Now & Again is a cookbook that utilizes leftovers from the dishes within its pages to create new and exciting meals using the same ingredients in different ways.
I thought the premise was a good one. People who find themselves cooking meals for one or for a large family may have trouble with wasting perfectly good food. Not because the meal isn’t tasty, but because it is tricky to get the proportions correct during the preparation.
I liked the pork chop recipe from Now & Again. By following the written instructions, the meat was juicy when I ate it, which is a fair indicator of the skill of the chef who authored the book. At least, that’s what I believe.
However, the apple cake I attempted from this book was probably one of the worst things I’ve ever baked. The author said the cake should have the texture of banana bread. That was not the case for me.
To borrow a term from The Great British Baking Show, the cake was stodgy. The texture was all wrong. And it seemed to stick going down my throat. I took one bite and threw the rest away.
April Anderson, founder of Girl Gone Gourmet, has compiled a beautiful book of smaller portioned “gourmet” recipes. Photos of each dish are found opposite the instructions.
It is a pleasure to turn the pages and an even bigger one to utilize the recipes found within.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a person in possession of excellent cooking skills, must be in want of people to eat their food.
All joking aside, I love to cook. I find it profoundly relaxing to turn on some music and start chopping vegetables or heating the oven.
Here’s my two slice sun-dried tomato and sausage lasagna from page 31!
There’s a definite rhythm to cooking- like an ancient domestic hymn. Humanity must eat. Some of us have the good fortune and privilege of eating well.
However, when you’re by yourself, it can be difficult to control the portions. Most recipes assume at least two or more people are going to eat the food. It can be problematic and wasteful.
For example, I’ve made dishes and given three-quarters of it away to family, and still have three or four meals left for myself.
Anderson has scaled back her recipes in order to amply feed one, or so she writes. She reminds readers to have fun!
“Last but not least, I want you to enjoy yourself, because I believe time spent in the kitchen cooking for yourself is time well spent.” pg 10
My pork chops were yummy!
I tried a couple dishes in here (sun-dried tomato and sausage lasagna pg 31 and pork chops with savory apple bacon hash pg 123). They were tasty, but I still had way too much food for just me.
The moderate kitchen skills are required to make these dishes. You’re putting together sauces and browning meat, seasoning and slicing.
I took my time with it and didn’t have any difficulties. Beginner chefs might be a little overwhelmed, but if you take your time, you can do it.
Recommended for foodies who can find their way around the kitchen and aren’t afraid to try recipes that might be challenging. Make sure you have some containers on hand because you will probably still have leftovers.
“When we unlock our sakti we re-connect with our capacity for inner joy and peace with ourselves: all our experiences begin to join up and make sense. Freeing our sakti in this way gives us the key back to our sexual selves, so that we may inhabit our whole being with authenticity and joy.” pg 508 ebook.
Author, yogini and tantrika, Uma Dinsmore-Tuli, shares yoga sequences, mantras, mudras and meditations to assist readers in becoming more aware of their inner selves.
What does this accomplish, you may be asking yourself. According to Dinsmore-Tuli, it’s the foundation of a mindful existence.
“All of the poses to unblock the life force energy are also very practical means to keep the creative and sexual energies in circulation so that they are available to nurture and enrich our creative, family, social and professional encounters.” pg 518, ebook
That sounds pretty good to me.
So, I tried some of the suggestions from this book which I had to cherry pick because there are dozens to try. And my results were unexpected and stunning.
After the first practice, I experienced an almost immediate increase in my sensitivity to my body’s energy and overall energy level. After the first week, this improved awareness led to some fascinating experiences during my meditations.
Apparently, practitioners of yoni shakti routinely encounter visions or spontaneous energy body knowledge. The goal is not to seek these experiences, but to be aware when they arise and dissipate, and then utilize them for greater self knowledge.
Using these teachings, I feel like I’m learning a whole new dimension to life- one that arises from practices of mindful awareness. Yoni Shakti is a good reference book for that journey.
That being said, a majority of this book is repetitive to the point of unreadable. I realize Dinsmore-Tuli is passionate about the women’s movement in yoga, but she goes on so much about past abuses by gurus and organizations that it detracts from the delivery of the wisdom of the book.
I found myself skimming entire sections because they read the same in the previous chapter and the ones before it.
