A dolphin showed up in a skinny body of water just north of the San Francisco airport yesterday. Yesterday was the first day in years I wore my dolphin necklace that I bought in Gibraltar when I was 11. Random? Nothing is random.
I’ve been dreaming of water my whole life. As a child, I would dream my house was full of water. I would hover in the middle of the room and then leisurely swim from the kitchen up to my bedroom. Sometimes full scenes would take place where I’d never surface to breathe. Instead, I’d drag in huge breaths of air straight from the water itself, as though my mouth worked like gills. I also had a series of tsunami dreams where a huge wave would wipe out my town. I would let the wave whip me around uncontrollably. Then, I would be one of the only survivors, helping to rescue the rest of the town once the wave went back out to sea. The past few years, I’ve been dreaming of whales: orcas racing around me in water tubes; baluga whales sinking my ship mid sea.
Right about now, you’re probably thinking one of 3 things:
1) This bitch is crazy!
or
2) I wish I had dreams!
or
3) I’ve had dreams in water too! Sweet.
Responses:
1) Rude!
2) Everyone dreams! You just have to practice remembering them. Plus, you have to WANT TO REMEMBER THEM REALLY REALLY BADLY!
3) For me, water in dreams usually symbolizes emotion (BTW, I only know this because my Aunt, Karen Baldwin, is a dream interpreter.) It makes sense that I was always surrounded by water in my dreams when I was young: I was a bucket of endless emotion! (Get it? Water = Emotion.) Sometimes I can enjoy my emotions (water): swimming and breathing through the emotions (water) with leisure and awe. Other times, I get whipped around by my emotions (tidal wave) uncontrollably. Then, once my huge wave of emotion (water) subsides, I’m the only survivor to pick up the mess. (see the connection? And, in case you’re wondering: Yes, my zodiac sign is Cancer). Does water equate to emotion in your dreams?
Right about now, you’re probably thinking one of two things:
1) Random! What the hell does this have to do with food?
or
2) I was hungry, now I’m hungry AND thirsty. Great!
Responses:
1) Nothing is random. That stray dolphin reminded me of my whale dreams. My swimming dreams reminded me of summer. Summer is scorching hot. Scorching heat requires more liquids. See. It’s all connected!
2) If you’re hot, hungry, and thirsty, you need to make gazpacho (cold soup).
Last weekend, I tested a recipe for my soon-to-be sister’s bridal shower evening …which my sister and I are hosting. I wanted something light, pretty, and easy for self-serve. Those three categories wipe out pretty much every real food imaginable other than raw fruit and veggies. Luckily, I found a recipe in Seriously Simple, by Diane Rossen Worthington, for a chilled soup. Chilled soup quenches thirst, cures heat and anger, and is delicious in the summer!
Chilled Summer Squash Soup with Basil:
-Saute 2 chopped leeks in a few tablespoons of olive oil for 5 minutes.
-Add 6, sliced zucchini squash (squashes?) and sauté with the leeks for 5 more minutes.
-Add 4 cups of chicken broth. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
-Purée the soup (GOSH I WISH I HAD AN IMMERSION BLENDER!!!!!!)
-Refrigerate this blended mixture for four hours or more.
-Add a squeeze of lemon, a cup of buttermilk, 2 tablespoons of chopped chives, and 6 tablespoons of chopped basil.
-Salt. Pepper.
Partition the soup out in cute, little mason jars. Pack the cute, little mason jars for lunch or put the cute, little mason jars in a pretty ice bucket for a sweet little party. Speaking of cute. That poor little stranded dolphin was so cute!
Soup. Liquid. Dolphins. Dreams…. I’m telling you, Nothing Is Random.
Kathryn Guacamole 