One year ago today, I had just quit my job writing technical reports for a pharmaceutical company to go on a new adventure following my husband’s career. As I found out the hard way, working with Big Pharma had left me stressed out and tired after having worked under three different company logos, three different company names, and three different company mantras in three years without ever leaving the same cubicle, due to acquisitions. Always worrying about my job security, I stayed later than most of my colleagues and came in earlier. I was part of the rat race. Me, the carefree art student, found myself in a black hole of negotiating quality agreements, understanding and enforcing government regulations through various systematic protocols and procedures to ensure compliance, and completing trend analysis of testing data and providing these reviews to not only my superiors, but any regulatory agency that showed up for surprise audits. I had a lot of responsibility on my shoulders and needless to say, this was not how I had pictured my life going.
Moving yet again, I had asked my husband if it would be okay for me to take a bit of time off before venturing out into the working world again. I needed to get back to calm, to an even-ness, before I made a decision of the new direction of my life. He obliged a six month reprieve to do exactly what I wanted, a sabbatical. So I finished projects on our house to prepare it for the sale, I had a huge yard sale, we drove across the country, I decorated and organized our new apartment, took care of all the paperwork that accumulated from moving and selling our house, and then after about three months, everything just stopped. There were no immediate projects that I needed to work on or complete, nothing. After 5 years of scrambling around, my chaotic life had come to a dead stop and I noticed something, a deafening silence. It was increasingly evident that I was in a place where I knew no one. A melancholy quietness had blanketed my life and I started to feel like I was starring in my own version of “Lost in Translation.”
I prepared my resume and started throwing my hook into the water, a few nibbles, but after months nothing came of it. I started to feel trapped in my life, desperate. As January 2012 neared, I started to make New Year’s resolutions. I was going to live my life with gratitude, I felt that I was being too negative and I had a lot to be happy for; I just wasn’t seeing the picture clearly. Everyday, I was going to write down one thing I was happy about. After about ten days, I noticed I was happiest when I was cooking and began to think about how I have used food to interface with people over the years. It is what I love, so I decided that I would share with the world my recipes, my stories, my love. My thinking was, if you blog about it, they will come, so “Creative Noshing” was born.
Today’s post though, isn’t about what I’ve given to you, it’s about what you all have given to me. Each and every day, you give me inspiration, validation, and a community to feel part of. I have laughed and smiled and cried at some of your posts and comments. Every person who has clicked my follow button, I am so honored and amazed that you did. Some of you have touched me even further by giving me a stamp of approval through trying my recipes and blogging about it, reblogging me, “pinning” me, and/or nominating me for awards. Not to mention those of you take time out your day to comment, especially the one’s who I ended up having great back and forth conversations with. This post is for you, I want you to know I appreciate your generosity, kindness and hospitality and in turn I want to promote your blog to others, because you are the real deal and genuine. In no certain order, I want to give a special thank you to the following blogs:
Go check out their blogs!
Just like my Grandma taught me, you don’t come showing your appreciation empty handed. Below is the perfect thank you present. Good old fashioned apple bread. Yum!
Gratitude Apple Bread
3 cups chopped apples
2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 cups all purpose flour
In a large glass or metal bowl, squeeze the juice of one lemon into 2 cups of cold water. Peel and core the apples, one at a time. Chop the apple into coarse cubes.
When all the apples are chopped, drain water and add 1/2 cup of the sugar and the cinnamon. Set the apples aside. In a separate bowl, mix the remainder of the sugar, the salt, the baking soda, cinnamon, vanilla and the eggs together. Add the oil and combine well.
Add the flour and the apple mixture. Combine well.
Batter will be very moist. Divide between two well greased 8.5″ loaf pans and bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Remove from oven and loaf pans and let cool on racks. You can slice this when it is still warm but don’t slice it for at least 10 minutes after if comes out of the oven.
creative noshing 
I am honored. U are an amazing cook, an even more amazing recipe writer. I see a cookbook in your future if you have not already written one. Please continue and never stop.
One more thing before I reblog this….where can I view some of your artwork? I heard you write you were an art student?
My artwork… To make a long story short, I placed most of it by the trashcans of an apartment complex I was living in at the time. Maybe someone picked it up, maybe its in a landfill. I was disgruntled, had painter’s block and wanted a clean slate. Unfortunately after this, I got swept up with life and paying bills and this blog is the first creative venture I have tried in years.
Our loss. I would have loved to see your work, get a look inside the woman of many talents. Enjoy your weekend. Ciao Bella
Reblogged this on The ObamaCrat.Com™ and commented:
“CreativeNoshing” hits it out the stadium again. Very delicious recipe.
What a sweet blog posting! I have only recently subscribed to your blog but do enjoy reading your take on things. Due to food allergies, I can’t always prepare your recipes but this apple bread sounds delish and I look forward to attempting it.
Thank you. So glad to hear you may try. What sort of food allergies do you have. Maybe I have something in my recipe arsenal that would be perfect.
Oh, I cannot wait for apple season!! Thank you for your wonderful posts and for lifting us up in your blog. I have learned a lot from you in just these few months–you have made our journey more fun, interesting and delicious!
