Saturday, July 23, 2011

Southwestern Stuffed Puff Pastry...and Perspective!


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"You and I do not see things as they are. We see things as we are;
because it is the "I" behind the "eye" that does the seeing."
~ Anais Nin
I can't remember who told me this true story, very likely Skip Heitzig and I think I was about 16 when I first heard it, but I remember the story well. It goes something like this:

"There was a man who was once robbed of his purse. He wrote in his diary: 'Let me be thankful. First, I was never robbed before. Second, although they took my purse, they did not take my life. Third, although they took my all, it was not much. Fourth, let me be thankful because it was I who was robbed, and not I who did the robbing.' "

What a perspective!!!!!!
Webster's dictionary defines perspective as: one's "point of view", the choice of a context for opinions, beliefs and experiences.

I LOVE how that's worded.
"the CHOICE of a context for opinions, beliefs, and experiences."

Every day when we wake up we have a choice.
We can choose how our attitude and perspective will be for that day!
It sure takes a concentrated effort though, doesn't it?
But WE have the choice...I love that!


What if we chose to have a different perspective then our usual stock response?
What if we purposed it in our hearts to deliberately see the joy over the pain?
What would change? Who would be impacted?

I'd like to leave you with one final thought today.
I know we're all experiencing the ripple effect of a tough economy.
And so in the spirit of perspective, this statistic that I came across in the Live Faithfully homework series by Lenya Heitzig and Penny Rose is worth reflecting on:

"If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead, and a place to sleep,
you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you have never experienced war, imprisonment, torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million other people.
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy."

Sweet Bellas, it all comes down to perspective...
What will YOU choose today?

On that note, I have the perfect dish to turn that frown upside down, and trust me, you don't have to slave in the kitchen all day to serve this elegant meal. This recipe is perfect to serve to guests and the presentation is fantastic. Enjoy, and keep shining Sweet Bellas...

Southwestern Stuffed Puff Pastry
*picture shown above

Ingredients:

1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
6 oz. of cooked chicken, shredded or diced

*shortcut: you can used rotisserie chicken or one of those prepackaged cooked and diced chicken packages that they carry in the lunch meat section of your grocery store :)

10 cremini mushrooms, rinsed, de-stemmed, and diced
1/2 small yellow onion
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 Tbsp of olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
6 oz of cream cheese, softened
2-3 Tbsp of chopped green chile
1 tsp of garlic powder
3/4 cup of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 egg
splash of water

Directions:

1)Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet out to a 12 x 8 inch rectangle. Cut into six 4 x 4 inch squares.
2) In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, green chile, and garlic powder. spread appx 1 oz. in the center of each square.
3)Meanwhile, in a small frying pan over medium heat, saute olive oil, garlic clove onion salt and pepper for one minute, add cremini mushrooms and cook until onions are translucent. Turn off heat.
4) top each square with 1 oz. of cooked chicken
5)Spoon 1 Tbsp of mushroom/onion saute mixture on top of chicken on each square
6) Top each square with a good pinch of sharp cheddar cheese.
7) Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork or whisk to create an egg wash. Brush the edges of the pastry squares with the egg wash. Fold the corners of the pastry squares to the center over the stuffing mixture and press to seal. Place the filled pastries seam-side down onto a baking sheet. Brush the pastries with the egg wash.
8)Bake @ 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serves 6.

I like to serve this with a caprese salad and roasted asparagus.

Mangia!

25 comments:

  1. i loke your post.I totally live like that.In the morning when I wake up I say.I ma thankfull another day of life>Carpe diem:)

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  2. Bravo, my friend, bravo. We are surrounded by so much. Your words immediately made me think of Paul and his attitude towards life and the trials he had to face.

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  3. Oh I love your southwestern puff pastry...and your perspective! I watched a program last night about someone who said he had a near death experience and he said it changed his entire perspective about life and death. He said every day, every thing he does, he now lives with purpose and with faith...that heaven is a real and indescribably glorious place and this life here on earth is only a part of our journey but we should live it with full joy because, he said, "it is magnificent to be alive"! I thought about all the complaining we (well, I) do and realized that I need to stop more often to remember how "magnificent" life really is! Thanks for this reminder, Bella! And thanks for providing a joyful pleasure through your delightful recipe...that photo makes me hungry! :)

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  4. Wow! What perspective indeed! That story (about the man being robbed) is really inspiring. I hope to see things like that. :)

    And this puff pastry looks delicious! :)

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  5. A beautiful menu and an even more beautiful testimony to PERSPECTIVE!!!
    It's at the heart of everything.

    Thanks so much for coming by Twinfatuation today!
    LOVE your blog....and a happy new follower!

