanuts and scallions.  

the habit of gratitude

I missed my sunset hike tonight to Tinker Cliffs.  I slept straight through my alarm clock after working a slew of night shifts. I initially had that frantic moment of "jump out of bed and hit the door" feeling, and then realized it probably was not so smart to schedule a hike on my first night off. I was disappointed because I haven't used my camera all week and was looking forward to the challenge of sunset photos.  

I regrouped, and spent the evening sitting on the grass taking pictures of my sweet girls. I watched them frolic in the grass, sprint around the yard, and just lounge. I sipped on my first pumpkin beer of the season on a cool fresh night. In the lounging, I realized how blessed and lucky I am. It's a real tragedy that the human mind so easily focuses on the little negatives instead of the overwhelming positives.

The quote goes, "gratitude turns what we have into enough".

What I'm Reading Now

If you are looking for a new book, and you don't mind a "weeper" (I spent the last 2 nights reading with a box of tissues beside the couch) this book is brilliant.  Brilliant.  After finishing this story, I feel a burning energy to get out there in the world and really live, and to not take a single day for granted.  

Summary from goodreads - 

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

Any good book recommendations for me?