Really, I Could...and FIT TIP (#180)

Cross my heart, I could...

see myself going to a Christmas party in this very place...honestly, I could.  Would you like to come along?  No jackets required!

And how about if instead of calling the above "graham crackers", I could start calling them "graham wafers"?  I saw them referred to as such in a recipe.  I kind of like the sound of it. 

Then I could make homemade graham wafers to be used for S'mores that I could also make, after roasting marshmallows in the backyard fire pit with Handsome Husband.

Ahhh, this floating candle.  I could make a handful of these as easy as 1,2,3.  I have the few supplies necessary on hand...including H2O!  I love the simplicity of this glow.

This evening I could throw together a bowl of these...my new obsession.  I have always loved edamame.  Warm, cold, in the pod or out, seasoned or plain.  But then I fixed these one night as an appetizer and whoa! 

16 ounces frozen shelled edamame
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt (is there any other kind?)
1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
(or 1-2 teaspoons alternate seasoning)

Thaw edamame for an hour or so.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Gently pat edamame dry.  In mixing bowl toss edamame with olive oil and seasonings.  Taste to test seasonings.  Spread in single layer on a sheet pan and roast 30-40 minutes.  Stir every 10 minutes.  Their color will darken and the exterior will be dry.  You will hear them "singing" as steam escapes from inside the bean.  Best if eaten within a few hours.  They never make it that long around our house.  Yum!

And then I could serve roasted edamame at an outdoor picnic...in the snow.  Wait, no I couldn't.  I don't live where it snows.  I live in the Valley of the Sun...where

I could just do yoga out by the pool instead, like I did the other day.  Yoga by the pool in December.  Crazy!





FIT TIP (#180):  Happy Chemicals
Smile. Even if you're in a bad mood, it will immediately improve. The simple action of thinking about smiling and using the muscles is enough to trigger happy chemicals in the brain.



Words for the Week
{12.2.2012}