Is the earth tilting? I was in the kitchen tontie!

Have you ever had one of those middle of the night epiphany's where you come up with a dish that you hope and think might be good?

Well I had one this last weekend. So, while at the store I grabbed some stuff - half dozen zucchini, a thing of baby spinach, a bag of Roma tomatoes, some ricotta, some Italian mixed cheese shredded and some jar sauce.

Tonight I sliced the zucchini lengthwise and browned them in a little EVOO and some Italian flavored bread crumbs, then I layered the zucchini, spinach, chopped olives, all the ricotta, some sauce [most of one jar] and most of a package of cheese. The next layer was zucchini, spinach, more sauce and some sliced Roma tomatoes and topped it all with cheese, lots of cheese.

Now, it's in the oven baking at 350 for 35 minutes more or less......did you feel the earth tilt just a bit? YES, I was cooking!!! Now, I hope it's edible LOL

Vacation not Stay-cation!

Vacation as defined by Merriam Webster is "a respite or a time of respite from something" .....MY definition of vacation is testing the limits and learning to "let go"....so, I went to Costa Rica to visit family in a little Pacific Coast town called Jaco. Jaco is about 2 hours west and south of San Jose. Jaco is more civilized [according to the natives] than the coastal towns on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica.

Jaco is a sleepy little surfing town that attracts the rich and famous and the not so rich and famous, namely, me :-) The condo village I stayed in was about a 5-10 minute walk to the local grocery store, coffee shop, ice cream shop and other establishments. As I walked into town with my sister each morning for coffee and pastries, I caught myself asking one question.......could I live and thrive in this area? Believe it or not, the answer was yes more than it was no!! I could let go of the things that complicate and learn to simplify, if motivated strongly enough to do so.

The other thing I found myself doing was hiking into the rain forest about a mile to a beautiful waterfall and then hiking out again....drenched in sweat but reveling in the wonder of that waterfall and the cool water that was the reward for the long arduous hike in.....then there was the beautiful vistas up and down the mountain roads. Did you know that Papaya grows in huge bunches on trees not much taller than me? [no short jokes please!] AND did you know that bananas in their groves are wrapped with plastic bags on the trees? No clue why but you can bet I'm going to figure that one out.

We saw iguanas and macaws in their natural habitat; crocodiles by the dozens under a highway bridge. I learned a few basic Spanish phrases and felt humbled by not knowing the language. I watched towering waves on a black sand beach and just "got away from my reality".

Now, I am on my way home....to work, family, friends.....reality. Vacation, for me, was a way to rest my mind and give peace and quiet to my soul and learn to appreciate a simpler way of life. Enjoy the zip line video attached to the blog today!! The zip line experience thru the canopy was, for me, the Ultimate Act of Letting Go and trusting the guides and their equipment!!!