It’s Our Birthday!!

April 12, 2019 Deidre Leave a comment

It’s official! Our 5^th birthday is today!

This is our 108^th post. Looking back, it’s been quite ride!

Foodtalk4you was launched by sharing the advice of some of the best minds on promoting healthy ways to improve your life. Our first post was up and running on April, 12, 2014. Take a look at our first message from the archives HERE – Can’t vs Don’t.

There has been a lot of advice readers have – hopefully – used as a springboard to self-improvement by utilizing the techniques described for small daily changes.

Sharing the results and findings of my personal research into improved health and wellness has – and is – my joy. Looking back through previous posts about nutrition, helpful recipes to stay on track for an anti-inflammatory and gluten-free diet, stress reduction, exercise, and ways to help shape our mindset, makes me proud – and more determined than ever – to pass on the fullness of what life can be …

… because we are designed for health.

This birthday event is reminding me to go back to my Word of the Year: Reach.

At foodtalk4you we are trying to reach out to all our readers – current and future! There’s an aspect of growth in reaching. We will expand and strengthen our reach by meeting the needs of our readers. Is there a topic you want to learn more about? Please leave us a comment.

Working toward my personal wellness goals, I am reminded that in order to reach an ideal body weight or cholesterol level, moment-to-moment application of body kindness must be applied. My mindset is all about “doing my body good.”

This week, I reached out for a different therapy to address several body issues. Somehow, my increased exercise, alone and coupled with chiropractic care, was not addressing all of my needs. Rather, some body misalignment was being magnified by the very treatments that were supposed to help.

Things hurt here and there.

I know. I know. “You’re getting older…”

None of us has ever been this old before. We are all plowing new ground every day!

BUT we were “designed for health,” and I wanted to not hurt here and there.

Upon further evaluation of my discomfort. x-rays turned out fine; but misalignment of the back may be causing hip problems, as well as those heel-spur-like feelings in my heels. Enter my massage therapist who is helping smooth out the muscles, (pulling on those bones), and opening up the energy flow and promoting pain relief!

Foodtalk4you wants to help you reach your own goals for improved health.

Are habits a stumbling block for you? To help you, there will be more posts about habit formation.

Are you looking for an easy breakfast? Next week’s post will please you.

Interested in learning more about Intermittent Fasting? I’ll be sharing my experiences soon, along with resources for further study.

Is there a way to make your evening stroll even better? Jane Austen thought so!

If you wanted one daily health “hack,” what would it be?

Drink one glass of water first thing each morning before leaving the bathroom. Sets up the digestive system for the new day! Easy to do and super easy to remember.

Want to reach your exercise goals for the day but can’t go to the gym? Ask Alexa to play the Beach Boys, “Little Deuce Coupe,” or, “Help Me Rhonda,” and march, kick, swing, and sway for a joyful energy-packed workout right in your kitchen.

Do you need to dig deep within yourself to reach new levels of personal strength, fortitude, grace, and calm? Foodtalk4you will help you to get there. HERE is 2017’s Super Brain Yoga and HERE, from 2015, we go back to the basics with BREATHE.

Looking for a way to reach out to someone in love? Come bearing this Coconut Ganache Recipe.

As we think about blowing out the candles on our birthday cake, please let us know how foodtalk4you can best reach you. What do you need to conquer to be healthier?

BOOK UPDATE:

In an attempt to ‘reach’ caregivers of loved ones at home, I am so excited to announce that Toolkit for Caregivers and Love Lives Here: Toolkit for Caregiver Survival are a few steps closer to being published. Currently in the formatting stage, they will actually be published TOGETHER – at least for a limited time – and will be available soon in eBooks and print format through Amazon! I’ll keep you updated.

Endless thanks to Sheree Alderman for making our posts so colorful. Her selection of images always helps to drive a point home and often gives a needed laugh as well. Her children’s books may be found on Amazon HERE. (Ah, shucks….kicks dirt)

Reaching others in health-

Deidre

Blogging for good health!, This -n- That

Whose Team Are You On?

April 5, 2019 Deidre 2 Comments

Are you rooting for a special team right now? With college basketball play offs narrowing down, you may be finding yourself sitting on the edge of your seat, cheering for your team!

Are you hoping that the ball will have just the right amount of spin go in for more points or dance around the rim to keep the opposing team from taking the lead?

Passions runs high. Just look at the faces of the fans in the stands. You see everything from pure ecstasy to total despondency. And the players … every missed shot will be replayed for the rest of their lives.

Actions bring results – every time. Being good – or bad – depends on the action.

Players work very hard on perfecting their actions. They hone their skills and work so closely with each other every day, they can read and anticipate their teammates’ movements in an instant.

Getting a team to function like a whole does not happen overnight. Each member must be totally committed to the team. Their goals are the same. They are headed in the same direction. Everyone has each other’s back. They pull for each other.

YOU are on a team.

You ARE the team.

Each of us needs our brain, body, and emotions to be working together as a team – pulling in the same direction.

Oh, your body may be dragging along with your brain, but are the decisions your brain is making helping your body?

Is your body being allowed to rest enough to help your brain function and keep your emotions balanced? Are you feeding your team the right food?

Or, are you putting diesel fuel into a gasoline engine and still expecting it to drive smoothly?

Keeping our respective teams functioning smoothly is what foodtalk4you is all about. Food for the body, mind, and spirit!

After an innocent conversation with a fellow patient in a doctor’s office waiting room recently, I felt compelled to remind each of us about the concept of teamwork.

