Love,
Susan

“You mean like a cleanse?” He says.

“No.  I mean like closets,” I say.

That’s what started it all.  About six weeks ago at Mountain Dove Chiropractic I was on the table; Dr. Marc Viafora was adjusting me.

“A cleanse could be good.  Change the chemistry in your body. Three days.  Do juices.  And if you need to eat, eat fruit and veggies,” he says.

I certainly wasn’t going to do a cleanse.  Didn’t need it.  Didn’t want to interrupt the love affair I was having with cooking and eating great food.  So, I didn’t.  The thing was that I had been eating red meat, potatoes, sweets, raw tomatoes, peppers–all things that I usually avoid because they exacerbate the arthritis I have in several places.  But, I was having such fun!  Until…

A month later, with pains and aches in my neck, shoulders, low back, left knee and right elbow, I decided to give the cleanse a try.  My partner was going away for a week, so on departure day I started: two days, I said to myself, two days will be good.  The first day was hard: I drank delicious organic Apricot Nectar, ate sweet and juicy Utah peaches, figs, and watermelon, but by noon I was dying for tortilla chips and white bean hummus!  More juice and a green salad.  Dinner: dying for a dish of pasta with Marinara sauce!  Nope, cooked haricots verts, skinny green beans that I love, dressed with oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, and salt & pepper (maybe I wasn’t supposed to have that, but I did) and they were delicious!  I made it through the first day, and I had energy to spare.  Slept like a baby, long and deeply.  Woke up the second day so hungry.  I’m eating today, I said to myself.

But I got up and felt so incredibly good physically and mentally that I decided to give it a go for a second day.   I had cleaned out several times the day before and could really feel the difference: unclogged.  So, I resumed my cleanse.  It was easier this day.  Not thinking about other food much at all.  Made a smoothie of pineapple and peaches with a little water for breakfast, cooked some beautiful red beets to add to my haricots verts and zipped through the day.  Felt great, had tons of energy, and, again, slept like a baby.

Third day:  okay, I can do this three-day thing, I said to myself.  And I did!  Same regimen of food and juice.

By the fourth morning I had lost 3 1/2 pounds, had NO aches and pains anywhere, and felt better mentally and emotionally than maybe EVER.  Holy moley!  This was a miracle!

I introduced grains into my diet gingerly for the next few days: polenta first, then couscous, then rice.  Kept on the fruit and veggies.  Added some rice chips and eventually beans.  It’s been two weeks now, and I still feel great in all ways!  I tried to eat a chicken breast without skin and got a little indigestion from it.  Might have ruined myself for meats!  Oh, well.  For my A+ blood type, I should really be a vegetarian in order for my system to function best.  I read that a year or so ago but refused it.  Now, I feel the truth of that from the inside out and am going with the flow because there is NOTHING BETTER than feeling this good!!

Rock on with your glorious selves!

Love,

Susan

Now, remember to put on some music to cook by.  I have just discovered Renee Fleming, so am cooking to her CD’s: Renee Fleming, a selection of gorgeous arias from Puccini, Massenet, Bizet, and more; Renee & Bryn, Fleming and Baritone Bryn Terfel singing great songs from hit Broadway shows: Sweeney Todd, Woman of the Year, Phantom of the Opera, The King & I, and more.  Pour yourself a glass of something, even bubbly crisp Pellegrino with a lemon twist, and enjoy yourself!

PASTA PUTTANESCA (In the red plate above)

This is a fairly well-known dish that can take as long as you want it to for preparation.  I have done the longer, making the sauce fresh in the pan, letting it simmer for an hour or more, but this is the short version, which depends totally on finding a pre-made pasta sauce that I really like.  I hadn’t found one until I tried Cost-Plus World Market’s line of sauces.  They are quite good and the texture is closer to what I want in a red sauce than others I have tried.  So, first off, go to World Market and get a jar of their Marinara Sauce.  If you don’t have World Market where you are, find a jarred Marinara Sauce that you like a lot and substitute that.

Again, this recipe serves one.  For more, make the appropriate additions.

Into a medium-sized non-stick frying pan, pour one-third of the jar of sauce.  Add a tablespoon of chopped capers, a handful of pitted Kalamata olives roughly cut in half, and a sprinkling of crushed red pepper (to your taste).  On low heat simmer it for as long as it takes to cook your pasta, stirring regularly.

This is typically made with Capellini (Angel Hair) or Spaghetti.  This time I wanted something different so I used De Lallo Tortiglioni #20, which is a bigger version of Rigatoni, so if you can’t find Tortiglioni, use Barilla Rigatoni.  Bring a good sized pot of water to rolling boil, add a dose of kosher salt and cook the pasta according to package directions.

