Topic Chaser Have you ever wondered how I come up with all these blog ideas? Let’s face it, blogging on a daily basis is substantial and takes creativity. Every blog I write comes from my day-to-day life—it’s part of my reality. So where is the creativity, you ask? Well the creativity comes when I turn it into a blog. Because blogging isn’t just about telling you what I’ve done with my day. It’s about dressing it up with a message—if you have a story that carries a strong message then you have a good blog. The truth is that this is one of the secrets for good writing. Then, comes the writing style, the vocabulary and lastly, the finesse. So, what’s the problem? I’ve been writing weekly blogs for the last three years and daily blogs for the last 29 days. Yet, I always wonder what the reader likes the most. What subject interests you enough to click on the attached link and read the entire blog? And let’s not forget Facebook—what posts would you award with a like or even a red heart? Is it the blogs about an author’s life and writing, or the foodie blogs with recipes? Is it those about my diet, or those about my trips? Or maybe it’s the ones where you read about the general things that are on my mind. What is it that you’re eager to read about the most? Which of my blogs from the 80 Days To New Years blog series is your favorite one so far? I’d love to hear your thoughts… Eagerly waiting...
Michelle Oh Boy, It’s Cold It’s 16 degrees Fahrenheit (-9 Celsius) here, in Rochester, Minnesota. I just walked back to the hotel after dining at a local restaurant next door, experiencing the terrifying feeling of what it’s like to live in the Midwest during the winter. The short 100 steps felt as if they would never come to an end. With each breath my nose grew numb and my lungs burned with the cold air like I was inhaling fire. The wind lashed at my face and irritated my ears. I wasn’t even half way back to the hotel when the low temperatures got to my bones. I started shivering and my teeth began chattering. I accelerated my steps, leaving my husband a few feet behind me. If not for my heartbeat I would believe that the blood inside my arteries and veins had frozen—luckily, I’m an RN, so I know better. I was leery of jumping into a hot shower—I don’t like the sharp, stinging pain that comes when hot water makes contact with my cold body. If not for that local beer, cheese soup they offer during the winter months, I would probably have skipped dinner and curled up under a nice, warm blanket. However, my craving for this local soup took me out into the cold. If you’re like me, where cooking and food is a passion, then you know you don’t have to be in Rochester to have this special soup. All you need to do is call Chef Johannes and ask him for his best recipe for beer cheese soup. Since you don’t have Chef Johannes phone number, I took the liberty and left him a message, asking for the recipe.
Now we wait… Michelle From The Back Burner Earlier today, my co-writer, Chef Johannes Klapdohr, called me and left a message, reminding me of our project, the cookbook. Time flies! We are only 16 days before Thanksgiving, 46 days before Christmas and 53 before New Year’s... I just realized that I haven’t written a thing about the cookbook for a long time. I have yet to tell you that back in June, Chef Johannes and I decided to put the cookbook on the back burner. Why? Simply, because summer is a busy time for chefs and the hospitality industry. But also because my agent felt that it would be better to publish the next book in the Pinnacle series before publishing the cookbook. Quite honestly, I needed a break as the frequent travel to North Carolina was starting to get to me. As much as I enjoy working with Chef Johannes and love the scenic drive to the Highlands area, it is not an easy trip. The curved, narrow roads that make up the last hour and a half of the drive are demanding. It’s imperative that I stay focused and watch the road. With that said, we took the summer and the fall off, planning to resume our work this winter. Well, the winter is now close—at least close enough to start making plans. While talking with Chef Johannes, I realized that I have yet to finish writing my next book and that Chef Johannes is still as busy as ever. It’s possible that we may not resume our work on the cookbook until after the New Year. Until then, we are sharing with you a secret recipe of Chef Johannes for a German Gluhwein—the perfect drink for this time of the year! Chef Johannes’ Devine German Gluhwein: Ingredients: 2 bottles of dry red wine (Spatburgunder or Pinot Noir) 1 orange, washed and cut in quarters (Do not peel, you will use whole orange) ¼ cup of sugar 2 sticks of cinnamon 2 whole Allspice 4 whole cloves 3 whole star anise Splash of Brandy or Rum (optional) Preparation: Heat wine in a large pot—careful not to boil it, as it should not evaporate. Press juice of orange wedges into the wine and add the peels to the pot as well. Add cinnamon, allspice, cloves, star anise and sugar to the mixture and simmer at very low heat for about 20 minutes. Ladle through a sieve into a mug and enjoy! Chef’s Tip: Strain the Gluhwein into a coffee maker carafe and keep warm on the coffeemaker burner—it’s easy to pour and stays warm. If you’d like to add an extra kick to the Gluhwein, add a splash of brandy or rum into your mug. Can you smell the spices? …We can…
