The other night I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of the pouring down rain. My first immediate thought was, “my poor tomatoes.” Mackenzie and I have been growing tomatoes from seed since the beginning of March. We finally planted them in the garden outside (waiting of course, until after Mother’s Day, the supposed trick to growing strong tomatoes). And here it was pouring down rain, probably beating our tomatoes down to nothing. Sure, there’s a little framework covering them, that will at some point, hopefully, act as a stake for the larger tomato plants I’m hoping we’ll get. I laid there in bed, literally, forcing myself not to go out in the middle of that rain and pluck up the tomatoes and bring them back inside to safety. But here’s the thing, their planted. It’s a done deal. And I have to trust that Mackenzie and I grew strong enough starts to get through not only this rainfall, but the next, and the next….
I laid there for a long time, and my thoughts turned to Mackenzie. He’s much like the tomatoes out in the garden, although right now, he’s more like the little seedlings that we had growing in the house, in a container, protected and nurtured. Thing is, Nick and I are doing the same thing with Mackenzie that Mack and I had done with the tomatoes. We are caring for him, holding him up, literally acting just as the stakes for the tomatoes. And at some point, we are going to plant him outside, of course I mean to say that at some point, he’ll be on his own. At first, we’ll put him in the ground with a little stick to prop him up. This is probably elementary school, when there are teachers and we’re still very involved in his life, choosing his afterschool activities etc. Next, he won’t need those stakes, but he’ll still have the larger support, high school, he’ll have a lot more freedom to grow and reach out, but still within the general confines of that A-frame (high school) trellis. He will have his own personality, which may at times become unruly and need to be trimmed back, that trellis acting as a guideline for both him and for us as parents to gage his growth by.
Next, he won’t need that trellis anymore, he will have strong roots, a strong stalk and lots and lots of branches to support his own weight. Of course, just like Mackenzie will, a tomato can never really be without a support, but it gets lesser as the season goes on, and much often is just there and not really carrying the weight.
But here’s the real similarity. Just like I had to trust that my tomatoes would make it through that storm, we’re going to have to trust that Mack will make it through his, and not just when he moves out, but all along, and really as soon as he starts school. We can’t be plucking him out of his dirt every time the rain comes, to bring him back inside to safety. The stake, that final stake is always there to support him, but even so, that doesn’t make the rain stop, it doesn’t keep the storms from coming. That’s the biggest thing that I learned from my midnight tomato soliloquy; everything that Nick and I are doing now, is the caring, the nurturing, the preparation of strong and healthy roots, so that once he is out in the world and growing on his own we can trust him to remain strong in his roots. Even though the rain will come, and sometimes not enough rain, that he will still survive and succeed, and just like a tomato produce (not children necessarily, but have a life which brings forth). The key is that his roots are strong, who he becomes above those roots is up to him and what path life takes him down….I don’t get to decide what my tomato plant grows to be. I know it will bear tomatoes, and not apples, but I don’t know how many leaves it will have, how far it will spread, the exact point it will decide to fruit….
I think sometimes parents, and I’m not speaking as a parent now, but as a child and an individual, I think sometimes they get so caught up in supporting their child, that they keep the seedling inside for too long, the tomato never really grows beyond that original planter because it’s never given the opportunity to do so. Its potential is never fully realized, never becomes self sufficient, because it has had its water and nutrients brought to it for so long that it doesn’t know how to glean from the soil, to establish roots to reach out and obtain the things that it needs. Just waits for someone to come along with a hose, or a water bucket and provide for it. You see this with people all the time. Grown adults who rely on anyone and everyone but themselves.
Of course there are kids who are raised the hard way, their seeds are put directly into the bare soil. There is no incubation period where the seed can emerge in safety and security of a greenhouse container. Some, if not most, of these seeds die of very quickly. Anyone who has planted seeds outside has seen this. But do we recognize it in people, sure. We say, they had a hard up-bringing; they were left to fend for themselves, etc. We almost apologize for their behavior because of the challenges they faced at the start. The interesting thing is that the seeds who are planted in the bare soil, and who manage to stay alive, are often the strongest, because they have survived through so much. We see this all the time, saying “he’s a self made man” and the like. So the opportunity to fail then, and the rising above that, is a key to success.
So, while I intend to grow my kid with the best support system that we can give him, I’m also expecting that any mistakes we make (and god knows we will), or areas we fail him in, that he can overcome. The only thing I know is that I need to let him have to opportunity to fail. The weakest plants are the ones who have everything given to them, then when that giving is no longer available (with the plant, someone goes on vacation or forgets to water it…) (With a child, adolescent, adult….the provider can no longer provide, or some other change of course..). These are the plants, and the people, that fail immediately, because they don’t know how to be on their own, don’t know how to provide for themselves, hold themselves up. They’ve never been given the option and so, those muscles have never been flexed.
