Ok, EVERYTHING might be a bit of an exaggeration… pepperjack on cereal might be kind of gross… I guess.  You know, I had been buying it regularly for my black bean quesadillas (see last week’s ezine http://averagegoddess-freebook.com/newsletter11.htm), but somehow this week it wound up being the only cheese in the house (besides my sense of humor).  I mixed it in with salsa… BAM!  I topped my pita pizza… ZING!  I shredded it into soup… WOW!  I put it on a leftover turkey sandwich with nothing else besides mayo… ZIP!  I sprinkled it on my Sweet and Spicy Spinach Salad… YOWEE! 

Suddenly my brain is on fire with possibilities (must be all the jalapeno).  I could put it in my stuffed portabellos instead of mozzerella, add it to my holiday ham roll ups (get this week’s issue of the ezine http://averagegoddess-freebook.com/newslettersignup.htm), top my meatloaf, make a kickin’ garlic bread… SOMEBODY STOP ME!! 

In everyone’s stocking this year:  blocks of pepperjack.

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Wishing you a passionate, prosperous, and powerful day!
Kristy Nichols
a.k.a. The Average Goddess

I came across this great recipe in the May ‘06 issue of Women’s Health and Fitness the other day, and it’s delicious!  If you can’t get by without your Mocha Frappaccino fix, but the cost and calories make you cringe, try this on for size!

2 Tbsp water
1/2 Tbsp instant coffee
1 tsp sugar
about 20 icecubes
1/2 c fat free half-and-half
2 Tbsp chocolate syrup
1/2 c refrigerated fat free whipped topping

Microwave the water and coffee one minute, or until water is hot enough to dissolve coffee.  Add sugar and stir until coffee and sugar are dissolved.  Transfer to a mixing bowl and add six ice cubes.  Stir to accelerate milting, and when ice is almost melted, add the half and half and chocolate syrup.  Pour into blender and add just enough ice for liquid to reach the 16oz mark.  Blend on high 30-60 sec or until slushy.  Pour into a 16 oz tumbler, top with whipped topping and serve!

Makes the equivalent of a “grande” size frappucino, shaves almost 200 calories (and about $4!) off the real thing!

Planning your meals in advance is a priceless tactic for making a quantum leap forward in saving time, money, and energy, all while improving your health!  In the grocery store, you’ll save time by not wandering aimlessly through the aisles, trying to figure out what will “hold” your family for the week, and you’ll save a ton of money by not impulsively tossing items that “sound good” into your cart.  You know exactly what you need to feed your tribe, and if it’s not on the list, it’s not in the cart.  Morning and evening meal preparation are hugely simplified, since you won’t be staring blankly into the cabinets trying to figure out what to make.  Your diet will benefit tremendously as you are planning calmly and with intent, instead of haphazardly on the go.  You can choose smart meals to suit your family’s dietary needs, you won’t end up mindlessly munching or resorting to fast food in desperation, and it gives you the opportunity to plan more variety into your diet, providing a wider assortment of vitamins and nutrients, keeping you healthy and satisfied!

To begin the process, start collecting recipes and keep them in a binder or a database on the computer.  “Recipes,” in this context, does not have to mean something that requires cooking.  It can also mean ready-made store items, like frozen stir-fry meals, lasagnas, etc.  Keep a journal of what you’ve tried and liked.  You can make notes on any changes you’d make the next time you prepare that meal, what you paired it with, how long it took to prepare, the cost of the meal, the nutritional content… whatever information makes sense for your needs.  A three subject notebook can be a great organizer:  Try meals, sides/snacks/appetizers, and desserts/beverages; or just breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.  The only thing that really matters is that all your information is in a single location, not on scraps floating around loose.

