Photos of Inspiration ~ [04.12.11]

My Tuesday morning is going really well. Yesterday was great, too - and a Monday! Of course as soon as I say that something will go terribly wrong and then the rest of the week will suck. But I'm going to try NOT to let that happen; I think it's in our power to control what we feel and do. We obviously can't change people; people are the 'wild card' and are never what we want or hope or expect them to be, even people we've known for a hundred years and think we can rely on. So just control yourself and you can at least stay calm and carry on in the face of distress.

This morning, I have a few photos of inspiration, as I call them; photos (feelings, energies really) that inform my mood and my day, that I carry in the back of my mind ... an escape of sorts. Today's photos are about tea. Sort of. They are just downright lovely is what, and I wanted to share them.

What inspires me today is fresh cool air and warm sun on my shoulders; breezes on a sun-drenched day; the yellow of an old photograph; crisp grass whisping in the air; the feel of slick bark under my palm.

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Borrowed Thoughts: "How to Embrace your Crazy, Chaotic Life"

I borrowed this lovely, candid article from CNN.com and they borrowed it from Oprah.com ... a really excellent read.

New Year's Resolution: To treat my body better

This winter I resolved to change my habits for the better. Someone once said something about insanity and doing the same things over with the expectation of a different result. I'm over doing the same thing over; over and done. I'm ready to really change my habits, make them better and heathier, smarter. New year; new start ... here's hoping I can make it last.

Speaking of new starts, check out my new haircut. Now you see it now you don't! I decided to go extra short. I have wanted to for so long and finally did. It is one of the most liberating things I've done and I don't see myself 'going back' for a long time.

Before ...

After ...

One of the facets of my self-improvement is fitness. Since September (ish) I have been doing yoga at my house with a friend three evenings a week. It makes me feel better, more connected, more vibrant. I used to do yoga ALL the time. When I was living with my parents (over 6 years ago) and going to school in the mornings, I would come home and have lunch with my mom and then spend sometimes all afternoon and evening studying, reading, listening to music and practicing yoga in my room. My parents said I was 'cloistering' myself. I believed I was taking care of myself. I still do.

I think yoga has the power to restore my body; I have already seen it happening over the last few months. I feel stronger and more centered. I feel more at rest mentally; this is huge - no other pratice has had the ability to do this for me. I can't believe I allowed myself to drop the practice of yoga for so long knowing its healing power. It's a rush of energy, strength and peace throughout my body ... a connection with something great within myself. I can't imagine not doing yoga; I know life with yoga and life without it: life with yoga is a much better way to live.

So ... I continue my yoga practice 3 times a week. I supplement it with healthier eats and happier thoughts - I find the latter comes even more naturally with the incorporation of yoga into my routine. I eat more raw foods, fruits and vegetables and less animal products - no meat (sometimes a piece of tilapia), but still eggs from time to time and my Greek yogurt drizzled over almond granola. I try not to eat sugar and desserts (honey in my tea though). I make lots of tabbouleh and raw cabbage salad dressed with olive oil and lemon juice, steamed broccoli, curried chickpeas. Between meals I snack on apples, bananas, grapes, almonds or a glass of So Delicious Dairy Free. My goal is to go entirely vegan this year; I haven't gone 'cold turkey', but I'm making the shift.

Here are a couple of recipes for raw, vegan foods that I adore. They are nothing but pure goodness for your body and mind.

TABBOULEH:

I love tabbouleh! I could eat it every day and not tire of it.

You can find my full recipe here.


RAW CABBAGE SALAD:

I first made this salad (not exactly the same) a couple of years ago. I was actually making a 'regular' (lettuce) salad and thought it would be nice to add some raw cabbage for crunch (not to mention heart health). I loved it. This version is now all cabbage and no lettuce so I guess it's technically a slaw, but I don't drown it in a fatty mayo dressing; just some olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.

1/2 head cabbage, green or red, grated or chopped into small pieces
1 tomato, diced small
1/4 green bell pepper, diced small
1 carrot, grated
1/3 large cucumber, peeled and diced small
2 green onions, chopped (greens and whites)
1 T capers, drained and rinsed
2 eggs, hardboiled and coarse chopped (obviously if I was a pure vegan I wouldn't include this)
1/2 cup parsley, chopped

drizzle of olive oil
juice of 1/2 a large lemon

Combine all the prepared vegetables and toss with the oil and lemon juice. Season with Kosher salt and fresh cracker pepper.




Leftovers for lunch today.


