Progress

Well, I'm making some progress into becoming a business owner. I went on a shopping spree to Ikea and then afterwards had an incredible idea to lease out an office space in the local Family Center. So I called them. They have a small room/office that is 119 sq. ft. It is in a building that the whole community is constantly going in and out of, has two full-time preschools and daycares, the play room, a park, free parking, a receptionist...the list goes on and on. So I went to see the space today...

It's currently a storage room.  It needs a little TLC and a really great layout...with a calming aesthetic...

All of the shelving things on the side wall can go.  They said it was there from a previous leasee.  

It has two windows that overlook the ramp.

There is my own phone line.

There is a receptionist there from 9-6.

There are just a few set backs.  

1. My office at home is awesome.  It looks so cool, and I just put some money into it.  It seems more inviting. But anything would be in comparison to that space right now...

2. It will cost money to lease the space.  I could just use my home for free.

Counters:

1. I could make this place pretty awesome with paint and a rug and what not.  I could just bring my awesome therapy table with me.

2. It would be awesome marketing to have my office in that building.  Parents walk by daily.  It is part of a group of organizations that focus on birth -4...My target clientele...

Thoughts?

Sadness.

No one will ever go to the opera with me.

So that is what I am doing tonight, going to the opera alone.
What's new. NOTHING.
I am always one of 3 people in the theatre sometimes the only one...

But tomorrow!
Tomorrow my roommate is coming to the great SLC.
We are going to get a preview of our new life together.
I can't wait.
It will be a good time.

I love you guys.
I bet one of you would come to the opera with me.
I hope one of you would...
Hopefully one day Charlotte and Jack and Maggie will come with me.

Rox and Phil are raising them right.
:]

You guys should all play operas for the beebs.
Have them listen to actual good people.

This is a scene from the opera im going to.
This guy is a boss.
His name is Bryn Terfel.

Well I love you again, and more.

Pants.

Funnies

Remember when we used to make Laura be the little Spartan? Yeah, that was funny. We had this whole thing memorized once upon a time. My favorite move is still the side lunge/karate chops in the middle of "The Perfect Cheer."

"Not Cute!!"

The Road Ahead and Corn : )

Like I might have mentioned in a previous post, I really don't want to live in Utah anymore! Well I have some exciting news for multiple reasons!

This December we will be moving here.

Ryan will be working for these guys.

 

and...

We will be a 2 1/2 Hour drive from these guys.

We are super excited and feel very blessed to be given this opportunity! We cant wait to start a new adventure together! 

On a culinary note... Corn on the cob is in season!!! try to kick up the flavors a notch by squeezing some fresh lime juice on top along with cilantro and Cojito Cheese!!!

It is delicious!

Love  -M-

Intentions

Sometimes a moment catches me and I can't stop thinking about it until I write it out. Other times a myriad of thoughts join into the essence of a concept that is harder to capture in words, but is just as important to me to record. I'm dealing with the latter at the moment.

I left my last post without much of a conclusion, having expressed only where I was in that moment. But there is more to it.

Again, the idea that changing my thoughts allows my state of being to change is not a new concept to me. It is, however, daunting. Eliza pointed out the same fact last week. "I liked your post." She said, with clear hesitation hanging over her statement. "But you can't just change your thoughts." She is right. In fact it is empirically proven that the more you tell yourself not to think about something, the more you will think it. But my yoga teacher was right too in that if we are miserable then our thoughts need to be different for our state of mind to be different.

