8 positive Recipes

five ways to stay positive in negativity, by julie fuimano, easy to be positive in a positive environment. it s when things are emotionally draining and negative that you re challenged to behave differently. but you have the opportunity to be the beacon of light for others around you. by your actions and responses, you can demonstrate and teach others how to behave in an appropriate, positive and professional manner., positive energy catches on just as quickly as negative energy. sometimes people are simply stuck in a habit or pattern of behavior and are accustomed to acting a certain way. if the environment is really caustic, then it s what people are used to and may be all they know., it takes some time and effort as well as a commitment to do something differently to create sustainable change. you must be willing to identify and stop tolerating what s not working, do the right thing even if it s initially unpopular and then teach others to do the same., here are five ways you can be a positive force in your workplace ., first step is awareness, recognize the negativity around you. sometimes you can even feel your energy being drained by the words being spoken. if it feels bad or uncomfortable, then it s negative. these feelings are a form of intelligence similar to a tap on the shoulder letting you know something is not right. if you can identify what is happening, you can make good choices about handling it., it all starts with you, in what ways are you contributing to the negativity around you are you listening to gossip or participating in conversations where the only focus is to denigrate, diminish or criticize language matters. everything you say has an impact; saying something negative not only dishonors the person you re speaking about and the person you re speaking with, but it also makes you feel bad even if you don tsp realize it. learn to respect people s humanity and their right to be themselves. complaining without end does not focus on creating solutions; rather, it perpetuates and magnifies the problem, wasting everyone s precious time and energy., speak up, tell the other person how you feel by saying , this doesn tsp work for me. it s nonjudgmental, since you re making it about you, not them. also, people often don tsp realize they are being negative. point it out in a gentle, caring way: do you realize you are complaining just bringing it to their attention can be enough to shift the conversation. over time, people will learn what they can and cannot discuss with you, and it will stop being an issue. if you say nothing, your silence conveys permission to continue., be constructive , positive, meaningful and beneficial, what is the point or purpose of what you re saying is it to hurt or help and at the end of the conversation, is there an action step to take constructive conversations are empowering and leave people a little better off from having participated in them. become the kind of person who takes your time and words seriously., praise and acknowledge, amazing what a few words of praise and acknowledgement can do. you want to be the kind of person people gravitate to because they know they will be uplifted by you, not put down or drained of life-sustaining energy. in short, you want people to feel good after being in your presence., no matter what is going on around you , you control your inner environment and how you choose to respond to external events and situations. it s your responsibility to become the kind of person you enjoy being and with whom others enjoy being around., it takes a true leader to walk a path different from the crowd. so when others are negative, stretch your boldness muscles and be positive in spite of what others do or think. it s the only way to create a ripple of change. and if we all do our part, then slowly but surely, we will make a difference in our work environment and the larger community.

head lettuce, washed & drained well, grape tomatoes, doritos (i prefer pepper jack or extra nacho), grated sharp cheddar cheese, fat-free catalina dressing (regular makes it way too greasy!!), ground beef, taco seasoning

old age, i decided , is a gift., i am now , probably for the first time in my life, the person i have always wanted to be., i would never trade my amazing friends , my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. as i ve aged, i ve become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. i ve become my own friend., i don tsp chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that i didn tsp need, but looks so avant garde on my patio. i am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant., whose business is it if i choose to read or play on the computer until 4 am and sleep until noon, i will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50 s, 60 s, & 70 s, and if i, wish i will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if i choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set., will get old ., i know i am sometimes forgetful. but there again , some of life is just as well forgotten. and i eventually remember the important things.., over the years my heart has been broken ..., but broken hearts are what give us strength andunderstanding and compassion. a heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect., i am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. so many have never laughed, and so may have died before their hair could turn silver., as you get older , it is easier to be positive. you care less about what other people think. i don tsp question myself anymore. i ve even earned the right to be wrong., answer your question , i like being old. it has set me free.. i like the person i have become., i am not going to live forever, but while i am still here, i will not waste time lamenting about what could have been, or worrying about what will be. and i shall eat dessert every single day. (if i feel like it), may our friendship never come apart especially when it s straight from the heart, may you always have a rainbow of smiles on your face and in your heart forever and ever