RawFoodRecipes.com is a great website I stumbled upon in my quest for health. It's a great resource for all things vegetarian, vegan and raw.

Let me know what you are doing this year to make your body and mind a better place to live. And please share your healthy recipes, too!!

Thinking about Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of those sadly overlooked holidays.

Take my neighbor, for example. She put her Hallowen decorations up - including a lighted, inflatable Jack-O-Lantern-Scare-Crow-on-a-Harley (fact) proudly standing guard on her front lawn. She is one of 'those' people; perhaps she didn't celebrate Halloween as a kid and is making up for it now, tenfold? When I was growing up, Halloween - erm, Reformation Day - was the one night annually that we, ignoring our usual alert and vigilant crime-detterance, intentionally left our porch lights off, shut ourselves into the living room and watched 'Martin Luther' (1953).

The day after Halloween is when many people traditionally turn to Thanksgiving: planning a menu and figuring out what side of the family you will grin and bear for the day, thinking of cinnamon rolls and coffee while watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade and that lovely feeling as you realize Christmas is just around the corner. No. Not my neighbor. November 1st, I come home from work (and it's dark around 6:15pm since Daylight Savings has kicked in): her house is aglow with flickering, colorful Christmas lights, her cactus draped in a white strand, her roofline twittering in full-color, her porch festooned in strands of snowflakes. She completely skipped Thanksgiving! Who does that?


When I was a kid, Thanksgiving was a good holiday in my house. No sadly-disappointed expectations of gifts (even when we get what we want, it's not quite as electrifying as imagined; I blame Hollywood!), no decorations to tear down and if it didn't snow, you really didn't care. The food is the centerpiece on Thanksgiving. Maybe this is partially to blame for my food addiction, even now. Mom's spread was over the top and more delicious than words can convey. Hers is the best Thanksgiving meal I have ever had. What is sad though is that I haven't had it in 6 years. I really miss it.

I really miss my mom's great cooking. Her turkey and homemade turkey gravy - lots of it (I hate going to people's houses and there is one boatful of gravy for like, 10 people. Doesn't each person get their own boatful of gravy? Btw, I love that boat and gravy are friends here...mmm). Her cornbread dressing with celery and sage and lots of garlic; her wild rice dressing with mushrooms, green bean casserole (after many years, she updated the delicious traditional green bean casserole with fresh beans and carmelized onions), sweet potato casserole, jello salad (not like any jello salad you have ever had so don't judge!), corn casserole and most years canned cranberries (apparently, the comparative qualities of canned vs homemade is a topic of debate). There is something magical though about a slice of gelatinous cranberry 'sauce' on a turkey sandwich with mayo the day after Thanksgiving. Homemade is lovely, but it just doesn't compare.


I miss the warm kitchen on Thanksgiving morning and knowing mom was up early, at least for a few minutes, to put the massive bird in the oven. I miss the din of the parade and then football in the TV room, our simple table and mom's French Countryside dishes (I love how the raised sides held in our huge platefuls of food - some plates are just too flat for Thanksgiving feasting!). My dad is a piemaking pro and he would always make his famous (yes, famous) Lemon Meringue and Coconut Cream Pies. They were divine. I remember in the old house we would put them in the laundry room on top of the drier, one in a vintage Tupperware pie carrier and the other covered in a lime green plastic bowl; it was cooler in there during the winter months and kept the pies but without being too cold in the fridge (you have to respect the meringue!). Dad's homemade crust and flour on the countertop, mom's Frugal Gourmet apron, our very old carving knive buzzing over the brown turkey (all of us vying for the crunchiest pieces of skin!), casserole dishes everywhere. Good times.

However bizarre my little family is, there will never ever be a Thanksgiving that will compare until I can eat my mom's Thanksgiving dinner again.


I'm thankful this year for my good husband, our new home, our health, and the small things.

Another week has passed ...

The weeks fly by faster this time of year. Not sure if it's the fact we are pulled in three times as many directions with the holidays and familial requirements; obscene amounts of gifting and baking and traveling; getting sick; going to parties; and generally trying to stay sane. Whatever combination of elements, the Fall and Winter months feel harried and short and they pass by with so much 'ado' over what turns out to be nothing and so quickly forgotten.

That new DVD player for $3 at Wal-Mart (starting at 5am, limited quantities of course; and mind you don't trample someone to death on the way to aisle 12!) quickly loses its shine and those new toys find a place in the pile of rarely touched items that accrue and accrue in playrooms and bedrooms, pushed aside for the newer model.

