To live In the Spice Rack means that you embrace the things in life that make you happy, and add a dimension of wholeness to your life. Give up feeling guilty for enjoying pleasure in your life. Be happy. Do great work that enriches your life, and the lives around you. Know that you are worthy of being loved and cherished just as you are. Start with yourself. Living a colorful and pleasure filled life isn’t for everyone. Are you daring enough to take the leap?
I decided in January to make an ambitious list of 52 books I already have access to, in paper form or audio book and read them by the end of December 2019. At this rate, I probably won’t make it, but I have thus far read 12 books (and started many others) that I wouldn’t have otherwise read. I also joined my church’s book club (although I missed the last two meetings). This was such a great decision for me, as I’m feeling inspired, and connected with other people who love good books.
What have YOU been reading lately?
(BOLD means finished)
I’m going to start by making a list of books I already have access to, in paper form or audio book. I’m certain I will go “off list,” too.
(BOLD means finished)
I finally took the plunge and upgraded this site to a business account. I have been waiting FOR YEARS to do this, and I realize there will never be that perfect time, or that magic angel whispering in my ear to do it now. I just have to DO IT! And so I am!
What are some of my personal goals for next year?
As you can see, I have more than a few things on my mind! But, I will be breaking them down into bite sized steps, and enjoying the experiences as I go.
I am a colorful bird.
There’s nothing that I’ve done before that has been harder than this transition. It’s also the easiest to do because I know THIS is who I am.
The world is OUR canvas. Let’s all be colorful birds.
I tried three new-to-me fruits – cactus pear, pepino melon, and pomegranate.
Cactus pear is the fruit of the prickly pear, or Opuntia. Also known as cactus fig and Indian fig, the plants grow all over the world in the proper climates. It can be found in South America (mine was grown in Chile), Mexico, and desert climates in the United States. It is also found in Southern France and Italy, Sicily, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and many other places.
I got my cactus pear at a grocery store (Wegmans!) and all of the prickly parts had been removed. There are many warnings about touching these fruits without proper gloves, and taking care not to touch the fruit even if the spines have been removed. They also have something called glochids, which you don’t want to mess with.
Creative Commons from the Wiki page – Stan Shebs
The insides of the fruit are a deep red. The meaty pulp is heavily speckled with seeds, which are extremely hard. We removed the meat and then strained the seeds out of it.
The texture of the fruit seed to me to be quite similar to quava or mango – lots of liquid contained within the meat. It was sweet and enjoyable (except for the prevalence of seeds!). It also stained my fingers a slight pink from eating a tiny piece.
You know I love my health protein shakes these days! Mom and I are going to add some fruit puree (minus seeds) to our shakes.
I would also love to try dyeing some fabric with the gorgeous red fruit.
Here are some recipes I’d like to try using cactus pear.
Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons gluten-free corn-free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill GF All Purpose Baking Flour)
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pinch paprika
pasta of choice (I used a gluten-free corn-free spaghetti)
1 can of tuna
frozen peas
First, start the pasta according to directions on the package, using a fairly large pot. The pasta will take the longest to prepare.
Next, start the cheese sauce – melt butter in a medium sized pot on medium-high heat. Add in flour and whisk continuously for about a minute. Keep whisking while adding in the milk. Bring the mixture to a boil, while continuing to whisk. Once at a boil, cook for about 2 minutes. Add in the parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and paprika. Keep whisking! When your sauce is smooth and not lumpy, it is done.
Drain pasta when done, and put it back into the pot. When cheese sauce is ready, add it to the pasta. Also add the tuna and peas at this time. Stir over low to medium heat until peas are hot.
Serve and enjoy!
