Fall in 3 words, go!

Thank you to Susan for this awesome picture of her sea glass collection from Europe.

My blog is 50 posts strong and has had over 6600 page views. Wow.......Thank you for reading!

Rebecca Spengler - is this your lovely picture from last year?

As you may know, I love color. When I think of fall, I think of color. I think of the dramatic hues of the leaves changing, the blue skies of New England, the first fire in the fireplace, and chili on the stove. Along with being busier as school starts, as fall settles in and gets comfortable in its season, there is also a sense of detachment (literally for the leaves but also figuratively). Maybe detachment is too strong a word but I have always enjoyed going to yoga in the fall and winter because it is a way to reconnect and get in tune with myself, if that makes sense.

I think about teaching our children the emotions of sympathy, empathy, compassion for others. These are hard emotions, even for adults sometimes. It is difficult to get out of your own mind and experiences to feel compassion and empathy for others. For kids, who are naturally more selfish (really not meant to be negative) at this time in their lives, thinking of others is especially difficult. I find that sometimes I have difficulty detaching from the feelings of others and my kids. Creating the necessary space so that I can breathe freely on my own without the weight of others on my shoulders too. I can't and shouldn't fix everyone's problems but I can send compassion to them so that they know they have my support and love.

When I was in college, I was involved with a sexual crisis resource center (called SCRC at the time). There was a hotline and we all had shifts at SCRC to cover the phone. My partner, Michelle, and I became good friends because we were in this tiny room for 2 hours each week waiting for the phone to ring, and we just talked. About everything, including her own story. She was killed tragically in a car accident a couple years after graduation. We hadn't kept in touch but I felt the pain of having her leave this earth so young with so much of her story yet to still unfold.

The phone never rang but there came a time when people knew if you were involved in this group. I had several people come talk to me on campus and off to tell me their story and seek support. There were two times when they came to my house and even to my room to talk. I realized quickly that there had to be a certain level of distance, a safe distance, space....for me. I wanted to help and to listen, to support, but I had to have a certain level of self-care too.

I find that not working right now outside the home gives me more time to think. I become more involved in my husband's and children's happiness because I have more time to think about it. Creating that safe distance to show compassion and empathy without letting it completely affect my inner happiness is important. Not letting their stress become my stress. Lord knows I have my own stress!! Living in the present gives you the simple moments that this blog is named after and I need space in my own world to recognize and appreciate those moments when they arrive.

Glacier National Park, from their Facebook page. Stunning for so many reasons. I love rocks and have them all over my house. This photograph represents the depth of nature and of our lives!

Time to put on Matters of the Heart by Tracy Chapman and get cooking!

My friend, Anne Catherine, gave me this recipe a couple of weeks ago. It is from the Food network and I really enjoyed cooking it. I would say it takes a little more time, maybe an hour so just keep that in mind. Though you can do what Anne Catherine did and shorten the cooking time by using canned tomatoes. Great idea - wish I had thought of it too! The family enjoyed it and I will definitely make it again.

Antonia's Pasta Alle Melenzana
Olive oil
2T butter
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped (I used less)
3 large eggplants, chopped (I used 2)
3 whole garlic cloves, peeled
Leaves from 10-12 sprigs of basil (I used less)
kosher salt
10-15 plum tomatoes (I used closer to 10)
freshly ground pepper
pinch of sugar
1 1/2 lbs of fettucine (I used less - closer to a pound)
1/2 lb packaged mozzarella, cut into 1/2 cubes
1.1 lbs  fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2 cubes
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat 1/2 cup (I used less) oil and butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and eggplant and cook gently over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, until tender. (I did add a little salt and pepper at this point). It may be necessary to add more oil as the eggplant soaks up oil quickly. Towards the end of cooking time, add the whole garlic cloves and half of the basil leaves.

In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the tomatoes for 4 to 5 minutes until the skin splits and the tomatoes are softened.  Remove the tomatoes with a slotted spoon and place them in a mesh colander over a large bowl.  Reserve the cooking liquid.

When they are cool enough to handle, core the tomatoes and peel off the skin.  Using clean hands, squish the tomatoes, pushing the pulp through the sieve into the bowl underneath. At first you will have a watery liquid. Add the tomato liquid to the eggplant and then continue to push the tomato pulp through the sieve, until you have only seeds and hard pulp pieces left. Finally, add the rest of the pulpy liquid to the eggplants and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the sugar and continue to cook for 10 more minutes, until thickened.

In the meantime, bring the reserved cooking liquid to a boil, add additional salt, and cook the fettucine according to directions on the package. Drain well.

To serve, spoon a third of the eggplant into a bowl and set aside. Toss the pasta in the sauté pan with the remaining eggplant and add the packaged mozzarella. Place the mixture in a large serving bowl and top with the reserved eggplant, the fresh mozzarella, and the Parmesan. Garnish with the remaining basil leaves and serve hot.

Enjoy and have a happy day, everyone!!