 When preparing your grocery list for the week: 

• Take a quick look at the family’s schedule to see on which days it is realistic to plan to cook a meal, how much food will need to be packed in lunches, and when members are likely to be grabbing on the go.
• Make a list of meals that suit your available time.
• Try to incorporate at least one new meal or recipe.
• Look for recipes that provide leftovers or are easily prepared in double batches, and try to include one or two spaced through the week.  This will make lunch preparation super easy.
• Add ingredients for all meals to your grocery list, then go back and cross off items you already have on hand.  This eliminates the unpleasant surprise of discovering something lacking when you’re already cooking.

Keep in mind that putting your system together can (and should) be an organic process.  You do not need to sit down and catalog everything your family has ever eaten all at once.  Just begin keeping track as you move forward week by week, and figure out what level of detail is comfortable for you – maybe you want to jot down notes each evening while it’s fresh in your head, maybe you want to price out meals each week when you return from shopping, or maybe you want to devote an hour a week to cataloguing the previous week’s meals.  Start today and you’ll build your resources in no time!  The benefits of planning your meals will be immediately apparent in your reduced grocery (and restaurant) bills, and reduced stress levels when preparing meals throughout the week.

Other goddess recommendations:

Goddess Brandy, also known as Paintandsoul, puts together a list of lunch, dinner, and snack options for the week, then buys ingredients for them.  When she’s ready to eat, she looks at her list to decide what to make.  (Check out Brandy at www.visionaryrealm.com, www.deviantart.com/paintandsoul, and follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/paintandsoul) 

Goddess Sara looks to see what’s in her cabinets first, then matches that with recipes from recipezaar.com.  This is a great tip if you have cabinets full of stuff that’s not getting eaten!  She also makes 3-4 casserole or crockpot meals through the week in order to have “planned-overs.”  (Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sarafigueroa)

Get your free copy of the book How To Be An Average Goddess at http://www.averagegoddess-freebook.com, and receive a complimentary subscription to the Secrets of the Sisterhood ezine as my gift to you!

Follow Kristy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/averagegoddess

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This is it! - Average Goddess, meet THE WORLD.  *trumpets!*  *fan-fare!*  *Wahoo!*

As you probably know, my free ebook, How To Be An Average Goddess, was finished a couple of weeks ago.  Since then, I’ve been striving to find just the right way to bring it to you, and how to bundle it with other things you might find equally wonderful and useful.  Ulterior motives?  Of course!  I want you to fall madly in love with all things Average Goddess.  I want to build an entire alliance of Average Goddesses across the globe – a pageant of motivated and goal-oriented women who are NOT afraid of their own strength and success!  I want to provide you with every tool you need to take that journey, and to become that woman… to find the goddess that lives in every single one of us.  I want to over-deliver on all of your expectations.  I want to show you that eating healthy is NOT a monumental task, that fitness does NOT have to be an elusive concept forever just out of reach, that success IS garnered one achievable step at a time, that family and friends CAN be the most rewarding facet of your life instead of the most taxing, and that the universe IS conspiring at every moment to bring you the life of your dreams!

What you get right this second is a FREE newsletter that’s packed with articles, tips, products, and inspiration to get you started.  Join me now and grab your newsletter, Secrets of the Sisterhood, and the book How To Be An Average Goddess, hits your inbox Saturday morning (assuming technology performs as it should!!).  And of course, you still get all of the regular articles here at Divine Musings, as the world continues to spice up my life with things I feel MUST be discussed!  What you can look forward to in the future is a whole series of books, cds, interviews, videos, and an entire website devoted to nothing but helping you achieve your dreams! 

Ready?  Then get your goddess on!  Just click the link below to be a part of this revolutionary community… filled with goddesses just like YOU!

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As some of you know, my current profession is as an interior designer.  I say “current” profession, because I have previously been an opera singer and biochemist, and will probably try other paths in the future.  You may also know that I lost about 25 pounds last year, and have managed to keep them off.  (Ok, it took me two tries, but that’s another story.)  How do these things relate to one another?  I shall explain in my usual (circuitous) fashion.

