Quiz

I am not sure when the first self-quiz was published but I do remember seeing them many years ago in publications such as Ladies Home Journal and Woman's Day. Now there are a bazillion quizzes available on line. You can find out which character you are in the Harry Potter movies or whether you are from Tibet or if you are a guinea pig lover. At one time I found the quizzes entertaining and even a bit enlightening. Now, at my age, I'm less likely to take the time to complete one because I find myself arguing with the results. Old dogs don't really like new tricks.

In the spirit of trendiness, I thought it would be fun to share my version of a self quiz. It asks the question, "What kind of herb are you?" (Full disclaimer--it is not a scientific quiz. Please know that I will like you even if you find out you are wormwood.)

1. First thing in the morning I like to:
    a. greet the day with a bracing cup of black coffee
    b. roll over under the covers and hope it's the weekend
    c. fix myself a hearty bowl of oatmeal

2. My idea of a perfect day is:
    a. cool weather and a good book
    b. hot and sunny with lots of beach time
    c. not fussy--I just want to get my work done

3. My favorite food is:
    a. potato
    b. pizza
    c. pork chops

4. My favorite book genre is:
    a. mystery
    b. fantasy
    c. non-fiction

5. My favorite flower is:
    a. Iris
    b. Marigold
    c. Zinnia

6. My favorite movie genre is:
    a. quirky, sleeper movies
    b. blockbuster action movies
    c. classics

7. I expect my friends to be:
    a. punctual
    b. fun
    c. reliable

8. I am annoyed by:
    a. crowds
    b. wimps
    c. airheads

9. I am afraid of:
   a. heights
   b. blizzards
   c. not much

10. I would never:
    a. be late to a party
    b. skip a party
    c. plan a party



Results:
If you selected mostly "a" you are:
Chives--you like to arrive early with your beautiful purple flowers. You have a delicate flavor and pair nicely with potatoes. You can get lost in big pots of soup but chefs crave your dash of color and flavor. You like the weather cool and you can be a tenacious garden dweller.

If you selected mostly "b" you are:
Basil--you know how to pack a punch when the weather gets warm. Your distinct flavor pairs nicely with tomatoes and garlic. You like to show off your fragrant flowers while basking in the sun. Cold weather blackens your mood and your favorite hangout is pesto.

If you selected mostly "c" you are:
Sage--you are a Steady Eddie, bravely thriving in the heat of summer and after the first frost of fall. Your no nonsense foliage pairs well with garlic and pork. You are comfortable in your own leaves and do not need to be the star of the meal.

Whether you are basil, sage or chives, celebrate your flavor!

Staff of Life

Bread. It has many names. Roll, bun, bagel, baguette, pita, croissant, naan, brioche, biscuit, toast. focaccia (wikipedia lists over 100 different names). This yeasty, air bubbled, soft and pliable substance is found in almost every culture as a staple of living. We avoid trips to the grocery store until we run out of bread. We need it for breakfast so we have a depository for jam. Lunch without bread means no sandwiches. And dinner is a bit lackluster without a breadbasket.

One of my favorite memories as a child is coming home from school and smelling the heady fragrance of freshly baked bread. Wonder bread hadn't been invented yet so my mother had no choice but to crank out many loaves a week. She was a phenomenal baker and we were hungry little monsters so we made a good team. Our favorite way of eating the deliciously warm and soft bread was spreading it with butter (the real stuff) and heaps of crumbly brown sugar. The feeling in your mouth of slightly crunchy sugar, smooth butter and pillowy bread created a snack unsurpassed by the finest cuisine.

If done properly, bread is the gift that keeps on giving from beginning to end. Dry little yeast beads spring to life when warm water and a pinch of sugar are offered their way. The bubbly mass emits a fragrance of hope for good things to come. Our individual preferences are made possible by mixing in different grains, fruits, nuts, sugars, toppings and flavorings. Watching a shapeless glob of dough rise and poof its way to double in size is a wonder to observe. The shaping of the dough into a final product is limited only by one's creativity. It can be loafed, rolled, braided, stretched, flattened and twisted. After another round of warmth and time, our masterpiece is ready to bake. There is not a text message or Facebook post that could possibly say love like bread baking in the oven. The olfactory sensation is truly unrivaled.