In my counseling training with DVS, “advocacy based,” we learned that doing something for someone is the same as telling them “you can’t do this yourself.”
Of everything else, I need to make sure that Mackenzie knows “he can do this himself.” Even if that means he has to go through hardships, sometimes unnecessary, I need him to know that he can do it alone (he will always have our support, but we won’t always be there for support) I hope you can see what I am saying…and what the difference is here.
And while most of you don’t have kids; the idea still applies, think of the people we do this for, its our friends, its our family… who do you need to give the opportunity to fail? I honestly think that giving the space for that is one of the greatest acts of love….
Just think about it.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Let's Play Ketchup!
Let’s catch up a bit here. I’m obviously terrible about the weekly, let alone daily, posting that I had intended to be doing. I can’t feel terrible about it, since I’ve been out there living, to busy to write it all down. But now’s the time, to get it out on paper, reflect a bit myself, and share a piece of my life with you.
Where to start?
Italian is over, I finished the class with a 4.0 and am eagerly awaiting the next quarter (which I’ve discovered has been pushed back a bit). I guess I’ll be going back to Rosetta Stone for a bit and also, back to SCYPN, whose meetings coincide with Italian section meetings.
Ah, SCYPN. A truly interesting catch-all of young professionals here in Snohomish County. I’ve somewhat stepped back from my position on the AC, given the time constraints and the fact that I have a job (hello! young professional here!) and all the meetings now take place somewhere between 9-5. Anyway, I’ve been working to coordinate the SCYPN members with volunteer groups and non-for-profits here locally to give SCYPN more of a back-bone and also to keep people in contact whether or not we have a speaker/network event going on. I feel like this is a multi-tasking purpose in that A) committing to the volunteer portion of SCYPN requires much more leadership than just dropping in at the networking events, B) we’re giving back and building up the community in which we’re all working and C) we get more visibility for our group and the groups we’re volunteering with.
Right now, the big push is to get a continued relationship with Cocoon House here in Everett. I’ve personally started working with Cocoon House and am helping with the auction coming up in October. I’m very excited about this group. I went to what they call “Butterfly Graduation” a few weekends back and was really inspired by the product of all the work that Cocoon House does. You can read about the graduation here: http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100614/NEWS01/706149955/0/news01
Other than that, my goal right now is to be a “better person.” Better in so many different ways. A big one: being a better friend. Which for me right now, means making friends; and then being a friend. This is something that doesn’t come naturally for me and is something that I find to be quite the challenge. I’m great at talking to people in groups and meeting people, but not great at keeping up with their lives, staying in touch, etc. Kindness: Seeing the good in people, not pointing out flaws (which I do to myself also), etc. I’ve never been great at this, and its so easy to just stop trying when I have a husband and son at home, two people who love me, no questions asked. I find myself thinking that is enough. And while they are great, I don’t think that really is enough. Everyone needs friends.
Other aspects of being a “better person” include making more time for my family, seems ironic following what I just said, but its true. Coming home from work and cleaning the house, or watching tv, is not family time. While it might count for something, it too, is not enough.
The final aspect of the whole thing is being healthy; working out, eating better, sleeping through the night…
To accomplish all this, I’ve made a point of reconnecting with old friends, and reaching out and allowing myself to make new friends. I’ve also spent a significant amount of time researching the parks department and various activities for me and the fam to do together (which won’t spend every last cent that we’ve got!)
Here’s what I’ve got going on. We’ve started taking Mackenzie to the swimming pool. Again, this is playing double duty since it is a bit of a workout, and its great family time. Plus, let me tell you, if you spend two hours in the pool with a three year old, you will definitely sleep through the night!
I also signed Mackenzie up for SOCCER!! Yay! I’m a little jealous because Nick will be the one going with him, but still very cool.
I’m also set up to do water aerobics, yoga (two different classes actually), along with my lunch break workouts at the gym.
So, I’m getting there…but, as always, it’s a work in progress!
Stay tuned! I’ve got another post in the works, which will be “My son, the tomato” (don’t act like you’re not excited!!)
Where to start?
Italian is over, I finished the class with a 4.0 and am eagerly awaiting the next quarter (which I’ve discovered has been pushed back a bit). I guess I’ll be going back to Rosetta Stone for a bit and also, back to SCYPN, whose meetings coincide with Italian section meetings.