Losing weight (or getting in shape) requires more than willpower – it requires motivation, belief, and creativity… lots and lot of creativity.  Boredom and deprivation are two of the top three killers of most people’s good health intentions.  The third is something fitness gurus don’t talk about much, but is perhaps the most insidious, in that it is totally unavoidable… REAL LIFE!!  (DUM DUM DUM!)  This is where the creativity comes in.

Last night I did some major Tae-Bo – major in the sense that the soreness didn’t even wait till the next day to settle in – major like I was feeling the burn before the workout even ended.  (It was great!)  My intention this morning had been to get up and do some strength training.  We’re having the parents for dinner tonight (as guests, not food) so I knew I wouldn’t have time after work.  Well, real life dictated otherwise.  When I got up this morning, the effects of my Tae-Bo-of-Doom session were evident, and strength training was not happening.  Now here I am, eight hours later, sitting at my desk.  It’s raining cats and dogs, so folks aren’t really out seeking an interior designer, and for this one brief, shining moment, I seem to be caught up on all my projects… whoa.  Thus, I find myself with some down time, and I’m feeling rather recovered from last night’s exertion.  Guess what I’m doing?

Remember how I promised to get back to the relationship between my being an interior designer, and successfully losing 25 pounds?  Here we are:  creativity, people.  When “real life” intervenes with your carefully laid plans, you must adapt – you must be on the alert for opportunity!  My high heels are on the floor beside me as I do two sets each of squats and lunges.  I don’t have a yoga ball, but I do have a small tufted ottoman which is supporting me nicely through some crunches and bridges.  Bicep and tricep curls?  Well, I don’t have any dumbbells, but I do have… lamps without shades!  (And let me tell you, our lamps are no joke in the weight department!)  Whew!  This was awesome!  I should totally market this as the Designer’s Workout.     Your brain can do more than just talk you OUT of something (although it will if you let it)… if you force it to do so, it can also come up with some great solutions.

But wait, do you still have thoughts like “lazy,” and “fat-ass,” running around in your head when you think of yourself?  You seriously need to stop that.  You ARE what you think – no more, and no less!  You’ve all heard about the power of affirmations, positive thinking, and visualization.  Maybe you even think you’ve tried them, and they haven’t worked.  That’s because underneath your conscious positive thoughts, the negative ones were still running SUBconsciously.  I had read about folks who managed to lose weight just by “thinking thin.”  I’m here to tell you, this made a huge difference for me in my second time around the weight-loss track.  When I stopped abusing myself mentally, and started thanking my body for all of the wonderful things it does for me, my fitness world changed dramatically.  I now eat almost totally intuitively (with no calorie counting).  My fitness is improving and my weight is lowering even WITHOUT an hour and a half of exercise every day (which is what I was doing the first time around).  Pounds are shedding just because I THINK they are.  I feel lighter, airier… happier.  Now don’t think this is some sort of miracle where I just woke up at my goal weight one morning, cuz not so much.  (I’m still not quite at my goal weight, but I should be soon.)  It’s more like I’m not at ODDS with my efforts, and everything is happening with greater… simplicity.  Keep in mind the entire rest of this article.  It’s not as if I’m sitting on my sofa, meditating on my perfect health goals, and expecting to open my eyes and see it manifest (although I believe that’s theoretically possible!).  I’m still eating sensibly, I work out regularly, and I get at least eight hours of sleep a night so that my body can rejuvenate.  The difference is now that I have my brain’s cooperation, it no longer feels like such a struggle.

So if you’re trying to lose weight, get fit, or improve your health, follow these two important steps:

1.  Be kind to yourself.  Be grateful for all that you possess, physically and mentally.  See yourself as you wish the world to see you.
2.  Don’t fear life’s regular interruptions, because that’s what LIVING is all about!  Just keep your eyes open for unexpected opportunity, and be creative with how you approach your diet and exercise… it doesn’t always have to occur in the gym at 6:00pm sharp.

