On Hate

They say the opposite of love is not hate but indifference. Well, it's Elie Wiesel who said it originally. Who said it initially really is no matter though. What is important is that he (they) is correct. And when we come upon a path and have the option to choose among the three, I believe hate to be the least productive for our soul.

Love we reserve for those who deserve it. Or at least we should, right? Loving those who are incapable or unwilling of loving us in return has dire consequences for our own soul identity. Giving love without love in return only hinders our ability to trust in love itself. Now, in the case of loving those who reciprocate the sentiment, our souls are filled with positivity and light. Our hearts rejoice in knowing that we are connecting with another person on the soul level, and that love brings us closer to Universal Truth. Conversely, if we love someone who does not love us in return, we are simply wasting that positive energy and depleting our own soul of the love we so deserve.

Hate, I believe comes from this desire to be loved but which is not reciprocated. Hate invokes the same passion from which love is born, and it uses seemingly twice the energy that love does but negatively. I am seeing this play out in observing people around me, and I am learning so much from that. When we hate, it consumes us. Hate can become obsessive, all-consuming, and it is entirely subversive. Hate detracts from our path to the light, and chips away at every loving conviction within us. Hate brings with it a very powerful negative energy that has the ability to completely derail our soul purpose, which is to become all-loving. This hate can become so powerful that our bodies react and have the ability to become toxic themselves, causing physical pain and other chronic ailments. Hate is the ultimate weapon of self-destruction.

But what about indifference? Indifference is the neutrality between love and hate, and it can be used both as protection from hate and as a defense mechanism against love. It truly is the double-edged sword! This sword, however, is absolutely our best defense against those incapable of love. Those of us who have been victims of abusive relationships know that these people do exist. These people who are incapable of love have been devoured by hate, and we must not play into their hands and continue the cycle. We must use the neutral "charge" of indifference in order to move forward on our path to the light, the ultimate love that our soul deserves and desires. We must not get caught up in the dispassionate web that hate attempts to weave before us. We must learn to turn away from these unhealthy relationships and look to fill those voids with people who fill our soul with the light and love.

The simple truth is that love breeds love, and hate breeds more hate. When people say hateful things, do hateful things, and we reciprocate that negativity, we only fuel that evil fire. We are feeding the dark monster within us that aims to lead our souls astray, causing even our own bodies to turn against us sometimes. Let us not fall into hate's trap. Let us follow the path to the light of love, using indifference as our sword and our shield from those who can no longer see the light themselves.

May we understand that these hateful beings that have come into our lives, whether they be family, friends, lovers, or foes, have succumbed to the dark forces within and are of no benefit to our souls. May we understand that giving any credence to their complaints or criticisms only fuels their path to darkness and dims our own internal light. We must expel that negative energy. Let us only love those who love in return. Let us bestow grace upon those who request it, and let us all move forward in our lives with loving intentions.

Til next time,
XoXo -Xile

Broccoli Chicken Cheddar Stuffed Crescent Braid

Broccoli Chicken Cheddar Stuffed Crescent Braid

What You Need:

*1 package Pillsbury Crescent Roll dough (seamless is easier but unnecessary)

*1 cup pre-cooked shredded chicken (you can use canned chicken, but I didn't)
*1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

*1 cup cut broccoli (I thawed frozen broccoli florets)

* 1/2 can cream of condensed cream of chicken soup

What You Do:

*If you use seamless crescent roll dough, roll it out, and cut it like THIS. If you don't use the seamless dough (I didn't have seamless), roll the dough up into a ball, work it to remove the cuts, and roll it back out to a somewhat rectangular shape and THEN cut it.

*Place it on a baking sheet (ungreased)

*In a bowl, mix together the chicken, broccoli, cheese, and chicken soup

*Spread the mix evenly along the middle of the dough (the part that is not cut), and then criss-cross the dough to make it look like a braid while wrapping up the filling

*Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes, until the crust is a nice golden brown

This recipe is an adaptation of THIS one :) 

Your Best Cheese Balls

So Thanksgiving is either a love it or hate it kinda day in my life. And I'm sure it's the same for a lot of people, right? I mean, family dynamics can be incredibly challenging, and mix that with 17 cooks in the same kitchen, and it's kinda a recipe for disaster. Since having children, our Thanksgivings have been all over the board from amazing to not so memorable. Yesterday took the cake for most amazing Thanksgiving ever. 

We spent the day with some of our best friends in the entire world with a beautiful view of Buck Island, laughing, singing, cooking, drinking, and just being overall merry. By the time we sat down to dinner, we had a total of 5 dogs, 4 children, and 6 adults in attendance. The munchkins said these really odd "prayers" before eating, which Zen captured on video (yay!). One of our friends made the turkey and gravy; Zen was responsible for mashed potatoes, stuffing, and corn. J made an appetizer that was pretty bangin', and I did the green bean casserole, desserts, mulled cider, and apps for snacking while we were waiting for dinner. 

