Reverence for Life...

                                              Yosemite 




 The beauty of a sunrise, sunset, lake, mountain or stream, resonates within the spirit, and calls for a response. For each person the response will be felt and interpreted in a unique way consistent with that persons experiences, beliefs and values. Even so, the reverberations felt within a person to the beauty of nature go very deeply into the core of our human nature, and how we were created.


Nature in all its glory, nurtures and refreshes the spirit. There is a slowing down of our internal motor when we come across a breathtaking view. This slowing down can be perceived physically in a decrease in blood pressure, pulse and respiration rates. There can be a sense of coming home to what matters most in life when ones visual field is full of a beautiful sunset (as in the above photo). All of the extraneous elements that distract us, or irritate, annoy, or in other ways disquiet our spirit, are somehow stripped away, and we are left focusing on the magnificence before us. It is in these precious moments that we get a glimpse of heaven on this earth. It is also in these moments that we can come to a deeper appreciation of the gift of life.  

Favorite Cookbooks...

                                              Kathy's Favorite Cookbooks


I own close to 50 cookbooks, which cover all types of international food, culinary techniques, and basic kitchen knowledge. Some of these cookbooks I have had for over 30 years, such as my Betty Crocker cookbook. Others I have owned for a short time, such as Lulu's Provencal Table, which was given to me by my father on Labor Day weekend 2010, when I visited my parents in Bend, Oregon.


My last post was about inspiration, and these cookbooks are where much of my inspiration comes from for cooking and baking. In addition, the magazine "Fine Cooking" also offers a wealth of information, excellent recipes, stunning pictures of succulent dishes, and wonderful tips on all kinds of problems that may arise while in the kitchen.


Recently I picked up a used copy of Elizabeth David's Mediterranean Food, which is quite a find from a used book sale because it goes into the history behind the recipes. Originally published in 1950, this little book is a treasure trove of historical knowledge, mixed with the expertise of a renowned chef. Elizabeth David was England's revered culinary authority, who revolutionized British cooking in the 1950's.


Marion Cunningham (of Walnut Creek) has written many great cookbooks, one of which I turn to several times a month when looking for a recipe from the past.The title of this cookbook is Lost Recipes, and I have made Joe's Special, Vegetable Frittata, Popovers and many others that remind me of the things my Mom would make when I was growing up.


I cannot leave out mentioning the Cafe Beaujolais Cookbook, written by Margaret Fox (former owner/chef at Cafe Beaujolais Restaurant in Mendocino, CA.) The Black Bean Chile recipe (which is what Julia Child ordered when she visited this restaurant in the early 1980's) is excellent! The Pumpkin Muffin recipe and Sour Cream Waffle recipe are also some of my favorites from this cookbook.


Related to the Cafe Beaujolais Cookbook is the cookbook titled Morning Food by Margaret Fox published in 2006. This dogeared book focuses on food that will make family and friends jump out of bed to get to the breakfast table first! My favorite recipe from this book is Buttermilk-Cinnamon Coffeecake, which the restaurant was known for. In addition, there are a large variety of waffle, french toast, and omelet recipes-Blue Cheese, Bacon, Apple and Walnut Omelette being my favorite.

In honor of chef Alice Waters, of Berkeley's Chez Panisse Restaurant fame, I must include one of her many cookbooks titled Chez Panisse Cooking, published in 1988.This book is a reference book for me. I have never made a single recipe from this book, but I have enjoyed reading it for ideas over the years. My Dad loved the restaurant, and knew Alice Waters. I remember eating there once as a teenager with my family.

I would be doing a great disservice to Julia Child if I didn't include her Mastering the Art of French Cooking in my list of all-time favorite cookbooks. I have only made one recipe from this massive book...Boeuf Bourguignon (beef stew in red wine, with bacon, onions and mushrooms). This recipe is worth the price of the book!! Guests have always loved it. It was one of the recipes I made for my parents when they would come for dinner. 

Related to Mastering the Art of French Cooking, is Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home. This is a delightful book that is co-written by both chefs, with each of them
weighing in their tips and advice for each recipe. They had a wonderful friendship, and it shines through in the pages of this 400 page cookbook that is filled with beautiful full-page photos. I just got my hands on this book, and plan to try something from it soon.

~Kathy~ 

Inspiration...

Lately I have been pondering this word inspiration because it is a word that is full of meaning for me. I often decide to take up a new hobby, or take a class,travel, or read a book because I am inspired to do so.In fact, I think that quite a bit of how, when or why I decide to do something is based upon this very word...inspiration. 


I am not entirely sure that this is a good thing, and yet I think it has become my mode of operation, and at this point in my life it would be difficult to change. I admire those who carefully plan and plot, weighing alternatives to decide the best course of action, while trying to address all options equally. Somehow these types of abilities skipped my DNA, or maybe that is just my excuse for not taking the needed time to weigh all options before making a decision.


Even so, I am content with how I arrive at decisions. Thus far in my life I think I have made very good, if not excellent choices. I don't want to leave out the reality that faith has played in my life, and it has been a huge factor on many levels. 