Drain the pasta and put into pan with sauce, tossing until fully blended.  Then, pour it into a lovely bowl, or plate, and sit down and feast!  A good red wine that you like is a wonderful taste to incorporate into this meal!  I like Antinori Santa Cristina, a Tuscan Sangiovese, mmmm.

INSALATA PANZANELLA  (In the blue & white bowl above)

This dish was born of La Cucina Povera, The Poor Kitchen.  I love it because I have always, even as a kid, mopped up the salad dressing in the bottom of the bowl with French bread!  This dish is a great way to use bread that has gotten a bit hard but that you don’t want to throw away.

In a large wooden salad bowl pour three tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (good green oil!), one tablespoon of good Balsamic Vinegar (I have used flavored: pear, orange, raspberry, as well as the real stuff from Modena), 1/2 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 1/4 teaspoon of pressed fresh garlic, two dashes of Worcestershire sauce, a good pinch of sea salt.  Whisk it all together until it’s well-blended.  This is the famous salad dressing of my longtime dear friend Faith Winthrop.  Thank you, cara mia! (dear one!)

Cut or break up the leftover bread: a crusty loaf of some kind-French baguette, Italian batard, sourdough dinner rolls. CRUSTY is the key.  Place the pieces of bread in the bowl and toss with the dressing, making sure all are coated well.  Add sliced tomatoes and/or avocado if you wish.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at least an hour.  The longer the better.  Garnish with fresh Basil leaves or Italian Parsley.  Eat it right out of the bowl and sip a glass of whatever pleases you.  I enjoy a glass of white: the French Vouvray, or a good Sauvignon Blanc that isn’t so dry it makes my throat hurt afterwards!!

Bon Appetito, Amici! (Friends!)

Love,

Susan

The other night I accidently pushed the up button on my car’s passenger side window while a loved one had her hand out that window.  Her wrist was pinned by the glass, she screamed out in agony.  Panic stricken I pushed the down button, and she pulled her hand out and held it to her heart, crying profusely.

I couldn’t believe I had done that!  Even by accident. A total blip in brain function. What an idiot! I said to myself and blamed myself completely.  The pain got worse, subsided, hit the nerves.  I went to bed terrified.  At 4:20 a.m. I awoke, still terrified. I prayed for hours.

The day after the event, my friend’s hand was sore, no bruising, no nerve pain, fingers moving and functioning.  THANK YOU, GOD!!!  When I worked up the courage to ask my friend if she could ever forgive me, she simply looked at me and said that she had never blamed me, that it was clearly an accident and not to beat myself up over it, please.

To be forgiven would have been an enormous gift. To be not even blamed was, in my life, almost unimaginable.  Thank you, dear one.

Now, can I ever forgive myself?

Peace, Love, Hope,

Susan

I go in to the Assistant Manager, who is a lovely, competent, considerate, and kind woman, to let her know we’re ready to take the car.  The atmosphere is charged with business and overwhelm.  I say hi; she says hi, without her usual sparkling grin.  I say she looks stressed.  She says it’s been a day already.  Other car owners are standing around waiting to drop off, pick-up, learn the fate of their vehicles and how much it’ll cost them.  I sit in the chair in front of her desk to secure my position.

She says that the mechanic is putting on the second new part now, and it will be ready in a few.  Ten, twenty, thirty minutes go by.  My friend comes in from the parking lot worried about the time.  I explain.  She hits the restroom and goes back to the car we rode up in.  Five minutes later the Assistant Manager comes in from the work bay and tells me the people at the parts place have sent them the wrong part.  Mouth open, I stare at her, stunned.  ”So it’s not fixed?  ”

“No.  Maybe tomorrow.  I’m so sorry,” she says, with more than a little trepidation–remember, it has been a day.

I laugh, say okay, and stroll out to the car.  I tell my friend that we can enjoy a lovely ride home together.  She looks at me dumfounded.  I explain.  And we head home, munching delicious fresh rice cakes and yogurt sauce from New Frontiers Deli Case and laughing about the whole plan, which has gone awry, but afforded us a beautiful drive and a great time in Kohl’s and Barnes & Noble.  Something we would have done anyway, car repair or no car repair.  Something we may just do again on Friday morning when we really do pick up the Highlander.

The moral of the story is this:  I could have, and would have in the past, gotten mad, bitched about coming all the way from Sedona for nothing, taken it out on the Assistant Manager–who was kind and faultless–heaped more stress on her, and turned my experience into a negative, anger-charged affair.  But, I didn’t do that.  I remained joyful, grounded, flexible, and grateful, and showered that on the Assistant Manager, visibly lightening her load.  Instead of storming out of the place I gave her a warm hug, said thanks, told her to hang in there and that I’d see her soon.  It felt so much better than the other thing!