We were just passing the time and making the day by talking about collards, of all things. Her daughter had remarked earlier about wanting some collards. I added that they sounded good to me, too. We exchanged information about where to buy the freshest ones.

As we all gradually moved up the next-patient-to-be-seen pecking ladder, we were ultimately transferred to the inner office waiting room before being called to see our doctors. We resumed our collard collaborations.

How do I fix mine? I render out a piece of “streak of lean” – that’s Southern for salt pork with a bit of meat in it – followed by steaming cut, cleaned collard leaves, minus the stems, in that same pan. I rely on the moisture of the wet leaves and on gradual small additions of low sodium chicken broth to steam the leaves until tender. The rendered fat will be chopped and added to the cooking leaves. Maybe add some crushed red pepper. Extra salt may or may not be needed. Everyone loves my collards.

My waiting room companion exclaimed, “Oh, you do it healthy!”

She related her method which included generous portions of ham, some type of pig’s tails, lots of fat, and added salt.

Two people. Two choices. Two teams with different results.

You want a lower blood pressure? Your body certainly does! Rather than reach for another blood pressure pill, take the reins and captain your team!

Allow your body to work the way you’d like it to work. You want it to work perfectly – all day, every day, right? Pull in the same direction. All day, every day. Stop putting diesel fuel into your gas engine!

Okay, but there’s Thanksgiving – Christmas – Hanukah – New Year’s – Super Bowl – Valentines – St. Patrick’s – March Madness – birthdays – anniversaries – graduations – (I-could-go-on-and-on).

Clearly, there is no time to avoid justifying going off the deep end.

Every day could be a cheat day – if you think that treating your body is a negative.

Is loving your sweetheart a negative? How about your child? A negative? Looking for a ‘cheat’ day to not love them?

Sounds outrageous, right?

Sometimes it may take an extra effort to do what’s right for our bodies, but we are on a TEAM and we are called to do what’s right because we love our team.

What we put into our bodies, how we treat our bodies, should be a reflection of that love.

Just sayin’-

Deidre –

I’m headed to the kitchen for a workout with Beach Boy oldies playing. There’s too much pollen outside to walk or jog around a la Jane Austen (see last week’s post). Trying to show some love here.

Blogging for good health!, Exercise, Food Talk 4 You!

Exercise With Jane AustEn!

March 26, 2019 Deidre Leave a comment

Are you ready for a timely turn-about-the-room? Are minuets’ last notes hanging in the air? Has that game of whist become boring?

Perhaps it’s a time to encourage a companion to join you!

It’s time to get off the couch during time outs from March Madness and walk about the house or take advantage of that seventh inning stretch!

Regular body movement is not exclusive to those residing in the 21^st century. In fact, Brian Kozlowski, is soon to release a book about wellness via Jane Austen in his book, The Jane Austen in Diet: Secrets to Food, Health, and Incandescent Happiness.

Okay. So … There’s nothing new under the sun, right? Wrong!

With Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice as my forever favorites, I can thank the authors, Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen – respectively – for the practical examples of daily exercise.

While budding romantic feelings are developing for Mr. Rochester and Mr. Darcy, our authors of old also showed us how exercise is woven into the lives of governesses and fair ladies alike.

In both the stark of winter and in the bliss of spring, our early day romance characters sought regular exercise and exposure to the fresh outdoors whenever possible.

If the weather was formidable, they literally strolled around the room. When weather was tolerable, they went for extensive walks – not only about the luxuriant gardens – but also around the country side.

Jane Fairfax, an Austen heroine, is prescribed more, “fresh air for the recovery of her health.” The total rejuvenating experience of today’s popular forest bathing – already described in our past post HERE – is described in “Persuasion” by Anne as bringing her comfort.

Today’s science brings revelations – apparently, intuitively long known – that just one day’s exercise keeps nerve cells actively revved up for two days. Seems that exercise activates a neuron, that stimulates appetite suppression, as well as reduces the activity of the neuron that ramps up appetite.

Seems that a trip to the nearest fancy gym is not required. Short bouts of DAILY exercise for 10-15 minutes are enough to keep things in balance and on the sunny side of being fit and not resembling a couch potato.

Just sixty seconds of high-intensity workout – read, jog to and from the mailbox and perhaps around the house – along with a ten-minute walk around the neighborhood will yield the same results as a 45-minute jog.

Hallelujah!

Translation to reality in March 2019: I will keep going to my group exercise class twice a week for full body activation and the awesome social connectivity AND use the time outs during March Madness as an opportunity to stretch, turn about the room, and create a pumped-up, high stepping drill to cheer on my team!

When not attending a gym class or activity, take a stroll around your countryside for one of the best workouts ever invented: walking outdoors in the fresh air.

Trust Jane and Elizabeth who knew all about keeping physically active. Take a stroll. If climbing up steep hills is not included, then jog for sixty seconds some time during your walk for maximum results.

In health-

Deidre

Blogging for good health!, Food Talk 4 You!, Recipes

Winter Eats

March 13, 2019 Deidre Leave a comment

Are you still longing for another ladle-full of steaming soup? Some piping hot melty pizza fresh from the oven? Anything with pasta and savory tomato sauce?

Yet, we are being reminded that spring is just around the corner!

In Eastern North Carolina, there are daffodil, tulip tree, red bud, and Bradford Pear in bloom, but we are stuck in near freezing temps at night.

If a sunbeam shines, we throw a party!

Hard to crawl out of winter’s hibernation mode; and even harder to shake off those holiday pounds for swimming suit weather.

What to do?

I have a couple new ideas – along with a blast from the past – that could help our dilemma.

