Final updates and QUALITY communication!

Dear Loved Ones,

There is so much to catch up on that I feel a bit overwhelmed. It has been, fully, a month or more since my last post and I have felt guilty that I have not updated as so much has been happening.

--- UPDATE Begins ----
My last post was hurriedly made around the time Rick and I made a quick trip to Krakow to get visas so that our life here in Kiev could continue uninterrupted. It was a success. Although the weather was wet and dreary during most our stay there, I still came away quite impressed and enchanted by the city. (Pictures will follow in the next post).

Upon our return to Kiev, we began to semi-frantically search for a new home. The apartment we had been sharing with another young couple had only been granted to us for three months, which were ending. We spent the last two weeks of April searching in Vinogradr, our favorite area of Kiev, without luck. We only were mildly impressed with the options and/or opportunities slid through our fingers. By the end of April we had not place to move, but needed to get out. Luckily, one of Rick's old friends was away traveling for a month and we were able to stay in her apartmenr (in Vinogradr)until we found a new home.

The day we moved out of our shared Obolon apartment to our friends apartment, we also left for our week-long hiking trip to the Carpathians. The hike was beautiful, allbeit generally wet. While a couple days were stunning, sunny Spring days, others were dangerously cold, rainy and foggy. We spent these days sodden and intent on avoiding any hypothermia. Our equipment, though not perfect, was nearly and we had no "close calls." There are a few experiences worth noting as they colored our journey.

The first is that on the second day of hiking, unable to find a safe trail in the fog and rain, I hurt my left hip flexor, an injury that proved later to have completely inhibited raising my left leg higher than two inches. The injury worsened on day three, when after summiting Mt. Petros, I had thoroughly shot the ligament. Our route was changed so that for the remainder of the trip I did almost no climbing. It turned out nevertheless to have been a beautiful route.

Second, before conceding that I could climb no further, we made a vain attempt at summiting another, larger mountain. In order to shorten the climb for the next morning, we camped in the saddle just below the peak. (As we were using our trusty and superbly-designed Trail Star, there was not fear of blustery conditions.) That night, I woke up without cause and noticed that there was very active lightening around us. We roused the camp, ourselves and our companions, and took our belongings to a poorly maintained refuge only 100 yards away. A strong thunderstorm came and the men -- Rick and our companions -- tried valiantly to construct some sort of door and to clear a space to sleep among the trash, ice, dirt, and probable, human waste. The attempt at door-making failed and some helpful equipment was lost, namely Rick's beloved Go-Lite Chrome dome (a fact that was thoroughly lamented the following day as the weather was clear and the sun hot). I did not sleep well that night.

Finally, during our last 24 hours on the mountain we marched through cold, windy, wet conditions. I struggled to stay dry and we found shelter and water just before everyones' good humour wore out. After a tasty meal and some rest and ukelele-playing we continued only far enough to camp. The next morning, we separated with our friends and tried to find a way down the mountain so as to meet our train. We were quickly engulfed in thick fog searching for a poorly marked trail on a unfamiliar ridge. I entertained thoughts of not desceding in time for the train, but did not share these with Rick. Fortunately, we did find A trail, though not the one we planne don finding. At the moment we found its end, a bus to Ivano-Frankovsk drove past and we hopped on -- pleased that the fog had not detained us a moment longer! (Pictures in the next post)

We got home on Saturday the 7 May and promptly began searching for apartments again. The proverbial winds must have been our favor because that same day we found an ideal one-room apartment in the ideal location with, seemingly only one flaw: the balcony is not south facing. We finalised the documents that evening and were tucked fast asleep in our new home that night. While it was a wonderful experiment living with strangers for three months, it feels so nice to have your own space, territory, refuge.

