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My Life Revolves Around Food

Written by Cassie · · This blog generates income via ads · This post may contain affiliate links

My Life Revolves Around Food | cassierauk.com

I am working my way through an online business class. One of the modules talks about getting laser-focused on your niche and who you are writing for. So, being the good student that I am, I pondered over this for a few days.

Spoiler alert: it has to do with intentional living.

From the beginning, I knew there were two things that I knew I would talk about in some form or another: remodeling our old farmhouse and food. I feel strongly about being intentional in your life. And what you fuel your body with and the place that you choose (or don’t choose) to spend your downtime is a big part of being intentional.

But there is one thing: I am not a food blogger. I don’t want to develop my own recipes and food styling and photography seems daunting to say the least. I do, however, want to share my love of food.

But that makes sense because –

My life revolves around food.

It is a bit ridiculous that I didn’t realize it years ago. My family’s love language is food.

That is relatively common, though. When a friend has a baby, you might swing by to hold the little cutie and bring a casserole. Or when your neighbor’s dad dies, bring a bunch of cookies and some sandwich fixings.

Food is how we tell someone that we love them, care about them, or are thinking about them without having to say those words because some of us have a hard time saying those things out loud.

But I take it a bit further than that.

A few years ago Jesse and I planned a trip to St Louis to eat ribs and tour Anheuser-Busch. Jesse had a work trip to Kansas City, and I took the day off and came along because I wanted some authentic KC BBQ. A few years ago, we had a California vacation planned (which we scrapped because of wildfires) that involved whale watching and eating tacos.

I didn’t realize it until I read Kirsten’s post, but I also don’t care about cooking, I like to eat.

I am on a mission to live my life more intentionally, and for me, that means a life that revolves around food.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Written by Cassie · · This blog generates income via ads · This post may contain affiliate links

Spaghetti Carbonara #pasta #easymeals #30minutemeals | cassierauk.com

Have you read any Ruth Reichl books? I just love her.

She first came into my orbit because I spent lots of time watching PBS and her Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie was in the Saturday line up. Someday I will have to tell you about my weird fascination with This Old House.

Most of her books are memoirs that also revolve around food and have recipes sprinkled in them. Food memoirs and very much in my wheelhouse.

It was one of her books (I can’t remember which one) where I came across a spaghetti carbonara recipe, and I thought maybe I should try this. I am sure I had come across a recipe for this before and not given it a second glance because, to be fair, the ingredient list seems weird. At least it does for me as a child of sturdy Germanic stock.

What got me is how simple the recipe is and how all of the ingredients are generally things I already have in the kitchen. I also though, all of the components are awesome separately, they have to be good together, right?

I still remember the first time I made this. My dad was there, sitting in the kitchen, watching me cook and asking a million questions. He was a little freaked out when I cracked the eggs in the bowl and he put it all together.

I told him it would be fine and to shut the hell up. I used a nastier word, but don’t bite the hand that feeds you, Dad.

A few weeks later he was asking me to make spaghetti carbonara again.

I have been making this for years now, and it has morphed from the original recipe slightly, I use an extra egg and a lot more bacon.

Obvs.

Spagetti Carbonara | cassierauk.com
Print Recipe

Spaghetti Carbonara

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: pasta
Servings: 4 hearty servings

Ingredients

  • 1 lb spaghetti
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 lb bacon
  • black pepper
  • 1/2 cup grated parm

Instructions

  • Fill up a large stock pot with salted water, put on the stove to boil. When the water is boiling, throw the pasta in and cook according to package instruction. This is usually about 10 minutes.
  • Slice the bacon into bite sized pieces, place in a saute pan with the two cloves of garlic. Turn the pan on low to fry the bacon. Cook until the edges just begin to crisp up. Remove the garlic from the bacon.
  • While the bacon is cooking and the pasta boiling, crack the eggs into a large bowl. Beat them with a fork and crack some fresh black pepper in the bowl.
  • When the pasta is done cooking, drain and quickly add to the egg mixture. Mix throughly. Add the bacon (and the fat) mix again. Then sprinkle the parm on top.

Notes

adapted from Ruth Reichl.

Photo by Pinar Kucuk on Unsplash

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Four easy things I have done to simplify my life

Written by Cassie · · This blog generates income via ads · This post may contain affiliate links

A few years ago, I was on the brink of a major burn out. There was one day I was so stressed out at work that I spent my lunch hour sitting catatonically in my car staring into space.

And it was winter. In Wisconsin.

I started taking steps right then to simplify my life.

Somethings are still a struggle. I get overwhelmed with work, and I still have that nasty urge to buy things. But I have made some steps forward. Here is what I did.

I think it is a good starting point if you are overwhelmed by life.

Four Easy Things I Have Done to Simplify My Life | cassierauk.com

I say no a lot.

This one took me some time, but once I started to exercise my no muscle, it became life changing. Let me tell you something that you have heard before but need to hear again:

‘You don’t have to do things you don’t want to do.’

– me

If your family reunion sounds terrible, don’t go. If that girl’s camping weekend is not your cup of tea, just say no. It is ok. Life (and the party) will go on without you. And if your friends and family are kind and love you, they will be alright with your refusal. If not, well, see the last section.

