I'm Doing Okay ...

I'm visiting my sister who is expecting her first child and it occurred to me while sitting with her and hanging out that I'm actually really happy where I am in my life right now. I'm going to be living on my own again this summer which will be good for me having my own space again. I will be going to graduate school in the field that I love. I am writing everyday now and working through the process of publishing and I love both of those things just as much as I had hoped I would.

It feels like this year a whole bunch of things I really wanted to do with my life and hadn't gotten done have fallen into place. My life is just kind of slotting together into something really wonderful and that I'm really happy in. I'm active in my religious community still but not to an overwhelming level. I'm happy with my appearance more then I've ever been, I think. I find myself more attractive and more just really me every day.

I'm worried about money, I'm worried about finding a job and that school will be overwhelmingly difficult. I also feel like though that the last couple years have been a process of getting myself to this point of being exactly where I want to be.

Hopefully from here things will only continue to get better.

Recipe: Miso Noodle Soup (Vegan)

My Mom used to make this for us a lot when I was growing up. I do the cooking for a youth program now and this past weekend I thought it would be nice to make this for the kids for lunch. My Mom always used to just add whatever pasta we had but I love udon so I added that instead. Everyone loved it, and it’s vegan so I thought I would put the recipe up here. Again I have no picture for you. I didn’t get to my camera until later that evening. This is just a real fast and simple dish that can be made pretty much any time of the year.

Serves 14 people, adjust as needed.

Ingredients:

16 cups water

½- ¾ cup miso paste

2 veggie broth cubes or 2 TB veggie broth powder 

1 onion (optional)

1 TB garlic powder

1 package udon noodles (or really any kind of thin pasta)

6 cups uncooked bok choy (optional)

1 TB oil (optional)

1 tea sesame oil (optional)

Directions:

Pour water into a pot and let simmer until almost but not quite boiling. Add veggie broth, garlic powder, and sesame oil to water, and let simmer until the broth has dissolved.

Slice onions finely, wash and slice the bok choy also finely. Sauté both the bok choy and onions in the 1 TB oil in a separate pan. You can add the onions and bok choy to the soup right before serving or serve it separately on the side.

Take about a cup of the broth out of the pot and put in a separate bowl. Add the miso paste to the bowl of hot broth and whisk with a fork until the paste as mostly dissolved. Add the broth-paste mixture back into the pot. Heat until the miso broth is lightly boiling but not at a rolling boil and add the udon noodles. The noodles take about 4 min. to cook. Once the noodles are soft take the pot off the heat and serve.

             

Small Blessings: December 24 2010

I am so very grateful for being able to be with my Mother, Father, Brother G. , Brother S. , Sister M.,  her boyfriend C. and my Nana this Christmas Eve.

(taken by Helen Staab)

May we all hold the light of Christ in our hearts this night, and for every night this coming year.