I consider myself blessed that my life is full of meaning – hence I am happy. This is not just my feeling. There has been significant research done on what it means to be happy. Here is a fascinating article on the topic – take a look.
http://bit.ly/Ameaningfulllifeiswhatcounts
Our group of women who have received scholarships from me at two universities agreed to support each other – not just rely on my mentorship. And we meet four times a year to encourage that. It is such a source of joy to me and to them to have this resource.
My family gives me another source of meaning – what could be more important than to leave a positive legacy for the next few generations? We have so much to teach them – it feels so urgent – as if the days are rushing by – and they are so programmed with so many activities – I feel like I have to sneak my learning into the few moments that we have the grandchildren to ourselves. Better some than none…..
Some reminders of those precious souls – here Noah is preparing to cook with Grandma Larraine’s apron on! Isn’t he adorable?
And here is what he cooked! For Halloween!
Candied Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds, washed and dried
cooking spray
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons white sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together 3 tablespoons of sugar, the cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne pepper, and set aside.
- Place the pumpkin seeds on the prepared baking sheet, spray them with cooking spray, and sprinkle with salt to taste. Bake the seeds in the preheated oven until lightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, and stir in the toasted pumpkin seeds along with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Cook and stir the seeds until the sugar forms a coating on the seeds, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir the caramelized seeds into the bowl of sugar-spice mixture, toss and let them cool before eating! YUMMY!