This summer I am practicing my bread baking skills (lots of practice needed). I have had a few hits and some epic fails. Either way, I am learning much from the loaf of bread. First, bread baking is all about patience. A good loaf does not fall under the heading of 10 minute meals. A worthy slice of bread has to be nurtured into its full glory through time and tender loving care. Kneading, proofing, and baking are not to be rushed. Secondly, bread is a creative process. The end result is a combination of form and function. A loaf is good for sandwiches. Buns are just right for burgers. Rolled dough makes a great cinnamon roll treat. And flatbreads are good palettes for savory toppings. Third, bread is brimming with potential. Yeast, sugar, water and flour are lowly, unpretentious ingredients. Combine them, however, and watch the wonder unfold. Power is given to the plain.

Finally, bread is better when it is shared. My favorite bread recipe so far is a whole wheat roll that I've made successfully two times in a row (a record). When my husband sat down for dinner, he took a roll and gently broke it open. I nudged the butter toward him, assuming he was going to butter the warm bread. Instead he just held the roll up to his nose and took in a slow, deep breath. The bread had spoken without a word being uttered, the best lesson of all.

Tools

My husband is a carpenter and his mantra is, "You are only as good as the tools you use." One look into our garage and I am assured that he is a really great carpenter. I have no idea what all that hardware is called but I know that he is often the envy of the DIY crowd. He also likes to remind me that I should not be using dull knives and Tupperware from 1972 (maybe I like harvest gold). I agree with him on most counts but I often cringe at the cost of the really high end kitchen tools. I don't cook for a living so it is difficult to justify such expenditures on a regular basis.

I confess that I have a few non-negotiable tools in my kitchen, no what matter the cost. One of the biggies is a Kitchen Aid mixer. My family doesn't need a DNA test to determine whether we are related. Just check our kitchens and if there is a Kitchen Aid mixer on the counter, there is a good chance that we share the same genetics. I actually wore out my first mixer, after replacing the motor once in an attempt to add more life to my friend. I now have an upgraded machine, sans the harvest gold color. It is a faithful workhorse for any mixing project.

My microplane also holds a special place in my kitchen. I resisted its purchase due to owning a couple of perfectly good graters. My sister gave me one for a gift and now I'm hooked. I use it for ginger, citrus zest, garlic, nutmeg, whatever needs a fine touch. My husband wholeheartedly approves the status of this one as it looks like something he carries around in his truck.

I have limited counter space so I don't make countertop appliance purchases without some serious thought. I hesitantly bought a small food processor a few years ago, fully believing I would regret it within a month. It has become one of my favorite go-to timesavers. It takes the knuckle shaving out of any grating job and whirs up bread crumbs in seconds. It is worth the prime real estate it inhabits.

A tomato slicer knife came into my life unintentionally. It was a gift from one of my husband's customers. It has become the one knife that I will dig in the garbage for if it is misplaced (yes, I have done that and found it buried under some vegetable peelings). It goes far beyond tomatoes with its clean slicing of fruits, veggies, bread, baked goods, whatever. And its sharp tip makes it a good stabber. I have since ordered two more so I'm prepared the next time I accidentally toss one out.

I'm sure most carpenters and cooks will admit that there is always one more tool that would make life easier. For me, I think it might be time for a new Dutch oven. Mine was a wedding gift (circa 1976) and despite its well constructed harvest gold splendor, I am feeling the need for an update. My secret desire is a Le Creuset, any color. One look at the price, however, and I can easily convince myself that my chicken soup loves harvest gold as much as I do.

Labor

As much as I would like my summer to fade into a blur of leisure, my inner guilt gibbon makes sure that I don't succumb to such tomfoolery. Last summer I started a Treadmill Journal in an attempt to stay focused and productive. It had a checklist of categories that I used to stay disciplined each day. This year I'm feeling a little less structured so I'm going to focus on only one category, the Distasteful Task. Each day I am making myself finish one job that I find repugnant. Unfortunately or fortunately, there is no end of such tasks at my house.