I went to another yoga class the week after my mini epiphany in Hannah's class. I went thinking that I would approach it with a kinder, softer mentality toward myself and see if it was different. Sarah, my friend, and teacher, had a better idea. As she was leading into the practice, she invited us to think about why we had come that day, and encouraged us to dedicate our practice to something, or someone. Better yet she asked us to set an intention for our practice. I loved that word "intention." As she said it the thought came to me that I wanted to practice yoga that morning with the intention of showing gratitude to Heavenly Father for the body that he has given me. The class felt much like a prayer to me. I found that I wasn't changing my thoughts as much as I was consistently re-focusing them back to my intention. Instead of focusing on, or pushing away the negative, which almost always breeds more negativity, I allowed myself to recognize my straying thoughts, and turn back toward my set intention. I think I've accepted that I will always have the distracting and negative thoughts floating around in there, but I don't have to give them my attention. Of course I do, and I will, but it is that much easier to ignore them when I have set an intention for my thoughts, and given myself something helpful and good to focus on for a class, or a day, or a week. In the end it was the intention that allowed me to have a softer, kinder experience with myself, as opposed to just telling my self to be soft and kind.

It is true, if we are miserable we need to change our thoughts. It is also true that accepting our thoughts as they come, and re-focusing on an intention we have set for our thoughts allows us to hold on to the ones that are helpful, and sort out the ones that aren't.

Clearly the application of this is easier said than done. I've only gotten as far as thinking about trying to set the intention for my thoughts at the start of my day. And I guarantee I will never master it. But I feel softer, and more calm when I let myself try. Maybe that is where the victory is with this whole business of thought management. It's in the daily efforts we make to be kind to ourselves, it's in our failures to do so, and then getting back up and trying again. 

It Was A Sad Goodbye

Emmies has come and gone ( sniff sniff). It was a sad ride home from the airport. Reese was crying, I was crying and intermittently we sang Pop Goes the Weasel then cry some more. Reese has never cried like that saying goodbye to anyone before so it was really sad. It was a great week. We had so much fun! Probably what made for the sad goodbye. Reese hadn't had this much fun and attention since Henry was born. We (and by we I mean Reese and Emily) went to the pool or splash pad almost everyday. She got fun new toys and she finally got her face painted! It was especially nice for me because it was like I had one kid again and not just any aged kid but a super easy infant kid. Reese basically clung to Emily all week and I was absolutely fine with that. Reese loves her Aunties but I think because Emily has been able to come and see us so often she is especially comfortable with her. Here is a week in Pictures with our Emmies! Thanks for coming. We will sure miss being such a cheap plane ride away from you when we move. 

 Reese had snack time . . . 

 nap time . . . 

 Exercise time . . . 

 pool time . . . 

and face painting time with Emmies everyday!

Reese has been wanting to get her face painted forever. She asks me almost everyday! I have taken her every week on tuesday for the past month to get her face painted by this chic at a free event here in Atlanta and every time she gets to scared to do it. She watches face painting videos on youtube all of the time. So when Emily bought her face paints, you can imagine, the girl went crazy. For the past 3 days we all have gotten our face painted by Reese. Even just now as I laid her down for a nap she asked me if she could face paint after sleepy time. It is always on her mind. She is pretty good though don't you think?

Oh yeah this guy was here too this week!

P.S. We were busy and when we weren't busy we were tired so unfortunately we didn't get to make our Aprons for Grandma. Maybe in August!

The Voice of Laura Past

Mom called and thought it would be cute to show a snippit of what Laura thought about us sibs a short 10 years ago. She wanted so much to incorporate all our interests in the things she did, and worked hard to find her own niche. She has grown up so quickly, and done so many amazing things. Happily she found the world of Opera to claim for her own, and is bravely pursuing her dreams.

We are so proud of her!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PANTS!

My Brother and Sisters

By Pants

"My sister Emily is 25 she makes up stories for me, once she made up a song on the guitar about me. I am thankful for her because she loves me as much as my parents love me. Emily is really nice, I like her a lot, she is never mean to me. 

My brother Phil is 23; he is my only brother out of five girls. Phil also plays the guitar. I am thankful for my bother because he is very nice to me and is really fun. He plays wiffle ball with my sisters and I when he is visiting with his wife. wiffle ball is one of our favorite sports. 

My sister Abby is 21, she is a really good singer, and she has been living with me for a really long time. She is on a mission in Caracas, Venezuela. The things I am thankful about her is her love and time she has to be with me. She takes my sister Mary and I to the movies a lot. 

