Category Archives: culinary arts

Fulfilling Holiday Appetites

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Something about an old-fashioned Christmas is hard to forget.” ~Hugh Downs 

Isn’t it odd how we associate certain foods with certain people? My maternal Grandmother passed away when I was a very young child, but one of my most lucid, wonderful memories of her is the chicken stew she fed me when I went to her house. It was so delicious, right out of a can, heated up.  Thoughts of the stew, makes my mouth water. And my paternal grandmother’s greatest joy in life was feeding others. Her basement pantry was large. My sister and I loved going in her cellar to see what was stocked. 

When I was a child, our neighbors found personal fulfillment in “gifting” home baked food at Christmastime. HomemadeChristmas in a jar root beer arrived each year from the family next door. Other neighbors sent cookies, date nut bread or a can of pickled beets or green beans from the garden. My mother always gave back,  something a little different each year – to surprise. This type of gift giving is fun, economical and it  “feels good” because it comes from the heart.  It is  just one way of  how we form  associations of certain foods with certain people.

Christmas has gotten so commercialized and out of control. Need some suggestions of homemade gifts to give someone? Here is a list of one hundred. Some of these gifts can be made by getting children involved in the process, providing quality time between parent and child. http://bit.ly/ZdmMqE. 

goulasch-with-spaetzleAt our house,  Christmas Eve dinner is a recipe that was passed along from my maternal grandmother.  “Spiced Beef” with spaetzle or egg noodles. I cook it for my husband and my son just once a year so it is special. There would be trouble in the house, if it wasn’t on the Christmas Eve table. Since cooking is not one of my passions, (although I do enjoy baking), it brings me great joy to think that a few recipes that I have fed my family over the years brings them fulfilling feelings during the holidays. It is really what Christmas is all about.

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Street Walking with Joy

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“Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.”~ Napoleon Hill 

Yesterday I gave myself a break; took time to do something fulfilling for myself. I strolled the streets and retail spaces, preparing for my personal celebration today. This is a landmark – my 1,000th blog on All Things Fulfilling. I can hardly believe it, myself. 

Today, I  share all things Christmas with you through photographic images. Enjoy this day, and I am going to do the same myself. I may even make a little yummy, sweet, holiday treat and put my feet up, just for a little bit, then I’ve got more work to do. 

Thanks in advance to all shop-owners who let me photograph their retail spaces – there will be more pictures of my walking tour of Ski Town, U.S.A next week, too!. Come on back.

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Entry of the United Methodist Church “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors

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Off the Beaten Path, a fine Indie Bound Bookstore is loaded up with The Lost Christmas Gift. A winter adventure set in Steamboat Springs, on the Colorado’s Best Seller list, it hit LA Times Holiday Book Gift list and is sold out in most outlets. OTBP has plenty and the author will have a book signing tomorrow – 12/8/12 at 2:30pm!

 

 

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Always a Beautiful Retail Space to visit in town, Steamboat Art Company all decked out!

 

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Window Shopping, a scene outside the Bucking Rainbow Outfitters – what is inside is even better! Attention, fly fishing enthusiasts!

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Fuzziwigs Candy Shop – Stocking Stuffer Sweets Galore!!

 

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Christmas Tree bedecking Colorado Mountain College’s brand new facility – meets all LEED standards and has a great business enterprise center, too! This new building raises the college to all new levels!

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F.M Light Store’s horse ready for Xmas. A real landmark in town. This business has been selling  cowboy boots and hats for more than 100 years! Best selection for miles around!

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Homesteader Kitchen Shop – The aromas coming from this shop were enough to draw me in! Daniella was cooking up her chocolate treats and toffee (more pictures of Homesteader next week). The cinnamon,vanilla coated almonds are outstanding!

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Aptly Named, “Om” this shop is a great place to calm the spirit after walking the streets. Love the lit decorative hangings that you can buy year round to add to a sacred spot in your abode, or for a thoughtful gift for a loved one.

 

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Lyons Drug, yes indeed, great thoughtful gifts in this store, and even an old fashioned soda fountain!

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Branches, Home Decor. Come back next week and there will more images of places to shop locally. Support local business, it’s what makes communities tick!

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Generation of Smart, Healthy Children

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“As a kindergarten teacher, I have come to understand the powerful interplay between our senses, memory and food.” ~ Grady Turner

There is an e-book project in the works that I am more excited about than many others I have heard about. I desperately want to see it come to fruition. Why? This independent publishing project is about the new generation and teaching through interactive e-books.