Here’s to your health!
All my love,
Kristy

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Not too long ago, I brought home a couple of thick, tender steaks that had been calling me from the grocery shelf.  (And FYI, I now always try to buy meats with the EPA’s new humane certification labels.)  Having been very much looking forward to them all week, I was a tad disappointed when my beloved husband (who is an excellent cook) handed me a little piece of leather off the grill.  We’re pretty (gently) honest with each other about our cooking, and when he commented that he knew he should have pulled the steaks off sooner, but got distracted by the potatoes, I said, “Yeah, ya should’ve.”  To which he responded, “Humph.  I’ve never seen YOU cook steak!”  Behold!  The gauntlet – here at my feet!  Well, can’t just leave it there, right?  So I picked it up… he just didn’t know it. 

I’m at the grocery store again yesterday, and there they are… two thick, lovely slabs of tenderloin… mmmmm…  Into the cart with you, my dazzling juicy friends – thy death shall NOT have been in vain… Together, we shall prove A POINT!!  See, here’s the thing:  my husband is a “wing it,” type of guy.  I am a “plan-it-to-the-eyeballs” type of girl.  When it comes to cooking, he has a couple of absolutely homerun recipes, and he gets really irritated when I won’t let him experiment with them.  My view is, if it’s perfect, LEAVE IT ALONE!  Wanna guess what happens when he messes with it?  Yeah, less good.  He also has this tendency to find great recipes in magazines, and then forget what magazine they’re in, but still want to make the dish.  So what does he do?  He wings it.  Sometimes that’s ok… sometimes not so much.  I give him kudos for cooking cojones, but to me, the point is to have something yummy at the end.  I am NOT a chef, and I’m not in this for artistic expression, sorry.  When I find a recipe, I rip it out, or tag it and write it down.  Then I follow it, to the letter.  Here’s my philosophy:  This person has already spent a great deal of time perfecting this dish, and it was probably tested by the food editor before publishing.  Let’s try it THEIR way first, and if I don’t like it, THEN I can make changes.  How do you know what to change if you’ve never tasted it??  Alternatively, if I’m going to cook something I have no idea how to handle, you all know me well enough by now to know what I’m gonna do… (Thank you AGAIN Dane Cook.)  I’m gonna Google that sh*t.  Here’s how I learned to cook a steak, in about five minutes.

Ian got home from work, sees the steaks on the counter and says, “You’re cooking STEAK??  Moving in on my turf, huh?”  I just smiled.  He then starts hovering nervously, as he notices they are buck naked on the plate.  (So cute!  I love this guy.)  I tell him to get out of my space and go take a shower.  As he heads off, he says, “I’m just sayin’, the longer they marinate, the better the flavor is.”  To which I replied, “Thanks hon.  They’re not getting marinated,” and I shoved him out the door before his eyes could pop out of his head.  A little oil, pepper, garlic powder, rosemary, and piping hot skillet later, I have two lovely, crusty, near edible slabs.  Into the oven with them!  A little bleu cheese, some capers, and VOILA!  Perfection… on my first try.  Oh, they were juicy.  Oh, they were tender!  Oh, they were seared on the outside, pink on the inside…  yum yum yum yum yum yum YUM!  WIN!

So is there a moral to this story, or did I just want to brag about my steak cooking prowess?  Both, actually.  Having bragged sufficiently, I shall share the moral.  There are a million things in this world that you don’t know how to do, but that’s a ridiculous reason to not attempt them.  Depending on your personality, you can do things my husband’s way, and leap in face first (!), or you can recognize that there are lots of people out there who DO know how to do those things… possibly very well.  With the infinity of the ‘net at your fingertips, you can get expert advice without leaving your sofa.  So wikihow, askhow, or google “how,” then go DO it.  Your success might surprise you… and everyone else!