There are many people who have inspired me along the way as well. Notable among them are my parents, friends and adopted Grandmother. Patients I have cared for have also taught me so much about life, love, suffering and forgiveness.
My husband has also been influential in how I have made decisions and lived my life. Everyone needs a good listener and sounding board, and he has always been there for me.


Many factors play into the complex feeling of being inspired, whether it be to better oneself, become more knowledgeable, push oneself into uncharted waters, challenge oneself at a higher level, see the world, discover something...it is nearly impossible to pin down just one cause of an inspiration. Relying on self-knowledge helps, as does talking things over with trusted family members and friends. It also helps to consult a higher power.

The Beauty of Nature

                Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.
John Muir

            Lake Tahoe is just the place to nourish body and soul. If you are lucky enough to get to the lake early in the morning, when the sunlight hits the water, and sparkles reflect the light, then you begin to realize a different pace of life. It begins to sink in that the beauty surrounding you reflects the divine, and calls forth a response from your spirit.Contemplating the deep azure color of the water, with ribbons of emerald and light violet, I was struck by the magnificence before me. To slow down and appreciate the masterpiece of nature is to give thanks to God for his creation.

             

The role of a father...

Fathers play a very important, and irreplaceable role in our society as a whole, but most importantly in the family. Within the family unit, the father is protector and provider. These two qualities require development, but they are essential to the full maturity of a father. 


A father is fulfilled through service to his wife and children, just as children grow and mature from the unconditional love from their parents. There is a saying that the mother is the "heart of the home", and there is truth in that saying. The gentle touch of a mother is precious and needed within the family. If the woman is the "heart", then the man is the"lifeblood of the home", ready to protect and defend his family at all costs.


I and my three siblings were blessed to have a wonderful father. He lived a joyful and appreciative life, where he gave unselfishly to his family. Each of our lives have been enriched by the love and sacrifice that he (and our mother) made for each one of us to live a fulfilling life. He passed along to us his love of learning, his love of cooking,and his love of travel and adventure. 


On this day after Father's Day, I hope that our society will always value the role that fathers have, and that fathers will realize and appreciate how important they are to the well-being of society...but most of all to the health of their own family.

Summer in Paris-2010

Recently I was reminded of my trip to Paris two summers ago with one of our daughters. In many ways, this trip was like something out of an I Love Lucy Show. The one hour train ride from the little northern town of Beauvais into Paris, and then the return trip back was the setting for a series of mishaps, and near disasters. 


The train was clean, fast and expensive to take each day. Our motive was to save money by trying to get away with using an old train ticket each day, saving us over 40 euros/day. We got lucky the first time we tried this, and decided to try it again the next day. Much to our dismay, on this particular day there were three men checking tickets once the train got underway. In our favor, the two-level train was built with glass doors separating different areas, which allowed for seeing these "ticket checkers" from afar, and deciding a course of action/escape.


On this particularly fateful day, my daughter and I spent fifty minutes out of the hour train ride into Paris trying to evade these three men. It became a cat and mouse game of sorts, as we both scurried upstairs and down, and even resorted to the bathroom at one point!


Luck eventually ran out, as all three "ticket men" ended up in our section, and it would have been impossible at that point to evade them. I feigned sleep, and let my daughter (whose idea this whole thing was) to deal with the men, and pay the ticket fee. We had been caught five minutes before the train arrived in Paris.


We learned our lesson the hard way, and bought our tickets for the remainder of our trip. I would never try such a thing in the U.S., but something about being in a foreign country, and being on a budget made it seem more reasonable...and even fun at the time. That all ended with paying the full ticket fee, and I would never try such a thing ever again. 

Playing the Piano

                                 This is our piano, a P.S. Wick from St. Paul, Minnesota. It is
                     a cabinet grand piano with a wonderful tone. It is 80 years
                     old.
                     I found this piano at an estate sale in 1988, and knew
                     it was a great deal. 

                    I had wanted to learn to play the piano since I first touched
                    my grandparents piano...at the age of two. Their policy was
                    a hands off policy, so I never was allowed to touch even one
                    key. 

                    Our first child took piano lessons, and with running after
                    several children under the age of ten, it was fulfilling to
                    listen to someone else play the piano. Over the years a 
                    few of our children took to the piano, and that was enough
                    for me at the time.

                    As children began to graduate from college and leave home,
                    the piano was sitting idle for long periods of time. I began
                    to feel again my childhood longing for learning how to
                    play this lovely instrument. So, I took a series of lessons,
                    and after many long hours of practicing numerous songs,
                    scales and chords,I can say that I am fairly decent on
                    the piano, as long as the piece is at my level.

                    More than learning the Circle of Fifths and other elements
                    of theory, I learned that if you really want to learn something,
                    no matter how difficult, it can be done. So much of learning is 
                    attitude. I will never be an expert pianist, but I didn't take up
                    learning piano in order to become an expert. I enjoy the 
                    process of learning, and when I look back at where I started
                    in piano, and what I know and can play now...it was all worth
                    every minute of practice that I put into it!