A lot

A lot is happening in my life. Something in me is shifting, opening, it's like a sigh of relief. I find myself crying for no apparent reason, simply crying because life is so beautiful. Or looking at the sky while driving and seeing how wonderful everything is and how all things flow. The feeling of flow especially, is coming back to me at times. It comes when I am not looking for it. When I drive for instance, suddenly it feels like everything is as it should be, I am where I should be, flowing with the existing wave of life.

I enjoy my teaching more as I realize that I am not really teaching. I am simply enabling people to see their inner beauty. All comes to perspective. I don't have to be didactic, I just need to let them be, let them smile and be comfortable in their bodies.

My body is slimming down, toning up without any visible effort on my part (other than the daily yoga and teaching). I am finding myself more comfortable in poses, but more importantly more comfortable with where I am and who I am. I don't force poses any more, I let them be. And whenever I can, I close my eyes, focus inward and let poses flow, allow them to come out from my knowing body and soul.

I listen to my inner voice more, even asking it questions through-out the day. Sometimes I get conflicting responses, oh well :) Life changes every minute, so does my responses I say. I know that my consciousness sneaks in sometimes, posing as my inner voice. But all the same, I am learning to tune in.

I am enjoying spending time with my friends more and more. I cannot believe how lucky I am! To be surrounded by interesting, accomplished, good people who care about me and mumu! How blessed is my life! Not only that, I allow and remind myself to be present in my conversations with people, friends, students, cashiers alike, learning about their perspective, not always speaking about myself and looking at their eyes. I smile every time, there's such light in every one. It's amazing! :)

Life unfolds itself. I have a lot of doubts, fears, worries. But life unfolds itself, like now, I look out the window and it's snowing. Beautiful, white and gentle flurries covering the ground. A joy rises within me, joy to live, a wish to experience life, and a will to be a part of it. Everything else fades away...

3 recipes in 1 :)

So here are a few dish ideas for dinner. I have cooked the salmon dish and the soup countless times. Why write them now? I guess cooking is the one constant thing that makes me feel creative and there is a guilty pleasure in recording my accomplishments for the day :) And I heard from a few of you that you tried and enjoyed some of my dishes. So I feel good that I transfer some of my hard-earned kitchen savviness :))

I did other creative stuff too today, I prepared my Little Mermaid class, right before waking up, that's the best time for prepping classes, I'm neither awake nor sleeping, there is a beautiful haze over me in the mornings that I'd like to live in as long as possible :) Anyhow, here goes the recipes :)

Mushroom soup

2 cups of cut mushrooms
2 table spoons of olive oil
1 table spoon of white flour (whole wheat is also ok)
1.5 litres of 1% milk
some salt, lots of black pepper

Cook the white flour in olive oil for a few minutes while mixing with a spoon. Then pour the mushrooms and a little salt. Once the mushrooms are soft add the milk and seasonings, and mix occasionally until all is cooked and soup gets thicker. Then (if you have one) use your hand blender (something like this) to mix everything within the pot and enjoy a yummy soup! :)





Salmon with honey mustard (from Rita's friend :)
I learned this recipe from my friend Rita who learned it from another friend (sorry can't remember who :) This one is the quickest and most delish Salmon recipe ever. Make it once, you'll end up making it again and again!

Salmon for however many people you'd like
salt, black pepper
Jack Daniel's Honey Dijon Mustard (if you don't have this, buy another honey mustard or mix some honey to the Dijon mustard you have at home)

Lay the salmon onto a pyrex with the skin side down if it has skin. Season with salt and pepper. Cover it with 1 spoon per 1 salmon serving of Honey Dijon Mustard (Jack Daniels brand really is the best one for this recipe!). Spread the mustard onto the surface of the salmon so it keeps nice and moist and absorbs the yummy flavor :). Place the pyrex to 350 degree heated oven. Your salmon should be yummily ready in 30-40 minutes (sorry salmon, we love you and thanks for the delish nutrition!). Enjoy! :)





My Style Mashed Potatoes :)
This is my interpretation of mumu's grandmother's magical mashed potatoes :) I'm adding kale for vitamins and leaving the potato skins on for fiber. I also added some garlic to it, who would we be without garlic? :)

6 golden potatoes
6 cloves of garlic
6 leaves of kale
2-3 table spoons of fresh dill
6 green onions
salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon

Wash the potatoes really well. Cut out any parts that seem funky. Then cut into pieces leaving the skin on. Wash kale and cut it in big chunks. Cut garlic in small pieces. Add all into a water filled pot. After all is cooked, drain and mash. Add olive oil, lemon juice, green onions, seasoning and dill.

