A Salad a Day
About November when temperatures drop, my mood seems to drop with them. A number of years back I tried an all-raw diet, but found it difficult to maintain and very high in oil and nuts. I found that a salad a day was enough to …
Author: Rachael
Thanks on the Eve of Christmas
For my husband, who has a generous heart and an outstanding mind along with an intuition about people and events that can make your skin tingle.
For my son, who is full of joy and love.
For this house, which keeps us so snug.
For our neighbors, who exemplify kindness and patience.
For Trader Joe’s, which helps provides delicious, interesting, and affordable food for our family.
For Annie’s Heirloom seeds, which grew into plants — including 2 foot long unstoppable indian beans — in our garden this summer.
For the LoConte skating rink in Medford, MA.
For my sangha, which I fell in love with on my first visit over 6 years ago and which is a place of refuge and growth.
For my steadfast and loving friends who always remembers the difficult dates and shares the joys and adventures of this life.
For my siblings, companions on this path.
For my parents, who gave me life and all everything good that they could imagine.
The Five Remembrances via Allen Ginsberg
We’ve been reading Fear by Thich Nhat Nanh in sangha and this week I have to present on the chapter on the Five Remembrances, which are as follows:
1) I am subject to aging; I have not gone beyond aging;
2) I am subject to illness; I have not gone beyond illness;
3) I am subject to death; I have not gone beyond death;
4) All that is dear to me, and everyone I love, are of the nature to change. I will grow different, separate from all that is dear and appealing to me.
5) I am the owner of my actions, heir to my actions, born of my actions, related through my actions, and have actions as my arbitrator. Whatever I do, for good or for evil, to that will I fall heir.
Key Lime Pie
This is a super-easy, no-bake, eggless key lime pie that I made for my son’s 9th and 10th birthdays. I don’t like to cook with eggs and turns out eggs are not at all essential to this recipe, which I’ve adapted from this recipe by Jennifer McHenry of answers.com.
Graham Cracker Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (this was equivalent to 1 “pack” (of four) in the box I bought
6 – 8 T fat (I used 6 T. coconut oil and 2 T butter, but you could use all butter, olive oil, or combine fats)
Crush graham crackers (I used a cuisinart or blender) then add desired fat until mixture starts to take shape.
Spread mixture into a 9” pie plate, pressing the mixture up into the sides of the pie plate.
Put in the freezer for at least 1 hour.
Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes then let cool.
Filling
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 pack (8 oz). cream cheese, softened
1/2 t. vanilla
2/3 c. key lime juice (if you don’t have key limes, regular limes work fine)
zest of 1/2 lime (I recommend using organic limes if you want to add zest, and washing limes carefully before zesting).
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Pour into baked pie crust, smooth of the top with a spatula (if necessary/desired) and refrigerate.
