If You Could do Anything...

What would you do? Keep it real. It has to be something you could really do in your lifetime, a job that could pay the bills, or a hobby that feeds your soul. You can't be Wonder Woman, a rock star (unless you truly have the talent), or a nuclear physicist (again, unless you truly have the talent). Where would you live? What would you do? Who would you be?

A long, long time ago, my high school yearbook read that I would be an opera singer in ten years. I loved to sing. Still do, but only when it suits me. Although it was a very big part of my life and I was in four choirs to boot, I lacked the drive and ambition to really make it in the world of entertaining. I was a singer, definitely not an entertainer. So I followed some of my other dreams and I am quite content with my decisions. 

But...if I could have a do over and could experience a few things at little differently, I would have to say that I wished I had experienced living in New York City, even if it was only for a few months. I'd like to think I could have lived there for a while, but I'm not so sure. I loved living in Boston, but quite honestly, I'm glad I live in the country. If I could re-live my twenties again, I think I could have made a go of it as a food truck chef. A food truck would have given me the freedom to play with food more, allowed me to change my location when I got bored, and interact with lots of people. Something my current position doesn't really allow me to do. (And I'd be writing a book about food of course.) What else? Maybe a character actor that played bit parts because again, I'm not really into the "look at me, here I am" part of entertaining, but when I watch a comedy I think to myself, "What a great way to make a living!". My husband would definitely be a ski instructor. He loves the outdoors, loves to ski, and loves the snow.



And just for fun...

Maybe you'd prefer to own an ice cream truck. (This may be second on my husband's list.)

What would I serve on my food truck? Probably sandwiches, with a few salads and soup mixed in for good measure. Here's a cute idea for a menu.

Do you want to run a 5k, participate in a triathlon, or run a half marathon? You might want to check out these running shoes.

Ever dream about becoming a zoo keeper? Do you remember the contestant on Survivor who was a zoo keeper? We met her at the Naples Zoo and it looked like a pretty cool job.

If you love animals, but zoos aren't your thing, maybe you'd like to own a kennel like my oldest daughter dreams about.

My husband started college studying to be a pilot. Would you like to fly the friendly skies?

So many choices...

Have a fabulous weekend!

Avocados!

I can't seem to get enough avocado. I never even had an avocado until I traveled to Texas about 10 years ago and ate my first scoop of guacamole. Since then, I've made guacamole dozens of times, but when chips were no longer part of my diet, I started to use them in recipes and eat them all on their own. Although considered highly caloric, avocados are actually a very healthy food. They're filled with good fat like Omega-3 (for shiny hair and glowing skin), vitamin E (a free-radical that assists in slowing the aging process), vitamin C (an amazing antioxidant, anti-viral and anti-bacterial also good for your skin), vitamin B3 (which reduces cholesterol and prevents and treats arteriosclerosis), as has been known to help reduce the effects of depression and anxiety. So although I don't recommend eating an avocado a day, I do suggest adding it to your diet at least once a week.

A typical lunch for me would include certified organic turkey, a smashed avocado, and some almonds. On other days of the week, the avocado is replaced with a seasonal fruit or a side salad. But my favorite lunch, or even dinner, is my version of a BLT, except I've replaced the lettuce with baby spinach and add smashed avocado. My favorite brand of bacon is local and comes from North Country Smokehouse in Claremont. Check out this recipe for the BLT you see pictured above over on Pure Grace Farms.

You can sneak in bits of avocado in salads and sandwiches—you can even serve it for breakfast.

Avocado Bruschetta with Balsamic Reduction

1 baguette, thinly sliced

1/4 cup olive oil, divided

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup basil leaves, chiffonade



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Place baguette slices onto prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place into oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.

3. To make the balsamic reduction, add balsamic vinegar and brown sugar to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a slight boil and reduce by half, about 6-8 minutes; set aside and let cool.

In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, avocado, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper, to taste.

4. Top each baguette slice with tomato mixture, garnished with basil.

Serve immediately, drizzled with balsamic reduction.