Our life in this apartment, though only a week old, fits our dreams. we have just enough space for our small family. We wake up early and run or play in the forest in our backyard and finish with a swim in the lake only 5 minutes walk from the apartment. We eat a full, relaxed and nutritious breakfast and, when I feel full I walk to the bus stop and catch my marshrutka. Going into the city I always have a seat and the journey takes to most time in the mornings, but no more than 40-50 minutes. Going home generally only takes 30 minutes in all. We have no internet at home and will be keeping it that way -- our home is peaceful and relaxing. Life is simple, but as a result we have lots of time to reflect and discuss important ideas and opinions. We are both pleased.

--- UPDATE Ends ---

Rick and I, during one of our walks through the woods, recently discussed our communication with our family and friends. We both noted that, in general, we had more contact, but that our relationships had not seemed to improve much despite this extra contact. In fact, we noted that while sites like Facebook ensured a "comment" or two now and again, the quality of contact was vapid and, consequently, many relationships were based only on shallow immediate communication -- like business more than like real, personal relationships. I resolved immediately that instead of feeding into the fast-paced, somewhat vouyeristic life of instant communication (Facebook and Blogging), that I would prefer to take advantage of the more personal nature of direct and thoughtful communication via traditional mail, phone calls, and sometimes email.

The truth is that I do not feel so comfortable as the the sole individual responsible for disseminating my personal life for all to know about. There are other figures in my personal life that I think would much rather be the source of information and would rise to the occasion far better than I. For example, my mother, who effortlessly seems to know and track the goings on of life, would (I assume) enjoy more quality contact with me and Rick as well as enjoy telling others in the family about our lives. More traditional communication methods allow me to invest more energy in developing strong quality communication (and, unlike blogging or surfing Facebook there is a more valuable interchange -- A CONNECTION!). Also, traditional communication naturally tends to put information in the hands of individuals who, due to their personality, are very effective at spreading and sharing this information and OFTEN revel in the opportunity to be an authority, a go-to-person. I, in comparison, feel a bit overwhelmed in having to share everything with everyone. I don't like to be the go-to-person for EVERYONE who wants to know about me. The internet makes it so easy for people to investigate details of my life and contact me. I don't want to be antisocial, I just want to use my social energy on relationships rather than the more casual interaction facilitated via Facebook and blogging. I don't know how many people read my blog becuase VERY few ever respond and share about themselves. I feel like I am wasting my energy on fake, shallow relationships and so, am trying to create an environment where real relationships will recieve my energy, not empty ones.

So, what will happen with current contact? I am downsizing my Facebook. If you want to know information about me, you can write me a real letter and send it to the address on my site. Once I save my pictures there, I will be deleting my albums. Following this blog post I will likely post a few pictures, but will cease to blog seriously about my life. Pictures will be put into an online album which, when updated, those with close relationships will be alerted and if other family members or close friends want to see, they can talk to the first level of friends or ask me for the information. As far as talking on skype with family goes, since we have no internet in the apartment, speaking on Skype will be more difficult. Rick and I will be gifting mothers and fathers with Skype credit so that they can call us at our home telephone or cell phones via skype at a minimum cost. We hope that this will encourage family to "just give us a call" more frequently, rather than worrying about scheduling when we will both be online. Calls may become shorter, but we hope, more frequent.

In addition, I will begin writing more REAL letters. The more I think about it the more I feel that this is a lost art of sorts. Letters may not be frequent, but they will undoubtedly have deeper meaning and thoughtfulness, as letter writing requires time, thought, patience and reflection. Letters of such kind should, I think, be considered treasures -- evidence of your importance to another person. To send a letter nowadays is to say that you REALLY care. I am delighted to think that I can give that sensation to others.

I know this post has been long, but it has been a long time since updating. If you have any considerable opinions on my communication rant (which has not been fully discussed here), feel free to send me an email or better yet, a letter.

Wishing you all the best.

Kim

Locked in, but still headed to Krakow!

This morning went I went to leave for work, I discovered that I was home alone and had been locked inside without keys. I must admit I had a few moments of "oh-no-this-is-a-bad-start-to-a-bad-day" feelings, but after those fled and I gained my composure, I called the office and Rick and before you know it everything was ok. . .