All my love, Kristy

P.S.  I conceded that he is still the grill master… mostly because I have no interest in grilling… yet.

P.P.S.  Wine for the night (duh) was Cellar No. 8 Red Zinfandel.  Holy moses.  I don’t actually like the flavor quite as much as I enjoy the cabernet (one of our mostest favorites), but dear HaySOOS it goes RIGHT to your head.  I’m actually drinking a glass now, and it’s already impairing my typing… what kind of crazy grapes are these??!?  Generally speaking, Cellar No. 8 provides perfect proof that a wine doesn’t have to be expensive to be exquisite.  I challenge you to serve the cab or merlot to your snobbiest wine snob friends.  Phenomenal.

Get your FREE copy of the little ebook

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How To Be An Average Goddess

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Blazing a Path Through Life!

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Get your FREE copy of the little ebook

that’s already changing lives!

How To Be An Average Goddess

100+ Secrets of Smart, Savvy, Sexy Women,

Blazing a Path Through Life!

www.averagegoddess-freebook.com

You probably already know that Sunday night is pizza night, and that this is 526% non-negotiable.  This was the law even when I was in my “crazy person” stage of fitness and weight loss.  What can I say?  I loves the pizza.  But last night we didn’t have the pizza.  WHAT??!?  It’s ok, calm down… I haven’t been abducted by aliens.  We simply had pizza on FRIDAY, to celebrate the fact that my book (How To Be An Average Goddess) was finished, edited, and had finally been sent out for reviews.  (That, and I totally didn’t feel like cooking.)  So here we were on Sunday, and not to say I couldn’t have had pizza again (I could have it every day for probably months before becoming the slightest bit fatigued), but I wanted to try a new recipe… and I was overdue for that whole “talking to my husband” thing I mentioned in a previous blog.

So yesterday morning I settled on Maple Pecan Chicken… Mmmm… sounds good, huh?  Yeah.  It really was very tasty, although much more mild than anticipated.  I was a bit nervous about it, since of the 30+ reviews the recipe had, about half reported the chicken coming out dry (half that it was juicy and tender), half that the crumb topping was soggy (half that it was delightfully crispy), and half that it was almost sickeningly sweet (half that it was a fresh, unexpected flavor for everyday chicken).  It was gonna be a crap shoot!  Well, without realizing it, I made twice as much chicken, and discovered after returning from the grocery store for the bread crumbs (the day before Labor Day!!), that I only had about two drops of syrup left in the bottle in the cabinet.  Arg.  Well, I had as exactly as much as the recipe called for, so I ran with it.  As I said, due to my blunder with the quantity of chicken, the flavor was unexpectedly mild, but I could see where it would be delicious on one pound instead of almost two.  (The chicken also came out perfectly tender, with a wonderful crisp crust, so I don’t know WHAT those other folks were doing!)  We would have liked a bit more syrup to drizzle over the top, and I couldn’t help feeling like the flavor would have been amazing with a bit of a spicy counterpoint, so I’m going to experiment a bit and give it another go.  I think this is one you can expect to find in the forthcoming “Average Goddess’s Guide to Getting Cooking.”  We paired the chicken with some wild rice with wild mushroom seasoning, which was uber yum.  (That’s a techincal cooking term.) 

Wine for last night (of COURSE there was wine) was another of our favorites, which I highly recommend.  It’s a red zinfandel called Seven Deadly Zins, which played a very prominent role in last year’s Halloween celebration of the Seven Deadly Sins at the Nichols’ residence, and is always a hit at dinner parties, or as a gift.  It’s an absolute pleasure every single time we open a bottle – rich, deep, plenty of spice, and lots of thick berry… but not sweet – “heady” is a good word for it.  I really wanted to share with you the poem from the back label of the bottle, because I think it’s just darling – not Shakespeare mind you, but wonderful none the less.  It’s written by Kevin Phillips, who I believe is one of the brothers responsible for creating the wine:

I’m raging with ire, an ocean of fire,
My wrath is the path to all I desire.
Oh Lord, forgive me my Zins.
I’m inflated with pride, near-bursting inside,
a self-centered repenter, Vanity’s bride.
Oh Lord, forgive me my Zins.
I’m mired in mud, inert as a slug,
Sloth is the cloth that’s woven my rug.
Oh Lord, forgive me my Zins.
I eat day and night, consuming all in my sight,
A glutton with nothing but a huge appetite.
Oh Lord, forgive me my Zins.
My will I ignore, my Envy’s a chore,
Over-zealous and jealous, I want so much more.
Oh Lord, forgive me my Zins.
I’m ravenous to feast, an insatiable beast,
I concede to the Greed demanding release.
Oh Lord, forgive me my Zins.
I hunger for trust, my craving’s a must,
My sin is the Zin enslaving my Lust.
Oh Lord, forgive me my Zins.

Pretty clever for a wine bottle, no?

So anyway, we enjoyed a nice meal, over which we conversed about my book, particularly some of the ridiculously simple things we can add to our lifestyle to help the environent, then we talked about his teaching Tae Kwon Do and in what ways he might like to pursue that course in the future, then we talked about cats, then we talked about finances (not in the bad way).  All told, I think we talked for a good two hours, even after the meal was finished.  Now I know this may not seem like much to some, but you must understand, my husband is NOT a talker (which is fine, cuz I totally am, and dear heavens – the thought of a house with two of me… yipes!), so a two hour+ conversation is like a marathon for him.  (He kept up admirably.)  For those of you who just don’t generally make the time for these activities, I can’t recommend it enough.  After all, what did you marry him for if you aren’t the least bit curious about what’s going on in his head?  (Messy though it probably is.)  Having been together since our early 20s, as we come up on our nine year anniversary (!), I not only find these conversations to be fascinating glimpses of who we’ve become as adults, but also frequently illuminating as to how far we still have to go!  Not that we’re in any hurry… 

I’m curious – what do you discuss with your significant other?

All my love, 
Kristy

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Community Supported Agriculture (CSA):  A means to support local economy, improve your diet, reconnect with the land… maybe even lift your spirits. 

About a week ago, I heard about this thing called “Community Supported Agriculture,” or CSA.  Now, not only am I considering becoming a member myself, I’m looking for ways to spread the word about this remarkable concept to everyone I know.  In this fast-paced world of junk-food convenience and internet isolation, Community Supported Agriculture is a means of directly connecting to the highest quality produce available, while simultaneously building community and increasing local awareness. 

As many of you know, I’ve become quite the organic food junkie over the last six months or so.  So much so, that I call it no real sacrifice to drive a half hour north to a large, bare-bones-style grocery store with a well-stocked organic section of both produce and dry goods, all of which they carry at significantly better prices than the organic giant, Whole Foods, or even the large chains like Jewel.  I recognize that there is some irony in my driving an hour round-trip to purchase food that hasn’t been flown in from Spain, but until now, it was the best option available to me.  Call me out of the loop, but I just found out about an amazing way to get fresh organic produce on a weekly basis – maybe even delivered to my door – for a significantly lower price than I’ve been paying, even at my favorite grocery store.  Oh, and when I say “fresh,” I mean really, really fresh.

While the concept originated in Asia roughly 30 years ago, its manifestation in North America was more heavily influenced by the biodynamic farming practices of Europe, and it’s just now exploding in the U.S. in light of rising fuel costs.  This phenomenon goes by the name Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA.  CSA are small farms selling shares of their harvest to individuals, who, in return for their very reasonable upfront investment (usually around $500-$800), receive a weekly share of produce throughout the growing season, which typically runs from late spring till early fall.  Some CSA offer other products like meat, eggs, milk, cheese, honey… even fresh flowers!  The price of membership is designed to cover the farm’s yearly operating budget, including everything from seeds and fertilizer, to labor and equipment maintenance.  The “shares” received in return generally are enough for 2-4 people, although some farms offer options regarding share size.

