Debi Simons, Author at Respect Food Roles

What’s So Special About Today?

January 8, 2018October 12, 2015 by Debi Simons

I had in mind the phrase “Never have an ordinary day,” thinking that it was from some commercial. (Is it? Let me know.) But when I looked it up just to be sure I wasn’t going to get sued for using it, I saw that it’s attributed to Emilie Barnes, the author of a number of books on time and household management, including More Hours in My Day and If Teacups Could Talk. (She also has a website, www.mhimd.com–yes, the initials are for “more hours in my day.”) All this chirpiness and efficiency sounds a little dorky, doesn’t it? She’s really pretty down to earth and practical, though. She’s had to be:

Can a Pair of Neon Orange Slippers Make Me Happy?

January 8, 2018October 9, 2015 by Debi Simons

Orange slippers and Halloween vest You’ll remember, of course, that Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz had a pair of ruby slippers that made her very happy because they took her back home. Here in the picture you can see a pair of extremely bright-orange slippers, along with a pattern, two types of fabric, and a black beaded top. So what’s their significance in my life? They’re all items that have to do with what we’re supposed to wear for the Cherry Creek Chorale concert coming up on Oct. 23 & 24. Can we just wear our regular chorale outfits? Oh no. That would be too easy. It’s a Halloween concert, so we have to wear Halloween costumes.

What does all the foregoing have to do with happiness? Two things:

More Transient Pleasures

January 8, 2018October 6, 2015 by Debi Simons

hanging basket cover with peach impatience

I wrote a post back in May about the importance of paying attention to fleeting pleasures, using pictures of my spring tulips as examples. Now we’re into October, and while Intellicast says that we have at least ten more days of warm days and cool-but-not-freezing nights, the first frost is coming, certainly by the last week of the month. My beautiful baskets of impatiens will droop and blacken, no longer the daily joy that they’ve been all summer.

An Outsider’s View of the Bible

April 24, 2018October 5, 2015 by Debi Simons

The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs, original hardback published in 2007 by Simon & Schuster, now available in a number of formats and sources, all of which are listed on A. J. Jacobs’ website. You may also listen to Jacobs’ TED talk on the subject of his Biblical year and read an interview of Jacobs in Christianity Today.

Well! If you look up all of the information I provide above you (almost) won’t need to read this post. But I hope you will, and then will go on and read the book. I had read it quite some time ago, probably around its publication, and had been struck with its essential sweetness, kindness and fairness.

Can Love Be Scheduled?

January 8, 2018October 1, 2015 by Debi Simons

Woman writing a to-do list on a white board

Would you say that a whiteboard schedule could ever be a tool that would show love? I heard a great story along these lines several months ago and have been meaning to post about it, and I’ve been thinking about the struggles I have with my own schedule, and about the strategy of scheduling in general, so now seems a good time.

Fantastic Relationship Advice

April 24, 2018September 29, 2015 by Debi Simons

I’ve written about Laura Doyle before in my post on her book The Surrendered Wife and have mentioned her several other times. Let me be quite clear on the matter: I do not agree with her on a number of points. You can follow the link above to read about some of my issues with her. However, that being said, I have to say that most of the time she’s right on the money. She has started a blog to which I subscribe, and the post I discuss today is one of the best short pieces of advice you’ll ever see on human relationships, especially marriage.

“Where no oxen are, the crib is clean . . .

January 19, 2018September 24, 2015 by Debi Simons

Healthy 4 o'clock flowers tomato plant growing in cage with green, yellow, and red tomatoes

. . . but much increase is by the strength of the ox” (Prov

Pear Crumb Pie

June 13, 2019September 22, 2015 by Debi Simons

pear crumb pie I’m not indulging in many desserts these days, but this one isn’t all that sugar-heavy, clocking in at 1 cup of sugar for the entire recipe. That’s 2 tablespoons of sugar per serving if you cut the pie into 8 slices, or 24 grams total. The goal is to keep daily added sugar consumption below 25 grams, or 100 calories. So you could have a regular-size slice and not go over your allowance for the day, as long as that’s all the added sugar you eat! Ice cream or sweetened whipped cream would be out as toppings, but unsweetened cream, whipped or unwhipped, would be fine.

To access the recipe, follow this link:

“Pear Crumb Pie“

A Happy Follow-Up

January 19, 2018September 22, 2015 by Debi Simons

Some time within the past couple of years (how’s that for specificity?) I spotted Molly Wizenberg’s book at a trip to the downtown branch of the Denver Public Library. (A truly beautiful place, by the way.) I’d never heard of her and was attracted solely by the adorable cover. (You may remember my post on her second book, Delancey, and our trip there when we visited Seattle this past summer.) Although the descriptions and reviews of this book usually say that it’s written about the death of Molly’s father, there’s a lot more to it than that. I guess it could be classified under the dreaded “coming of age” heading, but the writing is so good and so free from sentimentality, and there’s so much about food and cooking in it, that the teenage and young-adult angst woven throughout is tolerable. Even funny at times.

The Great Empanada Endeavor

September 21, 2015 by Debi Simons

pan of great empanada I first made this recipe from America’s Test Kitchen for a huge open house we had. My son and I had made up dozens of these the day before, and then all we had to do was to bake them as needed. I made somewhat of a miscalculation during the party, thinking that we didn’t need that last panful, and then people scarfed up all the ones I’d baked and it was really too late to put in the rest, as they have to bake about 30 minutes. So be sure to make plenty. I’m saying that this recipe will make a dozen empanadas, but that yield will depend on how many optional ingredients you include. If you’re adding all of the add-ins you’ll want to make extra dough.