Ah, SCYPN. A truly interesting catch-all of young professionals here in Snohomish County. I’ve somewhat stepped back from my position on the AC, given the time constraints and the fact that I have a job (hello! young professional here!) and all the meetings now take place somewhere between 9-5. Anyway, I’ve been working to coordinate the SCYPN members with volunteer groups and non-for-profits here locally to give SCYPN more of a back-bone and also to keep people in contact whether or not we have a speaker/network event going on. I feel like this is a multi-tasking purpose in that A) committing to the volunteer portion of SCYPN requires much more leadership than just dropping in at the networking events, B) we’re giving back and building up the community in which we’re all working and C) we get more visibility for our group and the groups we’re volunteering with.
Right now, the big push is to get a continued relationship with Cocoon House here in Everett. I’ve personally started working with Cocoon House and am helping with the auction coming up in October. I’m very excited about this group. I went to what they call “Butterfly Graduation” a few weekends back and was really inspired by the product of all the work that Cocoon House does. You can read about the graduation here: http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100614/NEWS01/706149955/0/news01
Other than that, my goal right now is to be a “better person.” Better in so many different ways. A big one: being a better friend. Which for me right now, means making friends; and then being a friend. This is something that doesn’t come naturally for me and is something that I find to be quite the challenge. I’m great at talking to people in groups and meeting people, but not great at keeping up with their lives, staying in touch, etc. Kindness: Seeing the good in people, not pointing out flaws (which I do to myself also), etc. I’ve never been great at this, and its so easy to just stop trying when I have a husband and son at home, two people who love me, no questions asked. I find myself thinking that is enough. And while they are great, I don’t think that really is enough. Everyone needs friends.
Other aspects of being a “better person” include making more time for my family, seems ironic following what I just said, but its true. Coming home from work and cleaning the house, or watching tv, is not family time. While it might count for something, it too, is not enough.
The final aspect of the whole thing is being healthy; working out, eating better, sleeping through the night…
To accomplish all this, I’ve made a point of reconnecting with old friends, and reaching out and allowing myself to make new friends. I’ve also spent a significant amount of time researching the parks department and various activities for me and the fam to do together (which won’t spend every last cent that we’ve got!)
Here’s what I’ve got going on. We’ve started taking Mackenzie to the swimming pool. Again, this is playing double duty since it is a bit of a workout, and its great family time. Plus, let me tell you, if you spend two hours in the pool with a three year old, you will definitely sleep through the night!
I also signed Mackenzie up for SOCCER!! Yay! I’m a little jealous because Nick will be the one going with him, but still very cool.
I’m also set up to do water aerobics, yoga (two different classes actually), along with my lunch break workouts at the gym.
So, I’m getting there…but, as always, it’s a work in progress!
Stay tuned! I’ve got another post in the works, which will be “My son, the tomato” (don’t act like you’re not excited!!)
Friday, April 23, 2010
I'm not sure what this is...but I sat down to write and this is what happened...
“I think you're only as good as the people around you. If I've learned anything in life, it's that you really need to surround yourself with quality people.” This was a random comment in the newspaper a few days ago. I saved it for myself because I really, really believe this. The hard part is that are so many people that are necessarily in your life and you don’t get a choice, whether they are quality or not. I know that sounds judgemental but here’s the thing. You don’t get to choose everyone that you have in your life, you just don’t. So why not make the most of the people you do choose, and surround yourself with the absolute best. And try yourself to be that absolute best in return. I have a small pocket of people I would actually consider my friends, and lots of people that I know. The thing is, I know I can rely on every single one of these close friendships, and hopefully, they know that’d I’d do or give anything for them. I also take this quote this way: you can’t really have quality people in your life, if you’re not a quality person yourself. What is quality? Well, for different people, and at different stages in life, this means different things. So answer for yourself. I know what it means for me, and for the relationships I surround myself with. I also know that its hard to let go of relationships that are toxic, and it hurts even as I type that out to think of the friendships that I’ve been toxic in, or that have been toxic for me…. I think everyone has these experiences. It is freeing however, once its over, to know exactly where you stand with the people who are still in your life and to have close, intimate, and strengthening relationships. I am so appreciative of my friends, for putting up with me, growing with me, growing themselves and teaching me as they do….
Together we learn, together we figure out our bumpy path in this life. You help me, I help you, sometimes we sit at the bottom of a deep dark hole we have fallen in together; it’s the people who can get out of that dark crevice with you that are the people worth holding on to. And its these people that I have the closest relationships with today.
I’ve found that some people just like falling down with you, and if you try to get back up, they don’t want to. And they not only don’t want to get up themselves, they want to pull you back in with them.
Wow, I guess I needed to get that out, because that is really not where I wanted to go with this…but here we have arrived. The point is, I liked this quote and it got me thinking? Any thoughts?
Together we learn, together we figure out our bumpy path in this life. You help me, I help you, sometimes we sit at the bottom of a deep dark hole we have fallen in together; it’s the people who can get out of that dark crevice with you that are the people worth holding on to. And its these people that I have the closest relationships with today.
