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Monday, January 2, 2012
Bacon and Onion Corn Muffins
From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Soup has figured prominently in our meals for the past several weeks. It really is a perfect way to beat back the damp and chill of a gray Oregon winter. Today, at least this evening, was no exception. We awoke this morning to dense fog that threatened swallowed anyone foolish enough to step into it. Fortunately, foolish or not, the brunch bunch made it up and down our hill without incident and we had a lovely midday meal in the company of good friends. When dinner time rolled around, I had just enough energy and appetite to pull soup from the freezer and throw these muffins together. This recipe comes from a 1991 edition of Gourmet's 50 Baking Favorites. The Silver Fox and I loved the muffins and they've managed to be a feature in my kitchen since that time. I enjoy savory muffins and these are a perfect accompaniment to the soups and stews of winter meals. Men love them. So do women, though I must admit they are a bit too substantial to be tea party fare. This is a straight forward recipe. You can't go wrong if you cook the bacon until it is shatteringly crisp, and the onions are transparent. Thanks to the sour cream, the muffins can be kept for 24 hours if they are well wrapped, though I prefer to serve them when they are freshly made and still warm from the oven. If you are looking for a recipe for great savory muffins or corn bread, I think you've just found it. Here's how the muffins are made.
Bacon and Onion Corn Muffins...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Gourmet's 50 Baking Favorites
8 slices of lean bacon
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tablespoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter,
melted and cooled
1-1/2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1) Cook bacon in a heavy skillet set over moderate heat until it is crisp. Transfer ito paper towling to drain. Crumble and set aside.
2) Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from skillet. Add onions to skillet and cook over moderately low heat until softened and translucent.
3) Sift cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl.
4) In another bowl whisk together eggs, butter, sour cream, and milk, stir in the bacon, onion and the cornmeal mixture, and beat batter well. Divide batter among 12 well-buttered standard muffin cups and bake muffins in middle of a preheated 425-degree F. oven for 20 minutes, or until they are golden. Turn the muffins out onto a rack and let them cool. Yield: 12 muffins.
One Year Ago Today: Rissoto with Smoked Salmon and Spinach
Two Years Ago Today: Brined Shrimp with Jalapeno and Garlic
This post is being linked to:
Smiling Sally - Blue Monday
51 comments :
- Pie said...
My Blue and Mellow Yellow Monday. - January 2, 2012 at 12:59 AM
- Kris Ngoei said...
Happy New Year, Mary! Best wishes for you in 2012 and many years to come!
Beautiful muffins, perfect baking! - January 2, 2012 at 2:07 AM
- kitchen flavours said...
Bacon in a muffin, that is a delicious plus! Sounds yummy!
Happy New Year and wish you a wonderful 2012! - January 2, 2012 at 3:40 AM
- Lynn said...
I love corn muffins and bacon just makes everything better! Yum:@)
- January 2, 2012 at 5:16 AM
- Only Fish Recipes said...
wow...the muffins look so delicious....n my dear thats a very innovative recipe....loved it :-) wish u n ur family a very happy new year !
- January 2, 2012 at 6:31 AM
- What's Baking?? said...
I've never tasted a savory muffin..after looking at yours, I think I shall try it one day.
- January 2, 2012 at 7:09 AM
- Leslie said...
Corn muffins ROCK..I love the addition of Bacon!!
Happy New Year to you - January 2, 2012 at 8:16 AM
- Tanna said...
Oh, my goodness these sound so very good. Thank you, Mary. blessings ~ tanna
- January 2, 2012 at 8:25 AM
- Big Dude said...
I can see really enjoying these hot from the oven with some good soup.
- January 2, 2012 at 8:34 AM
- Elisa said...
Happy 2012 Mary!
May this year continue to bring yummy recipes and travels. Thanks for sharing your talent! - January 2, 2012 at 8:40 AM
- Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...
It is definitely comfort food season Mary, and these are no exception.
- January 2, 2012 at 8:41 AM
- Unknown said...
You had me at bacon!!!
- January 2, 2012 at 9:01 AM
- Shug said...
Oh yea....my kind of muffin. These will be great with the evening meal I have planned....
shug - January 2, 2012 at 9:23 AM
- black eyed susans kitchen said...
Good idea..this recipe could be an entire breakfast on the go! Wishes for a happy New Year to you and your family!
- January 2, 2012 at 9:53 AM
- SmilingSally said...
Oh Mary, I always want to reach through the computer screen and eat your baked goods! Thanks for sharing your blue.
Happy Blue Monday! - January 2, 2012 at 10:07 AM
- Bites from life with the barking lot said...