Recipe via Damn Delicious

On the Second Day of Spring...

We decided we needed more snow. So it was off to the northern Green Mountains for one last day of skiing. What was supposed to be a brief period of flurries turned into an all day snow event. It was blustery and cold and felt like the middle of February, not the second day of spring.

Sugerbush has six peaks to choose from. This was my first time there, but the third for the girls and my husband. They spent the day skiing the trails on Lincoln Peak while I kept watching the snow fall and read.

Fresh powder fell just the day before so burning thighs meant an extra break was in order. These smiling faces started to fade once we wrapped up for the day. However, that didn't stop them from wanting to travel 30 minutes north to tour the Ben & Jerry's plant. In this family, a little ice cream can make those smiles return in an instant.

There is still a lot of snow in my backyard, and if you can believe it, more is in the forecast. We woke up to 8 degrees of bitter cold this morning. I guess spring hasn't found its way to New England just yet.

Breakfast In Or Out?

When I was a child, my parents took me and my sister out for breakfast just about every weekend. Sometimes it was before church, sometime after. My mum would also make a very large breakfast on the rare weekend we didn't go out, especially if we had company. Last weekend, while my oldest daughter was home on spring break, we decided to go to our favorite breakfast place. For a while, my family adopted the same custom and went out for breakfast just about every weekend when the children were little. Sometimes before church and sometimes after. It's been years since we've done this, so now it's just an every-now-and-then thing. The girls always order hot chocolate during the cold months, which up here means about half the year. As you can see, they do hot chocolate right—lots of whipped cream, a drizzle of chocolate, and sprinkles. I get a sugar headache just looking at it. The girls will usually order pancakes, sometimes waffles or French toast. My husband likes to mix it up even more, and me...well I order the same thing every time, bacon and eggs. Breakfast, whether in or out, is definitely better than lunch. I just learned that eating eggs can help you sleep better and helps calm the body. They contain tryptophan (just like turkey) that helps release the hormones serotonin and melatonin, which in turn helps regulate circadian rhythms. And you thought this was just a post about breakfast. So, to answer the question above, breakfast in or out? I vote both!

Now that I've whet your appetite, on to the recipes.

Try these buttermilk waffles with mixed berry and lemon preserves over on Averie Cooks.

I guess I really do like breakfast because I included a lot of recipes over on this post.

Yummy homemade English muffins.

Baked blueberry oatmeal.

What should you eat for breakfast today? Find out here.

(Wo)Man's Best Friend

My doggies think I'm funny. They don't care how I look, if I showered this morning, or what I'm typing on the computer. They don't care if I make a lot of money, or drive a fancy car. What they do care about is if I'm willing to go for a walk or toss the ball, if I have treats ready and waiting when they come through the door, and who gets to snuggle closer on my bed. That goes for the lot of us. We are dog people.

My first dog was rescued from a pound when I was about 8-years-old. He was a German shepherd/collie mix that was mostly brown with droopy ears. We didn't know what to name him, so as we were driving home in my dad's Monte Carlo, my dad (or maybe it was mum), named him Monty. If I remember correctly, we had two other dogs come in and out of our lives during my childhood, a few cats too, but the dogs ruled. I couldn't wait to get a dog when I grew up. That day finally came when my son turned 5 and we got him a black lab/border collie mix for Christmas. Santa actually named him Smokey after another dog from my childhood—my aunt and uncle's loyal black lab. Both of them were great dogs and I can still remember everything about our Smokey. My son grew up with that dog and he will always hold a special place in our hearts.

I wasn't quite ready to replace Smokey, as if I could, but a friend of mine told me that the local shelter had just rescued a group of dogs from down south and one just happened to be a border collie. 

My husband and the girls had been talking about getting another dog for a while and kept quiet until I mentioned visiting the humane society just to "take a look". Who was I kidding? There he was, a tan and white bundle of energy that really wanted out of his room. So after spending the afternoon getting to know him, we took him home and a new chapter had begun. 

Cooper is a quiet dog, as most border collies are, but he has a unique way about him. He cuddles and snuggles, but on his terms. He's fiercely loyal and super smart (again, as most border collies are), and loves to tug on ropes.

