the goodness of turmeric

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Over the past several years I have become more and more interested in natural and herbal remedies. The story of how I became interested in it is a bit of a long one that I will share here eventually. But for now, I wanted to introduce you to turmeric. 

Have you heard of turmeric? I had heard of it, but had never used it. As with most herbs and spices, I only knew of it for cooking purposes. I had no idea that it was also very medicinal. (As are many other spices you probably have in your cabinet. I'll share more as time goes on.)

Turmeric is "an anti-inflammatory, used to treat conditions such as arthritis, injury, asthma, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, skin disorders, elevated cholesterol, liver disease and cancer." It caught my attention with the "anti-inflammatory" claim, the asthma claim, as well as the claim to be helpful with fibromyalgia. Since I deal with all of these things I figured it couldn't hurt to at least give it a try.

I picked up a container full at the grocery store right on the spice aisle. I have added it to rice for flavor and color (and health, of course!), I add it to stir-fry, sprinkle it on chicken and just the other day I added several dashes to my healthful chicken broth. (Which, by the way, helped kick whatever was trying to get me! I even had a mug full with lunch today as I am feeling achy from the fibromyalgia.)

One of my goals this year is to learn more about natural remedies for common ailments. I am not one to take a lot of pills. Although I have in the past, thinking it was my only choice, and I could feel the affects of that in the form of painful kidneys. 

That can't be good, right?! Yeah...I didn't think so either! So anything I can do naturally, through diet or natural remedies and without a pill, is alright in my book.

Wanna know more about turmeric? Here are some links you may find helpful...

Prevent Cancer Now

How to sneak it into food :)

Organic Gardening: The healing powers of turmeric

And there are even more links on my Pinterest board, all natural.

Lemon and Rosemary Button Shortbreads

Before the holiday I was invited to a cookie exchange hosted by one of my coworkers. Actually, I consider her more a friend than a coworker...it just so happens that we met at work is all. 

Anyway...I may have mentioned here a time or two that I am not much into baking. It's too precise for me...you have to be so careful with your measurements and if you don't do it just so then whatever you're baking won't come out right. 

I much prefer cooking...a dash of this, a splash of that and voila, something tasty! 

Cooking is much more forgiving.

Either way...my friend hosted a cookie exchange and I wanted to go. So I had to get over my aversion to baking. I ended up searching the internet (of course) and came across a recipe that had few ingredients and seemed simple and straight forward enough even for a non-baker like myself...Lemon Rosemary Button Shortbreads. 

Sounds kind of different for a cookie, right? I know...I thought so, too. But I love lemon anything and I love rosemary. I especially love them together. So I figured...why not? 

And let me tell you, they did not disappoint. Even the guys liked them...maybe even loved them!

Give them a try...they're delicious!

* * * * * *

Lemon Rosemary Button Shortbread

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed 
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Zest of 2 lemons, divided 
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
• 32 small fresh rosemary sprigs

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Put flour, butter, granulated sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the zest of 1 lemon and rosemary. Mix on low speed, then increase to medium and mix until dough is no longer crumbly and just comes together.

1. 2. Form dough into a disk and chill 30 minutes. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough until 1/2 in. thick. Cut dough into circles with a 1 1/2-in. cookie cutter. Reroll scraps as needed. Arrange on baking sheets 1 in. apart and chill 15 minutes.
2. 3. Bake until light golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
3. 4. Mix powdered sugar, lemon juice, and the remaining zest until smooth. Spoon 1/2 tsp. glaze over each cooled cookie, spreading with the back of the spoon; then press 1 rosemary sprig into center of each cookie.
4. 
   

Sunday morning.

Believe it or not...there's a lake through that fog.

⁷ 

Where can I go from your Spirit?

    Where can I flee from your presence?

⁸ 

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

⁹ 

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

    if I settle on the far side of the sea,

¹⁰ 

even there your hand will guide me,

    your right hand will hold me fast.

¹¹ 

If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me

    and the light become night around me,”

¹² 

even the darkness will not be dark to you;

    the night will shine like the day,

    for darkness is as light to you.

Psalm 139:7-12

under the weather.