Just reminds me how important it is to not get caught up in the hubbub and the madness. Enjoy the wonderful foods and the good times with the people you care about; the bright Christmas tree and 'It's a Wonderful Life' and hot cocoa, a cat curled up in a frosty window. Enjoy them just as you would the first warm day of Spring and the first nip in the air that tells you Fall is on the way; just as you would any small but hugely significant thing that passes by quickly but with potentially great effect. Enjoy them, but don't get caught up in the insignificant parts.

Life is the small things. People say 'don't sweat the small stuff' but life is just that: a sequence of small things that make up who we are as individuals. So ... sweat the small stuff. Make the most of it. Savor the small things and the short moments and the turns of countenance; a kiss or a smile, a laugh with a friend, finding common ground, a piece of chocolate, or spending the evening with your favorite person.

I realize more the older I get that there are too many lovely things that pass us by if we are fixated on the negative things or the toxic people or the 'what if's'. Cross the bridge when you come to it and make the best of it. Try to remember what you did right and change what you think you can to make it better the next time around.

I see, too, that research and knowledge and observation are some of the more fulfilling practices in life. Read and learn - there is always something new to discover. I can feel myself changing and improving with all the articles I read and words I learn and new things I discover that I didn't even know existed before. How could anyone ever be bored?

Just a few of the small things from my week ... 

My curious cat, Smiley. I love the look in his apple green eyes.

A mystery herb that decided to sprout again after weeks of ... nothing. I brought it inside to the dining room window since it's getting a little too cold outside for herbs now.

Old-fashioned Scrabble in a pretty wooden box. Kevin and I sometimes play games together in the evenings.

Inspired by my friend, I have a 'thing' for collecting pretty napkins. They are so inexpensive but make a simple lunch or tea and cookies that much more pleasant ...

Breaking off a little piece of hazelnut milk chocolate.

A pot of rice pilaf simmering on the stove.

My warm, cozy house on a cool Fall night, my three favorite people (Kevin and the cats ;), a nice dinner and Friday night...

Happy weekend. =)

The Weekend Update

This weekend had some great goings-on, but mostly has been epically chill. Kevin and I have stayed up entirely too late ("is it really 4:45am?!") and watched a few great DVD's, finished the final season of Monk (*sniff*), and enjoyed this beautiful weather - it's been in the 70's all weekend! In California, 70 feels perfect; here, it's cold (but that is far from a complaint).

Thursday night we went to a Stars game. Friday at work, I was unexpectedly offered 4 tickets and a parking pass for that night's basketball game - Dallas Mavs vs Memphis Grizzlies (I am so current on sports, I have never even heard of that team! ;) I wasn't sure I could put them to use with the late notice, but my boss (who is awesome, by the way) gave them to me anyway. I asked around and made some calls ... ultimately it was just Kevin and me at the game, and we had a great time.

The seats were awesome for sure and the game was great, though we lost by one point. I don't watch sports on TV; I am of the opinion the best way to enjoy sports is live and with great seats that I can't afford myself but will gladly accept as gifts. ;) I was sorry we couldn't share them with friends ... next time!

 

Mavs in action. (we were 5 rows from the court!)

Mavericks Dancers at halftime.

Got our picture taken for the fan page.

Rooting for the home team!

Saturday was a quiet day; cleaned up the house some, watched some more 'Six Feet Under' which we just recently started; I think Kevin got it since Michael C. Hall is in it, and we love 'Dexter'. It's a pretty good show, though some of the characters are really irritating. I suppose I have this feeling at the start of any new series or a movie: I have to take a little time to figure out if I like it depending on how the character(s) develops to know if I can relate to them and therefore stop being irritated by them. For example, the mom on 'Six Feet Under' is hugely obnoxious to me, but I think I'm starting to see that I can understand her vulnerability and the reasons why she has closed herself off to her feelings - and I can respect that she's starting to let them out again. Some people close up shop mentally and emotionally and never bother opening again and being themselves. You have to respect people who - even though they were dead before - try to live again and get in touch with themselves. You have to see that you are a certain thing in order to take action on that thing (or feeling or whatever). If you don't know that you don't know, you can't fix it. That's a pretty sad reality for humans. Enlightenment is the ultimate achievement but if you've never achieved it, you don't know how great it really is and just brush off people who promote its greatness. What else is there if we can't at least be enlightened and go through life with deeper knowledge and levels of thought?

