Americans appear More Prone to gloominess Than Russians

A many social observers have described as a generally dark and brooding take on life, a new report suggests that Russians are actually less likely than Americans to be depressed.

In fact, researchers have uncovered indications that the Russian cultural tendency to dwell on the negative may ultimately insulate them from feelings of distress when engaged in self reflection.

"Among Westerners, focusing on one's negative feelings tends to impair well-being, but among Russians, that is not the case," study co-author Igor Grossmann, a doctoral candidate in psychology at the University of Michigan, said in a university news release.

"Russians focus more on their negative feelings than Americans do," Grossmann explained, "but they spontaneously distance themselves from their emotions to a greater extent than Americans , who tend to immerse themselves in their recalled experiences."

The Russians appeared to experience less misery than the Americans after retelling the experience , and placed blame less often on the person involved in the incident. The Russians were also able to immediately distance themselves from their recollections, even while discussing them a skill linked to less distress and feelings of blame, the study authors noted.

Culture, accomplished the authors, has calamity on the emotional and cognitive penalty of bad experience.

San Fran Pizza. Yummy!

We "looove" pizza, but understand that traditional versions are not the healthiest. Well, we came across this recipe loaded with vegetables and tree nuts. It is "beyond delicious", especially if you like pesto sauce. Did we mention it is very easy to make?
Here it is, to a healthy and tasty week!

San Francisco Pizza

Servings: 12-16 servings

• 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 1-1/2 cups firmly packed fresh spinach leaves
• 1 cup firmly packed fresh parsley sprigs
• 1/2 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 12-inch purchased Italian flatbreads (focaccia) or Italian bread shells
• 1 cup chopped red sweet pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped seeded tomato
• 1/2 cup red onion cut in thin wedges
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

For pesto, place almonds in a food processor bowl or blender container. Cover and process or blend until finely chopped. Add spinach, parsley, and basil; cover. With the machine running, gradually add oil in a thin, steady stream, processing or blending until the mixture is combined and slightly chunky. (If using a blender, stop occasionally, scrape sides, and push mixture into blades. The blender produces a smoother mixture than the food processor.) Add the 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, the orange peel, orange juice, salt, and black pepper. Cover and process or blend just until combined.

Place each bread on a baking sheet or 12-inch pizza pan. Spread pesto over breads. Top with vegetables, crushed red pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Bake in a 400 degree F oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until heated through. Makes 12 to 16 servings.


Source: Better Homes and Gardens

Creating a Healthy Nursery for your Baby (and the Planet!)

We are very excited to introduce Claudia Kalur, a European interior decorator and founder of A Room for Frances. Claudia will be our guest writer for the next 8 Mondays, providing amazing suggestions and tips on designing eco-friendly nurseries and children's rooms.

Thinking Long Term - Part 1
As you await the arrival of your baby, you will (like I did, I am sure!), start day-dreaming about the nursery and how to decorate it! This will be the room where your baby and your family will be spending many, many hours for the next few years, so consider eco-friendly options that will make the nursery not just a safe but also a healthy environment. It is a lot easier than you may think!
Before I go into more detail on the aspects of sustainably decorating a room, however, let me suggest to you one of the "greenest" things you can do when thinking of creating a space for you child (or any space, really): think Long Term.
Even if you plan on moving to a new house or simply switching your child to a new room later, think of ways to arrange your prospective child's room in a way that will evolve with them as they grow.
A wall color can be changed easily - wallpaper not so much. A changing table will have later use if it is adaptable to a dresser. Some cribs can become toddler beds and even a twin size bed. An armchair with a classic fabric or a slipcover, where you rest while your baby sleeps, or where you feed him or cradle him to sleep, can be used later on somewhere else in the house, including in your future teenager’s room!
Good quality furniture can be expensive, so make sure you can give it use for a long time. It is important that we adjust our thinking away from rampant consumerism and the purchasing of goods that are destined for the landfill after short use.
Therefore, don't just look forward in time, look backwards too - vintage, hands-me-down, antique and sometimes just brand new furniture and decor that someone else did not need or use are truly one of the best ways to be eco-friendly.
In all the rooms that I design my primary concern is this: how can I make this space grow with this child while providing him or her with a healthy, safe and balanced environment? It is my intent with this series of articles to share with you how I try to answer that question.

Stay tuned for coming weeks when Claudia will be discussing sustainable flooring, lighting and walls for children's rooms and nurseries.

Claudia Kalur is the founder of A Room for Frances, Nursery and Children's Room Design. She lives in rural Connecticut with her husband, Steven (an architect who specializes in green building systems), their 18-month-old daughter, Margot, and their doggy, Bayou.

