Monday, February 6, 2012

*Life is in the journey!* ~ Touched By Love



Life's Inspirational Valiant Endeavors
~ Touched By Love ~


“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return.”
~ A poet, "Moulin Rouge"



I was touched by love the first time my mother kissed her lips to my little fingers and toes. It was, indeed, love at first sight. And so the story goes, I spent the next thirty-something years of my life trying to recreate that once-in-a-lifetime, unconditional they say, instinctual perhaps, but nevertheless, magic of love.

I caught glimpses of it in my father’s eyes when he grinned at me, as I watched an ant climb up a mountain. I grew closer still when my little brother wrapped me in his arms and hugged me tight, after life had gotten a hold of us. Even as the love of my life, “my density”, pledges his heart to me after nineteen years of marriage (twenty-seven if we’re counting an incredibly long courtship), I am reminded that true love is in action. I know what it is to have come so close, the moment I, myself, kissed three sets of fingers and toes, renewing the cycle of life and a mother’s love.

I know what it is to love and to be loved.
I had simply forgotten, to love *me* along the way.

We spend a lifetime searching for love in all the wrong places, wonderful as some of them may be, short-lived as some of them most thankfully are ~ all our efforts in vain, seeking that which we have denied ourselves, only to realize that the love we’ve searched for in others, was to be found, not in them, but in us. 

I asked myself some time ago, when life had slowed just long enough for me catch my breath ~ What was it I was so afraid of, that I would avoid intimacy with those I was closest to, avoid asking for what I need, avoid looking into my own eyes, my own heart, for those answers I sought in others. I found my answers, my truths, only when I began to let go of my fear.

Touched by love, we create fear, so as never to breathe, to live, to exist in its absence. Where love is courageous and not easily explained, fear is primal and instantly acknowledged, settling into our very bones.


It is the human condition that we often times confuse love with fear. Our fear of change stunts our growth. Our fear of intimacy and success stifles our creativity. Our fear of sadness and the loss of our voice, breeds more fear. But it is our fear of letting go, by our own design, which keeps us always coming back for more. Love hurts, we are told. And, it must follow, as the night the day, so it must be love.

Love is the antithesis of fear.
Love is…

Freedom,
Strength,
and
Honor



Courage,
Passion,
and
Peace



Wisdom,
Beauty,
and
Healing




Patience,
Hope,
Faith,
and
Truth!




Love is…
Courage, in the presence of Chaos.
~ Love, is Love, is Love! ~


  This Valentine's Day
Share the Love My Friends!
This I Believe: On Love





“The best way out is always through.”
~ Robert Frost


Wednesday, February 1, 2012

*I Cook Barefooted!* ~The One, The Only, The Great Cincinnati Chili Recipe!


Barefoot Love!


Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, 
 the youngest of eight children, 
my husband, Rick,
learned quickly never to be late to the supper table! 
SPAM loaf was a family favorite... go figure.
Ham soup, which just happened to be the color of peas,
(little Ricky didn't like peas, hence the name)
was also a traditional dish served up to the troops,
... as well as,  homemade pretzels,
 a yummy, albeit odd-tasting oatmeal breakfast sausage, 
called Goetta,
and occasionally, to our (we in-laws included) dismay 
Green eggs and ham!
All of them, loved family traditions.
But it is his strange addiction, 
dare I say love affair with,
Cincinnati's Skyline Chili 
that still earns him bragging rights!

Cincinnati may be better known for
Pete Rose and 'The Big Red Machine',
Pigs that fly 
and maybe even this song...
"Oh, I went to Cincinnati and I walked around the block,
and I walked right in to a bakery shop,
and I pulled two donuts out of the grease,
and I handed the lady a five cent piece.
She looked at the nickel,
she looked at me,
she said, 'This nickel's no good 'ya see,
it's got a hole in the middle
and it's all the way through.'
Said, I to the lady,
'Oh, your donuts do too!'

but it's because of this thin, bean-less, noodle-less chili
with hints of chocolate and cinnamon
that Cincinnati will forever live in his heart...
and possibly his lower intestine.

***
The One, The Only 
The Great Cincinnati Chili Recipe!

2 Tbsp. oil
2 1/2 lbs. Ground beef
1 quart Cold water
1 can Tomato Paste
2 large onion, diced
1 1/2 Tbsp. Cider vinegar
1 tsp. Worcestershire
1 clove Garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp. Chili powder
5 Bay leaves
2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Allspice
2 tsp. Cayenne pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp. Cocoa or 1 oz. semisweet chocolate
Salt & Pepper to taste

*on the side*
Hot dogs, buns, spaghetti, onions, red beans and CHEESE!