There ARE a few details to be aware of, for those who are used to grocery store convenience and shelf life (which would be pretty much all of us).  First, part of the deal with CSA is that you are sharing the risks as well as the bounty.  If the season goes badly, or if the crops are wiped out by weather or pests, there may BE no harvest.  Second, it can take some adjusting to get used to natural produce, which is not always fluorescent-light-pristine – there may be spots, or dirt, and some specimens might be on the small side.  That’s the reality of nature, as opposed to the vast wastefulness that occurs in the supermarkets where “inferior” produce are simply thrown away.  In the very long list of potential perks to this process, here are a few of the biggies that really stand out for me: 

1.      CSA fosters a sense of community, in that all of the members of a CSA have a vested interest in the success and wellness of the farm, and by proxy, the other members.  You will begin to see some of your neighbors on a regular basis when picking up your shares (or volunteering at the farm), giving you the opportunity to build relationships with like-minded individuals.  In addition, money stays in the community, thereby improving the local economy.

2.      When one lives so near to the land where one’s food is being grown, maybe even making regular trips to the farm to pick up your shares, it can’t help but encourage stewardship of the earth, and the teaching of these habits to our children.

3.      For those of us living in a predictable rut of side salads, this is an excellent opportunity to explore new produce.  While it’s a common phenomenon for CSA newbies to sort through their bin with some trepidation at the new faces inside, variety is well known to be one of the keys to diet success.  Even if you’re not actively trying to lose weight, a wider assortment of fruit and veg can only increase the amount of vitamins and nutrients you’re receiving.

It’s a pretty incredible system really.  I’ve just begun checking into it in my area, and found there are eight within an hour of me!  Think there’s no way there could be one near you?  Think again – there are nearly 2000 across the U.S., and me checking a few random states returned the following numbers:  IL=70, WI=114, PA=113, NY=151, CA=136, FL=23, AZ=19, NC=64, HI=9, TX=48, WY=5, and UT=7!  So why have I never heard of this before?!  It turns out that they now need to do very little actual marketing, as word of mouth is spreading the news like wildfire.  Well, consider this my kindling contribution! 

For more information on CSA, or to find a farm in your area, check out localharvest.org.  They offer current news, a farm locator, and a wonderful blog of their travels around the country.  For our friends seeking CSA Down Under, check out Andrew the Organic Maven.

All my love, Kristy

Yesterday was a magnificent day.  It was one of those very, very rare occasions when I was off on a Sunday, and there were a zillion things I wanted to do.  You see, I work weekends.  Every weekend.  Yes, every.  Gasp!  *Steps up on soapbox.*  You know how on weekends you like to run errands – maybe go shopping, go out to eat, get some work done on the house?  Next time you’re out doing those things, recognize the fact that all of the people RUNNING the establishments you’re entering are working – yes -  on a weekend, instead of spending time with their families.  Maybe you could just think something nice about them, or be a little extra polite?  Ok, I’m off my soapbox, and back to the story. 

So I was off yesterday.  We moved to the Chicago area just over six years ago, and I immediately embarked on taking my husband on a full-scale tour of all the things I loved to do in my childhood:  the malls, the museums, the gardens, the parks, the theme park, the drive-ins (ahem), the lakes, and the forest preserves.  Somehow, there were two notable things that I missed, and they have been absolutely plaguing me this summer.  One is the giant flea market just south of Milwaukee, called Seven Mile Fair, and the other is the Bristol Renaissance Faire.  We’ve always meant to go, but recently I glanced up and realized SIX YEARS had gone by.  Holy crap!  I guess when you’re only off on a weekend once in a blue moon, you’re hard pressed to remember all of the things that can only be done on a weekend.  So, yesterday’s mission… was to do both.  We knew it would be a challenge, but we (read: “I”) were determined. 