Harmony's 5th Birthday

Well, my baby is FIVE. I cannot even believe it sometimes. She is growing up to be such an amazing young lady. I cannot even begin to tell you how proud I am of this girl every single day. She was SO excited for her birthday. All kids are, I know, but this year she REALLY was even more excited than any other year. She was pretty much just zooming around until the party began, and then until the party was over. It was the first time since school was out that she has seen some of her school friends, so that was even more exciting to her. Marc helped me out ALOT this year. We all went together to the party store to pick out party supplies, which was alot of fun.

I always let the kids pick out what kind of party and cake they want. This year Harmony wanted a dinosaur party and a triceratops cake, because triceratops are her favorite, "because of the frill." She wanted chocolate AND white cake. She showed me with her hands, making the layers stack up, "You know, Mommy? Like, chocolate, then white, then chocolate, then white...?" The cake was to be shaped like "A real one. That LOOKS like a triceratops. Not a triceratops ON the cake." She even got to pick out the colors and I had to make sure I got the number of toes right, too. I think he turned out pretty well, and Harmony was THRILLED.





When she woke up, Marc and I had the table all set up and the balloons all ready. She took a good little while to shake all the gifts and try to guess what was in each one. Then her and Layla raced around the house until guests arrived, despite our efforts to get them to calm down a little bit by putting on Dinosaur Train.



Overall it was a successful party, I think. Harmony got a TON of dinosaur items. Here she is hugging a dinosaur book and asking, "How did you KNOW I love dinosaurs???" Well, Harmony. I think anyone who has met you knows you love dinosaurs because you will probably roar at least once during the conversation.




We finished off the day by snuggling as a family and watching the DVD my parents put together when she was first born with a ton of birth and newborn pictures backed by "Let Them Be Little" by Lonestar. She really enjoyed that and spent awhile yesterday rewatching the video over and over. She tells me it's her favorite DVD.

She is growing up TOOOOOOO fast. I love seeing the changes, though, and like she always tells me, "Mommy, I CAN'T slow down. I am just growing up." Yes, Harmony. Yes, you are.

Exhibitions? What?

Now that we recognize that the "viewer" group is increasing dramatically, we must also know more about the dancing that is meant to be seen not felt, as in "social" dancing. Social dancing is a different breed, it is for the pure enjoyment of moving to music.

Exhibition and Competition dancing increasingly means Big Bucks. So we must start to realize another factor in our dancing. Who has the Bucks? They are different people? Yes, very different and mostly because they choose to be different. It is quite simple.

Exhibition Dancing by Don Herbison-Evans - Australia

Hip Lift
Aerial Lifts are accepted as part of dancing in Ballet and Lindy (Rock'n'Roll, Ceroc), but Lifts are specifically excluded from Standard Modern Ballroom and Latin American dancing. However a style of Ballroom and Latin dancing which allows lifts appears in some of the new competitions called variously Exhibition, Showdance, Acrobatic, Adagio, Cabaret, or Theater Arts dancing. Aerials or Lifts are steps in which the man (normally) lifts the lady up in the air.

Underarm lift
Lifts have been a feature of dancing for centuries. There is a famous painting of " Queen Elizabeth I doing a leaping turn of the 'Volta', assisted by Earl of Leicester" in an oil Painting by unknown artist, ca. 1600 A.D.

Our kind of Exhibition Ballroom Dancing started in the early part of the 20th Century. One of the most celebrated proponents was Maurice Mouvet and Madelaine D'Arville who in 1907 introduced their "Apache Dance" at the "Cafe de Paris" cabaret in Paris. This was done to a slow Waltz, and depicted the jealous relationship between a young thug and his girlfriend. Soon, even Irene and Vernon Castle were using lifts in their demonstrations.

Beginners usually start with drops such as the Dead Man's Drop and Possum Drop, and hip lifts on the left and right hips, turning to the left or the right, and also the grand swing and underarm lifts. There are variations to all of these.

Straddle or Candle lift
More experienced dancers move up to shoulder lifts, such as the Swallow, Scarf, and Flag. Advanced dancers can lift their partners up onto outstretched arms above the head.

Dead Man's Drop and the Swallow Lift
The dancing in between the lifts is often a mixture of dances in the same rhythm (a Medley) or with different rhythms (a Segue). There are a few competitions in this style in Australia at some of the festivals, more often for Professionals than for Amateurs.

The Grand Swing used in many fashions.