Today is Halloween. I have to get some candy before it's too late! We have been procrastinators this year and haven't gotten anything but a little bag of chocolate eyeballs and some candy corn for ourselves.

The cats are acting crazy right now; they are chasing after one another in the den, galloping around the room and hiding behind furniture. They take a quick break for 2 bites of food and are back at it again. Then yowling to go outside since it's so pretty out today. I don't mind them hanging out in the backyard, but I am a little on edge if I can't see where they are, if they are hiding under a shrub or have turned the corner of the yard. I have had both of my cats run away on separate occasions and do not enjoy running after them, or worrying that they are getting run over by a car or getting scooped up by another person in the neighborhood who will then keep them without posting signs or calling the vet's number on their tag. Some people think I (and others like me) are crazy but ... my animals are like my kids. I don't have human children to know what that feels like, so those of you who are offended by my comparison can go off with your internal dialogue about how sacred parenthood is and how your kids changed your life and finally gave you meaning and that you would stand in front of a Mack truck for them ... I respect that though I have to say if your life was meaningless before your child came along, then something is wrong with you. But in the absence of human children, my cats are my babies. And I love them. If they run away, I'm scared; if they never came back, devastated.

And yet, we wrap them up in rugs just to be silly ... can you see the disgust on her face? 'Stupid humans' ... If we ran away, I think she'd be thrilled!

Carmen burrito. So cute, and yet so vicious.

This morning I slept in again. It was nice; though I hate feeling like I've wasted part of my weekend just sleeping. It feels so slothful. Anyway, I got up and made some coffee (coffee = functionality!) and whipped up an omelet. Eggs, salt and fresh-cracked pepper, then some chives and a handful of grape tomatoes, whole and a small sprinkle of cheese. Best Sunday brunch-fast ever!

Today's Good Things

It's been a pretty stellar Thursday overall. I'm staying positive, getting hoards of work done, and being nice to people; this is always a good start. On top of that, I have been complimented for my style, appreciated for my work, and consulted for my advise. A trifecta of confidence boosters all in the same afternoon! *smile*

It got me thinking about some of the good things ... Here is today's list:

1. FREE Dallas Stars tickets, and sharing them with friends. I got 4 free tickets (amazing seats!) to tonight's Stars hockey game and 2 free parking passes. We were able to share them with another couple who we haven't seen in forever; we can catch up with them and put the tickets to good use all at once. Not to mention the killer AAC Supreme Nachos, a tall Miller Light and a bag of shell-your-own peanuts to make it the perfect hockey game experience. I can't wait! Photos to come! =)

2. This beauty of a dutch oven which, at $200, will have to stay right where it is: online!

I love admiring pretty things (you don't have to buy to appreciate) and getting ideas for when I try to find them for way cheaper. It's always exciting finding something beautiful for a fraction of the price at Goodwill or a yard sale. I found a great Shabby Chic brand lamp for $5 (a steal!) at Goodwill and got a $14 lampshade at Home Goods; the lamp with no shade retails for $25. Yay for savings!



Not too 'Shabby' for $5. =)

3. Discovering another person's perspective. I enjoy talking with people who I'm still in the process of getting to know (a new friend or co-worker, or an old friend) and realizing their perspective is usually more multi-faceted than might be assumed. And learning, too, that there are many commonalities between myself and that person.

4. Starbucks House Blend. 'Nuf said.

5. Christmastime! I am so excited about it this year because I get to set up my tree and decor for the first time in our new house.



I'm pretty sure I will be whipping up a batch of THESE come December!



The one that got away

I've been thinking this morning about the ocean. I have always loved the ocean (any ocean really). But it's been a conflicted affection, since I also seem to have an innate fear of it. For my friends, vacation consisted of hiking and camping trips and weeks spent in Europe visiting family and sight-seeing, which seemed entirely foreign and exotic to my family of beach bums. For as long as I can remember, Summer vacation consisted of a lengthy migration to the coast - Florida, Alabama, even Hawaii once - and spending as many hours of the day for at least a week right on the water. I remember vcation in California, too, with my aunt, uncle and cousins; Disneyland and bonfires in the sand on chilly nights. I can see us from a distance as though I was a stranger passing by the tableau. I remember coming home - humid and familiar, unexciting - with a deep tan and sand in my shoes, and wishing for more dinners at waterfront restaurants with the glow of the lights on the wet sand. I remember wishing I was alone, that no family or familiar face was there to draw me in and distract me from ... myself. There is something wonderful and spiritually sparkling about being alone with the ocean.

