And this is the first year in a long while that I have felt happy and at peace about my birthday. I have no expectations, no real wants and no idea what I’m doing today! AND I am happy about that.
My husband asked me tonight, “Honey, you really don’t want some surprise party or something and you’re not telling me and you’re going to be disappointed?”
“No honey, I really don’t want a big party.” I said truthfully.
If anything, I need less. Less clutter, less things on my to do list, less stuff. I mean I could have answered, “Honey, can you clean the garage out?” or “Would you mind fixing that trim?” But really? That would have just been an ugly answer to an sweet caring question.
Today, I really just feel blessed with with 3 healthy kids, a thoughtful husband and friends who lift me up and make me smile. I also just got good news today that I got a teaching job that I interviewed for last week at local college- what a fabulous birthday gift in itself. I’ll be teaching a college Nutrition course this fall- can’t wait!
So today, I would like to have a simple day. I started my day by watching Julie and Julia (because I stayed up into the wee hours blogging and watching) The movie starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams is one of my absolute favorites- Blogging, cooking, the book business- what is not to love?
Well, Julia and I also share the same birthday- my favorite fun fact. She is a crazy Leo just like me. Not that I can cook like her, but love to cook. And I can relate to her and her drive and humor.
And today- August 15th 2012- on my 40th birthday Julia Child would have been turning 100 years old!
I’ve seen the movie before, but last night/early this morning I watched the movie alone. I was in a happy space: kids peacefully sleeping, husband playing basketball and me writing cuddling in bed with my laptop, just watching a movie about my all time favorite chef.
My favorite quotes from the movie:
From Julia…
“Oh, Happy Birthday to me!”
“Perfect! And if it isn’t never apologize. No excuses!’
“And I’m much ahead of most of the men who are not very nice, until they realized I’m fearless!”
“Don’t be afraid.”
“I am in heaven here. I’ve been looking for a career all of my life AND I’ve found it!”
From Julie…
“Do you know what I love about cooking… if you add egg yolks to sugar and milk- it will get thick. It’s such a comfort!
“That’s what’s so great about blogs.. you just go online and press enter.”
“Do you know what it is? ADD.”
“I could write a blog. I have thoughts!”
“My Mother made beef bourgogne. And it was like Julia was there in the room on our side like some great big great fairy.”
“Pearls…the woman is wearing pearls in the kitchen.”
“Julia Child wasn’t always Julia Child.”
“And I cried like a small emotionally disturbed child.”
“And today I’ve had 12 comments from readers and I didn’t know any of them!”
“365 Days, 524 recipes!”
And here is an interview of Julia Child at the CIA at Hyde Park in 1990 about her career. Interesting interview. Julia share her take on dining as a family AND this is back in 1990.
“And if you have all your basic elements, you can do whatever you want.”
“Keep on learning, keep on working.”
“It all gets back to moderation and great variety of food. And the main thing is knowing what you are doing.”
“I hope we come into a new era of great food and new sense.”
And this is the first year in a long while that I have felt happy and at peace about my birthday. I have no expectations, no real wants and no idea what I’m doing today! AND I am happy about that.
My husband asked me tonight, “Honey, you really don’t want some surprise party or something and you’re not telling me and you’re going to be disappointed?”
“No honey, I really don’t want a big party.” I said truthfully.
If anything, I need less. Less clutter, less things on my to do list, less stuff. I mean I could have answered, “Honey, can you clean the garage out?” or “Would you mind fixing that trim?” But really? That would have just been an ugly answer to an sweet caring question.
Today, I really just feel blessed with with 3 healthy kids, a thoughtful husband and friends who lift me up and make me smile. I also just got good news today that I got a teaching job that I interviewed for last week at local college- what a fabulous birthday gift in itself. I’ll be teaching a college Nutrition course this fall- can’t wait!
So today, I would like to have a simple day. I started my day by watching Julie and Julia (because I stayed up into the wee hours blogging and watching) The movie starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams is one of my absolute favorites- Blogging, cooking, the book business- what is not to love?
Well, Julia and I also share the same birthday- my favorite fun fact. She is a crazy Leo just like me. Not that I can cook like her, but love to cook. And I can relate to her and her drive and humor.
And today- August 15th 2012- on my 40th birthday Julia Child would have been turning 100 years old!
I’ve seen the movie before, but last night/early this morning I watched the movie alone. I was in a happy space: kids peacefully sleeping, husband playing basketball and me writing cuddling in bed with my laptop, just watching a movie about my all time favorite chef.
My favorite quotes from the movie:
From Julia…
“Oh, Happy Birthday to me!”
“Perfect! And if it isn’t never apologize. No excuses!’
“And I’m much ahead of most of the men who are not very nice, until they realized I’m fearless!”
“Don’t be afraid.”
“I am in heaven here. I’ve been looking for a career all of my life AND I’ve found it!”
