Five Friday Happy Bringers 7/18/25 (Food Heavy)

My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.

1. Discovering a new (to me) type of peas at our little independent grocer, Red & White.

Sandandy Peas, fresh and shelled

Google told me that Sandandy peas “often spelled Sadandy or Sa Dandy are a type of cream pea, which falls under the broader category of southern peas or cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata).”

So Very Good! With an Earthy Flavor.

And leftovers for the freezer …

2. These stickers about breathing I recently ran across and had to buy.

3. Speaking of breathing, I so appreciate that our bodies breathe by themselves. We don’t have to force the breath. It simply happens.

4. Popcorn! Ex-wife Donna recently gave Robert and me this neat Movie Night Popcorn Set for Father’s Day.

The other evening in the middle of a movie (FYI: Twilight Kiss Suk Suk), I jumped from the couch and yelled, “Our popcorn gift! Pause the movie!”

And we did something which both of us realized we haven’t done in years, maybe decades: we popped popcorn “the old fashioned way” on the stovetop instead of in the microwave.

We had such fun!

Sometimes Slow is so much better than Fast.

5. I have mentioned before that HR and I love our local library’s “Spice Club.” Once a month or so, our Bull Street Library offers patrons a new spice, along with an explanation and several recipes.

This month is Mace. I had never heard of Mace as a spice, only that self defense spray.

Well, listen to this: “The web-like outer covering of the nutmeg seed, Mace, imparts a more pungent and spicier flavor to food than nutmeg. Mace is most popular in European foods where it is used in both savory and sweet dishes, especially in French cuisine that calls for this spice to be used in tandem with nutmeg to balance the flavors; it is also the dominant flavor in doughnuts and a great companion for chocolate. Add whole mace to fruits while cooking; it can also be used in savory favorites, such as patés, creamed spinach and mashed potatoes.” Spiceworld.com