Day 67: Onions

In 2000, JE and I moved to Michigan for the summer. We had our cat with us and she proved to be a fantastic traveler (she has gone across the country with us a few times, and goes for short trips around town, as well, including Pet Smart to pick up her food). One day I was sauteing onions. The kitchen small enough to have been considered a coat closet and it had poor ventilation. There wasn't a dry eye in the house--including the cat, who came to me protesting that I should really open a window.

This evening, again, I was sauteing onions with the Didi-Cat crying and blinking at me to do the sensible thing. On occasion I make a huge pot of something and divvy it up into individual servings. The fastest thing I know how to make is Chile. Here is the recipe:

Iris's really fast chili
Start with corn bread:
Whisk together:
Preheat oven to 425. Heat ovenproof skillet inside.
2 cups flour (50/50 white and whole wheat)
1/2 cup corn meal
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbl baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup grated cheese or a can of corn

Mix together in a separate bowl:
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just combined. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup butter to hot skillet and rotate around until melted. Pour batter into pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean--cheesy, but clean...

In the meantime:
Saute 1 large onion in 1 Tbl olive oil until tender.
Add 2-5 cloves garlic
Add 2 chopped chicken breasts or a can of roast beef (I know, but this is a pantry recipe!) Stir until mostly cooked
Add 2-3 canned chipotles in adobo sauce (I freeze them in ice cube trays because I never use a whole can. Once frozen toss into a resalable plastic bag)
2-3 Tbl chili powder. Stir for a few seconds
Add a 15 oz can of minced tomatoes and let simmer for about 5 minutes
Throw in 3 15 oz cans of your favorite beans: black, pinto, or kidney
and a can of corn
simmer until hot and serve topped with fresh cubed avocado and tomatoes

My life seems really full right now, with work, the holidays, parties, friends, etc.
Like an onion, there are many layers of my life. There is really no way to get everything done that I feel like I need to do before some deadlines come sneaking around the corner. What are the layers in the core, that my life is based on? What are the exterior layers that can be sloughed off so easily as onion skin but that are important to keep things from drying out? There are things I want in my life, now and in the future. Health and well being is vitally important. What am I doing right now to forge that into my being? what can I do better? I guess it all boils down to priorities. Where in my life's onion do my wants and desires fit? How deep does it go? What am I willing to sacrifice for it? Can I remember in the moment that which is ultimately of more value than that which is before me?

Where does my training fit into it all? See Day One of this blog... See the beginning of the vision. Recommit

And so I run. 3 miles. Stuck in the land of 3 miles because getting to work on time is tough enough. I didn't have time to do other exercise, and in honesty, drove to work and paid the $8 to park.