My recipe doesn't call for sour cream. These sound wonderful and will surely try. Bet they are great with soup.
- January 2, 2012 at 10:11 AM
- Catherine said...
Dear Mary, Sounds delicious!! Bacon and onions are a match made in heaven! Blessings for the New Year! Catherine xo
- January 2, 2012 at 10:17 AM
- Patti said...
These sound delish! I have "pinned" this recipe to my page.
Thanks for sharing,
Patti - January 2, 2012 at 10:19 AM
- June said...
During one grey Oregon winter I remember telling one of the students at the school where I worked that "sometimes you have to make your own sunshine". Mary, I think you just did! All the best to you in 2012!
- January 2, 2012 at 10:54 AM
- Mika said...
Looks oh so good! Love the presentation of that one :)
Happy New Year to you!
Here is my entry - January 2, 2012 at 11:57 AM
- Farmgirl Gourmet said...
Happy New Year!! Those muffins look delish!
- January 2, 2012 at 1:39 PM
- Kim said...
Savory muffins are really perfect to accompany a big bowl of hot soup. Like it a lot in winter time!
- January 2, 2012 at 2:20 PM
- gengen said...
Wow this looks yummy one. Viisting from BM!
- January 2, 2012 at 2:28 PM
- Chiara said...
How delicious Mary !Best wishes!
- January 2, 2012 at 2:31 PM
- Joanne said...
I've been eating TONS of soup also and could totally use a muffin to go with it! These sound delicious!
- January 2, 2012 at 2:33 PM
I don't bake savory muffins enough...these sound incredible, Mary! Happy New Year to you and your family! x
- January 2, 2012 at 2:40 PM
- Angie's Recipes said...
Bacon, onion, corn...a delicious combination! Would love a few (with a large bowl of veggie soup) for the dinner!
Happy New Year! - January 2, 2012 at 2:51 PM
- Kim, USA said...
Hi Mary, this sounds very yummy. Will try this one soon. Happy New Year!
Museum Arts - January 2, 2012 at 3:18 PM
- Priya Suresh said...
Happy new year wishes to u and ur family..Adorable muffins looks stunning..
- January 2, 2012 at 3:51 PM
- nanny said...
these look and sound so delicious! I'm thinking I could get my husband to taste if they have bacon in them...ha He just will not eat cornbread. I don't know what that boy's problem is......
- January 2, 2012 at 4:10 PM
- Nick Atonna said...
Oh my dear lady you had me at BACON.
- January 2, 2012 at 4:17 PM
- FOODalogue said...
Sounds like a wonderful item for a brunch.
Best wishes for the new year! - January 2, 2012 at 4:43 PM
- J.Rylie.C said...
I want some please?!
My BLUE, happy new year! - January 2, 2012 at 5:53 PM
- carolyn said...
Mary- Thanks so, so much for your kind comment. It made my day!
I'm not sure how you found me, but I'm happy you did because now I've found you. : )
I'll be back for recipes- they look delish and your pictures are divine (your grandsons are adorable too)!
Happy 2012-
carolyn - January 2, 2012 at 6:33 PM
- Jeannie said...
I have tried making cornbread a few times and they always came out dry and disappointing...I should give this a try they look delicious!
- January 2, 2012 at 7:48 PM
- Claudia said...
I have a ridiculously hard time with cornbread. I mean, who cannot make corn bread? (Me.) Love how savory this is and we are also "in the soup." So this would be a grand accompaniment.
- January 2, 2012 at 8:14 PM
- teresa said...
oh YUM! what a fun way to serve bread, this looks great!
- January 2, 2012 at 9:15 PM
- Eileen said...
These sound delicious! I hope your holidays were wonderful and full of good food. Happy New Year!
- January 2, 2012 at 9:16 PM
- Judy said...
Soup is perfect for this time of year, and corn muffins are a great accompaniment. Happy New Year Mary!
- January 2, 2012 at 10:36 PM
- Banana Wonder said...
Soups are best thing for these OR winters... AND muffins to go with! This combo of bacon and onion is making me drool. hard.
- January 2, 2012 at 10:49 PM
- Alicia said...
I've thought before of putting bacon in corn muffins but never thought about the onion. I'm making chili beans tomorrow and was going to make plain corn muffins, but now I'm going to try these! thanks!
- January 2, 2012 at 10:55 PM
- The Blonde Duck said...
I hope you had a good New Year!
- January 3, 2012 at 8:12 AM
- mod erin said...
I have been on the look-out for new lunch-box friendly recipes for my two boys- these are great, they will love them.