I pared down my wardrobe.

A fashionista, I am not. I am relatively tall, and for years, it was hard to find jeans that were long enough. With that and being pretty long torso-ed also, I have a hard time finding clothes that fit.

For many years I made up for not being able to find clothes that fit well by purchasing lots of clothes that were ill-fitting. But I have found a few brands that fit me well and are made with quality materials and I stick with them. When a shirt or tank gets stretched out and weird it from the drawer into the rag pile.

I started meal planning.

When I get home from one of my 10 hour work days, my decision-making skills are pretty much down to nothing. It is a relief to look at my list and see it is already planned out for me.

Don’t even get me started on how easy it is to get groceries when you have everything all planned out. It is life changing my friends.

I set Goals and plan my days

As a goal setting junky, I set goals on a yearly and quarterly basis. I know this sounds super nerdy, but it really helps me keep moving forward. Some are work goals, some are health goals, and I always have a few home improvement goals sprinkled in.

I sit down each morning with my planner and choose the three things I need to accomplish for the day. This is pretty easy when I have a goal in mind.

I cut out toxic people and made new friends.

This one may seem a little cold, but hear me out.

We all have at least one friend that is somewhere on the toxic scale. They might complain a lot, only talk about themselves and their problems, and bail last minute on your plans.

They could be so bad they steal stuff from you, but I hope that is not the case.

No matter what kind of crappy friend they are, it is probably time you disengage. They are slowly sucking the life out of you. And you end up turning into the average of the people that you spend the most time with. So the crappy-ness is contagious.

Ditch the crappy friends and go out and find your people. It will make you so much happier.

There are many, many things you can do to simplify your life. The four ideas above are the ones that worked for me. I am curious about what you have done to simplify your life.

What is Saving My Life This Summer

Written by Cassie · · This blog generates income via ads · This post may contain affiliate links

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. That means if you click through a link and buy something, I get a small commission and it doesn’t cost you any extra. Awesome, right?!

It has been a weird summer.

Spring rolled in cold and rainy. As we moved to summer, things got hot, humid, and damp.

The particular day I am writing this we are having both an Excessive Heat Warning (Heat Index of 110) and Flood Warning. Jesse and I also woke up to a couple of feet of water in our basement.

Climate Change is Real, my friends.

Keeping track of the things that are saving my life throughout the year was something that I picked up as an exercise of self-reflection as an avid reader of Anne’s blog. It is easy to remember what is driving you crazy but to pick out the little things that are saving you take a bit more thought.

Here a few of the simple, everyday things from my list.

What is Saving My life this summer | cassierauk.com

Buggins

There are certain spots in my yard (and the surrounding area) where when we get a big rainstorm the water collects. These spots have been holding water most of the summer. And that means bugs. Biting gnats in particular.

Buggins sprays started showing up in my area a couple of years ago, and it is the only thing that keeps that gnats away. On top of that, it uses natural ingredients and smells good. It has been my perfume all summer.

My Robot Vacuum

We are just at the tail end of the three-month-long season where my husky, Dru, sheds uncontrollably. We spend those months pulling out his hair in chunks when we are on walks and vacuuming the house. Since Derek, my robot vacuum, has joined the family, he has been able to take over the vacuuming duty. Using the app, I set up a daily timer, and Derek is finishing up when I get home from work.

Extra days off work

I work four 10 hours days right now and my days off shift. So every other weekend is a four day weekend, without having to use any PTO. These long weekends have been an excellent summertime perk. I have been able to get projects done around the house, spend time with family, and still spend time binging Stranger Things.

Pattiegonia

I did a digital detox a while ago. When my head cleared, I made some social media choices, and one of the big ones is to not following people that make me angry or feel bad about myself and support people that make me feel good.

Enter Pattie.

I can’t express or explain why I love Pattie so much. I think it is best to let Pattie explain themselves:

“she’s your backcountry queen bringing inclusivity, positivity, and drag into the outdoors. proud lgbtq+ & outdoors advocate.”

So what little things are making you happy this summer? I’d love to hear about them!

Photo by Silvana Carlos on Unsplash

PS What is saving my life right now.

Let’s talk about mulch (baby!)

Written by Cassie · · This blog generates income via ads · This post may contain affiliate links

As far as gardening topics go, mulch is not a sexy topic. But mulching your garden is probably the best thing that you can do that will help your garden succeed.

It is also the number one thing that you can do to simplify gardening and landscaping chores.

As far as gardening topics go, mulch is not a sexy topic. But mulching your garden is probably the best thing that you can do that will help your garden succeed.

It doesn’t have to be expensive (you can use old straw and grass clipping) and it doesn’t have to be hard to install. And if you are serious about growing your food, this is the easiest way to prevent gardener burnout.

Just in case you need a bit more convincing below I laid out the reasons that I mulch, from both the environmental impacts to the fact that I am kind of lazy.

Mulch helps keep the moisture in.

