the next recipe that i'll be making

This looks sosososo good! I am almost reluctant to go on vacation for wont of making this recipe tonight (will make too much to finish in one day and i don't want to buy the ingredients either). But, i will come HOME from vacation and this recipe will be waiting for me. Double happiness.>>>>>>> MOROCCAN LENTIL SOUP PREP TIME: 10MINUTES MINUTESCOOK TIME: 45MINUTES MINUTESTOTAL TIME: 55MINUTES MINUTES SERVINGS: 3 - 4 PEOPLE AUTHOR: NICO PALLOTTA 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 large onion chopped 2 carrots chopped 1 rib celery chopped 2 cloves garlic pressed 2 tablespoons tomato paste ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander ½ teaspoon ground turmeric ½ teaspoon paprika 1 heaping cup (220 grams) dried green lentils or 2 small cans rinsed (15 ounces/400 grams). In this case simmer for just 15 minutes and add only 2 cups of vegetable broth. 6 cups (1½ liters) vegetable broth add more if required 1 can (15 ounces) (400 grams) crushed tomatoes 1 teaspoon salt or more to taste ⅛ teaspoon black pepper ¼ teaspoon cinnamon 1 lemon 1 handful parsley or cilantro, chopped Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add 1 large onion, 2 carrots, and 1 rib celery (all chopped), and cook for 4 minutes or until translucent. Stir in 2 cloves garlic (pressed), 2 tablespoons tomato paste, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, and ½ teaspoon paprika. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Rinse 1 heaping cup dried green lentils and stir them in the spice mixture. Pour in 6 cups vegetable broth, 1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes, and season with 1 teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper. Stir well, cover with a lid, and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low, crack the top open, and let it simmer for 30 to 45 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Stir occasionally and add more vegetable broth if necessary. Once the lentils are cooked, use an immersion blender to puree only some of them – about a cup. You can blend more or less, depending on your preference. You can also use a standing blender, but be cautious with the hot liquid if you do so. Now stir in ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, then taste and adjust for salt. Serve in bowls with a generous squeeze of lemon, chopped parsley or cilantro. Make it a meal with pickled red onions and a dollop of Greek-style yogurt on top, and pita bread on the side.

what i'm really good at.....

It was a joke, a teasing, that we used to do with Alessandra. She excelled in it...and so do i. It's called PRODUCTIVE PROCRASTINATION. Let me explain. >>>>>>> Let's say that i have a project that i need to do. Clean the house. Pack for a trip. Clean out the casita. Write a blogposting. And i really know that i have to do this task but i kinda don't wanna. So....PRODUCTIVE PROCRASTINATION. I _will_ organize the fabric stash in the casita...but first i need to get the right storage containers for the sorting.....and i need to have the floor swept and mopped so that i can put the fabric there in stacks....and i need to have my tape measure to be able to measure and sort the lengths of pieces....and i'll need labels and pens to label the pieces....and, once i've gotten and done all these things (which will help me with the task, right?), i've successfully spent the three hours that i alloted to the task and have to go do something else. So.....with productive procrastination, i have completely avoided having to do the thing that i was putting off....but stayed busy and feel like i wasn't a slug...i just couldn't get it all done. PRODUCTIVE PROCRASTINATION. >>>>>>>This extends to more than just the occasional chore or task. Just not in the mood to be cooking another dinner? Those spices need to be organized (they're a jumble!).....and the spices in the fridge (so that tbey don't mold) need to be taken out and cleaned....and the shelves that the spices were on have to be cleaned as well....and then you might as well clean out the whole fridge and cupboard..and now, after you've done all that, it's really too late to start cooking....so cheese quesadillas or take-away or some such "instant meal" because you were busy all evening "working" in the kitchen. PRODUCTIVE PROCRASTINATION.>>>>>>>See how powerful it is?!?! Writing a term paper, applying to graduate school, cutting-sewing-fitting a new pair of exercise pants for Joe--- all good candidates for productive procrastination. Sadly, this is one of my few talents. So, i can stay "busy" but not really accomplish what i need/want/should do. It's not a good feeling afterwards (all the effort! none of the result!) but it's a familiar feeling.>>>>>>>Sigh.

