Favorite Things

A few of my favorite things...

Miso soup, customized for my day. First I make the dashi, which is simply 'broth' made from soaking seaweed. I leave the seaweed (kombu) in, making sure its cut up small enough for little bites. I also usually add chicken broth for extra flavor. And I put in a dash of bonito, which is a dried fish, shaved into the thinest slices. But it is packed with wonderful smokey flavor.

Then, boil up some extra ingredients in the dashi. Today I used slightly wilting bok choy. Other days it is slivers of frozen salmon, eggs, green onions, etc.

AFTER everything is cooked the way I like, I remove the dashi and ingredients from the heat, and then stir in some refrigerated miso. Miso is fermented soy bean paste, and it is alive. This is why the good stuff is kept in the fridge, and why you don't want to bring it to a boil. Don't kill the good stuff! It also has an amazing flavor. I could eat giant bowls of miso soup! 

Bok choy, seaweed, miso. Yum!

Another of my favorite things: Beads! Colorful beads!

I met a neat friend who had been making mission rosaries since she was a little kid. For 40 years! I've always wanted to do this, but wasnt really sure how to get started. So she gave me some information and pointers, and here I go!

I love the rosary and I love beads. This is a win-win. The source is very reliable and has a good reputation... not to mention obscenely cheap prices. http://www.ourladysrosarymakers.com/ Of course they rely on us to be honest and do good with our rosary making. To me, this is just the most awesome thing ever. I need a semi-mindless activity to keep my hands busy in the evenings. Often I am tired and watch some programs on PBS, but its hard for me to sit still. Too tired to do anything constructive, too wired to zone out. This will be a fantastic project for me. And it contributes to a larger good! Yeah!