Taste.Drink.Pair

Been reading a lot today about Transformational Leadership.

Excellent stuff.

Take a read of the article below:

Excellent read.

💡Boils down to growth mindset vs fixed.
💡Nobody likes a micromanager!
💡How does this apply to your industry?

💡I see it everyday in the hospitality and food and beverage industries!

Comment with your take aways!

Why I’m done with top-down accountability... and why you should be too | theHRD Veteran business coach sees traditional leadership stifle performance. True key to success? Open communication within teams, achieved through peer-to-peer accountability. Sceptical executives see dramatic improvements after switching – faster innovation, better culture, higher performance. Time to...

New job. New space. New patterns.

Clearly lots of adjustments. And I have been doing my best to keep my authenticity and grow at the same time.

Always, always, one of the best ways for me to connect to a new space is to put my feet in the woods and on the trail.

And today I got to do that.

My mind was spinning with ideas, tasks, problem solving, lists and emails. By the time I came off the trail I wanted a nap....but I needed to go to the Laundromat. It was in fact, my one day off this week.

But then I look at the few photos I took on the trail and remind myself to just be, let the email wait until tomorrow, give yourself some space, give yourself some grace!

Love you all. Peace ✌️❤️🌍
 

Gonna be a bit bragadocious here.... I make

The. Best. Biscuits. (Period)

Don't believe me, join me for breakfast some day.

Food should taste good. If you're gonna eat carbs, they better be worth it!

These are SO Worth it!

Think I will have another 😁😋


   

Ever have a piece od music take you back to a certain scene, a certain moment or even just a state of being?

Schumann's Scenes from Childhood appropriately does that for me.

On my rainy drive in to work early this morning as the light was already coming through, the warm, green morning took me right back to my childhood.

This set of piano pieces was a favorite of my older sister to practice on the piano. And I later played them as well.

Once in awhile that kind of memory is exactly what a soul needs.

OMG Yum! I think I just found my new favorite

Savory corn pancakes with cucumber tzatziki! Holy Wow!

This recipe comes from .ayurveda.school April Ayurvedic recipes.

With the added they are spicy and cooling and just right to get my metabolism fired up this morning!

What is your favorite gluten free breakfast?


   

Do you put eggs in your fried rice?

Do you make fried rice from scratch at home?

Do you know how to make fried rice from scratch at home?

My body feels good when I eat lots of . So I cook lots of vegetables.

This started with mise en place of onions, garlic, ginger, celery, carrots, bell peppers, and broccoli. I added Chinese five spice, tamari and a splash of sesame oil. The is my "magic rice" recipe with turmeric, coriander, fennel and cumin.

I did NOT use scrambled eggs tonight, though often I do.

The meal came together super easy. I like to eat my fried rice with unsalted peanuts for an extra crunch.

Plus, there are leftovers! 😁

So eggs or no eggs in fried rice?

Hit me up if you need my magic rice recipe!

Rubbing in the butter is both satisfying and therapeutic. It has been said that to do all things mindfully creates a more clear awareness in our being.

As I made these this morning I took the time to be mindful in the process rather than hurry through to "just get it done."

They are comprised of a gluten free flour blend, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, parmesan cheese, buttermilk, butter, eggs and pizza seasoning.

This seasoning has been one of my favorite things since I was a small child. It is blended by Frontier Organics out of Iowa. If you ever walked into the Common Market in Galesville, you know exactly the smell I am talking about. I wonder if you have similar associations with it?

I was craving pizza, but not all the extra gluten or carbs. These scones are going to make a nice addition to my salad at work later tonight.

Maybe I will freeze a few, maybe I will share? Not sure yet. 😁

In all things be mindful and remember : ✌️❤️🌍

Food should taste good, right?

If we are going to consume calories they had better be worth it.

This simple breakfast checked every box.

Sunnyside up eggs with orange gremolata and parmesan cheese. A protein+herb+fruit hit to start the day.

Gremolata is a classic Italian condiment made with parsley, garlic, olive oil and lemon. I chose to make this batch with orange. The pungent orange adds a nice bright sweetness to the garlic and parsley.

Just a spoonful on my eggs, which I then mashed together was exactly what my body needed.