Dante loves to hang out with us. No matter what we're doing, he wants in on the action. When we first rescued him, he wouldn't let me out of his sight. Siberian huskies have separation anxiety issues which I knew nothing about having never owned a husky before. If I left the house, he had to leave the house, so he went on a lot of car rides. Thank goodness I work mostly from home. He loves to run and he loves to just be with us. The colder the weather, the happier he is and don't let me get started about the snow—New Hampshire is the perfect place for him. 

The two dogs didn't get along at first. Cooper wanted nothing to do with him. I felt so bad for both of them. Dante just wanted to play all the time and Cooper wanted him out of the house—pronto. It took some time, but now they are brothers, although I think Cooper would still rather be the top dog.

Meaningful Color

Of course you can see color, but did you know you can feel it too? Have you ever felt blue? Colors make us feel. We can feel good, bad, sad, optimistic, calm, energized—all from a little bit of color. Colors also have meanings. You definitely want to be in the black than in the red. (In the black means you've made money, in the red, not so much.) Repurposing, reusing, and saving energy is known as green methods of living. Why? Because color is its own language that crosses over many areas.

So why can you feel blue? Well, blue happens to be a moody color. A bright blue summer sky is going to make you feel happy, but once the blue turns a bit gray, your mood may change. So not only is the shade of blue important, but the amount of blue will have an effect as well. Which goes right back to all design elements—too much of a good thing is simply too much. Balance is the key. You also have to know that certain colors effect different people in different ways. You may love blue, while others hate it. Oftentimes, I find out that a particular shade of color determines its likeability. Blue is also a spiritual color. It's the color of authority and can suppress your appetite. Blue plate special anyone?

Green is a healing color, which is why all of the things we are trying to fix is considered going green. Green is the peacekeeper of all colors. It is the color of growth, renewal, and the environment. It calms a space a nurtures everyone who is surrounded by it. It's the color of nature, so it can go with almost any color, and most shades can be used as a neutral. But have you ever had someone say that you look green around the gills? This means you look ill or nauseated. Quite honestly, there are shades of green that really do look nauseating. Hospital green comes to mind. You know, that milky, dusty shade that shouldn't even be a color never mind seen in a hospital of all places.

And on and on it goes. Here are a few more color tidbits. After you've finished reading, leave a comment below about how a particular color effects you and I'll send you one of my eBooks for participating.

• Pink is a very calming color and has been used in prisons to soothe inmates.
• Purple is the color of royalty because the dye used to make clothing of this color was 20 times more valuable than gold!
• Yellow stimulates mental processes and the nervous system.
• Red conjures up conflicting emotions of love and hate, passion and violence. It’s also the color of joy, sexuality, sensitivity and love.
• Brown is stable, reliable, dependable and approachable. (UPS uses the color name in their advertising.) It can also be a sensual color.
• Orange encourages socialization and makes us feel bolder. You’ll gain clarity and let go of unrealistic expectations.
• Black is mysterious by evoking a sense of potential and possibility.
• Gray is associated with intellect and the brain is composed of "gray matter".
• White encourages us to clear clutter or obstacles.

Do you love color, too? Read my posts all about color to inspire you to create that perfect palette. And don't forget to subscribe to the blog so my tips can go directly into your inbox.

Image via tumblr

Write Away

Just for fun, I thought I'd throw out a few of the writing prompts from the book 642 Things to Write About for all the writers out there. There are many days I sit in front of my computer and think, "What do I write about now?". So if you're stuck on a short story, an essay, or even a blog post, sometimes just freeing yourself from your topic is enough to jump-start your creativity. Ready to give it a try? Here's the assignment. I'll give you three choices, pick one and run with it.

1. You find your great grandmother's diary. On June 16, 1856, she wrote:

2. Wright about something you know absolutely nothing about. Make all of it up.

3. Your worst experience in gym class.

My youngest daughter just did a free-writing session in her English class. She had to sit and write for 20 minutes about anything and everything that came to mind. Once she completed that task, she was asked to highlight any parts of her writing she felt would be interesting enough to turn into a speech. She just delivered that speech a couple of days ago.