On the other hand, this book shines in its accounts of the women who were suffering and then rediscovered their power and ability to heal themselves through their yoga practice.
“There is a deep relief in knowing that other women have experienced the same losses, and a comfort in hearing others speak about what is so often unspoken. The sharing is healing.” pg 597
Recommended, with a few reservations, to spiritual seekers interested in yoga and tantra- particularly women.
“This book is concerned with the Chinese folk art of arranging objects to enhance harmony and good luck, called feng shui. This ancient knowledge enables us to seek peace and new growth through our relationship with the objects around us…” pg 11
When was this art form started? No one knows! As the author points out in the section entitled, ‘A brief history of feng shui’:
“… (feng shui’s) close association with the ancient Chinese lodestone compass has led some to think it may have begun around the time the compass was invented, an accomplishment traditionally credited to the Yellow Emperor, the great mythological hero-priest-ruler of ancient China, who is supposed to have lived around 2700 b.c. There is no historical proof for this attribution…” pg 17
Despite not knowing its origins, historians can tell the art has been around for so long because so many buildings were built facing the south which is considered the “most auspicious direction.”
“Traditional Chinese walled cities, temples, and other important structures were usually oriented to face the south. The Forbidden City is Beijing was built on a precise north-south axis, with all its major halls facing the south.” pg 34
Kwan Lau goes on to explain feng shui’s ties to mythology, the elements of traditional Chinese medicine, the four directions, and the stars.
It was surprisingly complex.
“Readers should not be dismayed by the complex interplay of all these symbols and associations. The folk art of feng shui draws information from a wide range of sources and a rich tradition of ancient cosmological thought, and for this reason it can be daunting for the beginning practitioner.” pg 48
There’s way too much to incorporate all of the information I learned in this book all at once. I think the aspect of feng shui I’ll start with in my own life is furniture placement.
I was dismayed to discover the couch I was sitting on while reading this book was in the “death” region of the feng shui layout of my front room. However, on a positive note, it faces south, which is very good and has a wall instead of a window behind it.
Perhaps some furniture moving is in order.
The world is a less threatening place with a happy, well-balanced home at the center of it. And sometimes, moving your furniture can change your life.” pg 108
Recommended to readers interested in the art- both newcomers to the topic as well as practitioners who want a reference book on the ‘Nine Stars, Eight entrances, and Bagua Combination Method’ of feng shui.
‘The Minimalists,’ Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, share their life journeys towards intentional living using seven different areas of focus: stuff, truth, self, values, money, creativity and people. Readers are invited to use the lessons they have learned to enact positive change in their own lives.
I, like many, had preconceived notions about what minimalism is. I thought it was about creating a living space that has like one chair, one table, and a cup with a single sharpened pencil in it. You can see the room, can’t you. In my mind, that was minimalism- bare to the point of ridiculousness.
Millburn addresses this misconception early on in the book.
“Minimalists don’t focus on having less, less, less; they focus on making room for more: more time, more passion, more creativity, more experiences, more contribution, more contentment, more freedom.” pgs 35-36
Sounds pretty good to me, Josh. So how do we get there?
“Minimalism is a practice of intentional living. While it starts with the stuff, it’s ultimately a stewardship program for one’s life.” pg 124-125
I’ve recently experienced some major changes in my life, which include relocating to a new home and moving almost a decade’s worth of stuff. During the process, I took the time to try on every piece of clothing in my wardrobe and, to my not-unexpected dismay, about three-quarters of the clothing no longer fit.
It was simply a matter of donating the old clothes then. But I found myself hesitating to do so. I’ve lived a lot of life in those clothes and just holding them brought back so many memories.
I realize the memories aren’t in the items, they’re in me. Millburn points out that it’s easy to make that mistake.
“While it’s true that our memories are not in our things, it is also true that sometimes our things can trigger memories inside us.” pg 20
He recommends taking pictures of these treasured items so you can continue to access the memories at will while still making room for growth.
Because that’s what all of this minimalism stuff is geared towards: Living an intentional life so you can grow with the values that you’ve chosen for yourself. What you’re aiming for is growing like a cultivated flower about to bloom rather than a tumor that spills out uncontrolled in all directions.
“Growth is a critical component of a meaningful life- as long as it’s responsible growth- because continual improvement makes us feel alive and brings purpose to our actions.” pg 170
To do so, we must first confront the reasons why we’re holding on to all these items in the first place.