I’ve found that some people just like falling down with you, and if you try to get back up, they don’t want to. And they not only don’t want to get up themselves, they want to pull you back in with them.
Wow, I guess I needed to get that out, because that is really not where I wanted to go with this…but here we have arrived. The point is, I liked this quote and it got me thinking? Any thoughts?
Friday, April 9, 2010
Easta Fiesta
This weekend was absolutely fantastic! It started off not so great, being that I left work sick on Friday. I literally have not missed work once since I’ve started here, for anything other than my grandma passing away. So it was a big deal to me to leave early. I went home and took a nap, knowing that I really needed to be getting ready for MUSE, whose concert I have been waiting for over four months! Nick came home and woke me, we’re going. So off we went, myself looking a mess, Nick looking schnazzy.
Muse was amazing. The whole band, but really just the lead is so incredibly talented. I sat most of the show, but was glued to the stage.
The next morning we were off on our Easter extravaganza. My parents came over in the morning and we did Mack’s basket and just a couple eggs. Then we headed down to the Lynnwood Fire Department for this:
“Bunny Blast, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Lynnwood Fire Station 15, 18800 44th Ave. W., Lynnwood. For ages 7 and under. Free with canned food donation. Features professional pictures with the Easter Bunny, Easter-themed craft activities, face painting, balloon clowns, fire truck tours, stories and more”
What was actually there: All the fire trucks lined up outside, no body around. Mackenzie runs up to the first fireman we see, so excited, and he literally says, “can I help you?”
SOOO, apparently NOTHING was going on at the fire station other than them dropping the bunny off at FRED MEYERS. lame.
We went to Fred Meyers and there was a single police car, a bum clown making balloon animals and a line of children. I’m sorry but no. Thanks a lot Everett Harold. Mack still wanted to go so we parked the car, got a balloon, and sat in the police car. We also went inside and there was actually an Easter Bunny to take pictures with, so it all worked out. Definitely not as cool as the fire trucks would have been, but hey, he’s two and he was happy.
Next it was off to Country Village in Bothell for their EGGStraveganza (get it?). The kids get an egg at each store and cross it off on their map until they’ve gone to each store. When they turn in their map, they get a final prize. We had a yummy breakfast and Mackenzie (mom and grandma too!) got to ride the little train around the village. This was great! I love this place so much! I could spend an entire weekend shopping there, that and Cranberry Cottage, which is down the road just a bit.
Sunday was nuts! My mom took Mackenzie to church in his little Easter suit. The rest of us prepared for Easta Fiesta! I had been asked to bring a dessert. Hmm…what can I make for a dessert that is Mexican themed?? I don’t know how to make slash want to eat flan…. dulci di leche? Not really…
ah ha! Piñata! So we got a piñata shaped like a peep. Lunch, Dinner, munchies at Gary and Criss’ house were fabulous. That woman can cook! And I LOVE their new house. Owen brought Margaritas, we brought coronas, and key limes. We flew a kite over the house, Nick successfully flying the kite INTO the power lines where it was so tangled that even after the string broke, the kite continued to fly from the line connected to the power lines. awesome.
We played down at the beach for a little bit, found a couple crabs (no, not Dungeness, not yet!), played some soccer, etc etc. The day was fully focused on Mackenzie, him being the ONLY little kid in the entire family, he gets pretty spoiled. J
Dyed Easter eggs (with the help of about twenty adults), did an Easter egg hunt in the house, set up his new train set, ate tons of candy. He was in heaven. Always fun to have a house full of love around you, even if it is crazy, chaotic, and literally insane. When we got home, Mack read his new book from sissy and was OUT. Gotta love that too.
Things I am working on: BALANCE. Work got a little crazy a couple weeks ago, money has been short, and I haven’t been making it to the gym on my lunch, or going to yoga after work. School started and I’m studying lots, but need to be a mom and a wife when I am home, I need to be an office assistant when I am at work…bah! Not to mention the countless other things I want to do, and can’t seem to fit in. I also feel I’ve been so distant from my friends lately. boo L
Muse was amazing. The whole band, but really just the lead is so incredibly talented. I sat most of the show, but was glued to the stage.
The next morning we were off on our Easter extravaganza. My parents came over in the morning and we did Mack’s basket and just a couple eggs. Then we headed down to the Lynnwood Fire Department for this:
“Bunny Blast, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Lynnwood Fire Station 15, 18800 44th Ave. W., Lynnwood. For ages 7 and under. Free with canned food donation. Features professional pictures with the Easter Bunny, Easter-themed craft activities, face painting, balloon clowns, fire truck tours, stories and more”
What was actually there: All the fire trucks lined up outside, no body around. Mackenzie runs up to the first fireman we see, so excited, and he literally says, “can I help you?”