REALLY GOOD SALMON

Good, easy.>>>>>Good "fancy". >>>>>>>Good inexpensive.>>>>>>>Good healthy.>>>>>>>Hubster liked it a lot and i tried it (not bad!).>>>>>>>1 filet salmon (from warehouse club, thawed)>>>>>>>1/4C soy sauce>>>>>>>2T orange juice>>>>>>>2T honey>>>>>>>dash ground ginger>>>>>>>1/4t chopped garlic>>>>>>>mix all in ziplock bag and let marinate for 30 + minutes>>>>>>>drain, put salmon, skin-side down, in pammed baking dish (reserve marinade)>>>>>>>bake at 375 (AirFryer!) for 12 minutes, adding 1/2 marinade after 6 minutes as desired>>>>>>>that's it! sosososo fancy looking and easy and healthy (no added fats!). i don't like salmon and i liked it (but preferred my lo mein leftovers to changing lunches with Hubster...let him have "the good stuff"). >>>>>>>let me know if you love it!

i'm a creep

When we started on our journey to moving to Costa Rica, waaay back in 2018, we started on Duolingo to learn Spanish. Every day, 1-2 hours of lessons and practice. I did this for four years with the ideal of one day being out and hearing the Spanish and just being able to respond. To "think in Spanish" as i used to "think in French". To be able to chat with locals, read menues, live my life in Costa Rica as successfully as in the US. This, i came to realize, was a fantasy, not an ideal. After years of Duolingo, even if i was saying the right words, the accent was wrong and i was not understood. Even the program into which i had to repeat phrases or answer questions would "misunderstand" me and mark my response as wrong. And, i still had to hear the basic Spanish, translate to English in my head, think of my response, then translate that back to Spanish that i could say. This did not make for any communication at all. So, after years of daily frustration (i would base my study time on "do it until you cry, then call it a day"), i gave up and went back to studying French again.>>>>>>> Yes, i had been bilingual with my kids for years but if you don't use it, you lose it (like muscles with gym attendance). I then found that the French that i knew, i had forgotten much of. The former fluidity was not there. And, even the new things that i was learning (read a book, look up words that i don't know), i had a harder time retaining and recalling. Daily studies show that i often am "relearning" things that i knew a month, a year, 10 years ago. >>>>>I was a failure at Spanish and, going back to French, have found that i'm a failure there too. >>>>> I"m fifty-seven (57!) years old...i should be a grown-up by now. But, i find that i still make BIG mistakes that have lasting poor consequences. I post incendiary things on Facebook when i don't fully think through the sequellae. I shoot off at the mouth in frustration or anger or pain...only to find that my words, contrary to the children's rhyme of "sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me", have caused lasting damage to relationships on and off the 'net. I cycle through friends too much, losing dear friends because of my brusqueness. In short, i'm a creep. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5t9IXtTr6g) >>>>> It is the end of the year. I will be celebrating Christmas with my family this weekend on a trip to the US. Thus, it is a time to assess where i am in life, where i want to be, and where i thought that i would/should be. >>>>>In short, i'm a failure. I don't deserve the family and friends that i have and too often poison those relationships. The iron test of worth to me has always been "if i met me, would i want to be my friend? would i want to be with me?">>>>>>>In the past, this had been "yes, i think so" or "maybe", even once, "definitely, i'm a good person and i'd want to be around me". Today, i can honestly evaluate where i am and who i am and say, without reserve, NO. No, i would not want to be in my company. I"m not a good person. I fall short in so many areas of my life. I am not where and who and how i want to be.>>>>>>> The people that are in my life would be better off without that part of their lives. I"m not a good addition to anyone's existence. Most that i know would be better off without me....especially if Joe could make his own coffee. His iPhone could wake him in the morning and there are always restaurants for his food (he'd eat more pizza but less beans so it would be a net gain).>>>>>>> My "kid raising" years are past. I have (and have had and will have) minimal contact with my grandson and his mother, not to mention either of my "kids". They all have their own lives and i live too far away. Even when we were all in the same city, i had minimal contact. I cannot blame them. I'd preferentinall hang out with friends too. I'm not that interesting and have little to offer.>>>>>>> I fly tomorrow to Albuquerque to see the kids, grandkid, and my mom and mom-in-law. I hope that the visit goes well and that i don't mess up the visit for others. I pray that God will cover my mouth and curb my reactions so that i am able to take a pause before being the ass that i too often am. I pray for the people that i'll be visiting that i don't decrease their enjoyment of the company of others (three birthday parties and Christmas to celebrate).>>>>>>> I am too old to be this far from where i wanted to be as a person.