Well, I’m sorry to say that April’s “inspiration” isn’t super-inspiring since we’ve got nothing more than COVID-19 funnies. But at least they’re funny!!! Stay safe and healthy, All! And most importantly, stay hungry–for health, inspiration, engagement, relationship, and connection–even in the face of this crazy time we’re living in.
xoxoxo.
Happy Cooking!
Several years ago, right around the time bartenders started being called “mixologists,” people started putting odd, non-food flavors in cocktails. I have to say, I never thought I’d be one of them. I always thought unusual flavors in cocktails was unnecessary, and oddly tasting teas were a great sign of a hippie. I hope I’ve learned enough times not to make these hasty sort of judgments–at least when it comes to the consumption of food and alcohol. Lol. (Though, really, the amount of times I’ve been taught this lesson seems to indicate I probably won’t actually learn anytime soon.)
When spring rolls around, I start craving sweeter, lighter, smoother, and colder cocktails. Suddenly, after Easter, red wine starts to feel a bit too heavy for me. And what I learned after getting over my ridiculous objections to these “odd” flavorings, is they open the pallet available in the world of cocktails tenfold. Of course, that does mean I end up consuming more sugar, but hey, there’s pros and cons to everything.
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I’ve already told the story of what happened to my Flower, and I’ve made it pretty clear my research suggested her kibble was at least partially to blame for her illness and untimely death. So now that I have little (or not so little anymore) Blossom, I’ve made a vow to take better care of her health. You can read more here about the advantages of switching dog food from traditional kibble to The Farmer’s Dog natural, human-grade, food.
But through my experiences, I’ve realized this isn’t the only thing my pup puts in her body (or that I put in her body). For training and fun purposes, my pup gets a fair few treats (in addition to the table scraps she gets from her BiFF and his kids). That’s where these amazing, homemade, natural jerky treats come in.…
Obviously, we’re all on high alert right now. The current events being what they are have put everyone on high alert. And I’m sure every one of us has been effected by the “lack” that we’re facing from everyone’s response. Including the hoarding of key supplies like toilet paper, medical equipment, and hand sanitizer.
When this whole situation was in its infancy, Blossom’s BiFF and I had tickets to take his kids to Hamilton in San Francisco. It was his daughter’s birthday present and we were all super excited. But then the badness made “landfall” in our country and we started getting a bit nervous. It hadn’t really spread yet, so we were still planning to attend the show, but I still made the last minute decision to order some OnGuard hand sanitizer from DoTerra.
Mind you, I am the LEAST germaphobic person you’d ever meet. I’m not a stickler about hand washing, I probably touch my face more than the norm, and when things are “dirty” I think it’s “good for my immune system” rather than dangerous. But even a news-avoider like me got the drift that this was different.
I was proud of myself that I wasn’t so far behind the times that the sani was gone. I ordered three bottles and got word they would be here in three days–the day before we left. Two days later, the show was cancelled and on day three, my box showed up–WITHOUT the sanitizer. Turns out, I wasn’t in time. I was just close enough that the computers at DoTerra didn’t realize they were out yet.
Even though our trip was cancelled, I have to admit my undelivered order made me start feeling these current threats were a big problem. And I also started reading/feeling the panic of everyone else, which made me start to panic. I decided it was time to make my own hand sanitizer. The decision was actually made for two reasons: 1) I don’t like the chemicals in the traditional stuff, and 2) the traditional stuff was all but impossible to find.
To add insult to injury, I couldn’t even find the ingredients for the sanitizer. I was stuck.
Well, necessity breeds invention. And this recipe is no exception. Here, I replaced rubbing alcohol in most recipes with cheap vodka and for the first batch, I replaced the aloe with coconut oil. I was eventually able to find the aloe, though, and it makes me feel a bit safer since the oil version MUST be shaken up in order to get all the ingredients out of the sprayer. It works in a pinch though, which is where we all seem to be.
Stay safe and healthy, everyone! Remember, we’re all in this together and we’ll get through!
I totally missed March’s inspiration post Monday! Between all going on in the world, home schooling, starting a new business, and just generally getting used to our new lives; it’s been crazy. But I promise I have not forgotten about you!
So, without further ado, below is the inspiration shared in March for your viewing pleasure.
Stay safe, healthy, happy, and hungry, Daters! Have a wonderful Wednesday; and here’s to the next chapter of our world being better than the last! Xoxox
To me, in spite of the inevitable blizzard, March means the promise of spring. Spring is trying to get here and I’m finally coming back out of my winter funk, ready for a new year (never mind the year started almost three months ago. Lol).We’re still bonkers. And people still seem to only discuss the negative. So here’s some funnies for your pleasure. So, without further ado, see below for a pick-me-up!
I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING
Posted by Londynn B on Friday, March 13, 2020
Today’s world is absolutely bonkers. And what makes things worse than anything else is no one wants to discuss anything (virtually or otherwise) than the negative. So rather than going off the regular things we usually talk about here, I’ve decided today’s post needs to be good news. So, without further ado, see below for a pick-me-up!
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/03/23/dip-number-deaths-coronavirus-italy-fuels-hope-outbreak-may/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/03/23/grandmother-95-becomes-oldest-person-italy-recover-coronavirus/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/6-year-old-bullying-back-to-school-shirt_l_5d483e61e4b0aca341218094
As we all know, “Meatless Mondays” are sortof hard for me. And for someone who doesn’t generally like vegetables, Kale Salad seems like even more veg than a normal veggie eater might prefer. So it’s completely awesome and almost unheard of that I found a kale salad which is also a completely veggie-based meal that I like and will actually eat intentionally. This is even better when my Community Supported Agriculture box has local organic kale.
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I don’t know how old I was when I started my love affair with pesto. I think I must have been around 6. About that time we had a new restaurant move into our area called Skyline Cafe. They made great pizza. As a kid, though, I don’t know that I really understood that… Mostly because it wasn’t godfathers pizza, therefore it was “gross.” But there was one kind of their pizza that I would eat pretty much any day of the week. If my parents ever wanted to do something easy and close, we’d order that pizza probably once a week. That was pesto.
It was this wonderful puffy Parmesan crusted crust which was salty on the outside and fluffy and sweet on the inside. That was my first pesto experience. I’m not real sure when I realized pesto was actually a pasta sauce. But whenever I did, it was epic….