We will be seeing this word a lot now that the holiday season is fast approaching. But joy is an interesting concept when you start to ponder it. For example, my dishwasher has been broken for the last week. I will have a new one delivered this week, but in the meantime we have been washing by hand. Although I am not thrilled at this extra work, and I continue to automatically open the non-functioning dishwasher to put my juice glass in at breakfast time, it does have its good points, such as the teamwork of washing and drying together.
I have also been pondering the mindfulness exercise of washing dishes. In books about mindfulness meditation, they discuss washing a dish mindfully. Feel the water, sense the soap, take your time and involve your whole being in it. Come to think of it, my dishwashing liquid smells pretty nice. It's possible to find joy in the mundane.
We continue to do a fair amount of entertaining lately. It's much cheaper than dining out, and by doing things for others we activate the pleasure centers in our brains. I get a lot of joy out of making food that not only does John enjoy, but everyone else does as well. When it was his birthday last weekend I attempted to make breadsticks like the "Chebe" brand. The recipe is below. We then tasted both the Chebe and my attempt....and the agreement was that although the Chebe has a slightly better texture, mine have more flavor. Everyone seemed to like them both. If you try them, let me know what you think!
Yes, John took every last one back to school. They are considered to be a successful recipe that brought joy to all.
Parmesan Bread Sticks
(Makes 16)
Preheat oven to 375.
Mix in a bowl:
1 7/8 cups gluten free flour (I used a tapioca blend, specifically "Jules" brand. If you use GF flour that doesn't have xanthan gum already in it, consider adding a tsp or so.),
1/2 tsp salt,
1 tsp Italian herbs,
1/2 tsp garlic powder, and
1/2-3/4 cup parmesan. (I used 1/2, am wondering if 3/4 will work better.)
Add 2 Tbs oil, 2 eggs, and 1/4 cup milk.
Mix, adding more milk as necessary to make a dough consistency.....like pie crust. Use your hands and knead it a little.
Separate dough into 16 pieces.
Form dough pieces into sticks about 1/2" in diameter.
Place sticks into an ungreased pan. I did put some into my cast iron pan and that worked nicely, but some also went on a cookie sheet.
Bake 20-25 minutes, or until brown.
