a collation worth mentioning

For lunch I like to consider eating simple, healthy meals, but I certainly want them to be tasty and enjoyable as well. I love it when I find such a meal that makes me anxious for the arrival of lunchtime just because the meal is so good! I would like to share a particular lunchtime meal with you  that falls into that approbative category

 Brown rice is my rice of choice and I prefer soaking the dried rice for about twelve hours before it is cooked. One cup of rice per two cups of water is placed into a bowl and covered until the next day. The soaked rice is then cooked and kept it in the refrigerator until needed for a dinner or lunch dish. A favorite midday meal is reheating the rice and topping it with a helping of homemade kimchi. Lately, I am  also liking the addition of a dash of Braggs Liquid Aminos. I do not usually include soy in my diet, but I have not noticed any problems with the "once in a while use" of this seasoning.  There is a high content of sodium in Braggs and Tamari sauce (but not as high as in regular soy sauce), therefore, it is a seasoning I would use sparingly and not very often.

What do you prepare for a healthy, delicious lunch? 

happenings of the home kind

That week beginning immediately after New Year's Day, which  as you know happened to be on a Wednesday this year, I have found to be much kinder to body and soul if that week is eased into  with as much calm and home kind of activities as possible. Not unlike yeast being added to the bread flour, it jump starts the forthcoming return of daily life's schedules.

Usually on New Years Eve I will pull out a new jigsaw puzzle on the table in the sun room. I begin with a marathon amount of hours working on it that evening, then it might rest until I absolutely must finish it. It "calls my name" if you know what I mean. It took New Years Eve and two day bouts of popping in from time to time to complete this 1000 piece puzzle this week.

 And in the kitchen, one of my most favorite places to be when I am home, a non-knead bread from this book was baked, and a  whole chicken roasted,  from which the meat was pulled off the bones in order to make a much requested dish for my husband, a pot of chicken and dumplings. How that man of mine loves a bowl of brothy rich chicken and dumplings! The bones were used to make the chicken stock. Between those two recipes January began with being surrounded with high levels of comfort food!

I  have no interest in drinking Chai Tea until the winter months. Last year I planned to try experimenting with making my own recipe for chai tea. But honestly, this loose leaf tea purchased from  Mountain Rose Herb Company is quite delicious. And having milk warmer and frother is excellent for adding hot milk or froth to any warm beverage. Last winter I spent some time reading reviews about several on the market via amazon and decided that this inexpensive one by eurolux would meet my needs, and it does so, most excellently.  I was pleased to hear how Michelle had created her own recipe for Chai tea this Christmas. 

new year, cables, reading, and yarn along

The first of the 2019 Yarn Alongs, and it almost caught up with me. How about you? The changing of the calendar always makes me breathless, but in a fine way. Newness in the middle of winter, satisfying to say the least.

Back in November a huge desire to knit a project using cables would not settle until I hunted through Ravelry and decided upon a pattern that I would not only like to knit but also would enjoy wearing.  This vest by Thea Colman was perfect, especially since I do not have much experience in cabling and it had been some time since I had in fact knitted anything with a cable. You begin knitting the project on the back of the vest where all the cabling is designed. The color of this yarn, Fauna, by Brooklyn Tweed Shelter is not showing up as pretty as it truly is, but I tried to show it with the second photo. I forgot how concentration is key when beginning such a project, but I learned quickly enough! And my magnetic board is extremely helpful in keeping my place.

Back in December I pulled Stillmeadow Daybook off the book shelf. Gladys Taber's books are never far from my reach, particularly her monthly journal books. I read throughout the December entries, many times reading them aloud to my family, now I am enjoying her January entries.

"New Year's resolutions are a chancy thing. I make mine simple. I only pray that I may be a better person the coming year than in the past. More tolerant, kinder, and gentler. Not impatient when things are difficult."