Permanence?

I’m beginning to think more about the concepts of forms, consciousness, and permanence. Every “thing” is just a “form” and we are conscious souls according to Eckhart Tolle, author of “A New Earth.” That reminds me of the story of how and where my husband and I met, dated and were married. We agreed to meet for drinks on a blind date at a Mexican-chain restaurant, “El Torito”. Years later, that beautiful stucco and tile roof building was demolished and a Best Buy and a parking lot were built in its place. On the same evening that we met, we enjoyed pizza across the street at a locally-owned Italian restaurant called “Page One”, also the place where my sister held her wedding rehearsal dinner two years earlier. Years later, that restaurant was demolished and replaced with a “Barnes and Noble” bookstore. Our first kiss was in the parking lot of a comedy club inside a Ramada Inn which is no longer in operation. My husband and I dated for a couple years. He proposed to me after dinner at The Crow's Nest, a riverside restaurant that's since been domolished. I’m sure there were other establishments that have come and gone. We were married at St. Joseph Catholic Church, which was remodeled and looks quite different, but still stands. On February 13th, we will celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary, so we are permanently united souls no matter what forms remain.

In Search of Tahini

I love to try recipes and a big recipe book came with my son’s new Magic Bullet blender. I decided to make homemade hummus. The recipe is fairly easy, except for one elusive ingredient, tahini paste. Tahini paste is actually ground-up sesame seeds. After checking the ethic foods aisle and the spices and dressings aisle, I asked a Publix supermarket employee where to find it. He took me to the produce section, but couldn’t find it there. Then, he said, “Wait a minute, let me go up front and ask someone.” Minutes later, while I hung out in the produce section, he came back around from the other side of the store and said it’s on aisle three (the ethic foods section). I followed him and we both searched again. No luck. Of course, I didn’t really know what I was looking for. He thought it was in a tube. I thought it might be in a jar. It might have been easier to make my own, but searching for sesame seeds might be another story. Then, he left to ask another employee who came down the aisle and pointed right at the seven-ounce yellow can on the top shelf. I thought it was a bit expensive at $7.49, but felt obligated to buy it. So, we’re going to be making a lot of hummus.
Whether you make your own tahini paste or buy a can, the hummus recipe is:
1 can (14 oz.) of chick peas a.k.a garbanzo beans drained
1/3 cup chicken stock
3 cloves of garlic (I put in 4 and it was too garlicky)
2 Tbs. lemon juice
3 Tbs. tahini paste
Blend. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a bowl, drizzle olive oil, and sprinkle with paprika. Serve with warm pita bread triangles. Wa-la, just like the Greek restaurant.