I usually begin with the one that I find most disgusting, cleaning the entryway closet. It is a multi-shelved repository for all the flotsam and jetsam two people accumulate throughout a year's worth of sharing space. It holds everything from light bulbs to batteries to paper plates to coats to bird seed to brooms to mittens. You get the idea. It's a miscellaneous mosh pit. I'm happy to report that I've successfully pulled every single item out of its clutches and tossed, cleaned or reorganized each piece, promising not to be such a pig from now on.

Next I moved on to the bedrooms. Last year I discovered a corner behind a closet door that looked like blue carpet (it should be beige). Who knew that a year without vacuuming behind a closet door causes carpet to take on a dusty skyglow?  This year I found no such hue so at least I kept one of my piggy promises. There were still plenty of cobwebs and dust bunnies to keep my vacuum cleaner wailing.

The bathroom was next in the line of fire. I lulled myself into thinking it would be a snap as it's one room that gets a going over each week (sort of). My bravado lasted only until I opened the bathroom cupboard. Stray Q-tips, empty prescription boxes, hotel shampoo bottles and old sunscreen stared at me with a "catch-me-if-you-can" attitude. No choice but to dig in. Each item had to pass the keep/toss/move test and fortunately, I was in a dumping mood so several items were sacrificed to the garbage gods.  Time to part with products that expired in '05.

I marched onward to the bookcase filled with a jumble of treasures, written and otherwise. My goal was to remove and dust all items, wash the shelves and toss any unloved items. Good idea. Bad match. It was like asking a junkie to clean a pharmacy. The task shouldn't have taken as long as it did but I found myself perusing through forgotten books, looking for favorite recipes, identifying branches in my family tree and talking to pictures of loved ones (creepy, I know). I cannot say the cleaning task was enjoyable but the trip down memory lane was a bonus. Sadly, I was unable to part with much from my bookcase so I will be touching the same stuff next year. Not all bad.

My carrot at the end of each cleaning task has been reading time so you are going to have to excuse me because I have a really good book that is calling my name. Look out sock drawer. You're going down.

Leisure

It's that time of year when many folks are planning excursions that take them away from the grind of work and daily demands. Indeed, the pursuit of leisure lends itself to a variety of manifestations. For instance, camping is relaxing to some. To others, it feels like work to set up tents, prepare meals, swat mosquitoes and trudge through grassy trails in search of an outhouse.

Disneyland is viewed by many families as the ultimate get-away with it's incessant array of activities and entertainment options. On the other hand, the explosion of sensory happenings, the long, snaking queues and the parade of mouse ears and princesses can be disconcerting to others.

My definition of leisure does not include tent poles, amusement rides, gift shops or swarms of people. Leisure is:
* not setting an alarm clock. Better yet, getting rid of clocks.

* listening to a silence that is punctuated only by scolding birds and croaking frogs.

* looking at a stack of books and having the time to read them, uninterrupted.

* taking until noon to slowly shower, get dressed and drink coffee.

* drinking coffee in the afternoon.

* taking a drive just to meander.

* going nowhere for a whole day.

* pondering nothing or everything while soaking in a beautiful mountain view.

* engaging in deliberate conversations.

* shutting off all technology, except the coffee pot.

* eating cheese curls in the morning.

* watching Casablanca for the thirteenth time.

Whether you are gathered around a snapping bonfire, cheering on your favorite ball team, reading a good book or sitting still on a veranda, I hope you are able to carve out a little leisure time this summer. Your soul will thank you for it.

Summit

I am not a mountain climber and I don't intend to add such nonsense to my bucket list. I  prefer to breathe my oxygen without the help of a tank-toting Sherpa. My book adventures and a few mini-mountain hikes have shed some light on how difficult it might be to finish the last few steps of a grand summit so I will leave that kind of trauma to the experts.