Including out trip to Poland! Needing visas badly, Rick and I are taking a few days and traveling to Lviv and then onto Krakow -- both cities reknowned for their beauty. It is supposed to rain which means crummy pictures, but I'm simply giddy to get out of the city for a while!

I'll post pictures and a summary upon return!

Wish you were here :D

What's New?! Also, more food. . .

It is difficult to believe that we have been here 2 months now. I'm starting to get comfortable and now we really have to get busy with getting my work permit processed. Even if all goes as smoothly as possible, it is likely that Rick and I will have to make a trip to Poland due to requirements by law. But, at least, we will be able to stay and I have wanted to visit Krakaow for years! :D

Another major comfort is changing as well. Our home. Apparently, I wasn't aware of this before, but we have only agreed to live here for the three months. And, so, if we want to live in this apartment longer, the flatmates have to agree to let us. There are a few problems with this as they already have plans to have long term visitors during the summer and will likely need our room. What this all means is that we are probably going to move. This is only difficult as far as moving is tedious for me -- I don't enjoy it. The truth is a good friend of Rick's and a new friend for me is getting married at the end of April. We have been invited to move wiith him and his new wife to a barrio near to the forest. The commute would be less than ideal, but the location is better -- cleaner air, recreation, nature, etc. We would even have a lake nearby to enjoy. The commute for me is 30-35 min in marshrutka (not so bad by typical American standards), but it means I would lose 1.5 hours more each day. Each week that is about 6-10 hours of free time for projects and personal enjoyment (the calculations have to do with how often I would return home in a day and when I would have to stay at the school because returning home makes no sense). I could make it work and learn to appreciate it, I think. But, meh, I am not too excited about commuting so far.

Aside from these minor things, the important things in life are improving. Our diet is getting better everyday as I get more comfortable with adding variety. Rick and I have both had colds and gotten over them so we have been able to begin taking walks together again. I have started exercising again, but I am trying to do it without paying for a costly trip to the gym. Part of what instigated the exercise is that I feel great! We don't have a scale, but since coming here and making minor changes in my lifestyle, I have lost two inches off my waist. Rick has calculated something that is meant to estimate how much weight I have lost in the last 60 days, he says I probably have lost 10-15 lbs. We are both really curious and are pricing scales. If it does turn out that I have lost all that weight without big changes in lifestyle, I will be writing an article about the little changes I DID make. :D

Also, as with all my recent posts, I have to include pictures of the food I have been making. In honour of St. Patty's Day, I tried making Soda Bread for the first time about 10 days ago. It was glorious! (and ridiculously simple). Since then, I have been experimenting with additions to the soda bread. But, it has sort of become a habit now to bake fresh bread every other day with breakfast. We are both enjoying the tradition --- and knowing exactly what is being put into our bread (how much sugar, if any, how much fat, how much protein, etc.). Aside from normal Whole-Wheat flour Soda Bread, I have made Citrus Poppyseed Bread, Homemade Kasha Loaf, and Multi-Grain Oat Bread.

Irish Soda Bread, made with unrefined flour (basic recipe from Epicurious.com)

Our new favourite breakfast, the Orange Breakfast. Fresh Mango-Carrot juice, Citrus Poppyseed Bread, Lemony Ginger-Thyme Infusion (for the colds), with fresh fruit on the side.

A close-up of my Citrus Poppyseed Bread creation, this bread at almost 200 cal per thick slice, is loaded with protein, fiber and very little sugar.

And, to make your mouth water, some other recent concoctions (The first two are of Mint-Berry Cucumber Salad from Whole Living and in the background, Lighter Sesame Chicken from Whole Living. The third dish is my pierog invention for Pi Day, Raspberry-Lemon Marble Pierog with accompanying Homemade Raspberry Soda.

I hope this post finds you all happy, healthy, and at peace. . .

Love,

Kimmee

Quick update!

