Oh, to Be in the Sunshine State!

When I went to the grocery store recently, I was offered a free 5-lb bag of pink grapefruit if I bought two bottles of ruby red grapefruit juice. Since I had been thinking a lot about grapefruit lately (it's a long, long, dreary winter here in Connecticut), I said, "What fortune!" and grabbed a bag.

After deciding to really pay attention to where my food comes from, my first thought went to all the citrus that we enjoy as a family. Right now, we have pink grapefruit, clementines, navel oranges, and a few bottles of ruby red grapefruit juice in the house. I would truly miss (and not be able to replace) this wonderful source of Vitamin C, such a needed thing in the gray wintertime of New England.

I guess I can make a conscious exception to the "locally grown" when it comes to citrus, as I can't really get a good substitute for the nutrition of this food group, here in CT.

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I must be longing for spring colors. For Christmas, my children gave me serving dishes with a red chili pepper design (of course, I've loaded one with -- you guessed it -- citrus fruit). The colors make me happy, and remind me of the colors I'll see in the garden in the spring. They also remind me of a vacation I took to Guadalajara many years ago.  The terra cotta tortilla warmer I bought there makes a great vessel for storing garlic cloves, and the molcajete (used a few times) is a nice conversation starter. I plan to make paving stones for my rose arbor this summer, and decorate them with the handful of Mexican coins and tiny, terracotta mugs that I purchased in the open-air market in the city.

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Here is a recipe that I'd love to try. It's from the February 2010 Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

Shrimp with Peppered Citrus Fruits
(Better Homes & Gardens, February 2010 issue)

 

1 lb. fresh or frozen large shrimp in shells

3 medium clementines or seedless tangerines

3/4 c. water

1/3 c. sugar

1 tsp. whole black peppercorns, corarsely crushed

1 small pink grapefruit

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1 T. canola oil

 

Thaw shrimp, if frozen. For pepper-citrus sauce, remove 2 to 3 strips of the thin outer peel of one of the clementines with a vegetale peeler, taking care not to remove the bitter white pith. Place peel in small saucepan; add water, sugar and peppercorns. Bring to boiling, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil gently, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, or until mixture is reduced to 1/3 cup, stirring occasionally.

 

Meanwhile, peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails intact. Peel and remove white pith from remaining clementines and grapefruit. Cut grapefruit crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Remove seeds and set slices aside. If desired, leave one clementine whole; break remaining clementines into segments.

 

For shrimp, in a bowl combine salt, ground pepper, and cumin. Add shrimp; toss to coat. In large skillet cook shrimp in hot oil for 3 to 4 minutes or until opaque, turning occasionally. Add clementines and grapefruit to shrimp. Cover; cook over medium heat 1 minute, turning fruit once. Transfer to serving bowl. Pour pepper-citrus sauce over shrimp mixture and toss gently to coat.

 

Serves 4.

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Garbage in... garbage out...

Before the holidays, I spent some time with our youngest son, Malik, as we cleaned his room in preparation for my mother to come visit us. As we cleaned, we talked about organization. We had recently converted his room from a little boy room to a big boy room, and had totally emptied the place to paint and assemble his big boy bed. When we began to redesign the space, he put his 6-yr-old sensibilities to work, and created a space that was perfect for a "big boy" -- desk for Lego creations (I thought he might also use it for homework -- what do I know); little TV and stand for his gaming system and games; storage crates for GI Joes, Hot Wheels and more Legos.  All his craft and homework supplies were neatly stashed in all those desk drawers, and there was a coat rack on the back of his door for his outerwear.

That left us with a spare room full of all the toys that USED to be in his room. When I asked him which ones he wanted to put back, he took a look at his grown up layout and stated, "None of them. I like my room the way it is. Everything I really want is already in there." He made the decision which things to store in the attic (trains and tracks, and his play kitchen items), then said to give the rest to the preschool at his after school program. We were very proud of him.

As I began boxing up toys, taking time to note which ones "worked" and which missed the mark, I was struck by the assortment of miscellaneous things that he accumulated from undetermined places: toys that came in fast food meals, party favors, vending machine thingies he just had to have, dollar store bribes... In fact, most of these items were discarded within minutes of the "I just have to have it!" being uttered. And here they sit, on the Island of Misfit Toys, ready to go into the Glad Bag of Doom.

How much of our home (and life) is full of these impulsive "I just have to have it!" things and moments? I think of the space and time it took to house these trinkets, and then to the energy and time it takes to harbor thoughts, feelings and moods that serve no real purpose, but eat away at our productivity and happiness. Garbage in... garbage out...

I was reading two stories in the Bible this morning. The first was the story of Cain and Abel. Genesis tells us that Cain grew vegetables, and Abel was a shepherd. A supeficial read makes it sound like God preferred fresh meat to veggies, but that can't be the case, as God said all was good for food. A closer read shows God counseling Cain to set his heart straight, because to harbor whatever the bad feelings he had in his heart would open him up to danger. The Spiritual Glad Bag of Doom. It doesn't go into details, but the fact that he next murdered his brother, Abel, points to some kind of rivalry, resentment and jealousy. Garbage in... garbage out...