- January 3, 2012 at 8:47 AM
- Karen (Back Road Journal) said...
My husband loves cornbread and would certainly be crazy about these muffins. Muffins are a nice way to control portion size as well.
- January 3, 2012 at 9:27 AM
- Kim said...
Happy New Year, Mary! I always reach for corn muffins in place of biscuits and rolls. I've never tried a savory version with bacon in it before. Will have to save this recipe.
- January 3, 2012 at 9:47 AM
- Leah H. said...
Yummy corn muffins, yummy food:)
Visiting fro BM! Here's my share- hope you can visit too:)
http://www.loveablecassandra.com/2011/12/little-artist-in-the-making.html - January 4, 2012 at 9:14 AM
- Josie AGS said...
Yum!! I want to make these with my next soup. Happy New Year, Mary! Thank you for our warm wishes about Lilah. I remember when you were in touch when Naomi was born...time really flies. -Josie
- January 4, 2012 at 3:04 PM
- Sharon Koenig said...
Corn Bread is my absolute favorite! And like everyone else is saying, bacon makes everything better!
I'm sure that the onion adds a nice flavor too, and maybe even compliments the bacon. - January 4, 2012 at 6:47 PM
- The Single Nester said...
Anything with bacon in it, I am in. Happy New Year!
- January 12, 2012 at 12:10 PM
- SmilingSally said...
Hi Mary,
I've missed you and your yummy recipes. Thanks for sharing your blue.
Happy Blue Monday. - April 9, 2012 at 10:42 AM
- Leah H. said...
Thank's for the recipe, yum!
Visiting for Blue Monday-hope you can stop by:)
http://www.sweetposh.info/2012/03/babys-panda-outfit.html - April 11, 2012 at 1:03 AM


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Rule #1 - Be Patient - Rule #2 - Don't ask when, if you don't contribute - Rule #3 - You have coding skills - LinuxMCE's small brother is available: http://www.agocontrol.com
I jacked up my core tinkering with tings Will try again tomorrow morning.
so i assume everything is working fine since no responses? *ducks*
Log http://pastebin.com/sabFDuhB
Android Phone Droid Razr MaxxLatest Skins (from trunk)Android version 4.1.2LinuxMCE v10.04Loaded Ok, downloaded the new skins from the Core ok.I like the reddish interface with the large buttons. I very much like the smooth scrolling across senarios.The floorplans are very small on the screen. I still do not have an icon for the thermostat.I know there is the 'home' button in the upper left corner, but could the device's 'back' button be mapped to not exit the app, but just go back to the home screen?Also I have another request (which I could probably turn into a ticket if you like): Could the config file include a port field, so I could specify something other than port 80 to connect to the router? The reason being, if I am tunneling in through an outside device into the router, I map some high non-root port number to access the box. Mapping port 80 is a little tricky, since you need to have permissions.I'll try and attach a screenshot.....
;-)Last I checked, nothing was working for me I'm afraid.I still get fatal error on the phone and it just dies on the tablet after doing the "connecting to 192.168.10.10...." for a few secs. I will try to install on my wife's galaxy S4 over the weekend.I've tried catlog on one device and logcat on the other but nothing seems to show up in the logs. Weird?Golgog4, a couple of questions-1. Presume it can work on the external network provided the right firewall ports are open (the ones in the wiki or have these changed) and provided you specify the IP of the core in the xml file. Is that stuff all the same as before? Same location of xml file etc?2. Is there anything I need to do on the core side apart from creating the device and all that. I haven't done anything since I first tested the QT4 version a few months ago.
The reason being, if I am tunneling in through an outside device into the router, I map some high non-root port number to access the box. Mapping port 80 is a little tricky, since you need to have permissions.
on the setup frontwget http://svn.linuxmce.org/trac.cgi/export/27913/people/golgoj4/QOrbiter-bootstrap/setup/setupQorbiter.sh -O /tmp/setupQorbiter.shsudo chmod u+x /tmp/setupQorbiter.shsudo /tmp/./setupQorbiter.shgolgoj4

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Companies around the world are cutting back their financial-incentive programs, but few have used other ways of inspiring talent. We think they should. Numerous studies1 have concluded that for people with satisfactory salaries, some nonfinancial motivators are more effective than extra cash in building long-term employee engagement in most sectors, job functions, and business contexts. Many financial rewards mainly generate short-term boosts of energy, which can have damaging unintended consequences. Indeed, the economic crisis, with its imperative to reduce costs and to balance short- and long-term performance effectively, gives business leaders a great opportunity to reassess the combination of financial and nonfinancial incentives that will serve their companies best through and beyond the downturn.
