A Spring in her Step

I may never actually get to post about the Ciabatta bread. To be honest, it was kind of a boring photo shoot...dealing with bread dough and yeast mixtures is about as exciting as watching the grass grow! I will, however, show you some amazing things that have been going on here lately in Pixie Land, and prepare you for the now infamous "Rubber Chicken" post!

Recently, while the rest of the known universe is about to enjoy the freshness of Spring, and a renewal of life-affirming prospects...I went the other direction. Although I was and am thrilled to have left the frozen tundra of Alaska, I have recently experienced a huge sense of loss, concerning my friends, my steady paycheck, and other items I had to leave behind, to begin anew here. I will not go into the boring details, save to thank my Mom, my Sister, and my friends for always being there when I needed to sound off. Thank you for attending my personal pity party, for understanding that even the most charmed life can have it's down-trodden moments. Mostly, for believing in me, and encouraging me to continue to do what I do. Dear Husband deserves the same thanks....

Since I was in the midst of such a funk, my family spoiled me with some care packages containing items not readily found here in beautiful West Virginia...and I'm enjoying them all immensely. One of those care packages contained a lovely jar of marinated artichoke hearts, and I wondered what to do with them. A healthy salad lunch, of course!

I laid the artichoke hearts on top of some regular iceberg lettuce leaves (the crunchy innermost part, my favorite!), and then placed thinly sliced red onion, red bell pepper, goat cheese and pine nuts (also in my care package) over the top. I sprinkled with some extra-virgin olive oil, and a splash or two of some nice balsamic vinegar, and there you have it. 

The Rubber Chicken post is a personal challenge I recently undertook to take one chicken, disassemble it into its component parts, and make it last for 3 meals, and chicken stock. See how I did, soon!

The salad was, and is...delish! Thanks once again to all who came to me in my moments of need, and kept me feeling needed, and happy.  Eat well my friends, thank those who are behind you no matter what, and stay tuned for the Rubber Chicken experiment! Love and kindness to all,

                                                                       Pixie