Favorite word of the day: Moue

This word caused some consternation for me when I was a child. I can remember mother telling me, “Don’t make a moue, darling, you don’t want your face to freeze like that.” It would have been so much simpler if moue was pronounced the same as roué, but as it was for the longest time I thought cows must be inherently bad for ambling about mouing all day. And it is more complicated, not less, if you are learning “cows go moo” from one parent and “cattle don’t moo, they low” from the other. It is simply too too much to grasp for a three year old child, who (whoue?) was both precocious and naive.

Now, let a smile be your umbrella – there’s a phrase I could have grasped.

Sigh. Or not.

Mind Without Fear

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up
into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason
has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action…
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

~ Rabindranath Tagore

You Never Know

You never know when someone
might catch a dream from you.
Or something you say may
open up the windows
of a mind that seeks light;
The way you live may not matter at all,
But you never know, it might.
And just in case it could be
that another’s life, through you,
might possibly change for the better
with a better and brighter view,
it seems it might be worth a try
at pointing the way to the right;
Of course, it may not matter at all,
but then again, it might.

By Helen L. Marshall

Desiderata ~ desired things

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater
and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble,
it’s a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit
to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Author – Max Ehrmann (1872 – 1945)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desiderata

BEGIN NOW

This is now. Now is,
all there is. Don’t wait for Then;
strike the spark, light the fire.

Sit at the Beloved’s table,
feast with gusto, drink your fill

then dance
the way branches
of jasmine and cypress
dance in a spring wind.

The green earth
is your cloth;
tailor your robe
with dignity and grace.

Rumi

Remember the Kids

Remember the kids–They’re like kites
You spend a lifetime trying to get them off the ground.
You run with them until you’re both breathless.
They crash. They hit the rooftop.
You patch and comfort, adjust, and teach.
You watch them lifted by the wind and assure them that someday they’ll fly.
Finally, they are airborne.
They need more string and you keep letting it out.
But with each twist of the ball of twine, there is a sadness that goes with joy.
The kite becomes more distant, and you know it won’t be long before
that beautiful creature will snap the lifeline that binds you two
together and will soar as it is meant to soar, free and alone.

Only then do you know that you did your job.

by Irma Bombeck

note: I posted this today to remind myself of this, as my sons left today (still remembering to always say I love you before they leave) to go shopping for for college Dorm supplies for the new school year.

*sigh* it never gets any easier when they leave …

Southern Pecan Sticky Buns

These are REALLY good! I love tugging pieces off the roll. So feathery and airy. If you’re going to go through all the trouble to make these, it’s probably best to make the whole recipe. You can freeze or give away the extras to friends and family and they’ll love you for it!

Ingredients

Sticky Buns with Pecans, recipe for a 9 x 13 pan

Dough

3 eggs, room temp
3/4 C buttermilk, room temp
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
Package of instant yeast, 2 ¼ tsp
4 to 4 ¼ C AP flour
6 Tbsp melted butter

Caramel Glaze

5 Tbsp butter
1/2 C brown sugar
3 Tbsp honey
1.5 Tbsp milk
Pinch salt

Cinnamon Sugar Filling

1/2 C brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch salt
1 Tbsp butter, melted

Pecan Topping

3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp honey
1 pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 C pecans, toasted and chopped

Directions

1. Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, sugar, salt, and yeast.

2. Add half of the flour and melted butter and stir into a loose batter. Using the dough hook of a stand mixer, add all but 1/4 C of the flour, and knead on low speed for 5 minutes then check the status of the dough. Dough should be moist but not sticky. The dough should be sticking to the bottom of the bowl (the little round divot at the bottom of the bowl) but should not stick to the sides. If it sticks to the sides of the bowl, add more flour. Knead for another 5 minutes. Then turn the dough out to a lightly floured board and knead another minute by hand and bring the dough into a ball. Dough should be smooth and a tiny bit tacky. If you do not have a stand mixer, you can knead by hand but knead twice as long, for 20 minutes.

3. Transfer the dough to a bowl lightly sprayed with nonstick spray. Then spray the top of the dough so it doesn’t dry out. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and put in a warm, draft-free place until doubled, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. I use my huge 2 quart pyrex measuring cup to measure dough rise. The markings on the side are perfect for telling me when my dough has doubled.