Comfort food without a big carb hit. Let’s see what this looks like.

The first recipe – Yogurt Barley and Herb Soup – comes from my dear friends in California, Betty and Jane. Way back when, we attended Sacramento State College, (now California State University at Sacramento).

If ‘barley’ makes you wonder where my gluten-free mind went, fear not. I will give you a gluten-free option – although it’s not quite as chewy.

Short of Egg Drop Soup, I never had a soup that featured a serious egg component. That’s one thing that caught my interest – this soup has staying power. You’ll not be roaming around the kitchen for a snack two hours later!

Yogurt, Barley or Quinoa, and Herb Soup

Ingredients

4 cups water if using barley – OR – 1 cup of water if using quinoa

3 cups water – OR – the equivalent – in salt free chicken broth

¼ cup barley – OR – ½ cup quinoa

4 eggs

2 Tbs. flour – OR – gluten free all-purpose flour

2 cups plain yogurt – NOT Greek yogurt

1 Tbs. onion flakes

1 tsp. garlic salt

½ tsp. thyme

2 cubes bullion – (*) if using water instead of broth

1 ½ tsp. seasoned salt

½ tsp. mint flakes

2 Tbs. butter

2 tsp. parsley

Method

For barley: Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add barley. Simmer uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.

For quinoa: Add the quinoa to one cup boiling water. Simmer covered, until all moisture is absorbed – about 20 minutes. Set aside.

In saucepan using a wire whip, blend the eggs with your choice of flour, beating well.

Add yogurt and blend.

Add remaining 3 cups of either water or broth. I recommend the salt-free broth so the salty bouillon cubes can be avoided.

Add remaining ingredients (except barley or quinoa) and whisk together until blended.

Heat almost to a boil, stirring constantly. Do not boil. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened – about 2 minutes.

Stir in barley or quinoa and heat another minute.

Serve. The original recipe card says to invite a hungry Russian peasant! This is a hearty soup and is best served fresh and will serve 3-4 with no leftovers.

There’s just something about pizza… yet it often is a source of some really bad ingredients for healthy eating and always presents with a serious carb hit. Even if you switch to gluten-free flour versions, there is a large carbohydrate factor.

I had heard about cauliflower crust recipes, but I just wasn’t motivated to tackle that from scratch. Fortunately, I stumbled upon this Caulipower frozen crust the other day. One third of a crust has just 26 grams of carbohydrate, so if you eat a half like I do, it’s still in an acceptable range.

These crusts are individually wrapped so it’s easy to use just one while keeping the other one protected and frozen. I definitely plan on referring to these again in the future. Let me know what you think.

Pizza sauce is actually good for us! The concentrated tomato concoction imparts lots of antioxidant lycopene – great for heart health and reduced cancer risk – as well as a great source of vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K.

Look for a brand of pizza sauce low in sugar, no high fructose corn syrup or alphabet soup preservatives. I prefer Classico brand. I’ll use almost ½ of their small jar on one of these pizzas.

Caulipower Pizza

Ingredients

1 Caulipower frozen crust

Lots of pizza sauce 

Better meat choices: Cooked ground turkey or grass fed ground beef – maybe a bit of ground Italian sausage

Add some heat and/or flavor to the meat while sautéing the crushed red pepper flakes, anise, and Italian herbs

Sliced olives – a source of good fats and flavor

Knock yourself out for colorful veggies: Red/orange bell peppers, purple onion, and spinach

Grated cheese

Method

You know the drill.

Preheat oven per package instructions.

Unwrap the Caulipower crust and place it along with the cardboard underneath onto a cookie sheet.

Decorate! Sauce. Meat. Goodies. Cheese.

Bake according to package directions.

Enjoy!

Okay. That leaves us with a blast from the past. After sharing this with my California friend, Betty, she has received nothing but raves about this appetizer. It’s so easy to serve at home and to take to a party. With March Madness ramping up, this will become your go-to recipe for – dare I say – healthy snacking!

Zucchini Dipping “Bread/Crust” gets dipped in …you guessed it – Pizza Sauce! We already know how good that is for us. You’ll like this easy recipe I originally saw on Delish but has many iterations on the internet.

I treat this as a concept recipe. Rarely have I used three zucchini. Also zucchini vary in size. Usually it’s one good sized zucchini, one egg, a dash of this and that. Here’s the original recipe.

Zucchini Dipping Bread from Delish

INGREDIENTS

3 medium zucchini, or about 4 cups grated zucchini

2 large eggs

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

3 c. shredded mozzarella, divided

1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan

1/4 c. cornstarch – I use arrowroot or tapioca flour

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

2 tsp. freshly chopped parsley

Marinara, for dipping

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425º and line a baking sheet with parchment. On a box grater or in a food processor, grate zucchini. Using cheesecloth or a dish towel, wring excess moisture out of zucchini.
Transfer zucchini to a large bowl with eggs, garlic, oregano, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan, and cornstarch and season with salt and pepper. Stir until completely combined.
Transfer dough to prepared baking sheet and pat into a crust. Bake until golden and dried out – 25 minutes.
Sprinkle with remaining 2 cups mozzarella, crushed red pepper flakes, and parsley and bake until cheese is melted – 8 to 10 minutes more.
Slice and serve with marinara.

Whew! Three recipes in one post! I’m trying to make up for lost time.

Don’t forget to use our Blabbermouth Chocolates discount code just for our readers! Some Costa Rican Coffee/Chocolate is melting in my mouth right now! Mmmmmm! The Blabbermouth folks are giving our readers 10% off their first order. See the previous post for details in case you missed it!

