300 Days of Sunshine

  While perusing through a used book store in Minnesota a couple months ago, I came across the Coyote Cafe cookbook on the clearance shelf for $0.99.  I thought to myself, this couldn't possible be the recipes of THE Coyote Cafe (a well-known, up-scale Santa Fe restaurant that has been one of my very favorites since Restaurant Week in 2012).  Sure enough, it was indeed chef Mark Miller's book of the Coyote Cafe!  What a great find! The book is filled with Mark Miller's recipes that stem from a variety of Southwestern, Hispanic and Native American influences.  He has a unique and revolutionary approach to Southwest cooking and I was excited to start making my way through his recipes!  The first recipe I tried... Brazilian Pork: Yield: 4 servings 1 pork loin (about 4 pounds) Pork Marinade (see below) 4 cups fresh orange juice 1 cup chopped fresh ginger 1 cup brown sugar 2 teaspoons ground cloves Pork Marinade: 1/2 cup sugar ...

  While sitting cross-legged at the beginning of yoga class the other day, the instructor cued us to find our center, a perfectly neutral position of the spine without leaning forward or back.  He added that in our culture we tend to lean forward because we live just slightly in the future at all times.  I recalled a yoga session I attended about 8 years ago in which my instructor adjusted my posture because, unbeknownst to me, I was leaning forward in this seated position.  I generally have very good body awareness, and I remember the bewilderment I felt to be lacking awareness of my posture; but I would have to agree with Josh: in our culture we are constantly living forward into the future.  I am especially guilt of this.   I make an effort to recall the moments recently when I truly felt present.  Maybe while spending time with friends, or singing along to a song on the radio, or when I got a really spectacular 6...