Three words

Wet Raccoon Joy

(via loveyourchaos)

Recipe joy

Because sometimes joy comes from a Sunday evening bowl of stew...

Bean and Turkey Sausage Stew

Adapted from Real Simple Magazine

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 links hot turkey sausage (chicken or pork works, too)

2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1 can chicken or vegetable broth

1 can Muir Glen Fire-Roated Diced Tomatoes

1 can cannellini beans

2 big handfuls fresh spinach, chopped

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in dutch oven/large saucepan over medium heat. Add turkey sausage and cook until brown. Stir in the garlic and saute.

2. Add broth, beans, and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, and add spinach until wilted. Add pepper to taste.

3. Enjoy.

Becoming a foodie

A year ago, I would have said that grocery shopping felt akin to a trip to the laundromat or the gas station: a necessary pain in the ass. All of that changed when I moved to Austin, watched Food Inc., freaked out, and began eating organic. Enter Central Market. Despite being in a town where Whole Foods got its start, I've opted for its less intense cousin just up the street from my apartment. From the second I walked through the doors, I was hooked. Goodbye, highly processed and packaged "food". Hello, fresh and recognizable ingredients.

One of my favorite things to do on a Saturday is to wake up early and go grocery shopping. The store isn't busy yet so the samples are still filled to the brim and I can spend five minutes picking out an acorn squash without someone ramming into my cart. Even the checkout process is better. Today, Andrew and I discussed our favorite Indian recipes and he wrote a book recommendation on the back of my receipt.

I know that eating organic isn't for everyone, and I'll be the first to admit that my grocery bill is higher than before. But for me, it's worth it. I eat healthier, cook more at home, and I have an increased paranoia to finish my fruits and vegetables before they go bad.

There's just something joyful about being surrounded by colorful produce and passing a long display of freshly baked bread. And - I'll be honest - having dark chocolate espresso caramels available in the bulk section doesn't hurt, either.

Rain, I don't mind.

There is something particularly cruel about waking up to the sound of steady rain when drifting back to sleep isn't an option. In grad school, a student once asked me if class was canceled for rainstorms. I laughed in her face that day, but now, a week into mornings that begin with a string of rain-induced obscenities, I'm beginning to see her point.

Rain isn't all bad, of course. The Morton Salt Girl seems relatively content, and I'm not one to deny plants a beverage now and then. It certainly makes those running-towards-your-soulmate scenes in movies towards more dramatic when it's in the midst of a downpour.

Perhaps the most redeeming part of rainy weather, though, is thanks to my happy yellow raincoat. While it's not without its ridicule (the office manager shouted "Hey Gorton, love the fishsticks!" when I came into work this morning), my raincoat makes me not mind waiting outside for the bus on days like these when Austin turns into one enormous puddle. I am water repellent, bucko. Bring it on. And just wait 'til I get a pair of wellies... then we'll be talking some serious rainy day joy.

I'll be happy when the sun returns and I can put away my coat, but in the mean time, it's given me enough joy to prompt a rainy day photoshoot in the backyard. That's got to account for something, right?

Beautiful.