Self-Care Monday-Rotating Crops

 I can't remember where I read it so can't even begin to look for it again. But it was a fascinating bit on crop rotation and the human mind.

Merriam-Webster defines crop rotation as: the practice of growing different crops in succession on the same land chiefly to preserve the productive capacity of the soil.

This thing (article? Tumblr? tweet?) compared moving from one project to another as not failing but as keeping your mind fertile. Need a break from that big project? Do something else. You aren't failing, merely letting your mind rest from A by working on B. Need to rest from both A and B? No prob, here's a fun project C to pass the time.

Pushing aside a project doesn't mean anything other than you needed a break and it'll be there again in a day or week or whenever's time. Take care of yourself. 

Friday Food-sweet potatoes

 This is a classic family holiday recipe. Sweet potatoes! Is it healthy? Meh. But is it delicious? Oh yes! My paternal grandmother used to make these, and my mom continued to tradition because everyone loves them so much. 

We make a lot to make them last not only during the holiday, in this case Thanksgiving, but for days after. You obviously don't have to make 2 dishes worth, make what you know you can eat. You can always freeze them! They do take a bit of time to make, hence the special-occasion.

• Parboil sweet potatoes (partially boil). They should be firm so a knife can enter but not cut through. 
• Drain and allow to cool 
• Peel and slice into 2" thick pieces
• Lay into 9x13 dish (pieces should be close together)
• Generously sprinkle dark brown sugar over potatoes and dot with butter
• Bake at 350F for 30 minutes
• Turn pieces or baste then continue baking until soft
• Reheats well in the microwave 

Signs your Marriage Might be More than a Convenience--3

 

Signs your Marriage Might be More than a Convenience--2

 

Self Care Monday-winning

I saw this online and it really made my morning.  Get up once more and nail it.

Friday Food-Vegetable Soup

 This not exactly from scratch vegetable soup is a fast, delicious fall necessity. If November wasn't 70 all week. But sinus and allergy pain aside, I made this with Bob's Red Mill Vegi Soup Mix. 1 Cup mixed with water, broth, and veggies of your choice, and you have a delicious soup.

I did happen to have frozen carrots and broth waiting for just such a reason, and used tomato soup as the base. Took about an hour to cook through. I also made fresh bread in my bread machine. Love that thing!

Husband of Convenience Cover Reveal!

 Squee along with me! I am in love with this cover! It captures everything I wanted and more. Husband of Convenience will be on sale December 20, 2021. For right now, Amazon only.

 

Kaya escaped famine but not her arranged marriage.

Trained to fight for her future, Kaya’s dreams focused on traveling beyond the four walls that were both her refuge and prison. However, when her overprotective grandfather arranges her marriage to an English soldier, Kaya refuses, despite the danger threatening her life. Marriage had never been her plan. Suddenly all her dreams of exploring the world she’s only read about dissipate, as fleeing as the rains that plunged Cairo into famine.

Sergeant Paul Hartley isn’t a saint. When he receives a letter offering marriage and atonement for his many sins, he flees Bombay, the army, and a sometimes criminal life. In Cairo he finds famine and a reluctant bride. The beautiful, proud Kaya stirs more than his greed for the promised dowry of jewels that assure him a retirement in the south of France.

A trek through the Sahara has them seeking refuge from a sandstorm. The intimacy of the cave leads to confessions and passion flaring between them. Kaya doesn’t trust him even as he fights beside her for survival against slavers and secrets from their past. Trust is only the beginning as passions ignite into shared intimacies as they both question an uncertain future.

Self Care Monday-Managing Expectations

 I saw this recently and saved it to my phone. And wow, I feel called out! It's not, I think, that I have unreasonable expectations. 

But when you work on something and are proud of it, you expect it will be well received. Or do well, sell well. Perhaps not accolades with confetti and glitter pouring in, but joy in your endeavor and happiness that YOU accomplished this!

No, I think that it's that I raise my expectations based on work put into a thing. The harder I work, the more well received a thing should be, right? Because if I work hard then I reap should the rewards, right?

Is that really reasonable? 

I don't know. And no, I'm not sure how to manage expectations or even if I should.

Any thoughts or ideas on how to do that?

Friday Food-Baked Ziti

 If you're sensing a theme to my food choices and that theme is cheese, you'd be 100% correct! Pasta is fast, easy, delicious, reheats well, and freezes even better! So I'll make a dish of baked ziti, freeze 1/2 and eat the other half for several days.

Boil the pasta, doesn't have to be the same day you make anything else. You'll need:

• 1 lb. Penne pasta
• 16 oz. ricotta 
• 1 egg
• 2 Cup tomato sauce
• 1 Cup mozzarella
• 
  An additional 3/4 Cup mozzarella for topping
• 1/2 Cup  Italian cheese blend
• Olive oil
  
• In a large bowl mix ricotta, egg, pepper, cheese, olive oil to taste, and sauce, then mix in the pasta
• Once it is well blended, pour into Pyrex dish or any oven safe dish  Add extra sauce if desired.  Top with 3/4 Cup mozzarella 

Bake on 350F for about  55 minutes or until the cheese is well cooked and the sides are bubbly.

Signs Your Marriage Might be More than a Convenience--1

 

Self Care Monday-Thriving

 I follow someone on Twitter who asks every morning what we're up to. And every time I see it I think I'm surviving. That's enough for now.

Nope. No more. I will not survive each day at a job I no longer enjoy. I will thrive! So I found this book, Thrive, Don't Simply Survive: Passionately Live the Life You Didn't Plan by Karol Ladd. 

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