Sore muscles= Working hard

I associate sore muscles with hard work. Exercise, stress, strain, repetitive movements and motions.

So I know that I've been working hard when...

I have muscle spasms at the computer, from the computer (or at least the amount of time I've worked on the computer). Did you know that it takes much effort to hold my arm in a comfortable position when I'm dominantly using the mouse? It does. I never would have thought that. Maybe I AM a geek.

(Aaah! The pain of occasional acceptance!)

Making Hummus!!! and Roasting Garlic

We're having our Visiting Teaching Conference tomorrow during Relief Society (the men are taking care of the Primary and Young Women), and I volunteered to make a couple "spreads" for our crackers. A "Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus" and a "Warm Broccoli Cheese Spread." The hummus recipe I was given called for a mix I couldn't find at two stores, and I don't have mayonnaise in my house so I'd have to buy that too...so I made a different recipe. And oh boy! It's SO good! I love hummus, and I've wanted to try making it for a while, and now I have, and I don't know when I'll stop! So yummy! (Okay, I love beans and make tons of stuff with them, and I grew up eating them straight from the can--garbanzo and kidney, at least--so if you don't love beans in general as much as I do, hummus might not do it for you like it does it for me. But, oh! It's good!)

So the recipe I used called for roasted garlic, which I didn't happen to have on hand, so I looked up how to roast garlic (super easy!) and I did! (Also something I've wanted to try but lacked motivation for!) Oh, and of course while my garlic was roasting, I was munching on Cherry Cordial Hershey's Kisses (also yummy...) but after a few minutes I couldn't force myself to eat them because I was smelling this strong garlic smell from my kitchen. So next time you have a craving that you don't want to give in to, try roasting garlic. It worked for me, this time at least. (And if you don't use fresh garlic, it's easy and cheap and kind of fun--try it!)

So, if church isn't cancelled (temperature plus wind chill factor should be in the -25 to -40 range, but we'll see if cars start or phone calls are made), I'll get to share yummy goodness at church, otherwise...there's no way it's lasting until we reschedule the VT Conference, so... :)

Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus Recipe
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans or chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp roasted garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice

Combine in food processor or blender, blend, and enjoy on crackers or pita bread!

(In the case of your food processor not working...mash it up and mix with a hand blender. :)

Thinking Happy Thoughts

"I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and heart to get here."

-Ronald Reagan
From his farewell address to the nation in January 1989