Debi Simons

Author of Intentional Happiness

It is more blessed to give . . .

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. . . so be willing to do some receiving!

[The original picture for this post was of yet another cross-stitch kit in my possession.] I’ve said that I have enough cross-stitching to last me till the nursing home, but my sister-in-law and I went to a needlework shop yesterday and I just fell in love with this one.  “Oh, I don’t need to get this,” I said, and left it on the rack.  But when I looked again, it was gone–and in my s-in-l’s hands.  “Let me get this for you,” she said.  “You spoil us rotten when we visit.  I’d love to give it to you.”  I hesitated.  The tendency is always to demur when someone wants to do something for you.  But then I remembered how pleased people are to give a gift.  “Okay.”  Her face lit up.  Am I pleased with this item?  Indeed I am.  But you know who was even more pleased?  She was.

Later I was asking Carol if it was okay for me to tell this story on my blog, and not only did she say that it was, she also told a similar story about herself.  She was 14 and possessed of very little self-esteem, as she puts it.  Her aunt wanted to buy her a Minnesota t-shirt with a funny slogan.  Carol kept refusing, until her aunt said, “A gift can please the giver as much as it does the receiver.”  How true!  Carol accepted the gift (and still has the t-shirt).  So I hope that yesterday as you opened your presents that you  didn’t utter the fatal words, “Oh, you shouldn’t have!” and instead just said “thank you.”  If you did say those words or have that attitude, resolve that you will STOP IT RIGHT NOW.  As the author of The Surrendered Wife says, your motto should be, “Receive, receive, receive.”

There’s no great pleasure . . .

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. . . without some small pain!

Below you’ll see a slideshow of some of the wonderful pictures Jim took this past week on our traditional visit to the Denver Botanic Gardens “Blossoms of Light” tour which they have during December.  (This post was originally written in December 2014. Please note that because this site was moved to a new platform some images were lost, among them, sadly, the pictures for this post.) 

Last year we missed it, for some reason.  This year they had absolutely outdone themselves.  There’s one small drawback to this outing:  It’s usually pretty COLD.  I’ve gone before wearing a totally inadequate jacket and shivered my way through it.  More of an endurance test than a pleasurable outing.  This year I made sure to wear my heavy-duty parka and did much better, but 23 degrees is still 23 degrees.  I found myself alternately being distracted from the cold by the lovely displays and distracted from the lovely displays by the cold.  I’m so glad we made the effort, though.  What a great memory, and how little the discomfort really mattered.  Don’t we often switch those priorities, though, and concentrate on the small inconveniences and difficulties?   I think back to my father’s funeral, for example, which was on the whole a wonderful service.  What stands out in my mind the most?  The fact that their sound system picks up police scanner transmissions in the area, so periodically the testimonies and the Gospel-filled sermon were interrupted.  Later my brother said to me, “Why were you sitting there making faces at me while I was giving my testimony?”  I was so irritated and distracted by the sound system’s defects that I irritated and distracted him.  I do try any more not to let myself dwell on the imperfections inherent in any human event, but it’s a struggle for me.  I’m sure there will be more posts on this topic.

It’s Okay to Be an Introvert

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Bookcover of "Quiet"Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain, New York: Crown Publishers, 2012.

My mother used to say to me, “Don’t be self-conscious.” Other times she’d tell me not to be shy. This book tells me that she might as well have said, “Don’t have blue eyes” or “Don’t be good at spelling.” Introversion is an inherited trait.I got so tickled at Mimi Wilson, a Christian writer and speaker who was featured at a recent retreat I attended. She said she was such an extrovert that she’d have a hard time in Heaven if the mansions were all separated from each other; she was hoping they’d be more like apartments. But while I’ve become much more people-friendly since marrying Jim, I have to say that my idea and Mimi’s idea of Heaven don’t exactly coincide. While I do enjoy talking to people much more than I used to, at some point I have to have some alone time. My dear friend Cecelia said once that she drew energy from other people; for me, it’s the other way around in that people draw energy from me. I can take only so much togetherness!

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Boy, Am I Going to Get Organized!

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Cover for "SCRUM, The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time"Scrum:  The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time by Jeff Sutherland, Crown Business, New York, 2014.