A recent McKinsey Quarterly survey2 underscores the opportunity. The respondents view three noncash motivators—praise from immediate managers, leadership attention (for example, one-on-one conversations), and a chance to lead projects or task forces—as no less or even more effective motivators than the three highest-rated financial incentives: cash bonuses, increased base pay, and stock or stock options (exhibit). The survey's top three nonfinancial motivators play critical roles in making employees feel that their companies value them, take their well-being seriously, and strive to create opportunities for career growth. These themes recur constantly in most studies on ways to motivate and engage employees.
Three nonfinancial incentives are even more effective motivators than the three highest-rated financial incentives.
There couldn't be a better time to reinforce more cost-effective approaches. Money's traditional role as the dominant motivator is under pressure from declining corporate revenues, sagging stock markets, and increasing scrutiny by regulators, activist shareholders, and the general public. Our in-depth interviews with HR directors suggest that many companies have cut remuneration costs by 15 percent or more.
What's more, employee motivation is sagging throughout the world—morale has fallen at almost half of all companies, according to another McKinsey survey3 —at a time when businesses need engaged leaders and other employees willing to go above and beyond expectations. Organizations face the challenge of retaining talented people amid morale-sapping layoffs that tend to increase voluntary turnover over the medium term. Often, top performers are the first to go. Strong talent management is critical to recruit new ones from, for example, the financial sector, who have been laid off from their employers or feel disenchanted with them.
Yet while 70 percent of organizations have adjusted their reward-and-motivation programs during the past 12 months or plan to do so, relatively few have gone beyond the direct management of costs. Two-thirds of the executives we surveyed cited cost reductions as one of the top three reasons for the changes; 27 percent made changes to increase employee motivation; and only 9 percent had the goal of attracting new talent. Regional differences were striking. Forty-five percent of the respondents in developing markets, where economies have proved more robust, cited employee motivation as a key reason for modifying incentives, compared with only 19 percent in the United States and Western Europe, where the crisis hit hardest.
Even though overall reliance on financial incentives fell over the past 12 months, a number of companies curtailed their use of nonfinancial ones as well. Thirteen percent of the survey respondents report that managers praise their subordinates less often, 20 percent that opportunities to lead projects or task forces are scarcer, and 26 percent that leadership attention to motivate talent is less forthcoming.
Why haven't many organizations made more use of cost-effective nonfinancial motivators at a time when cash is hard to find? One reason may be that many executives hesitate to challenge the traditional managerial wisdom: money is what really counts. While executives themselves may be equally influenced by other things, they still think that bonuses are the dominant incentive for most people. "Managers see motivation in terms of the size of the compensation," explained an HR director from the financial-services industry.
Another reason is probably that nonfinancial ways to motivate people do, on the whole, require more time and commitment from senior managers. One HR director we interviewed spoke of their tendency to "hide" in their offices—primarily reflecting uncertainty about the current situation and outlook. This lack of interaction between managers and their people creates a highly damaging void that saps employee engagement.
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A chance to lead projects is a motivator that only half of the companies in our survey use frequently, although this is a particularly powerful way of inspiring employees to make a strong contribution at a challenging time. Such opportunities also develop their leadership capabilities, with long-term benefits for the organization. One HR director in the basic-materials industry explained that involvement in special projects "makes people feel like they're part of the answer—and part of the company's future." A leading company from the beverages industry, for example, selected 30 high-potential managers to participate in a leadership program that created a series of projects designed and led by the participants. "Now is the time to swim upstream and invest more in our high potentials," said the HR director, when launching the program this year.
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Thursday, July 21, 2011
Savory Spinach and Rice Cakes
From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Over the years I've collected several recipes for rice cakes. I've even created a few of my own. I generally serve them as a side dish when plain grilled chicken or meat is on the menu, though I've been known to make them as entree for myself when I'm alone for dinner. They are easy to prepare, and these simple frittata-like squares are a great way to use leftover rice that might otherwise be trashed and wasted. I especially like this recipe because it's a good way to get spinach into folks, large or small, whose lips lock when they see spinach on the table. This recipe is unique because the rice cakes actually cook in a microwave oven. It takes about 20 minutes to assemble these and you can have them on the table in 30 minutes. The recipe can be doubled, and if, for any reason, you are uneasy about cooking in a microwave, the squares can be baked in a conventional oven. One caution! Cook these just until they are firm. They dry out quickly when overcooked and you'll be unhappy with them if that happens. The rice squares are not gourmet fare but they help make a lovely family meal special. Here's the recipe.