One mountain climbing expedition I do experience on a yearly basis is the school term. The adventure usually begins at base camp in August as we equip ourselves with sturdy shoes, pencils with erasers, uncluttered desks (for a few moments), posters, pens with ink and fresh lesson plan ideas. Orientation meetings fill our time as we struggle to keep our thoughts from wandering toward an ever expanding to-do list. Frantic errands include stocking up on everything from toothpaste to toilet paper as days of leisurely shopping quickly fade into history. Conversations are lively as we chat with fellow trail trompers, some new to the experience and others who have many notches on their walking sticks.

After much preparation, the first bell rings and in the blink of an eye, the journey begins. Spirits are high and a sense of nervous expectation settles upon us. Introductions are made and a rally cry for teamwork builds as we hope to follow the best route to the top of the mountain. Some will lead the way, some will carry our packs, some will cheer us up, some will teach us grave lessons, some will stretch us and a few will leave the trail behind.

About halfway up the mountain, the gravity of our task becomes very apparent. Feet become sore, relationships start to fray and time seems to slow down. The map reveals no shortcuts and the trail begins a steeper grade. Signs warn of falling rock and slippery terrain. Now, more than ever, our resolve will be tested. Creature comforts are coveted and the little things become bigger than the mountain itself.

Forging ahead, we put one foot in front of the other until we reach the final camp. We are aware of the challenges facing us and question our ability to complete the task. Our packs get heavier and our bodies rebel in cranky resistance. The grade looks almost vertical and there are no buses heading back down the mountain.

We put our boots on, grab our sticks, look forward and trudge onward. Baby step by baby step, we inch our way to the top. After an eternity of a few days, the almost unimaginable happens. We summit. The posters are down, the broken pencils are tossed, the lesson plans are finished, the desks are cleared, lockers are emptied and goodbyes are said.

Now we celebrate.

Hello summer.

Double Life

Strike up the band. Butter is back. According to a recent article in our local paper, the little rectangular delights are steadily climbing back into the fridges of consumers. Apparently, folks prefer a food label that has recognizable ingredients.

Here's the real scoop. Butter never left. It has been faithfully nestled in the dairy department for as many years as I have been shopping and that would be many, many years. It quietly suffered through the low-fat craze. It made space for margarine, the darling of the baking world. It puzzled its way through the "I-can't-believe-it's-not-butter" era. It kept the same shape, the same packaging and the same nondescript name, butter. My fridge has always made room for butter. Not because it is fashionable or fancy or pretty. It has a home with me because it is unpretentiously tasty. And its labels are easy to read.

Eggs suffered a similar malignment phase. Happy little chickens pumping out happy little eggs for centuries until one day the dreaded "study" is released. Suddenly, the little ovals of delight are touted as hardened criminals intent on sabotaging any hope for good health. Arteries would be clogged irreparably, LDLs would soar and cookie dough would forever be contaminated. Fast forward to one of today's ads: Eggs, the perfect food. Well, shiver me timbers. Of course it is. Eggs are little pre-packaged snacks of plentiful goodness. Versatile, economical, tasty and hard working. Welcome back, dear eggs. You will always have a place of honor next to the butter in my refrigerator.

And let's not forget chocolate. My generation suffered through years of chocolate warnings. It will make you fat. It will give you pimples. It has no nutritional value. It will make you hyper. Thank goodness, the nutrition gods de-bunked a few of those myths. Retail shelves are now lined with a myriad of choices. Sea salt, lavender and chili powder are being added as enhancements. Cocao percentages are boldly printed as badges of honor and value. Bitter, semi-sweet, dark, milk and unsweetened are common prefixes. The only thing missing is simplicity. Plain old Hershey's chocolate bars will continue to be snugly tucked away in my cupboard. A little dab will do you and the jumbo size comes in handy when friends are involved.

Last but not least is the lowly nut. We were led to believe that nuts were so chock full of fat that they had no redeeming value other than a texture boost in baked goods. Not so, after all. Now, just about every weight loss program, nutritional plan and Dr. Ozite heralds nuts as the perfect snack choice. High protein, fiber and good fats--the trifecta of wellness. Walnuts, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, take your pick. Add them to chocolate and oh my, baby, now we're talking.

Enjoy your omelettes, buttered toast and Nutella. And hopefully, a cure for all diseases will be announced soon and its name will be Cheeto.