Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson's Blog, page 15

Get Your Garden Groove On

We are finally getting around to tackling our front garden, which at this point means, watering it.



Mom loves working in the garden, but with her balance issues it's always a challenge. I was very happy to capture this adorable video of Mom and Henry working together in the front garden.

My First Trade Show: International Christian Retailers Show 2013 St. Louis, MO

I recently returned from the International Christian Retail Show in St. Louis, my first trade show representing my book imprint: Henry and George Press and my four books.















I participated in two presentations to retailers, giving a 3 minute speech each time, which was a little scary. Luckily, my sis-in-law Heidi flew in from Florida to lend her amazing support. She was truly a blessing.




Yes, I was right there with the big guys, like Harper Collins.




But best of all were the other indie-authors I met. Actually all the authors I met were wonderfully friendly and encouraging. We make quite the fraternity.













But the show would have been empty without the incredible booksellers who visited my booth and were so kind to accept my books. I enjoyed speaking with everyone.

Over the course of two days, I gave away 1,200 copies of my books...yes, I handed each one out individually!

I also gave away 10 dozen of my triple chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.

I hope my books are enjoyed as much as the cookies were.

















It was an incredible opportunity and I'm very grateful I had the chance to attend.

No-Knead Olive Bread - Inspired by Jim Lahey's "My Bread"

How gorgeous is this?





I've always wanted to try my hand  at baking bread. And I finally found both the motivation and the method to give it a try.



My local Safeway grocery store sells the most incredible olive bread in their bakery. The only problem is that it costs about $4.00 a loaf and it often sells out.



So this weekend I was trolling google, randomly looking up recipes and decided to look up 'olive bread'.



I was intrigued by the mention of a 'no-knead' method that I read about on several blogs, all of which pointed back to the originator of the method and his book: baker Jim Lahey's "My Bread" (a fantastic cookbook).



I managed to pick up a copy of "My Bread" at my local library this afternoon. After I made the bread and saw the fantastic results using Jim Lahey's no-knead technique, I plan to buy the book to add to my cookbook library.



Yes, his book is that good.



Without further ado, here's the recipe from the book, with a couple little additions that I've added (noted with an asterisk **)





Ingredients:



3 cups  bread flour



1 1/2 cups water



3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast



**Pinch sea salt



**1 1/2 cups pitted kalamata olives



**1 Teaspoon finely chopped rosemary





** Notes:



Jim's recipe says that you can use any pitted olive, though he prefers kalamata olives. After making my first loaf with the generic black olives I had in the pantry...I immediatly went to the grocery store and bought kalamata olives...there really is a taste difference.



The pinch of salt is a matter of personal taste and may not be necessary if you're using the more robust kalamata olive.



The rosemary is my personal addition to this recipe (yes, it's in the Safeway loaf).





Directions:



1. Add flour, yeast, and olives to a mixing bowl, add water. Combine ingredients into a sticky dough. Lightly cover bowl with a dish towel or plastic wrap. Then let the dough rise at room temperature for 12 - 18 hours. (I went for the whole 18 hours)



2. When you uncover the bowl, your dough will have risen to twice its original size and will be filled with bubbles. Scrape the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Turn the edges of the dough under to form the dough into a plump round.



3. Take a clean dish towel, lay it out flat on your work surface, flour it well, and then place the dough, seam side down on the towel and lightly cover the dough. Allow the dough to rise for a second time for two hours. The outside of the dough will be covered in the excess flour, which you want...you can also lightly dust the outside of the dough with cornmeal for added texture.



4. During the last 30 minutes of the rising time, pre-heat your oven to 475-500F. And here's the interesting part...heat your 5-quart dutch oven (without the cover if it has one of those handles that won't tolerate the heat) in the oven, so that's it's screaming hot.



5. CAREFULLY, open the oven door, slide out the very hot dutch oven, and plop the dough (seam-side up) into the cast iron pot. Place the lid on the pot and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and let the bread cook for another 20 minutes uncovered, keeping an eye on the bread for done-ness. The top of the bread will become very brown.



6. Remove the bread from the oven, and then from the cast iron pot and let cool for an hour on a wire rack. According to Jim's recipe, this cooling step is just as important as the rest of the steps, so the bread can finish cooking inside and you don't end up with a damp interior.



VOILA!



I can't wait to make the next loaf. As you can see, it's incredibly easy, delicious, and will impress your friends and family.



Give it a try and then let me know the results. And then buy Jim's book. If you're a bread lover like me, you'll be hooked immediately.



Cheers!

Meatless Monday : Spinach Ravioli with Broccoli

I've developed a culinary crush on Heidi Swanson's SUPER NATURAL EVERY DAY, an accessible cookbook that will have you cooking cozy vegetarian, whole foods...without ever missing the meat.



Which is exactly what a steak eating girl like me needs.



As part of my ongoing desire to increase health and decrease weight, I am making a conscious effort to add more vegetarian meals into my diet and Heidi Swanson's cookbook makes that goal effortless. The food is comfort food, the recipes are straight forward week-night dishes that can be prepared quickly and without a lot of fuss.