I was actually pretty impressed with myself. I am not sure why, but it's always surprising when I make a stellar dish. Most especially, though, I was proud that I was able to bake desserts. Baking has always been a challenge for me, so the idea that I'm getting the hang of it is really exciting. 

Anyway, this entry is all about cheese. One of my very favorite things to make for a party is a cheese ball. Why? Well, because it's incredibly simple, and it's just about guaranteed to get you a million compliments. I did 3 flavors for Thanksgiving yesterday: Bacon Ranch, Greek, and Taco. So, I'll go through each one and then at the end let you know a very basic equation for making ANY cheese ball you could ever dream up :)

Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball

What You Need:

2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded

1 brick cream cheese (8 oz)

1/4 c bacon bits

1 packet dry ranch dressing

1/2 c French's fried onions, crushed

What You Do:

*Toss everything except the fried onions in a bowl

*Mix with your hands until all the ingredients are combined evenly

*Roll into a ball shape

*In a ziplock bag, pound out the onions until they are crushed to the texture you like. Then pour it out on a piece of wax paper

*Roll the cheese ball in the onions until evenly coated

*Stick it in the fridge for a couple hours to set up

*Serve with your favorite crackers

Greek Cheese Ball

What You Need:

2 c crumbled feta cheese

1 brick cream cheese (8 oz)

1/4 c roasted red pepper, diced

1/4 c cucumber, diced

1/4 c kalamata olives, diced

1/2 tsp dill

1/2 c pita chips, crushed

What You Do:

*In a bowl, mix the cheeses by hand together until evenly combined

*Add peppers, cucumber, and olives, mix until evenly combined

*Sprinkle in dill and mix until evenly combined

*Roll into a ball shape

*In a ziplock bag, pound pita chips until crushed to desired texture

*Pour crushed pita chips onto a piece of wax paper

*Roll cheese ball in pita chips until evenly coated

*Pop it in the fridge to set up for a couple hours

*Serve with pita chips, pita bread, and/or your favorite crackers...or on cucumbers!

Taco Cheese Ball

What You Need:

2 c shredded cheddar cheese

1 brick cream cheese (8 oz)

1/4 c black olives, chopped

1/4 c green onion or chives

1 Tbs taco seasoning

1/2 tsp smoked paprika 

1/2 c tortilla chips, crushed

What You Do:

*In a mixing bowl, combine cheeses. It's just easiest to do this by hand

*Add olives and green onion and mix until evenly dispersed

*Add seasonings and mix until even

*Shape into a ball

*In a ziplock bag, pound out tortilla chips to desired consistency. Pour onto a sheet of wax paper

*Roll cheese ball in crushed chips until evenly coated

*Put in fridge for a couple hours to set

 *Serve with tortilla chips or your favorite crackers!

So there you have it! Those are 3 different flavors of cheese balls you can make for your next gathering that are sure to impress. The very basic thing about any cheese ball is combining a brick of cream cheese with another shredded (or crumbled) cheese. So the ratio is 1 brick of cream cheese to 2 cups of shredded cheese. Roll into a ball, and then you can choose your coating. I am not a big fan of using nuts to coat my cheese balls, but of course you can do whatever you want! 

As a final note, here are some links to the desserts I did yesterday, as they turned out SO well that it would be a shame not to share them with you! 

*Gingerbread Cookies*

*Urban Legend Chocolate Chip Cookies*

*Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dump-cake*

From my home to yours, Happy Holidays!

xoxo

-Xile

Messy Monday?

So today was definitely not the most productive day I've ever had. I had every intention of making the munchkins breakfast, doing some homeschool work, and then running to the post office to pick up the 6 pounds of chocolate that I had ordered in order to continue our new tradition of "Messy Monday."

The day started off great with my little princess' favorite Pumpkin Pancakes, for which I shall owe you all a recipe. They were gobbled up quickly, and everyone was cooperating for what was sure to be a productive day. As the island would have it, that just didn't happen. King had some side work scheduled, and I thought I would be "the good wife" and go and pick up the parts for that project since he was working on another side project this morning. I mean, how hard is it to run to a parts store, get some car parts, stop by the post office, drop the parts off to King, and then go home and finish my day with the girls? DARE I ask.

