Long lost love

Sometimes feeling good about your life involves remembering the things that make you feel good a long time ago. As chidren or even young(er) adults, there were things that we would do without thinking that made us happy. They made us feel good, whether it was a favorite CD or a favorite food.

I spent a good part of the morning rolling around in bed enjoying the warmth of the covers and simply resting my body and eyes. I don't remember the last time I "allowed" myself to do this. I gave myself permission to breathe in the feeling of being rested, yet still sleepy. I was actually feeling excited about stretching and listening to the Hootie and the Blowfish CD I borrowed from the library. They were one of the first bands I listened to when I was little. Now I remember why. Stretching and yoga-ing to the CD made for a very happy Astrid.

A long lost love

Last night in class, we made a wild rice pilaf. When I was little, rice was one of the only things I would eat ith vigor. I was an extremely picky eater, but rice always made me happy. Lately, I have felt jadd by rice. It is either too sticky, too dry, too bland, or too seasoned. It isn't the simple, slightly fluffy, simple rice that I grew up eating by the cupful. When I took a bite of the rice last night, I was instantly transported back to my youth and I was reminded how much I still love my rice. The pilaf we mae was perfectly fully with separated grains that still had a slight chew to them. They weren't seasoned heavily, by they had a great nutty taste (from the wild rice). They were the perfect complement to the rest of the dish, and quite possily the star of the dish for me.

And this is saying something, since we had duck breast on the menu. We each deboned half of a duck and seared a breast. Mine came out beautifully.

We also had a winter squash crisp, which ended up tasting just as good as it looks.

Even with the gorgeous and tasty components of the meal, the rice still held its place. It was the only part of the main dish that I finished every ite of. Sometimes the best foods are the simple ones. The foods that take you back to your first favorite tastes. Enough with the accessorizing of the classics. You can never beat a nice plain rice pilaf, not with all the mushrooms, all the cream, or all of the dried fruit in the universe.

I may add that the rice was the one true constant amongst Team A and Team B's dishes. Team B made a winter squash hash and a thicker gastrique made with passion fruit.

I was (again) in charge of the salad and the vinaigrette. What can I say? I make a mean vinaigrette. And I do love my green things.

Homemade bread waiting in the basket. The baguettes were delightful and great for mopping up the gastrique on our plates.

I am happy to report that I have now had more consecutive healthy and good days than I had bad days during my slump last week. I am back on track and my mind and body are both ecstatic and grateful for it.