{"id":2402,"date":"2009-03-09T13:51:15","date_gmt":"2009-03-09T17:51:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lifewithhappiness.com\/?p=739"},"modified":"2018-10-02T13:36:55","modified_gmt":"2018-10-02T17:36:55","slug":"happiness-is-making-do-with-what-you-have","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theexecutivehappinesscoach.com\/2009\/03\/happiness-is-making-do-with-what-you-have\/","title":{"rendered":"Happiness is Making Do With What You Have"},"content":{"rendered":"
It is a gray, dreary day.\u00a0 Neither of us wants to grocery shop in the rain.\u00a0 Yet, we must eat something.
\nOn the counter we assemble all the fresh food remaining in the house:<\/p>\n
My wife says, “Good Luck!” and leaves the kitchen.\u00a0 I am alone, and desperate.
\nIt is one of those days when the only option is to actually read the cook book — page through section after section, desperately seeking a solution.\u00a0 I am paging through the soups and stews section when something catches my eye: dumplings.\u00a0 I think, “Hmm, we do have flour, and I’ve not had dumplings in years.\u00a0 I wonder…”
\nThat leads me to study Stews for a few minutes.\u00a0 Possibilities start to form as I look up yam-compatible spices.\u00a0 Hmm, again.\u00a0 I check out the spice rack.\u00a0 Good.\u00a0 AND we have a head of garlic and a big chunk of fresh ginger.\u00a0 Cool.\u00a0 I go to work.
\nPeel and chop everything on the counter into bite-size pieces.\u00a0 Saute six cloves of garlic in butter.\u00a0 Toss in the chopped fruit and veggies, along with a half-cup of fresh grated ginger, season with 1 tsp Allspice, 1\/2 tsp each Nutmeg and Five Spice (an asian spice blend), and a bit of sea salt and fresh ground pepper.\u00a0 Just for kicks I chop and toss in about a half cup of dried mango.\u00a0 Ooh, it really starts to smell wonderful.
\nI saute the mix, then add just enough chicken stock to cover. Simmer with the cover on for 45 mins.\u00a0 The aroma draws my wife back in to the kitchen.\u00a0 “Smells wonderful.\u00a0 What is it?”\u00a0 “I’m not really sure, yet” I explain.\u00a0 She looks doubtful and retreats back to the living room.\u00a0 She trusts me in the kitchen, but has learned that sometimes it’s better not to know what happened before it ends up on her plate.\u00a0 I continue.
\nCarrots and yams are soft yet still a little crisp — perfect.\u00a0 I whip together a thickener (milk and flour) and mix it in.\u00a0 Ah, now it looks like stew!\u00a0 On top of this mix I ladle my dumpling mix, made with my lone egg, flour, cornmeal, milk and some salt\/pepper.\u00a0 Ten more minutes on simmer and, Voila!
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