The guy who wrote 'Beaten, Seared, and Sauced' had an epiphany--I want one of those!

Life, blogs and cookbooks are the closest I'll ever get to cooking school, so I keep an eye, ear and taste-bud out for new ingredients, twists, easier methods. My southern potato salad improved ever since some sweet lolly (little old lady) 'fessed up her secret ingredients: diced pimentos, cayenne and a tiny amount of sugar.

Finished reading Beaten, Seared, and Sauced: On Becoming a Chef at the Culinary Institute of America yesterday...got a major kick out of reading this guy's wild ride to becoming a chef. His tight storytelling grabbed me early on. Would he be yelled at today? Would he hold his tongue? Would he quit?
   Despite the boot camp-style torture of instructors constantly screaming at the poor students, how could Dixon not learn with teachers around who urged him to greater culinary prowess daily: "If one day you think that you haven't really learned anything that day, pick up a cookbook and teach yourself something. Otherwise it's been a waste of twenty-four hours."
   I don't have the AHEM to survive a rigorous culinary school any more than I'd make it through boot camp. What's worse, I don't have the drive, the determination, the perseverance to even become the best cook. I enjoy cooking, but truthfully, I'm lazy, almost always looking for shortcuts to produce the tastiest but easiest meal I can.
   While Hubby channel surfs, you'll find me flipping through a cookbook or a blog to pick up a technique or a new ingredient. Oh, the shame of it, I read about cooking more than I cook! ;)
   Though I'm happy enough to be who I am, I will admit to very much envying this Dixon guy his epiphany moment, that moment when all his training coalesces and transforms him from a guy who enjoys cooking into a chef.
   Dixon describes his lightbulb moment beautifully, "I looked the same, but my body felt different. My mind had had a bypass done on it. I felt able. I felt electrified. I saw school and everything about it as an opportunity to try and touch perfection, to hone efficiency, to find at every moment a chance to be better, no matter the external pressures."
   Gotta love that! Not even sure what life skill I should work on honing for my personal epiphany, but Beaten, Seared, and Sauced sure drives home the importance of always learning and improving oneself.
   I want to become passionate enough about something to feel "electrified"! Don't you?

Spicing up my smoothie and finally trying to sprout my seeds

I've had these alfalfa seeds for almost two years, and I'm just now getting around to trying to sprout them. If this works, I'll no longer need to buy plastic-wrapped sprouts, reduces packaging but saves me money too! And it doesn't get any more local than growing your own! Can it really be as easy as soaking them in water one day, then rinsing and draining them twice daily 'til they sprout?

Loving the book Healing Spices by Bharat B. Aggarwal, Ph.D, as I do think the phytonutrients found in plants can keep us healthy. Thanks to Healing Spices, I now know which spice does what for the body. The book also had some excellent lists for which spices pair well with each other and a substitution list if you're out of a spice.

These four ingredients are the base for my morning smoothie: a little coconut milk, a heaping tablespoon of brown rice protein powder, 6 ounces of plain organic yogurt, a tablespoon of stevia and a teaspoon of ground flax seed. Takes the guesswork out of eating breakfast. Gotta love that! This morning, I added a peach, 8 blueberries ('cause that's all I had!) and ground nutmeg to the usual base before blending. First time I ever added nutmeg...YUM!

Ironically, there are not enough hours in the days of summer, but I figured pics with captions will get the job done. I'm off to hang out with my folks this morn. Hope something interesting comes along to spice up your day!!

Upgrade potatoes and onions with easy Bourbon Caramelized Onions

I don't drink bourbon, but I like it in cooking...in small doses.

Gonna have to forgive me: I forgot to take a finished product photo! Will you take my word for it that the potatoes and onions taste oh, so good?
   Seems there aren't enough hours in the day anymore. Wish I had half the energy of Becky over at Simply Self Sufficiency. Naw, not me, but with all the to dos that come along with spring, it's harder to find time to laze around and read. Please forgive me for taking a picture of the recipe instead of copying it out, but I was having a hard time tearing myself away from reading The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love by Kristin Kimball.
   Love this little ditty from Kimball's book:
"Question: Why is farming like a relationship?
"Answer: Because you do not reap what you sow. That's a lie. You reap what you sow, hill, cultivate, fertilize, harvest, and store."

The caramelized onions added a nice little twist to the usual potatoes and onions.
I was going to bake these in the SunOven, but the sun disappeared so I had to use the stove.
The blue container is the kitchen compost bin.
I keep one near at hand every time I cook to catch the compost-ables.

Didn't cook down the onions completely before layering with potato slices, topping with butter and baking an hour at 350°F. Click on pic to enlarge recipe.

   Let me know if you can't get the pic to enlarge and need me to print out the recipe. Just finished and very much enjoyed reading the book. Now what should I read? Any suggestions??

I'm in love with Warren Buffett!

This mega-money man fascinates me. Love it that he took the time to sit down and chat with these girl scouts, even if he probably does have stock in Dairy Queen.
Warren's number ONE advice for young people: AVOID CREDIT CARDS!!

(Thanks for this video go to http://www.flierguy.com/, a blog I stumbled upon.)
   Now, Warren Buffett is actually endearingly frugal...still!! Want to know more about him? Check out his autobiography: The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life. Loved that book!
Grandgirl Visit -- Repurposing Time!
   Grandgirl2 will be here soon...get to hang out with her every day this week, and Grandgirl1 will join us on Thursday and Friday. Yesterday #2 repurposed a cardboard box that once held a manicure set into her personal treasure box by coloring it and gluing pictures she'd colored onto it. Young ones are great fun and so easy to please with little creative repurposing projects.
     Did you have a treasure box when you were little? Care to share any repurposing you're involved in lately?

I HEART: my local library

Rather than purchasing songs or buying CDs, I get a lot of my favorite tunes from the library. So easy to play on my computer or iPod. Wish I could remember the minimalist who suggested downloading all your CDs onto your computer and then donating those CDs to your local library. I have done this with the majority of my CDs...a win/win for both me and my community. Makes me feel GOOD to know others will enjoy my CDs. And slowly paring down my belongings will simplify my life as well as increase my storage space. Though donated and now in my library's collection, every time I need a kick in the pants I can still listen on iTunes or my iPod to my audiobook CD of Larry Winget's You're Broke Because You Want to Be: How to stop getting by and start getting ahead. (Though I disagree with his stance on couponing and other small ways to save, I totally agree with him that desire combined with effort pays off in shaping our finances.) The iTunes was a free download and my iPod was gifted to me by my brother. Not wanting to pay the $100+ bucks for a new one, I'd asked if he knew anyone who might have a used iPod to sell, and he said he had one lying around that he didn't use. Free for the cost of a new pair of earphones!