It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Happy holidays!

Beef Teriyaki - Raw Pack Canning

Hey all,
I will polish this more tomorrow and make it pretty. Please note that this recipe is for my OWN use. It is not FDA tested and I do not recommend anyone, especially inexperienced testers use untested recipes.

This had a nice, light teriyaki flavor, not a heavy syrupy one. Feel free to doctor the dish after processing (see notes) to taste to tweak it.

PER PINT of cubed raw beef
Two tbl tamari or soy sauce (do NOT add salt)
1 tbl brown sugar
1 chopped scallions
1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger (powdered will taste different, be aware)
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
(red pepper flakes if desired)


PRESSURE CAN according to directions for beef.

Notes...

• I tried doubling ginger and garlic. Don't.
• the small shake of red pepper flakes I added didn't even make a blip, next time I kick it up
• If using this much soy, allow slightly more headroom
• To serve, scrape off any solid fat on top, dump in a pan, *add one more tbl of brown sugar*, heat through covered, on med high to high heat. Serve over rice & steamed veg.
• If desired, before heating pour off sauce into a bowl and add some cornstarch to thicken. Then add to pan and proceed as mentioned.
• If you desire more sauce (my husband did) add stock or water and a small amount of soy to the pan. Do not add just soy or the saltiness will overwhelm the flavors.

A Goal Set: Thanksgiving Update

About a week after I wrote the post A Goal Set is a Goal Met, I brought my family to a Welcome Home Open House for Sensei Kayla Harrison -- the first ever US Gold Medalist in Judo. I had a blast watching both my girls take a judo class from Sensei Kayla and was giving them snacks when Sensei Kayla said, "Ok parents. Your turn ... Get on the mat."

I was using my cane that day but I didn't hesitate to line up with the other parents to begin the workout. Until I realized she was beginning with jogging to warm up. Crestfallen, I left the mat and headed back to my seat struggling not to admit how close I was to crying. Until that moment, I had no idea how badly I wanted to be out there And then something clicked.

I stood up and walked over to Sensei Riley and said, "Please. I can't do the warm-up ... can I still do the class?" He said, "Of course!"

And I did.

I needed someone to bring me my cane to get off the mat after the class but I know I was beaming. As I rested and waited my legs t return to something other than jelly, the dojo quieted down as they began to raffle off door prizes. I could hardly believe my ears when they called my number for the Grand Prize.

I won a month of free judo classes and a free uniform. I didn't even consider using the prize towards Maddie's  fees ... this one was mine. I walked up to Sensei Pedro to accept my prize with my cane and he looked me in the eye with a smile, "You going to do this?" I grinned back at him and said, "Yes."

I set a goal. I would do a month of judo. I would get there at least once a week for a month, if it meant I had to have family drive me, if I had to go up and down those damn steps on my butt. Where I usually share everything exciting on Facebook, I kept this goal private. Telling only a few people, I drew on family, friends and my Fibromyalgia support group to keep me going those first few classes. Sensei Riley helped me chose classes where he would be able to help me modify the exercises ... he often offered to help me get down the stairs after. I felt safe going to his classes knowing that he had seen me struggle up those steps enough to understand the severity of my weakness. Many times I went to the Women's Workout class, which focuses on weights, core strengthening hardcore exercise and using judo for self-defense. I loved every exhausting, muscle-shaking minute. Inspired by how much enjoyed the classes, my older daughter Audrey joined Maddie and I on the mat. I was thrilled to hear that staff at her school have noticed the change in her - she walks with a new a happiness and confidence.

It has been two months now and I'm still going. Last week I was finally able to actually jog for the warm up for the first time. Today is Thanksgiving in the United States. I have many amazing blessings I have in my life, but I wanted to take a minute and post that I am thankful to Senseis Pedro and Riley for the chance to try and the encouragement to succeed.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Updated 11/27/2014 A Heart Full of Joy

Updated 6/23/2015 Giving Thanks. 2015.

From Scratch Chicken Divan

For some reason I was crazy in the mood for Chicken Divan tonight. I never buy condensed soup mixes so I created this recipe to use what I had in the house. And it was so incredible. It's too bad for the children that they didn't like it because I made a second pan for the freezer and they will just have to cope.

This recipe makes two square pans or one large 9x13 pan. Notes on preparing a pan for the freezer included below but I haven't tested my freezer pan yet.