Eat, Play, Learn Books, LLC is a company that is developing “kids activities that use healthy food as a learning tool.” These lessons have been successfully used and tested in the classroom by award winning  kindergarten teacher, Grady Turner, B.A., MEd. They meet and reinforce academic standards.

The impetus behind this Eat, Play, Learn Books is a need our country has – raising children who know about the benefits of staying healthy and fit. 

This series published by Eat, Play, Learn Books, LLC covers four diciplines of learning – reading and writing, math, science and social studies. The e-books, complimented with video, will lead parents and children through a series of fun activities that reinforce healthy food choices. It is geared for children aged 4 to 9. The activities can be done at home, providing parents and children outstanding quality time together. Through the activities in the books, children are introduced food that is both nutritious and commonly found in homes and the grocery store.  

Electronic books published by Eat, Play Learn Books, LLC are downloadable on e-readers, computers and palm-size digital devices, too – such as cell phones.Click here for Eat Play Learn – Lessons 1-3 Reading and Writing

Please join me in supporting this wonderful publishing project and raise a generation of healthier children.

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected

Fulfillment Etiquette at Thanksgiving

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“Self expression must pass into communication for its fulfillment.” ~ Pearl S Buck

Dear Ms. Nice Netiquette: 

 I am writing to you because I am faced with a dilemma that involves fulfillment. I am hoping that you and our internet readers will send me their opinions. Here is the situation: 

A large part of my East Coast family, which is a lot of people, are planning to meet myself, my husband and our son, in the southwestern part of the country for Thanksgiving. We are really looking forward to having  ‘turkey day’ in a unique region and showing the “East Coasters” something different. 

All say that getting together and having fun is what is important. That part is easy- thankfully, we are not like some families that you read about that leave gatherings arguing and at odds with each other.

The dilemma is this – What to have for Thanksgiving? We will be in a rental place with a kitchen so we could pull most anything off – if, I’ll reiterate “if” we really want to. Some are stuck on the idea of having the traditional Thanksgiving Day fare. Others say “who cares? Let’s go get tacos or something different.” Traditionalists retort, “What is Thanksgiving without all the trimmings?” Myself, I just want us to all be together. Our opportunities for reunions have gotten less frequent because some have moved from the East to various parts of the country  – that makes it difficult. 

Trying to satisfy so many different tastes is a predicament. Some of them would eat anything. Others are vegans, some are classified as just plain organic or health food conscious,  others don’t tolerate hot or spicy stuff. We have a gourmet chef  in the family but, we will be nice and give him the day off since he will be on vacation.

Please, Ms. Nice Netiquette, send me some signals – your advice, your opinion, a tip- off, a wink, a nod in the right direction…anything, so I will know what to do in this situation. I am the person in charge.

I am interested in knowing what you would do to make sure everyone has a fulfilling meal for Thanksgiving. I know the holiday is still two weeks away but please send me your thoughts. I want to begin my planning. 

Thank you, Miss Nice Netiquette for your help.

Signed, Grateful  for my family and our Thanksgiving get together.

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Common Community Through Art and Culture

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“In art, the hand can never execute anything higher than the heart can imagine.”  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have you ever noticed how artists flock together and build common community?

People find kinship in their writing, painting, poetry, music, filmmaking, knitting,the performing arts and so forth. You know how it goes. Everyone in the group speaks the same language. 

The Colorado Creative Industries has worked to identify communities where art contributes greatly to the overall culture,  enhancing the lives of local citizens and tourists.  

Telluride has been designated as a one of five prospective Creative Districts in Colorado. Forty-four towns and cities were under consideration. The goal of the Colorado Creative Industries is to bolster the artistic community by providing consulting and technical assistance and an $8,000 grant to help grow the community as an economic driver through art. 

During the winter, outstanding skiing is the impetus behind visiting this “box canyon” with stunning and dramatic scenery, but in summer it is all about art festivals. Each weekend from May to September people flock to the area for two film festivals, music concerts and gatherings of playwrite/screenwriters. There is also a Cajun weekend, chamber music, yoga and bike races,  and more. 

There is even a Compassion Festival held in Telluride, which I was not aware of until I picked up some tourist literature. This event brings in academia from different parts of the country who lecture on the benefits that compassion brings to overall health, well-being and stress reduction. Cultural differences in compassion is also part of the discussion. It is held in collaboration between the Telluride Institute http://bit.ly/U87yzg and Stanford University’s Center for Compassion & Altruism Research & Education (CCARE). Interesting! Please visit this link to read more about it.http://bit.ly/QVb8Kn

Congratulations, Telluride! When I was in the area recently I was impressed with your charming Victorian homes, art galleries, retail spaces, historic hotels, the amazing scenery and the emcompassing flavor of the artistic community. It was fun visiting. I’ll be back!