What helps me stay grounded, joyful, flexible, and grateful is a prayer, one of several, that I say every morning.  It is a prayer written by Marianne Williamson and contained in her gorgeous volume entitled Illuminata, published by Random House.  I will quote  a few lines from Morning Prayer:

Dear God,

I give this day to You.

May my mind stay centered on the things of spirit.

May I not be tempted to stray from love.

The prayer goes on and is glorious.  It’s how I start every day of my life and it makes such a HUGE difference in the way I experience everything.

May you go into this day centered in spirit and not be tempted to stray from love.

Love,

Susan

I put out a large skillet and swirled it a couple of times with extra-virgen olive oil and put the fire on low.  Then, I chopped three cloves of garlic and, after the oil was gently heated, added them to the pan, cooking on low for two minutes to golden only. Having cut up the tomatoes, in half for the cherries, in quarters for the medium-sized; the mushrooms in quarters, I added them to the pan and sauteed them on low, stirring frequently.

At first, I thought I would add the calabasita and spinach to the tomato-mushroom mixture, but it all looked so beautiful: yellow, orange, red with a splash of the earthy mushrooms, that I decided not corrupt it!  So, I put out a medium sized skillet, oiled and gently heated as above and added three more cloves of chopped garlic, cooked on low for two minutes.  Then, I added the sliced in quarters calabasita and sauteed, stirring frequently.    Added the stemmed spinach leaves in the last two or three minutes and folded in until cooked.

The time for sauteeing will be determined by your preference, from a snappy al dente to a tender with a crunchy skin, to a well-blended and softer form of texture and taste.  I vacillate among these, but today I was definitely in the mood for well-blended and softer, so about 45 minutes for the tomatoes and mushrooms, 20-25 for the calabasita, then only a few for the spinach.  Besides, the perfume filling the house was so intoxicating that I wanted to savor it as long as possible.

When the veggies were cooked to my taste, I toasted a couple of slices of French bread that I had in the house, lay them on a plate and ladled the tomato mixture on one, the green mixture on the other.  A sprinkle of kosher salt on each to taste, a glass of  Santa Julia Malbec from Argentina, and lunch was moaning good!  I will get a fresh loaf of crusty and superb Rosemary Sea Salt bread from the Wildflower Bakery later today and have the veggies again for dinner (yes, it tasted THAT good!) with this best of all breads!

And, now I am energized, pain-free, well-fed with healthy food, and sharing it all with you!  Gotta love that.

So, when you need to eschew the forced and burdensome do something creative, be it cooking or something else, that is fun and nourishing to your body and soul.

Love,

Susan

It is now monsoon season in Northern Arizona and lightning and thunder crack and roll around the heavens, frequently without forcing a drop of rain, but last night we had a tremendous storm!  Rain pummeled the roof, the windows, everything for hours!  It was thrilling.  And this morning I took a walk in 64 degrees of fresh, verdant, cloud-streaked valley, meeting several friends and neighbors.  ”Susan, isn’t this weather beautiful?,” one neighbor says with a huge grin on his face.

“Oh, yes,” I say, “And only two more months until fall!”

“Yes, I’m with you there!” he says.

Another friend, her eyes sparkling, “Wow! How gorgeous it is this morning!  The rain was extraordinary last night!”

Another, dressed up and ready to go, “Did’ya hear that rain?  Maybe we’ll get another one today…” she says scanning the sky.

I arrived home feeling joyous and grateful about something as ordinary–yet impacting–as the weather.  Feeling re-united with friends, community, the outside world.  And excited to tell you about it!

Julia Cameron says that taking a walk can clear your mind, your heart, your attitude, your anything!  Can inspire you to begin a creative endeavor, to find solutions to creative blocks of any kind as complex as the ending to your novel, as simple as what to make for dinner.  I find it to be true.

Take a walk all for yourself as soon as you can!

Love,

Susan

To summarize, Norma Desmond is past her prime and has been forgotten by Hollywood for years.  She somehow convinces herself that her former director, the great Cecil B. DeMille, has requested her for a part in a new film.  The song speaks of Norma’s trepidation, nostalgia, and excitement for the whole experience of making movies and being a star.

In a stunning performance, Elaine Paige sings from the heart of Norma Desmond: “I don’t know why I’m frightened; I know my way around here…  There’s a world to rediscover… The atmosphere is thrilling here, as always…  Feel the magic in the making.  Why, everything’s as if we never said good-bye.”