Eliza is 18, I am thankful she got me into playing soccer, because soccer is very important to me, she wants me to be a lot like her when I grow up. Eliza runs cross-country; she is the second best CC runner in HHS. She is also a really good singer. 

Mary is 13 and in 8^th grade, she is the second youngest, she is the only other kid that lives with me, I am thankful for her, because she is the only person I have to hang out with, even though we get is fights a lot we still love each other. All the things we have in common are good singeing voices. Good at reading and spelling, we are really good at wiffle ball and baseball. Out best talent is running cross-country, we race in the Crim and Volkslaufe runs. Half of the talents are from my dad and half from my mom."

Tribute

   
     I tried to rewrite the lyrics to "Praise to the Man" into "Praise to the dad".  I couldn't do it.  I'm going the conventional route I guess.

    How lucky were we as kids to get thrown into this guys family.  (He still wears that shirt!)  This man loves us.  I mean he really loves us.  He dragged us across europe. (a couple times).  He gave us Nauvoo, and the City of Joseph.  He pulled us through marathons (and half marathons) Everything he does is for us.

   I think about him every day and smile.  Every day i think about how i need to be more like him.

  Happy Day after Fathers Day Steve.

Thoughts

The breeze flows through an open window in the upstairs studio. Heavy with the scent of honeysuckle, it cools the sweat on the back of my neck. I'm amazed at my ability to notice this at all considering I'm laid out on the ground, my legs behind me in a position I'm not sure I can get out of, my face smashed into the mat. I don't know what my arms are doing, and though I'm willing them to simply pick up the top part of my body off the floor, they aren't listening. The girl in front of me has her legs gracefully twisted around her head, and I hate her. Hannah asks us to reach down, put our arms through our legs from behind, grab our faces, and pull them between our knees. "Breathe," she says. "Feel your spine lengthen." I'm still trying to feel my arms. Somehow I manage to get back into a standing pose; and just as quickly I'm back on the floor in another contortion I wasn't expecting.

Hannah, my teacher, is five months pregnant and rubber-band like by nature. She is also one of those people you can't help but feel drawn to: she is calm, she is cool, she is comfortable in her own skin, her perfectly imperfect skin. She is a wonder. I don't think I know what that feels like, to be comfortable in my own skin. If I do, I don't remember.  As I try to get myself in an extended back bend from a side plank position, I can feel my stomach slouching from one side to the other. I suck it in, not sure it makes any difference. Discouraging thoughts run circles around the space in my head where my efforts to focus on my breathing are fighting against a death wish.

As my face finds the floor again, any pretense of enjoyment I may have had is gone. I want off this mat. Hannah's calm, intentioned voice emerges. It pulls me from the chaos in my brain. "If you are miserable now," she says, "you need to change your thoughts." My body keeps moving, but my mind goes silent. I hear the echo of that phrase, "If you are miserable now, you need to change your thoughts." It's ricocheting back and forth between my ears. "None of these poses matter," she continues. "Don't internalize them. It only matters where your thoughts are."

"If you are miserable now, you need to change your thoughts." I know immediately how broadly this applies to so many situations in my life, but right now I just want to remember the exact sentence so I can think about it later. I turn my attention to my breath, and repeat the phrase over and over. I don't want to forget the exact way she said it, her tone, the inflection. It matters somehow.

I push through the practice, my body applauding its sprawled out position on the floor as I finish. My limbs tremble with relief, and my mind races. I'm thinking about earlier today, at work. I see myself at my desk, my mind running through twenty different scenes of my past. I'm unforgiving of things unsaid, wishing for chances to do over. Convincing myself that I'll never be able to say the right things when I want to, when it matters. I had to stop myself. And I did. Only to let my mind go back at it twenty minutes later, this time arguing all the reasons why I hate my body, and then yelling at myself for doing that because, shallow, insecure people think those things about themselves, right? Maybe that is what is wrong with me – I'm shallow and insecure too. And I can't focus, I never finish anything, and I don't really know what I'm doing. I'm a fraud. No one will ever want to be with me, they'll figure it out, they'll see all the cracks, and they'll leave. The dominoes fall until all I can do is distract myself with some inane task like writing up case notes, trying not to think about the fact that my brain does this routine every day, every day.

