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.

TODAY'S DINNER RECIPE THAT WE BOTH LOVED!!

ONE-POT EASY PEASY PASTA>>>>>>>3 sun dried tomatoes, cut into slivers.......2C boiling water.......2t sugar.......mix and set aside>>>>>>>3C grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced(i used 1/2 red and 1/2 yellow---pretty!).......1/4C diced onion.......1t chopped garlic.......3T chopped fresh oregano (or 1t dried or just leave out).......saute.......add water/tomato mix and bring to low simmer>>>>>>>add 8oz penne pasta (raw).......cook, stirring often until almost all of the liquid is absorbed and penne are al dente (mostly cooked but still firm, not flabby and overcooked)>>>>>>>swirl in a knob of butter or spoonful of cream or Greek yogurt>>>>>>>serve topped with feta cheese>>>>>>>tell NO ONE how easy this was!

Pourquoi Français?

Before we moved to Costa Rica, when we were still thinking "maybe this might be a good idea....?", i started doing Spanish lessons on Duolingo. Every day for the year that we were deciding and planning. Every day for the first two,nearly three, years that we lived here. Joe started too and, having had Spanish in high school and college, was really enjoying it. But....it was not such a home run for me. I had French in high school and spoke French with the kids for years. Many words in Spanish were similar to English or French which, one would think, would make it easier but i found it very confusing. The languages would swirl in my head. I would do Duolingo every day until i was to the point of crying with frustration and failure, then i would stop for the day, only to start and do the same the next.>>>>>>>After a period of this, i decided, with discussions with Joe and others, that it was just not worth my mental health to have the daily frustration. That the Spanish that i was learning was not enough (i was not making amazing progress, despite my efforts)and i spoke enough "restaurant/food Spanish" to get by.>>>>>>>I really don't speak to anyone here except other ex-pats (those who have moved here frm the US and Canada, primarily). I go to the grocery and the fruit/veg market but speaking "restaurant/food Spanish" and knowing the common numbers (prices at the fruit/veg market), i can get by. So, i went back to studying French.>>>>>>>I read and study the "new words" daily for a 1-1/2 hours or so. I find, however, that i have no other use for French. I don't have the kids to speak to in French. I don't know anyone else that speaks French. We are going to Europe for a month on vacation, yes, but to Spain. So...no need for me to brush up on my "travel French" for this trip. We went to France already when the kids were young so i don't know that we will be going back anytime soon. There are just too many other places that Joe wants to travel (see the Northern Lights! see Australia! Amsterdam and the Netherlands! Scotland and Wales!). So, why do i torment myself learning the French to "espionage, counterfeit, blood-splattered, Swiss chard, building terms-- caustic, wood putty, table saws, overly ripe fruit, spoiled child-- not to be confused with spoiled milk" and other words that i find in my reading.>>>>>>>Like so much of my life, it seems hardly worth the effort. Like cooking a new recipe for the two of us or sewing a new dress...what is the point? He is happy with "food...whatever" and i'm the only one that sees my new dress. I could wear the same capris and tee-shirts that i moved here with in 2019 and no one would notice or care if they did. I guess i need this vacation this month more than i appreciated, if only to "shake things up a bit". And, Joe will be able to brush up on his "Castillian Spanish" which is different than the "Latin American Spanish" that he speaks here. And, he'll get to have _good_ beef and fancy restaurants, neither of which we have anywhere in Costa Rica.>>>>>>>And, maybe, just maybe, we will come across some French tourists....crossing my fingers (and brushing up on my verb tenses!)>>>>>>Adieu pour maintenant (bye for now).....i'm off to study those pesky new words.