Now all that’s left is to kick back, relax and enjoy the Gluhwein. Cheers! Or as Chef Johannes says Prost! Michelle (and Chef Johannes) Let There Be Light There are 17 lights in my yard. They’re old and their appearance has deteriorated. Their original black glossy finish lost its sheen a long time ago, the glass is hazy, and the screws are rusted. Many of them are crooked and don’t work—possibly because of dead bulbs. Their condition reflects the age of the house. And at times I feel as if they are tired—as if their life has come to an end. Light fixtures aren’t cheap and it’s not easy to replace parts of an old item, especially an outdated one. We all know how companies rush build in obsolescence into products. For the customer, there is always the pressure to buy the newest generation. Out with the old and in with the new. Without this concept businesses wouldn’t make enough money and the landfills would be less full. The other morning, I wrote my blog and then went to Home Depot to get four cans of glossy black spray paint and three packs of screws. Upon my return, I unscrewed each of the lights and removed their metal tops. I brushed off the dirt with a dry, clean paintbrush and placed the pieces facing down, next to each other, on a flattened cardboard box. I followed the instructions on the can and carefully sprayed one side of the fixture. I took the new screws and stuck them on the outside of a tall Styrofoam cup so that I could easily spray them in black. I then collected all 17 glass pieces and soaked them in hot, soapy water. Next, I painted the fixture rods, which I didn’t take apart. I even was mindful of the space, protecting the floor by placing a drop cloth around each one of them. By the time I finished painting the rods and cleaning the glass pieces, the paint on the top pieces was dry enough to turn them upside down. I sprayed the topside of the fixtures and let them dry for two hours. In the meantime, I replaced all the light bulbs with new ones and dried the glass pieces. I waited another hour and reassembled the parts. I switched the lights on, and just as it says in Genesis 1:3--And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Well, I’m not God, but I think I deserve some credit for this project and for the money I saved. Instead of hundreds, I spent less than $70. There are many ways to make old things new. Do you have any projects to share? Michelle Lost and Found Golfers often lose and spend significant time looking for their golf ball. When they find it, they’re happy, and when they lose too many, they have to buy new ones. Why can’t golfers find their balls? Where do all these golf balls end up? When players hit the ball, it sails far. They aim to hit the ball hard enough and straight enough that it will land as close as possible to the next hole. By all means, this is not an easy task, and it’s not unusual that a golfer may hit the ball too hard and not on target. When this happens, balls are flying everywhere, ending their journey in the bottom of a lake, in the woods, or in people’s yards. Although there are different types of golf balls, and more than one brand, they’re all somewhat expensive. Considering the price of golf balls and the frequency at which players buy new ones, the golf ball industry stays busy. Many golfers save their money by buying refurbished balls. Beginners spend even less than that, buying only practice balls. Although I live on a golf course, I never played this sport and probably never will—it’s not something that I’m interested in. However, I’m a golf ball expert. My family and I collect every ball that ends up in our yard. There’s not a day that goes by where we don’t come across at least one ball. At first, we filled buckets, and then we started to give them away to friends who play. But golf balls kept coming—more than what our friends needed. I had no choice but to replace the buckets with big, tall bins until one day I decided to sort and clean them. It was overwhelming. I had to study a bit about golf balls so I could have a better understanding how to group them. After spending a few good hours searching the Internet for the different types of golf balls and their price, I went back to finish my project.