Everything was good and well until we were leaving the post office. I thought my car was making an odd noise and didn't feel quite right, but I mean it's an island car...so it's not like I'm driving a Mercedes or something. Anyway, I asked the girls for a "quiet ride," and thankfully they obliged...except that I noticed that the car felt like there was something terribly wrong, and there was no safe place for me to pull off of the road because the bush is so overgrown thanks to all of the November rain. Well, I slowed to a complete crawl, and the nearest safe place to pull over was the most expensive resort on island...with an award-winning golf course, a full service spa, 3 beaches...you get the idea. I made it as far as their first parking lot next to the golf course before I stopped the car and went into full-blown panic attack.

I had 14% battery charge (after leaving the house with over 80% just a couple hours prior) when I called King to let him know that I was totally panicking. Thankfully he was able to get on the road right away to meet us. Double thanks that he just happens to be a mechanic with all of his tools in his truck. So he arrived rather quickly and was able to put the spare on...which just happened to have a bent rim and no air...well, more air than the flat tire but not enough to drive on. Enter: Fix-a-Flat, an island staple. Honestly, if you live on an island, just have at least one can in your vehicle.

So while he's working on getting my car somewhat driveable, of course both munchkins have to use the restroom. There is no restroom anywhere near this parking lot. What IS near the parking lot is an award-winning golf course, a bunch of trees, and a lot of iguanas. So, I am now even more thankful that I had a friend in Indianapolis who taught me how to hold my kids while they pee so that they don't pee on themselves...well, or me. And yes, my girls peed in the bush of a 5 star resort with an award-winning golf course just to our left.

Needless to say, the day wasn't all that productive in the way of schoolwork, but I suppose it was definitely "messy." More importantly, I did get to focus on what this week is all about: Thanksgiving. While the Universe most definitely challenged me today, I am happy that I was able to find the blessings, laugh, and let go of the anxiety and frustration. I am incredibly proud that my girls were completely calm, well behaved, and just rolled with the day, even with the challenges presented.

And honestly, who can complain when I was sitting at a gas station in the Caribbean, drinking a beer while King repaired my tire? As a good friend of ours says, "it doesn't suck."

Are You Kidding Me?! Bangin' Barbecue Chicken Chili

We are approaching major desperation at this point. This is Day 5 of Stateside sickness trampling our house and wrecking our week...ie. I haven't been to the beach in an obscene amount of time for living on an island; nearly 2 weeks. Feel sorry for me. Really, I know it's probably 21 below zero where you are reading this, winter storm Bozeman is kicking your ass, and there is no amount of coffee in the world that will keep you warm. For that I'm sorry, but just remember that our little island is always here for you whenever you may need it. :)

Tonight's post is about chili though, so that should help warm your toesies and your bellies at least. From my girls, they have commented, "Are you kidding me?! It's delicious!!" And "Mommy, you are the best chef ever." If it gets my children's approval, it's a winner in this house.

The secret to chili I think is not to have too much of a recipe, as chili is a lot about using what you have and improvising where you need. I didn't buy enough ground beef this last grocery round, so I thought I'd attempt a chicken chili. I hadn't made one since King's work chili cook-off a few years ago, where they disqualified me because he didn't make it. Basically, it was a bunch of dudes and me...and they refused to let a woman win, even though it was obvious that mine was the tastiest ;) SO, my point here is to use what you have, add what flavors suit your household, and maybe just use this recipe as a guideline rather than a Bible.

Here we go!

What You Need:

5-6 quart crock pot
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (it took me 2)
1/2 c your favorite BBQ sauce
2 14.5 oz cans diced chili tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
2 cans chili beans w/sauce (I used mild)
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 onion, diced
1 head garlic, minced
chili powder to taste
cumin to taste
Optional: sour cream, shredded cheddar, & chives for garnish

What You Do:

*Slow cook your chicken on low. Put it in the crock and pour your barbecue sauce on top. Walk away. For like 4 hours...Do some laundry or crack open a bottle of bubbly. Celebrate because crock pot cooking is an AMAZING gift to moms everywhere!
*Once the chicken is cooked through, take it out and shred it, toss it back in the crock and make sure it's all coated in barbecue sauce.
*Dump in the rest of your ingredients. Walk away again for another 4+ hours, vacuum, clean a dish...clean up a mess or 17. THE END!!!! Okay, so I mixed it every so often and taste tested a few times to make sure that I didn't under or over spice it.

Apart from that, this is exactly why I adore my crock pot. It should really be called the crack pot in our house, although that may have some connotations that are all-too-inappropriate for a mother of 2...or anyone, for that matter. Anyway, you get the point. I try to cook in my crock as often as humanly possible for a couple of reasons: 1. It's super easy and low maintenance. 2. It doesn't heat up my kitchen like the oven/stove. That's important when you live in the Caribbean.