In health, soup, pizza sauce, and chocolate-

Deidre

Blogging for good health!, Food Talk 4 You!, This -n- That

Oh, Sweet Day of … Chocolate!

February 5, 2019 Deidre Leave a comment

Are you a dream builder? A builder of your own dreams, that is. You certainly can be!

This is a story covered in chocolate. Really, really good chocolate … and one other very special ingredient.

Stories of people who make their dreams come true always fascinate and inspire me. The Shark Tank profiles of individuals who have an idea – a passion – and those who take action draw me in each week. Tales of the “little guy” who perseveres to bring his/her inspiration to market, charge up my own creative batteries and urge me to do more to make my dreams a reality.

Such is the story of Darlene and Gary Kramer, who hail from a northern California town called Lincoln.

Seems the Kramers held previously unbidden desires to become both chocolatiers and entrepreneurs. With Darlene’s background in accounting, and Gary’s in title and escrow sales, one could hardly see a thriving niche chocolate business being formed, but that is exactly what happened!

But that’s the stuff that dreams are made of, right?

Seems Darlene came home one day declaring, “I want to be a chocolatier.” Many of us would have followed that thought with, but …

There are always buts to our dreams. Those internal and external nay-sayers often derail our efforts to reach out beyond our respective comfortable boxes to g-r-o-w.

Darlene, however, took her initial steps in making her dreams come true by beginning the first of many courses to becoming a professional chocolatier. During her training, she needed a final project to prove her skills. She ended up with a creation that combined the best of both worlds: chocolate and coffee!

That original confection has evolved into seven different coffee bar flavors, in addition to fine chocolates, caramels, truffles, toffee, peanut brittle, and more.

The rest, as they say, is history!

Darlene and Gary started a wholesale business out of their home in 2013, but needed a brick-and-mortar location to expand into e-commerce. Now, in their present location in downtown Lincoln, California, since 2015, the couple continue to grow their business the old fashioned way – one phone call and order at a time.

The name? Oh, the name! Well, these amazing bars, that channel only the best chocolate and premium coffee beans one can ever find, is called … wait for it … BLABBERMOUTH CHOCOLATES!

Seems Gary was eager to discuss their fledgling business plan with his brother, (I’m presuming before Darlene was ready to let the confections out of the bag), so Darlene called him a “blabbermouth,” and the name just stuck!

Their divine chocolates will melt in your mouth. No sticking allowed here! Your taste buds will be delighted as the exceptional Belgian chocolate carries the deep, exotic coffee notes along for the splendid ride. The kick of the cumulative effects of the caffeine will make staying awake for your latest project pure pleasure.

Blabbermouth Chocolates – in any form – a daily treat for me!

If you are a trucker rolling along the interstate, a whole bar over the course of the night may do the trick, and keep you safe and alert for hundreds of miles to come. In fact, they have found their greatest success at truck stops, thanks to their earliest customers. Blabbermouth Chocolates can be found in truck stops in Portland, Oregon; Wyoming; Utah; and one of the biggest, the Iowa-80, according to Gary Kramer.

If truck stops aren’t your style, Blabbermouth Chocolates may be found in some Nugget Markets, Safeway Stores, and Whole Foods. You can also buy them directly from their website, BLABBERMOUTH CHOCOLATES. My discovery happened when visiting friends in northern California who personally know Gary and Darlene.

After that first taste, I became a fan for life. Blabbermouth Chocolates website assures me of a constant supply. Their service is speedy, their thank you samples are delish, and I consider it a privilege to share this tasty information with you.

There’s still time before Valentine’s Day to order your loved ones something unique!

As a special offer for our foodtalk4you readers, Gary and Darlene want to give you a 10% discount on your first purchase from Blabbermouth Chocolates! Just use this coupon code, foodtalk, for your first order.

Have I just become a Blabbermouth? LOL!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

In health-

Deidre

Blogging for good health!, Food Talk 4 You!, This -n- That

2019’s Word of the Year!

January 7, 2019 Deidre Leave a comment

WHAT’S IN A WORD?

Trials. Survival. Trials. Survival.

Is it my imagination, or is every year like that? Seems as if 2018 was R-O-U-G-H, but looking back and contemplating its path, one must see that it’s the power of love that really tells the story – not the grief or the hardships.

The power of love is sustaining and powering us through the best and worst of times.

Whether you were holding a loved one’s hand as they crossed over to eternity, or your hand was being held through yet another round of chemo, the love sustained us all. The love of strangers and neighbors saw us through fires, floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes.

So many are yearning for an easier, brighter, less challenging 2019; but, good or bad, I encourage us all to be the “love glue” that keeps things together.

Be that hand that reaches out to others and accept the hand that is extended to you.

Recharge your soul batteries at every turn, and reflect your values and faith by being its hands and feet.

What matters is the love. Those who have lost some or all of their possessions know that, while we mourn the loss of physical memories and treasures, we are acutely aware that that’s not what counts.

Our earthly situations radically change and we turn around to hug those left standing with us.

In one of last year’s January posts in foodtalk4you, I shared with you about finding my “Word of the Year.” Instead of a resolution that would surely drop by the wayside, I sought a word, a thought, an intention that reflected my soul’s urging for 2018.

Did you have a 2018 Word of the Year? As you look back, did it reflect your path?

Mine did. EMBRACE was 2018’s for me. I strove to embrace my circumstances with grace, my inner self with acceptance in the midst of conflicting emotions, others as they ministered to me, my life as it was, and my faith.