“Fear is a common theme with people who are starting to confront their stuff. We’re afraid to pull back the curtain because we’re afraid not of the stuff itself, but of the work that must be done to live a more rewarding life after getting rid of it.” pg 102
And for me that’s the crux of the issue- fear. What am I afraid of? I’m afraid of living a life that doesn’t match up with my values. I fear change, not because it might be negative but because it pulls me out of my little routines into a place of uncomfortable uncertainty.
Your fears are probably quite different from mine, but the point is that you have them. Do you know what yours are?
Highly recommended for readers interested in self improvement, self help or the minimalist movement. Thank you to the publisher for a free advance reader’s copy of this book.
“Fate did not hand Genghis Khan his destiny; he made it for himself.” pg 9, ebook
Author Jack Weatherford follows the Mongol empire from Genghis Khan to his grandson, Khubilai, and on to the distant descendants and faded glory of a once-great kingdom.
The early years of Genghis Khan’s life were the most interesting part of this book. However, this history relies on a single text, The Secret History of the Mongols, which was written in code, filled with exaggerations and inflated numbers (perhaps as propaganda) and still has not been thoroughly interpreted.
So, Genghis Khan, the historical personage, remains a shadowy figure. On the other hand, Weatherford opines that Genghis Khan’s empire had long lasting effects even to the present day.
“Seemingly every aspect of European life- technology, warfare, clothing, commerce, food, art, literature, and music- changed during the Renaissance as a result of the Mongol influence.” pg 14
Because the Mongols subjugated so many people, they controlled huge areas of the world and facilitated trade among different kingdoms. Weatherford writes that the Mongols didn’t press their culture upon the peoples they conquered (like the Romans) but adopted and adapted pragmatic customs and manners of civilization from everybody they ran into.
This diversity made the empire strong. For a little while.
But as the years passed, Genghis Khan’s descendants began to suffocate under the weight of this sprawling empire. They squabbled among themselves and spent lavishly on entertainment and comfort.
Their social policies weren’t as open as their patriarch’s. Notably, some of the rulers began to torture and abase their enemies, something that was not practiced during Genghis Khan’s time according to Weatherford.
Plague further divided the empire as the world’s populations decreased and trade faltered. The empire’s ending wasn’t a clear cut cessation, but more of a slow descent into darkness.
As a student of history, I was fascinated by the relatively recent disappearance of Genghis Khan’s Spirit Banner, a ceremonial spear with strands of horse hair braided atop it. It was a potent symbol of the Mongol’s strength and leadership.
“Somewhere in the 1960s, eight centuries after the birth of Genghis Khan, his sulde, the Spirit Banner that he had carried across Eurasia, disappeared from where the Communist authorities had kept it. … others hope that just perhaps the sulde lies forgotten in some dusty basement or bricked-up room from which it will, one day, be brought out to lead and inspire the Mongols once again.” pg 199, ebook
Sheryl Sandberg stresses the need for collaborative approaches and teamwork because both strategies lead to greater success and gender equality in business. She then takes that idea a step further and ventures to say that if this collaborative model could be applied both on the job, in relationships, and at home that this could change the world.
It probably could. I’m certainly willing to give it a try.
The part of Lean In that I was most receptive to was the discussion about the Queen Bee syndrome of females in upper management and how, sometimes, women keep other women down because of the attitude that “there can only be one”.
Probably because of my background, I’ve always approached friendships with other women with the mind set of a “world family” and do my best to help others with their needs in whatever capacity I can. I have rarely found a friend or business associate who responds with the same level of support. I suspect that this tendency in life to look out for number one is caused by the lack of unconditional love that a supportive family unit provides first developmentally as a child and then into adulthood.
It is no wonder that women, if made to feel inferior to other family members at home, react in an aggressive way when “competing” with other females on the job rather than reaching out a hand in welcome.
I was fortunate to grow up in an all female household (plus Dad) so gender equality wasn’t an issue that I ever had to consider until I had a child of my own and had to make decisions about work and childcare. My sisters and I weren’t compared to brothers or ever told that we couldn’t have something that we wanted or be successful simply because we were female.
In fact, my mother’s father was on the forefront of the integration of females into the Air Force. He gave his daughter a male name (Allyn) because his thinking was that gender equality was going to shift to a more equal stance during her lifetime. But, it was going to take some time for attitudes to change. In the meantime, he wanted her resume and career to be judged and advanced on its merits, which, he figured, would be smoother and avoid all the pitfalls of sexism if recruiters thought she was a man.
