When Laziness Pays Off

I am going to go to the gym.

I am going to go to the gym.

Fortunately, though, I spent my morning puttering around on Facebook and Jezebel.com. Fortunately, I say because I would have otherwise missed the phone appointment, that I made at the end of last week, with the tax guy. I wrote it down in my calendar. I just failed to look at my calendar from last Thursday on.

I am going to go to the gym....soon. After I check these sites one more time.

Not Enough

I am not enough.

I've gotten this message loud and clear this past week.

I am not enough. I can't visit everyone who is in the hospital as much as they would like me to. I can't get to 4 hospitals at the correct times when people aren't in procedures or rehab. I can't get to all of the home bound members before Easter - even though I've "slacked" with bad weather and illness. I am not enough.

I am not enough. I can't force someone else to recognize that solemnity does not mean sadness. I can attempt to explain why we follow the path of Holy Week, but when someone does not want to, I can't make them understand that recognizing our sinfulness, recognizing our part in the story helps us also to recognize that it is for us that it all happened. I am not enough, particularly when the person will not accept that a young woman should be a pastor.

I am not enough. According to the adult leader of college students to whom I spoke on Wednesday night. I am not enough because I am not married. Speaking to the students was fantastic, with the brief exception of the time in which she (the adult leader) would not let go of the fact that I'm not married...ending with that she would pray for me. I hate when "I'll pray for you" sounds like an insult.

I am not enough. I happen to be an easy authority target for a particular member. He's recognized it, but his recognition doesn't always stop him. I am authority - thus I must be cut down to size. I am not enough in that I allowed myself to be dragged into it - 45 minutes before the Good Friday service. I am not enough in that I wasn't clear in my points. I am not enough in that, even as I expect that he would respect my position, I did not respect his. I am not enough in that I couldn't maintain that solemnity that I spoke of earlier.

I am not enough. I gave up on writing a Good Friday sermon. I didn't do it. Everything that I came up with paled and drew away from the Scripture and the cross. But. The theme I was playing with (ironically...or maybe obviously) was that Peter was not enough. He couldn't hang in there. He couldn't draw his sword and save the day. He couldn't acknowledge his dedication to Jesus. He ran away.

And that is Good Friday. We are not enough. In any of this. We can't do it. We can't bring ourselves back around - force ourselves to stand in the presence of God - recognize the goodness of all of God's creation - without Christ's redemption for us. Without Christ's redemption for me.

I am not enough. But, who is?

The Tofu Tango

I made two dishes this weekend and realized that, though it's good I have the ingredients for "Oven Ratatouille" (pg 92), I best wait until I've eaten these dishes.

So - I have made "Chile Cabbage with Shiitakes, Sweet-Crisp Onions and Tofu" (pg 32). Yes, it is in a to-go container. I'm just so hip that I was running late on my way to a concert - so I brought my cabbage and tofu with me :).


This yummy dish is "Sweet Potato Hash with Smoked Tofu and Red Onions" (pg 115). Not a huge story here - but it is very good.

Funny - no greens

Here are my latest concoctions . I believe I'll have a couple more before the weekend is up. If I do, I will be only 2 dishes (or 8 days) behind my goal. Of course, after this next (Holy) week, I'll be even more behind. But, it's about the fun of making it all, eh?

This was a last minute "oh! I wonder if they have a recipe for sweet potatoes because I'm planning on doing something with it anyway!" This is Oven-"fried" Sweet Potatoes (well, really, only one potato) (pg 116). I was basically going to do the very thing that the book instructed, except I would have probably been checking them more frequently, not knowing a suggested time.
This is Portobello Parmesan (pg 84). I only made two mushrooms and had too much of the cheese mixture (did you know there was such a thing as too much cheese?). It was still very good.


And these are "Coated Carrots: Afrique du Nord" (pg 38). I have no idea what that second part means...I'm pretending it means African of the North. Anyone know?? These carrots have cumin, cinnamon and citrus juice, among other things. This dish is definitely one of my favorites.

