Welcome back Yummy Yogini readers! I hope you had a fantastic holiday as did I. I can’t believe another Christmas has come and gone so fast, yet again. Oh! And it was 82 degrees on the Central Coast Christmas Day so it definitely didn’t feel like it should to me. This New England/Midwest transplant misses her snow ball fights, caroling, sledding, skiing, snowman making and ice skating for sure. My new favorite pastime actually is watching Californians ice skate.. or try to ice skate, I should say! There is a tiny rink at the Madonna Inn in San Luis where the skaters hold onto the railing for dear life, rarely letting go! It’s hysterical, I promise. Great people watching for sure.
I spent Christmas Day with my in-laws who live in Santa Maria and who we rarely see even though they live just 25 minutes away from us. We’ve promised to change that in the New Year! My sister-in-law Jen decided that in lieu of gifts this year, we would make gifts for the homeless and hand them out around town. I was really touched by this idea. Living in Chicago, homeless is everywhere, and always in your face, whether you try and ignore it or not. Here in SLO, I hardly ever see a homeless person and I sometimes forget so I’m glad she reminded me.
Our family.
Jen made gift bags that were filled to the brim with socks, gloves, cookies, Subway gift cards, Q-tips, a toothbrush and paste to name a few. We piled into our cars and headed to the areas where they knew the homeless would be and we distributed the gifts to happy and appreciative people. It was amazing to see my nieces talk and give to the homeless since they have been given everything under the sun and sometimes take things for granted like we all did when we were younger. One of my nieces actually went home and got blankets to give to someone she had met who looked like he could use some extra warmth. This is truly what the Christmas spirit is all about and I thank Jen for organizing this for us.
Side Note: My first experience with a homeless person was back in April of 1989 when my Ma took me to New York City for the first time. (I know this fact because I still have the pictures and it was also my first time seeing the Statue of Liberty and taking a horse-drawn buggy ride through Central Park while snacking on roasted chestnuts.) I’ll never forget that first five minutes after we stepped off the bus. I immediately saw a man with a cardboard sign that said he hadn’t seen his family in 10 years and was trying to travel across the country to them in California. I choked up right away. I reached into the pocket of my warm coat, which he did not have, and handed him the two $5 bills I had received from my Grandpa Charles for my birthday just a few days before. My Ma was taken aback by this because she too started to cry but that’s the way she raised me so it felt like second nature to give to that man. So needless to say, I’m glad my nieces got to experience that too!
___________How cute was I at age nine?!___________
After, Andy and I headed home to open gifts that my parents had sent us. My Ma and step-dad spoil us, that’s for sure. Our tree was desolate before their two huge boxes arrived. Check out this clock my Ma made! I know, she’s crafty and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. That’s nothing! She also made me this salt and pepper carrier and this bread/fruit basket last year! She’s super talented. We get it from my Gram who has been sewing since she was like six. And she’s about to turn 90! The woman can knit blankets faster than you can order them from Amazon and have them shipped… and she’s currently selling her scarves around the nursing home for $20 a pop even though she’s “sure she could get more”! What a hoot!
How adorable right?!
We also enjoyed a nice soak at Sycamore Hot Springs, our favorite, followed by dinner in their restaurant, The Gardens of Avila. It was a lovely evening and I’m so glad I didn’t have to work the next day and could sleep in and enjoy it. Not that I can sleep in though, ever. My internal alarm clock wakes me up at 5 a.m. most days and when it doesn’t Sugar and Corduroy do it instead!
So, it’s time for a little clean eating after all the holiday cookies, cakes, bark, etc, etc. Here’s a simple and fast recipe for Delicata squash, one of my favorite varieties. The students at Cal Poly grow these and I picked up two last week. If you haven’t had Delicata squash before, the taste is like none other. It’s a bit sweet and the texture is softer than say an acorn or butternut squash. I made a fast side salad too using beets from Farmer’s Market that easy peesy for you!
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Roasted Delicata Squash with Pomegranate seeds- serves two
Ingredients:
-2 Delicata squash
-1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
-1 T brown sugar
-salt and pepper
-olive oil
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Cut the squash length wise and sprinkle with salt, pepper and a tiny bit of olive oil. Place cut-side down on a baking sheet.
3. Bake for 20 minutes or until squash is soft. Let cool.
4. Sprinkle some brown sugar on top of each squash and then add the pomegranate seeds. I added more as I ate!
Beet Salad with Citrus Dressing- serves two
Ingredients:
-2 red or golden beets
-1 cucumber, quartered
-1 small red onion, chopped
-1 handful cilantro
-1 packet of Trader Joe’s Oh! My Omega nut mix
-2 cups spring greens
-salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Boil the beets and let cool. Peel off the skins and cut into thin slices.
2. Chop up the rest of the vegetables and add everything together.
3. Toss well and serve with this Citrus Dressing below!
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For the dressing mix one tablespoon each of olive oil, apple cider vinegar and rice vinegar. Squirt the juice from one lime and add a dash of salt, pepper and sugar. Wallah!
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Well folks, the weekend is already here! I have no plans that I know of yet, except to relax and start reading my first book on the Paperwhite Kindle my student Bob gifted to me for Christmas. Did you get any good books under your tree? If so, I want to know! Ciao ciao!