SOOO, apparently NOTHING was going on at the fire station other than them dropping the bunny off at FRED MEYERS. lame.
We went to Fred Meyers and there was a single police car, a bum clown making balloon animals and a line of children. I’m sorry but no. Thanks a lot Everett Harold. Mack still wanted to go so we parked the car, got a balloon, and sat in the police car. We also went inside and there was actually an Easter Bunny to take pictures with, so it all worked out. Definitely not as cool as the fire trucks would have been, but hey, he’s two and he was happy.
Next it was off to Country Village in Bothell for their EGGStraveganza (get it?). The kids get an egg at each store and cross it off on their map until they’ve gone to each store. When they turn in their map, they get a final prize. We had a yummy breakfast and Mackenzie (mom and grandma too!) got to ride the little train around the village. This was great! I love this place so much! I could spend an entire weekend shopping there, that and Cranberry Cottage, which is down the road just a bit.
Sunday was nuts! My mom took Mackenzie to church in his little Easter suit. The rest of us prepared for Easta Fiesta! I had been asked to bring a dessert. Hmm…what can I make for a dessert that is Mexican themed?? I don’t know how to make slash want to eat flan…. dulci di leche? Not really…
ah ha! Piñata! So we got a piñata shaped like a peep. Lunch, Dinner, munchies at Gary and Criss’ house were fabulous. That woman can cook! And I LOVE their new house. Owen brought Margaritas, we brought coronas, and key limes. We flew a kite over the house, Nick successfully flying the kite INTO the power lines where it was so tangled that even after the string broke, the kite continued to fly from the line connected to the power lines. awesome.
We played down at the beach for a little bit, found a couple crabs (no, not Dungeness, not yet!), played some soccer, etc etc. The day was fully focused on Mackenzie, him being the ONLY little kid in the entire family, he gets pretty spoiled. J
Dyed Easter eggs (with the help of about twenty adults), did an Easter egg hunt in the house, set up his new train set, ate tons of candy. He was in heaven. Always fun to have a house full of love around you, even if it is crazy, chaotic, and literally insane. When we got home, Mack read his new book from sissy and was OUT. Gotta love that too.
Things I am working on: BALANCE. Work got a little crazy a couple weeks ago, money has been short, and I haven’t been making it to the gym on my lunch, or going to yoga after work. School started and I’m studying lots, but need to be a mom and a wife when I am home, I need to be an office assistant when I am at work…bah! Not to mention the countless other things I want to do, and can’t seem to fit in. I also feel I’ve been so distant from my friends lately. boo L
Monday, April 5, 2010
Salute! Ching Ching!
First night of Italian was amazing! The first hour my professore spoke nothing but Italian, and it was so fun listening to him ramble on. Mamma mia! There was a girl in our class who was just not getting it and he kept yelling this to her when he was frustrated. He kept saying ripetete! Repeat after me! Then he was going on and on about saying chi (key) instead of chi (cheee). “Chianti wine, CHIANTI CHIANTI CHIANTI!!!” Then mimicking “cheers” and glasses clinking he says “salute! Ching ching” The entire class, now very in tuned with “ripetete!” repeats “salute! Ching ching!” Professore stops. And I kid you not, the first words in English for the night are “no. it is just salute. Ching ching is the glasses clinking.” I almost died. It was so funny. Maybe you had to be there, but it was a great moment.
If you can’t tell, I am LOVING the class and the professore. I went straight home and made spaghetti (literal translation, many little strings) and had a glass of wine, unfortunately not chianti.
I am desperately searching for a good book. Any suggestions? I don’t know what I’m in the mood for, and nothing has really piqued my interest lately.
An update on the website biz. I am still trying to work with the guy for the clean/sober housing site. We still have that crappy flyer looking thing up on the site, which I honestly hate to even have my name on but it’s what he wanted and he had someone else design it. Other than that, he is the hardest person to connect with. We have the format and pictures all in place and no text to go with it. He keeps telling me he will try to work on it, but I hear nothing on a regular basis. I’ve somewhat given up. He’ll get to me when he wants it, there is only so much I can “make up.”
I am in contact with another design firm here in Everett, to help on a contractual basis when their firm is busy. This might end up being a great way to get some advice and learning opportunities. We’ll see what happens.
Arriverderci!
If you can’t tell, I am LOVING the class and the professore. I went straight home and made spaghetti (literal translation, many little strings) and had a glass of wine, unfortunately not chianti.
I am desperately searching for a good book. Any suggestions? I don’t know what I’m in the mood for, and nothing has really piqued my interest lately.
