Cashew Chicken - an all-time favourite.

It's been a while since I posted a recipe.  Our menu planning in the summer is super easy - it's pretty much throw some meat on the bbq and cook some veggies or put together a salad.  Come fall, I start to put a little more effort into our meal planning and I put together a bit of a rotation of our favourite meals.  Cashew Chicken is one of those.  It's one of those rare meals in our house that everyone loves and no one complains about.  The girls go crazy when I make it.  I found the recipe years ago on a site called www.relishrelish.com.

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  Here's the recipe - I always double it so that we have leftovers for lunch the following day:)
  Cashew Chicken
  Prep and cook time: 30 minutes
  - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
  - coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 
  - 3 tablespoons canola oil 
  - 1 red bell pepper , seeded and chopped 
  - 2 teaspoons garlic, minced 
  - 2 teaspoons ginger, minced 
  - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 
  - 3/4 cup chicken broth 
  - 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce 
  - 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch 
  - 1 teaspoon sugar 
  - 1/2 cup salted, roasted, whole cashews 
  - 4 green onions , white and light green parts, chopped
  [1] Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a wok or a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil, swirling to coat, then sauté the chicken until golden in places and just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes.
  [2] Transfer the chicken to a plate with a slotted spoon. Add bell pepper, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes to the skillet and stir-fry until peppers are just tender, 5 to 6 minutes.
  [3] In a small bowl, stir together broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, and sugar, then stir into skillet.
  [4] Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cashews, green onions, and chicken along with any juices accumulated on plate. Serve immediately over rice.
  
  Sesame-Lime Rice
  Prep and cook time: 30 minutes
  - 1 cup jasmine rice 
  - coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste - 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted 
  - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 
  - 1 tablespoon lime juice
  [1] Cook rice according to package instructions.
  [2] Toss rice with sesame seeds, oil, a little lime zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper and fluff with a fork.
  
  Enjoy!
  
  What is one of your favourite Fall recipes?

On tea-drinking, ocean-gazing and creating margin.

This time last week, I was returning home from a week spent in Northern Ireland.  It was an amazing week and one that I will be reflecting on and processing for quite some time.  At this point, there is so much that I can hardly put into words.

 It is no secret that I like to be in control.  Truth be told, I am a recovering perfectionist and a week away on my own without my husband or kids was so good for me in many ways.  For one, I felt like I was 22 yrs. old and free of responsibilities - which felt weird and fantastic all at the same time.  And secondly, a week like last freed me just a little bit more from the need to be in control and from the need to try to fix and rescue all things related to my little family.  I was thousands of miles away from my family, across a ocean and in a different time zone.  It was really healthy for me to take off the "Mom hat" and be reminded that my girls are capable and increasingly independent.  It felt great to empower them in that way.

I ventured out on this trip to surprise my Aunt and spend time with my family.  What I didn't expect was the chance to reflect and learn so much about myself. A gift indeed.

This wasn't the first time I had been to Northern Ireland.   My Dad is from Belfast and almost all of his family live on the Emerald Isle to this very day.  This was my 6th trip.  However, in many ways, I was able to see things differently at 40 than perhaps I did at 18 and 26.

There was much I learned and observed.  One thing that I had never noticed before was the lack of frantic-ness (yes, I just made that word up).  Their pace of life was so much less hurried than I am used to.  It was refreshing and strange at the same time.  It took me a while to unwind and get used to it.  I'm not sure that I can realistically bring it home and implement it into my life here in Canada.  I observed it and I appreciated it for sure - the unhurried conversations, the endless cups of tea, the absence of people checking their cell phones for a text message .  There was definitely a sense in which face-to-face relationships were the greatest value.  No one seemed to be in a hurry.  In so many ways, time stood still.

Days after landing on Canadian soil, I found myself in two separate conversations about margin.  About the need to go against the grain in our culture  - to resist the temptation to live a frantic, packed and hurried life.  About having more white space on the calendar.  About how to make more space for relationships and hospitality.  More time for people.  More space in our schedules for the spontaneous.  It was a conversation that I have been reflecting on and wrestling with, to be sure.

As I think about those conversations together with my time in Ireland - I'm inspired to be more intentional about slowing down and resisting the urge to be frantic and hurried.  I'm challenged to leave more white space on my calendar.  These days, I'm trying to breathe more deeply, resist hurry and value what matters most.