Need some more inspiration? Try Be More Funny! 22 Prompts to Help You Write Humor Posts. Or this one, 30 Blog Post Ideas.



Care to share? I'd love to see what you came up with. If you post it on your blog, I'll link it back to you.

Photo: The Everygirl

Home Is Where Mum Is

What do you call your mother? For as long as I can remember I've called mine mum. I don't know why exactly, but I still refer to her as mum. When my son was young he called me mum mum, sometimes muma, and then when he was a teenager, it was just mom. My girls called me mommy, but as they became teenagers, my oldest daughter thought it was a kick to call me mother. What started as a joke has stuck. We are now mother and father to our girls. On days they're trying to win us over, it gets reduced to motha or fatha. They even call each other sister (or sista) and, of course, their brother is brother or brotha. We do get odd looks every now and again. I'm sure some people think the girls are being sarcastic, or maybe a bit uppity, but I've gotten used to it. I still love it when they call me mommy by mistake.

Speaking of names, I never called any of my grandmothers grandma. I am the oldest grandchild on my mother's side of the family and after hearing my grandmother called by her given name Irene, the nickname Rena popped out and that's what all of the grandchildren that followed called her. Apparently there was a similar story on my dad's side of the family. My paternal grandmother's name was Dorothy and was also give a nickname. We all called her Mama Dot.

And on and on it goes. Some older family members are referred to by their middle name instead of their given name. I'm not quite sure why that is either, but since I became a grandmother, I've been thinking a lot about names. Six months after my granddaughter's birth, I still can't decide what I want her to call me. After all of the unique names dancing around, I guess we ran out of creativity, because my children refer to their two sets of grandparents as grandma and grandpa and we have to add their last names just so they know who we're talking about.

So... do you have any special names in your family? Care to weigh in on your choice for grandmother names?

And since I'm having a bit of an identity crisis, I thought it would be fun to include these links.

Are you in a state of well-being?

What period of history do you really belong in? (It was Elizabethan England for me.)

Do you call them cookies or biscuits?

This is worth repeating: Do you pronounce the word aunt ahnt or ant? Take this dialect quiz to find out what kind of accent you have.

And just for fun... Harry Potter fans, what's your patronus? (I am an otter.)

Homemade Maple Ice Cream

When I woke up this morning, the thermometer read -8 degrees. But the funniest thing has happened to me this winter. I've been craving ice cream. We have a wonderful chocolate and ice cream shop here in town, and although my family can't get enough of it, I was always the one content to sip my water as they enjoyed their treats. Even during the summer, I only indulge in a few frozen hot chocolates down the Cape while the others eat as many as they can get away with. But as the weather grew colder, and the snow started to pile up, we would pile into the car and head into town on a Sunday afternoon for ice cream. We've been doing very well since Christmas, but I'm afraid another visit is due very soon.

When I saw this recipe for homemade maple ice cream it reminded me that typically March means maple syrup time here in New Hampshire and...I still want ice cream, so why not combine the two?

Ingredients

• 6 egg yolks
• 1 cup maple syrup, Grade B
• 1 Teaspoon arrowroot
• ¼ Teaspoon sea salt
• 1½ cups half and half
• 1½ cups heavy cream
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

 Instructions

1. Whisk together the egg yolks, maple syrup, arrowroot, and sea salt until fully combined.
2. Whisk the half and half into the egg yolk mixture and cook over medium high heat, whisking constantly until the mixture begins to thicken but doesn’t come to a boil.
3. When the mixture thickens, immediately remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cream and vanilla.
4. Pour through a strainer to remove any stray bits and chill the custard in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
5. Freeze the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s instructions for your 2 qt. machine. The ice cream is done freezing when it stands up on a spoon. Remove the ice cream from the machine and place the container in the freezer for 4-6 hours to fully freeze it.

Enjoy!

Recipe via Gourmet Innovations