Savory Spinach and Rice Cakes...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
2 large eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup cooked long grain rice
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Cheddar cheese
1) Spray an 8 x 4-inch microwave dish with cooking spray.
2) Melt butter in a small skillet set over medium heat. Add onions and saute until soft, about3 to 5 minutes.
3) Place eggs, milk, Worcestershire sauce, salt and rosemary in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
Stir in spinach, rice, sauteed onions and Parmesan cheese. Transfer to prepared microwave dish.
4) Microwave, uncovered, on high for 6-8 minutes. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese; microwave 1-2 minutes longer or until firm and a thermometer reads 160 degrees F. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes before cutting. Yield: 4 servings.
One Year Ago Today: Raspberry Kuchen
Two Years Ago Today: Lemon-Herb Slow-Cooked Chicken
You might also enjoy these recipes:
Angela's Strawberry Spinach Salad - My Kitchen Addictions
Spinach Dip - A Bitchin' Kitchen
Spinach Cheese Pinwheels - Sydney's Kitchen
Spinach Pesto - Zesty Palette
Spinach Sauteed with Roasted Garlic - Cooking with Michele
51 comments :
- Renee Paj said...
Ive never made a rice cake..but this looks wonderful. Love the flavor combos! It would be lovely with some roasted lemon chicken!
- July 21, 2011 at 9:41 AM
- Gloria Baker said...
Look amazing and delicious dear Mary, blessings in this day, gloria
- July 21, 2011 at 9:43 AM
- Young Adventures... said...
My family loves spinach and I think this dish would go over well. I like the idea of not turning on the oven as well in the heat! :)
- July 21, 2011 at 9:47 AM
- Carol @ There's Always Thyme to Cook said...
Looks delicious, what a great use of leftover rice. Love all that cheesy goodness mixed in with the spinach and rice.
- July 21, 2011 at 9:57 AM
- Andrea @ Vegvacious said...
This looks delicious!! I have some fresh rosemary that would be perfect in this!
- July 21, 2011 at 10:01 AM
- Little Inbox said...
That's a great recipe to use up the left-over rice. Both the dessert and the slow cooked chicken looks great too.
- July 21, 2011 at 10:03 AM
- Katarina said...
Looks once again very delicious! Have a great day!
- July 21, 2011 at 10:14 AM
- Tanna said...
Family fare lights my fire!! Love this one, Mary! Hope you have an incredilble day. blessings ~ tanna
- July 21, 2011 at 10:17 AM
- Linda Starr said...
With just the two of us we often have left over rice, when I was young I cooked white rice and I'd put milk and cinnamon and sugar on it and eat it for breakfast the next morning. Now I use brown and wild rice which isn't inexpensive and I think it woulnd't be good for breakfast, this recipe is right up my alley to use up my left over rice, thanks so much, this rice cake looks so delicious.
- July 21, 2011 at 10:18 AM
- Unknown said...
Wow - this looks really great and easy! This one's going in my recipe book - thanks!
- July 21, 2011 at 10:39 AM
- StephenC said...
This is the first recipe I recall reading that called for a microwave. And wouldn't you know, we don't have one since moving from Denver. Always looking for something to do with leftover rice though.
- July 21, 2011 at 10:56 AM
- Diane said...
This looks interesting, I have never made anything quite like this; I have bookmarked. Diane
- July 21, 2011 at 11:04 AM
- claire said...
I can honestly say I have never had a rice cake... You seem to be an expert though! Adding this to my bookmarked recipes as we speak!
- July 21, 2011 at 11:08 AM
What an interesting concept. I was expecting the dry packed rice cakes. These look delicious!
- July 21, 2011 at 11:24 AM
- Lucy Lu said...
i'm gonna try this for sure! looks sooooo yummy and i'm in love with spinach :D
Have a nice day and btw. check out my new post, finally :)
Lucy, - July 21, 2011 at 11:31 AM
- That Girl said...
Coincidentally, my coworker and I were just taking about different ways to prepare spinach yesterday!
- July 21, 2011 at 11:33 AM
- Lucie said...
No microwave, but I would love to make these and serve them with a light salad!
- July 21, 2011 at 12:10 PM
- Su m said...
Great recipe, I to have a brother in law that only eats spinach if they are cooked in a disguised way, so this is absolutely perfect!
- July 21, 2011 at 12:17 PM
- Tracy's Living Cookbook said...
A very interesting recipe- one that I am sure I would love! Always love to read your blog!
- July 21, 2011 at 12:44 PM
- turmericnspice said...
it looks amazing ...love rice cakes...a friend of mine is soo good with spinach rice cakes that it is her signature dish !! yours looks as good as hers ....wish i cld taste it
- July 21, 2011 at 12:58 PM
- Ruth said...