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Artistic Community Brings Commerce

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“If you have only two pennies, spend the first on bread and the other on hyacinths for your soul.”–Arab Proverb 

“Hello, Minturn! I’m back!” I thought to myself on Saturday morning, as I entered the little village just off I-70. The first time I frequented this town, nestled near the glitz and glamour of Vail, and the not yet built Beaver Creek Resort, was in the mid 1970s. That evening, I visited the Minturn Saloon, infamous for its Mexican cuisine. I had traveled there with my entire family, and another from Maryland, to Eagle County for a ski vacation.

Minturn is still small. If you blink, you can miss it. But now, it is doesn’t look like a ghost town of total wrack and ruin. Many of the bungalows and cottages have been artfully painted. There were eye-catching large buckets, planters and window boxes of brightly colored flowers everywhere – attractive. Now there is some commerce going on – I was shocked at the transition and you can see the modern day influences in this town.

Author Bill Burnett writes about the historical background of this old mining town in his independently published book  Minturn, A Memoir. https://www.bookwormofedwards.com/aff/SueLeonard/book/v/9780977113620

Saturday morning I had come to see the Minturn Market; I had read about it. Arriving a little early, at 8:30am,the vendors were still setting up, so I took myself on a walking tour of the village. By 9 am people began arriving in large numbers. This popular, weekly, summertime open-air market even requires a crossing guard on Main Street. The morning was delightful; I visited with artisans of all kinds selling their wares. I came home with a large loaf of “oh so fragrant” lemon, white chocolate bread that I had sampled and loved, and a unique, hand knit scarf  by Venda, that fit my fancy. I knew it was a scarf I couldn’t create myself.

Just a few of the notable business establishments that have opened in this eclectic little village are:

  • Scarab – An oriental rug and tribal arts store  http://www.thescarab.com/
  • The Yarn Studio – a wide and interesting selection of yarns for fiber arts crafting
  • Holy Toledo – a fashionable, boutique consignment shop located in  an old church http://holytoledo.co/
  • Mountain Pedaler, a bike shop
  • Gemini Gardens – a floral shop with gifts and home decorating accessories
  • Four or five coffee shops and restaurants

It was such a fulfilling weekend; I explored and enjoyed my own company. So tomorrow, I will blog about some of the ideas that I and my cohorts talked about on Friday evening, because they spilled over into my visit to Minturn. 

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Things that Sparkle

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“It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself. “

 ~Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Tis the season for illumination. Today, on All Things Fulfilling I am going to focus on all things that shine. 

  • A clear star lit night
  • Tinsel on the tree
  • New parents and child experiencing their first Xmas together.
  • Icicles hanging from the eave of a roof
  • Lives spared by a Kiwanis and UNICEF Maternal and Neo-natal Tetanus vaccine
  • Polished silverware
  • Rudolph’s red rose
  • A gemstone given as a surprise gift
  • Glitter on a holiday card or an ornament
  • Candles on a tree, a mantel or on a festive holiday table
  • Snowflakes as they fall from the sky
  • A child’s face when they discover a book that draws them in
  • A beautiful painting, surrounded by golden frame
  • Crystal stemware
  • Someone who is passionate about the Art they create
  • Sequins on festive holiday clothing
  • Love discovered, love renewed in the spirit of Christmas
  • The face of the elderly or a veteran knowing and feeling that others really care
  • Twinkling white lights decorating a house
  • A lit lamp post standing sentinel for the arrival of holiday guests 

If you really want light up your own spirit this year, adopt a holiday family. Make some one else’s holiday shine by giving some gifts or fixing’s for a big holiday meal.Holiday buying this Christmas,  was especially fulfilling for me. I bought a few items for a set of twins who otherwise may not have had Christmas at all. More fun than the gifts given inside of the box, I created wrapping that really showed that I cared. When all is said and done, I think the packaging will be as treasured as much as the gifts inside! 

This year, buy one less gift for your own family, and give it to a family less fortunate and in need.  Here is a website that lists the top five Christmas charity projects. http://bit.ly/8ZBCef. 

Make your heart merry and illuminate the spirit of someone else this holiday season!

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Fulfilling Services and Needs

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“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”  – William Arthur Ward 

The holiday season is in full swing, the signs are there – decorations, holiday fairs, parties, an appointment book that has become ragged and torn. A sure sign it is time to ring out the old and bring in the new. Increased activity of UPS, Fed Ex and other delivery trucks on the highways and byways, indeed indicates Christmas is near. 