Finally, I served it with these cornbread muffins, which I will be making once a week I think. Skip the Jiffy. Seriously, it's probably loaded with all kinds of crap chemicals and preservatives, and these muffins were lovely and didn't have that weird aftertaste. And for someone who is barely capable of baking, it wasn't all that difficult. I did follow some of the suggestions from the reviews and made sure to really cream the butter/sugar and also let the milk/cornmeal sit for several minutes before mixing it together with the other ingredients. AND I used canned corn. It's better.

Bon appetit, friends!

Honey Soy Ginger Shrimp Star-Fry

In our house, each time we make a grocery trip, I let everyone choose their favorite meal to be made. Princess' favorite is "shrimp star fry." That's shrimp STIR fry for those who don't understand kidspeak. Regardless, it is always the most expensive, but the most delectable meal of the grocery round. AND I've never actually written down any sort of recipe for it. So again, the girls are challenging me to put some ingredients and measurements down so that they (and YOU) can replicate it down the road.

A note about stir fry is that you don't necessarily HAVE to use the same veggies that I use this time, as most of the time my veggies vary. Use seasonal veggies to your advantage, and this way you can make this special treat year-round. In addition to that, this marinade is easily adapted to other meats, so you aren't even confined to shrimp (especially if it's uber expensive). Try chicken or pork instead, or even just use this glaze for salmon or mahi. I like things to be versatile because I never know what I'm going to be missing in my kitchen that particular day ;)

What You Need:

Honey Soy Ginger Marinade
1/2 c soy sauce
1/4 c honey
2 tsp Sriracha
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp rice vinegar
1-2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Stir Fry
Tempura oil, a splash or 2
2 lbs large raw shrimp, peeled, tail-off
1 large zucchini, sliced into manageable pieces
1 large yellow squash, sliced
8 oz snow peas (pea pods)
2-3 large carrots, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 head of red cabbage, sliced
1 head garlic, diced or sliced thinly (basically everything I cook has abundant garlic)
1 can water chestnuts, sliced

What You Do:

*Make up your marinade
*Put just enough on the shrimp to evenly coat all of them; put in the fridge for 15-30 minutes. Don't over-marinate the shrimp. 30 minutes is plenty, promise! Set the rest of the marinade in the fridge to use a bit later
*Once you're ready to prepare the main dish, heat your skillet/wok with a splash or 2 of tempura oil. First cook the shrimp and set them aside.
*Add another round of tempura oil, and add your garlic. Next I added carrots since they take the longest and let them cook for a couple minutes. Then add in your squash, zucchini, & onions. Then add in the rest of your marinade. Let that cook down for a few more minutes and then add the water chestnuts and snow peas. Finally, add in the cabbage, as it cooks the quickest. Mix it all around, and you have the prettiest stir-fry you've ever seen!
*Serve it with your favorite rice, topped with the shrimp -or- mix the shrimp back in at the end

Fancy Schmancy Goat Cheese, Spinach, & Porcini Stuffed Chicken

In an effort to give my girls the ability to cook like mommy when they grow up, at their request I have made an extreme effort to blog recipes for as many meals as I can. Tonight's meal they turned up their noses at, but I honestly didn't even care. More for me! They are still sniffly, and this is when I allow them to eat anything that they will actually eat. Tonight they chose pub mix & left-over sweet & sour pork. Cest la vie

Let's get to it, shall we?

What You Need:

Toothpicks (This was the toughest ingredient for me to find here on island)
Cooking spray (I used grapeseed oil in my PC Kitchen Spritzer)
Aluminum foil
Boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded out with a meat mallet to about 1/4" thick (I had 3 available)
Italian seasoning blend
8-16 oz porcini (baby bella) mushrooms, thinly sliced
Fresh basil
Baby spinach
Goat cheese
Breadcrumbs (I used Italian, but you can also use Panko, whatever you have on hand)
Asparagus, trimmed

What You Do:

*Preheat oven to 350
*Lay out chicken breasts on aluminum foil that has been sprayed with a bit of cooking spray. Layer the mushrooms, then basil to taste (I didn't completely cover the chicken with basil since I used fresh), spinach leaves, and finally goat cheese.
*Fold up tightly and secure with toothpicks. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and a bit of Italian seasoning
*Bake for about 45 minutes, turning it over about halfway through.

Bonus side dish!
*Arrange asparagus in a 9x13" baking dish and drizzle with olive oil -or- spray with your cooking spray
*Add the rest of your porcini mushrooms on top of the asparagus, and again spray it or drizzle with oil
*Sprinkle with Italian seasoning blend and, if you have it, Parmesan cheese
*Halfway through the chicken baking, toss your asparagus in the oven too. This way, they'll be done at the same time

Make sure to remove the toothpicks before serving ;) And enjoy!