I've never seen a recipe like this before - your blog is always an education! I'm interested to try it though as all the ingredients sound great!
- July 21, 2011 at 1:02 PM
- Jessica | Cajunlicious said...
Mary, this looks amazing....a perfect bite of comfort!
- July 21, 2011 at 1:04 PM
- Unknown said...
This looks delightfully and filling
- July 21, 2011 at 2:11 PM
- nanny said...
I haven't made a rice cake either but they sound devine!!! and this one must be the best ever!!!
- July 21, 2011 at 2:35 PM
- CkretsGalore said...
Never had a rice cake like that before but you had me at cheese & spinach!
- July 21, 2011 at 2:38 PM
- Ginny Hartzler said...
I have printed this and cannot WAIT to try it!! I may also try to find some of your rice cake recipes. If I cook it in the oven, would it be 350 for about 25 minutes? It looks SO good!
- July 21, 2011 at 3:05 PM
- Clint said...
Looks and sounds really great. Of course, this bad boy actually likes spinach, thanks to my mom who made me eat it when I was a kid.
- July 21, 2011 at 4:14 PM
- Sprigs of Rosemary said...
On a steame of a day like today, using the microwave seems like an extra excellent idea! This is a crustless quiche!
- July 21, 2011 at 4:55 PM
- Miss Migas said...
I have never had a rice cake! I must try this one... I love spinach!!
- July 21, 2011 at 4:57 PM
- Lenia said...
Great combination of flavors!It looks amazing!
- July 21, 2011 at 5:43 PM
- Kim said...
i ate rice cakes a lot growing up! this one is definitely very unique~ love it!
- July 21, 2011 at 5:54 PM
- Maris (in Good taste) said...
This could not look any more perfect! Love this!
- July 21, 2011 at 6:15 PM
- Susan..... said...
Gourmet fare is in the eye of the beholder and this is up there. Everything old is new again, Mary.
I just love baked rice of any kind, Arroz con Pollo and baked paella both being my favs. This recipe sounds delicious. I can't wait to see what you post tomorrow. - July 21, 2011 at 6:20 PM
- Cooking Creation said...
I always have leftover rice and this is a lovely way to use it up! YUM! Thanks for sharing :)
- July 21, 2011 at 6:43 PM
- A Bitchin' Kitchen said...
Thanks for linking to us Mary!
This looks like great comfort food! I would probably end up eating it as my entree too!
- Maggie - July 21, 2011 at 6:44 PM
- Yvonne @ StoneGable said...
EVERYTHING you post, I want to make! I love a recipe that uses leftover rice! What a beautiful dish!
Yvonne - July 21, 2011 at 6:45 PM
- Glamour Drops said...
Yum, and I imagine they would also be good cold at a picnic too? I will be trying this one out with all the spinach that is going nuts in my veggie garden right now. (Somebody forgot to tell it that it's winter!)
- July 21, 2011 at 7:36 PM
- Joanne said...
Wow. I've never heard of ANYTHING like this before! SOunds super tasty!
- July 21, 2011 at 9:55 PM
- Ryan said...
I've never had a rice cake but love all of the ingredients included so it sounds wonderful! It does sound like a great idea for a side dish with chicken and I love that you can prepare it for a week night meal. We often have leftover rice so this is right up my alley! Thanks for sharing!
- July 21, 2011 at 9:57 PM
- Y said...
This is one of the few things I have never read of, or had! It's great learning things from you Mary, you are great :)
- July 21, 2011 at 10:12 PM
- Fresh Garden said...
Wonderful! Fantastic!
Thanks, Mary! ;) - July 21, 2011 at 10:21 PM
- Unknown said...
I know you have posted a rice square before that I have tried and plan on making again so I can post about it... so I know just this one is going to be amazing too!!
- July 21, 2011 at 11:46 PM
what a great idea! Thanks Mary :)
- July 22, 2011 at 4:27 AM
- David said...
Mary, This recipe is very different but it looks great! A terrific idea for a main side dish with dinner... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
- July 22, 2011 at 12:39 PM
- dr.antony said...
That looks really great and tempting.
- July 22, 2011 at 2:21 PM
- Magic of Spice said...
This is the best looking rice cake I have ever seen...this would certainly win over non-spinach fans :)
- July 22, 2011 at 10:00 PM
- Elaine said...
I have only seen and tasted those horrible rice cakes in the store that taste like paper. This looks fabulous!
- July 22, 2011 at 11:05 PM
- Hazel - Chicken in a Cherry Sauce said...