This year, my intention is to REACH. It’s time for me to reach out for growth, for reconnecting with friends, for physical movement, and to reach out for new goals and opportunities, and to see them through to success.

An intention that could color and shape your year’s activities seems much more fruitful than making resolutions that fade. It was amazing how often I thought about my Word of the Year as 2018 evolved and how it gently guided me through life.

You, too, may find that a Word of the Year may assist you to cope, plan, perceive your experiences with greater clarity, and may serve you on a more solid course.

Aside from just setting an intention for 2019, also consider how you are going to flesh out that intention. Maybe you seek to be more calm. How are you going to do that? How is your calm self going to react and participate in your hectic life? How are you going to walk into the room calm? How are you going to create calm around you?

As an exercise, write down your word or intention of the year and brainstorm every possible application you can imagine. How will this intention for 2019 color how you look at yourself, how you look at the world, and how your actions might be different.

Always include applying your intention to yourself. If your intention for 2019 is patience, aside from the obvious desire to display patience to others, consider how you are going to be patient with yourself. How are you going to do this for yourself as well as others?

Food for thought.

Take a few moments to consider your intention or word for the year for 2019.

You might even want to make a simple little sticky note with your word on it. Put it on the inside of the medicine cabinet or on the refrigerator as a gentle reminder. This could even become a family project. Or you can just tuck your word quietly in your heart.

Happy New Year to all. May 2019 be calmer, brighter, kinder – even if we are the only ones who are calm, bright, and kind.

Make every interaction a positive one.

Recipes for some colorful, nutritious dishes will be coming your way in the coming weeks!

Don’t forget to subscribe to foodtalk4you so a reminder can be sent to you as new posts are written for you.

In health-

Deidre

Blogging for good health!, Food Talk 4 You!, This -n- That

Our Christmas Miracle!

December 21, 2018 Deidre Leave a comment

New Bern, NC – I rarely use the term holiday in place of Christmas, but for ALL listeners of our Craven Messiah Chorus’s 36th presentation of Handel’s Messiah, it was truly a miracle for all faiths.

The Messiah being performed at the Centenary Methodist Church in New Bern, NC

When I attended our local ecumenical service of support for our Jewish friends after the senseless massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, I was blessed to sit next to a Jewish couple who attend our local synagogue just around the corner from that night’s Service of Remembrance.

In the course of conversation, they learned that I sang in the annual presentation of Handel’s Messiah; and it turns out, they are regular attenders! What a thrill it is to know our efforts speak to so many faiths!

After suffering the ravages of Hurricane Florence this fall – our town, community, and most of Eastern North Carolina will be in the throes of recovery for months and even years to come. Many are not recovering in place – they have chosen to simply cut bait and move on.

City leaders have pushed heaven and earth to pick up, muck out, tear down, rebuild, put on fresh paint, and put the “open for business” signs right next to the “New Bern Strong” messages spray-painted on temporary shop windows. Our city workers have decorated our town like never before for the holidays.

There was a brief conversation about even doing the Messiah this year. Many of our chorus members and our musical directors were devastated by the storm. Maybe we just needed to take a year off to lick our wounds?

That conversation lasted about a nanosecond. Our chorus wanted to do its part in the recovery. We were NOT going to skip this year’s production. If anything, our community needed the Messiah message more than ever.

Fast forward through weekly Monday night rehearsals starting in November and going through the crescendo of practice during our unofficial “Messiah Marathon Week,” which sees over ten hours of concentrated singing.

Jim Ogle, our conductor for all 36 years, returns to our town from Idaho each year because this presentation is that special. He reminds us that the NC Symphony members who accompany us are not looking for another, “Holiday Pops gig.” They, too, return each year because their hearts, souls, and musical selves are moved by the quality of our production and the message it imparts.

These NC Symphony professionals drive to New Bern on Monday in time for our ticketed open rehearsal atarting at 3 pm the day of our evening performance. Messiah goers enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of this special event as Jim Ogle will take time to talk to them between pieces, explaining instrumentation and various musical nuances. His occasional, “do-be-do-be-dos,” give added color to the rehearsal and offer light-hearted moments for the audience and chorus members.

Here’s where the drama starts.

At approximately 12:30 pm on that Monday afternoon, our conductor learned that the NC Symphony members could not even get out of their driveways from the weekend snow and ice storm that had slammed the western and middle part of the state. Most symphony members live in the middle part of the state.

Oh, my. No violins taking us soaring to the heavens. No oboe. No bassoon. No beat. No pitch.

What did we have?

An accomplished symphony conductor.

A chorus more responsive to keeping its beat than ever, thanks to chest-tapping rehearsals converted to hidden knee, heel, or book patting pulses during performance.

A set of amazing soloists ready to drive the Messiah message into the hearts of all listeners.

A harpsicord and an accomplished player, Beverly Biggs, who was wisely brought into town before the storm hit her home in Durham.

A piano and a very accomplished player, BJ Oglesby, who is also one of our rehearsal directors.

A tympani player, Jack Bircher, with a tympani to play – but whose soul-stirring passages would sound out-of-place without trumpeters adding to the swirling crescendo of sounds.

A packed house of eager listeners who needed the Messiah message – maybe more than ever.

No pressure.

Right …

Our conductor explained the situation to the afternoon audience who seemed willing, curious, and understanding. Clearly, we were flying by the seat of our pants.

Oh, of course. No symphony = no overture.