Next it was time to find a way to sell them. My first thought was eBay. I was stunned how many golf balls are for sale there and for what price. That was the day that I opened an account on eBay and began to do what many other people do—instead of throwing away stuff, I sell it. For every dozen of golf balls I sell, I’m left wondering if it’s the same golfer that lost them who buys them. Michelle Lost In Translation I speak four languages, two fluently—English and Hebrew. Languages are very different, even if they have similar roots. Several variables make languages unique and tiny nuances are often very challenging to translate. However, I find it’s the culture and the slang that significantly influence a language. Without an adept understanding of these two, a person will always fall behind. If you cannot understand humor in a language, then you are not yet fluent. It’s the play-on-words, the jokes, and the political rhetoric, that makes a language fully useable. It was early this morning, completely out of the blue, when I felt the need to write in Hebrew. At first, I was a bit reluctant, thinking I’m too far removed from the culture and the slang. But, once I started typing it, I was able to overcome that fear. I shared a story about an old friend of mine, who is not only Israeli, but also Zionist—exactly the person that Israelis like—not someone like me, who made “Aliya” in the opposite direction. While many of my old friends forgot about me, she worked on keeping up with our friendship. What made our friendship unique was the absence of critique and judgment, neither of us was envious of the other—it was just always fun to be together. For the past two years, she has been nagging me to translate my book to Hebrew. She believes Israeli people will love it. Finally, about two months ago, I gave in and contacted two different professional translators. I asked for sample and a quote—it’s a common step in the editing and translation profession. Why? For two main reasons: one, it’s extremely costly, so you would want to make sure the quality and the style are what you are looking for. And two, it’s not easy to give your manuscript to a stranger and trust that they will serve your best interests. Ten days later I received the two quotes along with the samples. After recovering from the expensive quote, I read the samples. That’s when I got nauseous—not so much from the prices, but more from what I read. I’ll admit, I’m kind of picky and, when someone takes my baby and abuses it, I start to panic. Although the two sections I selected were not easy to translate, they were both a good cross representation from the book—one from the Labor and Delivery room in an Israeli hospital, and the second one a sex scene. A few days later, I started thinking that translating my book might be too big of a challenge. When it comes to sex, the Hebrew language kills it. Sex doesn’t sound attractive in Hebrew. It sounds more like something that would turn you off. And in regards to the Labor and Delivery room scene, well these two translators do not have a suitable vocabulary in this field. If not for the graphic sex scenes in my novel, Pinnacle Lust, I would probably consider taking on the challenge and translate the book. But the sex just doesn’t work, at least not in Hebrew. I ended my post by asking if anyone knew a magician who could translate sex into Hebrew and keep it classic, so that it would remind a person of his greatest love, an unforgettable, sensual moment, and sweet memories that leave us longing for more… please send such a translator my way. As I said, languages are not the same. Translation isn’t just a matter of substituting one word for another—what sounds good in one language might turn into a disaster in another language. How many languages do you speak? Do you come across situations where what you say in one language doesn’t sound right in another language? Michelle A Night To Remember Many people are eager to hear exciting stories about the medical world, especially from the inside of a hospital. I often get asked to share stories from my experience in nursing. “There are many more than just one,” I answer without hesitation. Nursing is the kind of profession that comes with daily excitements—good and bad. It is a profession that keeps your adrenaline continually high. If I was to pull one particular incident from my nursing career, it would not be the heroic resuscitations, nor the painful losses and not even the unexplained miracles that we would see time and time again. It would go back to the early days when I was still in nursing school. It was during my rotation in Labor and Delivery. We had to complete a certain number of hours and deliver a specific number of live babies to clear off our clinical training on this floor. It was a night shift. I was already far into my rotation. Confident and content in my skill set, I was able to deliver babies by myself with only very little supervision. I admitted a woman in her mid-thirties. She was kind and calm. Her husband was present and appeared caring. It was her third pregnancy. I can’t recall what she told me they have at home, but I remember asking her if she was expecting a boy or a girl. “We don’t know. We didn’t want to know,” she said. “Do you have any names in mind?” I asked. “Not really, “ she said. In two hours, my patient delivered a baby. Third baby. It was fairly easy. I managed to deliver her baby without episiotomy—the surgical incision of the perineum made during the second stage of labor to quickly enlarge the opening for the baby to pass through—all in efforts to prevent against soft-tissue tearing. It’s a painful thing and takes an unpleasant of time to heal. “It’s a girl,” I said as soon as the baby was out. I cut the umbilical cord, and as soon as I heard the baby’s first cry, I suctioned her mouth and nares, wrapped her, and gave her to her mother. “So, how are you going to name her?” I asked the mother. “I think I’m going to name her after you. Michelle,” she said spontaneously and a tear rolled down her face. “Really?” I asked. “Yes. You are an amazing person and you did a great job. It was the easiest delivery I’ve ever had. So, if that’s okay with you, I would like to name her Michelle.” “Of course,” I said as I choked back tears. And the rest is history. If you want to know what a moment of glory feels like, I highly recommend the nursing profession.
