I love to make my own dressings.  I got tired of buying bottled dressing to only throw it away because I wasn't using it.  So I started making my own.  Most dressings and vinaigrettes make only a small portion, so I can use it up.  A friend brought a pasta salad with this dressing on it and it was amazing. Enjoy!

Parmesan Balsamic Vinaigrette

yield: Makes about 2/3 cup

Only ten minutes to make - start to finish!

 

1 garlic clove

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons minced fresh basil

1/2 oz parmesan, finely grated (1/4 cup)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

Mince garlic and mash to a paste with 1/4 teaspoon salt, then whisk together with vinegar, lemon juice, basil, parmesan, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper.

Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until well blended.

Cranberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bake

I heard this afternoon that Cranberries are the new super fruit and should be included in your daily diets.  So here's something to pop into your oven while you do your morning Tai Chi.  Then call your best friend over for breakfast and coffee and tell her you need some help with something... :)

12 ServingsPrep: 10 min. Bake: 50 min.

• 3 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 3 cups fat-free milk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• Additional milk, optional

• In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. In another bowl,
• whisk together the egg whites, milk, oil and vanilla. Stir into the
• oat mixture just until moistened.
• Place in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake
• at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until oats are tender and liquid is
• absorbed. Cut into bars. Serve in bowls with milk if desired. Yield:
• 12 servings.

Adventures in Tai Chi

I had some time before the retreat to memorize my stretches and the order they came in and was feeling fairly confident... and more than a little scared.  I decided that these ladies had probably never heard of the exercises and wouldn't know if I just made it up as I went along.  As the ladies entered the beautifully decorated room and made themselves comfortable, I sat at a back table clutching my Native American CD and my notes and tried to wake up from the dream I must obviously be having.  Finally the retreat director brought everyone to the front of the room and introduced me.  Twenty ladies stared back at me, some with looks of delight and others curious.  The director was looking a little frantic and I hoped I did not have a deer in the headlight look on my face.  I started the flute music and explained a little bit about the benefits of Tai Chi and told them this one had name I just could not pronounce.  They all giggled a little, but one woman lifted her chin, and with a twinkle in her eye said,  "Oh! Qi Gong!"   Well isn't that special.  Someone in the group was familiar with those exercises.  I allowed myself to panic a little, but pasted a huge smile on my face and agreed with her.  As we began the stretches, I continued to talk gently about the importance of crossing the midline and how these exercises not only stretch your body, but allows you spend some quiet time with God.   Their faces lit up and they followed my every move.  One woman gasped in delight when I renamed one of the stretches Calling to the Spirit.  When it was all over and the sounds of the flute drifted away, we began the retreat in prayer.  Several of the women came up to me and actually asked me if I lead classes in Tai Chi and how could they sign up?   I wasn't about to tell them I had only hours to learn the moves and then just trust in the Holy Spirit.  Some day I will...    
I got to lead the routine again in the morning when we gathered for breakfast.  I learned a lot about myself that weekend and the power of friendship.  Tai Chi truly energizes you and forces you to become silent for a moment.  I hope you do learn some of the stretches and try them in the morning.  And I hope you all have the kind of friends who call you  and get you involved in all kinds of crazy activities that force you out of your comfort zones. (This is the same friend, by the way, who got me to play for her daughters wedding on five minutes notice.  The bride was literally standing just below the foyer. But that's a story for another day)
  I felt like I was free falling that weekend of the retreat.  Lucky for me the Holy Spirit was there to lift me up. 

What are friends for?

Last spring we had a wonderful womens' retreat in our church.  It was a weekend of relaxation and renewal in a spa-like atmosphere- for those attending.  For those of us planning,  it was a hilarious journey of panic and stress.  After months of hip deep snow and sub-zero weather, the director was determined to give us a weekend of inner peace.  And she did.  It was a beautiful weekend that ladies are still talking about.  We had many wonderful speakers and scrumptuous food.  Then she got the idea of Tai Chi exercises.  She had the name of an older woman in the community who was familiar with the process and she agreed to come and lead us.  The morning of the retreat I was jarred out of a blissful sleep by the sound of the phone.  It was the director's husband, apologetically calling for his wife.  On hindsight, she probably thought I would not say no to him.  I imagined her sitting in bed with the quilt covers up to her nose as he started dialing.  He went on to relay the bad news that the woman leading the Tai Chi class was stuck in a blizzard in North Dakota and would not be at the retreat.  He gently explained that his wife wanted ME to learn the moves and lead the class in just a mere six hours.  What?!  Assuming this was all a bad dream, I laughed and pinched myself.  No luck.  I was still standing there in my jammies, hair standing on end, clutching the phone in silence.  What was she thinking?  When the phone was passed to my friend, I hear the panic in her voice.  This is the first retreat she has ever put together. In fact, she finally revealed that she had never even been to a retreat and she didn't know what she was doing and needed my help.  Then she told me she already emailed me the link for the exercises and would I please...   The real panic hadn't set in yet for me, so I reluctantly agreed and went straight to the computer to look at the nine stretches.  I watched a video on someone doing some of the moves and thought (famous last words)  how hard could it be?  So I printed the exercises, grabbed my coffee and headed off to work.  Yes...  I had to work that day and would be practicing the moves in my head all day long until the retreat.  I admit during recess duties, I gave furtive glances around me and practiced a few moves.  My co-workers, of course heard the story and were in stitches all day long waiting to hear how this would all turn out.  to be continued...

