Pondering Jesus' Words..."...mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death..." Mosiah 18:9 "It is our job to build up, repair, strengthen, uplift, and make whole. Our assignment is to follow the Savior’s example and reach out to those who suffer...The restored gospel of Jesus Christ blesses lives not just when we believe it—but much more when we live it. It is in the application of gospel principles that individuals are uplifted and families are strengthened. It is our privilege and responsibility not just to talk the talk but also to walk the walk." Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Bibliophilia...Sent Quinn The Frog and Toad Collection plus a game and a fun Mandarin resource. Because he and Sammy love to play school and enjoy practicing their target foreign language, they should have lots of fun with these.
Estudio Espanol...changing up the way I study Spanish keeps me interested. Right now I'm memorizing a new fairy tale and having a great time with it. Other things I do are listen to Pimsler audio, read polyglot Book of Mormon, read/listen to Bible Stories, work on my NT study guide translation, and try to speak to native speakers whenever I have the opportunity. So far I still understand way more than I can speak. I get tongue tied when I try to speak. Maybe my old brain will connect my speak and auditory areas some day.
Cucina Fresca...I'm focusing more on salads and smoothies again, since I crept right past my ideal weight. No, I'm not overweight but also don't want to go down that road. Without lots of greens in the diet, I gain. Why? I love to eat, a lot. With a pound of greens only providing 100 calories, I can eat to my heart's content at the start of the meal. It's harder to overeat more calorie dense fruits, grains, and beans, with a gut full of greens. Anyway...The very best most delicious salads have my home cultured sour kraut on top. Adding culture starter assures that fabulous, gut-healing, immune-boosting probiotics are present in my kraut: Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis, Lactococcus lactis ssp. cremoris, Lactococcus lactis ssp. diacetylactis, Leuconostoc mesenteroides ssp. cremoris, and Lactobacillus kefyr.
2 heads purple cabbage, coarsely shredded
3-5 beets with greens, coarsely shredded
3 cloves garlic
1 handful cilantro
2 sweet, ripe pears (or apples), coarsely shred 1 1/2 reserve the other half for the brine
1 thumb of ginger
1 packet veggie culture starter
1 c. distilled water
1-2 T salt (optional)
1 t. red pepper flakes (optional)
4-6 quart jars
4-6 smooth, golfball-sized stones, scrubbed and boiled
Using the lid of the quart jar as a pattern, cut a few circles from the largest cabbage leaves. Cut the cabbages in half and remove the cores. Puree the cores with water, 1/2 a pear, garlic, cilantro, and pepper flakes, salt, and ginger. Stir in culture starter to complete the brine. Shred and combine pears, cabbage, beets, and greens in a large bowl. Add brine and stir well. Pack mixture very tightly into jars with a wooden spoon, pushing out air bubbles. Leave about 2 inches of room at the top for veggies to expand. Place a round cabbage circle into each jar and top with a large stone (The stone holds the kraut under the brine. Screw jar tightly closed. Let kraut ferment at 70ish for a couple weeks (top of the fridge is good). Refrigerate and eat some everyday on top of your mega huge green and veg salad.
Pen and Brush...Got caught up on cards this week.
