Begin each day

I recently went up to Santa Barbara to see my friend, Judith Scott, in "Doubt," a thought-provoking play by John Patrick Shanley that is set in the 60's. Really enjoyed it...and the q&a session afterwards.

While having breakfast at Andersen's Danish Bakery the next day, Judith happened to mention she stayed in bed that morning just thinking of all the wonderful things she liked...almonds, flowers, etc. I said, "That must have made you feel good." What a great way to begin each day! And if you went to bed listing five things for which you were grateful, that would really set the stage for the next day. I'm going to try it, starting tonight.

We stopped to shop, of course, and found a great place on State Street, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art store. It fed our artistic souls. Bright colors, unusual jewelry, unique handcrafted art glass, educational books and creative toys for children.

Santa Barbara is a wonderful town. It seems no matter what the temperature happens to be, it's a beautiful day. The architecture is extraordinary. Lots to see and do.

Italian Goulash

After moving out here from Ohio after college, I landed a job in Newport Beach, which happens to be where I met my husband. Being a newlywed, I was seeking new recipes. We had a potluck one day, and a nice lady named Rita shared her recipe for Goulash. I remember she used hamburger. Over the years, I've tweaked it a bit to fit our taste. I thought of this dish as more of a family meal on weekends, because it is so good leftover too.

I made it a few times for company, and much to my delight, everyone loved it. So, I thought I would share this with you. I made this dish for the cast of one of my plays on our rehearsal night, substituting Italian turkey sausage (it was spicy!), because I knew a few didn't eat meat. It was very good.

1 lb. hot Italian sausage
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 medium onion
1/4 chopped bell pepper
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
1 can black beans, drained
1 T. parsley
1 T. crushed basil
1/2 tsp. ground oregano
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Remove sausage from casing. Brown in deep pan with 1 T. olive oil on medium high heat. Break up sausage into pieces after browning. Turn heat down to medium low and add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Saute for about 5 min.
Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and a little water. Add herbs and spices as noted above.
Cover and cook on low for about 25 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. Add macaroni and cook until macaroni is al dente (about 15 minutes). Add beans the last 10 minutes.
Serve w/parmesan cheese on top and crusty french bread.
I precede this entree with a salad.
Bon Appetit!