Clever Grandpa and hooray for me that my mother had a positive, feminist role model for a father.
I’m also lucky in that, because of my many female siblings, I have a ready-made “sisterhood” of support. Many of the issues that Sandberg discusses in Lean In, I’ve encountered, but I was lucky enough to have solutions for in the embodiment of my family. I know that not everyone has that type of support in their career and personal life, and I fully appreciate that I’m spoiled in my lifestyle.
“If it’s a lazy Saturday morning and you don’t feel like getting up just yet, you can ease into your day with a few shared yoga poses. It’s a great way to feel connected, to hook up your energies and get on the same wavelength.” pg 3, ebook
Bed Yoga for Couples is a simple yoga manual for two practitioners that includes stick figure diagrams, brief explanations of each pose, and a few basic breathing techniques.
I’ve practiced hatha yoga for nearly two decades so I was familiar with the poses in this book. However, even if you have zero experience, most are so simple that beginners shouldn’t have any problems either.
That being said, I’m not convinced of the efficacy of the moves while laying down. Part of yoga, at least for me, is experiencing gravity working on different areas of my body while holding the poses. Clearly, this will be very different while on one’s side rather than standing.
But, as the author Blythe Ayne points out, this method of practice is much easier for anyone who has trouble standing for long periods of time or other health issues that make regular yoga practice difficult.
“The most important point for the two of you to remember is that yoga is about you and for you. … Always communicate clearly with one another about any of the poses- if you’d like to go further into the movement, or if you’ve reached your ‘comfort zone.'” pg 4, ebook
Photo by u0410u043bu0435u043au043au0435 u0411u043bu0430u0436u0438u043d on Pexels.com
I could see this book being most useful for couples who are looking for creative and meditative ways to connect. However, it is not an in-depth examination of the subject. If you’re looking for a detailed history of yoga or the poses, you would be best served looking elsewhere.
Yoga has always had that centering and calming effect on me. The only thing that could possibly improve that experience would be to have it simultaneously with a loved one.
“What I do not see I do not know,” an elderly Hildegard wrote to the Cistercian monk Guibert of Gembloux, describing the visions from which she gained her knowledge of the cosmic, human and divine dimension, from childhood until the end of her life.” From the preface.
Hildegard von Bingen, born 1098-died 1179, was a female mystic of the Christian tradition. She had extraordinary visions, which she recorded, and in her later years, she shared with others.
“The ‘Sybil of the Rhine‘ appears to us in the 21st century as a real woman who developed the many aspects of her femininity: worldly and joyous, learned and visionary, profoundly human yet open to the divine, inclined to dance, friendship and leadership.” pg 6
But this is not all Hildegard accomplished. She also composed the music she heard in these visions. She traveled extensively at a time when travel was not a simple task in order to bring together communities of believers.
All in all, Hildegard was a pretty cool lady who experienced fairly trippy visions.
“Our historical human condition enables us to appreciate her fascinating, layered personality, which made her equally at home with plants and flowers, angelic powers and the virtues that courted them; and capable of dialoging with the powerful of the Earth both inside and outside the Church, without feeling in any way intimidated or inferior.” pg 7
The visions themselves are organized into sections. Hildegard gave each a title, summarized list of chapters, description, explanation and Biblical passages to go along with each. In a time when very few were literate, Hildegard’s illustrated visions were used as teaching tools, similar to medieval bestiaries. (Which I learned about here: Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World)
The colorful visions of Hildegard are meant to be experienced rather than enjoyed second-hand, so I won’t bore you with extensive descriptions about them. But I will share my impression of her work.
I found Hildegard to be transportive. I didn’t understand all of them, but the images speak to my subconscious mind through their beauty and repetitive patterns. “Look at the mystery of existence,” they seem to say.
I think its fascinating that Hildegard was a female mystic in a tradition where the divine feminine was relegated to a backseat role. (No offense meant to the tradition by the way, just an observation.) It makes me wonder where such mystics are today, if they exist.
And if they do, would we listen and learn from them like Hildegard? Or dismiss their experience as a brain malfunction and put them on medication.
Something to consider. Highly recommended for spiritual seekers.
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