The other story I read was the story of Noah. Before Satan was evicted from the heavenly realm, he and his friends used to roam about on earth, looking for trouble. In this story, trouble was in the form of human women. So the story tells us, the offspring of these unions were giants, ruffians, and general corruptors of the planet.  Bad intentions led, ultimately, to the destruction of an entire planet full of living things.

As we begin 2010, trying to live a more efficient, sustainable life, let's not neglect the energy we spend on inside work. The garbage we let into our hearts can only lead to garbage in our lives. Time to take the time to clean house!
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Tried my hand at some Southern cooking for the New Year. This pork sausage gravy was delicious over biscuits, for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Nothing low-cal about it, but it certainly was good comfort food! I found the recipe on the Dallas News site (photo is theirs, too).

Country Style Sausage Gravy

1/3  of a 1 lb pkg of Jimmy Dean pork sausage (we prefer spicy)
1 pkg (2.75 oz) country style gravy mix (with black pepper)
1 c chicken broth
7/8 c water
1/2 c heavy cream
1 tsp dried parsley
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper

1.  Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the sausage until fully cooked, breaking large chunks into small pieces. Drain excess grease, add the chicken broth to the skillet and bring to a simmer.


2.  Combine the country gravy mix with water and stir to dissolve. Slowly add to the hot skillet, stirring constantly until thickened. Add the milk or cream, parsley and red pepper flakes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Thickness of the gravy can be altered by the amount of cream or milk added.

Makes about 3 c gravy
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New Beginnings...

Happy New Year, friends!

One of the things I do to keep myself on spiritually firm ground is to read through the Bible. As I read, I make notes in the margins. I date readings, write my "aha" moments alongside important verses, and put my specific prayer requests right on the pages, next to the stories of Job, Abraham, Rahab, and Sarah. Some people keep a prayer journal. I have tried that, but I get too many things in too many places, and find it easier to keep all my "lists" right in the Word. It should be the cornerstone of the day, right?

Some people are good at keeping themselves on a reading schedule. I tend to ponder, go off on study adventures, and sometimes just don't finish. But I DO get through, and when I do, I begin again. When I start over, I choose another Bible (either one I have already, or a new one). Why? Because each Bible then becomes a monument for that year -- what I've asked God for, what He's done in response, what I have learned on this "Jesus journey."

This time through, I am using The Everyday Life Bible, with commentary by Joyce Meyer. I love Joyce Meyer. I love her strength, her personal story, her Southern accent, her larger than life presence, her no-nonsense approach to a Godly existence. I bet if she lived next door, she'd be the kind of friend that would tell me, "Baby, you look gorgeous, but please do get that spinach out of your teeth before you leave the house, hon."

Today, I was reading Genesis, and a side commentary by Joyce on the keys to living a fruitful life. She mentions two areas: balance, and pruning.  So how does this fit in a blog on living a sustainable lifestyle? I think it is a perfect fit.  I'll tell you why.

In order to have balance, Joyce says we need a mix of healthy food, rest, work (the Bible says if we don't work, we don't eat -- 2 Thess 3:10, Prov 20:13, Prov 20:4...), play, time alone with God, and time with positive relationships. While Adam sinned and was told that his work would be painful toil as a result, we have been freed of that sentence once and for all times by Jesus's sacrifice. So balance is achievable! It's all about making choices that are sustainable. We might be able to make a boatload of money  by working 80 hours a week, but cannot maintain that as our health, family and spiritual life takes a major hit. Likewise, we can spend the entire winter skiing and enjoying recreation time with family and friends, until our bank account screams at us to be replenished. It's all about healthy balance.

She also talks about pruning. A vintner closely examines his vines, and removes wood that is diseased, not productive or situated in the shade where it cannot bear fruit. This causes a temporary shock to the grape vine, but leads to a rechanneling of energy and resources to the more productive parts of the plant, yielding greater productivity of the whole vine. What situations, activities, and relationships are in our lives that deplete us, bring  the "disease" of negative energy into our lives, or keep us from begin all we can be?  Sometimes we persist in doing things or associating with people in ways that we know exhaust us -- in this New Year, how can we refocus our energy on the things that build us up and invigorate us?
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My husband's family always had black-eyed peas on New Year's Day -- the tradition is supposed to usher in a prosperous New Year. Here is the recipe I prepared for my family on New Year's Day.

Happy New Year Black-Eyed Peas

1 T olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T pickled hot peppers, minced
2 cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed

1/4 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 c. tomato sauce
1/2 tsp hot sauce

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and hot peppers; sautee until cooked but not browned.

Stir together black-eyed peas and onion mixture in saucepan. Add seasonings, tomato sauce and hot sauce; stir to blend well. 

Reduce heat; simmer about 15 minutes to blend flavors. Adjust seasoning as desired.

6 servings

* We like spicy foods. You can adjust the heat of this recipe by substituting 1/4 c. of chopped green bell pepper for the hot pickled peppers, and reducing the hot sauce.
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