Monthly Archives: August 2017
Dream Day Quest and Jubilee
The 3rd of three annual Emancipation Days of Respect, Dream Day Quest and Jubilee honors the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by promoting unity, respect and remembrance. Held on August 28th to mark the anniversary of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Delivered in 1963, the speech calls for the end of racism in the United States. You can read the full text here or listen to it here.
Unfortunately, racism is all too alive in America. We need to own up to that and we need to do what we can to fix it. Mindfulness can help us build self-awareness but should also help us be aware of others’ experiences. We are all in this together and we are all one.
I have a dream that someday MLK’s dream can be realized and that I will have the courage to help it come true.
In peace and unity,
Debra
National Coffee Month: Thai Iced Coffee
August is National Coffee Month! Coffee is one of my favorite things in the world. While I generally drink it black, I do love Thai iced coffee so I was super excited to try this recipe from the Food.com.
Thai Iced Coffee (4 servings)
- ground coffee, sufficient to make 4 cups brewed
- 4 T. sugar
- 4 T. heavy cream
- 2 t. ground cardamom
- 1 t. almond flavoring
- crushed ice
- Add the cardamom to the ground coffee, and brew the coffee; when the coffee is brewed, add the sugar and almond flavoring, mix well and then let the coffee cool to lukewarm.
- Fill four 12 ounce highball glasses half-way to the rim with crushed ice and then fill two-thirds full with coffee; into each glass, stir about 1 tablespoon of heavy cream.
- To achieve a layered effect, hold a spoon on top of the coffee and pour the cream slowly into the spoon so that the cream floats on top of the glass over the coffee.
This recipe turned out great and I’m sure it would be almost as good with some healthy substitutions.
Enjoy!
Debra
John Lee Hooker
On this day in 1912, blues great John Lee Hooker was born. I like his song Boom Boom so much that I’m going to share it here twice — once just for the pure joy of watching him play guitar and again because it’s one of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite movies. Enjoy!
National Coffee Month
August is National Coffee Month and why not keep it simple. I love a strong black coffee brewed via French press for 6 minutes. Enjoy your coffee your favorite way today!
National Watermelon Day
Watermelon is wonderful just as it is but if you want to do a little something different for National Watermelon Day, Emeril Lagasse’s My First Watermelon Granita can be a fun change of pace. This is one of my favorite summertime treats. This time when I made it, I used a yellow seedless watermelon that had a bright, citrus-y flavor on it’s own. The recipe intensified the citrus-y element, which makes for wonderfully bright and light taste.
My First Watermelon Granita
- 5 cups peeled and seeded watermelon chunks (from about a 3-pound slice of watermelon)
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Place the watermelon chunks in the bowl of a blender or a food processor, replace the top, and blend on high speed until very smooth. Turn the blender off.
- Transfer the watermelon puree to a mixing bowl and add the sugar and lime juice.
- Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Transfer the mixing bowl to the freezer and freeze for 30 minutes.
- Remove the bowl from the freezer and use a fork to scrape any ice crystals from the sides of the bowl. Stir to incorporate the crystals. Return to the freezer.
- Repeat this scraping procedure every 30 minutes, or until the consistency is “snowy” when scraped with a fork or spoon, at least 4 hours. Then scoop into bowls or dessert glasses and serve.
Bon appetit!
Debra
