We are now on week three of #homewithCI and gave Steve Hendrix the task of creating the engagement question of the week. Steve suggested that the team illustrate what nourishes us during challenging times. Being the foodies that we are, it’s not a coincidence that everyone on our team chose a food or beverage item of nourishment.

The definition of nourishment is food or other substances necessary for growth, health, and good condition.
I can tell you that after I eat 1 or 2 bowls of ice cream, “good condition” is exactly how I would describe how I feel.
These days, what goes in my bowl of ice cream that reaches the apex of my bliss point and satisfies my mouth feel is comprised of:

* Bryers Extra Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream
* Hershey’s Simply 5 Chocolate Syrup

Now, some who know me and my razor focus on chocolate ice cream as the king of nutrition may wonder why I have a vanilla ice cream here instead of chocolate. And nothing epitomizes average ice cream more than a carton of store-bought Breyers. I’ve always felt that chocolate syrup over vanilla ice cream is no substitute for chocolate ice cream, sorry, just doesn’t match it. Until now. It’s a big change for me, but one I am willing to embrace. My sustenance depends upon it.

This Extra Creamy Vanilla is unique. It really is creamy in a very good way, and there is something kind of delicious about it that far transcends normal vanilla ice cream (of which I’ve never been a big fan of). So, the Extra Creamy is essential to this recipe.

Preparation:

– Drizzle the Hershey’s syrup into a (hopefully large) bowl
– Then add your scoops of ice cream (minimum 3)
– Drizzle Hershey’s syrup over the top of the scoops
– Allow a few moments for the ice cream to warm a bit

Now – the bottom of the scoops have created this delicious creamy vanilla-choco mix on the underside of your scoops. It tastes amazing.

I urge you – do not starve your body of what it needs, try this recipe at your earliest convenience. You may thank me afterward.

– Steve

The fisherman in Florida is still catching the Black Grouper. An essential business allowed open during the latest “stay at home” orders.
A clean and simple meal nourishes my family as we do our part during this Pandemic.
Grilled Black Grouper with Mango Salsa.
Pair with Saint -Veran White Burgundy.
Grateful.

– Chris

Make-up off, wine poured and a delicious Southern Rum Vanilla Cupcake… all paired with an hour of journaling offers me nourishment during trying times. Take it from me… when everyone and everything around you is going mad… just chill, eat the cake and drink the wine. Everything will be just fine😉

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

2/3 cup sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2 tablespoons of any dark rum of your choice.

(OR) 1 tablespoon of rum extract

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

Cream cheese frosting, for topping

Garnish with chopped pecans (optional)

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 min

Self Guided Journal
52 Lists for Happiness:
Weekly Journaling Inspiration for Positivity, Balance and Joy

Published by Moorea Seal

– Kyra 

After a day of working, whether in the shop or in the yard, there’s typically no way I can get into the kitchen and follow any recipes, my brain is usually just about done.  When it comes to eating the fridge bare, however, I can usually grab whatever we have in there and make something of it from more of an intuitive sense.

One night last week, it was wok cooked organic red cabbage & baby boy choi in safflower oil & duck fat*, with spicy pork over some decently fatty European butter jasmine rice.   The whole thing start to finish was done in 25 minutes.

(*once every week or two I’ll get a couple of duck thighs and render the fat out of them on a 3-hour 200º bake, before kicking them up to 250º for 10 minutes and 300º for 5.  The meat will usually go on a salad the next day, the skin will go back in the oven for another couple minutes to crisp up and eat immediately, and the fat gets stored in the fridge to add to whatever, it has such a wonderful flavor, a little goes a long way.  Tonight, it’ll be added to the coconut oil in the popcorn maker.)

– Brad 

Since all the family is here, this past week we choose to have dinner together every night, because we could for the first time in who knows how long. The twist was every night a different person cooked. My night was Friday and I reached back to my childhood favorite, lasagna. I’ve never attempted to bake a lasagna myself so I modified a recipe I found online. The process was intense and messy, but the finished product was banging! Apparently, the kids thought so as well because by Sunday evening when I was ready for more, there was barely one-piece/serving left.

Turkey Lasagna

Ingredients:

3/4 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage (Sliced & Diced)

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 cup minced onion

3 cloves of garlic (Sliced & Diced)

28oz can of Crushed Tomatoes

2 (6oz) cans of tomato paste

12oz can of canned tomato sauce

1/2 cup of water

2 tablespoons of white sugar

1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning

1.5 teaspoons salt

1.5 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoning Salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

12 lasagna noodles

16oz ricotta cheese

1 egg

1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in all the cans of tomato stuff and the water. Toss in the sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt,  all the Lawry’s, the pepper and 2 tablespoons of parsley. stir occasionally and let simmer for an hour and change.

Cook the noodles for 8 to 10 min in salted water. Drain and rinse in cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese with the remaining parsley, 1/2 a teaspoon of salt and the one and only egg.

Preheat oven to 375.

In a 9×13 baking dish spread 1.5 cups of the oh so tasty meat sauce on the bottom. Arrange and slightly overlap 6 noodles lengthwise over the meat sauce. Thinly spread half of the ricotta cheese mix. Cover that with about half of the mozzarella cheese. Now you spoon the other 1.5 cups of meat sauce over the mozzarella and sprinkle with a 1/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese. Cover with the remaining 6 lasagna noodles and another thin layer of the remaining ricotta cheese. Sprinkle another cover of mozzarella cheese. Spoon and spread the remaining meat sauce then cover with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  Cover with foil: to prevent it from sticking to the cheese use wooden toothpicks or spray foil with cooking spray.

Bake for 25min, then remove the foil and bake for another 25 min. Cool for 15min before serving.

(modified recipe from allrecipes.com)

– Anthony

For nourishment:

Gallagher “Old School” Fashioned

1 Ice rock
2 Ounces of Angels Envy Bourbon
3 dashes of Cherokee Moon Mixology Bitter
1 Orange rind
1 Cinnamon Stick
Lakewood Organic Pure Tart Cherry Juice (to your liking)
Red Jacket Apple Cider (to your liking)

Sit on the porch with someone you love and talk about how much you appreciate them……

– Dave

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