Gratitude

Gratitude. Do you feel gratitude? Do you practice gratitude? I have been thinking about this concept a great deal lately. Sometimes you can get so bogged down in everyday living and everyday problems that you forget to practice gratitude. Being grateful not just for the world around you, your family, or your ability to live in a beautiful house, drive nice cars, send your kids to great schools. Grateful for moments that make you appreciate the present, in your core. The kind of gratitude that comes to you when you get out of your mind for a moment.

Today I was at the Y, walking the track. I had dropped Chappy off at the groomer and he was so excited to be let in that when they opened the door, he literally ran in. I was so excited for him that he would have a day of fun playing with his furry friends. Anyway, I was walking at the track listening to Matty in the Morning on my phone and found myself hysterical laughing at what I was hearing. There is so much going on in the world. So much going on with me, around me with family and friends. But in that very moment, I was just listening to the radio and getting some exercise. And I was able to be completely focused on that for 30 minutes. A gift.

I have been trying to talk to my kids about compassion. Wow. That is a hard concept, especially for teenagers. I have mentioned that every morning (well, most mornings) on the way to school before drop off, we say the Be's. Be a leader, Be a learner, Be a friend, Be kind, Be your best self. We have added a couple more lately. Stay out of drama, show respect and show compassion.

Naturally, kids focus on themselves and their own experiences and it is very hard for them to understand that others around them might be having a hard time and that they may need kindness. Kids are not cued in to fully appreciate that others may be acting a certain way towards them because of the stuff those kids are going through/dealing with. As a kid I always assumed I was doing something wrong or they were reacting to something I had done and it made me very self conscious and sensitive, like I wasn't enough. It didn't occur to me that the other party might have their own baggage. In the end, we are all kids just trying to find our way in the world, figuring it out. Growing up is hard and sometimes, kids just need kindness and compassion (along with structure, laughter and respect). Funny, this kinda goes for adults too.

Put on The World At Large by Modest Mouse and get cooking!

So I know I have a lot of pasta sauce and marinara recipes on the blog but I just tried one last night that I thought I would add. I had seen it on Smittenkitchen.org and wanted to give it a shot because it reminded me of one that my Auntie Sue had given me a long, long time ago. I may have mentioned it before but it was one I made all the time because it was so darn easy. For some reason it got out of rotation and I can't find the recipe anymore, though it is so easy I think I know it off the top of my head.

Sosie has mentioned that she doesn't love jarred sauce right now but does like homemade sauce. I was going to do a make your own pasta with letting the kids choose between pesto, butter/olive oil/parm, and jarred marinara but thought I would look again at how hard this recipe was and simplify things. Thursday nights sometimes are my easy nights.

Anyway, I found it and here it is. I would change a couple of things I think and I will add my suggestions below. I used leftover pasta from two boxes (less than a pound of pasta was used) and I was kinda low on veggies so I had cut peppers as a side. Not my best work but sometimes good enough is just right. The kids LOVED this dish. Lots of compliments and "dibs on leftovers". Sometimes simple is just right.

Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onions - Smitten Kitchen
28 oz whole peeled tomatoes from a can (San Marzano, if you can find them) (I used diced because that is what I had and I think that worked out really well actually. This makes enough to lightly coat the pasta but if you like a lot of sauce, double recipe)
5T unsalted butter (I used 4 but it doesn't matter)
1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved
salt to taste (I didn't add salt)

Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in a heavy saucepan (it fit just right in a 3-quart) over medium heat.  Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free of the tomatoes (this didn't happen for me). Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes against the pot with a wooden spoon (I didn't do this because I used diced). Remove from heat, discard the onion, add salt to taste and keep warm while you prepare your pasta.  She says to serve with spaghetti, with or without grated parmesan cheese to pass. (We always use cheese!!)

I will say the flavor of the stewed onion added a lot to the sauce. The other recipe I had used was to sauté onion in olive oil and then add whole tomatoes (hand crushed in a bowl), simmer for 20 minutes and add 2T of butter at the end. I think both ways are good, depending on whether you want to have sautéed onion in the sauce or just the gentle flavor from cooking it. Either way, 3 ingredients and you are done....

Enjoy and have a happy Friday, everyone!!!