Life here in Kiev keeps moving forward!

Rick and I are doing well and are settling in nicely.

Last week, the week leading up to Valentine's Day, was a somewhat special week according to Ukrainian tradition. It is the week where winter and spring meet. The best part is that, to celebrate this week, they eat pancakes! They eat crepes, American-style pancakes and everything in between. While Rick and I did not learn of this tradition until Valentine's Day, the last day of the week, our flat mates made a delicious-looking chocolate crepe/tortilla and with it made a strawberry ice cream burrito. Next year, I will certainly take advantage of this interesting, but delectable tradition. :D

Valentine's Day for Rick and I was simple. As neither he nor I get too excited about it, we did not plan anything except a good meal. I tried a new tilapia recipe courtesy of Martha. It was fantastic --- so much so that we are eating it again tonight!

I also made my favourite broccoli-spinach soup. The process of making it was more eventful than other times I have tried it, however. To put it simply, when I put the ingredients in the blender to liquify them, I did two really dumb things: 1) I put too much soup in the blender and 2) I did not ensure that the top was on snugly. I am sure you can put these mistakes together to deduce what color I painted the walls moments later. Everything ended up being ok, although I burnt myself and spent a while cleaning up the mess. Probably the biggest victim in the whole ordeal was Rick --- he was so worried when I was crying with my arm under the faucet, trying to explain that I just wanted him to clean the broccoli juice off the fridge so as to not destroy our flat mates' pictures. Poor guy. When I offered to make the soup again today at the store, he replied meekly: "I dunno, I don't want you to get hurt." My broccoli soup has slightly traumatised him!

Other than that, everything is going well, especially because --- judging by today's weather --- spring really did meet winter last week!

I hope all is well back stateside!

P.S.

As a cultural exchange, I celebrated Valentine's Day with my Saturday Conversation Clubs, in typical American fashion --- treats for everyone, not just the sweetheart. I baked a new type of cookie, Chocolate Charms (also from Martha).

These crumbly, dark-chocolate, shortbread morsels were huge hit. And, they are delicious :D. Try the recipe, as they are easy to make. Also, I substituted half the butter for olive oil and served them rolled in raw sugar as I had no good way of sifting the cocoa over the cookies. A antioxidant rich and (with olive oil) a heart healthy indulgence!

Life Only Gets Better, Though Not Without Difficulties

We have officially been back in Ukraine for 17 days today, and things keep looking up!

The view from our kitchen window looking out into the barrio. It is a busy place and everyone wears fur and black.

POINT 1:

I have received work teaching English and have done well enough that they have offered me to take on more work, which effectively means I will be working 15 hours a week, mostly on Saturday. With this barely half-time job, I will proudly earn enough so that half of all my earnings can go toward paying debt and the other half of money will pay for both Rick’s and my expenses here --- effectively freeing up his income to help pay down my loans. Financially, I am beginning to see that Ukraine was a VERY good choice. I could not imagine how cheaply we would be able to live here, neither could I imagine the amount of money I would be making as a teacher. I am not only happy with my work, but the income gives me hope that I will relatively soon be debt-free. Avoiding an American Tragedy, day by day. :D

POINT 2:

I am making friends! I can’t speak Russian well-enough yet (more on that later), but Rick has been supportive in trying to provide me with appropriate social interaction. Last Sunday and today (Sunday 31 Jan), we are going to a Spanish Language practice club. Most of the people are Ukrainians who are learning in order to travel or to build careers from it, but all are young and interesting people! It was such a relief, after my first week here, to be able to share myself with others. I realised how important this kind of interaction is for me, especially in a new environment. I am glad to be returning this evening.

Also, Rick’s contacts here have been wonderful and interesting. Yesterday evening we were invited to dine with an older couple, but some old students and friends of Rick’s. They spoke sufficient English that we spoke English during the whole visit. Again, it was nice to have interaction with intelligent interesting people with whom I could communicate.