   

A throwback to Guard Band days.
132d Army Band

Ever have a place where you can be authentically you? Just you? Your authentic, true, unfiltered self?

We all have that place. For some of us, we have more than one such place.

For me that place is spending time at "home," the waters, woods and towns of the upper Mississippi River Valley. I grew up here. I learned my limits here.

And then I stretched out for awhile...brought my family back here for a brief time, then ventured out again.

Everytime I think of home I am transported. I am reminded of endless memories and experiences--growing pains, big wins...failures and losses. Sometimes deep losses, more than I can bear.

Although it is when I give myself space and grace to resonate with these experiences that I am reminded of just exactly who I am.

I am reminded that even in day to day frustrations, I have achieved much more than perhaps I ever expected. I am reminded that the river continues to flow. And if I ever wondered and questioned my worth then, as a young person, here I am so many years later letting that little girl know to keep on and don't quit. You got this kid!

Standing along this might river, I hope my children, now adults, know that flow has sustained me and will sustain them too!

What is your place? Where can you be authentically you?

I needed this reminder this week.

Sometimes it is hard to let your authentic and true self shine.

Sometimes it is hard to remember your worth.

Sometimes life can weigh heavy on you.

But I will prevail, I will let my authentic, true self shine.

Be well friends
✌️❤️🌍

 

As we accelerated down the runway, I realized just how real this was!

I have flown in tiny and small planes, I have taken off and landed at itty bitty runways and landing strips.

I have flown in military aircraft, even lying in the boom operator’s position in the belly of a  refueler jet as it took off on a runway at the edge of the Gulf of Mexico.

But never have I flown in an aircraft flown by a family member.

I sat patiently and as contentedly as I could as Julie did all the preflight work; checking the plane, checking the fuel, charting our course, and looking very closely at the winds and the weather we could expect. And then it was time! I climbed in over the wing and buckled myself in. I followed all her instructions very precisely, even the request to keep my mouth shut and not talk a lot (apparently I talk a lot, lol).

We taxied out to await our turn. And when the radio operator said “Whiskey Tango clear for Takeoff,” I was ready—what could I say? And with the grace and determination my 6’3” little sister has, she lifted that little bird off the runway.

I suddenly felt tears stream down my face. Were they mine? Or perhaps our late mother living through me? I don’t know. I wanted to reach over and hug her right there and tell her what an amazing job she had done.

But, I couldn’t (lol), she was flying the plane.

I sat and watched in amazement as we ascended above 3000 feet and higher. I think our highest altitude was about 6000 feet.

Flying has always been so surreal to me; it is otherworldly and magical.

We flew to an airport about 50 miles south where Julie had planned to practice her touch and goes. She circled once, too high, twice, a bit too fast and on the third try, spot on. We lightly touched down, bounced slightly then took off again with confidence and finesse.

As the first of her siblings to have a chance to fly with her, she was very curious what I thought. I was so filled with pride, awe and love.

This kid has worked in the aviation field her whole adult life. She has wanted to be a pilot since she was a little kid. It just brings such tears of amazement and joy that she has finally achieved this goal!
Rock on Julie!

Apparently my hair is amazing enough that my 20something kid with long curly hair wants to know how to get his hair like this. Lol.

Wow, that time I flew from Wisconsin to D.C. to run a race at the Pentagon. So long ago!

We flew on the brand new jet the Wisconsin Army Guard had at the time. It was a C26 or something. Seated about 14 people. We flew into Andrews AFB and had to wait to land because the current VP of the U.S. was landing just ahead of us.

Dinner at an Italian restaurant that night had the waiter following me out of the restaurant asking for my number. Lol. What a memory!

Have you ever been so tired your toes hurt? I am serious. My job requires me to be on my feet for many hours at a time. Sometimes more hours than others.

This week-end was one of those times. When I finally sat down to rest on Sunday night, my toes reminded me of all the steps they had taken. LOL

Today, I am trying to give myself some grace, some room to just be. Allowing myself to not attend to anything, except to reconnect to things that make me whole.

This is more difficult for me than you may think. I have a very hard time sitting still. Can you resonate with that? Does it sound familiar?

Time in my kitchen connects me wholly and completely. The opportunity to cut vegetables and prepare food and sink into this most basic human need of feeding myself and my family gives me the space to ground and connect to my authentic self.

