Vitae Interruptus

Jan Kinzel

Provided by CN Building Adult Ministries Resource Center

Vitae Interruptus never comes at a convenient time, does it?  Little interruptions happen throughout the days and evenings, months and years.  Usually, our lives march along at a fairly predictable cadence.  But every once in a while in our journey the reigns get pulled, the horse rears and we get tossed to the ground wondering, “What Happened?”!

Perhaps it is necessary to reside somewhere temporarily. That in itself calls for some decisions.  After the stress and anxiety of making the move, a hotel can become a welcoming refuge.  It’s simple, convenient, affordable and interesting.  Most places will negotiate a very reasonable daily rate for long term stays.  There are no utilities, taxes or upkeep to pay – even two meals a day are complementary!  I say it’s interesting because people from all over the country and even around the world cross paths.  It serves as a community because everyone is here temporarily for a variety of reasons.

Some are here on vacation; they are the short-termers.  Some are here because of a house-fire or a house remodel  and they need to be out for a while.  Some live out of the area and are here because of illness of a loved one and tell me, tearfully, they will return for the funeral in the next few months.  There are some who have come to scope out housing for their families because of taking a new job in the area. Many of them are here for long-term business contracts and are away from their home and families for months.  And then there are some waiting for the next step -like we are.  Yes, it certainly is interesting!

Because the space is small and not easily ventilated and there is a dining hall with breakfast every morning and ‘happy hour’ food in the evenings at no extra cost, I have no reason to cook in our suite.  It’s great to take a break, but I love to cook.  To me, it is relaxing and creative.  The hotel has two Weber grills out by the pool.  I am willing to make salads, dressings and marinades in my kitchen and use the grills to cook the meats and veggies.  This keeps the lingering cooking odors out of our rooms.  There is a lovely deck with nice tables and chairs.  We grill and dine al fresco!

MENU

Grilled Salmon

Corn and Avocado Salad

Garlic Bread

Peach Flavored Iced Tea

Raspberry Sherbet and Wafer Cookies

RECIPES

Corn and Avocado Salad

Frozen corn kernels, two 16 oz. packages

Mini sweet peppers, one package of red, orange and yellow

Red onion, one medium-small, cut into a small dice

Avocado, two that are just beginning to soften

Cilantro or parsley leaves

DRESSING

½ cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup light, extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

4 twists of black pepper

Combine the dressing ingredients in a small canning jar, secure lid with the ring and

shake to mix.

Thaw the corn and pat away any excess moisture with a paper towel.  Place the corn in a

non-reactive bowl.

Add the diced onion.

Wash the peppers.  Starting from the pointed end, slice into rings.  Discard the pointed ends and the stems.  Add the pepper rings to the bowl.

Cut the avocados into halves, remove the pits and scoop out the flesh with a soup spoon.  Dice the avocados into half inch pieces and add to bowl.

Add several chopped leaves of cilantro or parsley.

Toss with the dressing and set in refrigerator for at least an hour.  This is still good the next day!

Grilled Salmon

1 large whole salmon fillet

Extra-virgin olive oil

Coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Rinse the salmon fillet and pat dry with paper towels.

Rub both sides of the salmon with olive oil.

Season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper.

Prepare a hot grill by spraying with Pam grill spray and heating to very hot.  Grill is ready

when the fish will immediately sear.

Lay the fillet, skin side up, on the grill and sear until a caramelized crust forms.

Turn the fish to the skin side and sear for 2 minutes.  Turn the grill to 3000 and continue cooking until just cooked through.  Remove from grill and let stand for a couple of minutes before serving.

Heat the garlic bread on the grill.

Make peach flavored tea by adding Torani peach syrup to tea and ice in a tall pitcher.  Garnish with fresh peach slices if they are in season.

A light fruity sorbet or sherbet with a small cookie makes a nice ending to this summery meal.

I call the hotel, my ‘hood’.  And it truly is that.

It’s certainly something worth considering.

Tip:  Expect a little turbulence and when it happens, pick yourself, dust yourself off and start all over again.

All things work together for good … Romans 8:28