4. For the glaze, combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and whisk together over medium low heat until the butter has melted. Pour into your baking pan and spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan and set aside.

5. Combine all the ingredients for the cinnamon sugar filling and set aside.

6. When the dough has doubled, gently turn it out to a lightly floured surface. Roll it out to a rectangle. If using a 9 x 13 pan, roll out into a 16 x 12 rectangle. If using a 9 x 9 pan, roll out into a 12 x 12 rectangle. Melt a tablespoon of butter and brush the dough, leaving a 1/2 in border on the top edge. Using the remaining butter to butter the sides of the baking pan.

7. Spread the cinnamon sugar evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2 in border along the top edge. Smooth and gently press the filling on the dough. With the edge closest to you, start rolling the dough into a cylinder; keep the roll very taut and tight. Pinch the seam shut. The log may be thick in the middle and taper out to the sides. Press the ends in and gently roll and stretch out the log until you have a log of uniform thickness, 18 inches if using a 9 x 13 pan or 13 inches if using a 9 x 9 pan. Using a serrated knife, gently saw through the log to cut even rolls, 12 for 9 x 13 or 9 for 9 x 9.

8. Place each bun, cut/pretty-side down on the filling in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise until they are puffy and pressed against each other, about 1 1/2 hours. At this point you can put them in the fridge overnight and bake them the next morning (overnight instructions are at the end).

Note: The original recipe specified to bake these on a pizza stone, but since I was using a Pyrex pan I was a bit wary of putting Pyrex on a hot stone so I didn’t use one. If using a pizza stone, adjust your oven rack to the lowest position and preheat the oven to 350°F while the dough rises. The pizza stone takes a while to warm up. If not using a stone, adjust your oven rack to second lowest position and preheat the oven to 350°F but you don’t need to preheat as early.

9. Bake the buns for about 25 to 30 minutes, the tops should be golden brown and the center should read 180°F. If you’re using a glass pan, you can sneak a peek at the bottoms to make sure they’re done before you take them out of the oven.

10. Cool the tray on a wire rack for 10 minutes. While the buns cool, you can toast your pecans in the oven if you haven’t toasted them earlier. Then invert the pan onto a platter or cutting board. Scrape any goo in the pan onto the buns.

11. Prepare the topping as the buns cool. Heat butter, brown sugar, honey, and salt in a small sauce pan over medium heat whisking occasionally until bubbly. Then off heat, stir in vanilla and toasted chopped pecans. Spoon a dollop over each bun and serve.

Enjoy!

Thought and Character

The aphorism, “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he,” not only embraces the whole of a man’s being, but is so comprehensive as to reach out to every condition and circumstance of his life. A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.

As the plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed, so every act of a man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them. This applies equally to those acts called “spontaneous” and “unpremeditated” as to those which are deliberately executed.

Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruits; thus does a man garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own husbandry.

Thought in the mind hath made us.
What we are By thought we wrought and built.
If a man’s mind Hath evil thought,
pain comes on him as comes the wheel the ox behind.
If one endure in purity of thought,
Joy follows him as his own shadow – sure.

Man is a growth by law, and not a creation by artifice, and cause and effect is as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things. A noble and Godlike character is not a thing of favor or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect of ong-cherished association with Godlike thoughts. An ignoble and bestial character, by the same process, is the result of the continued harboring of groveling thoughts.

Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself. He also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength And peace. By the right choice and true application of thought, man ascends to the Divine Perfection; by the abuse wrong application of thought, scends below the level of the beast. Between these two extremes are all the grades of character, and man is their maker and master.

Of all the beautiful truths pertaining to the soul which have been restored and brought to light in this age, none is more gladdening or fruitful of divine promise and confidence than this – that man is the master of thought, the molder of character, and maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny.

As a being of Power, Intelligence, and Love, and the lord of his own thoughts, man holds the key to every situation, and contains within himself that transforming and regenerative which he may make himself what he wills.

Man is always the master, even in his weakest and most abandoned state; in his weakness and degradation he is the foolish master who misgoverns his “household.” When he begins to reflect upon his condition, and to search diligently for the Law upon which his being is established, he then becomes the wise aster, directing his energies with intelligence, and fashioning his thoughts to fruitful issues. Such is the conscious master, and man can only thus become by discovering within himself the laws of thought; which discovery is totally a matter of application, self-analysis, and experience.