RETIREMENT PRIMER (?) When Hubster and i were thinking about retiring to Costa Rica (or elsewhere), we went on a "retirement tour" with Christopher Howard. It was interesting and informative but didn't address all that you might want to know about retirement. In the four years that we've lived here, and the five years since the tour, we have learned more about retirement and how to "do it right". While this is individual to an extent, there are some guidelines that help (or at least helped us!)to have the best retirement experience.>>>>>>>Retirement is more than just not going to work one day and doing so the next day and those thereafter. Yes, there may be a retirement party for you at the end of your employment but retirement really should start before this. Planning is importants, as is flexibility when that initial plan need to be tweaked.>>>>>>>Work/career gives us each identity. A purpose. A role. A focus to our lives. When you no longer have that, it's an adjustment. No longer are you "Lisa, the recovery room nurse"...you're now just "lisa...the ???". It's important that one thinks about this ahead of time. What other things do i have in life other than my job/career identity? What other "labels" do i apply to myself? What is important to me?>>>>> Another consideration is that of time. What the devil are you going to do all the live-long day when you don't have the structure of work? Even working part-time, work gave me some structure to my life. I worked some days at the hospital and other days did the support activities of my life. Sewing, reading, yoga/hiking, church and social activities...i was fairly busy. When there was no work anymore, every day was a weekend. This is something to think about. Part of what makes a weekend so _sweet_ is the break from obligation and routine. When every day is a weekend, the push to be productive is not there. It's harder to get motivated to do the five loads of laundry that you would do on your day "off" when there isn't that pressure to get it done before you have to go back to the work grind. Weekend cleaning sprees? The house never gets completely cleaned, top-to-bottom, because it never gets so messy. Working, it was easy to overlook the crumbs on the floor, the smear of toothpaste on the vanity, the grease on the stove exhaust fan.>>>>> And, balancing a budget when there is _no money coming in_ every week or two is also a challenge. Yes, there is a fine line to walk between "i don't want to have more life than money" and "i have to have a life". Do you take the social security at 62-1/2 or hold out for the bigget payment by waiting until you're 70? Do you stop traveliing and stay home (save money!) or take the opportunity to do all those trips that you would have done earlier but had to get the time off work? Do you remodel the house? Do you move?>>>>> And then, there is the consideration of how you're going to fill your days. I found that my life is _more_ structured now than before i retired. I have a routine and heaven-forbid that anything throws it off too much. With age, comes a degreee of inflexibility. It is easier to stay up until 1:00 doing whatever and sleep in the next day here and there as a 26yo than as a 56 year old. Starting the day a hour late throws off the whole day, actually. Yes, i have all day to do what i do in the morning but i find that if i don't do things in the order that i usually do, it is more difficult to get to them. I can be flexible to point. As long as i can fit things into my general framework.>>>>>>> There is also the question of friends and family. In the four years that Joe and i have lived in Costa Rica, we have met a number of people. And, as i was counting this morning, had more nearly ten of them die. Yes, we did retire younger than many so our friends are a bit older than we are but still. We continue to make new friends (and some younger ones, just in case!) but recognize that this is the evolution of a social life. First the weddings...the the baby showers...then the birthday parties...then the funerals. I haven't been to a wedding in years.....or baby shower or child's birthday party. But, i have been to funerals (and expect that this will be the next time that i see many in our friend/family network). People get together for life events and, at 56 and into the 70's and 80's (our friends and family), it's just expected that this will be the outcome. So...eat the cake! drink the mimosa now! (gotta die of something, said Grandpa Larry many times). >>>>>>>We also on the tour explored areas of Costa Rica to see where/if we wanted to relocate. We came back twice to be sure of the location then rented to be extra-super sure. And still, bought a house earlier than we had intended and have had to do a lot to make it "perfect" (with contractors coming again over the next two days...four years into owning this "dream house"). Even my mother and Jim, after living in the same "dream house" in Crawfordsville chose to relocate in their _real_ retirement (Mom went back and forth to work for years). Moving ia always a challenge but all the more so when you're not 26yo and living out of a one-bedroom apartment.>>>>>>>This brings us to the final (i hope...this has been a long posting!! good on your for still reading!) consideration. The amount of "stuff" you have acquired in your life on this planet is overwhelming when you move into retirement, even if you don't move house but all the more so if you do. So much that you "needed" before, you find that you don't now. A lot of what you wanted/surrounded yourself with is just extra. You find that you have so much stuff that you own that the stuff now owns you. The upkeep is bothersome. An example? We got rid of our "everyday dishes" and use the "fancy china" all the time. Have a couple pieces gotten chipped or broken? Yes. But why use it only twice a year? We still have champagne glasses/goblets from our wedding in 1991 that are still in the boxes!!! What a waste!! And all those "fancy clothes"? I haven't worn heels in the time we've been here. I'm doing good if i wear shoes at all. Yoga pants, capris and tee-shirts or smocks are the usual daily "uniform". Pura Vida. >>>>So, your retirement will look different than mine, different than that of your friends and different that you expect. It gets better (first it gets crazy and hard).... live a life! Have some fun! And eat the cake at your retirement party...and every other day that you wish. You're retired...no sense in depriving yourself of any joy!