Bill Ward, tenor soloist, The Messiah, New Bern, NCC

First up, the tenor soloist, Bill Ward, whose amazing solo was only occasionally supported by the harpsicord music and Jim’s “do-be-do-be-dos” that filled-in for crucial violin passages.

These were trying times, and Bill knocked it out of the park. We practically cried as Jim gave Bill a heart-felt hug of appreciation.

The audience loved it. Somehow, while the stirring and floating sounds of the symphony were absent, the words and message were emphasized.

No harm. No foul.

We strive for something near perfection, you see. We never want our musical faux-pas to distract from the miraculous message Handel divinely created in just twenty-four days of inspired genius.

The chorus was directed to stand. Could we stay on pitch? Would there be a train-wreck of botched entrances? Could we concentrate hard enough to remember all we had perfected? Were we going to stay in time as we secretly tapped out subdivided beats?

We were determined to not let Jim, our audience, or ourselves down.
Success! While the pitch may have subtly dipped a time or two because we were basically singing totally accapella, there were no train wrecks or botched entrances.

Our baritone soloist, Mark Walters, added to the open rehearsal’s blessings by turning to face the chorus from time to time. It was a gift we needed.
The other soloists, Jami Rhodes, Nicole Franklin, and Pat Rowlett each added to the mounting miracle of true professionals rising to unexpected circumstances.

But that was just the beginning of miracles.

As we gathered in the church basement for rest and nourishment before the actual performance slated to start at 7:30 pm, we were faced with the reality of having to perform Handel’s Messiah accapella one more time. Next time would be to folks who paid $25 each for the experience.

Our conductor stared off into space, deep in thought. Was that his life flashing in front of his eyes? I’ll never forget his look.

Our other leader’s faces were set with a look of resolution and giving in to less-than-stellar circumstances.

Mark Walters, however, was busy texting. What was our baritone soloist conjuring up?

To the best of my recollection, it looked something like this:

5:30 pm. Texting.

6:00 pm. Texting.

6:30 pm. Texting.

6:45 pm. Waiting for texts back.

Smiles.

Whispers to our conductor.

Our pianist zooms up to the sanctuary to practice.

What has transpired?

A holiday miracle!

Strings pulled. Friends called. Friends of friends shooting texts into the dark of night.

Kimberly Zimmerman grabs some clothes and her cello. She drives to New Bern from Onslow County.

I think the two trumpeters came from Greenville.

Cold turkey; these professionals drove to our performance, sat down a few minutes before the 7:30 pm curtain, and played the music handed them by our conductor.

Got trumpets? That meant the tympani player could join in. Six instruments instead of twenty.

Never have so many been so grateful for so few instruments.

There was just enough support to keep the air filled with sound and to add just enough glorious sparkle to make the 2018 Craven Messiah Chorus’s presentation of George F. Handel’s Messiah an experience that will be treasured for a long time to come.

For our regular readers, was this a holiday miracle or maybe a God wink? See last week’s post!

May each of you experience your own holiday miracle!

Blessing to all during this season of miracles for all faiths.

Until the New Year-

Deidre

Blogging for good health!, Food Talk 4 You!, This -n- That, Titles Worth Reading

God Winks

December 10, 2018 Deidre Leave a comment

New Bern, NC – Have you done that DNA thing with a registry that will reveal from what part of the world your ancestors came? So tempting. A great gift idea, too. Haven’t taken that swab plunge yet, but sometimes a very Nordic, “Yah,” periodically comes out of my mouth that I wonder, “where did that come from?”

Anyway, I am in the middle of a “domino drop” of sorts that started out with a random cancelation. You know what I mean: some ‘random’ thing that leads to something else that leads to something else? The dominoes keep tipping over in a beautiful opening of blessings?

This past September, I received a call from my minister of music and senior adults, early on a Friday, that a cancelation had just occurred for the senior adult fall trip leaving for Pennsylvania in two days. Would I like to go? Well, sure! Let me pack my bag!

This trip was going to take me over the first bumps in the road to widowhood: my husband’s birthday and what would have been our 42^nd wedding anniversary. Coincidence? We’ll see. Keep reading.

Our tour of the lush and rolling landscape of historic Pennsylvania took our group to Hershey, Lancaster, Gettysburg, Sturgis, and other wonderful places. Every day was packed with good food, splendid vistas, great company, laughter, and new experiences.

One evening, we dined with an Amish family who served traditional Amish fare supplied by a local restaurant and who opened up for an honest and frank question and answer period. As a personal thank you gift, I gave her a signed copy of my book, Toolkit for Wellness, as a gesture of sharing, in kind, a bit of myself.

Flash forward to late November, and what should appear in my mailbox but a book from our lovely Amish hostess. She shared in her inscription that someone had given her a copy of the enclosed book when her husband had died in 2010, but that she waited two years to read it. She said that reading the book, When God Winks at You, changed her life.

She said that I will find my God wink when I least expect it.

This is not an attempt to answer questions wondering why God allows “this or that,” when I also believe in God blessing random coincidences at times.

Let the author’s website speaks for itself:

“Squire Rushnell teaches you how to use the power of “God winks” — divine coincidences — to seize certainty in uncertain times and enrich your career and relationships.

Whether you call it synchronicity or coincidence, it is not an accident that you just picked up When God Winks. In fact, you may have suspected all along that there is more to coincidence than meets the eye. These seemingly random events are actually sign posts that can help you successfully navigate your career, relationships, and interests. By recognizing the God winks our Creator sometimes places in our paths, we can understand—and embrace—the journey God has laid out for us.

As my wink let me pass on this random blessing to you in the form of a book-giving idea for the holidays.