Chicken Divan
Preheat Oven to 350F

Ingredients

2 cups cooked rice

Some cooked chicken (I used one quart sized jar but honestly, however much chicken you want to feed your horde)
One Med to large head of broccoli (you can also add in or substitute cauliflower, romanesco or asparagus), steamed (I steamed in the micro)
Two shallots sliced
1-2 tbl butter
4tbl wondra or white flour
2 cups chicken broth or stock
1/2 tsp each curry and mustard powders
1 tsp granulated garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cups each Mayo and Greek yogurt 
1-2 cups mild shredded cheddar cheese
Breadcrumbs
In a small pan melt butter; saute shallots until soft
Add wondra, stir well (will look awful)
Over low heat, add one cup stock, mix well
Stir in spices, Mayo yogurt, stirring well
Add last cup of stock, stirringAdd broccoli, chicken and rice to pan, layering or mixing as desired
Pour sauce over top.
Top with cheese then breadcrumbs
Cover w foil, bake 30 min or until it begins to bubble. Remove foil for last 10. 

To prepare for freezer, I added the rice, broccoli and chicken to my pan, STOP, and cover with plastic wrap and then tin foil. From what I read on the web, the rice would absorb the sauce while freezing/thawing so I've kept them separate. Allow sauce to cool and place in a separate freezer safe container (I use BPA-free Ziploc Perfect Portions bags). Add shredded cheese to another freezer container. I stuck them all in a jumbo ziploc (including the pan) but you could do whatever you want to keep them together.

When ready to assemble, thaw the pan and the sauce however you normally choose to (if you usually pop your glass pans in the oven frozen, do so BEFORE preheating your oven to reduce the whole exploding glass pan odds). Pour sauce over stuff in pan. Consider adding some chicken stock or milk if you want it more soupy. Top with cheese and then bread crumbs and cook.

ETA: I cooked it from the freezer as above (thawing a bit in the freezer first) and holy moly - it was  better than the first time.

Happy Holidays!

As we are getting closer to the December holidays I need help diseminating the kid's wish lists to various loving family members.

Somehow.

My children are the oldest grandbabies on both sides, so at this time of year I'm concious that how I approach things. Luckily, I embrace the wisdom of "set the bar low, baby". As my girls get older I realized they really didn't know HOW to start thinking about what to ask for. Where do they start?

Inspired by Pinterest, I've created this for my girls... we aren't planning on limiting them to these choices. This is in addition to their regular list to help them focus and let us know what really matters to them.

Wishing you a mellow, low-stress, full-of-love holiday season.

Anger, Politics and Applesauce

Two days after the 2012 US Presidential Election, I have a massive crockpot full of cranberry apple sauce beginning to warm in my kitchen. The apples are all locally grown - some from the amazing people at Farmer Dave's CSA, others picked by my family on a wonderful fall apple picking trip.

Some of you know I cook and bake to cope. I think today may take more than applesauce. Until I had children, I've never been particularly motivated but like much of the country I became deeply invested in the results of this year's decision. 

Well, it's done now. Some of us are elated while some are devastated. What I am feeling is known to my friends but is not the point of this post. Right now I'm focused on the fallout.

Today an already grieving friend was been emotionally and verbally abused under the guise of political expression. She contacted a friend to ask a completely non-political question and her close friend responded with a barrage of hateful texts regarding my friend's political choices. I'm touched by the grace with which my friend stepped back from the contact and leaned on her community to support her in her pain. 

So here is the point of this post.

If you are angry enough over this election to consider attacking or verbally abusing another person (whether they are a faceless online friend, family or a long time friends) take a breath and realize you are in over your head. You need help coping with your anger, grief and loss. Grief is not just about a loved one dying - grief can stem from the loss of hope, the death of a dream.

Please, PLEASE consider contacting someone at one of these resources.

http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/help

http://www.yourlifeyourvoice.org/aboutus/Pages/3WaystoGetHelp.aspx

http://www.healthyplace.com/other-info/resources/mental-health-hotline-numbers-and-referral-resources/

There is never, ever a reason strong enough to abuse anyone. If you are feeling out of control, reach out for help.



Rather than responding emotionally to vitriol spread on the web and in person, consider feeling compassion for a person so clearly unable to control their anger and cope with their grief. Share this page. And maybe bake something. Me, I'm going to go add a bit more brown sugar to the crockpot ... and maybe bake some muffins.

A Goal Set is a Goal Met

I was never a stellar athlete.  If you've read my posts and have a grasp of my limits, you'd never believe that I've enjoyed sailboarding, canoeing, freestyle karate, kickboxing, Judo, tai chi, softball, gymnastics, tennis, soccer, competitive ballroom dancing, basketball ... you get the idea. I was never particularly remarkable at any of them but they all added a color to my life that wasn't there before. Still I kept seeking until I found my true love -  yoga. After fourteen years of practice I often wonder, "What if I hadn't been so determined to find my niche?"

