The California Chronicle, via the Sunday Mail; Glasgow (UK) [see here] and Express.co.uk [see here] are both reporting that not only is Hollywood planning a Doctor Who movie, but also that David Tennant is being courted to play the much-coveted role of the Doctor.
Intrigued? See my David Tennant News Blog (sidebar to the right) to read more…
You know, dear readers, I think I must have the coolest teenager-daughter that ever walked the face of the earth. I mean that — she’s amazing! And how blessed am I to have the priviledge of being her mom? Love you Dots.
Mumzie
Our little family lost someone special yesterday. Grandpa Ron was one of those men I consider a rarity in this world. He was so incredibly down to earth, so no-nonsense, intelligent, passionate, funny, witty, and an amazing artist and writer. He even sang barbershop in his earlier years. He had such an amazing outlook on life, too. All those wonderful qualities wrapped up in one individual is indeed rare. Grandpa Ron was my father-in-law for sixteen years, and grandfather to my daughter. At barely 71, he was far too young to leave us, but he had been suffering for many years with a lung disease. Never once did he complain, and he hated to impose upon you. Not even when it winded him just walking from the bedroom to the kitchen for a cup of coffee.
I am blessed to have so many wonderful memories of him. My heart is shattered with the loss of him. The greatest travesty is that he probably never knew just how much we love him.
We are travelling later today to attend his funeral. For so many reasons, I wish we didn’t have to say goodbye like this. Oh, to have one more day.
It is said that Black-eyed peas and greens are classically the good luck food for a new year. Greens (collard, spinach and the like) classically stand for money, but to me this is a completely narrow-minded concept. I eat fresh spinach several times a week, and I think you can see where I’m going with that. Besides, not all money is green nor inherently tied to leprechauns wearing little green coats. Consider what the leprechauns of legend were seeking: gold. A pot of Gold at the rainbow’s end. Not green-backs. Smart little leprechauns.
Anyway, I’ve eaten this combination a few times over the past decade and I can’t say with any conviction that it caused any particularly good luck in my year. Superstitions being what they are, I am of the mind that luck is more tied-in with positive thoughts and wise choices. Yet, even within this logical frame of mind, I found myself on New Year’s Day standing at my cupboard deeply contemplating the concept of the classic Good Luck Recipe. Just in case, mind you. And being the queen of compromise, as some would label me, I decided to create my own, embellished with positive thought and wise choice.
I’ll share that creation with you here, and over the course of the coming months I will think back to the positive energy of the day and bask in the good luck that comes from it. But first, the logic (…and I use that word loosely) behind the recipe.
To represent monetary luck, I chose gold instead of green. In the form of cornbread. Corn is considered lucky by many different groups of people, Native Americans included, and there are even legends about the Corn Spirit.
Instead of black-eyed peas, I chose black beans… I’m not sure if they are considered lucky or not, but I prefer their flavour. Instead of a simple two-ingredient dish, I chose a more complex one in the form of winter “chili.” It’s been a hundred years since I made chili, so I thought it high time. Instead of beef or turkey, I chose minced (ground) lamb. Lamb to me represents new beginnings and this being not only a new year, but a new decade, lamb seemed the wise choice. The recipe that follows is not classically “chili” but it’s quite similar, is low in fats, high in nutritional value, and it tastes absolutely wonderful.
Good Luck Chili:
Crumble approximately eight ounces of lean, ground lamb into pieces and cook them through in a skillet. Pour off the fat, then set the meat aside to drain on paper towelling.
In a deep pan, saute 2 cups of diced onion in a bit of olive oil for approximately five minutes, add two crumbled Knorr Chipotle cubes (or you can substitute chili paste or crushed red chilis), one teaspoon of Mexican chili powder, one tablespoon of crushed garlic and one teaspoon of Indian curry spice (garam masala). I added saffron as well, but that’s optional. Stir gently while cooking two minutes, then add one cup pureed tomatoes along with two fresh, ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced. Stir well, cooking another minute or two.
Add approximately two cups cooked black beans, drained, one cup spring water and a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar (Note: this dish is tastier if you add Guinness instead, but I made it without) and one tablespoon of dry cornbread mix. Stir well, then add the reserved, drained lamb. Mix well and season further with freshly ground pepper.
Set the dish to cook down for 45 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally and making sure the moisture level isn’t dry. Meanwhile, bake the cornbread*. Note: Because the lamb was lean to begin with, and because I drained it of its fat, there was no fat to skim from the surface of the chili as it cooked down. Serves Four.
Serve one wedge of cornbread, topped with approximately one cup of chili, add sliced green onions and a spoonful of low-fat sour cream (or plain greek yoghurt) if desired, and a sprinkling of cheese.
If you try this dish, I hope you’ll post comments about how you enjoyed it.
*Cornbread made with 1/2 the honey called for in the recipe on the bag and added 1/4 cup finely shredded pecorino cheese.