Why? This is not me. I don't think I believe most of these thoughts. And if I do, I don't want to. All of this self-deprecation is exhausting, and not very helpful.

"You need to change your thoughts." I know this idea, this is not new, I teach it every day to children swimming in a sea of loss and grief. "What can we control?" I ask them. "Ourselves." they reply. They don't believe it yet. Apparently neither do I, not enough. But they are right, and so is Hannah.

The Beach

 Tybee Island, GA

 This is the beach at Tybee Island in Georgia. I don't know what it is but I love the Atlantic Coast (AC). I have been to a lot of beaches in my day, and yes the burning sand on the AC is a slight downfall, but it always makes me feel so happy. Its probably because I have such fond memories of going to the beach when we would go to New Jersey. I remember boogie boarding and running in and out of the ocean all day as the waves would chase us out and draw us back in. I remember building sand castles and collecting shells. Haha, don't be mad Em, but I remember you sunbathing a lot. I remember the HOT HOT sand as we would run back to the car at the end of the day. The boardwalk always seemed so much further when we were leaving then when we got there in the morning. I remember always always Grandma with her jugs of water. Then when I think of those jugs of water, I think of Grandmas house and I can still remember the way it smelled. I loved that smell. I loved playing in the basement. There was one dress in particular that I would put on every time and imagine I was a character in the movie Oaklahoma.  It was a green and white checkered dress, does anyone remember that dress? The horse in the basement played a key role in all my Oklahoma charades. This is kind of random and a little odd that I thought about this when I was little but I remember loving that dress so much I would get sad thinking about when grandma and grandpa died they would probably give that dress to the Hauser girls. I thought they were Grandmas favorite grandchildren. What an absurd thing to think about as a kid. I had a crazy imagination though, still do. I remember Grandpa and his big chair in the front room. As I type this I can see myself walking through the whole house. I loved that house. Oh how I wish I could go there one more time. I miss Grandma and Grandpa Jones so much! For some reason when I hold Henry and talk to him I think of Gramps a lot! I wish I got to see them more. I love thinking about those memories. What do you guys remember about New Jersey?  One more memory from me, Zipper! I loved that dog.

 Basically Reese did not leave the water. Christopher and I had to take shifts in the water but mostly he stayed with her all day, and I was with this chunky pig.

 She sat in that same position for so long until the water slowly cleared her big pile of sand away. When we got there and set up our chairs in the morning our seats were pretty much right at the water line. Look how far back the chairs were at the end of the day.

 We had a really great time. I know Reese won't remmeber this trip but I hope to create memories for her just like mom and dad did for us. Its not easy packing kids up with all of the stuff they need and driving hours to our destination. When we got there in the morning and drove around for an hour trying to find a place to park, I tried to stay positive. Then getting to the beach and setting everything up kind of took the sails out of me and I was thinking we would only stay a little while. But the day got better and I chilled out and it turned into a vacation I will never forget taking with this little family of mine. Thanks for all the family vacations you took us on Mom and Dad, even when it was hard. 

Oh P.S. E and I will be making our Aprons for Grandma this week!! has anyone made theirs yet? Get on it!

Ryan's Advice.

Ryan says that you guys should give me input on ways to  make my life less boring. 

What were your lives like when you were in between freshman and sophomore year?

I'm sure it was more eventful than mine. 

I am at Mary's it is fun spending time with her.

We got sushi and went to sephora and got some cool new items for our faces. 

I AM NINETEEN IN A WEEK.

weird. 

well that's all folks. 

i am going to go eat chicken and tater rounds with the burr's.

love you.