Heat oil in a very large pot. 
Add beef and cook till browned.
Add onions and water; boil.
Reduce to a simmer.
Add tomato paste and all other ingredients.
Simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Remove bay leaves.
 (Serves 6 to 8)


"How do 'ya want it?"
1.Cheese Coney, Hot dog w/mustard, chili, onion and cheese
2. Regular Coney, Hot dog w/all of the above, minus the cheese
3. Three-way, Spaghetti, chili and cheese
4. Four-way, 3-way w/onions and red beans
5. Five-way ~ Gluttony ensues!
6. Spaghetti chili, w/onions, cheese and beans
... If 'ya like it that way!



You want reviews?
    How 'bout,
" Thanks, Honey! You're the best!" 



How 'bout You?
Have a recipe you want to share on 
*I Cook Barefooted!*?
Show some Barefoot Love and...

Send it here:  scarlettcolleen@yahoo.com 
Want to include a photo? Fun!

What's on your table?




“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions.
All life is an experiment.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 *Barefoot Love*Airbrush By, Colleen 
2012

Monday, January 30, 2012

*Life is in the journey!* ~ If I Were Brave






  Life's Inspirational Valiant Endeavors

~ If I Were Brave ~


I was brave once.

I spoke my mind,
stood up to bullies
and loved with all my heart.

I was brave once.
I lost those dear,
but kept them close.


I was brave once.
I asked, “How are you?”
and then
waited for an answer.

I was brave once.
I stood up and said,
“I do dare. I do.”

I was brave once.
I believed in truth,
I believed in hope,
I believed in integrity.
I chose ‘right’ over ‘easy’.

I was brave once.
I believed…
in the power of my voice,
the power of my words,
and the power of choice.

I was brave once.
I claimed responsibility,
and opened my heart to forgiveness.

If I were brave,
I would do it all over again...
in a heartbeat.

If I were brave.


***


“It takes courage to grow up
and become who you really are.”
~ e. e. cummings


 Courage is not the absence of fear.
It is action in its presence.



  Be Brave My Friends!





"The best way out is always through."
~ Robert Frost





Wednesday, January 25, 2012

*I Cook Barefooted!* ~ Key Lime Pie



Barefoot Love!




We moved a lot when I was little.


"Our battered suitcases
were piled on the sidewalk again;
we had longer ways to go.
But no matter,
the road is life."
~ Jack Kerouac

California 
introduced us to
Giant Redwoods, the West Coast,
and Disneyland.
I was an infant;
Breast was the meal du jour!

Alaska 
introduced us to 
a very… long… car ride,
and bean sandwiches.
We were poor. 
We had love and beans.

Florida 
introduced us to
the East Coast...


 The Florida Keys ~ That's me there; the little smiling face in the two piece!

the Sun, the Sand, and the Wind in our hair...

and it began my love affair
with my Be-lov-ed
Key Lime Pie!


"Adventure is a path.
Real adventure ~ self-determined, self-motivated,
often risky...
forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world.
The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it.
Your body will collide with the earth
and you will bear witness.
In this way you will be compelled
to grapple with the limitless kindness
and bottomless cruelty of humankind...
and perhaps realize that you yourself
are capable of both.
This will change you.
Nothing will ever again 
be black-and-white."
~ Mark Jenkins


In 1972,
my mom clipped a recipe from the Tampa Times.
She selected true key limes,
as the ingredient list suggested,
on a drive down to the Florida Keys.

Key limes are yellow, when ripe,
and smaller than the limes
found in these parts.
They’re tart and bitter and delicious!

The following November
we introduced 
Our Kentucky Family 
to a
Thanksgiving mouth explosion!
We've been hooked since!



There are few culinary pleasures that actually
tug on my heartstrings.
I do love me a Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut!
And, I am a sucker for a bowl of warm pasta and bread.
But it is that last Thursday in November,
every year since I was four,
that my mouth, literally, becomes a pie hole.



 “Really, it’s green?”

Yes, it is my friends!
Yes, it is.





