A Hello in Return

I’m sorry, dear reader, for not writing yesterday. It was a hard day, a lot harder than I had anticipated. I tried to distract myself as much as possible. I followed my dad back to his condo and he filled my tires with air, while I chatted with him and my stepmum. A bit later I headed to the mall because I really needed work pants. Unfortunately it was not open for another hour, so I went around the corner to Barnes and Noble to wait it out. 

I love Barnes and Noble. It’s one store I can spend hours in and never want to leave. I found multiple books that are going on my Christmas list. Then a couple that I just could not wait to buy. One caught my eye because it had a picture of Einstein on it and is cleverly called “What Einstein Kept Under His Hat: Secrets of Science in the Kitchen.” Alton Brown wrote a recommendation for the book on the cover and it made me pick it up to read the synopsis on the back. I read the first few lines and knew immediately I wanted to read it. I love when that happens! I felt the same way about the other one I bought called, “An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace.” They both offer tips and tricks for cooking. I’m looking forward to reading them when I finish my current book. 

When I could finally pry myself from the bookstore, I headed to JC Penney for clothes. They’re always having a clearance sale so I found a bunch of shirts on sale for under $10 and one sweater for $5. You can’t beat those prices, especially since the quality of the clothing is far superior to Target or Walmart. 

When I got home the reality of my sister being gone had finally started to hit me. I’m not the only one who noticed the emptiness of the house. The cats had sad faces as well. 

 Since yesterday I’ve been trying to keep my head up and move along through my day. I didn’t realize how connected my daily life has been to my sister. It certainly is eye-opening and makes me see how hard it is to be that open and connected with another person. My mum used to say that Katie and I have twin language. We could just look at each other and laugh or know what the other one was thinking. I swear today I felt what my sister was feeling or it could have been my own exhaustion. The past week had been an emotional one. 

Luckily my mum and I had planned a little distraction we would enjoy together. She stopped over and I made us dinner and she hemmed my new work pants. It’s not easy being short yet not short enough to fit into the petite pants. I made her one of my new favorite meals, Wild Tuscan Rice with Asparagus. She loved it so much she had seconds, a reaction every chef loves to see! 

First I took out the juice and seeds of two tomatoes and added water to make up 2 cups of liquid to boil.

I measured out 1 cup of this hearty rice mix. I like buying a rice mix that has a few different kinds of rice because it mixes things up for your taste buds.

Then I cut up the rest of the tomatoes and put them off to the side.

Next I blanched some asparagus, which is basically just throwing it in boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes. After I dumped it in the strainer, I shocked it with cold water to retain that lovely green color.

I grabbed a sauté pan to cook up a shallot and garlic in extra virgin olive oil. I added salt, pepper, marjoram and oregano. Then I tossed in the chopped up tomato to sauté until the juice still in the tomato ran all along the pan. I added a bit more seasoning at this point.

I cut up the asparagus into little bits and added all the ingredients together with the rice. The package says it should cook for 50 minutes, but when I cook it at the simmer on my oven’s dial it only needs 30 minutes. So I prep and cook the other ingredients while the rice simmers. Everything comes together within 40 minutes, which is still an ideal time for a mid-week meal. 

I always add basil at the end for that extra Tuscan feel and shredded Parmesan cheese for a salty, cheesy bite.

I’m headed to bed now. My sleep schedule feels off. It could be that Katie is now currently living Tuesday morning and I’m still in Monday night. Or could be that Saturday night I had 2 hours sleep because Katie and I were preparing for her big trip the following day, either way I’m looking forward to putting my head on my pillow. 

Food Blog:

Breakfast	2 tbsp	cream cheese, organic
	2 pcs	multigrain toast
	1	plum pluot
Lunch	2 c.	red fingerling potatoes
	1 tbsp	vegan margarine
	1 tbsp	chives, organic chopped
Beverages	4 c.	water
	2 c.	tea
	2 c.	black coffee
	1	red wine, glass
Snack	2	Oatmeal Raisin Cookie, Kashi Brand
	3 oz	chocolate, organic
Dinner	2 c.	Wild Tuscan Rice with tomatoes and asparagas
	1/4 c.	parmesan cheese, shredded organic

**Remember Carol Burnett had a signal at the end of her show to say hello to her mother. Well this is for Katie until you return:

Sarah Jenkins