POINT 3:

Without doing ANYTHING except eating in the Mediterranean way (which is delicious and includes plenty of fat and carbs) and walking a bit to the metro and to meetings, I have lost 3.5 kilos since leaving the US. (We, for the first time, were able to weigh ourselves last night). Hello! Fantastic! I have wanted to get back to a lower weight as I gained quite a bit in university (20 lbs). I have certain fitness goals and I think this time in Europe will really help achieve them. This sort of inspires me to consider seriously the blog Rick had mentioned. . .

POINT 4 (It’s not always easy.)

Although things get better every day, there are still stresses which can bring me to tears. One is realising that I would be a lot more at peace personally and emotionally if I could speak more Russian. At the current level, I am almost completely dependent on Rick (outside of the routes I have memorised to get to the grocery store and certain markets). The result is that if I want to go out, I need Rick to go with me most of the time. Sometimes our schedules or desires conflict. In these moments, I feel helpless and sincerely regret not having spent more time learning the language. Rick brings me home chocolate or flowers on these days --- and that helps a lot. But, I feel guilty for not prioritising the language more. Some days, I feel so limited.

Naturally, you can imagine the sort of stress this must put on Rick. He is, because I am unable to communicate, fully responsible for building much of our life here --- the apartment, the jobs, the social life. A lot of these things, he does naturally and he does them adroitly, but I know that my dependency wears on him sometimes. When I feel poopy and he remains so supportive despite his own stress, I am reminded how lucky I am to have met him and how lucky I am that he agreed to be with me. I love my husband; everyday I am thankful for him and everything he does to make my life easier and our life together fulfilled.

CONCLUSION and PICTURES:

Despite the stress of being a dependent in a new culture, each day is easier and more rewarding than the last (even the days when I feel the only way I will get through is if Rick gives me an IV drip of extra dark chocolate). I am very pleased with the way things are developing here and, if I can knuckle down and seriously learn Russian, life will improve exponentionally --- I may even fall in love with my life here.

Loving and missing you all.

Some cooking pictures! We have been experiementing with pierog (ukrainian pies that actually are just bread). . .no added sugar, rough milled flour, two eggs, wheat berries, a little salt and baking powder, plus whatever you can dream up!)

Our Pinapple-Upside Down Pierog (we also make a mean Banana Nut Pierog and Apricot Pierog)

Our Pizza Pierog. . . .my crowning achievement thus far :D

Sauce and toppings are underneath the bread, cheese and spices baked into the bread. . .simply delicious and utterly guilt-free! (Sorry for the bad lighting. . .)

Week One: Settling In (in a Rushed Way)

We left the USA at 13:30, Tuesday, 12 January 2010. We were en route for approximately 1.5 days, landing in Kiev-Borispol International Airport on Thursday, 14 January, at 3:00. We then waited in the airport lobby until 5:30, when the cheaper buses to the city center began running. We got to a friend’s apartment at about 7:00. Our trip, though long and stressful, went off without a hitch.

Upon arrival we stayed with Sasha, one of Rick’s friends in A’Bologne (sp?), Kiev. It was, physically, comfortable enough for us. However, for both, it ended up being a mentally draining experience. Let me explain -- staying with Sasha ( a nice and otherwise pleasant man) also demanded that we stay with Sasha’s mother, a woman with an overbearing, territorial, and neurotic personality. I was often corrected and criticized for the ways that I dressed, cooked, organized our room, and -- essentially -- existed. She easily became frustrated when I could not understand her for fault of understanding Russian. My helpless: Ya ni’panimayu (I don’t understand) was often met with an exasperated huff and shooing of the hands. It should then be obvious as to why we rushed to find an apartment.

The view from our room at Sasha’s. A view that fits perfectly the stereotype of the Soviet Union (except that this is not the USSR): cold, snowy, run-down, and bland. NOTE: Should be compared with later pictures of a newer neighborhood.

