Oops...but LOTS this week

Well...already so much for my New Year's Resolution of posting a minimum of once a week! But I'm not going to let the 2 week delay deter me from picking it back up now.

This has been an extremely busy week and many things made me happy this week and all over the spectrum...of course mostly food related, but other things as well.

Out of left field...Jersey Shore made me happy this week. Strange and yes, maybe I should be embarrased that I watch it, but I make no apologies. I work in a high school and one way to understand the people by whom I'm surrounded all day is to watch what they watch. I also find it a great way to turn off my brain for a little while. Yes, Jersey Shore can be called the downfall of humanity, and our teenagers our watching this. But it made me happy this week because one of the characters, Vinny, suffers from anxiety and the topic became the main point of the show. There is so much depression, suicide and anxiety that our younge people are dealing with today. They are affected by what they watch in both negative and positive ways. I felt like the episode dealt with the topic in a very real way. He begins by telling people about his illness and about being able to talk about his anxiety and how important it is to be able to talk about it. He explains that if he was physically ill or injured everyone would understand but that it's more difficult when you can't see the illness. In an environment where drinking is praised, he talked about choosing not to drink, as it can only make the situation worse. He talked about ways he deals with his anxiety when the problem was only mild and that now that it has gotten worse again that he needs to remove himself from the current situation which is causing more problems and take himeself home to his family where he can work on getting better. Vinny explains that he is making the best decision for himself. I'm glad that a show with a very strong following of impressionable viewers has taken a look at mental illness. I hope that this episode helped a lot of people.

Other things that made me happy this week...food food and food. I made candied orange peel on Saturday, which is a bit of lengthy process but ended up tasting fantastic, although now I have a ton of chocolate dipped candied orange peel...anyone want any?

I also made a wicked broccoli soup. It's much thicker and heartier than any broccoli soup I've made before.

Broccoli Soup
1. Sautee 3 diced shallots and 3 minced garlic cloves in 2 tbsps of butter until softened and your house smells delicious
2. Add 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
3. Add the following root vegetables, peeled & diced - half a sweet potato, one medium yukon gold potato, and one carrot.
4. Add 4 cups of broccoli
5. Add 4 cups of liquid, I used 3 cups of chicken stock and one cup of water and a couple bay leaves.
6. Boil for 10 minutes
7. Turn down heat, remove bay leaves and add a cup of milk.
8. Simmer for a couple minutes to heat the mixture.
9. Blend.
10. Salt and pepper to taste.

Also, we hit the slopes for the first time this year on Tuesday night. We headed out to Camp Fortune for the 2-for-1 Tuesday night pass. It was the perfect weather...aka, perfect temperature only about -2 degrees. I'm a fair weather boarder and like to feel the blood in my extremities. If I'm cold, I'm miserable. It was fantastic to be out on the slopes again, and after this past week's snowfall I can't WAIT to hit the slopes tomorrow night. Wish we could go today...but the minus 30 wind chill is not conducive to my wanting to be outside.

Lastly, this was a fantastic week at work. I've now been in this role for 2 months. This was the first week where I've really felt like I know what I'm doing. Don't get me wrong, there is still a ton of information to learn and process and figure out in this role, but I'm slowly but surely feeling like I belong. I love working in a school office. I am an office manager/administrator but I love being a part of the education system. I believe that everyone who works in a school, no matter their role, is part of the learning process and it makes me feel that I am making a difference every day that I get up and go to work. I feel blessed that I am in this role.

So a great week down and as I enjoy the view of the beautiful, but cold, view through my living room window I look forward to the week ahead. There are so many good things going on that I can't wait to share them with you. And with that enthusiasm I hope to post more short and sweet posts this week about all of it, rather than one lengthy marathon of a post. :)

Have a fantastic week!

~sarah~