Most people hope to find their calling by age 25. There’s usually a big difference between one’s profession and one’s calling, unless you were astute enough at a young age to listen to the faint and almost silent beat of the drum inside you. But it’s hard to hear the rhythm of the drum over the whispers of convention, the suggestions by family, or the chorus of duty. Your calling is exclusively yours. No one else can hear that drum but you. People may predict your calling but the acoustics are programmed for YOU and only you can hear it.
I have a lot of interests and I have a profession that is a completely separate entity from my interests and I probably have a calling, maybe, but the sound of the drum is still muffled.
Why are we so concerned about finding our calling? What is at the finish line that we are so thirsty for? Is it self-fulfillment? Is it the fear of being ordinary and forgotten? Do we want to leave a big footprint on the Earth when we go? Do we want to be in a textbook or a Lifetime movie?
I haven’t found my calling, but a lot of that might be because I’m not looking for it. And I don’t plan to find it. It’s probably a really terrible thing to say. You definitely don’t want your budding intellectual 17 year old son reading this post. I haven’t found my calling and it’s definitely not cooking or blogging or mechanical engineering.
I’ve never been ambitious. I’m perfectly fine working my job, being a wife, maybe being a mom someday, blogging when time permits, and surrounding myself with people I love. Laugh and live and argue and then laugh some more. Eat cookies. Watch addicting TV series. Take 45 minute walks in the neighborhood. Buy sunflowers for no reason. Play board games. Read the news. Complain about chores. Decorate the house for Christmas. Drink coffee. Hug people.
There’s nothing wrong with being ordinary. I love ordinary.
I’m not going to leave a footprint when I go. I just hope to leave some broad brushstrokes of watercolor on the memories of the people who surrounded me.
Types of Tofu
- Soft or Silken: This is a good addition to smoothies, sauces, and even pies! I’ve blended it with a rich tomato sauce for a “creamy” tomato sauce.
- Firm or Extra Firm: I use this kind the most. Drain the water well and it will be very easy to work with. Add it to marinades and then pan fry.
- Medium Firm: I’ve never used Medium firm. Maybe I’m an extremist.
- Pressed Tofu: This is the super-dense tofu available in Asian grocery stores. It’s also the same kind of tofu used by major Chinese food chains like PF Changs and Pei Wei. Pressed tofu is great choice when texture is more important than flavor. It’s the best tofu for grilling (I recently learned). Just remember that the flavor will be one top, but not inside – it’s too dense to absorb flavors. I’ll be sharing a great recipe with you soon using pressed tofu.
This is how pressed tofu is sold. Vacuum sealed. |
Putting my cookbooks to use. hehehe. |
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pan-fry tofu in vegetable oil and then add to a saucy dish or make Thai satay peanut sauce for dipping
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add the tofu to a marinade
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apply a dry rub to the tofu and cook on a skillet
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dice the tofu to smaller cubes and add to a miso soup
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If you are new to tasting and cooking tofu, I recommend this recipe: Here’s a video tutorial.
7 Notes