Living WholeARTedly: Savory and Sweet......Keeping My Resolution

As I posted at the beginning of the year, I made only one resolution: to savor each day. I'll be the first to admit it, some days are easier than others! Our weather has run the gamut of snow, below zero temps, and cloudy, gray days; work has been busy; there's the usual plethora of day to day concerns that distract us from enjoying life, and there is still mountains of stuff that I need to unpack and organize from my move . Still, I have found plenty of opportunities to savor each day.

I am quite fortunate to be blessed with an amazing view of Lake Michigan and if nothing else, I try to start each day by watching the sunrise. Some days are a dazzling display of color, others are moody and gray, but nonetheless beautiful in their own right:

I also get treated to beautiful sunsets and moonrises! Taking time to watch the subtle changes as we go from night to day or day to night is relaxing and reconnects us with nature -- a connection that is easy to lose with our busy lives, especially when you live in a city.

One thing I have managed to overcome, at least for the time being, is my disdain for winter. When I was younger it was my favorite season, but when you're older, have to drive in the snow, pay for heating fuel, or worse, don't have the money to heat your home like you'd like, winter loses its appeal. I am lucky to live in a toasty apartment with heat included as part of my rent, and though most of my work day is spent driving, I have begun to re-appreciate the beauty of winter: the softness of a snowy day, the contrast of dark, barren trees against the bright white, and the cold, crisp light of sunny, January day.

Winter aside, I have also been savoring the day by enjoying my new apartment. Not only by working on my art studio (as I posted the other day), but also be rediscovering my love of cooking.

Moving, work, the holidays, all took their toll and at the end of the year I felt like I was running on autopilot. Cooking among the chaos was just two daunting and I settled for a horrible diet of fast food. Though I am still unpacking, I can at least prepare homemade meals again!

It hasn't been without challenges. Aside from the fact I have a much smaller kitchen, I also still have quite a bit in storage. The other day while shopping, I decided to make a Bolognese sauce. I eagerly unloaded my grocery bags, only to remember that my knives were somewhere in my storage unit, probably at the bottom of a very big pile of boxes. Fortunately, I was not without cutting implements and I was able to gather the following tools:

Turns out the apple corer made short work of chopping onions and mushrooms, and though it was a bit awkward, the pizza wheel was able to slice my other vegetables. I would've of preferred to cook it in my enameled cast iron dutch oven, but as it was also packed, I settled for one of my heavier saucepans. Though the consistency of my chopping would definitely cost me points in a cooking competition, the end result was delicious! To help take the edge off of winter, I garnished it with a chiffonade of fresh basil.

A lot of what passes for Bolognese is a tomato sauce with meat, but the true Italian Bolognese really is more of a meat sauce with a little bittle of tomato. Hearty and satisfying, it is perfect winter fare.

Pasta Bolognese, garnished with grated Grana Padano and
fresh basil chiffonade. (c) 2014 Eric E. Paige

A good life is all about balance, so while a hearty meat sauce is a nice treat, it is not advised for daily consumption. As an atonement for my caloric indiscretions, I have also been making soups and stir fries. I recently made a batch of turkey broth, but each day have enjoyed it different ways: from the classic turkey-noodle soup, to an Asian version with bok-choy and ginger, to a Mexican version with hatch chiles and chayote squash. They all used the same broth, but the add-ins made them a completely different meal. Barley, faro, hominy, and rice are all great substitutes for pasta if you're looking to mix things up a bit, and the premade-stocks and broths are great if you don't have time to make homemade stock.

I encourage you all to try to do something each day to make the day special, whether it be watching the sunrise, cooking a nice meal (or going out), or simply enjoying a relaxing cup of tea or coffee. Find at least one thing for which to be grateful each day -- especially on those days when your feeling down. Yes, it's snowy and gray as I type this, and the polar vortex is supposed to drop the temps tonight, but it is all temporary-- the weather will shift. In the meantime, think of it as an OPPORTUNITY to stay in and read a good book, work on an art or craft project, or to enjoy your home and family.

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Monday, January 20, 2014

Savory and Sweet...
...Keeping My Resolution

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