P(ants)

Moving.... ummm YAY????

So this weekend has been busy!

I started my new job and have been loving it so far! 

I have been busy answering a lot of questions, filling a whole bunch of peoples water glasses, and showing my co-workers what I am made of, and so far i think they are impressed! : )

It might sound boring to you but I really love it. 

Now Ryan is going to be in Milwaukee next week for work, and we are moving in a month so I was thinking about starting some packing....

I have moved quite a bit, as an individual. Is it different moving as a couple with 3 times the amount of stuff? How do I stay organized? How do I decide what to keep and what to throw out? What are some ways that you have found to be successful organizing ideas? I need help.

Our first apartment is really tiny, so we have a lot of stuff that is just boxed up without a place. Our new apartment will need organizing but I think we can finally unpack a few new boxes...

So basically what I am asking is... Share your wealth of knowledge please? Any ideas on how to keep organized while moving or organizing a new home etc... Come on I know you all have some great ideas!! We sure love you.

I am sorry I have been so busy but seriously, someone give me an ingredient you want to learn more about etc... 

-M-

Innovate2Communicate-HELP

Alright,  I am wanting to finalize my business name.

I've liked Innovate, Communicate but it doesn't seem like a business name...

Then there is Innovate 2 Communicate... which seems tacky with the number in it...but has a good flow.

I like the word innovate because it doesn't necessarily mean to fix..because sometimes communication disorders can't be fixed...and sometimes parents need to change their interactions...

I also want it to be a universal name so I don't have to change everything if I move locations which is why using my location isn't good...but it is a name that hasn't been taken.  The 'Heights' is kind of location because there is Shaker Heights, University Heights, and Cleveland Heights in our area...

Innovate, Communicate: Speech and Language Services  LLC

Then, there is a problem with the search engine.  Do I need to have certain key words in my business name so google picks them up?

Innovative Communication Solutions, LLC

Communication also sounds like some sort of technology too...

Pediatric Speech and Language Services

Heights Speech
Reaching New Heights
Shaker Speech Solutions
Shaker Speech Services
Shake-n-up Speech
Talk it up
Shaker Pediatric Speech and Language Center
Heights Speech and Language Center

Reaching New Heights: Speech and Language Services  I kind of like this...but the search engine issue...

We're down to the wire...I need some insight.  I have to make my website ASAP.

Love you all.

Abby

Candids

Okay, so the second wasn't so candid.

(The fourth is my favorite)

I'm at mom's house.  I love it when I'm home.

My original thought for a post was this, "It's like two pigs fighting under a blanket." (Steel Magnolias)

That's how I feel about my body right now.  My butt is toning up from running and my stomach is getting chubbier by the day.  I don't understand why.  I have been eating very well, chasing around babies, and running insane mileage.

It is disappointing.

I'm going to be spending the week soaking in the sun and playing with my little nephews.

Loves,
A

Recreational Activity.

For your Friday night enjoyment...this is me in the OT room at work after a really long day. I want one of these things in my living room.

my life in photos.

i like taking pictures of the little things that happen in my daily life. they are fun to look at when i am bored and remind me of the happy things i get to experience daily. 

here are some pictures of my happy times through out the past couple weeks. 

1. i went home, saginaw home. visited the house, went exploring through the backyard. the trails are all covered up again, but i still have them engrained in my memory so i didn't get lost back there. i love this tree, we tried building a tree house in it one summer but dad wouldn't let us.... oh well.

2. i went to interlochen and reunited with my best friends. it was the best reunion i could have asked for. 

these are my friends from voice. we have kept in touch so well over the past year, and hope to stay close and connected for the next years to come. 

i got to see my best friend olivia graduate (on the right) and kayla surprised us from japan!

3. im a pretty big cupcake fanatic, so the first thing i did when i got back to salt lake was go to my favorite little cupcake shop, sweet tooth fairy. they are a pretty big weakness of mine.....

 dont they look delicious?