Earlier today...a cup of lemon ginger tea, a glass of water, remnants of an onion that was chopped up and added to a healthful chicken broth simmering on the stove.

My glands are swollen, my body is a little achy, I'm tired and my head hurts...all just a little bit. I'm not terribly sick, but enough to know that I needed to go slow today.

And go slow I did.
(I listened to my body.)
I am already feeling a little better.
(I think it has a lot to do with salt water gargles and the broth I made today.)

It's getting dark out...I just lit some candles.
And guess what? It just started to rain...perfect for a sick day, don't you think?

* * * *

Healthful Chicken Broth

1 chicken carcass
1 onion, rough chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
celery tops (or two ribs)
2 bay leaves
1-2 tsp turmeric
1/2-1 tsp cayenne
salt and pepper

Add all ingredients to a soup pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for an hour or two. Strain into containers.

One chicken made two quarts of broth. I put one on the fridge to sip tonight and tomorrow and the other one went into the freezer for the next time someone is feeling under the weather.

sometimes you just have to make it happen.

Life can get busy...there is always something that has to be done and always a reason why we shouldn't do this, that or the other thing.

But sometimes, you just have to throw caution to the wind, let the laundry pile up and let other responsibilities go and hit the road and have some FUN.

We are so blessed to have family members, generous and fun family members, that have a beautiful cottage on the lake where we are always welcome to come and visit. That's exactly what they boys and I did for the past couple of days. We loaded up the car with warm clothes, sleeping bags and pillows and, of course, a survival bag (we were traveling in the snowy mountains after all!).

Once there we ate, sledded, finished a puzzle (that had one piece missing!), went snow-shoeing, shopped, cooked, ate, lounged, helped a man in a BMW stuck in the snow and laughed at many saved episodes of  Modern Family. And I took lots of pictures...many of the boys which is a bit of a rarity around here.

It was great...a wonderful way to end this winter break before getting back to the real world on Monday. It's been a nice two weeks...it was great while it lasted.

{yes}

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My word for 2013.

One word. One word to live by for the coming year. I have done this a few times now...chosen one word. And each time the word came to me quite easily. 

But this year? Not so much. 

This year I had to really think on it...and pray...a lot. 

And if I'm honest, I don't think it was difficult to come up with the word at all. In all reality, it presented itself to me quite clearly. The difficult part was admitting that this was the word I'd have to live with for the next year. And that word is...

L I S T E N

I'm sure it won't come as a surprise (especially to those of you that really know me) that I can be stubborn. I am not always good at hearing the advice of others. Especially when that advice is about hard things...or frustrating things...or overwhelming things that I already know the answer to but don't have the personal fortitude or the resources to DO anything about. 

As I mentioned yesterday, 2012 was kind of rough. And really, what year isn't rough? Right? I mean, it's life. Life can be hard. But it can also be good. Really, really good. If we are willing to live it. 

Lately I have been in a rut. On the outside I am humming right along, doing what I need to do, taking care of my responsibilities, day after day after day. But that's it. No more. Nothing extra. Just the bare minimum. 

And you know what? That's not OK with me. 

I came to this realization recently. And it made me sad. I want to enjoy life. Live life. Not tolerate it. 

I thought that maybe my word could be LIVE. And I tried to make it so. But when I thought about it...I realized that if I would only LISTEN...to my heart, to my body, to my instincts, to my desires, to that still, small voice...to God...then living would come as a result of that. 

I also thought that my word could be FOCUS. I can't seem to focus...on anything. I am constantly distracted. My mind never stops. There are so many things that I want to do...but so much that has to be done...and when I think about it all at once I talk myself out of all of it...out of being creative, or productive or taking time for myself. 

Then...I become frustrated. 
And then I don't do any of it. 
And then I sit here...watching life go by.

But again, if I would only LISTEN, then things will come into focus as a result. 

Bottom line? This year's word is LISTEN. God wants me to LISTEN. To Him, to my body, to my heart. And if I will just do that, if I will just be still and listen...everything else will fall into place. 

So here's to a new year...here's to 2013 and new things to come. Here's to change and growth and making progress. Here's to listening to that still, small voice and living the life God created us to live.

...let the wise listen and add to their learning,

Proverbs 1:5