The weather was flawless:  perfectly blue skies, and just the right amount of hot for an August summer day.  We gave a masterful performance.  We were at the flea market by 8am, and after spending a trifling $17 to make off with a ludicrous abundance of fresh produce from the farmer’s market, we were having lunch around noon-ish.  (Since I know you’re curious, we got 1 lb green beans; ½ pound sugar snap peas; 3 ears of corn; a cute little sack of russet potatoes; 4 roma tomatoes so pretty they don’t look real; 1 each red, yellow, and orange bell peppers that fall into the same category as the romas; 6 beautiful jalapeños; 2 mid-size sweet potatoes; 2 lbs of dark, dark red cherries; 2 peaches the size of your head; 2 nectarines; and 2 of these things called “cactus pears,” that I’m going to have to Google to find out how to eat.  Yes, $17.)  Lunch was at the new Famous Dave’s  that just opened up nearby, and since I knew we were going to be walking for at least 10 hours, I didn’t feel bad indulging in the bread pudding after my meal.  (Oh.  My.  God.  It was delicious.  Thank goodness Ian and I were splitting it, or I would certainly have eaten the whole thing.)  Off to the Ren-Faire.  What a treat!  I realized as we were pulling up that I hadn’t been there since high school, and it was absolutely delightful.  We left at about 6pm, having seen people eat mud, juggle knives while performing acrobatics, and joust.  Ian had his first rock climbing experience, and we were now carrying a new wool kilt (for him), and a giant pair of wings (for me).  The plan had been to go home, grill steaks in what became a very lovely evening, and whip up some of our new veggie treasures.  Well, not everything can go according to plan, right?  Ian was totally pooped, and just couldn’t work up to standing at the grill.  It still being Sunday – our usual pizza night – we decided to go ahead and order (oops, maybe I shouldn’t have had that bread pudding!!), and he volunteered to skip Tae Kwon Do the next night so we could do the grilling.  

So here we are, Monday night.  Ian did, in fact, come home after work, and we are just clearing away the dishes from a scrumptious meal.  (I should mention that Ian skipping Tae Kwon Do is a bit like the sun skipping rising, so it was a real treat.)  We even ate dinner at the table, with napkins and silverware, like real grown-ups!  We talked a lot about how much fun we had yesterday, a little about all of the social activities we have in the coming weekends, and how excited we are to see my BFF Luis in Paris next spring.  It is critically important, I’ve discovered, to remember to TALK to one’s husband now and again!  Try it – you’ll like it.

Tonight’s menu:

• Grilled filet mignon, about 4-5 oz after cooking, marinated in a blend of Worcestershire, ground mustard, rosemary, and sage.  (We were supposed to be having this new parmesan / caper sauce, but Ian forgot the plan!  Lol – oh well!)
• Grilled corn on the cob, which was seasoned with a wonderful blend of garlic, onion, salt, pepper and nutmeg before cooking.  We actually had no idea how to grill corn, but Google is a magical invention.  It turned out incredible.
• Sautéed veg, including fresh green beans, sugar snap peas, and russet potatoes, in a very simple seasoning of EVOO, butter (and when I say “butter,” I mean Smart Balance), sea salt, and fresh ground pepper.
• Wine was a 2003 Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon, called St. Francis. This has been one of our favorites for a while, but it’s been months since I pulled a bottle out.  It was fantastic – like a surprise visit from an old friend.  St. Francis runs about $12 in our area.
• For dessert, I took a couple chunks of fresh Mexican cinnamon bread we had also picked up at the market, spread it with butter, microwaved it for about 15 seconds, then topped it with a sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon.  Yum!

When is the last time you went outside to play with your significant other like a couple of kids?  What did you do?  I’d love to hear about it in your comments!

All my love,

Kristy