I believe we all have memorable stories, share yours hear. Michelle Time For Soup! The other day, I spent an afternoon waiting in a doctor’s office. The bright sun beamed into the room through the shutters, continually blinding me. I had to change my seat three times before I could find a comfortable spot. Almost two hours went by. I probably should have used the time for writing, but instead, I grabbed a magazine…and another magazine—until I had gone through at least 15 of them. I would habitually start turning pages—one after another—slowing down and lingering a bit on the photos. Unless there are photographs of food, I quickly continue to the next page. Food gets my full attention—not only because I love to eat, but also because cooking is one of my favorite things to do. This time of the year, when temperatures drop and fall finally shows its colors, food becomes more significant in most peoples’ lives. We tend to look for comfort food and add soups back to our menus. Who doesn’t like soup? Believe it or not, I know a few people. However, I still find hot soups to be attractive on my fall and winter menus. It is hard to say how many seasonal recipes, including soups, I went through while sitting in the waiting room that day. None of them captured my interest or even triggered my cravings. Most of what I took away was fall colors—orange, red, and brown—putting my mind into Thanksgiving mode. It was late afternoon when we drove back home. I asked my husband to stop at the grocery store so I could pick up a few items… I was ready for a bowl of soup. With the fall colors from the magazine still in my mind, I made one of my favorite seasonal soups. Since I couldn’t share a bowl with you, I thought the next best thing would be to share the recipe with you. Butternut Squash Holiday Soup: Ingredients: 2 medium butternut squash, about 4 lb, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes 15-20 whole garlic cloves 6 tablespoons olive oil ¼ cup water 2 leeks (the whites and about an inch of the tender greens) cleaned and finely chopped 5 cups water 3 Knorr chicken or vegetable low sodium bouillon cubes 8 oz heavy whipping cream Salt and freshly ground black pepper Fresh chopped chives Directions: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). In a roasting pan, combine the squash and garlic cloves. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and toss until it is well coated. Pour in ¼ cup of water and roast for 50-60 minutes, until the squash and the garlic are soft and golden. Stir occasionally. Add a bit more water if the squash begins to scorch. Meanwhile, in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, warm the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the leeks and sauté until golden brown, for about 12-15 minutes. Set aside until the roasted squash and garlic are ready. Add the roasted squash and garlic to the pot with the leeks. Add 5 cups of water and the Knorr bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside and let it cool—for about an hour. Using a blender and working in batches, blend the cooled mixture for about a minute, until it’s very smooth. Transfer the blended mixture back into the saucepan. Reheat over medium heat, then add the whipping cream and simmer for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Reheat when ready to serve. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with freshly chopped chives. Serve immediately. Feel free to share your favorite soup recipes here!
Bon Appétit. Michelle Beyond The Words I’m 21 days into my 80 Days To New Years blog series. Wow, how time flies. In less than two months, 2018 will be knocking on our doors. This daily blogging that I took upon myself is turning out to be a more significant challenge than I ever thought it would be. Yet, I’m finding that I love it. Three years ago, when I turned writing into a career, I had to take into consideration the baggage that goes along with it—taking a significant cut in my income, public exposure, maintaining my social media presence, blogging, and the list goes on. Not only did I not like the baggage that comes with writing, but I also had a lot of opinions about it. If you missed my earlier blog, catch up now and read what I had to say about blogging. It was a big struggle. I hated everything about it: coming up with topics, deciding what to say and what not to say, perfecting how to deliver my opinion correctly without offending people, learning not to delve into politics, and so on. More than anything, I resent the time involved with blogging. It’s not only the time it takes to write the content, but also everything else that is involved with finalizing the blog post: selecting photos, designing the blog on my website before publishing it and posting it on Facebook. My other concern was—and still is—that the time spent on blogging could be better used on finishing my next book. Who would believe that I would get into a series of 80 daily blogs? No one. Even my editor thought it was a lot to take on, responding with “Good luck.” I took it as if not everyone had faith in me. Fine, I thought. Today, 21 days into this big challenge, I have yet to miss one day of blogging and I am enjoying it. Furthermore, I even manage to find time to continue working on my next book in the Pinnacle series—not a lot of time, but some.