You'll find that you'll have most ingredients on hand, or that you can adapt as recipe with what you have, as I did for tonight's recipe. I believe you'll also find yourself inspired to expand your shopping list / pantry staples to try some of the other recipes. Which makes this cookbook a win-win.



Tonight I adapted her Harissa Ravioli recipe. Into boiling, salted water, I added spinach ravioli, and half a head of fresh broccoli florets, chopped in bite-size pieces. While that cooked...in my favorite Sautee pan, I heated olive oil, chopped garlic, and red pepper flakes. When the pasta was cooked I drained it and the broccoli and added it to the heated oil, tossed in a handful of goat cheese crumbles, and voila.



Dinner is served.



Are you incorporating more vegetarian meals into your weekly menus?

Week-ending: A Commonplace Book

Two actions.




One great piece of advice.

Resetting Our Goals : Time for a Mid-Year Review

As the month of May draws to a close and June brings the start of summer, I had to pinch myself as I realized that I've reached the half-way point in the year... which also reminded me that I needed to check in on the goals I'd set at the beginning of the year.



Ah, New Year's goals. Remember those?



Set somewhere back in the mists of time, with our best intentions.





As we reach the half-way point in the year, let's pause and check our progress on those goals.



Are there goals that we want to discard?



Are there goals that we need to re-double our efforts on, or even begin again?



Do we have new goals that are more relevant today, than the ones we set in January?



The reason this mid-year check-in feels so important to me this year is that I recall how disappointed I felt last December 31st as I turned to a page from January 2012 and read the same goals I was planning to write this year.



But rather than get discouraged, I got determined.



In 2013 my word is 'Forward' and I decided that no matter what, I would not get stuck this year, I would make progress.



How am I doing as I do my mid-year check in?



My writing goals are on track, I've published two new books this year: Waiting with God, and The Night of the Great Polar Bear. The only shortfall is my current WIP, which I will need to give complete focus to if I'm going to publish it by the end of June as I'd planned.



On the other hand...my weight loss continues to be stuck in low gear. I'm proud of the healthy choices I'm now making in my diet. But, actual weight loss continues to elude me. So, I need to figure out what else I need to cut or change in my diet, so that I can achieve a healthy weight.



How are you doing with your New Year's Resolutions?



 Let's take June 1st as the perfect time to renew our commitment with a fresh start during the long summer days.



What one goal will you set or renew in June?

Thank You GoDaddy.com Technical Support

My blog has a new address: www.suzanneelizabethanderson.com



I changed it go along with my author name: Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson



Which I chose because there are a lot of Suzanne Anderson-s in the world.



Buying my new domain was simple.



Linking it to this blog was like trying to move a recalcitrant hippo through mud.



Luckily when I called customer support at GoDaddy.com I was transferred to an incredibly patient tech support person in the Google Apps section....



Yes, they have created a special section to handle the millions of calls from people like me.



After numerous attempts that involved me trying to figure out and failing to even log into an account that I never knew existed...we successfully made the transition to my new domain name.



I didn't get the young man's name...whoever you are, I thank you from the bottom of my tech-disabled heart.



And I promise that this domain will remain on auto-renewal so that you will never have to speak with me again.



Cheers!

Persistence Wins.

Following your dreams is never a straightforward or easy path.



It's often filled with potholes and diversions that will cause you to question just how much you want what you want.



In those moments, read these words and repeat them out loud as many times as necessary.



If you still believe your dream is worth the journey, continue on, and remember that persistence wins.

Persistence Wins.

Following your dreams is never a straightforward or easy path.



It's often filled with potholes and diversions that will cause you to question just how much you want what you want.



In those moments, read these words and repeat them out loud as many times as necessary.



If you still believe your dream is worth the journey, continue on, and remember that persistence wins.

How I Learned to Live in the Moment

Mom came home from rehab on Saturday.



On Sunday, we spent the day sitting on the deck, drinking coffee, reading, listening to classical music, and savoring the beautiful Colorado weather.



What we were really celebrating, of course, was that Mom was home after a month long stay in the hospital and then a rehab facility after she was diagnosed with a subderal hematoma.






















As we sat, doing these normal things, like drinking coffee, I realized what it means to live in the moment. Yesterday was the best day I've had in a very long time. It was made more special because I allowed myself to truly enjoy it...I lived right there in the moment. 




I didn't think about the future, the past, what will happen with Mom's health or my fledgling writing career. Which is what I usually do...most nights I wake myself up at 2am or 5am worrying about both real problem and imagined catastrophes.




I am the personification of Eyeore.




But, on Sunday I allowed myself to think no further than the moment we were experiencing right then.




What I discovered is that this might be the key to happiness.




I'm not advocating shutting one's mind to planning for the future, or working hard when a project needs to be completed. 




But there is also a time and place to just relax, recharge, and enjoy the company of those we love.




And when we are in that place...our experience will be more memorable if we can be fully present, if we can give our full attention to those we are with or the task at hand, especially if that person is someone we treasure and the task is renewing the mind.







Peace.