9 days after surgery and I am feeling so much better. The healing is going well and I feel human again. This came across my facebook feed this morning and I think it’s one of those vital thought processes if you’re dealt something hard – And aren’t we all at one point or another, in this one precious life we are given.
Not a day goes by that I am not grateful for the close proximity we have to our family – with both kids and their spouses and children in their own homes here on the farm and our mothers still alive and living just up the road a bit, these are gifts I don’t take for granted.
Watching the news, sometimes it feels so hopeless and helpless, being witness to all the problems and the rages and the total dysfunction of our governing bodies. That sink hole keeps getting bigger, the divide wider, and for sure I do not have the answers. Not being able to trust the information sources, talk about erosion! So…. more and more, I tune it out. Which also feels irresponsible. But I have found, when you are helpful in your own circle of life, within your community, your family, friends, your areas of interest, it renews one’s faith in the absolute beauty of life, and there is still so much of it. It restores some of that withering faith in humanity, for there is still an awful lot of good out there. We’ve all heard this simple phrase – Look For The Good.
A nice bunch of roses for $7.99 at the local grocery store… Buy yourself the flowers, you deserve it! When the price is good, I do it. Always remember to snip the bottoms off when you bring them home and put them in water. Helps keep them fresh longer. And, if it’s tulips you’ve got – put two pennies in their water, they last longer.
A worthy recipe…
French Onion Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 Spanish onion, thinly sliced
- kosher salt
- 8 ounces cavatappi or other small cut pasta
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 12oz can evaporated milk
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 ounces gruyere cheese, freshly grated
- 6 ounces swiss cheese, freshly grated
- 2 ounces parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Butter an 8×8 inch baking dish.
- In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are golden and reduced, about 40 minutes.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the directions. Drain and set aside.
- In the same pot you used to cook the pasta, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour, whisking until combined to create a roux. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until it’s golden and smooth. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly, about 5 minutes. Slowly pour in the evaporated milk and whisk until thickened. Reduce the heat to low and add the gruyere and swiss and all but a couple tablespoons of the parmesan. Stir until all of the cheese is melted. Stir in the nutmeg, mustard and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the cooked pasta and the onions.
- Transfer the mixture to the buttered baking dish and top with remaining parmesan. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool for a few minutes before serving.
Till soon,
I am glad you are feeling better after surgery. Did they give you the “six weeks” time frame yet? It’s always six weeks until you are yourself again, it seems, no matter what the issue was, lol. Beautiful flowers! -Jenn
Hi Jenn! Yes – ugh to that six weeks. Not supposed to life anything over 20 pounds for six weeks, and here on the farm and with babies, that’s really hard to do. Right now I am taking three weeks off from those responsibilities, thanks to the kids chipping in.