Today was the conclusion of Afternoon Tea Week. For the final celebratory day, I prepared a recipe that I’ve wanted to try for a long time…zucchini chips. I used fresh tomatoes and an avocado to make guacamole as an accompanying dip.
The recipes were simple.
Zucchini Chips
Thinly slice 3 – 4 small zucchini. Place slices in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper.
Arrange slices on cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper. Bake 30 minutes in 450 degree oven, or until crispy.
Fresh Guacamole
Pit an avocado and dice. Add one finely cut tomato, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Diced onion, cilantro and jalapeƱo can be added as well.
The zucchini chips were delicious. However, they were not crispy. I added additional baking time and a few crisped up. A few chips became little charcoal bites! I ate them anyway, using a fork, dipping each chip into the guacamole. I will have to try these again and experiment. Perhaps I had too many slices on the baking sheet. I enjoyed them, nevertheless!
I used fresh lemon grass from my garden for today’s tea. This fragrant herb makes a light, refreshing, aromatic tea with a taste similar to lemon balm.
I thoroughly enjoyed celebrating Afternoon Tea Week. It is a practice I intend to continue, in a somewhat unconventional fashion, now that I’ve discovered I can substitute healthy, flavorful plant based recipes. I truly have not missed the finger sandwiches, scones, sweet treats and shortbread cookies. It is the refreshing pause in the day that became important to me.
Lavender tea and banana nice dream with walnuts and fresh strawberries for yesterday’s unposted tea, that took place so late in the day that it could not be called an afternoon tea, by any stretch of the imagination! It was wonderful though.
My aha that occurred during this celebration was to marvel at the unfolding of life. I enjoyed the creative cooking time in the kitchen this week. I realized this was yet another manifestation of a desire that I expressed a couple of years ago…to cook more and learn new recipes. I did not foresee at that time that a healing journey would usher in opportunities to cook and eat in new, creative ways.
The way I live my life, connected to the Divine and immersed in the Flow of Life, has taught me that when I express a sincere desire and then let go of the outcome and remain open, that which I long for comes to me. It usually isn’t in the way I would have attempted to arrange it or make events happen. And yet, it is always perfectly timed and exactly right.
Here are some of my desires from recent years, expressed in italics, and the Divine’s amazing responses, in bold:
I want to live beyond my fears…Face your fears head on, by living alone for a while. I am with you. And as a bonus, once you move past your fear, you will tap into your creative heart more deeply. You answered that desire before I even asked…
I would love to create a backyard paradise…Here is a new yard, with two feet of fresh dirt, a blank canvas to create upon.
I want to write every day… Meet Lu Ann Cahn. And how about a year of firsts of your own that you can write a daily blog post about?
My desire is to live in the flow, and release resistance… Surrender…let go of the paddles to your canoe, trust that the flow will take you where you need to go. I am the Dream Giver, calling to you from just around the river bend.
I want to cook more! How about in healthy ways that heal your body?
I want to heal my body… Listen to what Anthony William says and you will heal. And, you get to cook more!
I want to travel more…How about a trip to Scotland with your cousins? How about Italy with your grandson and daughter? And another trip to Scotland, plus Ireland and England, with your mom, sisters and niece?
Do You want to play with me? Do YOU want to play with me?!
What an amazing journey life has been and continues to be. It is a dance with the Divine, this asking and receiving, this cosmic playing. My heart overflows with love and gratitude.
This week of afternoon teas, this week of creative play and dancing with the Divine, not only cheered and refreshed me, it spoke deeply to me at a soul level. As an adult, I have seriously under rated the power of playing. Engaging in play daily unlocks my creativity and teaches me new skills and meaningful life lessons.
In her book Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert writes,
“Only when we are at our most playful, can Divinity finally get serious with us.”
Do you want to play…dance, create, explore, discover, learn, cook, draw, write, garden, travel, become healthy, journey through life…with me?
Oh, yes!