How interesting - never seen anything like it before but it looks sooo tasty!
- July 23, 2011 at 7:21 AM
- Sanjeeta kk said...
Wow..a cake with rice and veggie..you are wonderful Mary!
- July 24, 2011 at 5:58 AM
- sheila @ Elements said...
My husband and I are crazy for spinach and we love spinach and egg combos of any kind. This is something we'll have to make because certainly we'd both love it! :)
- July 26, 2011 at 9:39 AM
- Tanya said...
I might have to try and veganize this...it looks tasty!
- July 29, 2011 at 3:17 PM


text:
Friday, April 30, 2010
Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip – Less is More for the First Time Ever
For the first time ever, sour cream and mayonnaise have been removed from a dip recipe…and it got better. I've always enjoyed hot spinach artichoke dip, but it always struck me as a little oily. Almost all recipes call for some amount of mayo, which I really see no reason to include. It adds fat with no significant flavor payoff.
I decided to try a mayo-less version, and then raised the stakes even higher by excluding the sour cream as well. To counter this, a bit more cheese was added, and the results were amazing. A rich, creamy, cheesy, not greasy dip.While I loved this recipe, I may try it with just a touch of sour cream next time, and that could be named the official final foodwishes formula. I figure I have until football season to work it out.
By the way, I took a quick surf around the web and came up with zero info on the origins of hot spinach artichoke dip. I find this unusual for a dip of such widespread popularity. You would think someone would have claimed credit by now.
Having said that, I only search for about five minutes, so I could have totally missed it! If you actually have any info, even if you have to embellish it to make it more interesting, please share with the rest of us. Enjoy!
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped green onion, white and light green parts only
2 cloves garlic, very finely minced
1 package (10 ounce) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, squeezed dry
1 can (14 ounce) artichoke hearts, drained, roughly chopped
8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
very small pinch of nutmeg
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, preferably Parmigiano Reggiano
1/4 cup mozzarella, shredded
View the complete recipe
80 comments:
- blogagog said...
This is a very educational website. I totally forgot about that old saying about artichoke spinach dip!
;) - April 30, 2010 at 7:11 AM
- Heatherfeather said...
This is such a great idea! I have made this type of dip before at home, but the concept of putting them into smaller dishes and baking is so clever. I have been watching your videos for a while and enjoy them very much. Thank you for the hard work and for sharing your recipes.
- April 30, 2010 at 9:19 AM
Can you use fresh spinach instead of frozen? If so, is there anything extra that needs to be done to it? Your recipes are fan-TAST-tic, by the way. I've tried several of them (I've even unleashed them on some unsuspecting friends) with resounding success. Thanks for posting them!
- April 30, 2010 at 9:31 AM
- Chris K. said...
It is my belief that spinach artichoke dip was created by post-WWII food manufacturers. It's a bit long, but bear with me. Dig this, kids:
After World War II, American servicemen returned home from Europe with memories of the foods they ate there. Among these foods were French or Italian crudités, raw seasonal vegetables served with dipping sauces such as pistou or bagna cauda. The wives of these servicemen strove to re-create those dishes with ingredients on hand. Luckily, they had help.
Novel advances in wartime American food processing created excess capacity, a surplus of new products, and marketing opportunities for companies during the postwar boom. All the food processors needed to do was create a need for these products among the rapidly-growing populace.
Through erudite publications as Ladies' Home Journal, Family Circle, and Good Housekeeping, food companies like Bird's Eye, Kraft, Campell's, and Betty Crocker began pushing their new wares as time-saving helpers in the kitchen. In this way canned, frozen, and processed food stuffs became staples in the American pantry.
But perhaps the heaviest hitter of all was Betty Crocker. In 1945, Fortune magazine named Betty Crocker the second most popular American woman (Eleanor Roosevelt was named first).
Through her cookbook, Betty Crocker instructed housewives how to include these new, time-saving products in their cooking. And thus - along with the casserole (a result of wartime rationing, BTW) the party dip was codified in American cuisine.
If you read any party dip recipe from the early 1950s, chances are it consists of some combination of frozen vegetables, margarine, mayonnaise, sour cream, cream cheese, and maybe Spam.
So while Chef John's recipe improves on the formula by using fresh ingredients, it still retains the soul of the original. Which isn't a bad thing. I like to think of it as a respectful nod to food history in the making.
Or maybe I'm just totally full of it. - April 30, 2010 at 6:54 PM
I love your site! and artichoke spinach dip is one of my favorites!
btw, was that sriracha I saw for the hot sauce? my fiancé is obsessed with it he makes pizza replacing tomato sauce with sriracha. - April 30, 2010 at 9:17 PM
- Lhinelle said...