I live on a ridge and it is a rare day that is not a little bit breezy. So we can go from having just gotten a couple of inches of rain to the dirt cracking pretty fast. But mulch helps keep the moisture from being wicked away by the wind.

Mulch helps keep the weeds at bay.

As I go through an area weeding, I mulch when I am finished. This helps smother the weeds so the majority of them will not come back up. Those that do are so leggy and stressed, they are a breeze to pull out.

Mulch looks nice.

No matter what your personal preference or your house and property style, you can find something that will match the style of your home. I mean, let’s be real, bark goes with everything. And almost anything looks better than a bed full of weeds.

(Organic) Mulch helps build up you soil.

When you use some organic material as mulch, it will slowly break down into the soil adding valuable organic matter (which makes your soil better). And anything you can do to improve the soil is a great idea.

As far as gardening topics go, mulch is not a sexy topic. But mulching your garden is probably the best thing that you can do that will help your garden succeed. #garden

You may be asking yourself, What kind should I use?

Anything you can get. I use just about anything I can get my hands on.

Our foundation plantings have rock mulch. Which after 40 or so years needs to be removed, regraded and replaced (over the years things have shifted and the soil is sloped so the water runs toward the house instead of away). Rocks may not give you the organic matter in the soil that bark or straw would give you but it will have an air well effect which may make it a great choice if you live in a place with drought issues.

In some of the new perennial beds, I use bark either purchased by the bag at a home improvement store or gotten in bulk from a nearby mill.

When I have a more a formal veggie garden, I usually use old straw or grass clippings. I can generally get this for free and then I can pile it up like mad once the plants get bigger.

See what I mean? Mulch is the best: it helps regulate moisture, keeps weeds at bay, builds up the soil, and looks good doing it! Mulch your plants today!

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Five areas where I can’t be low maintenance

Written by Cassie · · This blog generates income via ads · This post may contain affiliate links

areas where I can't be low maintenance | cassierauk.com

I am a pretty laid back gal.

Clothes aren’t my jam, and it usually takes me about 20 minutes to get ready for the day. I even have an informal uniform of jeans and v-neck tees.

But there are a few ways I refuse to be low maintenance. I will spend the extra effort and money on something a little more high class. These things aren’t crazy, and I am far from a diva, but they are deal-breakers for me.

Shoes

As I have gotten older, I have come to appreciate the joys of good shoes. Walking 10 or 12 blocks to a restaurant downtown is much more enjoyable in my pair of Rothy’s than in the cheap flats I got from Target. They are far more expensive but are of far better quality. So I shell out the money for good shoes even if that means I have fewer pairs.

Sleep

On a typical day, I am right on the edge of getting enough sleep. I get up at 4:30 am for work, and I usually stay up till around 9 pm. Since I know that not getting enough sleep makes crabby, unproductive, and overeat comfort food, I guard that bedtime with a vengeance (during the workweek, anyhow).

Meat

Jesse and I are privileged enough to be able to raise much of our meat. Our freezer is full of chicken, beef, and pork that was raised by us or someone we know. The upfront costs can be high, and there is a lot more time and planning involved, but it is so very worth it.

Coffee

I used to pick up whatever grounds were cheapest at the supermarket and grab a cup of whatever gas station slop I could find when I was on the go. But I have become much more snobby over the years. I have a french press, a pour-over contraption, and a burr grinder. I have also modified my food budget to accommodate good local coffee; either from Carlson or Kickapoo.

Alone Time

I am an introvert’s introvert. And if I don’t get at least an hour to myself a day, I feel restless and crabby. Jesse and I both work long hours, so this is usually not a problem. But when our days off overlap, I need to make an effort to carve out some time for myself.

Generally, I am a pretty laid back, low maintenance gals, but as for these five things, I refuse to be easy to please.

How about you? Are there areas of your life where you refuse to be low maintenance? Let me know!

Two big things I learned in July

Written by Cassie · · This blog generates income via ads · This post may contain affiliate links

Instead of a gratitude journal, I keep a list of things that I learned in my planner with my to-do list. Paraphrasing Emily P. Freeman this list is a way of purposely looking back before moving forward.

Two Big Things I Learned in July | cassierauk.com

Self-Care is not watching Netflix all day.

For the last nine years, I get a little lethargic in mid-July. This happens right around the anniversary of my mom’s death. Obviously, this lethargy is not a coincidence.

This year I decided to lazy around on the sofa watching CSI reruns. This went on for weeks. I did this under the umbrella of ‘self-care’. And, shocker, I felt like crap.

Do you know what did make me feel better? Working in the yard, taking walks with my dog, and a lunch date with my sisters.

Small updates make a big difference.

During our heatwave, I spent a lot of time trapped in the house. For months the spot where the old hutch used to need paint. I had the color, just not the motivation to do it.

I drug the paint out, grabbed a brush, and took care of it while watching reruns of CSI on Hulu. While I was at it, I touched up paint around the thermostat and in a couple of spots where I hung a mirror a few years ago.

There are still tons of little projects that need finishing around the house, but these small updates at least give the illusion that we finish what we start.

What did you learn in July?

PS. That pic above is from one of my early morning walks. It is mornings like those that make me remember why I live here.