thai comfort curry

I've always been fascinated by the foods people reach for when they seek comfort.  The stereotypical American comfort foods of donuts or french fries or potato chips and the likes have never held appeal for me. Instead, I think I was influenced more than a little by spending a few of my formative years in Asia.  Thai food is my number one comfort food, partly because I love the mixture of coconut, basil and spice, and partly because it is quick and easy to make.

Tonight I found myself home alone after a very active day out of the house, so I didn't much feel like putting much effort into dinner or eating cereal.  This meal is wonderful because it comes together so quickly and still tastes so wonderfully fresh and nutritious.

Ingredients:
Thai curry paste of your choice (available at Asian markets and many supermarkets)
1 14 oz can coconut milk
juice of 1 lemon
a handful of basil
a handful of cherry tomatoes
6 oz fish (I used salmon)
vegetables like red peppers, summer squash, cabbage, carrots, snow peas, mushrooms
cooked rice

Heat about 1/3 of the coconut milk in a pan on low heat and add curry paste to taste (1-2 tsp to begin with).  Mix until you have a consistent liquid.  Add vegetables and cook until peppers and carrots are somewhat soft but still a bit crunchy.  Add the remaining coconut milk, the basil and the cherry tomatoes and heat through.  When the sauce is hot, mash the cherry tomatoes against the side of the pot so they release their juice into the sauce.  Add fish and heat thoroughly.  If you don't like fish, you could use beef or chicken, but I would cook them separately first.  When all is well heated through, turn off the stove and add the lemon juice.  Stir well and serve over rice.  Enjoy with a glass of cold white wine.

Please excuse the poor picture quality.  I did not think to share this recipe until just before I sat down to eat, and it was already dark out.  Oh well, so it goes.

her riding adventures

Zany is the official animal lover in our house.  Elvin tolerates them, the Man and I take care of them or ensure the kids take care of them, but Zany wants them all sleeping in her bed and really, truly, deeply loves them.  Which doesn't always translate into her taking care of them, ahem, but love is like that sometimes.

You can imagine how happy Zany has been to live right next door to beautiful horses.  Sometimes when their owner has to go away, we take care of them.  Zany is very proud that she knows how to feed these big beauties, though so far her interest in mucking out has lagged behind considerably....

This spring we finally were able to begin regular riding lessons for her, and she has made impressive progress in fairly little time.  And then, last week, she got to go to camp for three days.  Two hours of daily riding were included, as well as lessons on grooming and care taking.  Then, on Sunday there was a horse show at the barn with competitive classes ranging from equitation to sack races.

We drove through misty morning hillsides to arrive at the barn early.  Zany got right to work with mucking out (yes, indeed), grooming and tacking up her little sweet pony with the help of her six-year old partner.

She participated in horsemanship, equitation, pair riding, poles on the ground and sack racing and came away with two first and two third prizes.  She also came in sixth (out of seven) in stable management points from camp, harking back to this lack of enthusiasm for shoveling poop.  No big surprise on that front, cleaning stables is a lot less rewarding than riding itself.  The show was a fantastic experience for her as a first competition.  She watched others struggle and laugh off horse misbehavior, kept her composure when her horse became nervous and stopped obeying her, won a few ribbons and had a lot of fun. I mean, sack racing?  How could anyone do that and not have fun?

And yet. It speaks volumes about this girl of ours that her favorite activity of the day did not offer ribbons.  She has fallen in love with the challenge of vaulting, or essentially doing acrobatics on a horse.  She now is thinking of taking vaulting lessons, because what could be more fun than sitting on a moving horse?  Well, moving on a moving horse, of course!

this summer

Frankly, it's been a challenge, this summer.  No sooner did the kids start their break that I came down with the flu (or something that looked a whole lot like it) and my car died.  A very difficult visit with family has led me to re-evaluate relationships and set priorities.  It's a painful, slow process that involves a lot of grieving and letting go, but it is also helping me grow and celebrate my life.

At the same time, I have met some most lovely people, spent time in breathtaking beauty and begun another leg on this long journey towards healing and my destiny.

So with a couple more months of warm weather left, I am taking stock of all the loveliness that this summer has brought so far:  giggles and whispers with friends, finding unexpected beauty in hidden corners, sisters working together at living history events, birthdays and the stunning flowers from our garden to celebrate them, projects involving the whole family, antique shows, whale calves breaching, making art at a wonderful camp, and much needed time without shoes.

Yes, I think we'll be turning this challenging summer around yet, one unique and wonder-full day at a time.

a short get away

A little while ago, The Man and I unexpectedly found ourselves without children.  The dog was taken care of as well, so we put our bikes on his car and a few odds and ends in the trunk, and off we went.  Luckily we forgot a lot of things, so we traveled lightly.

As we were getting close to the Inn in southern Vermont, we heard music on a village green, so we pulled over, sat on the grass a while and watched the sun set beautifully to the sound of Irish and New England dance tunes.

The next morning we woke early and set out for a walk before breakfast.  It was one of those magical times when the light is just right, the air feels refreshing and your sleepy head wonders how on a sunny summer morning, the smallest things can take your breath away with their beauty.

Later that morning we rented a kayak and explored the shores of a nearby lakes.  With the drought, the water levels in the lakes are so low that the shallows are just covered in beautiful lily pads and blossoms.  I learned that if you accidentally kayak over one of these beauties, they will just pop right back up, unharmed. What a relief!

On our second day, we hiked a small portion of the Appalachian Trail.  If you are hiking in New England, your chances of seeing lakes and water birds are excellent.  We followed the northern section of the trail for about an hour before thunder and relentless mosquitos drove us back to the car.  Our shortened hike allowed us to stop at a brewery for lunch which made The Man very happy (I no longer drink beer because of its gluten content).

Vermont is so beautiful with its dense forests, pretty lakes and lovely green mountains.  But we also came across reminders of last year's Hurricane Irene, which devastated so many people's livelihoods.  The amount of debris that flooded out of the now dry creeks and rivers is astonishing to see among all this lovely green.  It made me so glad we chose to spend our money here, where it is so much needed to help with ongoing recovery efforts.

We never did take our bikes of the car as it rained the second afternoon.  Instead we explored antique and
furniture stores, ate really good food, napped and discovered that even without the distraction of family and home (and car shopping), we still enjoy each other's company a whole lot.