Finding the moment

Mona Rowshan, Iceland 2014

As I may have mentioned, since returning from our road trip, I have been feeling quite unsettled, even a bit down. I thought I had named it but that hasn't lifted my shoulders much so maybe that wasn't the answer. Ebb and flow, ebb and flow.

When I was in Needham, I went back to my yoga studio and experienced some of my favorite teachers there (though not all). I was so impressed and amazed by how much their practice has grown over the last year. It also made me realize how much I really miss practicing routinely and consistently in a class setting and how lucky Needham and surrounding towns are to have HYP (and other quality studios) so close by. I have attended two studios here in Augusta. I really enjoy the experience and am grateful for the opportunity when I attend but it hasn't felt the same for a number of reasons. I have never really practiced at home but had a great conversation with Jordan who has encouraged me to try it. I definitely have heat if I practice outside but can also practice inside. I am going to try and start my practice this week, maybe even today. I am sure it will take a few tries to be comfortable and to flow through the sequences. I am nervous but excited and hope that it will encourage some peace and calm in my mind.

I have started reading again. I hadn't read a book since February, which is a very long time for me. I wasn't able to steady my mind and body to sit down to read until now. I read Orphan Train voraciously and didn't really want it to end. I have ordered two more books and started the Husband's Secret last night. Reading is a wonderful escape and allows me to be in the present like cooking and yoga does. I am looking forward to reading more in the days to come.

Chappy is 6 1/2 months old. I love watching him grow and change. We are so incredibly lucky to have him as our pup. I can't imagine if we hadn't chosen him because he really does fit our family so well. I love watching him do downward and upward dogs. I love his long stretches, his excitement when he sees us and when he plays with his toys. I love the way he looks at us and I am grateful for the joy he has brought to our family. I was so not ready for a puppy but now I can't imagine not having him in our lives. The little bugger won my heart....

I miss the proximity of nature in Needham. You can drive 5-10 minutes and be at a lake, the river, a pond or just the woods. Today, Chappy and I went for our morning walk, around 2.5 miles. It is an unusually less humid morning and there isn't a cloud in the sky. The first part of our walk he was pulling and not in sync with me at all. I felt frustrated and yet tried to keep calm and guide him to heel more nicely. After a bit, we started to walk more comfortably. We both relaxed and started to enjoy the morning. It was a really nice moment to enjoy, a simple moment.

Put on Mad World by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules and get cooking!!

Today's recipe is from the Smitten Kitchen cookbook. I have been a bit obsessive recently about her recipes. Her book is highly entertaining and fun to read and adds more detail than I post on the blog. I made this with a Belgium Endive salad and simple apple cider vinaigrette. I ended up using the meatloaves as meatballs the next night for a little spaghetti and meatball dinner.

I wish I was the person who always made fresh breadcrumbs and my own broth or pita chips. I have done some of these things occasionally but I know many people who do this all the time. As much I as I want to be ideal, I am just not.....I did make the breadcrumbs fresh for this recipe and they were so light and fluffy. Definitely worth it.

Tomato-Glazed Meatloaves with Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes
Glaze
4T vegetable oil
1/4 cup tomato paste
2T cider vinegar
2T honey
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1T Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt

Meatballs
2 slices sandwich bread
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 medium stalk celery, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
Olive oil, for cooking
1 tsp table salt, plus more for vegetables
Freshly ground black pepper
2 lbs. ground beef
1T tomato paste
1 tsp smoked paprika (I used Hungarian sweet paprika)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 large eggs

Make glaze. Combine glaze ingredients in a small saucepan, and simmer, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes. Set aside.

Make meatloaves. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Tear the bread into chunks and then blend it, in a food processor, into breadcrumbs.

Add the onion, garlic, celery, and carrot to the food processor, and pulse it until they are finely chopped.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, coat the bottom with olive oil, and heat the oil for a minute; add the finely chopped vegetables. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to brown, in about 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the vegetables to the large bowl with breadcrumbs, then add the remaining ingredients.  Stir the ingredients together with a fork. With wet hands, form the mixture into twelve 3-inch meatballs, each will weigh about 4 oz.

Bake meatloaves. Space meatballs so that they are not touching, in a baking dish. Drizzle or brush each meatball with a teaspoon or so of the tomato glaze you made earlier, and bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes. (An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a cooked meatball will register 160-165.)

To serve.  Serve with additional glaze on a bed of brown butter mashed potatoes.

Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
8T unsalted butter, melted and browned
1 cup buttermilk
1 to 2 tsp table salt
Freshly ground black pepper.

Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, and once it's boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on your potato size; the potatoes are ready when a paring knife or a cake tester can be inserted into the center with little resistance.  Drain the potatoes, and wipe the pot dry.

Peel the potatoes - I find that holding one in a pot-holdered hand and using the paring knife with the other is easiest. (I find the skin comes off really easily under running water). Repeat with remaining potatoes until they are completely peeled. Run the potatoes through a food mill or potato ricer, then return the mashed potatoes to your emptied saucepan.  Add the browned butter, buttermilk, salt, and black pepper to taste.

A note about browned butter from Smitten Kitchen:
Brown the butter. In a large pot, melt 1 stick butter over medium-low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden, and finally start to brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don't take your eyes off the pot: You may be impatient for it to start browning, but the period between the time the butter begins to take on color and the point where it burns is often less than a minute.

Serve the meatloaves on the mashed potatoes and add salad on the side. Voila! Enjoy and have a happy day, everyone!!!