On my Sundays every week, I tend to keep a pretty consistent routine. I travel to Aldi, pick up my groceries for the week and then usually unpack and begin to cook. For me, I am in awe of the crockpot. The crockpot is simply a pot of pure whimsy and magic. Every time I place something inside, I feel like the love grows until the crockpot is overflowing with present and future joy. Unless of course you make the same recipe weeks and weeks in a row. When I was first starting out, it is possibly I made the beef stew one too many times. As my brother remarked with a "Oh my. Beef stew. How original." Magic loses its magic when overused. I'm sure by now many of you probably think to yourself: "All this girl does is teach, go food shopping and eat." What can I say. Simplicity. 

Now back to the story. Unfortunately, in the story Streganona, Big Athony observes Streganona using her pot to make loads of pasta. Unfortunately, he disregards the three magic kisses at the end of the spell to stop the production. Thus, Big Anthony fills the entire town with boiling fresh pasta. My favorite moment in the story is turning to the page where pasta is literally filling every window. There are mounds of pasta in every corner. It seems less magical. Actually, almost chaotic. 

Well life is just like a crockpot. I think sometimes, we put too much in. I literally made so much jambalaya one night that I felt just like the old lady Streganona. It was possible I would have to start raking rice and shrimp up from the bathroom and the sink and the carpet. We barely finished that jumbalaya. This time, as I was cooking in the crockpot, I used less rice, less shrimp, just enough sausage and of course hot pepper flakes. But I finally found the balance. It was steaming quietly without a big production. Whimsy doesn't require mounds, it requires carefully seasoned love. 

Aim to be a Streganona. Not a Big Anthony.