Fabulous Beet Recipe

I was never a fan of beets growing up, but now I love them.  I heard of this recipe in a book I am currently reading and I just had to google it.   This sounded way too good to keep to myself.  I cannot WAIT to try this:

BEETS AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS WITH FETA
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb onions (2 medium), cut 4 by 4
1 teaspoon sugar
2 (15-oz) cans small whole beets, drained and quartered (or halved if very small)
3 oz crumbled feta (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (1 oz), or more
How:
Whisk together vinegar, mustard, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl, then add 2 tablespoons oil in a slow stream, whisking until combined well.
Cook onions with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and sugar in remaining 1 tablespoons oil and Pam in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Add onions pinenuts and beets to dressing, stirring gently to combine. Serve sprinkled with cheese,

Makes 4 servings.

Daily Grace

...The last two days of summer vacation...  where did it go?  It seems like just one blink ago, I had that goat on my front lawn, taking care of extra grass.  Sort of.  And now the nights are getting so chilly, the days growing shorter.  Back to school shopping reminds me of penny loafers and brand new boxes of 16 count crayons.  That was the biggest box you could get then.  We didn't carry backpacks to school in those days.  I imagine we carried our supplies in a brown paper bag.  We only lived a few blocks from school, so we walked on most days.  I do remember getting to ride the Town Bus once in awhile. I have vague memories of first grade and adoring my teacher.  I don't remember the walks home, but I do remember telling my very curious little sister everything about school when I got home.  She would watch for me at the back door and ask so many questions. Then we would settle in for an afterschool snack and watch Popeye on our old black and white television.  Dinner time was always six sharp.  Shortly before that we would be called to set the table, which meant pulling the table out from the wall and fighting about who set the plates and who set the middle.  Before long, dad would roll up the drive in his old pickup, come into the house all dusty from work and give our mom a quick kiss.  Then he would ask how his 'girlies' were before cleaning up for supper.  We each had our own mealtime prayers and mom would finish with the main grace.  I can still hear her soft voice as she prayed, head bowed.   I have been researching meal prayers for years trying to find the exact one she used, but have had little luck.  Meals were simple on most days.  Typical german meat and potatoes meals, with lots of pickles, veggies and fresh bread.  Most of the food was grown in our backyard or bought from neighboring farms.  I can remember going to pick corn.  We brought back bushel after bushel that mom froze.  There was nothing better than coming home after an afternoon of swimming to pluck a piece of corn out of the boiling kettle.  Salt and butter dripping off our chins, we would talk about our days.  That sunny little kitchen seemed to be the heart of our home. 

Prairie Mornin'

Mornings on the Prairie are just so beautiful.  Especially after a wonderful evening with friends and a peaceful walk home.  We gathered for a barbecue to celebrate a birthday this week and I was thinking what a blessing friends are as I walked the brief two blocks home. My sister and her family came north for a wedding this week and stopped to visit our other sister during their busy week.  It sounds like they had a fabulous visit.  I could almost hear their laughter over morning coffee and caramel rolls as they began to catch up on their lives.  And everyone got to fuss over the new baby in the family.  My little group of friends are each as different as we could possibly be.  I often wonder why we are friends - we are that different from each other.  But when we're together, we're a tight group and there's nothing we wouldn't do for each other.  It was my mother's biggest fear that we sisters would not really know each other as adults.  But to our delight, we have bonded and can truly say we are all friends.  And we are all as different from each other as can be.  Our mother had five rose bushes planted in her yard.  Was she thinking of the five of us when she planted them? I like to think so.  I like to think of her prayers for us as she planted each one.  Her hopes and dreams for our futures.  She was that kind of mom.  A piece of her is in all of us...  whether it's her giggle, sparkling eyes, love of baking, creativity, or enthusiasm for life.  I always think a hug from my sister is like a hug from mom...  and how many hugs I missed on this last family visit.  I miss you all!

This is the salad I brought to the party last night.  I don't mind telling you it is fantastic.  Enjoy!

Heirloom Tomato Salad
6 medium yellow and red tomatoes (about 3 pounds. I used some cherry tomatoes also) cut into wedges
1 small Vidalia or other sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T red wine vinegar
1 T sugar
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 c fresh basil leaves, chopped

Heat vinegars and sugar over medium heat about 1 minutes until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat; whisk in oil, garlic, salt and pepper.  Pour warm dressing over tomatoes; sprinkle with basil and toss gently to coat.  Let stand 30 minutes to blend flavors.  Toss before serving.