The entire lift style has a number of dangers. For the man, it is important to maintain a straight and upright torso, and to compress in the knees to get below the lady's centre of gravity for a lift. Otherwise he is in danger of damaging his spine. For the lady: being dropped is a problem. It is an advantage for both partners to do weight training to build up arm and shoulder strength. The trainer or a "Catcher" if suitably positioned can save the lady if there is a problem. In training, a padded mattress can be strategically placed in case of falls. Also, as may be seen in the film " Dirty Dancing " :

it is also a good idea to do initial practice of high lifts in waist deep water, to cushion the lady if she falls, as for example at Gaby's Dance Centre in Canberra. It ain't social dancing that is for damn sure.

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
Ten Millenniums ago.

Two Cool Toys in One!

Very cool! Raffy, the rocking horse is multicolored and suitable for ages 1+. Back rest secures the younger child and can be removed as he/she grows. Rocking base can be removed so Raffy can be used as a stand alone toy as well.
It is made from environmentally friendly rubberwood, non-toxic water-based paints and biodegradable fabrics.
Don't you wish you were a kid again?

Made by Wonderworld

A Mid-Summer Salad

All the tomatoes are beautiful right now but I'm eating the heirloom tomatoes almost every day. They've got so much flavor. And there were some lovely ones in our Fresh Market last week, I couldn't resist.

I had Thomas Keller's tomato sorbet in mind when I bought them, (which I ended up making as well and will post soon) but then I remembered a recipe I had seen on Top Chef made by Miami Chef Jeff McInnis. I had copied and saved it. (Jeff is the Chef de Cuisine of The DiLido Beach Club at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach.) He made a Heirloom Tomato Salad, Asparagus and Cucumber Ribbons with a Goat Cheese Sorbet for one of the challenges.

                                                                                               Jeff McInnis

Lest we forget, tomatoes are a fruit. So I thought, hmmmm. Goat cheese sorbet? Well, I do love goat cheese in my salads, so this sounded good to me. And I really wanted to see how McInnis's flavors went together.

The sorbet couldn't be easier to make, although you do need an ice cream maker. I love that it's mainly Greek yogurt with honey as a sweetener. The goat cheese is melted into some cream and then mixed with the yogurt mixture. I stuck my spoon in it before I stuck it in the fridge to chill, it's a bit sweet (even though I cut way back on the honey) and I could barely taste the goat cheese (I thought it would be stronger), but I went ahead and froze it. I taste-tested again right out of the ice cream maker; it's tart, slightly sweet and yes, I could taste both the goat cheese and the yogurt. And it was ever so slightly grainy. I really was surprised I liked it so much with the tomatoes and think it would also be great with some caramelized fresh fruit over it for dessert. But I went ahead and made the salad....there's plenty left to use for an interesting dessert experiment later. (With port-infused figs maybe? Or a scoop of this would be marvelous on an apple tart!)

The heirloom tomato part is easy enough to throw together. McInnis suggests Verjus vinegar for this recipe and I was pleasantly surprised.  Deana from Long Past Remembered did a post on Verjus a while back and I was intrigued and ordered some. (Thank you Deana!). This vinegar does make a difference, but if you don't have any, don't let that stop y0u from making this salad, just use white wine vinegar.

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Goat Cheese Sorbet

Courtesy Jeff McInnis

Ingredients:

Tomato Salad:
6 heirloom tomatoes (each a different type)
1/8 ounces micro basil
pinch sea salt
pinch sumac
asparagus and cucumber for garnish

Verjus Vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons Verjus vinegar
8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Goat Cheese Sorbet:
2 cups Greek yogurt (I use Fage)
juice of 2 lemons
1-1/2 cups honey (this seemed like a lot, so I cut this down to 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup cream
4 ounces goat cheese
1 teaspoon salt

Method:

For the Tomato Salad:
Slice the tomatoes any way you like. Cut bottom hard area from jumbo asparagus and discard. Using a thin vegetable peeler or electric slicer peel strips of jumbo asparagus like little ribbons and plunge in cold ice water. If you cut the asparagus thin enough it will curl up after sitting in ice water for a short period of time. Slice the cucumber in the same manner.


For the Vinaigrette:
Mix all ingredients well and splash over tomatoes.


For the Sorbet:
Heat cream over medium heat in small sauce pot with goat cheese until melted, whisk. Place in bowl with remaining ingredients and whisk quickly. Refrigerate until cold and then freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions. Note: the chef suggests using the sorbet the same day. Also in a machine this sorbet can break if over spun. If using a machine, spin until just frozen (still like soft serve ice cream).


For Plating:
Remove asparagus and cucumber from ice water and toss with tomatoes and vinaigrette. While plating these vegetables, season the tomatoes with a generous pinch of sea salt and sumac. Place a scoop of the sorbet on the tomato salad. Garnish with micro herbs.