Only by much searching and mining are gold an diamonds obtained, and man can find every truth connected with his being if he will dig deep into the mine of his soul. And that he is the maker of his character, the molder of his life, and the builder of his destiny, he may unerringly prove: if he will watch, control, and alter his thoughts, tracing their effects upon himself, upon others, and upon his life and circumstances; if he will link cause and effect by patient practice and investigation, utilizing his every experience, even to the most trivial, as a means of obtaining that knowledge of himself. In this direction, as in no other, is the law absolute that “He that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened”; for only by patience, practice, and ceaseless importunity can a man enter the Door of the Temple of Knowledge.

As A Man Thinketh by James Allen

Hasselback Potatoes Recipe

Here’s a cool and unique way to serve potatoes next time you make your favorite roast or want to impress your in-laws. These potatoes are most wonderful potatoes I’ve ever had This Swedish dish takes its name from Hasselbacken, the Stockholm restaurant where it was first served. The seasoned potatoes turn out crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.

Ingredients

6 Medium Size Potatoes
2 – 3 Cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
30 g Butter
Maldon Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 220?C (425?F). Put the potato on a chopping board, flat side down. Start from one end of the potato, cut almost all the way through, at about 3 to 4 mm intervals.

Arrange the potatoes in a baking tray and insert the garlic in between the slits. Scatter some butter on top of each potato. Then drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Bake the potatoes for about 40 minutes or until the potatoes turn crispy and the flesh is soft.

Enjoy!

Recipe created by Nigella Lawson
adapted by Angie at http://www.seasaltwithfood.com/

My Recipe Blog

http://www.grouprecipes.com/people/lillyann

Spiritual Empowerment

As you look around yourself, what do you see? Did you know that every person and circumstance that appears in your life was brought into being by a natural process that is always operating within your subconscious mind? For most people, this process operates automatically, beneath the surface of their conscious awareness.

Your entire being has been made in the image and likeness of the Creator, that which has brought the entire universe into manifestation. In esoteric Kabalah, the Creator is described as having four distinct powers that combine to bring new creations to life. These powers are will, imagination, intellect and matter.

These powers also exist within all human beings, though they are typically operating with far less consciousness than that which resides within the Limitless Source. Thus the creations brought into being unconsciously by the human may result in circumstances of limitation, frustration, delay, lack or other undesirable outcomes.

In the process of Spiritual Empowerment, the sacred powers of will, imagination, intellect and body are accessed, purified and activated. This focused exploration into the depths of oneself can greatly expand consciousness, and bring one into full command of the natural creation process. As steps are taken to focus these powers on perfecting one’s life; old, limiting circumstances disappear.

Some may find the idea of such a life-changing awakening a bit overwhelming. If I am creating everything in my world, why I am struggling so hard? Why did I not create a perfect and beautiful life? What about the other people in my life who bring their own agendas into my domain? The answers to these questions point to power and consciousness, two mechanisms that can present many challenges to the will, imagination, intellect and body of the human.

Did you know that most people are afraid of their own power? This is due to potent conditioning that begins at birth, and is deeply reinforced throughout one’s life. Feelings of nervousness, fear or anxiety in any circumstance are a signal that you are not fully aligned with your own power. One of the first issues we address in Spiritual Empowerment is the transmutation of all fear back into your essential power.

If you have tried any methods to manifest your desires, such as those described as the “Law of Attraction”, but have not gotten the results you wanted, it is quite possibly due to imbalances and obstructions in one or more of the four basic powers. Through the process of Spiritual Empowerment, the will, imagination, intellect and body are freed from conditioned limitations. Resistances to change are easily overcome as empowerment energy merges into all levels of the being. The true self is awakened and the identity shifts from the lower to the higher.

From this point forward, one becomes more fully alive and divine power flows abundantly and freely in the body-mind and out into the world. Where before there was uncertainty, limitation, and less than perfect outcomes, now there is confidence in the inexhaustible source of perfection from where one may draw all things needful for a healthy, happy, harmonious life.

You may now surround yourself with whatever you desire – a beautiful home, better health, a great body, more money, people who support your goals and want to help you, connections to resources to quickly advance your own aspirations, and most importantly, greater awareness of your true spirit and its mission in life.

Live in Joy!

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