Speaking of book-giving at Christmas – where did that tradition come from? I have always loved giving and getting books for Christmas. Yah?

Yah? Well, seems the Icelanders started it all off. Their word for it is Jolabokaflod, which roughly translated is “Christmas book flood.”

Seems that during WWII, books were one of the most un-rationed items readily available to give as gifts at Christmas. Hence, a strong tradition of book ownership, reading, and Christmas gift preferences.

Whether we are from Iceland, Norway, or where ever, I can recommend not only anything from the God Winks books but also Out of the Maze by the author of Who Moved My Cheese.

While change is one of the few constants in this world, it’s the one we tend to like the least. The older we get, the tighter we cling to the old ways and resist anything new.

So many people in my community are being trust into change post Hurricane Florence. Out with the old, in with the new – maybe a new community altogether. Have you lost or changed jobs? Lost a loved one? There’s plenty of change swirling around us.

Want it or not.

I have to say that the simple wisdom found in this quick read of Out of the Maze has helped me in my own transitions of late. It’s a great book to pull off the shelf at the start of each New Year as we all move forward with our lives and pause to reflect on our progress or to consider if we are ‘stuck’ in a maze.

There you go. I’ve given you two great leads for presents for yourself and for your loved ones.

That’s why I call this Foodtalk4you, because these articles are targeted to be ‘food’ for your mind, body, and spirit.

Don’t forget to subscribe by clicking the subscribe button. You’ll get an email when there’s a new post. That’s it. No hard sales and no sharing of your information.

In health-

Deidre

Blogging for good health!, Food Talk 4 You!, Recipes, This -n- That, Titles Worth Reading

This and That

November 29, 2018 Deidre Leave a comment

New Bern, NC – Still enjoying some of the cornucopia of goodness from Thanksgiving? Leftovers may be my favorite part of the holiday, so it seems appropriate to have savored my Cranberry Secret Sauce over some peanut butter on gluten free toast for breakfast today.

Yum!

Check last week’s post to keep that tasty and versatile jewel of redness around for the whole holiday season.

This week foodtalk4you is serving a bit of this and that as well – a cornucopia of seemingly random information that is so appropriate for the season. Let’s dig right in!

GERMS

You’ve probably noticed how the trend has been away from anti-bacterial hand soap.

For those of us who wizened up to the more current wisdom that regular hand soap did a fine job, thank you, we were often at a loss to find regular liquid soaps. Seems that the relentless use of all things anti-bacterial can actually train germs to grow stronger to resist the effects of anti-bacterial germ warfare.

Finally, Bath and Body Works and other purveyors of “soap-ness,” have returned to offering most of their wares in the non-antibacterial form. Excellent!

Having said that, I do like to use a foaming anti-bacterial soap before handling my contact lenses or touching my eyes.

Here’s the thing I just discovered. You DO NOT have to buy foaming soaps! It’s a rip off.

How do I know?

Well, after accidentally buying the regular liquid to refill my foaming squirt-top container, I discovered regular liquid is too thick to go through the apparatus. What to do? I tried diluting the liquid – one-part soap to 2-3 parts water – guess what? Foaming soap! Think of all the water I had been buying all those years.

You’re welcome!

No matter what soap we use, the trick is in proper handwashing technique. Rub, rub, rub those dirty paws thoroughly. Get to all surfaces of the hands, between fingers, and scrape your nails along the palm of the opposite hand to drive the soap bubbles underneath them. The rubbing process with soapy hands should last for 15-20 seconds or two hums of the Happy Birthday song.

Dont forget to include those wrists!

Says Deidre, “Using one soapy hand to wrap around the opposite wrist, twist back and forth several times. Repeat for the other wrist!”

No kidding. If your family is continually passing around the “crud,” truly proper handwashing, coupled with not touching your face, will break that hand-to-mouth/eye/nose circle of germ circulation.

RECOVERING FROM A HYPERVIGILANCE HABIT

Today’s next tidbit is something I’ve successfully employed in my recovery from being in a hypervigilant state for the past two years – even longer, as I endeavored to be “on-the-ready” for my husband’s changing needs.

Just because the need for hypervigilance is no longer there, does not mean our nervous systems magically switch to a normal maintenance mode. Some of my symptoms were manifesting as an irregular heartbeat at bedtime.

My former nighttime caregiver routine was busy and emotionally taxing; sleeping time meant keeping a constant ear out for my husband. No wonder I was showing stress: relaxing at night was contrary to what I was actually doing.

Maybe you, too, are trying to come off of a hypervigilant state. Whether it’s a different living circumstance, a change in jobs, or a change in relationships, converting to a calmer state of mind is not easy. Others may wonder why you may be having a rough time since the “problem” has been eliminated.

You and I know differently.

While I am still very much a work in progress, I would like to share a bit of success that may help you, too. Curing hypervigilance and anxiety requires a multi-faceted approach, often with professional counselors, but this may be a starting point for you.

By the time I had read up to page 62 of Virginia Ritterbusch’s book, Reframe Your Viewpoints, harness stress and anxiety, transform it into peace and confidence, I was writing in the margins with my epiphany.

Following her recommendations to look at today’s circumstances, with a focus suitable for our adult selves TODAY and not from our former traumatic focus of yesterday, I realized the source of my heart palpitations.

I learned to see/recognize my anxiety; to feel what I was feeling; and to substitute an alternate thought for my anxiety.

This is how that went for me – here comes that nightly tension; I’m feeling those strong erratic beats of my heart which causes more anxiety – and instead of the usual tailspin, I applied alternate thinking.