4. i tried something new, i made a cornish game hen with my friend heather. it was $2.50, great steal eh? well anyways, we were just testing out our cooking skills, crafted a stuffing and rubbed it with what we thought looked good. since we thought it would be gross we ate some hot dogs while it was cooking. little did we know that it would be THE MOST DELICIOUS CHICKEN EVER. yeah. ever. it was flavored and cooked to perfection. just take a look at our beautiful masterpiece. 

dont you want to grab a leg through the screen and eat it right now? i do...

4a. i tried something else new. bianca (my artist friend who is so talented) decided we should draw and relax last night, so she told me to pick something in the room and draw it. i chose her little bag that looks like a fish. i started out drawing it exactly, and then just made it look like i would like it. so here you go folks...my first masterpiece in like 6 years? yeah.. i suck at art. 

what do you think? 

5. two highlights of my weekend: a picnic at liberty park with heather and my new friends donald and daffy duck...and their extended family. as well as catching the very end of the pride parade on sunday. there were lots of prideful people walking around all weekend....it was quite the day to people watch. 

our picnic of pits...aka..our picnic of cherries and olives. also, cool story. dad get ready to be proud of me. i was at whole foods choosing some cheese, and got talking to the cheese lady. guess what she said? she said i should apply to be a cheese lady because i really seem to know my stuff about cheese! i love cheese. do you love cheese? whats your favorite kind of cheese? 

this is the end of the pride parade. the first guy is showing lots of pride, id say. 

6. something im proud of: on the plane i was bored so i was looking through the games on my phone and noticed that mary must have downloaded cribbage. i have been wanting to learn for a while now, but it always looked so confusing, and i wasnt in a confused mood. so on the plane, i was bored of playing nerts, so i learned how to kind of play cribbage. brad plays it multiple times a day with sundee and alec. they are all pros. he said i would never be able to beat him, i said i would in 6 weeks at least once. guess what, i beat him in less than 24 hours. WHAT. i am such a smart cookie. 

this is the beloved cribbage board. brad says i have caught on faster than anyone he has ever known. once again...i am a super smart cookie. and i am becoming a better counter because of it. 

so i dont know what else to inform you on. my life is pretty straight forward.

eat.

sleep.

work.

watch netflix.

repeat. 

i sure love you guys. hope you didnt mind the rambling on.

love,

p

Luck and Bicycles

I think I am a pretty lucky girl. 

Here are the reasons why...

I got to marry the love of my life in the Temple.

I was raised in a home full of love and laughter.

My parents support me in the decisions I make.

I have wonderful sisters, who are all amazing examples to me. 

I have a great big brother that has a wonderful ability to cheer me up and make me laugh.

I am a very lucky girl.

This week I am grateful for a new opportunity I have been given. 

I got a new job!

I have been wanting to work at the restaurant for months!! 

I am so blessed to be given this new opportunity to learn more about the restaurant industry. 

IM SO EXCITED!!! 

If you wanna check out the restaurant the website here!

We purchased Ryan a road bike on saturday! Took our bikes for a spin last night, and well my butt hurts. A Lot! I am going to have to get those padded spandex. I am excited to start exercising more and learn about cycling! Hopefully it can help me tone up a bit and lose some weight. 

All in all we are happy and healthy. 

Now for next week give me some spices or ingredients that you are stumped with and we will see what kind of creative uses or pairings I can come up with for you??? 

-M-

P.S. Sorry there aren't any cute babies to adorn my posts with. Hopefully someday : )

I can't say no

How many plates do I juggle?

Mother
Maid
Cook
Veterinarian
Nurse
Wife
Speech Language Pathologist
Sister
Friend
Daughter
Sister in Law
Service Organizer
Teaching Coordinator
Entrepreneur
Seamstress
Colleague
Gardener
Runner
Summer activity planner
Neighbor

That's 20 plates with only two hands...which are usually occupied by 4 other little hands...

That being said.  I can't say no.  I like to say yes.  I don't like to disappoint people.