Those of us called to the hospitality industry know that food is love. We know that providing a positive experience in whatever form it may come, from a communal table at an event to a quiet table in a fine restaurant can be just the element another human needs to feel recognized and connected.

We spend a lot of energy caring for and nurturing others that when it comes time to do the same for ourselves, we are lost or worse, deny ourselves that space.

So today, I will be in my kitchen nurturing my soul!

Looking forward to getting my body back on track this week.


   

Flying by the seat of your pants. What kind of image does that evoke for you?  Seriously, what is the first thing that comes to mind?

For some reason for me, I see Mr Peabody from the original Sherman and Peabody cartoons being flown around by his backside, held up by the pockets on his pants. 

While this idiom does have its origins in aviation, the common meaning is someone unaware of situations or reactive to the world around them.  They are someone who doesn’t think very far ahead.

But when we fly by the seat of our pants, we land on the ground lost and confused and no further along our path.  Kind of a mindless meandering, a sort of winging it!

The opposite would be to take the bull by the horns and have a general awareness of the bigger picture, an understanding of all of the facets.  Of course this can take a bit of time to develop and every one of us can be knocked off course at any moment. Our success rests in our ability to adapt and still move forward.

Truth is, some leaders don’t have a bigger picture in mind, their vision is narrow and focused only on a few easily identified facets. This sets them up for immediate defeat, landing on the ground unaware of their surroundings.

Think about it for a moment. Do you know anyone who flies by the seat of their pants? How do you feel in their presence? Like you are supported and set up for success or that you just don’t know what is going to happen next?

As leaders in any industry, it is imperative that we set our teams up for success. This would suggest that we need to have an awareness of the bigger picture, of all of the facets. Have you given yourself the opportunity to understand this bigger picture? Do you realize how your awareness affects the success of your team?

These are questions I have been asking myself the last several weeks as I learn this new job. Everyday my understanding of the facets involved expands. In reality we will never grasp everything, but it is our responsibility to work towards that goal.  And that means, NOT flying by the seat of our pants, but rather, taking the bull by the horns and immersing ourselves in all of the aspects of our role as leaders.

Positive growth isn’t always rainbows and unicorns, sometimes it is painful and difficult at first until it is understood.

As leaders, how often do we experience this same sort of struggle right along side of our team? Yet on an entirely different level? How often do we bristle against growth and moving in a positive direction because it is coming at us in a way that we didn’t expect?

This has been a tough couple of weeks in many ways. I had a plan, but the boss had a different plan. And in shifting gears to this different plan, I got caught in the undertow. I was caught in the fray while working to accomplish all that was being asked of me and my team.

We worked hard and achieved the goals set forth.

And along the way, I learned so much—which is an understatement of course—to the reality of knowledge and experience I can now utilize moving forward.

But what jumps out at me is the constant that people want to do the right thing and that they thrive on clear goals and expectations. And perhaps most importantly, the accountability piece can never be left out, lest people forget they have goals and expectations. And that, my friends, is where the painful part of growth can often occur.

Being held accountable goes against the wishes of our ego to be a free spirit with free will. Yet structure is the key to success in anything.

I have a high bar, high expectations for myself and for others. If someone is not able to achieve those expectations, I allow room for grace.  Room for Growth. Yet it is the sting of that high expectation that gets in the way. That causes us to respond reactively and defensively. But it is exactly that high expectation that provides the positivity and growth.

As I reflect on this last week, in the midst of the long hours, heavy physical work and never ending lists, I also have discovered that to enjoy positive growth also requires identifying the struggles that are necessary on the path.

As a leader, part of my job is to help my team acknowledge those struggles and to move through them.

I am learning everyday to balance accountability and grace. And I am learning everyday to allow grace for myself!

Who knew that is what I needed to get a sense of normal today?

A local Episcopal Church annually offers a program called "After Dark." For many years I have taught a class on various topics. They haven't been able to offer their program for a couple years due to covid. But this year they are back at it.

This year my class title was "Groovy Finger Foods, Formulas and Techniques."

My friend Kate Harvey
assisted me and together we had so much fun sharing these tasty little nibbles and giving folks some inspiration for Super Bowl food and other gatherings.