On this blog site, we often recognize the work of artists and crafts persons working in a variety of mediums – writers, poets, painters, sculptors, filmmakers, potters, musicians and more. But there is another important form of art that we tend to forget – the art of serving others. 

 If you have ever worked in a service industry, or lived in a resort area, you become acutely aware of those who serve. These folks carry an extra burden at this time of year. In light of that fact, I would like to pause today to recognize people in all sectors of the service industry. They deserve our gratitude! 

  • Heartfelt thanks to nurses, doctors, hospice workers, and all medical staff.
  • Oodles of praise for mail carriers and delivery persons
  • Obliged to those who wait tables, to housekeepers, concierge and valets, too.
  • Respect for chefs, plumbers, electricians, builders, excavators and more.
  • Rewards for military servicemen and women who have ever kept us safe – well deserved
  • Abundance of kudos for repair shops, retail employees, gas station attendants, grocers.
  • Yule Tide Greetings to those service people I have missed such as the clergy. Many of you, because you serve, may miss holiday celebrations with families or friends. We greatly appreciate that you are fulfilling a need for the work  that you do. We desperately need people like you!

 Don’t forget to give a token of thanks to those who serve. Let them know that you appreciate what they do, over the holidays and each and every day of the year, too!

Return tomorrow for more independent thoughts, words and views from www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

 

 

It is a Beautiful Thing!

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“A child is an uncut diamond.” ~ Austin O’Malley from Keystones of Thought 

Don’t you just love it when you encounter a child who is filled with  excitement and passion for their world and they open up and invite you in to come along for the ride? That is exactly what happened to me on Thursday, as I sat down to meet with a third grader named Simone. 

Introduced to Simone’s mom, some time ago, she mentioned her daughter’s love of writing. She asked if I would be willing to get together with her and her daughter, to discuss the possibilities of independently publishing her child’s work. Finally we had a chance to meet and talk.   

Simone, smiling and proud, immediately placed one of her stories in front of me to read. As I perused the page, I went on a trip that if we hadn’t spoken another word, I knew what this little girl was all about. You could tell by the flow of the story and by her ebullient descriptions, this child is alive with a fun spirit and gushing with life. 

My thoughts were confirmed, as Simone began to speak. Her sparkling personality shined through. As she described her passion for writing, it was indeed reflected in the tale itself. 

As we departed, I said to Simone’s mother “Do all you can to keep that fire alive inside of your child. Let’s work together to see what we can do to work toward fulfilling her dreams.” I know first hand how rewarding it is to parent a child who has that kind of zest for life. It is a beautiful thing. 

I wish every child on this earth could find a teacher, a mentor, a parent or friend who could help them discover and nurture what moves them, what inspires them and makes them tick. 

If Simone follows her heart, there will be all kinds of good things springing forth from this child. I’ll bet she will want to share it with her readers, too. 

Keep on writing and reading, Simone. I enjoyed meeting you!

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Observing Darkness and Light

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“Every moment of dark and light is a miracle.” ~ Walt Whitman 

A Christmas tree gives rise to thoughts of darkness and light. Have you ever noticed how people’s interpretation of what makes a pretty tree is so opinionated and individual?

Many families argue while putting up a Christmas tree. Some like it simple, some more ornate. A modest nativity scene indicates to some that, indeed, Christmas is here. Others like their homes, properties and trees lit up like the night time neon lights of the Las Vegas strip. Some families like simple homemade strings of popcorn, and cranberries or perhaps pine cones sprayed with gold paint will do. An evergreen wreath hung on a door and lit by a single spot light is beauty at it’s best for some individuals. It is interesting how a certain holiday decorating style can be fulfilling to one, atrocious to another. It is all a matter of personal opinion. How about you? What is your idea of good taste? 

As we all know, a good way to tell whether the lights and ornaments are well-placed on a tree is to step back and take a look. You can find the spaces that are empty and fill them with shimmery light. 

It is like life. In order to move away from the darkness, we have to discover the light. In this upcoming holiday, find it – seek it! Stop and listen to the carolers, spend a day or evening walking Main Street. Join in the energy of the shoppers. Listen to beautiful holiday music. Bake a batch of Christmas cookies for an elderly person or a military veteran who has no family at all. It will lighten your spirit and brighten your day along with some one else’s, too. 

Watch out! You might just get caught up in the spirit and feel the swish of a magic stick over your world. What a fulfilling thought that is!

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