From Julie…
“Do you know what I love about cooking… if you add egg yolks to sugar and milk- it will get thick. It’s such a comfort!
“That’s what’s so great about blogs.. you just go online and press enter.”
“Do you know what it is? ADD.”
“I could write a blog. I have thoughts!”
“My Mother made beef bourgogne. And it was like Julia was there in the room on our side like some great big great fairy.”
“Pearls…the woman is wearing pearls in the kitchen.”
“Julia Child wasn’t always Julia Child.”
“And I cried like a small emotionally disturbed child.”
“And today I’ve had 12 comments from readers and I didn’t know any of them!”
“365 Days, 524 recipes!”
And here is an interview of Julia Child at the CIA at Hyde Park in 1990 about her career. Interesting interview. Julia share her take on dining as a family AND this is back in 1990.
“And if you have all your basic elements, you can do whatever you want.”
“Keep on learning, keep on working.”
“It all gets back to moderation and great variety of food. And the main thing is knowing what you are doing.”
“I hope we come into a new era of great food and new sense.”
Yesterday we cooked on the grill for my son’s birthday. One of our favorite ways to cook peppers and onions in on the grill. I use aluminum foil to create a pouch. Drizzle the veggies with olive oil, season with italian seaoning, salt and pepper, and cook for 30-45 minutes. They come out tender and are a great addition to any lean protein.
3-4 cloves of garlic (or as little or as much as you like)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp Italian Seasoning (Mrs. Dash or Delicious Dietitian)
1 Tb Olive Oil (I just drizzle in once circular motion)
Instructions
Slice all vegetables and place on a 12 inch long sheet of aluminum foil. Crush garlic and dice and add to vegetable mix. Season with salt, pepper, and Italian Seasoning. Drizzle with olive oil. Fold sides of aluminum foil over vegetables and press sides together covering the veggies and preventing them from escaping. Place on a heated grill on medium heat and cook to desired tenderness. I recommend 30-45 minutes.
I love my Saturday morning strolls through the Doylestown Farmer’s Market.
I’m member of the Myerov CSA. The farm is located in Perkasie. For the first part of the summer, my Girl Scout troop took turns picking up the produce. Sadly, I only had one turn! Now through October, my neighbor and I split a whole share (so fun) and pick up is each Saturday morning in town. Fresh local veggies, fruit, honey, grains and baked goods galore!
If you are not a member of a CSA (community shared agriculture) think about joining one in your area. I know Myerov even still has shares available- you should check it out!
As a CSA member you get lots of local, fresh veggies to keep you family healthy each week. Eating local also helps the environment because your veggies aren’t traveling miles using up lots of fuel.
I love my Saturday morning strolls through the Doylestown Farmer’s Market.
I’m member of the Myerov CSA. The farm is located in Perkasie. For the first part of the summer, my Girl Scout troop took turns picking up the produce. Sadly, I only had one turn! Now through October, my neighbor and I split a whole share (so fun) and pick up is each Saturday morning in town. Fresh local veggies, fruit, honey, grains and baked goods galore!
If you are not a member of a CSA (community shared agriculture) think about joining one in your area. I know Myerov even still has shares available- you should check it out!
As a CSA member you get lots of local, fresh veggies to keep you family healthy each week. Eating local also helps the environment because your veggies aren’t traveling miles using up lots of fuel.
After spending a couple years in Boston for graduate school gallivanting to the various quaint New England towns on the weekends, I immediately signed up for a review copy of Seating Arrangements by Author Maggie Shipstead.
New England, a wedding, the food, the flavors, her wedding dress and shoes….tell me more! Well, sort of.
The story takes place on an island off the East Coast much like Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard populated by a bunch of over-privileged characters involved in a pregnant bride’s wedding. Interestingly, the main character is not the bride herself, but her father who is a man I would probably like to avoid in real life. Towards the end of the book, he has an incident riding his bike with a man in a golf cart. I think that was my favorite part, perfect karma for cheating on his wife with his daughter’s friend and having screwed up priorities.
There are funny scenes and the author’s excellent writing will keep you turning the pages. This is where I sit. I really cannot say that I loved the book. But I say this only because I prefer to spend my spare time reading books that are light, happy, airy or give me recipes & tips that make me a goddess in my kitchen! Yes, cookbooks and 32 page picture books are my favorite (And The Help- LOVED it!)
I’m the same way with movies. I needed therapy after watching the first 30 minutes of Slumdog Millionaire (a movie that won awards!) And I think I hid under the covers through high school until I could fully watch the Wizard of Oz- pathetic I know. I had bad dreams about the monkeys and the witch.
That being said, if you like reading about crazy well developed characters with fancy names and their scandalous activities, pick up a copy of Seating Arrangements this summer. Generally, when a book slightly disturbs me, everyone else loves it or it wins an award.
Disclosure: I was sent a free copy of this book and will receive a little gift card for my review. All opinions are my own.
by Author Maggie Shipstead.