Key Lime Pie


For Pie:
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
4 Egg yolks (Save the whites for Meringue!)
¼ cup Lime juice,
(Key limes preferably, but bottled lime juice will suffice!)
3 to 4 drops of Green food coloring
*Presentation folks. It's all in the presentation.*
1 Graham cracker crust

For Meringue:
4 Egg whites
1 tsp. Cream of tartar
3 Tbsp. Sugar

Beat egg yolks until light yellow.
Add sweetened condensed milk and lime juice.
Mix in drops of green, and Voila!
Pour into graham crust.

Beat all ingredients for the meringue in mixer
until stiff and peaks form.
~If you’re looking to combine dessert with your workout:
Whisk in a glass bowl and count after me…
One, Two, Ten-thousand! ~
Pile immediately on top of pie in pretty dips and waves.

Bake at 350 degrees until tips of meringue are lightly browned.


You want reviews?
    How 'bout, 
"Green is my new favorite color!" 



     
How 'bout You?
Have a recipe you want to share on 
*I Cook Barefooted!*?
Show some Barefoot Love and...
Send it here:  scarlettcolleen@yahoo.com 
Want to include a photo? Fun!

What's on your table?


 



“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions.
All life is an experiment.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 *Barefoot Love*Airbrush By, Colleen 
2012

Monday, January 23, 2012

*Life is in the journey!* ~ "You Can"




 ♥

Life's Inspirational Valiant Endeavors
~ “You Can” ~
 
This is the story of Rick and, his father, Dick Hoyt.
Born without the ability to move or speak, Rick is the inspiration that has moved his father to run for him for over two decades. Among the oldest, out of thousands they have competed against, Dick Hoyt has pushed, pulled and carried his son in over 950 races, 60 marathons… and 6 iron man competitions (That’s a 2.4 mile swim, carrying his son along with him, a 112 mile bike ride with his son leading the way and a 26.2 mile run, ending only when they crossed the finish line.)   

“I may be disabled, but I live a very fulfilling life.”
~ Rick Hoyt


Hero, defined by Merriam-Webster, might lead one to believe in fairy tales.
a: a mythological or legendary figure
often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability
b: an illustrious warrior
c: a man (or woman thank you very much) admired for his/her achievements
and noble qualities (Okay, getting warmer.)
d: one who shows great courage (…warmer still)

 I like to think it is the man, woman and child who show great love, respect and devotion every day for their son and brother. 
Dick Hoyt is a Hero by most standards.
He loves his son.
So he runs.
What defines this father as, Hero, in my heart is this…
Rain or shine, he shows up.
Life is in the journey!
You Can!

~ Life is in the journey! ~


 
Joy My Friends!





"The best way out is always through."
~ Robert Frost

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

*I Cook Barefooted!* ~ Chicken Pot Pie Love


Barefoot Love!


I am no cook. 
I beg, borrow and steal any recipe 
that sounds like it might taste yummy, 
and just maybe will satisfy my picky eaters. 
For the record:
They don't like mushrooms. Big no-no.
 They don't like peppers, onions or asparagus.
They don't like pretty much anything that used to swim in the ocean, 
hate chicken five days a week
and despise the smell of salmon patties.
Reality strikes:
I DON'T COUNT GREEN BEANS.
Pick through it, talk to it, take it for a walk.
Whatever helps gets you past it.
 (What this means is, eat it or don't, but it is what's for dinner.)
 No worries, they won't starve. There's always bread.
 They like bread.
And, they're beginning to not mind the rest... so much.

Wednesdays are generally when I start
thinking about what to add to my grocery list
for the following week. 
By the time grocery day comes around
(this is any day I can get my butt in gear and actually make it to the store)
I am usually scrambling to remember that recipe I thought might
shake things up around here. Something my family 
just... might... thank me for.

So ~ Wednesdays are my new *I cook barefooted!* days here on 
Scarlett's Tattoo!
Read. Steal. Cook away!
And if you're in the mood for sharing, please do! 
(You can email me directly with a recipe
you'd like to share, if you like: scarlettcolleen@yahoo.com.
Don't forget to Name it something fun and Mark it with a 'B'! 
For Barefoot, of course!)
 ~And Thank you My Sweet, for *Barefoot Love!*~


