Finding Our Way Back

  You know, it's really impossible to feel sorry for ourselves. Our life together is filled with so much...

  Yes, this past week was pretty much horrific. We tried our best to get back to our home away from home in Umbria, Italy, but ...and its a great big old but...we didn't make it. 

  We got as far as Heathrow Airport, where we made the very tough decision to turn back. Everything went wrong, and we had no real choice. It was heart wrenching..I cried at least five times, like a baby, in the airport as we went back and forth deciding what was the best option. It was a very sucky time, to say the least.

  Anyway...

  A week later (did we really fly out last Monday?) we are licking our wounds, taking time to decompress, and planning when we can try again to return to our home away from home in Umbria.

  We watch as the entire globe is dealing with 'The Virus', glad to be home in California. 

  Though we had a nightmare, whiplash experience trying to get to Italy, we are glad things worked out and we made it back safe and sound. As of this evening, we feel lucky. 

  

  Lucky that we have had so many wonderful trips to our beloved Umbria already, and we know that there are many more in our future. We know we'll return soon.

  We send all our love to our many friends back in Italy, and we hope everyone is taking care and being as safe as possible. We can't wait to be back in better times, sharing good times together..laughing, eating, drinking...enjoying each other as we love to do. We can't wait to be sitting in the piazza again with our pals. Sigh.

  In the meantime, we are tucking in here at home.

  This week has been a very contemplative time. We have been 'self- quarantined', as we really don't know if we are 'safe' after our 72 hours of traveling internationally... we spent time on the airplane and in Heathrow Airport, for the most part. 

  We have been super careful when we have ventured out, and we are mostly staying home. We are happy to be reading, working in the garden, and making yummy meals.

We are shopping at our local 'small' markets, staying away from the 'big box' stores. 

  I gotta tell you, life is a real trip right now. Who knows what happens next?

  We can totally freak out, or not. I'm willing to move ahead, stay as safe as possible, and try to get back to normal.

  So, instead of sharing my cooking adventures from Umbria, I have a couple of meals to share from here at home in California. We've been cooped up for almost a week now, and all I'm thinking about doing is enjoying my garden and cooking at home.

  

  I've been really happy with a couple of dinners I've made since we've returned.

  First off, there was a simple white bean soup...loads of sage and good olive oil made it super special...

The sage in my garden is looking really great right now.

I've had this bag of white kidney beans for awhile..time to use them!
First, a good overnight soak.

 We started with some good olive oil and garlic.

Then I added the lovely sage...

I figured some home grown thyme would add a nice touch.

More of that good olive oil and water next, to cook the soaked beans.

An hour or so later, looking good1

I pureed some of the beans, to add a smooth texture.
We still had some olive oil from our place in Umbria, so...
YES! Really tasty soup, as we stayed at home, feeling grateful.

  

  Then, today... I decided I wanted to try something new, so I looked up some recipes for 'dal', the Indian lentil dish we love to order when we are out, but which I've never tried to cook myself. 

We are so lucky to live in a small, but super diverse community with lots of small, international markets. We went out and got all the things we needed for an easy vegetarian meal inspired by Indian flavors.

  First, I got some red lentils cooking with a bay leaf, for extra flavor...

  Next, I grated up garlic and fresh ginger...

  

The recipe I was following called for chopped tomato and onions, along with a bit of cinnamon stick, and the afore mentioned garlic and ginger, as well as fresh lime...

 Another key ingredient was whole cumin seed. I toasted the cumin seed, cinnamon stick and onion together in canola oil...

  Next, I added the chopped tomato, along with a blend of tumeric powder and garam masala...I have to say, the fragrance was amazing!

  As the lentils finished, and the tomato mixture did it's thing, I cooked up some brown rice to go with our meal...

  The finishing touch was a bunch of chopped cilantro and lime, as well as a batch of store bought 'naan', an Indian flatbread we bought at the market earlier.

It's all about the fresh ingredients, baby!

I have to say, my first try at Indian food was really damn good!

A dollop of goat's milk yogurt was a perfect cooling element to this spicy dish.

  Truth be told, we are struggling with the reality of missing our springtime months in Umbria. But doing something different, like having a fun new cooking adventure here at home...it helps with the reality of what we are experiencing.
  I think we'll keep trying to find new ways to love our time here, and enjoy our life at home in California.
  I'll keep blogging, as we find our way through this crazy new time we are all going through.

  Stay safe, and keep yourselves as happy as you can. We have been put here on this earth to be happy. It's up to each one of us to make this happen, in whichever way it means to us.
  Dig deep, find what makes you content... and go for it.