Thank you. Love your blog too, it is very informative and fun to read.
What a great post and thank you for including me among all these great blogs. You have made my day :)
Yay! So glad I made your day. Love your blog. Keep up the good work.
What a great post and thank you for including me among the other blogs! Yet another delicious recipe to pin. :)
Thank you. Love your blog.
Thank you!
Your post actually brought tears to my eyes. I love reading your blog. Thank you for your kind words. I am so excited to make this yummy sounding apple bread this weekend and share it with my good friend. I agree with Jueseppi that you should publish a cookbook filled with your hearty recipes and wonderful stories.
Thank you. You are too sweet. I would love to publish a cookbook. Maybe one day that will be in my future.
Thank you so much for including me. I am so touched, and really love your Apple Bread, It is a must try..:)
Thank you.
Thank you much for including me on your list of blogs….I love your blog and I love your recipes as they are the real deal and I can understand how to also cook them:) But mostly I love your blog….the way you share your life and how you invited me to be an award winner with my blog as you nominated me for my first ever award….and that had to be a God given thing as it lifted me up….I was not sure if my writing was ok and if I was communicating rightly on a blog???? Thank you and God Bless You:)
Thank you. I am so glad I have lifted you, because you have lifted me up too. I enjoy your blog, love seeing your pictures of your life and the ranch and the fixed up cars and trucks, etc… You do good work!
You had me in nearly in tears here – thank you so much for mention me !! I love everything you have given me so fare – through your blog – thoughts, recipes, shared family stories and stories from you personal life. Wonderful and this cake I will bake for sure – NO YEAST!!!!! Plus I love apples. – thanks for your support of my blog and thanks for brighten every day up for me. A pleasure being here.
Thank you viveka. The feeling is mutual. I enjoy very much our meeting of the minds daily. You brighten up my days too.
This is very lovely… we don’t need to wait for an award to show our appreciation and gratitude for one another. Although, I will second Hot Rod Cowgirl with the thank you on the first blog award :-) You were the first to say ‘hey- i like what you’re doing out there’ and it provided that boost to my shy, what am I doing and why side! It came just at the right moment.
I love the way you share your recipes and thoughts on life. Thank you.
Thank you Wendy. I am a conversationalist by nature, always have been. I am shy until I get to know you, but then the floodgates of talking and sharing come out. I love your blog and your recipes and your stories and wanted to let you know. I am impressed by your writing style and your ability to suck me in. I look forward to reading your posts.
I’m so honored to be mentioned here. I believe stories like yours becoming more common. People seem to be looking for more meaning in their lives and I, for one, am so glad to see it. Life is way too short to live it unhappy or working a job that is sucking the life out of you. Thanks for the wonderful recipe. Any particular type of apples I should use? I usually keep Gala apples in the house because I love thier sweetness, kind of like eating a rose. :)
Thank you. Yes, I agree. In this economy, a lot of us are taking a step back and re-evaluating our purpose. I am just glad, I was forced to do it. I have needed this time and have enjoyed reading your blog and looking at your pics. As far as the apples go, you can use whatever kind you have. If you like the apple, then it will make even more special to your tastebuds.
Inspiring post! I admire that you took the initiative to quit something that you were not happy with (life is too short to be overly stressed out and unhappy with work!) and are now doing something you are passionate about and enjoy :) Love the recipe too!
Cheers!
Thank you. I am very happy with my decision to leave and look forward to my future.
What a sweet post! Thank you :) I found myself wandering aimlessly last August when I lost my job. It was a stagnant, thankless job. I mindlessly went about my daily tasks, none of them challenging, never appreciated, and really only mostly learned that the people in my community aren’t as nice as they all pretend to be. The whole thing was so disheartening and it was a blessing in disguise to be forced out. I don’t know how NOT to work — these last few months have been so bizarre and refreshing, and like you I am the most happy in my kitchen. Love your blog, your recipes, and am so glad to call you my friend. P.S. I make a cake almost identical to this apple bread- this bread looks AMAZING! Mmmmmmm.
Thank you. Sometimes I definitely believe that things happen for a reason, to get you snapped out of whatever it is you are going through. For me it was a zombie funk. I wasn’t unhappy, my mind was preoccupied, I had friends and purpose, but I was stressed to the maximum and I didn’t have any sort of healthy balance in my life, but I just buried it away. You live and you learn and when I had to leave, I realized this is my chance to start making some healthier decisions and I started with gratitude and am growing from there.
I am *always* grateful for homemade bread! And I’m grateful for this lovely recipe, and for the spirit in which it was written. FOOD for thought! ;-)
Thank you. It was delicious.
I finally plan to make the bread this week since it is now officially autumn and we have a bunch of Honeycrisp and Mac apples. I was just reading the recipe and noticed that you have 2 tsp cinnamon listed twice under the ingredients. I’m guessing it is only two tsp cinnamon and not four. Is the other one suppose to be nutmeg?
Yes just two. That is a typo. THanks for letting me know. I will change.