Once Upon A Time...2 Year Blogoversary & Salmon Salad

"I dare you to move..."

~Switchfoot

Has it already been TWO YEARS since Mangiabella arrived on the scene?

Ai yai yai. Did someone hit fast forward while I wasn't looking???

To celebrate, I whipped up a wonderful summer salad.

Cool enough to beat the heat, and light enough to keep the waistband in check.

But don't worry...it's not sissy, it's sassy, 

and these bursting flavors are sure to keep the party going.

Now I must confess my husband was not on board with this dish.

Can't appreciate a good black bean 'n' corn anything to save his life.

What's up wit dat??? Crazy Cat. 

But I'm strangely addicted to his ridiculousness.

Before I divulge all of the inner workings of this succulent salad, 

I thought you might like to know how it all began.

You know. The "birth story". 

Every blog has a "birth story."

And here's mine.

Once upon a time, in the not too distant past,

two hip youngsters with a penchant for spontaneous adventures

 were smack dab in the middle of their odyssey.

All sorts of twists and turns in the road, unforeseen obstacles blocking the path,

arrows flying in every direction.

We're talking one CA-razzzzzy expedition.

 Undeniably...riveting.

Many MANY things transpired during that time, but to summarize,

The Lord took us on an excursion that was exhausting.  And exhilarating.  

All at the same time.

The things we learned. The faith walk we were on 

was like nothing I ever could have anticipated.

We are well acquainted with "the 11th hour."

My husband likes to say that hindsight is 20/20. I couldn't agree more.

It's fascinating really, to look back and see how, very simply put,

GOD USED EVERYTHING.

Every moment. Every morsel.

It was then that HE began to do divine surgery on my heart.

And it was then that I finally began to learn what true faith in HIM was,

faith for day to day basics, and I was so green.

I thought I Had faith to move mountains,

but I quickly learned that I had much to learn in that department,

and it took several years for the Lord to rebuild me from the inside out.

As I mentioned in earlier posts, I never did well with not knowing.

The fear of the unknown was a burden to say the least.

I had "white knuckle syndrome" to the max.

But that whole journey changed everything.

And now....flash forward years later.

I've come to embrace and even relish the understanding

that true "surrender" means giving up attachment to results.

That no matter how it plays out, good bad or indifferent...

that I know that I know that I am going to be ok.

And even if everything falls apart, trusting and knowing

that HE will do something new. And HE did...

Then...I entered a recipe contest on a whim.

I'm not even 100% sure of why I entered that contest.

I mean, the thought of the $25,000 grand prize 

was definitely something we could benefit from.

That goes without saying.

Several people had been nudging me to "just do it."

I had just finished reading "Waking the Dead" by John Eldredge, 

and finally felt inspired enough to go for it,

as though I had a new motivation fueling me.

Not so much a motivation to win.

But a motivation to shine.

To stop sitting in the shadows.

To stop back burnering all the talents

and just begin somewhere. anywhere.

The catalyst.

One baby step was all I needed to awaken the rest within.

I began to enter other contests, and meet new people. Put myself out there.

And suddenly, I thought that maybe the devotional emails I was sending

to my girlfriends should get out to more people.

Maybe others could be inspired to not just be alive, but AWAKE.

Maybe I could encourage others to step out of the day to day drudgery

and marvel at something, even if just for a moment.

And maybe, just maybe, I could use my creativity and enthusiasm

to nudge others to express THEIR talents as well.

I would have never thought in a million years

that just stepping out of the comfort zone

would spark all of this. The domino effect had begun.

My original intention in creating this blog 

was to chronicle the adventure of making a cookbook 

that my husband had been trying to get me off of my hiney

to do after all these years. 

But one of my truest friends, one who is older and wiser than me,

told to me not to go that route even though it felt safe.

That I needed to be sharing the kinds of things I was already sharing

with my girlfriends in my emails.

That's what would keep it personal. Real. 

She told me that all I needed to do was keep shining, 

and the rest would follow.

I really chewed on that a bit. It was all so intimidating.

I mean, there are tons of blogs out there.

I wasn't sure I had anything relevant to say,

anything of value to contribute.

But the Still, Small Voice inside said otherwise.

Thus, Mangiabella was born.

With the hopes to inspire others to devour life with me.

Devour my food. Devour my words.

And with the hopes that my appetite for getting the most

out of this life journey would be contagious,

that it would make others hunger and thirst.

There was really no other plan.

And I still have no idea where any of this is going,

but it doesn't matter...no attachment to results.

However it all plays out, good bad or indifferent,

HE USES EVERYTHING.

And....HE already is....

Happy Blogoversary Mangiabella!

and as always...

Keep Shining Sweet Bellas!

Salmon & Asparagus Salad w/ black bean 'n' corn salad & a side of

 grilled avocado on Mediterranean Pita Bread

On a bed of spring greens with diced grape tomatoes and cucumbers,

I laid a filet of Salmon that had been covered with

olive oil, salt & pepper to taste, and the juice of half of a lemon, then steamed in foil on the grill.

You can also steam in oven at 400 for appx. 15 minutes.

Then, I spooned black bean & corn salad on top,

and sprinkled a little feta cheese.

To make the black bean and corn salad,

I mixed a 1/2 cup of sweet corn,

1/2 cup of black beans, drained and rinsed,

1/2 of a red bell pepper, diced

2 Tbsp of purple onion, diced

2 Tbsp of olive oil

salt/pepper to taste

juice of one lime

1 Tbsp of cilantro

a generous pinch of cumin.

I roasted asparagus spears

@400 in the oven with olive oil,

lemon juice, salt/pepper.

To grill the avocado,

I cut it in half, removed the pit.

placed face down on grill for 10 minutes.

spooned out the meat of the avocado into a dish

mashed it with the juice of a lemon

salt to taste

and slivered a large pinch of fresh basil leaves.

The pita bread was toasted on the grill.

Complete deliciousness.