Author: SP

Red Beans & Rice

Red Beans and Rice

This is perhaps the most universal recipe in the world since it's an easy, cheap source of protein and calories. You can cook endless variations of this recipe – for example, using fresh peas instead of cooked dried beans, using Indian spices such as cardamom, or adding other ingredients such as mixed vegetables. You can use any type of long grain rice you prefer.
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 Onion peeled and diced
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 4 cups cooked red or black kidney beans
  • ¼ cup white wine vinegar
  • 3 cups cooked long-grain rice warm
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Ground red pepper and chili powder

Instructions
 

  • Heat oil in a pan large enough to hold all ingredients.
More...

Schwäbischer Kartoffelsalat (Swabian Potato Salad)

Taken from “The Daring Gourmet“.

Schwäbischer Kartoffelsalat (Swabian Potato Salad)

This authentic German potato salad comes from the Swabia region of southern Germany where it remains one of the most popular and most delicious of all potato salads!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Resting 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine German
Calories 284 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3 pounds small firm yellow-fleshed waxy potatoes (e.g. Yukon Gold) of similar size, skins scrubbed and peels left on
  • 1 medium yellow onion chopped
  • 1 ½ cup water mixed with 4 teaspoons beef bouillon granules Vegans: use vegetable bouillon
  • ½ cup white vinegar
  • Essig Ezzenz a few splashes (highly recommended for the best, authentic flavor)
  • ¾ tablespoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons mild German mustard If you can’t get it, use regular yellow mustard
  • cup neutral-tasting oil
  • Fresh chopped chives for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Boil the potatoes in their skins in lightly salted water until tender.
More...

Release

On Monday morning the moon was New again – the last New Moon for 2020. Yes, we’re starting to talk about “the last [x] for 2020”.

During the last cycle, I focused on Motivation. I had acknowledged that Words of Affirmation were high on my list of sources of Motivation, but what else? And how could I be more self-sufficient in my Motivation? How can I make the most of the gift of time?

I ended up spending a lot of the last cycle listening – listening for cues to where the next step might be, listening to my intuition – seeing where I was drawn and where I was pulled away, and more than anything, listening to the silence.

I was also gearing up for the tooth extraction.… More...

Motivation

Shortly after midnight Sunday morning the moon was New again – so it became time to review the last cycle and prepare for this one.

Last month I spoke about Intention, and as I did, I said “It’s not enough to know what we do and why we do it – but it’s important, especially right now, to understand all the nuance around us.”

There is a German proverb that says “Der liebe Gott steckt im detail”, which translates to ‘God is in the detail’. There are other variants that say that the devil is in the detail – but the end result is that whatever will save or ruin you is not always what is obvious to you, but breathes in whatever is under the surface.… More...

Intention

On Friday, October 16th the moon was New, so eight days ago I was called to find a focus for this cycle. The last cycle saw my attention move to Stillness. Before speaking, I wanted to ask myself who or what would I be speaking for? Was I speaking an actual truth, or simply my truth? Would there be a benefit to these words or actions beyond my own ego?

There are a lot of words flying around these days. Politics has a way of convincing everyone that they are the ones with the moral high ground. Myself included. But I also believe that there is no such thing as a moral high ground – that everything is a matter of perspective.… More...

Stillness

This morning at 7am (ET) the moon was new again – filled with possibilities for the upcoming cycle.

Last month I chose the Domino as a point of focus. As part of last month’s post, I was asked what happens if you get out of line, or get into a new line. I replied that being the Domino is more about what happens when we’re at choice. That we can arrive there when waiting is filled, or we can create our own inflection point. Either way – when it’s time to act, it’s time to act – even if action is inaction.

There were many opportunities to focus on that point of choice this past cycle. Whether to act or observe, whether to speak or be silent, whether to be in motion or to be still.… More...

Domino

It’s been a week since we were last visited by a new moon – making me seven days overdue in posting the focus for this coming cycle.

I had ruminated a lot on topics of Faith last month, and the role it plays in both shaping and distorting our reality. When I was wondering about this month’s focus, I was thinking about how Faith can help lead us toward answers in our lives. As I was thinking the focus could be answers, I started to reason that just as data leads to information, with the right perspective, answers can lead to solutions. So was the focus to be Answers or Solutions? When looking at that choice I thought, “well, maybe I’m supposed to be looking at Questions”?… More...

Faith

The moon was New at 1:33pm this afternoon, and while thinking about this coming cycle, I realized that I had no idea how to follow up last month. The last focus was on Light – which brought thoughts on the power of illumination and the contrast offered by shadow and relief. It also enforced the realization that our perception of a thing is governed at least in part by the Light with which it is viewed.

I feel like a lot of things have been exposed to Light for all of us in the last month, and for the months before that. I’ve always believed that bringing something to light was the first step in healing. So I had held a silent intention last month that by focusing on light, on discovery, and on revelation that we would all start to collectively rise out of the malaise and make positive changes in our local and global realities.… More...

Light

Last weekend brought us another New Moon. To steal a line from “What’d I Miss?”, from Hamilton: “there is no more status quo / but the sun comes up and the world still spins.”

There aren’t words I can use that will be thoughtful enough, descriptive enough, or delicate enough to include here about everything that’s transpired since I wrote my last New Moon post on May 24th. In fact, that’s been part of the reason that this post is so delayed – I kept writing… but I’d get two pages in before I ever got to the point of this post. So I am deliberately narrowing the focus. I am mindful of all that has happened, all that is happening, and all that is about to happen in the world – this post doesn’t address any of that directly.… More...

My brother Tom

I’ve been waiting to write this post until after Father’s Day, and until after I saw a post from at least one of my nieces – but now, I feel it’s appropriate for me to share the news that my oldest brother Tom passed away last Wednesday.

I’m going to share some thoughts and memories – but if you’d prefer the short version – please keep his daughters in your prayers. And the next time you look up at the stars, let your heart fill with wonder for just a moment.

——

Tom had been in failing health for a number of years with a seriously compromised respiratory system – but he was tenacious. He always believed that there was a science that could save him.… More...