An update on the website biz. I am still trying to work with the guy for the clean/sober housing site. We still have that crappy flyer looking thing up on the site, which I honestly hate to even have my name on but it’s what he wanted and he had someone else design it. Other than that, he is the hardest person to connect with. We have the format and pictures all in place and no text to go with it. He keeps telling me he will try to work on it, but I hear nothing on a regular basis. I’ve somewhat given up. He’ll get to me when he wants it, there is only so much I can “make up.”
I am in contact with another design firm here in Everett, to help on a contractual basis when their firm is busy. This might end up being a great way to get some advice and learning opportunities. We’ll see what happens.
Arriverderci!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Life then and now
Isn’t it amazing how caught up in our own things that we get? I had a great happy hour date with a friend last night and it was fun to just connect and look back at our college years. Being girls we got to talking and I was amazed at the stories and the similarities between the two of us, before we were even really close. We were literally dealing with a lot of the same issues and completely unaware of it. The thing is, I have always felt like EVERYONE knew everything about everyone else, and maybe that was true for some things (hello sorority!!) but the fact is that people really are just living their own lives and pretty oblivious. So get over the stupid stuff, everyone else has.
It was a good little chat. Also good to look back and see how much all of us have changed and grown up.
Here is my first recipe posting, as promised!
Caribbean Pork with Spicy Peach Glaze
Disclaimer: With this recipe and all others to follow you should know that I don’t believe in measuring. Cooking should be fun and should be an experiment. Every time I make this and anything else, it comes out just a little different then before. That being said, there won’t be any measurements in my recipes. So have fun and cook for your own personal tastes.
You will need: Boneless pork ( I like to buy the kind for skewers or stew so that I don’t have to cut anything up but you can also use shoulder if you don’t mind the bones), two or three peaches, an onion, curry, red chili pepper, black pepper, ginger, brown sugar and an orange.
Just put the pork in a crock pot (you can also do this on the stove top if you need it quick), sprinkle with black pepper and salt, add a little curry, ginger and red chili pepper, chopped onion and about a coffee cups worth of water. Follow the instructions for your crock pot for the timing. I usually turn mine on for about four hours on medium. When the pork is done and you are ready for dinner you can start making the sauce. Make some rice now if you want it to be done in time! I always forget to do that! Anyway, the sauce. In a kettle, put your peeled and sliced peaches, black pepper, curry powder, grated ginger if you have it, otherwise the powder is fine, red chili pepper, and brown sugar in and cook on high until this is thick, almost like a jam. I taste this as its cooking add more curry, red pepper or brown sugar as needed. At the very last minute squeeze in the juice of the whole orange.
Plating: Make a neat pile of rice and top with your pork. Pour just a touch of the peach sauce over the top. Done and done. Trust me, this is good. I make ours pretty spicy but you could leave the red pepper out altogether if you need. Goes well with a deep red wine, try Fetzer, Cabernet Sauvignon.
Enjoy!
It was a good little chat. Also good to look back and see how much all of us have changed and grown up.
Here is my first recipe posting, as promised!
Caribbean Pork with Spicy Peach Glaze
Disclaimer: With this recipe and all others to follow you should know that I don’t believe in measuring. Cooking should be fun and should be an experiment. Every time I make this and anything else, it comes out just a little different then before. That being said, there won’t be any measurements in my recipes. So have fun and cook for your own personal tastes.
You will need: Boneless pork ( I like to buy the kind for skewers or stew so that I don’t have to cut anything up but you can also use shoulder if you don’t mind the bones), two or three peaches, an onion, curry, red chili pepper, black pepper, ginger, brown sugar and an orange.
Just put the pork in a crock pot (you can also do this on the stove top if you need it quick), sprinkle with black pepper and salt, add a little curry, ginger and red chili pepper, chopped onion and about a coffee cups worth of water. Follow the instructions for your crock pot for the timing. I usually turn mine on for about four hours on medium. When the pork is done and you are ready for dinner you can start making the sauce. Make some rice now if you want it to be done in time! I always forget to do that! Anyway, the sauce. In a kettle, put your peeled and sliced peaches, black pepper, curry powder, grated ginger if you have it, otherwise the powder is fine, red chili pepper, and brown sugar in and cook on high until this is thick, almost like a jam. I taste this as its cooking add more curry, red pepper or brown sugar as needed. At the very last minute squeeze in the juice of the whole orange.
Plating: Make a neat pile of rice and top with your pork. Pour just a touch of the peach sauce over the top. Done and done. Trust me, this is good. I make ours pretty spicy but you could leave the red pepper out altogether if you need. Goes well with a deep red wine, try Fetzer, Cabernet Sauvignon.
Enjoy!
Monday, March 29, 2010
And I'm Back!
