Quick Skillet Marinara Sauce

With the day behind me I opened my pantry and contemplated a box of pasta.  Inspiration hit and I knew then what to make for dinner.

INGREDIENTS

Box of angel hair pasta

Package of grape tomatoes (cut in half)

Half a sweet yellow onion (diced)

Six fat cloves of garlic (chopped)

Dried oregano

Dried rosemary

Salt & pepper

Olive oil

...

This morning I jotted down a few things regarding frustration.  Advice that I would give to myself and pass along to my children.  

Do not fester in frustration.

That is time wasted.  Channel that energy to do, plan or contemplate something positive.  

When you surrender your morning to negativity then you have just relinquished control of your day.  By control I do not mean the ability to prevent all mishaps, accidents and anything else you did not plan.  What I do mean is the control you have over your outlook and expectation you set for the day.

Frustration is manipulative.  Things, people, circumstances, happenstance may all zap you with it; but only you can give frustration its power to affect you.

Shake it off.  If frustration is caused by something you cannot change, why waste any more time or energy on it?  Let it go.

Set a course for yourself.  Begin with when you wake up in the morning.  Determine not to let the petty stuff deter you.  Your day and well-being is too precious for that.  Set a good intention for your day.

You are alive, and this new day is full of possibilities and creative ideas.  Do not allow frustration to mark you, rather leave a mark of purpose and joy.

...

Mid-morning I texted my friend: I am quite happy today.

She replied: Enjoy happiness!

That piece of advice to shake frustration off made a difference.  I felt more alert and energized.  As a result I was able to focus on projects and enjoy my work.  

AND...dinner was DELICIOUS!

PREPARATIONS

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.  

Sauté onions and garlic until onions become fragrantly sweet and golden.  

Add tomatoes.  

Season with oregano, rosemary, salt and pepper.  

Cook until the tomatoes melt.  

Spoon sauce over a bed of angel hair pasta.  Add some grated parmesan cheese.

  

Thwarting Frustration...with a Hamburger

Yellow.

I intensely like the color.

It reminds of autumn and golden leaves, warm summer sunshine and happiness.

Courtesy of National Geographic

Courtesy of National Geographic

To me YELLOW is HAPPINESS.

Courtesy of Tiffanys

Courtesy of JessicaIllustration on Etsy

Do you ever feel frustrated at times for not being able to write what you want to write?  There's a million things running and shoving inside you to be expressed, but somehow you're not able to type it out.  Sometimes I feel so boxed in.  So hampered.  I can't write what's on the surface, because people don't want me to write about it.  No, it's not confidential information.  It's things that I'm dealing with, going through, processing.  I could write vaguely about it, but it would be just that: VAGUE.  

So here I am, sitting before my computer, racking my brain to write about something when the thing that is so before me cannot be mentioned.  I guess I could write about frustration.  

No, I'd rather not.

I could tell you about Friday.

Early afternoon Friday, after completing work and a round of errands I craved a hamburger--not just any hamburger, a specific one.  Let me preface by saying only on rare occasions do I crave a hamburger.  This happened to be one of them.  

The day was gloriously sunny, and even though it was after the noon hour traffic was pretty thick.  Perhaps the population decided to take a personal day and enjoy this last taste of lingering summer weather.  Kincaid's was not on my errand route.  The craving persuaded me to go the extra mile.  

Upon arrival I almost turned around and abandoned the idea.  The parking lot was completely full.  Granted, a massage parlor and a nail salon shared the strip the restaurant was located, but I've never seen it so busy.  Then again I never visited the establishment on a golden Friday afternoon.  Usually my friend and I would stop by during the middle of the week, and we had not been back in a long while.  That day, however, I noticed there was a back parking lot.  Well, in that case I decided to stop.

Inside was not at all busy as the full lot had me believe.  There were no people standing in line at the counter to order food.  Families and couples were already seated at tables happily dipping their fries in ketchup and wiping their mouths.  I ordered my favorite, a junior bacon cheeseburger with everything but lettuce, and  a side order of French fries.  Within minutes I had a bag in my hands ready to feast...at home.