While blogging does take up a good chunk of my time and slows down progress on my other projects, it also has its benefits. It keeps my readers closer to me, it attracts new readers, and lastly, it makes me a better writer. Indeed, so far so good. I’m not only on it, but I’m also in it. If you’re considering writing or are looking for ways to enhance your writing, start blogging today. Otherwise, just kick back and enjoy my blogs. Thank you for reading my work. Every one of you inspires me to write more. Michelle Coffee Drama Migraines, dizziness, intestinal cramping, bloating, chest pain, and even weight gain are only a few of the side effects of sucralose, an artificial sweetener by the name of Splenda—how many times have you heard this before? Advertising delivers a clear message, saying sweeteners are healthy and help us lose weight. And people like me, who want to lose weight, believe them. I consume, on average, roughly 25 packs of Splenda each day. Before you tell me how crazy I am, take a minute and check out how many artificial sweeteners you eat per day. I bet it’s more than you realize. Are any of you willing to share? Until three weeks ago, no one could convince me to stop using Splenda. I was literally addicted. Surprisingly, it was not a doctor or a close friend or even a family member that shook me up, but a general chat with an acquaintance of mine. “Stop it, leave me alone. I’m not giving up my Splenda,” I told her, and then, when she started raving about Stevia, I was ready to hang up on her. “I don’t like Stevia. It makes me gag and feel nauseous. I’m not going to put this in my mouth. Stop it.” As much as I hate when people try to tell me what to do, even if it’s for my own good, this conversation pushed me to consider making a change. On my next visit to the grocery store, I looked for Stevia. I pulled one small box from the shelf and dropped it in my shopping cart. However, after just one step, I changed my mind and returned the box to the shelf. I continued on my way, rushing to complete my shopping so I could head to the cashier, but not before checking on that Stevia again. After looking at the box, I grabbed it and examined it as if it were a new medication that I was about to take. Finally, I dropped it in the cart and went to go check out. As soon as I arrived home, I placed the Stevia next to the Splenda, planning to give this product a chance in my next cup of coffee. It was the following morning when I tried the Stevia. As soon as I had the first sip of my coffee, I could tell it was different, and after I swallowed it, I got sick. I hated it. I dumped the coffee in the sink and quickly made a fresh cup of coffee—this time with Splenda. My frustration grew. I wondered why Stevia tastes so bad—it really destroyed my joy of drinking coffee. I had to look it up to find out why everyone is raving about it. So, here we go. Stevia is a natural sweetener extracted from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant. It has 150 times the sweetness of sugar yet it has negligible effect on blood glucose. Also, some studies concluded that Stevia could lower blood pressure. Stevia’s biggest downside, however, is its bitter aftertaste… Like people say, tasty and healthy don’t necessarily go together. I looked for a way to overcome this Splenda addiction. I thought that maybe if I did it gradually, I might be able to get used to it. So on my next cup of coffee, instead of adding three Splendas, I used two Splendas and one Stevia…and I survived. I started to search more about sucralose and found out that it’s actually chlorinated sugar, or as I call it, bleached sugar. It would be stupid to think that chlorine is not toxic to the body—of course it is—especially when it accumulates over time in our system. Today, I’m taking my coffee with only one Splenda and one Stevia—for me, this is an enormous achievement.
While this is not yet perfect, it’s progress. I believe that soon Splenda will be out of my life and I will be Splenda-free forever. What was I thinking all these years? It’s time to push Splenda away. If I can do it, everyone can! Michelle |
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