A Window of Peace in the Midst of a Busy Week - Kitchen Experimentation with Simon and Garfunkel

Tuesday afternoon was spent with my friend Kathy at her home on the Banister River. She had homemade butternut squash soup simmering on the stove when I arrived. We sat at the kitchen table enjoying our warm soup, taking turns talking while gazing through her enormous picture window which overlooks the Banister. Afterwards, we walked down to the river and sat on the dock until I had to leave to pick the children up from school.

This was such a peaceful and enjoyable day with Kathy. I have wanted to recreate that sense of peace all week. Living a busy lifestyle doesn't always allow for much alone time to relax, play, and do the things that I enjoy just for the sake of doing something I enjoy. So yesterday, when I had three hours of uninterrupted quiet time alone in my house, I created my own peaceful scenario.  I experimented in the kitchen, taste testing, simmering, baking, pureeing, seasoning,  and listening to Simon and Garfunkel all day long. No one was home to interrupt the music, and I didn't care if anyone liked what turned out in the kitchen either. This was my time, and it was pure domestic bliss. 

At the end of the day, I had made an apple and spinach salad with feta and walnuts tossed in a raspberry vinaigrette, a homemade butternut squash soup inspired by my friend, and  a rosemary pork loin with russet and sweet potatoes. I call the pork loin "Scarborough Fair Pork Loin" because I season it with parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. While the squash was simmering and the meat was roasting, I taught myself the first three lines of Scarborough Fair on my guitar. As if the act of creating the meal weren't enough, I then got to share it with my husband Mark, his mother Frances Ann, our children, and their friend Alex, and as it turned out, everyone did enjoy the dinner. That's my favorite part of experiementing in the kitchen - sharing the handiwork. As I described the joy I felt preparing food and listening to music, my husband said, "There is something to be said for making time to do what you enjoy just for the sake of doing what you enjoy." So simple, and so true.

I encourage you to find a window of quiet time to reflect on what you enjoy most, and to do it!  Wishing you much peace amid the busy day-to-dayness, Erin