There is something magical about the ocean, primordial maybe. Something that draws me to it, but warns me not to get too comfortable. I love the crystal blue of the water, tainted only by the shimmering gold sand caught up in the swirling, foamy waves. The salty air and burnishing sun. And the tiny sand crabs that wiggle between my fingers. I love standing in the sand, just at the edge of the water, and seeing how long it takes for the waves to bury my feet in the drippy, saturated sand.

At the same time, I have an in-born aversion to water that's too deep for me to see through (for this perhaps-not-entirely-justified reason, I will never enjoy rivers or lakes). The farther I go out, the blacker the water gets; I can't quite handle that, as though some mysterious predator waits for me just beyond the ledge of sand that takes you from happy Summer vacation to Jaws. Once, while innocently belly boarding near the shore, I saw one of these just below my feet:

One year in Florida, my parents rented a red plastic kayak and my eager brother decided to row the two of us out as far as possible, while commentating our trip with "Wow!" and "This is awesome!" and "Isn't this amazing, Nat?" ("Um, no as a matter of fact") while I'm practicing relaxing breathing techniques in an attempt at warding off a panic attack. I kept asking for him to stop rowing (my paddle dipped in and held still in an effort to slow us down was a pointless exersion). We kept getting farther and farther out; blacker and blacker water. Eventually, I saw several even blacker forms under the opaque water, with wet black fins cutting the surface and gliding past, literally a couple of feet from our small plastic craft. NOTE: Kayaks are likely one of the least reassuring watercrafts; thin, easy-to-capsize plastic boats don't do much to allay my fears as we cut through solid black water.

The fins, I realized, belonged to a couple of porpoises ...

Back at last on comforting sand, I vowed never to get in a kayak again.



Despite some low points in our relationship, I still can't get enough of the ocean. I keep going back, and every time I do, there is something enchanting about it; it never gets old, it never disappoints. The only disappointment is having to eventually leave. I saw a photo recently of someone camping on the beach: a tent piched against the dunes, and the waves mere yards away. How wonderful. Can you imagine the dreams you'd have while sleeping to that soundtrack?




Gulls and surfers on Manhattan Beach - Cali., 7/2010





How many waves til they're buried? - Manhattan Beach - Cali., 7/2010





Santa Monica Pier - Cali., 7/2010



Sometimes, my mind reminds me of the misty-filtered sunshine, the fog on my glasses and salty-sticky skin. And the feeling that the ocean is the one that got away.



Driving the PCH - Cali., 7/2010



A shot in the arm: boosting my photography collection

I decided to update my art folder on Facebook today and found a few photos I had forgotten about. Some are perfect straight from the camera, but I think a little Photo-shopping never hurt. Here are a few photos of mine -- some old and some newly taken -- that I edited this morning over hash browns and coffee.

A new day for Grandma's glass

Yawn...

You want fries with that?

Palm Sunday

I wonder what's up there?

Many years ago, I took this photo. It probably shouldn't have happened; the room was very dark, darker than the photo will let on. The exposure was very long -- I can't remember how long -- for a hand held shot, but it came out clear. A little pushing and pulling in the darkroom ... 

Fort Smith Wagons

Contendedness ... and Morning Glories again.

This morning (well, actually it was noon) I sat in my backyard eating an atrociously late breakfast and enjoying the mild air and the birds and bright green of everything. Sometimes I think I might enjoy sleeping outside and waking up to that - there's something primordially therapeutic about Nature.

Last night I fell asleep on the couch and was awakened by a hug; Kevin had seen me asleep and came over to wake me so I could go to bed. Instead of saying "Natalie, it's time to go to bed" or shaking me or something, he instead sat by me on the couch and hugged me. I woke up with a flood or warmth all through my body. That's what Nature is like.

It got me thinking about being comfortable. And thinking about my house. I realized Kevin and I have lived in our house less than 5 months. We are by no means 'moved in' or 'settled', but that first unfamiliar rush and feeling of being in a new place and new walls and colors and the light coming in at different angles through all the windows...It's already slipping away. It doesn't take long, I thought, to lose that first love, that buzz of excitement over something new and ... exciting. It doesn't mean it is not exciting anymore: when I think about it, I'm still very excited and very very pleased to be in this home with my husband. But it doesn't feel quite so exhilarating anymore. 