you will need : makes 2 large baguettes or 4-5 smaller loaves(12 inches), sponge, bread flour, warm water(110 degrees ), instant or rapid rise yeast, dough, bread flour, instant or rapid rise yeast, warm water (110degrees), salt, glaze, egg beaten with 2 tbsp water, directions: this recipe requires 2 days... so plan ahead ., day 1, make the sponge. in a medium bowl, stir all of the ingredients until combined. you will need to cover the bowl with plastic wrap. let it sit at room temp until the sponge has risen and fallen at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours. i made mine in the late afternoon and started on it in the morning., day 2, in a mixer bowl, fitted with the dough hook, combine 3 cups of the flour and yeast. on low speed, add water and mix until the dough comes together. it will be about 2 minutes. stop the mixer and cover the bowl with a plastic wrap. let it sit at room temp for 20 minutes. after the 20 minutes. remove the plastic wrap and add the sponge from the previous day. add the salt and knead the dough on medium-low for about 8 minutes. after about 4 minutes, if the dough is still sticking to the sides if the bowl, add the remaining 1/2 cup flour, 2 tbsp at a time. the dough should not stick to sides only to the bottom of the bowl. complete kneading the dough for the additional 4 minutes. you should have kneaded the dough for a total of 8 minutes., turn the dough on a lightly floured counter top. form into a nice ball ., place the dough into a large , lightly oiled bowl. cover tightly with greased plastic wrap. let rise in a warm place. like with all my breads i let it rise in a cozy oven. (i turn on the oven for about a minute and then turn it off. ...it should feel just cozy, not hot or too warm.)let rise 1 hour., after the initial 1 hour rise time , you will need to turn the dough 2 times slide a bench scraper under 1 side of the dough. gently lift and fold 1/3 of the dough toward the center., repeat with the other side. finally, fold the dough in half perpendicular to the first folds. this should be a rough square. let it rise for 30 minutes . the process of turning and folding. cover the bowl with plastic wrap. let rise for an additional 30 minutes. this process stretches the dough gently and ensures that the sheets of gluten in the bread provide the proper structure and strength. top a large rimless(or inverted) baking sheet with parchment paper. turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter top. divide it into 2 loaves(i divided mine in 4-5 pieces as my baking stone is too small)., shape each piece into a baguette and lay each piece seam side down. space them about 4-5 inches apart., shaping the baguettes, work with 1 piece at a time. gently pat the dough into a rectangle., gently fold the bottom third of the dough up to the center. press to seal. bring the bottom of the dough up to the top and seal., flour your hand and create a large crease down the middle., top and the bottom of the dough together making sure it is secure ., gently roll the baguette back and forth to make a long log. lay each piece seam side down unto a parchment lined baking sheet., remember to space them. mist the baguettes with vegetable oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap.( i didn tsp cover them with plastic wrap). let rise in a warm place till doubled about 1 hr to 1 1/2 hr., after about 40 minutes of rising time prepare your oven. adjust your oven rack to the lower-middle position. place a baking stone on the rack and heat the oven to 500 degrees. let the baking stone heat for 30 minutes but no longer than 1 hour. after the baguettes have doubled in size, score them with 1/2 inch slashes. use a very sharp knife or a sharp blade. brush the breads with egg-water mixture. carefully slide the breads and parchment paper unto the baking stone. immediately reduce the oven to 425 degrees. don tsp forget this step. bake until golden and center of bread registers at 210 or about 25 minutes. rotate loaves halfway to ensure even browning. i don tsp think i bothered with turning them. let cool for about 30 minutes. this bread is amazing for steak sandwiches. delicious, recipe was adapted from america s test kitchen baking cookbook .

raw fish heads, bones, tail , and lobster tail shell, whole fresh bay leaves, coarse sea salt, whole black peppercorns, water, olive oil, divided, onion, coarsely chopped, fennel bulb, coarsely chopped, coarse sea salt, divided, dry white wine, diced tomatoes, undrained, fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, orange peel , optional, saffron, firm fish fillets, such as farmed cobia or wild striped bass (1 or 2 types), skin and bones removed, cut into 1-inch pieces, at room temperature, flaky fish fillets, such as black cod, wild halibut, or black rockfish (1 or 2 types), skin and bones removed, cut into 1-inch pieces, at room temperature, garlic, crushed, cayenne pepper, mussels, cleaned and beards trimmed, at room temperature, raw lobster tail, shell removed and meat cut into 1-inch pieces, at room temperature, baguette, sliced, garlic, cut in half, recipe rouille , recipe follows, optional, red bell pepper, garlic, peeled, fresh red chile, stem removed and seeded, freshly squeezed lemon juice, coarse sea salt, olive oil

instant yeast (2 1/2 tsp, or 4 oz), honey, warm water (divided ), bread flour (plus additional for dusting the work surface), whole wheat flour, kosher salt, extra virgin olive oil, cornmeal for sprinkling the baking pans, special equipment : baking pans or cookie sheets, pizza stone (optional), makes eight 6-7 inch pitas, procedure, combine the two flours in a medium bowl., whisk in 1/2 cup of the flour mixture and keep whisking until the mixture is very smooth. cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour, or until doubled and bubbly., stir the salt into the remaining flour mixture ., mix in the remaining flour , 3/4 cup water, and olive oil. stir until a shaggy dough forms., turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic., lightly spray a large, clean bowl with cooking spray (or coat with olive oil). place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat in the oil. let sit in a warm spot for at least an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size., punch down the dough (it s fun) and cut into 8 fairly even pieces., lightly flour a work surface ., roll each dough piece into a ball between your hands. flatten 1 of the dough balls , then roll out on your floured work surface to 6-7 inches in diameter. transfer the pita to the cornmeal-dusted baking sheet. repeat with each dough ball., let the dough rest, loosely covered with a clean kitchen towel, for 30 minutes., if you are baking your pita on a pizza stone , place the stone on the oven floor, and remove the middle oven rack (move the second oven rack to the top position, out of the way). if you don tsp have pizza stone, remove the top oven rack, and place the second rack in the lower middle position., preheat the oven to 500of., transfer the pitas , two at a time, to the pizza stone or oven rack. bake for 2 minutes on 1 side, gently flip with tongs or a long spatula, and bake on the other for 1 minute., pita to a cooling rack. cool for 1-2 minutes, then stack to keep warm.