I thanked those feelings/friends for having kept me on alert for so long, but now the need was no longer there. All I needed to do was to relax to go to sleep and get some much-needed rest. Those helpful feelings of hypervigilance can assist me in the future when I need to be vigilant, but not now. Right now, I’ve got this, and I’m going to spend a few minutes of being mindful of my quiet breathing.

Those nightly heart palpitations have vanished. I keep with mindful breathing each night before retiring. Reading the print version of Virginia’s book each night also helps.

Remember to be “off screen” before bed each night; the blue light of electronic screens is detrimental to the production of sleep-inducing hormones. Read something relaxing and helpful from a good old-fashioned printed book. It can be part of your winding-down routine for a good night’s sleep.

FAST CHICKEN SOUP FOR FEELING BETTER

Last, but not least, a quick update on healing chicken soup.

As a vocalist in three choirs over the holidays, keeping the “pipes” working is a big job. While post-hurricane mold spores swirl in the air along with the usual mix of wintertime viruses, many of us are walking a thin line between health and vocal collapse.

I’ve ramped up the usual version of chicken, broth, garlic, and fresh ginger with the addition of some fresh sliced whole lemon and dill as a gently complimentary spice.

I’ve cheated the all-night simmering of chicken bones with large boxes of organic, free range, chicken bone broth.

Quick, Healing, Chicken Soup – 2018 version

With just the following ingredients you can have some yummy, healing soup:

2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

5 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped

¼ sweet onion, diced

2 T. olive oil

Several thin slices of whole lemon from the middle of the fruit (about ½ lemon or more)

2 chicken thighs

2 chicken legs

1 large container of chicken bone broth

Salt, pepper, and dill weed to taste

In soup pot, sauté the ginger, garlic, onion in olive oil until fragrant. Add the chicken, bone broth (with some water to rinse container), lemon slices, and seasonings. Simmer until chicken is falling off the bone.

Remove chicken; take meat off the bones. Cut cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces and return to soup pot.

Ladle up a fragrant bowl of healing goodness.

Enjoy!

Until next week-

Deidre

Blogging for good health!, Food Talk 4 You!, Recipes

Thanksgiving’s Secret Sauce!

November 19, 2018 Deidre Leave a comment

New Bern, NC - “It bears repeating,” so said my darling husband … often.

This truly merits a repeat! The keystone ingredient to holiday meals – in my humble opinion – rests with the cranberry sauce. Not the golden, moist turkey or the succulent ham.

No, my friends, give me a quality cranberry sauce that will sparkle next to the aforementioned meats, but will also redeem less-than-stellar attempts at the perfect protein.

Many eschew any form of cranberry sauce. Poor devils. They’ve never tasted mine.

When you grab a sack of cranberries to make the standard issue recipe – grab TWO bags!

It’s that good.

You’ll want to make a vat of this stuff now – and one for later. Some to share, (Oops, it’s gone!), and some to, (greedily), keep for yourself.

You will also want to throw a large navel orange, a small container of raspberries, and a pear into your cart.

Okay. I know this is getting weird but hang with me.

Here’s the recipe:

ULTIMATE CRANBERRY SAUCE

Ingredients:

2 bags of fresh cranberries, rinsed and sorted through for the elusive “bad ones”

1 large navel orange, washed and cut into halves lengthwise

1 pear, washed, peeled, cut into quarters, and cored

1 cinnamon stick

About 15 whole cloves

Nutmeg to taste – I had only powdered Nutmeg and used maybe a ¼ tsp or so; fresh grated would be great

1 ½- 1 ¾ cups sugar (save the last quarter cup to zero in on the sweetness later on during cooking)

1 ½ cups water

Directions:

Rinse raspberries and place into a small sauce pan with just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook on medium heat until all bubbly.

Place a sieve over a bowl. Pour raspberries and their juices into sieve. Using a spoon or rubber spatula, press the berries through the sieve until only seeds remain.

Scrape all the raspberry goodness off into the bowl.

Put cleaned and sorted cranberries into a large soup pot and add raspberry mash, water, sugar, and cinnamon stick. Set heat on stove to medium and start cooking the berry mixture.

While the berries slowly heat up, peel half of the orange and cut flesh up into small pieces; add to the cooking berries. Cut the other half orange with rind into thirds lengthwise and then make very thin slices; add to berries as well.

Dice up the peeled pear. I usually make a small dice by slicing through the thick part of each pear quarter, make lengthwise slices of both layers, then cut horizontally to make small pieces. Add pear to the cooking berries.

Stir the cooking berry mixture every few minutes.

Once everything is in the pot, add the remaining spices. Take the round head off each clove stem and rub between your first two fingers over the berries. Discard all clove stems. Add nutmeg to taste. Stir.

At some point when the berries start to pop, I will put a lid on the pot. From here on out, every time you stir, use the back of the wooden stirring spoon to smush the whole cranberries on the side of the pot. Lower the temperature a bit to allow for longer, slower cooking.

Ladle out a sample to test for sweetness – but remember to let it cool off first! Ouch!

Add that last ¼ cup or less of sugar to make the sauce “just right” for you.

When you deem the sauce is finished cooking by noting the consistency and the popped state of the berries, turn off the heat and allow to cool a bit. Remove the cinnamon stick.

Pour sauce into a couple bowls (this is a double recipe) and allow to cool on the counter, then cover and refrigerate if not eating immediately. This is a great make-ahead recipe and it lasts for a week or more in the refrigerator.

All you have to do now is wait for the raves!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Deidre

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