On the table during my bodywork session today, the song plays in my consciousness, the legend appears.  Norma’s world is the movies: she plays scenes, chooses which part of the character to expose, to express, to develop; which road to follow, which not.

A new level of understanding surfaces: I live scenes, the scenes in life that present themselves everyday.  Consciously or unconsciously, I choose which part of my own character to expose, to express, to develop.  I choose which paths to follow, which not; which people to include, which not.  I choose everything–inside and out.

And, I have trepidation: I don’t know why I’m frightened; I know my way around here.

And nostalgia, longing to reunite with lost loves: As if we never said good-bye.

And excitement: There is a world to rediscover; the atmosphere is thrilling here, as always.  And today I absolutely feel the magic in the making of my own life!

For all this, I give thanks to the power of a song, a performance, and a legend.

Love,

Susan

*Sunset Boulevard The Musical: Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Book & Lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton

I find that a delicious meal made from fresh and healthy ingredients that seem to be made for each other really boosts my happy quotient.  Moaning over a meal is one of my favorite modes of expression!

These days I take great joy in deciding what that meal will be and when: lunch or dinner?  Working at home affords me the opportunity to have the larger, or heavier, meal of the day at either time.   In the summer I often eat bigger at lunch; in the winter darkness comes early, and the call to dine elaborately comes mostly for the evening.  When I find myself home alone for days at a stretch, I really get into experimenting with food preparation.  The dish I want to share with you this week is one I put together for myself on a very hot desert evening with the ingredients I found waiting in my refrigerator.  It turned out to be a one-dish meal that I went gaga over.  Made it again two nights later!

To nourish myself fully I want to enjoy the preparation of the meal as well as the ingesting. Therefore, I begin by putting on some music to cook by.  Since I usually cook in the Italian or Mediterranean way, I choose Pavarotti: Neapolitan Love Songs; The Soundtrack to Big Night (one of the great cooking/eating movies of all time); or something jazzy like Diana Krall, All For You. The point is to have fun and move your body around so you don’t get tired or sore.

This dish is what I call Sassy Summer Pasta.

This amount  will serve one.  I do that to encourage you to take the time and care to nourish your self.  Then, if you want to serve it to friends at a later time, do it!  Double the recipe for two, triple it for three, etc.

4 ounces Barilla Thin Spaghetti

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 medium to large cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 calabasita (a pale green zucchini-like squash that comes from Mexico and is very sweet) sliced very thin (use a mandoline if you have one)

1/2 orange bell pepper sliced in the same way as the calabasita

a handful of cherry tomatoes sliced in half

a handful of fresh Italian parsley chopped

Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to grate over pasta

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Slice and chop veggies, parsley, and garlic

Bring 4-6 quarts of water to a boil, add the kosher salt. Cook pasta according to package directions 6-7-8 minutes, depending on your taste.  Don’t overcook!

While the water is boiling, in a 12″ frying pan over a medium-low flame, heat the extra virgin oil a minute or two, add the garlic and cook alone no more than two minutes or until it is just golden.

Add the veggies and saute over medium heat, turning frequently, 5-8 minutes or until they are soft but not mushy.  A little snap of the skin is okay as long as the innards are tender.

Heat the bowl you in which you will put the pasta in the microwave a minute or so.

When the pasta is done, drain well and put into the pan with the veggies.  I usually drizzle a little oil on the noodles at this point, then mix with the veggies in the pan until well blended.

Pour into heated bowl, arranging the veggies in a colorful array, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste; grate the fresh Parmigiano over the noodles; sprinkle the parsley on top.

Eccola!  You are ready to dine!  Pour yourself a glass of a good Italian red:  Bolla Bardolino or Valpolicella compliment this wonderfully.

Sit down, listen to music, watch a good mystery on TV, or gaze at the sunset while indulging in gustatory delight!

I tend to eat a layer, salt & pepper & cheese again; eat a layer, do it again.  But you can inaugurate your own nourishing ritual.

Buon Appetito!

Love,

Susan

Physical pain has been a constant in my life since the age of 18, when a driver rear-ended my father’s car while I was at the wheel, certainly sending my neck on the journey that has led me to this table today, 45 years later.  I’ve spent time, money, and energy trying to get rid of the pain.  Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?  Not according to my healer and mentor Dr. Marc, who says,  ”We need to listen to our bodies.  The pain is a communication.  It’s there when you need it.  You’re ready to change–physically, mentally, emotionally, or chemically.”

Something is going on at a level we are not even aware of, and our bodies are screaming to be heard.

Has your body been sending any communiques your way?  Have you been listening?

Wishing you love, laughter, and a wise and gifted bodyworker!

Susan