Blessings!

It seems I get along (a lot) better in my life when I step back and try to let the big questions and problems have a chance to work themselves out while I simply focus on the blessings I already have.

Some of my blessings this past week include:

The weather was so beautiful I got back to my beach walks.

I spent a bit of quality time with each of my kids.

A friend stopped by for a walk and a glass of wine and we chatted for a couple of hours in my kitchen by candlelight.

Getting started (finally) on a pastel drawing I've been wanting to do for my daughter's bed room.

Spending time with my sister and my nephews on a visit off Cape.

And making really tasty food for my family including a couple of tarts and a lemon cake.

Do you count your blessings? Do you find your life goes along more smoothly when you do?

Food as Conversation & a Taste Test!

I realized this week while in the middle of teaching my Analysis of Literature class at MA Maritime Academy how Food is often a powerful starting point for good conversation.

We've been reading Melville, Faulkner, Chekhov and Mansfield. The turning point for the character from Katherine Mansfield's Ms. Brill is when we watch her pass by her usual stop to pick up a honeycake. It was something she did often but on this day she doesn't. We had fun discussing why she didn't stop at the bakery- something she loved to do.

From there a student talked about a time he made an elaborate dinner for his girlfriend. Class ended with lots of talk about good food. Students asked me to promise by the end of the semester to bring in something for them to try.

Talks around food happen often at home too. There are times when I find it can be a bit of a challenge to connect to my teenagers. They grow and change in new directions so quickly.

So, I'll bake a Chicken Pot Pie (Bella's favorite) pictured here. It always gets them out of their room and into the kitchen to talk.

And we recently bought a Chicken Pot Pie from Pies A La Mode in Falmouth and then another one from Centerville Pie Company in Centerville to do a little taste testing of our own. They both make excellent pies but we decided we liked our version best. Because, we made it from scratch ourselves. Besides, it gave us something fun to talk about.

French Dips & Making Progress!

" A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same". ~ Elbert Hubbard

I've agreed to guest blog regularly for Girlfriendology. There is something about the concept of nurturing friendships that really appeals to me. Life gets so busy and time with friends makes it all worthwhile.
I've been lucky enough to have had some excellent friends in my life. Since food is always such a big part of so many friend get together's I thought it'd be fun to offer regular guest posts and reach a wider audience. It's going to be about hosting regular lunch clubs and offering tasty recipes too.
It's been a busy week here with getting my Language and Literature classes at MA Maritime Academy underway. Not to mention, I'm happy to announce I've completed a revised edition of "Meet Me in My Cape Cod Kitchen" and have it (just about ready) available as an e-book version through my Blog.
And if I don't hear from a Publisher who is willing to publish "Sweeter by the Beach" anytime soon, I will most likely shoot the photographs myself and make it available as an e-book as well.

As for the French Dips, over winter break my youngest daughter and I visited my sister for a night. She took good care of us and when we arrived made us a really tasty sandwich. It's something I see offered on pub menus often yet never made myself. Since we visited her, I've made them for my son (his new favorite sandwich), the kids Dad, neighbors, a friend who stopped by for an unexpected lunch and myself. They're so easy and good.
If you're looking for something new to make this weekend maybe you can give this super simple sandwich a try.

French Dip Sandwiches

Roast Beef, quality deli meat, sliced thin
Provolone cheese, sliced thin
Sharp Cheddar, sliced thin
Large Fresh Sub Rolls
2 cups, au jus sauce, for dipping the sandwiches

Place the fresh rolls, sliced open faced on a baking sheet. Turn your broiler on to a low heat. Place a baking rack close to the flame. Layer the roast beef and cheeses on top of the bread and place into a heated oven and brown for about 3- 4 minutes or until bread starts to brown and cheese melts. Place single servings of au jus sauce in small bowls and serve along with the sandwiches for dipping the sandwiches into and a nice freshly tossed green salad. Enjoy!