Congruence, and Pizza on the Grill!

Monday, monday! It is hard to believe that I have not written a word since late May, between the summer schedule and getting back into the swing this fall post my 9 month work sabbatical. What a time it has been! Admittedly there were many gifts in being home to "regroup," but I must also say that there were equal challenges, some quite unexpected. Namely, trying to define and determine my larger "Personal Life Goals" given the amount of down time I had daily, and that in spite of the fact that I was still cooking, cleaning, laundering, carpooling, and occasionally counseling the crisis du jour each and every day... Interesting indeed! Overall I must say that the time off was medicinal. I learned more about myself in the those daily quiet periods than I have in the last five years on the wheel, running as fast as I could.

A notion that kept coming into view this last year was congruence. The word "congruent" means to be in agreement or harmony. Congruence in life means seeking this same agreement or harmony in light of the oftentimes challenging or contradictory facets of daily life that we are all asked to synthesize along the way. Over the last few years, I have grown increasingly aware of the fact that I actually have the power to choose how I wish to interpret and digest the facts, challenges, and blessings of my life. No more feeling like I have been "set out to sea on a dingy without a sail" excuses need be uttered again. It has been eye opening, to say the least, like finally putting on prescription glasses after years of cloudy vision, stumbling around for balance.

Ultimately, my greatest desire is to become a woman of grace. You can't fake that one. Not for yourself, for your children, or for your people. While a person in disharmony exudes and exacts chaos on multiple fronts, a person who strives for congruence exudes calm and healing in spite of the chaos that can indeed exist in their sphere. I would rather be in the latter category of person, frankly, whatever that takes, and gratefully my sabbatical has helped me exponentially in this quest. I now pray that I can continue to find that all important balance as I endeavor to get back into the swing at The Curtain Exchange once a week, and work on all other afternoons with the wonderful young adults with disabilities I have been blessed to work with over the last few months at Friend's Life. So peace, friends, to all who are trying to achieve it in turn. May we find success and pass it forward.

And now to the all important food! Tonight I am making Pizza on the Grill, a new family favorite! The crust gets wonderfully smoky and crunchy, and even when I get home later than normal with work it is a quick, creative and delicious thing to throw together so we can all come to the table with enthusiasm!


PIZZA ON THE GRILL!

2 rounds of fresh pizza dough (either in the frozen section of your grocery, thawed according to package directions, or purchased from a local pizzeria)

Herb-Infused olive Oil (1/2 cup olive oil, blended with leaves from 4-6 sprigs of fresh thyme, 4 fresh leaves of basil, a pich of salt and a pinch of cracked black pepper)

2 tomatoes, thinly sliced

1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1 cup fresh mozarella cheese, grated

6 Fresh basil leaves, julienned

Cracked pepper and salt to taste

Heat your grill on medium heat, and scrape clean. Spray with non-stick spray.

Toss each ball of dough into pizza form (I like mine long rather than round because it is easier to fit on the grill), and baste with herb infused oil on one side. Salt and pepper lightly.

Put the dough directly on the grill, cover and cook for about 5-8 minutes, until the bottom is crispy and the top is also starting to look cooked. Then flip the doughs over and cover again, this time for about 5 minutes until the top is just cooked through.

Remove the crust from heat, and place foil over the grill. Return the pizza to the grill, placing it on top of the foil to prevent the bottom crust from burning, and top each with half each of the tomatoes, cheeses, basil, salt and pepper to taste. Cover again and cook until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes more.

Drizzle the top of each pizza with additional herbed oil if desired, and enjoy!

You can add ANYTHING to this pizza... Calamata olives, spinach leaves, meats (just cook them beforehand).... The possibilities are endless, and you and your family are sure to enjoy! And it is novel to boot!

Happy eating everyone, and glad to be back up and running, even if not daily with my new work schedule... Changing and moving with the times, and grateful as ever,

Adrian