After four days of searching, we received an offer to live in an apartment with another young couple in Minskaya, a developing neighborhood in A’Bologne, Kiev. For a whopping $200 each month we have a large furnished room, a balcony, a large shared kitchen, and clean, bright shared bathroom, complete with hot water, lights and heat --- and another young couple with whom to practice Russian (Olga and Ivan). AND it is only two minutes walk from the Metro! AND. . .:P (Oh yes, and it is primely located in relation to various markets, the second-hand shop, the book market, numerous bakeries, meat vendors and gyms). I am quickly coming to love this flat and neighborhood.

Our entryway.

Our home. After everything was organized and sorted. NOTE: Our down comforter is actually the combination of our two down sleeping quilts tucked in a Ukrainian sheet set (a big pocket that acts as the top sheet and comforter in one) The sleeping bags are stored safely and we have a great blanket!

This space is very comfortable for us and all of our stuff. Although at first I wasn’t sure it would be (Rick had a lot more stuff than I thought he did!).

Our room after unpacking everything. Or I should say, after all the boxes and suitcases exploded.

The shared bathroom. I love the bright color and design.

The shared kitchen. This kitchen is quite large by Ukrainian standards and two cooks can move comfortably in the space.

And, finally, so that you all may see the difference between the view from Sasha’s apartment and the new Minskaya apartment, here is the view from our kitchen window, directly across the street. It is a new apartment complex (not ours, ours is much older, but the neighborhood is better).

To the left (not in the picture and that of which I haven’t had a chance to snap pictures) is the plaza with an enormous decorated tree (the holidays here are a little later than in the US) and lots of little shops (and, as with any “modern” neighborhood) a McDonald’s (no, I have not yet eaten there, nor have I plans to do so. See below).

There are two other matters that have been at the front of our minds over the last week --- my employment and a healthy diet. Yesterday, I accepted an offer to lead a series of English conversation clubs every Saturday. This work will allow me to work with children and adults from 18 to 40 years. Amazingly, I will be making enough each Saturday, that I need only work this one job, and I will have enough to cover my Ukraine costs each month (food, rent, and transport). A dream come true? Yes! (if I didn’t have any debt). For now, however, I am still waiting to hear from a couple other schools about more work. I may not get to teach conversational English until a little later when I will have some English language teaching experience. Ideally, I will get at least one more full day of work, which will allow me to cover Rick’s costs then put most or all of his money to paying loans. (Fun, fun. . . But, could I do all this, pay down my debt and only work two days a week in the US? In two words: HELL NO!)

I spend a lot of my extra free time thinking and working on perfecting our diet (another thing that would be cost prohibitive in the US). I have recently finished reading The Mediterranean Diet, which has helped me to work out a lot of the problems Rick and I had in eating healthy food consistently back in the States. I learned a lot about how to substitute monounsaturated fat (olive oil and canola oil) for all fats used in cooking as well as why carbs are OK (and still DELICIOUS) when you emphasize veggies and fruits. The insight gained from this book coupled with being in a country where veggies, whole grains, lowfat dairy and omega-3 -rich fish, as well as natural sweetners are significantly cheaper than processed starches, fatty dairy, red meat, and refined sugar, makes eating healthfully not only easier on the pocket, but has made healthy, satisfying meals the norm for us.

However, I shouldn’t pretend that I haven’t had to invest time into making this diet so convenient. After reading the book and meticulously planning a general, weekly meal calendar; counting up all the servings of each recommended nutrient source for Rick and myself, then approximating the number of vegetables and fruits, bread loaves, cups of buckwheat, pasta, rice, whole wheat, and nuts, grams of yogurt and cheese, AND grams of fish needed to equal the equivalent of our combined dietetic needs for the week; followed by compiling a general shopping list to be used each week for groceries, I can now live on automatic mode. I don’t think about what I need to make XYZ recipe. I look at what we have and create, knowing that at the end of the week it will all even out and we’ll be healthier than the week before.