Our friend John Wright offered us some of his wine to pair. We enjoyed The Pearl and Shipwreck with our groovy finger foods. These wines are super and pair well with just about anything!

Over the next few weeks, I will share the recipes and formulas and techniques from this class. If you want the lowdown, shoot me a message with your email to let me know.

Wow, here's to rolling this good energy into this busy work week. 😁 Thank you Kate and John!


   

It has been a heavy week. Trying to get myself back to square one this morning.

 

Well damn. Every once in awhile you find a pairing that you could not replicate if you tried.

It is bday, so I made him a lemon layer cake from scratch. and I were enjoying our last bottle of The Shipwreck red wine from . We had a bit of wine left in our glasses and accidentally were drinking it while eating cake.

And OMG, what a pair. The wine is dry, with a bit of walnut and banana finish. Paired with the tart lemon cake, the profile became creamy and decadent. Sweet and bitter at the same time. As my son says "like blackcaps and cream." (For those that don't know, blackcaps are essentially wild black raspberries that are prolific in the upper Mississippi River Valley if you know where to look. My children grew up eating them by the handful and my mother's hands were stained with them the day she left this earth.)

So this pairing hits home and hits deep. So good. Can it be recreated?

do you have any 2020 The Shipwreck left?


   

Dinner tonight. It all started with a run a week or so ago and the super cold temperatures we have had on the OBX the last few days.

Cooking and running are two staples in my life. On my run one day I discovered some wild mushrooms. In our yard in the woods we have some shiitakes growing. And since I had a day off and was craving some soup.....cream of Wild Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup filled me right up.

I have never been a fan of the cream of crap soup you can buy in a can at the grocery store that supposedly makes every meal "amazing." So instead, I have long experimented with my own cream soups.

And mushrooms, don't get me started. They were either from a can and put on a pizza that I refused to touch or raw and served with ranch dressing dip. Either way the texture grossed me out and for the longest time I WOULD NOT TOUCH THEM!

What changed? Don't know. But I can tell you this, wild mushrooms are incredible and I am so thankful I gave them a shot.

As you have learned, I cook intuitively based on what I have on hand and what my body is craving. This soup started with diced shallots sauteed in bacon fat and butter. To that I added Herbs de Provence, which made my house smell so amazing.

Next was diced carrots and celery. All of this sauteed for about 5 minutes. Then, I added 3 cups of milk and 2 cups of water and let it all simmer for 30 minutes. Once it was softened, I used a stick blender to puree most of it, leaving some of it chunky.

A blend of precooked Wild Rice and Red rice was added and cooked through. I enjoyed this soup with crusty bread and a glass of malbec.

My body feels great and I am satisfied. So good! 😁😋✌️❤️🌍

How are you feeling about the New Year so far?

The overwhelm of the shoulds, have-tos, resolutions and expectations we place on ourselves can sometimes be more than any one person should bear.

In an effort to create new patterns, break old patterns and still live our day to day lives, we wind up winding ourselves up. We feel frustrated and anxious.

If you are in this space, I invite you to take a minute and keep reading.

My grandparents were incredible people. Someday I will write a book about all the amazing lessons I learned in life just being in their presence.

My grandmother was a doer. She was always doing something; sewing, gardening, canning, cleaning for other people, taking care of my kids, hunting, baking, making wedding cakes. That doesn’t even begin to describe her many talents. And she did it all with poise and grace, and a smile!

Her husband of nearly 70 years was equally creative. He could build or fix anything. He taught me to swim, to fish . . . to drive a boat!

They balanced each other in skill and temperament

Summer at home---yes, let’s just dream of summer for a moment---😊 meant a ton of fresh garden produce of every kind. On one particular July afternoon I was sitting and visiting with both of them. Grandpa at the kitchen table with his playing cards in a solitaire formation; and Grandma bustling about the kitchen.

All at once in exasperation Grandma states "Why do you have to sit there playing cards when there are all these tomatoes to can?”

Grandpa simply and calmy responded as he gazed out the picture window at the prairie, “Ah yes, but isn’t it a beautiful world we live in?!”

WOW!

I am sure the conversation continued. However, that altruistic and simple response taught me so much. Just that presence. That assured self knowing the tomatoes would get canned---but what a beautiful world!

Okay, so what has that got to do with a New Year and resolutions and expectations, and . . . and. . . .and…?