This dish is excellent left-over and can also be frozen.
Here’s wishing you a year filled with positive thoughts and good luck.
Happy New Year!
Kool kat, Dots, and Lese
I asked my youngest daughter (aka Kool kat) what she wanted 2010 to be like. In her eight-year old wisdom, she said, “Not like 2009.”
Ain’t that the truth? If ever a year needed to be relegated to the dust bin, it’s 2009.
While this year was good to me in a number of ways, it also was, well, seriously awful. I know I’m not alone in that, and I also know I’m not suffering as much as a good many people are. If you are one of those people who had or is having a really rough time, my heart goes out to you.
Goodbye 2009.
This quiz was posted on my blog last year and has recently been shared by a friend on her blog. Click the link and check it out; she’s got a great site.
1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? Wrote six chapters of an in-progress novel (13,000 words!), mended my broken heart (not necessarily a first, but certainly a first in a really long time!) and bought a lot of new furniture. While it was a very busy year, not many things were “firsts.”
2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions and will you make more for 2010? I can’t even find my old list of resolutions, but I do know I kept several of them. I have made more for 2010 that I do intend to keep.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes, my neice and her husband had a gorgeous daughter, Jaslynn; and a co-worker’s wife had a daughter as well.
4. Did anyone close to you die? No, thankfully.
5. What countries did you visit? None. The nomads were grounded in 2009.
6. What would you like to have more of in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? More friends, travel, and more rain.
7. What dates(s) from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory and why? None I can think of at the moment.
8. What was your biggest achievement of 2009? Overcoming heartache, successfully integrating into a new job and a new city, while still finding time to write.
9. Did you suffer illness or injury? No thankfully! **knocks on wood
10. What was the best thing you bought? Hmmmm… new furniture.
11. Whose behaviour merited celebration? My two girls, who have both made incredible strides in 2009 with their studies.
12. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? My own.
13. Where did most of your money go? See Question No. 10, and to simply living in a very expensive city.
14. What did you get really, really, really excited about? The progress I’ve made on my novel, the first song Kool kat ever composed, and the first place award for her first poem.
15. What song will always remind you of 2009? “Ordinary World,” originally performed by Duran Duran but re-mixed by a group called Red on their Innocence and Instinct CD; it is this latter version that I like best.
16. Compared to this time last year, are you: Wiser? Yes, by far Healthier? a little Richer? Yes.
17. What do you wish you’d done more of? Worked harder (and that encompasses a lot of things), and worked out more.
18. What do you wish you’d done less of? I wish I hadn’t cried so much, or agonised so much, and I wish I would have avoided the “comfort eating.”
19. How did you spend Christmas? I baked cookies on Christmas Eve with Kool kat, opened presents on Christmas morning, and cooked Christmas dinner.
20. Did you fall in love in 2009? No.
21. What was your favorite blog post that you wrote? This post on my regular blog and This post on my David Tennant blog.
22. What were your favorite TV programs? I don’t watch TV often but when I do, I enjoy NCIS, Dirty Jobs, and the History Channel. We don’t get Doctor Who on our cable network, so I watch it on YouTube.
23. What was the best book you read? The only book I finished in 2009 was Never Leave Me, but the best one I started (I’m half way through) is Quantum Reality by Nick Herbert. I have spent virtually all my spare time working on my novel and its research.
24. What was your greatest music discovery? Apocalyptica, Three Days Grace, and Globus.
Wow this is a long quiz!
25. What did you want and get? an awesome job.
26. What did you want and not get? Thinner and younger (ha!)
27. What was your favourite film of this year? I really, really enjoyed Gran Torino, but I don’t think it came out in 2009.
28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? The girls took me out to eat at a Japanese place, but I don’t remember anything else. I’m 46 (bleh).
29. Which celebrity/public figure did you like most? still enjoy David Tennant immensely.
30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? One step up from thrift store, slightly Bohemian, too much black, and a bit too redundant.
31. What kept you sane? My oldest daughter (aka Dots), my sister, and my journal.
32. Who did you miss? I miss my mother the most, and I miss some things from the past that will never be again.
33. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009. Life is all about choice. You may naysay this instantly, but honest to God, every single thing you do or don’t do is about choice – from success, failure, hate, to addiction. Choice. Think hard about it.
34. What did you gain in 2009? Courage, wisdom, and a bit too much cynicism that I’m trying to let go of.
35. What did you lose in 2009? Fear.
36. Who was the best new person you met? Byron. For giving me a chance.
37. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
…”What is happening to me? Crazy some would say. Where is the life that I recognise? Gone away. But I won’t cry for yesterday, there’s an ordinary world somehow I have to find. And as I try to make my way to the ordinary world, I will learn to survive.” [Ordinary World, Duran Duran]
May 2010 bring you prosperity, jobs, and peace. Remember, people: hate is a choice. Choose to not hate. Happy New Year everyone!
The Stuff You Say