I am an absolute sucker for any book or article that tells me how to do more in less time.  I’m a terrible timewaster/procrastinator/piddler.  My mother used to say to me, “Debi, do you have to make such a project out of everything?”  But here’s a book that sort of pushes the idea of making your life into a series of projects.  It’s mainly directed to the business world, but, like the dinner book and the choosing college wisely book, there are wider implications to these ideas, and Sutherland acknowledges that fact.  He includes a discussion of how Scrum would work for planning a wedding, but it would really work in any situation where you’re trying to get a specific task done or event carried out.

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Are You an Orchid . . .

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, , , or a dandelion?

I’ve been doing some reading in the past couple of weeks about introverts vs. extroverts and ran across this comparison.  It’s actually about children, not people in general.  So, dandelions thrive anywhere, they’re tough, and they’re cheerful.  They don’t know the meaning of the word “no.”  But orchids . . . well, they’re finicky.  They have exacting requirements for life.  They’re either spectacular — or dead.   Which are you, and which would you rather be?

Healthy dandelions in green grassPale yellow orchid

 

World’s Greatest Thanksgiving Stuffing

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crockpot mounded with italian sausage stuffingI would never willingly make any other kind of dressing, or stuffing, or whatever you want to call it, for Thanksgiving.  I made this for the first time at least 25 years ago, and it’s been a great favorite ever since.  I’m reasonably sure that I got it from Bon Appetit magazine, but I’ve made a few changes here and there. It has Italian sausage in it, so it must be great!

 

 

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An Easy Refreshing Slaw

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I first came up with this recipe for the Cherry Creek Chorale picnic that we had at our house back in August, before I started this blog.   I wanted something crisp and refreshing and thought of this combination.  Napa cabbage tends to come in huge heads, so two of them were enough for an expected number of 50.  People don’t tend to eat a lot of salad at a buffet, I’ve found.  I ended up getting someone to help me dice the apples and walnuts at the last minute, so I didn’t have to worry about the apples turning brown.

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Napa Cabbage-Apple-Walnut Slaw

Don't use regular cabbage for this recipe--it's too bitter. Napa cabbage is much milder and sweeter, but it still has the cabbage characteristic of not wilting in dressing. Napa cabbage tends to come in huge heads, so two of them were enough for an expected number of 50. People don't tend to eat a lot of salad at a buffet, I've found. I pre-shredded the cabbage the night before and stored it in plastic bags in the fridge. I think I ended up wasting too much of it, as I usually don't include much of the ribs, but sliced thinly they're fine. I usually just use the leaves, but next time I'm going to be more frugal. Sometimes when you slice into the cabbage it's all brown in the middle, and there are often brown spots here and there, so you will have to do at least some discarding. Granny Smith apples work well, diced into 1/4" pieces, as many as you like, and some chopped walnuts. The dressing couldn't be easier, with just four ingredients: I like to try to match the vinegar in the dressing to the salad, so for this one I used cider vinegar. If I'm making the dressing for, say, a strawberry-spinach salad, I like to use raspberry vinegar if I have it on hand. Otherwise red wine vinegar at least makes the dressing pink.

Course Salad
Cuisine American
Servings 12
Author Debi Simons

Ingredients

Slaw:

  • 1 medium head Napa cabbage Much sweeter and milder than regular cabbage.
  • 2-3 Granny Smith apples diced
  • 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Dressing:

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup vinegar Cider vinegar is nice here since it matches the apples.

Instructions

  1. Slice cabbage thinly, using the ribs as long as they don't have brown spots. Wash and spin dry in a salad spinner. Toss with apples and walnuts, then with dressing. Amount of dressing needed will depend very much on the size of the cabbage head. You can also vary proportions of cabbage to apples to walnuts to your taste.

A Most Unusual Apple Dessert

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I first got this recipe from some magazine or other in an article about a dinner planned by Julia Child.  When I went online to check the source I found the exact same thing on the Food Network website by some other chef, so I guess it doesn’t belong to any one person.  I have changed the assembly to make it easier, as I have very little patience with doing complicated things just for looks.  It’s called “Gateau Mont St. Michel” because it’s supposed to be a “mountain” of crepes, apples and almond cream that’s then cut into wedges to serve.  But that’s just too much work.  So here’s my version, which I have titled:

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Apple/Almond Lasagna

There is no question that this recipe is a lot of work. It's definitely a special-occasion dessert and it's also very unusual. I really, really like it, and it's not terribly sweet. My best estimate of the sugar content for a serving of 1/12 of the recipe is 5 teaspoons or 25 grams, which would equal the daily limit of 100 grams of added sugar. The dish can be prepared ahead, and each step can be prepared separately.
Course Dessert
Cuisine French
Keyword apples, almond, crepes
Servings 12 at least, so approx. 20 grams of sugar per serving
Author Debi Simons

Ingredients

Crepes:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 3/4 cup each milk and water
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/8 tsp . salt
  • 5 tablespoons melted butter
  • 3 tablespoons orange liquer, rum, cognac, or orange juice (I just use the orange juice)

Burnt-Almond Cream (that's what the recipe calls this, but really, you don't want to burn the almonds! Just toast them.):

  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 1/3 cups toasted almonds ground with the sugar in a food processor.
  • 1 stick butter at room temperature
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 tsp . almond extract
  • 1/2 tsp . vanilla
  • 3 tablespoons dark rum optional
  • Pinch salt

The apples:

  • 12 large apples such as Golden Delicious or Granny Smith I use Granny Smith
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter or 1 stick

Instructions

Cooking the crepes:

  1. Cook crepes using 2-3 batter for each. Since you don' have to worry too much about getting them all the same size or shape you can just make them on your big griddle that you use for regular pancakes. They can be made ahead, stacked together, and put in a plastic bag.

Preparing the Burnt-Almond Cream:

  1. The original recipe says to use blanched almonds, and it would be easier to see how toasted they are without the skins, but I always end up using the whole natural almonds that I have on hand from Costco. More fiber that way! Toast the almonds spread out on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for 5-10 minutes. Watch them carefully and take them out as soon as you start smelling them. Let them cool before you grind them up. Grinding them with the sugar keeps them from turning into almond butter.
  2. Once you've ground together the almonds and sugar, add the rest of the ingredients and process until well combined. It'll be kind of thick and gloppy.

Preparing the apples:

  1. Slice the apples and spread them in a buttered jelly-roll or roasting pan. Bake for 20 minutes or so in a 400-degree oven, tossing up several times, until tender. The original recipe says to peel the apples but I don't think that's necessary.

Assembling and baking the gateau:

  1. Spray a 9x12 glass baking pan with cooking spray and then make layers of crepes, apples and almond cream, starting with crepes and then going from there. You're supposed to end with apples, but it doesn't really matter. This can be completely assembled ahead of time and refrigerated. Try to plan things so that you can take it out of the fridge an hour ahead of time and it won't be icy cold when you put it in the oven. If you do that, then it only needs about half an hour at 350 degrees. Not a bad idea to use your trusty instant-read thermometer to test the middle and make sure it reads 160.

Recipe Notes

It works well to shove this into the oven when you start dinner and let it bake while you're eating, and then you can serve it hot, but warm or room temp is fine, too. I wouldn't serve it cold. Heavy cream poured over it is nice but not necessary.

A Fighter for Justice

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Cover for "Just Mercy"Just Mercy:  A story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson, Spiegel & Grau, 2014.

Gideon picked this week’s book.   We had both heard the author interviewed on NPR and thought he sounded fascinating, so I got his book.  When this guy had the time to write it  I do not know.  He got involved in death penalty cases while he was still in law school, and this passion took over his life.  You can listen to the NPR interview here and watch his TED talk here.

I found this to be a hard book to read because it’s so heartbreaking but also because there’s no resolution for most if not all of the crimes he discusses.  The spine of the book concerns the case of Walter McMillian, a young black man who was tried and sentenced to death for the murder of a young woman and who always insisted that he was innocent.

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Just Go Ahead . . .

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. . . and finish the job!

This picture is of a small portion of laundry that I was folding this morning, and I was reminded of how I used to do this.  First I would dump the laundry on the bed.  Then I would let it marinate for awhile.  Then it would be bedtime, so I’d have to scoop it back into the basket.  (Jim calls this activity “exercising the laundry.”)  Then it might go back and forth a couple more times.  Then I’d go through it and sort it out into everyone’s pile.  Then, and only then, would I finally fold it all up and put it away.  What a waste of time!  At some point I realized that all I really needed to do was to just start folding and put the things in piles as I folded them.  Huh.  What a concept.  If you have a job you don’t want to do, why add extra steps to make it even harder?  But that’s what (some of us) weird humans do.  Pretty silly!