The summer my children were six and three, I decided I wanted my kids to try new things during vacation. My eldest had been begging for gymnastics so we opted for that as one activity. For something completely different we decided to add in a summer course of karate at a local facility.

The moment Audrey's feet hit the mats at gymnastics, her eyes began to shine in a way I'd never seen. My sweet six year old had tried many fun activities before but as soon as the novelty wore off, Audrey would become distracted and lose interest. I couldn't believe the difference with gymnastics! Audrey beamed through the whole class and bounded off the mat full of joy and pride at her new skills. Thankfully the gym had fantastic class times and I was able to schedule her at a time when her Dad was home to drive her. No brainer!

Maddie, on the other hand, fell hard for karate. At the end of the summer, I realized I was just not physically able to get her to two karate practices a week during the school year -- especially since I still wasn't driving. I took a deep breath and said, "Someday, but not now." Disappointed, Maddie took it well and over the next two years enjoyed dance, gymnastics and swimming. She excelled at everything and enjoyed her classes but kept asking, "Mom, when can I take martial arts again?"

I had planned to wait until third grade, until she was old enough to understand the commitment that a martial arts practice entails. Maddie had other plans. This July I was blindsided by big blue eyes, pig tails and the firm words I hadn't expected to hear. "Mom, if I quit dance and gymnastics, can I PLEASE take martial arts?" It seemed that my kiddo was ready for martial arts far earlier than I expected.

I remembered being younger than Maddie and my father teaching me Judo falls and rolls to protect a fragile bone in my arm and my husband and I decided it was time. We are lucky enough to have a Judo dojo one town over (within my driving distance) so we set up a trial class for Maddie. There was only one thing in Maddie's way.

Stairs.

The only way to get into the dojo was for me to climb up a monster flight of stairs - and half the classes were at times that couldn't rely on my husband for help. The first time I did those stairs my head spun, knees went weak and my legs turned to jelly. Anyone else could simply work harder and get used to it, but I had to gauge things carefully - would I be able to safely drive home after those stairs? Can I commit to this?

That day I watched Sensei Riley McIlwain work with Maddie on the mat, saw him connect with her and get her to glow with confidence. Sigh. No brainer.

That was a few months ago. Getting up those stairs has never been a "Can I?" Getting up those stairs is a gritted-teeth "I WILL". Last night Maddie had a chance to go to her first open gym class run by the gym owner, Sensei Jimmy Pedro. Among many other accomplishments, Sensei Pedro is a World Champion, twice Olympic medalist and recently coached the 2012 US Olympic team to the first ever US Gold in Judo in London. Open gym generally focuses on one judo technique and one leadership theme, and is open to the smallest Little Dragons all the way up to the blackbelts.

After warming up, Sensei Pedro spoke to the students about the evening's theme: Goal setting. A primary part of studying judo at Pedro's Judo is learning to set goals and meet them. Little Dragons are expected to set a goal with their parents for something to accomplish at home. Together they write it in their attendance book, committing to work on it outside of the dojo. This practice continues no matter your rank or age.

"A goal set is a goal met," said Sensei Pedro, continuing "When you want to accomplish something, write it down. Put it on your door or your wall." I looked at my own Little Dragon sitting next to black belts who had competed all over the world, my own little Maddie, listening to life lessons across the mat from Sensei Travis Stevens of the 2012 US Olympic Judo team.

Those stairs were brutal last night and the effects have hit me hard today. Absolutely too tired to drive, I had to rest for an hour before I was strong enough to load the dishwasher. As my legs wobbled at the kitchen counter I thought back to Sensei Pedro's words last night. "A goal set is a goal met."

Living with physical limits is tough on a person. Duh. But few people think about what life is like for a parent with physical limits. "I'm sorry, we can't..." becomes a standard part of their lexicon. We are not only challenged with raising strong, compassionate children like every other parent, but we are are also entrusted with helping our children grow up resilient, determined, patient, thankful and not resentful in a life that is limited by someone else's pain and weakness. In this house you don't get an allowance for picking up your markers. You pick up your markers because mom uses a cane and could get seriously hurt. Period.

I will get Maddie to Judo, just as I continue to get Audrey to gymnastics. Often I will have to grit my teeth to make those stairs. Sometimes I will really pay for the strain the next day. But last night my efforts were rewarded with seeing my daughter learn more than just Judo from a world class instructor. She wasn't the only one learning from him last night. A goal set is a goal met.

Maddie with Sensei Jimmy Pedro 9/19/2012

Updated 11/22/2012 A Goal Set: Thanksgiving Update

Updated 11/27/2014 A Heart Full of Joy

Updated 6/23/2015 Giving Thanks. 2015.