Enjoy! :)
Damla

Easy Breezy Fruit Salad :)

Cut any soft fruit that you like. I used strawberries and bananas.
Pour lemon juice over it to slow down the oxidation.
Sweeten with some honey or agave nectar (I like agave for mine :).

Optional stuff: add some crushed wallnuts and/or serve with non-fat yoghurt on the side or over it!

Makes a wonderful, light, easy-breezy dessert!

Enjoy!
:) Damla

Everything-in-the-fridge Indian Inspired Veggie Dish :)

So for this one here is what I used:

3 table spoons of olive oil
1 onion
2 potatoes
a cup of small carrots
lots of mushrooms (or whatever amount you have)
4-5 pieces of celery
1 small piece of broccoli (I had it left in the fridge :)
1 large green pepper
salt, pepper

Cut everything and add to your iron-cast pot (some people call it a 'dutch oven' if you don't have one you can use a regular pot but I strongly recommend getting one, the flavors it produces are amazing! Plus your food cooks in half the time, mine's this one). Cook them in semi-low heat.

In the meantime, open a can of tomato sauce and pour your spices on it. You'll mix the spices with the sauce before pouring, this is the best way to mix things in without creating spice chunks! Add lots of curry, some chili powder, some cumin, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper, and my mom's secret spice mix (hehe I and only some selected individuals have this. Hmm, I can't give you the recipe, as I said it's a secret, I can tell you though if you don't have this add some oregano and mint as a substitute, it won't be as awesome but oh well :). Mix these in and pour into your pot.

Let things cook in low heat, checking and mixing every once in a while, before everything's about to be all cooked, you'll mix 5-6 cloves of garlic and 2 cups of cilantro in your mixer and add this as the very last piece. If the mixer has trouble mixing, add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.

Eat and thank me when you are loving it!
Ciao!
:) Damla

Zeynep's Lemony Veggies :)

This recipe is from my lovely ma-in-lo Zeynos.

1 cauliflower

2-3 big carrots

2 zucchinis (these were the ones I had at home, choose any kinds you like, although I have to say cauliflower and carrots work great in this one!)

Steam the veggies (if you don't have a steamer, boil them and drain before they get too mushy!)

Place them in a large bowl or serving plate

Mix the juice of two lemons with 3 cloves of mashed garlic, pour this on the veggies

Add some extra virgin olive oil and black pepper/red pepper

Get ready to eat! :)

This is the yummiest side dish ever!

Ciao!

Damla

Simple Bean Salad

Two cans of any kind of beans you like (black eyed ones work great! preferably not butter beans, something that won't dissolve and stand up in the salad!)
2-3 pieces of celery, cut to small pieces
half a large green pepper, cut to small pieces
A cup of cilantro, cut in chunks

Mix everything in a bowl, add rice vinegar and olive oil and any kind of seasonings you like (I like black pepper only) and enjoy! (I did say it's simple :)

Turkce kokusu

Ustumuze Turkce kokusu sinmis, ellerimiz sicak. Cam bardaktan iciyoruz cayimizi, daha iki gun evvel gordugumuz dostlari, akrabalari, kardesleri, candan da yakinlarimizi konusuyoruz. Daha yeni girmisiz iceri evimize, ustumuzde yol tozu var. Ayagimiz icerde ama ruhumuzun bir kismi disarda kalmis.

Evimizi de ozlemisiz, gelir gelmez duzenledik cekmeceleri, actik bavullari. O kalem cekmecesinden mesela, atildi disariya kullanilmayanlar, yazamayanlar. Mumu kiyafetlerini ayirdi yoksullara vermek icin, ben cam kavanozlari attim geri donusume. Geri donusturmek degildi butun amac, yer acmak istiyoruz yeni kendimize. Uc haftada degisir mi insan? Degismisiz iste. Daha dinginiz, daha enerjik ve donusturmek istiyoruz kendimizi ve cevremizi.

Yer ayni yer degil, biz ayni biz. Bu gelisimizde hele geriye, bu ev benim evim gibi degil. Benim evim mumunun yani. Artik atsam da satsam da fazla esyalari, ivirlari umursamiyorum. Icimde birseyler hazir tasinmaya, baska bir yola dusmeye. Mumuysa coktan hazir, hicbir zaman benim kadar toplayici, ivirci olmamistir zaten. Attikca, verdikce, duzenledikce rahatliyoruz ikimiz de. Hafifliyoruz. Kendimizi degisime hazirliyoruz.