Rick mentioned that, having done so much work, I should post the information and our weekly shopping list/recipes on a blog that would be potentially helpful to a lot of people in the US. I think I might do it. Though, there is one obstacle to address: we eat like kings here and pay pennies because the food is priced the way it should be. In the US, the “healthy food” that in Ukraine exists as poorman’s dinner, is expensive. To this, I guess, I would make one point: paying more for healthy, quality food is an investment in yourself and in years of quality experiences and memories that come from living a longer, healthier life. If you pay more now, you can receive years of higher-quality living. If you pay later ( in health bills), you will still be buying time, but it will be lower-quality time, limited by an ailing body. Maybe I will do it, the blog. . .

Overall, I am settling in well. I am happily living well with my supportive and loving husband at a price that can’t be beat! Tell the family that I already think I will miss this life (after only one hectic, but rewarding week).

From this point forward I doubt that I will write such long posts, but one can never tell --- I didn’t know that this would run on so. :D I wish you all the best.

Gastronomical Delights!

. . . I turn on the gas burner --- medium-high --- and begin to butter the bread, unwrap the Kraft American cheese and build my grilled cheese sandwich. No one else is home, and I cannot wait until Mom arrives and feeds me. What the heck?! I've seen Mom do this a thousand times, I'll just make a cheesy sandwich. I drop the sandwich in the fry pan; it sizzles ferociously. So far so good, I think. I constantly lift the sandwich off the pan to look at how the underside is browning. Hmmmm, perfect. Time to flip. Well, that went well. I'll leave it and check my email. . . .what is that smell? Shoot! I run to the kitchen and look at my sandwich --- a charcoal and cheese sandwich. I'll try again -- we have a full loaf of bread and lots of cheese. So try again --- fail. Try again --- fail. Try again --- fail. Try again --- fail. Try again ---fail. Try again? There are only four pieces of bread left. Don't try again. . .

My mother and sister do not hesitate to share this humiliating story, and others, with family and friends -- in particular when they sit down to a meal to which I have contributed. Because of epic failures like this, I was considered the daughter that couldn't cook, hated cooking, and deferred such arts to my younger sister (who at the same time was going through a cake-decorating passion --- none of her cakes fell, EVER).

It is amazing, however, what moving out of my parents house did for my inner-Chef. I was able to experiment without being teased for mistakes or simple questions. I found, slowly, that I enjoy preparing delicious, healthful (sometimes not) food, and that I love doing so for others: my friends and boyfriends in college, my family during the holidays, and --- now --- my husband, everyday. I take great pride in a healthy meal made well, how it pleases the senses and sustains the body. I am also proud of how, when I cook, it brings people together --- I am most glad for that.

I am at most a mediocre cook. But, I am learning. Sometimes I still make mistakes, other times I have stellar success. Recently, while staying with my sisters in Salt Lake City, I tried a meatloaf. I wanted something lighter than traditional loaves baked with BBQ sauce, ketchup and brown sugar for flavour. I found this fantastic American Bison Loaf, and it did the trick. Bison meat is naturally sweeter than beef and leaner, too. This recipe adds bulk and flavour with mushrooms, onions, fresh sage and fresh thyme. Rather than being sweet and sugar-laden, this loaf is, instead, a bit spicy due to a red-pepper (or cayenne) seasoned tomato sauce. It was refreshing, delicious, quick and --- best of all --- surprisingly simple!

Me, with the food. This recipe calls for roasted potatoes and spinach (we ate carrots instead of spinach).

Beautiful apron courtesy of Mom.

I substituted a pinch of cayenne pepper for the red pepper. Be careful not to over-pepper!

Everyone sitting down for the meal, minus Rick. The drink is a tasty treat handed down from Oma (Rick's German great-grandma), Italian Plum Juice and soda.

Slowly, these successes are helping me to overcome the trauma of incinerating an entire loaf of bread for a single grilled cheese sandwich. . .

I hope to post about a bread loaf soon. . .