Its been quite awhile since I lasted posted anything, so I’ll start with a recap. The weekend after Valentines we went to Portland/Vancouver and stayed with the VP of Sales for Nick’s company, his wife and Deepak (Nick’s boss in Arlington) and his wife. We did the whole tourist thing and just explored the wineries and McMenamins around the area, went to several bars/clubs, played a lot of beer pong. It was a fun weekend for sure.
We closed two big clients here at work and that was really exciting. It was especially nice getting acknowledged for the website and the proposals I have been putting together, everyone here came to thank me for getting us these jobs. (And…while I know that it wasn’t just me, and that it has A TON to do with the experience of these guys, it was nice to get such a high compliment, I’ll take it!)
That weekend, we met back up with the crew from Portland and did a repeat, but this time in Downtown Seattle. We had a blast! I love this group, no drama, just as much fun as you can pack into a night. We started at Joeys on Lake Union and progressed to Pioneer Square, where Carol and I had our cards read. The lady had about ten different types of cards, tarot, angel, life, etc. It was very interesting what she had to say and hit home to both of us. I don’t really believe in this stuff, but its always nice to hear a good fortune.
I hired a house cleaner for the first time and it was so great coming home from being out and about to a perfectly clean house. Might be the best money I’ve ever spent. They are set up to come once a month and keep me from pulling my hair out :)
I was being really good about doing my lunch time workouts and going to yoga, until two things happened. One, work got crazy busy and I stopped taking lunch breaks altogether, two, I didn’t have the money to renew my class pass. Not to worry, I’m back on track and starting yoga again this week.
Also, I learned how to do payroll and all the taxes, so I am officially the accountant here at work. Cherri is gone gone gone (except for her midnight sneak into the office, which is a whole separate story, and weirds me out beyond belief).
That’s the brief overview, and now onto the real blog which is about my weekend! Friday night was the Chocolate Lover’s Gala! Such a great night, I don’t have the actual amount raised yet, but I know it was upwards of sixty thousand. Amazing. One of my cakes sold for $600, couldn’t be happier, unless I had baked the cake myself in which case I’d be beaming with pride. As it stands, I’m pretty thrilled. The dessert dash itself raised $6600, for forty cakes which were all donated. I met a fabulous older gay man, who I plan to be friends with from here on out. He did all the decorating for the event but was my right hand during the auction itself. I love him.
The other good news from Friday is that the Silvertips won 4-0.
Moving on to Saturday, Nick’s parents came over in the morning and we took Nick’s new company truck to pick up an antique buffet/sideboard (I’ll post some pics). When we saw the sideboard, I wasn’t entirely thrilled that it would be coming to our house, but once we got it home and started cleaning it up with HAROLDS, the piece is actually stunning and looks almost new. Literally a miracle worker that Harolds is.
While us girls were cleaning the furniture, the guys started in on clearing out the basement (which I had spent all of the previous weekend cleaning out). They took a BUNCH of stuff to Goodwill and I couldn’t be happier, more appreciative of Nick for getting that done. BONUS, we found Nick’s BRIO train set and added it to Mackenzie’s: he is in heaven.
We decided it would be fun to BBQ at Gary and Criss’ new house. Obviously we had to take the train set with us, but when we got there Nick and Mackenzie played soccer on the huge lawn. We went down onto the beach for the first time and it’s a great space. The sea wall is made of drift wood and looks like a giant fort. We turned over rocks in search of crabbies as Mack calls them, and I was instantly transported back to being seven and doing this exact same thing on Dyes Inlet. God, I miss that house….. and my family :(
Criss made us a fabulous dinner and we ended up playing Settlers of Catan well into the evening. All in all a great day.
Sunday we were supposed to go down to Nick’s softball game, but right as we were getting to the exit we got a message that the game had been rained out. No problemo, we went to see the trains down at interbay (Magnolia) and ended up at Pike Place market. After riding the pig, getting fruit rolls, coffee, bread from le Panier, spices from Market Spice, we headed back home. I finally planted my tomato seeds inside and did a little weeding, until I got rained on. Made some chicken curry with the Bombay Curry that we had bought earlier that day and it turned out so delicious. Mack played with his trains more and is overjoyed by all the new train cars. I just love how excited he gets about these things. After much jumping on the bed, playing “slip” with dad (literally, Nick makes him slip on the blanket over and over again), Mack was so worn out he could hardly make sense of it being bedtime. So were mom and dad. Bedtime for everyone.
I should also mention somewhere in here that I signed up for Italian at EverttCC and will be starting class on Thursday. Here’s to me finally finishing school! So very very excited. (also excited that my instructor sent me an email in Italian welcoming me to the class, I already love him)
Basically, life is pretty darn great, even though money is a little tight. We are getting back on track and excited to start saving this spring/summer for eventually being able to buy a house.
