Freedom

Ravings: Good news for us! Potentially bad news for other drivers in the Cleveland area. CJ got his driver’s license. He so excited and Jason is so proud.

Makes me think back to my youth. Let's not talk about how long ago that was though, ok? I loved the idea of having my license. It felt like it opened up a whole new world. I grew up in the middle of nowhere, surrounded on all sides by farmland. There were 6 houses on my street from corner to corner, which was probably about a mile, and none really on the adjoining streets. My actual house was set back from the road a bit in a patch of woods. Until my driver's lincense I was dependent upon those woods and my imagination for entertainment. We did have a TV, although we weren't allowed to watch it all day like kids do now. There were also books. A lot of books. And I often lost myself in a book. Stories allowed you to transform into anything and took your mind to different worlds. When I was a bit older, we got a game system, but again time allotted to playing was limited, especially if it was nice outside. But if I couldn't find what I was looking for in a book, there was always an adventure to be made out in those woods. Discoveries to make. Places to hide from imaginary creatures. Castles to construct out of fallen branches and things found in the garage. Faraway lands to travel to with exoctic plants and picnics of stolen goodies from the kitchen.

I loved that woods, until I was old enough to realize that a driver's license brought real adventures and discoveries. And then I couldn't wait. Time seemed to crawl. The woods lost it's magic and my books could no longer totally capture me. I needed my driver's license almost as much as I needed oxygen! I was stuck in this place, unable to escape the stiffling sameness of it all. I knew there was something more, something so exciting if I just had a way of reaching it. I took my driving test on my 16th birthday. I refused to wait. I think I may have forced my mom to drive me there at 6am to ensure I was the first one in line. I truly believed I would die without that tiny laminated piece of paper granting me permission to see the world.

As we all know....Thinking about it was so much more exciting that having it. At least when you live in the country. My ticket to freedom turned out to be an excuse for my mother to have me do all her errands. What I failed to realize in my tunnel vision qwest for legal permission to drive was that the license does not come with one's own car! Now I had the state's permission for limitless freedom, but needed my parent's consent to borrow the car. What a cruel joke.


Cravings: This was a busy weekend, so I only have one recipe to share. Jason and I went to Columbus on Fri to watch his beloved Carolina Hurricanes. (They lost, so let's not dwell on this.) It was a nice trip, but we ate sandwiches in the car. Saturday was girls night out to see The Hunger Games and dinner at B Spot. We all love Michael!!! Then Sunday I convinced Jason to go grocery shopping with me and we ate burgers and chips when we got home. I didn't take a picture of it and please, please tell me you can make a burger without me giving you a recipe!

In my effort to waste less, I pulled the leftovers out of my fridge and came up with this pretty yummy soup! I'm calling it Curried Lentil Soup. I served it with a side of pita and hummus, and some brie with strawberries and mango drizzled with honey for dessert.

Curried Lentil Soup

1/2 sweet onion, chopped
3 carrots, diced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup rice, pre-cooked (leftover)
2 cups lentils, pre-cooked (leftover)
1 can coconut milk
2 cans water
1 Tbsp red curry paste
1 Tbsp curry powder
Sunflower seeds to garnish

Saute the onion in a bit of oil (I used a mix of coconut and olive oils) until softened. Add carrots and tomatoes and cook for a few minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except sunflower seeds and cook on low for about 5-10 minutes, just until everything is warmed up. Sprinkle with the sunflower seeds to serve.