It is my reminder to you that in the face of all those tomatoes/aka resolutions, be present to yourself, give yourself grace. The tomatoes will get canned!

Sunday Morning.

And I haven't been to the grocery in several days.

But I do have a few fresh blueberries, a bag of frozen blueberries, some sour milk and I always have flour in my pantry.

So.......

it is!

Did you know that a and a are nearly identical ?

And the beauty of these basic recipes is that you can always tweak them based on what you have on hand!

No cream? Use milk or sour milk. No eggs for breakfast sammie. Make them sweet. A lot of berries on hand, use those.

So many variations!

Happy Sunday friends 😁 ✌️❤️🌍


   

Happy place....well, I could name lots of places 😁

However, time in the kitchen cooking is truly a happy place.

Tonight I combined lots of ideas that have been swirling in my head. I made Korean style meatballs with vegetable pancakes and firecracker sauce.

The meatballs were a blend of ground chicken and pork seasoned with ginger, green onion, sesame oil and tamari, held together with a little panko and egg. The vegetable pancakes, aka, were comprised of beets, beet greens and stems, Napa cabbage, bell peppers, carrots, leeks, mushrooms, celery and eggs and flour to thicken and fried like a in a hot skillet.

My firecracker sauce has sriracha, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, tamari ans a bit of chicken stock.

This is one of those meals that is so intuitive and easy to put together and you feel so good eating it!

And, I don't know about you, but feeling good, but not stuffed after I eat makes all the difference with a meal. I don't like feeling overstuffed or "fat." So...this meal is a win in all categories!

Follow me to learn about cooking and eating intuitively!drink.pair Instagram or Facebook!

Cheers!


   

Happy New Year!

This morning for breakfast I was reminded what a small world it is.

I had worked super late last night and didn't really celebrate the turn of the year. Rather I had a quiet moment outside under the vast starlit sky as I passed between buildings at the resort. On the earth level it was foggy as pea soup, but looking up the stars were sparkling.

So this morning, after sleeping until 9am (gasp) breakfast was simply eggs, bacon and an English muffin. It was the raspberry jam I spread on the English muffin that got me.

When we were home in Wisconsin this last fall, a long time friend of my dad gave me a jar of the raspberry jam she had just processed.

Mary and her husband, Tom, have been so good to my dad. My mother was an amazing human who passed unexpectedly in 2006. She could do anything, including make fabulous raspberry jam.

Mary knew my mother and knew this about her. Giving me that jar of raspberry jam that morning in September, I doubt she realized that on New Year's Day 2023 I would be enjoying it for breakfast.

The world shrunk this morning as I was suddenly eating breakfast in my mom's kitchen and connecting to such amazing moments in time.

May you have blessings and good energy in exceeding abundance this year. And remember just what a small world it is.


 

Have you ever walked a labyrinth? There is one way in and one way out. The idea is that as you walk in you consider a topic or question that you have been working through. You reach the center and remain there and contemplate the possibilities. Then, when ready, you follow that path back out and consider what your plan moving forward will be.

Sometimes we walk along side another, though they are on a different path; and suddenly they veer off another direction. Sometimes we pass by somebody going a similar direction because we are moving a bit faster. Sometimes we cross paths with somebody going the opposite direction.

And don’t forget the moments we stop to chat along the way, to collect treasures, to take pictures. Some of us move fast, some of us slower along the path.

Each of these moments provide space for us to contemplate the journey. They give us room to be present with another human being.

And each of those moments create the unique human that we are.

Cliches abound about walking in another’s shoes. Though I don’t think any of us really take time to consider that.

But we do consider our own journey and our own experiences.

I work in an industry where individuals tend to be all or nothing, we tend to “burn the candle at both ends.” We are either 100 mph or at a dead stop. The hospitality, food and beverage industry can be very draining and very hard work.

As a leader in this industry I have found that acknowledging the humanity of my staff, and of our customers is imperative. It makes all the difference.

Sometimes we walk along side of others, sometimes we walk alone. But through it all, when we know others are holding space for us, that is everything.

I wonder how different a world it would be if we give ourselves permission to acknowledge that another’s journey and experiences might be just as rich and varied as our own!

Going into the New Year, let us remember the humanity of each other!