Creative Soul Juice

Sometime there is too much with the world and one needs some comfort. After a trying week with a stolen debit card, unexpected car repairs and frustrations, this soul needed some comfort.  Turning on some iTunes and listening to my collection of 106.1 Music CD's , mixing flour, yeast, water, & oil to make some bread along with a big pot of Gypsy Stew, I found some serious soul comfort.  I hope you enjoy this variation of Molly Katzen's Gypsy Stew from the Moosewood Cookbook . It's a long time favorite of mine and gets better with every bowl.   Gypsy Stew 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 C chopped onions (approx 2 lg onions) 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 C chopped celery (1 large stalk) 2 C sweet potatoes, peeled & chopped  3 C vegetable broth 1 bay leaf 2 tsp paprika 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp dried basil 1 dash cinnamon 1 dash of montreal steak seasoning (this is vegetarian) cayenne pepper, to taste 1 C chopped tomato (fresh or canned)

Lately I've been obsessed with doodling and now I know why.  According to a CNN article on the subject, " doodling aids concentration by reducing an individual's capacity to daydream whether in the workplace or the classroom. The doodlers in the study retained about 29% more information than non-doodlers."  The busy holiday season is upon us, and the To Do lists seem to grow daily. With so many tasks to organize and plans for the season, I find it necessary to doodle as a way to relieve stress and focus more easily.  Focus? Concentrate? While doodling? Why, yes.  By making marks and using a right brain approach to problem solving, I've found a way to reduce the distraction of so many tasks and see them from a different perspective. In the article , Sunni Brown says, " By physically drawing shapes, images and letters, we are inviting our minds to slow down and to focus on that experience." So I've found a creative way to increase my concent