Life's A Stage

..but why do all the plays seem to be dramas? I understand that the world today can be a very rough, ugly place. What with the economy, government, family, friends, love, lust, money, responsibilities, and any number of other daily stressors. I try to keep my life as low-drama as possible. For the most part, I think i'm a fairly calm, laid back kind of gal. I try to be as zen as I can and always look for the brightest side of everything. So, when other people come into my life and bring drama with them, I tend to not like it much. I've worked hard to overcome issues in my past and cut the drama out of my life, so why should I have to be bogged down by that of others?

I know things I wish I didn't. Not because they are disturbing or gross or anything. But because there is nothing I can do to make the situation better, so knowing these things just weighs on my mind needlessly. I'm torn between trying to help a friend, or trying to act like I don't know what's going on. Neither sound that great to me. I feel like no matter how I react to this knowledge, it's going to being unrest and drama into my life, neither of which are welcome. The problem is that it's hard to stay out of something that affects those you care for. And what's worse...I really can't discuss this with the people I would normally turn to for guidance because of the people that are directly involved. And so, I turn to blogville.

I'm trying to stay positive, stay calm, stay zen. Maybe i'll meditate on these issues one at a time until I find some clarity.  Maybe a cup of chai and some quiet music. Until I find a solution, I turn to finding peace and beauty around me. Here are a few shots from a trip I took this past weekend to Manheim, Pennsylvania:

This little one opened his wings for me at the perfect moment. Thank you.

A stunning church I passed on the way into town. Some of the headstones around back were dated pre-revolutionary war.

Simply joy is always beautiful, especially when so lighthearted and brightly colored.

Going to the Hound

So, this has nothing to do with anything at all.  Obviously there is more to my like than making food, writing, and taking pictures, and this here is a huge part of it:

This is Delilah Jane, my 4 1/2 year old Beagle. She's pretty much the love of my life. She's my buddy, my teddy bear, my alarm clock, my mop, and my muse. She's the sweetest thing in the world and loves people to no end. I've had her since she was just two months old, and can't imagine my life without her.

Adding Some Spice

I really like Chai tea. And Chai Spice tea. And Chai Spice lattes. Sensing a pattern? So, when I found this recipe for Chai Spice bread I just had to try it. Given that the last week or so has been spent pining away for fall, and it actually got semi-chilly and rained for a week, I was in the mood to bake something. This seemed seasonally appropriate, so, here it is:

You Need:


3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup Chai tea
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp cloves
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp ground cardamon
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

3-5 tbs milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
ground cinnamon

~
Heat oven to 400, and grease a loaf pan.

Beat sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in tea, 1/3 cup milk, 2 tsp vanilla, and eggs until well combined. Stir in flour, baking powder, cardamon, cinnamon, salt and cloves. Pour into the loaf pan.

Bake 50-60 minutes. (55 did it for me)

Once bread has cooled, stir together powdered sugar, 1/4 tsp vanilla, and 3-5 tbs milk, one tbs at a time until thin enough to spread. Drizzle over bread and allow to harden. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon.

Makes 16 slices, 190 calories.

Just out of the oven

Just after icing

And a peek at the inside

This was very good. If you aren't used to the taste of Chai, you may or may not care for it. It's a light flavor, but it's also obviously there.

The only negative note i'll make about this recipe is that it was very hard to slice the bread. The outside had a slight crunch to it, so I had to put some force into the knife, but at the same time the inside was very soft and didn't hold together well. So, this was a little crumbly, and not all the slices came out looking pretty, but it tasted great.

Where's Remy?

If you're a Disney fan, you'll get the reference in the title of this post. Last night for dinner I made Rotini Ratatouille. Very easy, and very good. This is a crock pot recipe, so all I had to do was chop up the veggies (zucchini, eggplant, and a red bell pepper), pour in the marinara, and put it on low for 4 hours. Then you add the noodles and olives, cook 30 more minutes, and you're done.

Ready to Fall

As a midwesterner (a term I take issue with...there is nothing western about Michigan! But I digress) I have a deep love, nay, reverence for all things autumnal. Fall is by far my favorite time of year. There are parts of other seasons I like, for example, I'm a Christmas fanatic. But as far as a whole season, Fall wins out.

I love the crisp chill in the air, the cool breeze carrying the scent of dead leaves, spices and apples. I love being able to put away the shorts and tank tops and pull out the jeans and hoodies. I still jump in the leaf piles. Fall holds almost all of my favorite scents - apple, cinnamon, pumpkin, and all the various "harvest" and "farmers market" type things you'll find at Yankee Candle. It hold my 2nd and 3rd favorite holidays, Halloween and Thanksgiving respectively. It yields my favorite foods- turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, hot apple cider, fresh cinnamon donuts, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, various spice breads and muffins, etc. Many of my favorite activities are best saved for Fall...going to the apple orchard, taking long walks in wooded areas, baking. It's a time that stresses family togetherness and being thankful for what you've been given. All in all, it's a magical time to me.

So, imagine if you will, the pain it causes me to live in Arizona, where seasons don't exist. There are no leaves to turn color. No apples growing to pick and bake. No color, no crisp air, no anything. It actually brings on a depression every year for me. So, I do what any normal (read, crazy) person would do. I put up my fall decorations in mid August, as soon as the stores do. I leave them up until I put up my Christmas decorations. I turn up the AC and close the blinds, make a cup of pumpkin spice coffee, close my eyes and pretend i'm at home where I belong. Sometimes it even works, a little. So, this being the middle of August, that's what I did this week. Even though i'm sick and supposed to be "taking it easy", I chose to instead climb around hanging faux leaves all over, practically break my neck in the process, and turn my desert home into an autumn haven. I'm not done yet, but I thought i'd share some pictures and officially move this over into a PHOTO BLOG.

apple pie centerpiece, leaf print runner, and in the background there, my little scarecrow door-knob hanger

my dining room/office. those leaves over the windows are what nearly killed me. (FYI, when climbing the high, don't do it on a bar stool)

leaf wrapped lamp post

harvest bouquet hanging in my hallway

kitchen. they're hard to see, but there are little leaf stickers all over the stove, microwave and dishwasher. the towel hanging on the stove is a fall print that says "abundant blessings."

close up of the centerpiece on the island. ceramic pumpkin I hand painted, with a leaf wreath from JoAnn's, with extra loose leaves added in.