Praying For...Tyson...that he will gain the gift of eloquence and not be slow of speech or tongue...that he may become comfortable with people...that he may become a great witness for Jesus Christ...it's not that he is slow or awkward but that I feel inspired to ask this blessing for him.
Bibliophilia...in addition to reading scriptures, I'm re-reading Plato's Republic as part of a Hillsdale course I'm taking. I find it amazing that they offer these great courses for free to anybody willing to spend the time. They started with Constitution 101 years ago and have been building their offerings little by little. Re-reading Words of Delight, a Bible as Literature textbook that isn't textbook-y. Also found a wonderful old phonics program, Professor Phonics, that I wish I had known about when Quinn was here this summer (and when I tried to teach my dyslexic son to read). Quinn and I worked hard but didn't get as far as I would have liked to have done. It's so concise and intensive and sensible. I may offer free tutoring again in the evenings, since I love watching the miracle of people learning to read.
Cucina Fresca...I made a sort of unsweetened Pad Thai. When I drove by myself from Seattle to Phoenix last spring, I stopped at a Thai place on I-10. They had the most delicious, un-sweetened mango juice AND unsweetened Pad Thai. Now that I'm eating so many salads and vegetables again (LOVE IT), I wanted something that fit that category but was still low in salt without sugar similar to that memory. This is pretty good but not quite Pad Thai.
Mushroom Mad Thai For One
1/2 lb. asparagus, cut in one inch pieces 45 calories
5 oz shitaki mushrooms, sliced 79 calories
1/4 yellow onion, thinly sliced 17 calories
1 clove garlic, pressed 4 calories
1 tomato, small dice 16 calories
1 T coconut aminos 15 calories
1 T white miso (non-soy) 40 calories
1/2 t minced ginger 1 calorie
1/2 t sambal oelek 0 calories
2 oz Tinkyada brown rice Pad Thai noodles 210 calories
427 total calories
Prepare vegetables. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, put onions in a large frying pan on high heat. When they begin to sizzle, turn down to low, add tomato, and cover. Mix coconut aminos, miso, ginger, and sambal oelek and set aside. When water boils, put noodles in and set timer for 8 minutes. Remove cover from onions, add garlic and mushrooms. Turn up heat to medium high. Add some water if the onions or tomato stuck to deglaze pan. Cover and turn down heat to medium low. Open and stir occasionally. Add asparagus one minute before noodles are done and cover. Drain noodles, reserving 1/4 c water. Add sauce and water to veggies, stirring to combine. Stir in noodles and serve. This is very oil-free, plant perfect, filling, and delicious if not quite what I was going for.
Sound of Music...I so enjoy playing my violin these days. Although I can read music just fine, I prefer to play by ear. My problem is that I can't remember the names of the songs, so I made a list of the hymns I like to play to jog my memory during my playing sessions. If I can hear the first line in my head, I can play it. All the days of my life and throughout all eternity, I'll be grateful to Mrs. Jean Davis for instilling the love of music in me and to my parents for funding the adventure.