I know I promised some recipes and I still plan on doing that! Don’t give up on me yet!
Much love to all of you :)
We closed two big clients here at work and that was really exciting. It was especially nice getting acknowledged for the website and the proposals I have been putting together, everyone here came to thank me for getting us these jobs. (And…while I know that it wasn’t just me, and that it has A TON to do with the experience of these guys, it was nice to get such a high compliment, I’ll take it!)
That weekend, we met back up with the crew from Portland and did a repeat, but this time in Downtown Seattle. We had a blast! I love this group, no drama, just as much fun as you can pack into a night. We started at Joeys on Lake Union and progressed to Pioneer Square, where Carol and I had our cards read. The lady had about ten different types of cards, tarot, angel, life, etc. It was very interesting what she had to say and hit home to both of us. I don’t really believe in this stuff, but its always nice to hear a good fortune.
I hired a house cleaner for the first time and it was so great coming home from being out and about to a perfectly clean house. Might be the best money I’ve ever spent. They are set up to come once a month and keep me from pulling my hair out :)
I was being really good about doing my lunch time workouts and going to yoga, until two things happened. One, work got crazy busy and I stopped taking lunch breaks altogether, two, I didn’t have the money to renew my class pass. Not to worry, I’m back on track and starting yoga again this week.
Also, I learned how to do payroll and all the taxes, so I am officially the accountant here at work. Cherri is gone gone gone (except for her midnight sneak into the office, which is a whole separate story, and weirds me out beyond belief).
That’s the brief overview, and now onto the real blog which is about my weekend! Friday night was the Chocolate Lover’s Gala! Such a great night, I don’t have the actual amount raised yet, but I know it was upwards of sixty thousand. Amazing. One of my cakes sold for $600, couldn’t be happier, unless I had baked the cake myself in which case I’d be beaming with pride. As it stands, I’m pretty thrilled. The dessert dash itself raised $6600, for forty cakes which were all donated. I met a fabulous older gay man, who I plan to be friends with from here on out. He did all the decorating for the event but was my right hand during the auction itself. I love him.
The other good news from Friday is that the Silvertips won 4-0.
Moving on to Saturday, Nick’s parents came over in the morning and we took Nick’s new company truck to pick up an antique buffet/sideboard (I’ll post some pics). When we saw the sideboard, I wasn’t entirely thrilled that it would be coming to our house, but once we got it home and started cleaning it up with HAROLDS, the piece is actually stunning and looks almost new. Literally a miracle worker that Harolds is.
While us girls were cleaning the furniture, the guys started in on clearing out the basement (which I had spent all of the previous weekend cleaning out). They took a BUNCH of stuff to Goodwill and I couldn’t be happier, more appreciative of Nick for getting that done. BONUS, we found Nick’s BRIO train set and added it to Mackenzie’s: he is in heaven.
We decided it would be fun to BBQ at Gary and Criss’ new house. Obviously we had to take the train set with us, but when we got there Nick and Mackenzie played soccer on the huge lawn. We went down onto the beach for the first time and it’s a great space. The sea wall is made of drift wood and looks like a giant fort. We turned over rocks in search of crabbies as Mack calls them, and I was instantly transported back to being seven and doing this exact same thing on Dyes Inlet. God, I miss that house….. and my family :(
Criss made us a fabulous dinner and we ended up playing Settlers of Catan well into the evening. All in all a great day.
Sunday we were supposed to go down to Nick’s softball game, but right as we were getting to the exit we got a message that the game had been rained out. No problemo, we went to see the trains down at interbay (Magnolia) and ended up at Pike Place market. After riding the pig, getting fruit rolls, coffee, bread from le Panier, spices from Market Spice, we headed back home. I finally planted my tomato seeds inside and did a little weeding, until I got rained on. Made some chicken curry with the Bombay Curry that we had bought earlier that day and it turned out so delicious. Mack played with his trains more and is overjoyed by all the new train cars. I just love how excited he gets about these things. After much jumping on the bed, playing “slip” with dad (literally, Nick makes him slip on the blanket over and over again), Mack was so worn out he could hardly make sense of it being bedtime. So were mom and dad. Bedtime for everyone.
I should also mention somewhere in here that I signed up for Italian at EverttCC and will be starting class on Thursday. Here’s to me finally finishing school! So very very excited. (also excited that my instructor sent me an email in Italian welcoming me to the class, I already love him)
Basically, life is pretty darn great, even though money is a little tight. We are getting back on track and excited to start saving this spring/summer for eventually being able to buy a house.
I know I promised some recipes and I still plan on doing that! Don’t give up on me yet!
Much love to all of you :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