Geride biraktiklarimiza hergun dualar ve dilekler yolluyorum. Geldigimizden beri 3-4 kere aradik mumunun ve benim annos, babislerimizi, Pelemizi. Saat saat haber verdikce ne yaptigimizi sanki hala yakiniz. Sanki ufak ayrintilarda gizli hayatin sirri. Bu sabah ne yaptin? Ne yedin? Ne ictin? Nerdesin? :)

Cografyalar farkli gibi de gelmiyor. Indigimiz New York havaalani Istanbul'un bir semti gibi. Washington ucaginda daha yeni gozumu kapamisken uyumak icin, bir de bakiyorum ki ucak inmis. Nerdeyiz, nasil geldik buraya? Nerelerden gectik? Dusunmek istemiyorum. Dusunsem de ne olacak ki zaten? Bir huzun kapliyor icimi ama onun da caresi var, 'bavullarimiz, pasaportlarimiz nerde? Gectik mi security'den? Ucaga yetistik mi?' curcunasina kapilinca hafifliyor huznum, yerini hayatta kalma telasi aliyor. Hayat devam ettiriyor kendini. Huzne yer yok akista, sadece akan enerjiye, sundugumuz dileklerimize ve bir dahaki bulusmalarin umutlu bekleyisine yer var.

Gece huzurla uyuyoruz. Yatagimizin tanidik kokusu, evimize sinen bizim kokumuz, soguk havada iki yorgani ustuste ortusumuz ve ayaklarimizin sicakligiyla uykuya dalisimiz. Uyaniklikla uyku arasinda sabaha karsi, haftaya anlatacagim dersimi planliyorum kafamda. Kucuk kizlara sunlari sormaliyim, surda sunu yapmaliyiz, surdan suraya gecerim dersimde ve super olur. Uyaniyoruz. Tevfikle yine bir toparlama, camasirlar, kahvalti, bir ara bir nefes bulup dersimi defterime ciziktiriyorum. Simdi aceleyle cikmam lazim sabah 11'deki dersime yetismek icin.

Akisa sukrediyorum, cunku akis tek tesellim. Bir arada yasayamasak da birlikteyiz iste. Ve nerde olursak yarimiz baska yerde. Iste boyle birsey hayatimiz.

Namaste,
Damla

Packing up

We are almost ready. Mumu and I packed the last of the gifts and orders and other stuff. My luggage is still to be prepared. I've forgotten the feeling of feeling like I forgot something :) There is always something to be forgotten, kind of the nature of a trip like ours. Once a year, three weeks, tons of friends and family to see, still too short, but longer than we could do before. So all is good. Now back to packing... :)

Zucchini with Dill

This is one of my mom's recipes. We love it! And yes I cooked a lot today :)

Enjoy!

:)

Zucchini with Dill

5-6 Zucchinis, cut to small pieces

4 large carrots

1 onion

3 garlics, mashed or cut

1 can of diced tomatoes (or use fresh)

salt, black pepper, red pepper (as much as you like)

1 table spoonful of dried dill (you can also use fresh)

Instruction: Cut and prepare everything, put them into a pot (it turnes out awesome in an iron-cast pot!), close the lid and cook in low to medium heat :)

Cabbage Thingy

Ok, this turned out awesome, so I had to write it down :)

Cabbage Thingy

Half a cabbage, cut in strips

3 large carrots, cut in circles

1 onion, cut to small pieces

3 garlics, smash or cut

4-5 champignon mushrooms

1 large green pepper

1 can of tomato sauce

1 can of diced tomatoes

3 table spoons of olive oil

salt, black pepper, red pepper, crushed red pepper, curry, cumin, cajun creole seasoning (a little from all of these :)

Instruction: cut and prepare everything, drop them in a pot all at the same time (except for the seasoning, add it half-way through), close the lid and cook in low to medium heat

Enjoy!

:) Damla

'Whatever's in the cupboard' Salad :)

So this one came about since I wanted something fresh and crunchy, and had the following ingredients in my fridge and cupboards. It ended up pretty nice, so give it a try! :)

'Whatever's in the cupboard' Salad

Half a red cabbage, cut or shred

1 can of pitted olives (cut in half if you wish or let them be whole)

1 can of cooked chickpeas

salt, black pepper, red pepper, crushed red pepper (as much as you like)

3-4 tablespoons rice vinegar

1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

4-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Instruction: mix them all :)