I spent all morning cleaning the front part of my house today and now it looks like it hasn't been cleaned in weeks.  A couple weeks ago I told someone I would make some costume hats for a show our church is putting on.  I told her I would get to it the first week of June since that is when I was done with work. Well, last week she said she needed them by Friday (The play isn't until the middle of July).  Well, I started them yesterday and finished them tonight at 6:30.  My notions have been tangled, twirled, and tossed throughout my house.  Isaac has a battle wound from playing with my circular cutter(I swear I had it up and away from them) and was very concerned that his finger didn't stop bleeding...I won't even mention Kate.  She is a wild one.

The whole time.  Mommy, I want a 'tunduter' (conductor) hat too.  Mommy, is this my conductor hat? Who is this for mommy?  Is this for me?  What little boy are you making it for?  Is this MY conductor hat, Mommy?  His use of the language is quite impressive.

Kate, "I E" I E" (Isaac)  She says it all day. So I'm almost positive ksjdhifuhekjndkng I E? kajdfkajheiuhgkje I E? I E alskdjfkdjfksjdfi  Was the same thing.  Is that for Isaac?  Where is Isaac's?Isaac wants that hat.

The Hat:

I made two of them.  

Isn't he the sweetest little man?

Oh yeah, back to the plates...I have way too much going on.  I should say no to everything and see if it's therapeutic.

Shake it Up at the Dinner Table

Moroccan Mint Roasted Vegetables

So this recipe comes from 101cookbooks.com but I put a bit of my own spin on it and simplified it a bit. (You can go here http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/moroccan-mint-roasted-vegetables-recipe.html to see pictures though) I've been making it a lot this month and can't get enough of it. So yummy and easy. I use small new potatoes, any kind, cauliflower, and asparagus. But you could use lots of different combos, or just straight potatoes (no cauliflower / radish), or green beans and broccoli in the summer. Asparagus and artichokes in the spring, etc.

First get a big mixing bowl and make the dressing in there.  Once that is done, just throw the vegetables in as you cut them and then toss gently but thoroughly-until everything is evenly coated. Get out two big cookie sheets and spread the vegetables out evenly, squeeze em in there, just make sure all the big pieces are flat on the tray in one layer, not over lapping or on top of each other. (this is super important so they will cook properly, and get browned and a little crispy on the edges.)  Bake for 15 minutes or until everything is cooked through. 

Remove from the oven and serve on a platter over rice, (I prefer brown rice) topped with a squeeze of lemon and any/all of the other toppings. A fat dollop of plain yogurt brings everything together. The yogurt really makes this dish. I put it out in a small bowl and let people add to their liking, along with fresh chopped mint and lemon wedges to squeeze over it.


As a main course, this usually feeds me and my roommate, with enough left over for one other person. If you like you can grill up some nice lemon chicken and have this as a side it would feed four probably.
      

 Dressing

1 1/2 teaspoons dried mint (I prefer fresh mint, pile about 8-10 mint leaves on top of each other, then roll them up from top to bottom like a sleeping bag. Take your knife and start making small slices from one edge of the roll. you will end up with long strips of mint. From there start chopping it up into very fine little pieces.
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (you can do a bit less than this if you are afraid of the heat, but it is very mild actually with the full 1/2 teaspoon.                                                                                                                                                                                                             1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (use half a fresh lemon's worth of juice here, makes it nice and tangy!)

 Vegetables

1 lb / 16 oz / 450 g mix of about 5-6 potatoes, 1/2 a cauliflower, and 1/2 a bunch of asparagus. Slice the new potatoes very thin, as well as the cauliflower. I had never actually "sliced" cauliflower before, so I just cut it in half, then cut the half into quarters, and then sliced the quarters, it will crumble some and there will be small chunks but don't worry about it just throw all of it in the bowl once cut. 

 toppings: fresh mint, toasted sesame and/or sunflower seeds, plain yogurt (seasoned with a bit of salt)

-E