La Tempesta

Sunday Saunters

August brings the craziest storms. All over the world it seems as if things are off kilter. While Las Vegas has been experiencing high, high heat most of the summer, it was tropical storm, Hilary, that finally broke the temperatures here by over 25 degrees F.

In such a short period of time, Hilary dropped 11.74 inches of rain in Mt. San Jacinto in Riverside County, California! Let’s just take a moment to pray for those who are affected by not only this storm, but all the chaotic events recently, with the hopes that the devastation will be quickly rectified.

For once in a very long time, I don’t have a lot of outdoor photos to share. (So, I’ll be photo bombing this post with pictures of me!) This tells me that I have been inside for way too long! As the temperatures started to break a few days ago, I have been breathing deeply again with the doors and the windows wide open. (Well, except for last week’s heavy downpour!) Let me just mention that the water came down so fast and hard that it flooded the doorway to the balcony off my bedroom!

In the Eye of the Storm

No one goes out of their way to bring someone else down unless the ego is involved. So take the high road, and work on YOU. Who the heck even has time these days to worry about another person’s life or business?” ~Alexis Amato

“Everyday you can walk 5 miles, drink lots of water, and eat healthy. But, if you aren’t paying attention to the thoughts in your head and the feelings in your heart, you’ll still be unhealthy.” ~Inspired by @shelldova

We will all ultimately inspire some and trigger others as we grow and become a more authentic and successful version of ourselves. Sometimes there is a storm brewing internally even when the weather is picture perfect on the outside. This is where inner fortitude and resilience come into being. This is when we can allow our minds and our hearts to be free from the things that are out of our control. Accepting and aligning ourselves with the vibrational energy of our own being, while disconnecting from that of others, will most assuredly focus the attention on our own present moments. Isn’t that enough?

I know from experience, that when something hits me in my gut, like a premeditated punch, it is a very good sign that someone else is having trouble getting through their own pain. The most challenging part of this for me has been to allow myself the grace to walk away from the blatant and sometimes backhanded attacks, without questioning and dissecting the motives behind the actions. Few will ever achieve the ability to walk away in silence. Therein lies the strength of the Humble Warrior.

There was a Samurai who was a Humble Warrior. He was a master swordsman and a sharpshooter with a bow and arrow. He chose to keep his sword sheathed and his arrow in his quiver during the vast majority of battles.

How many times have we all heard the saying, “consider the source and ignore the statement”? And yet, how often do we try to step in and “fix” things? The day comes in all our lives, when there are no more attempts at “fixing” another because ultimately, that is the decision of each individual. No amount of effort can change someone who doesn’t want the change for themselves.

There is room for everyone to grow and there is always enough space for everyone to be able to soak up the warmth of the sun. To quote my wise mother, “and even if there isn’t a lot of sun on a cloudy day, share what you do have”.

Let’s Make Fresh Pesto

My dear friend Elizabeth, @contessa_and_her_pig inspired me, this past week, to make enough pesto for a pasta dinner one night, and to freeze the remainder for another night. Why hadn’t I thought about freezing pesto before?

Ingredients:

2 containers of fresh basil, preferably organic. (I purchase these at Trader Joe’s)

1 cup walnuts

3 cloves of garlic

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Grated Parmigiana Cheese, to taste

Method and Equipment:

You will need a food processor to pulse the pesto into the correct consistency. (I did this in two batches)

Wash and remove the stems from the basil leaves and place the basil into a medium sized bowl. Peel the garlic and roughly chop. Place in bowl.

In a small skillet heated to medium on the stovetop, lightly toast the walnuts until fragrant. Pay attention as you are doing this because they burn so quickly. Remove from the pan onto a paper towel to cool.

In the bowl of the food processor, add half of the basil, garlic and walnuts. Drizzle about 1/4 cup olive oil on top of the ingredients. Place the top on the food processor and pulse a few times. Scrape down the sides, adding a little more olive oil if necessary, until a smooth consistency is achieved.

Empty the contents into a medium sized bowl and repeat the process, using up all the remaining ingredients.

Once all of the ingredients have been processed and are sitting in the bowl, adjust the taste with the sea salt and black pepper. If you are using the pesto immediately, add the grated Parmigiana Cheese, to taste, adding a little drizzle of olive oil to create a smooth pesto sauce. If you are freezing the pesto, do not add the cheese! You will add this later when you are ready to use the frozen pesto.

I split this amount into to two portions. One portion I put in a recycled jam jar topped with more olive oil, and put it in the freezer. To the other portion, I added grated Parmigiana Cheese and a good drizzle of olive oil.

I made a simple, fast and easy Farfalle, green beans and potato pasta dinner using this delicious pesto! ✨Buon Appetito✨

We meet ourselves everyday right where we are at. Happiness begets happiness and well, you know where I’m going with this. Even in the most difficult and challenging of circumstances, there is a glimmer of hope and happiness is always a choice available to everybody.

Choose Happy!