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  6. I always experience two things when I visit your blog....(1) I get hungry. (2) I get blessed. Thanks so much for sharing your heart and your recipes. Have a beautiful weekend!

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  7. A beautiful meal and message..but this is what I always expect when I visit you :-) Thank you for sharing such a delicious meal with me today. I hope you have a beautiful Saturday...and stay cool! Much love from Austin.

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  8. What a nice post ... I am happiest when I choose to be happy ... in the thinking about it and in the being it.

    Your little puff pastry pockets are delightful! And I also love the tomato caprese thing on the side!

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  9. Hi Bella-I've been clicking over to your blog several times, over the last week and it always showed your post from the last time. Don't know how I could have missed your latest, dated July 23rd, two days after the previous one...unless, you just posted it recently with the original date, that you saved it at!...if I should have missed it, I'm so sorry for my oversight!

    I do not agree with the man claiming that he is thankful for being robbed for the first time...I, personally am thankful for never being robbed, and in perspective, I get up each morning thanking my Creature for giving me "life" for another day, for we do not know what each day has in "store" for us!
    ...and in perspective, I plan each day according to what is on the schedule, and what may come up at the last minute, with unexpected things, that comes my way!
    While I'm blabbing excessively, I do not want to forget to mention how amazing, delicious and beautiful you Southwestern stuffed puffed pastry looks...love the pairings of the grilled asparagus, and the tomato-mozzarella addition!
    Truly Superb:DDD
    Take care, sweet bella...don't forget to rest, and be careful, in your condition! (smiles, and lots of hugs)

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  10. Scrumptious puff pastry. Great and blessed perspective! I wish to always be like that. He may have lost his purse, but not his life and that is to be thankful for ;)

    Have a great weekend.

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  11. This is a lovely post. One of the rare ones that really make you stop and think. I'd like to think that as a reporter, I do a pretty good job of keeping an open mind but I'm still human. As for your recipe...your pastry sounds amazing! Well done :)

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  12. I choose to be happy!

    Thanks for stopping by my blog.

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  13. Alo Alo, Came over following your comment on my blog and am here to stay :) just clicked the 'follow' button. I suspect your blog might be the remedy to my cooking handicap! lol

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  14. Oh my goodness...looks delicious. And I love the story and message in your post, too. Thanks so much for visiting My 3 Little Birds and leaving a comment. I'm glad my post Grain by Grain was meaningful to you.

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  15. I think sometimes I need posts like this to remind me to step back and be thankful. Thank you for the positive perspective :) And the new puff pastry recipe! Wishing you a great weekend.

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  16. what a breath of fresh air, to come over and read your blog! i actually read this post a few days ago and have been thinking on the perspective of how lucky we are to be the "robbed" instead of the robber - everything is replaceable as long as we have the people we love! well, and as long as i'm not robbed of my puff pastries, which are DELISH. glad to find you!!

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  17. Yum! And I always like to be reminded that I have a choice. I can either sit around or I can make something happen for myself. Lately I've been choosing the latter and its been making such a difference.

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  18. I had never heard the story of the man being robbed. My favorite part was the very end when he was thankful for being the one being robbed and not the one doing the robbing. Excellent lesson on perspective.

    I'd venture to say the food is delicious from any perspective.

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  19. You do have a choice to be happy or not. Is your cup half full or half empty? We should live every day to the fullest, because we never know if this is our last day or not.

    Whew! I would certainly be grateful for these wonderful. stuffed pastries. Thank you for this inspirational post.

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  20. Hi Bella! I'm back again, just to say "hello" and to see how you are doing, and how you are feeling?
    I realize it's not easy for you to post often...you are so sweet to be commenting so often is always a pleasure to hear from you!
    Hope all is well, and baby, as well:DDD
    Hugs,

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  21. What a lovely post! I don't remember seeing this post the last few times I checked in on you? Hope you are doing well :)
    I love this stuffed pastry, would have to skip the chicken but I bet it would still be amazing :)

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  22. Bellissimo questo post, mi ha pensare a quante difficoltà ho dovuto superare nella mia vita, e a quante persone si trova ora in un momento difficile.Favolosa questa ricetta.
    Un abbraccio Daniela.

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  23. Yum! I even have some puff pastry in the freezer ... hmmmmm....

    Visiting from SITS :)

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  24. oh my, that looks delicious. and i love caprese salad! i might just have to steal this whole meal.

    thanks so much for stopping by during my SITS Day. I hope you will visit again sometime.

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  25. Perspective is such a powerful thing - how we choose to view and respond to a situation makes all the difference. Thank you for the reminder. Happy SITS Day!

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