Wanting to figure out a way to get back to blogging more regularly, I went to the library and checked out Tiny Habits. Sure enough, there were plenty of ideas, of which the most promising was to find a way to hook a new habit onto a well-established routine, which the author called a prompt.

I confess that I don’t stitch everyday, so that wouldn’t be a reliable prompt. Although I’m pleased to report I have made considerable progress on the JMU pillow front and back (aka one side and the other), having decided to make Grace’s log cabin spirals rather than the originally planned patchplay …

Which reminds me, I contributed to a book fundraiser hosted by JMU alumni in Williamsburg. They’re gathering books on kindness, caring, and empathy in honor of Abby Zwerner, who continues to recover from her gunshot wounds. The books will be donated to elementary schools in the Williamsburg/Newport News area. Here’s a link to the Amazon gift registry if you’re interested (note: choose “ship to Carmen Jones” … the actual address won’t show, but all the books will go to a central location where they can get bookplates before being delivered to the schools).

But I digress. Gotta think of a more reliable routine to hook blogging onto. So I considered breakfast as a possible prompt, as it’s something I never skip!

Which reminds me. Back in our Williamsburg days I discovered Kashi 7-grain Pilaf …

I would cook up a packet and keep it in the fridge to add to otherwise single-note hot cereals. It had a rich nutty flavor and wonderful texture. Had … as in, no longer has … since Kashi discontinued the product some years ago. After many tries at various ground multi-grain cereals, I finally decided to try putting together my own whole grain blend at the Central Market bulk food bins …

Recalling that the original Kashi always seemed to have something that was either under- or over-cooked, I looked up various suggested cooking times and techniques for whole grains in hopes of getting everything to the perfect degree of toothsomeness.

Research in hand, I put a pot of lightly salted water on to boil, then added 1/3 cup each of rye berries and wheat berries. After 15 minutes at a simmer, I added 1/3 cup of red rice. And oh, that’s when a wonderful aroma began to fill the air. After another 15 minutes, I added 1/3 cup of pearled barley and 1/3 cup of toasted buckwheat (aka kasha). I had planned to cook everything a final 30 minutes, but at 20 minutes it seemed slightly overdone. So I took the pot off the heat and made a note to try 15 minutes next time. Which is to say, a total of 45 minutes of simmering. I also decided against adding sesame, which turned out to be a good call.

After draining and cooling the grains to room temperature, I put them into the fridge. The next morning I nuked 1/8 cup rolled wheat (similar to oatmeal, but more tasty imo) and 2/3 cup almond milk for five minutes at 70% power. Then scooped in two heaping tablespoons of the whole grains and nuked it all for another minute. The resulting awesome-ness was topped with a bit of cream, butter, and brown sugar …

Leaving me to wonder why I didn’t try doing this sooner! So so good.

And that got me thinking … maybe breakfast could be my prompt to blog. But no, at that point in the day I want to get going on straightening the kitchen and starting the laundry and doing some Pilates-style stretching. Or shopping … which is almost always best done early in the day.

So now I’m writing this after lunch, which is another firmly established habit and possible prompt. I’m hoping it will prove to be a good time for blogging. There’s enough light if I need to take pictures, and it’s a great way (ahem, excuse) to delay starting in on whatever I need to do in the afternoon.

We’ll see … the proof will be in the pudding. Which reminds me, I saw a great recipe for Budino in Smitten Kitchen today … 😉