So, here’s a funny story. 
Though true, to the best of my recollection, and apparently impaired judgment, I rarely humor such poor parenting at the supper table.
That is best served warm and with dessert!
My kids laugh out loud still today about 
“The night Mom lost it!”
Yes, my day had been less than stellar. I admit.
It was one night out of seven, I am sure, that we were all five of us actually sitting down together to eat at the kitchen table. Not in our coveted positions on the couch, the chairs and the floor in front of the television, but actually sitting our butts in chairs and giving thanks for what we were about to stuff into our waiting mouths.
In my worst nightmares, and ironically, also in my wildest dreams, I was in charge of feeding our spawn our beautiful family. As I stood in front of the fridge, door kicked open wide, kids whining and milling about my personal space, as if any minute their stomachs might turn inside out and flop onto the kitchen floor quivering...
I saw a nice bottle of white wine hiding waaaayyy back on the top shelf
 (obviously placed there for just such an occasion).
A smile lit my face.
Supper?
I’ll give you supper.
Let’s all have a moment of silence, please,
while Mom indulges in some of that *Me* time
 she’s always going on about.
My husband, and sometimes better half, arrived just then to see me leaning into the kitchen counter, glass in hand, a stray child at my feet, 
 glaring smiling warmly at him, as he made his big entrance.
"So, it's one of those days, is it", he grinned.

Two glasses of wine, on an empty stomach,
in case you’re wondering how long it takes 
to prepare a meal fit for this family.
Two.
By the time our Thanks were given to God, the Universe and All that is good in the world, those chicken pot pies met their fate,
as ALL good Chicken Pot Pies do.
Here’s the funny part.
One glass of wine warms my belly.
Two glasses of wine…
 catapults me straight to Crazy Town.
 Somewhere between Grace and Pot Pie Love, I practically broke into song, singing the praises of my home cooked meal.
Apparently, I also made plans
 (ahem! … in the form of a kick-ass business model)
to cook ‘em up, wrap ‘em tight and sell them by the side of the road!
Oh, yeah... and there was something about 
how I hovered over my plate whispering to my fork, but…
I don’t believe that one bit.

***


 ☮
Chicken Pot Pie Love!

1 Tbsp. oil
4-6 chicken breasts, skinned
Frozen veggies, your choice
(I use broccoli, mushrooms; sometimes peas and carrots)
Chicken gravy, homemade with chicken stock or canned
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Refrigerated prepared pie shells for top and bottom crust
Heat oil in skillet.
Cook chicken till no longer pink.
If using mushrooms, add them now with a little butter and cook 5min.

*I season the chicken  and mushroom mixture
with a little minced garlic or garlic salt, 
and my favorite, 'McCormick's Italian Herb Seasoning Grinder!' *

Place bottom crust in pie tin. Toss in frozen veggies, unthawed, filling entire bottom crust. Top with cooked chicken mixture from skillet.
Pour a wee bit of gravy over top.
Spread approximately ½ cup cheddar cheese over top.
Place top crust over pie.

Bake at 375 degrees, for about 45 minutes, give or take.
Pies are done when top crust is lightly browned.
Serve with gravy on the side.
 

*4 to 6 chicken breasts will make two pies...
unless you want more veggies than chicken,
and in that case, more.*

*One pie will serve 4 hungry adults* 
Unless you're a giant or a hungry elf, and then, you will need two pies.
*Little known fact: We like a boiled egg, on the side, with our pot pies.*
   



You want reviews?
    How 'bout, 
~ a little Dickens! ~

*'Please, sir, I want some more.'

The master was a fat, healthy man; but he turned very pale. He gazed in stupified astonishment on the small rebel for some seconds, and then clung for support to the copper. The assistants were paralysed with wonder; the boys with fear.


'What!' said the master at length, in a faint voice.


'Please, sir,' replied Oliver, 'I want some more.'


The master aimed a blow at Oliver's head with the ladle; pinioned him in his arm; and shrieked aloud for the beadle.


The board were sitting in solemn conclave, when Mr. Bumble rushed into the room in great excitement, and addressing the gentleman in the high chair, said,

'Mr. Limbkins, I beg your pardon, sir! 
Oliver Twist has asked for more!'


There was a general start. 
Horror was depicted on every countenance.*

~ Charles Dickens ~
'Oliver Twist'



How 'bout You?
Have a recipe you want to share on 
*I Cook Barefooted!*?
Show some Barefoot Love and...

Send it here:  scarlettcolleen@yahoo.com 
Want to include a photo? Fun!

What's on your table?


“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions.
All life is an experiment.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 *Barefoot Love*Airbrush By, Colleen 
2012