Hospital Calls

I've been visiting a lot of hospitals and nursing homes lately. Yesterday, partly due to being so far behind in home visits because of weather and illness, partly due to the number of people in the hospital, I visited 7 people. It was my entire day. It was a nice day; I enjoy it. But, I wouldn't want to do that all the time.

Earlier this week, as I was leaving one of the hospitals, I was thinking to myself that it would be somewhat nice to have to be in one for a little while. I wouldn't want to be horribly sick, but to lay in bed, have people bring me food and drink, watch tv or sleep. Yes, I'm feeling tired.

Just as I was thinking to myself "nothing too serious, but enough that I got to stay overnight" I crossed paths with a man I know. He told me that he was visiting his wife for the one-hundred and something day in a row (he knew the exact number). He talked about his car knowing the way to the hospital. He looked exhausted.

So, no. I do not want to go into the hospital. Not really (though, if anyone wants to come and bring me food and drink while I lay around and watch tv, you're welcome to it...I just need to get that work ethic off my back!). And, I am thankful for those hospitals that I've been visiting - the care, the cleanliness, the attitudes of the staff, the advances of technology and the well-roundedness that includes hospital chaplains I can call when I'm too sick to visit.

Green Beans without cream of mushroom soup

Here is the recipe for Green Beans with Crunchy Peanut-Lemon Coating (from "The Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without" by Mollie Katzen.
1 to 1 1/2 cups peanuts (unsalted or lightly salted)
2 Tablespoons canola or peanut oil
2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt (more if peanuts are unsalted)
1 pound fresh green beans, rimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
Red pepper flakes, to taste
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1) Place peanuts in a blender and grind briefly until they form a coarse meal. Set aside.

2) Place a large, deep skillet over medium heat. After about a minute, add 1 Tablespoon of the oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the ginger and saute for a few minutes, then add the crushed peanuts, plus the lemon zest and garlic. Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the peanuts are lightly toasted. Transfer this mixture to a medium-large bowl, and if the peanuts are unsalted, stir in some salt to taste. Set aside.

3) Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, then return it to the stove over medium heat. Wait about a minute, then add another Tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat the pan. Turn up the heat, add the green beans, and stir-fry over high heat for about 5 minutes. Somewhere along the way, sprinkle with about 1/4 teaspoon salt and a big pinch of red pepper flakes.

4) Stir-fry just a few minutes longer, or until the beans are divinely tender-crisp. Add the peanut mixture and the lemon juice, tossing everything together. Taste to adjust the salt and red pepper flakes, if necessary, and serve right away.

Facebook: The Black Hole of Time

If it weren't for the scrabble (or scrabulous) application, I'm not sure I would be as addicted to Facebook as I am. But, there is rarely a day that I am not checking my Facebook page - at the very least to play my next move on scrabble, but often to check in on "friends" (most of whom really are friends).

I've started to notice though, that I now sometimes assimilate some of the information about what is currently going on with a person as if we've had a conversation about it. So, at a meeting the other day, I mentioned that I knew so-and-so wasn't feeling well. I knew this because of her Facebook page - not because of any conversation with her.

It's so odd. And something to watch. Pretty soon I'll just be saying "So-and-so is...." and only ever be able to tell you their status, and not really how they are.

The Good Life

Today, as I was on the phone w/ Belle, my doorbell rang. It was a couple of the kids from church and they were handing me boxes of Girl Scout cookies (because I realized that my kids who are Girl Scouts never hit me up!). My life sure is grand.

This past weekend I went to three different shows. A play, a band in a bar, and a musical. I also got to hang out with my brilliant book club friends. My life sure is fun.

In the last couple days I have made three of the recipes from my New Year's Resolution. They were:
Cauliflower Gratin with Capers and Bread Crumbs (pg 41).


Sauteed Fennel with Crispy Fried Lemon (pg 58).And,Green Beans with Crunchy Peanut-Lemon Coating (pg 69). (I think this may have been my favorite recipe so far.)

My life sure is full of vegetables and vegetable left overs.