Got me wondering, too, how people can hop from relationship to relationship probably just looking for that feeling of newness again - something different - just to know it will be gone soon and they'll be off to the next better thing. Is it really better to feel that heady buzz or to simply be happy where you are and with whom you are? What's better? Truly, we can never be fully happy or constantly happy.

I'm not so sure that buzz is as good or as exciting and thrilling as I thought when I was younger. As a kid, you let movies and other people and your unstoppable imagination tell you what life is all about and it's thrilling - only for the fact you haven't actually experienced it yet. So ... maybe it's not that these new experiences are exciting, it's simply that they have been previously un-experienced and are therefore new and maybe just a little overwhelming.

I am happy in my house. It's not glamorous or even as nice as my friend's houses or that person's house across town. But it's my house that I share it with my family and I love it. It's beautiful to me. And even after 5 months - though it's not quite so exciting waking up and thinking every morning 'Wow, this is my house!' - it still is and I still love being here.

I've been married for nearly 6 years and I wouldn't think of dropping my relationship just because that first rush and blush and flurry are long gone. I adore my spouse and there is nothing and no one who can replace him - not even that intoxication of new attraction. I don't comprehend people who don't allow themselves to be content with the things they have (yes, allow; I believe it's within ourselves, not the circumstances around us, to be content). Of course, I want new and different things, too but ... isn't there a line to be drawn? Can't you want new things, like a throw pillow or Christmas ornament or bed sheets, without also feeling like you have to completely rework your life? Don't question those good and wonderful things - those big things that really matter.

All that to say, I'm thinking about contentedness and constancy and realizing how rare they both are. I'm realizing how vital it is to appreciate the small things - something I have observed for many many years in a select few people and I appreciate them so much for that example - and not sweat so much over your house or your husband or wife who isn't perfect. Love them. Love life. Be content. Everything will eventually let you down, at least a little, but that doesn't mean you can throw it away.

Just drinking in this quiet Saturday.

This morning I planned on waking up a little earlier. Making some coffee and breakfast and tidying up the house. I’ve done all those things just 2 hours later than intended. But it’s Saturday and I suppose Saturdays are made for sleeping in at least a little. I love my bed. Maybe that’s why it’s difficult to wake up on time – unless I have to get up, like every Monday through Friday – and instead loll about with the sun peeking through my windows and speckling the sheets and the almost-cool air drifting in through the window. A nice accompaniment to those late-morning dreams.

Now I’m sitting in the kitchen listening to my timer click and waiting on breakfast casserole in the oven. The cats are fed, kitchen clean, coffee mug by my side. Nothing to do today but a few errands and maybe a bike ride with Kevin – it’s the perfect mild day for it.

Today I’m pondering Fall. There’s a feeling completely unique to this time of year, even though the weather hasn’t really turned yet. An anticipation – almost nervous – for what’s ahead. I’m thinking about Halloween parties, pumpkins on my porch, Thanksgiving turkey - should I make my very first turkey this year and have Thanksgiving at my house for once? I’m thinking about the State Fair and those Stars tickets I have and how I love to see a good hockey game with my husband in the Fall and going home to hot chocolate. Even thinking about Christmas parties, baking cookies and the taste of peppermint. And thinking about decorating my new house for all of it. I suppose this time of year is introspective and maybe a little reminiscent for me. I have good memories with friends and with Kevin in these months.

Breakfast casserole is out of the oven! *tummy grumbles* The recipe was really easy. I made a smaller portion but it could very easily be doubled (or more) for a family or guests.

Preheat oven to 350

3 eggs
1 c milk
Seasoned with: parsley, thyme, salt, pepper
Whisk together and set aside

2 slices bread, diced (I used 12-grain bread)
½ tomato, diced
6 slices bacon, cooked (I used turkey bacon) - or use regular bacon, breakfast sausage, etc
1 c Cheddar cheese, grated

Layer in a casserole dish: Bread, tomato, bacon, cheddar. Top with with egg mixture. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the eggs have set. This turned out really well but I may use a crustier bread next time, like a sourdough or something.

I also chopped in some fresh basil. yum!

 

Kevin isn’t feeling well today so I may head out on errands later and let him rest. For now I’m enjoying this great day with no demands on my time.

 
PS – Last night I enjoyed one of these delicious caramel wafers with my Earl Grey. It was a really light treat, not heavy or super fattening. I tasted a tiny hint of cinnamon intermixed with the gooey caramel. Mmm (They are at Aldi right now for $1.99)

ooey gooey caramel!

 

 

Here it is softening over a steamy mug of Earl Grey.