A Change of Pace

I have a small, no-fuss, tree this year, but I think she is a beauty! Change is good, it’s exploring all possible sides and opportunities, to see what works and what doesn’t, so you can learn and grow and hopefully make better choices in the future.

And today is all about change. It’s Winter Solstice, New Moon in Capricorn (actually The Sun, Moon, Pluto, Mercury, Vesta and Venus are all in Capricorn today), plus it’s the end of a 2.5 years of Saturn being in Scorpio, the planet is moving into Sagittarius on December 23 – today is one tightly-packed astrological powerhouse! And, by-the-way, if you say you don’t believe in astrology, it’s OK 🙂 People once thought the Earth was flat. Just because you don’t believe in something, it doesn’t seize to exist and influence you. Astrology is an ancient science just like math and philosophy, it is governed by “laws and rules” despite some common beliefs that it’s just a collection of random facts, you can be surprised how accurate and downright “boring and predictable ” astrology is when you learn the rules and recognize the patterns.

New Moon is always a great time to start new projects and set your intentions on something that needs change, waxing Moon (from New Moon to Full Moon) is a time for growth and expansion while waning Moon (Full Moon to the next New Moon) is a good period to get rid of something unwanted or to review and release. So set your intention today on whatever it is you want to grow and change for yourself, but you have to be very specific when asking the Universe for things – as one very wise friend says “The Universe is a short-order cook with no imagination” – literary spell out every point of whatever it is you want to accomplish (I’ve seen both in my life and those I know manifestations fulfilled in the exact way they were asked for so some details that were not asked for were, in fact, omitted). Also, when asking, either aloud in a verbal form or written down, do not use any negative words like “no or don’t”, the Universe doesn’t understand them, you have to reframe them in a positive statement, otherwise, you’ll get the opposite of what you asked for (for example, don’t say I don’t want to smoke anymore – say I want to be free of my smoking habit).

The movement of Saturn from Scorpio into Sagittarius two days from now is also very important. Saturn is a planet of rules, order, foundation and structure. When it was in “death and rebirth emotional” Scorpio for the past 2.5 years, we were forced to look at our beliefs, patterns and “the dark side, the underworld” – where imbalance is present, where things need to be changed, where challenges were highlighted and brought to our attention. With Saturn moving into fiery “go-getter, truth-be-told” Sagittarius, you’ll feel that it’ll finally be easier to move forward and see some results but in a more practical and grounded way. It’ll actually be a good period, I’m looking forward to it!

And with the year coming to closure, it’s a perfect time to reflect on the past twelve months – give thanks for whatever wonderful things you’ve seen come into your life, even if they appeared with lessons to learn and challenges to master, and set your intentions on what you want to accomplish next and where you want to be in 2015.

What’s Cooking This Week

The next ten days are all about the holidays of course. I’m sure you have your favorite holiday dishes that you make every year, but why not take a change of pace there too and cook something different. The recipe I present today would look great at either a family gathering or a regular weekday dinner. It’s both healthy and satisfying but looks festive and very much in pace with seasonal flavors. If you’ve never had rabbit, I encourage you to try, it’s very lean, and the meat has a slight sweet undertone, it’s a great alternative to chicken.

Rabbit Legs with Parsnips and Fennel in Cranberry Wine Sauce

6 rabbit legs

5-6 parsnips, cut

2 fennel bulbs, cut

1 package of baby Bella mushrooms

1/2 cup do dry white/rose wine

2 Tbsps of butter

1/4 cup of milk (I used almond milk)

1/2 cup of fresh or whole dried cranberries

2 Tbsps of sugar

3 tsps of French blend herbs

salt, pepper, fresh herbs to garnish

Arrange meat and vegetables in a baking tray, lightly salt and pepper and sprinkle French blend herbs on top.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375F degrees for about 35-40 minutes or until the meat cuts through and the vegetables are tender.

In a mean while also make sauce. In a small pot, melt 2 Tbsps of butter, combine cranberries and sugar and cook just until the berries burst. Then add the wine and let alcohol cook off, then add milk and cook just until all is blended and berries are soft.

Pour the sauce over meat and vegetables just before the meal is served. The sauce is not over-powering but just adds juiciness and a touch of tartness to this dish. I guarantee you’ll all enjoy this change of pace.

Happy Holidays!