On a totally unrelated note, could you please do Beef Wellington at some point? I'd love to have a tried and true recipe ready to impress family with. Thanks for all the great videos and tips!
- April 30, 2010 at 11:07 PM
- Chef John said...
yes! sriracha rules
- May 1, 2010 at 2:06 AM
- Food Junkie said...
Another great recipe chef. A lot of recipes for this dip certainly do include mayo or sour cream or both. While this yummy concoction is hardly low fat this lower fat version is interesting and is on my must try list. I did see one recipe that used a small amount of alfredo sauce instead of the sour cream and mayo for a little extra creaminess.
- May 1, 2010 at 9:15 AM
- Food Junkie said...
While struggling to come up with supper ideas it occurred to me that this recipe or a lightly modified version would also make an interesting and tasty filling for large pasta shells, topped with a nice spicy sauce - it's gonna be good.
- May 1, 2010 at 1:23 PM
- Chef John said...
great idea!
- May 1, 2010 at 2:26 PM
What has happened to your video embeds? The controls on videos don't work: clicking a 'go', 'pause', whatever (after starting the video) sends the reader (me) off to a youtube page, -- which takes me away f rom the recipe page, or sends me to a Chase credit card page, or some other commercial page. What's up with this?
Dave W in PS - May 1, 2010 at 3:16 PM
- Chef John said...
no idea what you are referring to , I just checked and it's playing fine and the controls are working.
- May 1, 2010 at 4:03 PM
- Unknown said...
Hey Chef John, any reason for actual cream cheese over Neufchatel cheese? Tastes exactly the same to me, but 1/3 the fat. Thoughts?
- May 1, 2010 at 5:21 PM
- Chef John said...
no, no reason. if u like it use it for sure.
- May 1, 2010 at 5:44 PM
- kt said...
This is perfect! I've been looking for a recipe that doesn't use mayo or sour cream because they've never been on my list of favorite foods. Thank you so much!
- May 2, 2010 at 2:36 PM
- Unknown said...
Your sheet pan is amazingly clean.
Congratulations. - May 2, 2010 at 8:02 PM
- nikkipolani said...
Oh, I'm so looking forward to trying your recipe. I've thought the same as you when I see pools of fat in typical hot cheesy dips.
- May 2, 2010 at 8:29 PM
- Jesse from Detroit said...
Why add nutmeg? What's it do for the dish?
- May 4, 2010 at 3:39 PM
Hi Chef John,
Tried this and it is fantastic. One change, I used a stand mixer (I'm lazy) for mixing all the ingredients and it did a great job. The dish turned out wonderfully. And, "as always," thanks for your blog. - May 4, 2010 at 9:08 PM
- tango guy said...
Dumb question(?) Do you cook the spinach, or is frozen spinach pre-cooked? I've never used it.
Thanks Chef. - May 9, 2010 at 11:36 AM
- Chef John said...
not a dumb question! frozen spinach is ready to use :-)
- May 9, 2010 at 12:58 PM
- mysterysinc said...
I was wondering if you would know if this would freeze well if I prepared the recipe, but stopped right before topping it with Mozzarella and putting it in the oven.
My teenage daughter and her friends have been coming over to sit in the yard and have a fire in the firepit. I really am not one to serve chips and such, but finding decent appetizers that can be pre-made and that teens would like is not really an easy chore.
I love this recipe because I normally have 90% of the ingredients on hand anyway. Right now, I have them all and was hoping to make this tonight or tomorrow for this coming weekend. - June 8, 2010 at 1:12 PM
- Chef John said...
yes, you can freeze!
- June 8, 2010 at 1:37 PM
- Hummus said...
Great blog! This is actually one of my favorite dips and I'm excited to try your recipe. Thanks much for sharing. Cheers!
- June 22, 2010 at 1:23 AM
Hey, at what temperature is this to be cooked?
- July 21, 2010 at 3:36 PM
- Chef John said...
it's 25 min at 400 degrees (see slide at 2:05 in vid)
- July 21, 2010 at 3:48 PM
I have made this recipe before and I absolutely LOVE it. I'm going to give it another go again, but I noticed you said that you would add a touch of sour cream for it to be the final food wishes recipe. I have some sour cream lying around and I wanna try it out and see how it is. Rough estimate on how much I should put in?
Thanks! - July 27, 2010 at 5:05 PM
- Chef John said...
just a couple tablespoons or so
- July 27, 2010 at 5:08 PM
- Tanya VS said...
This was a big hit at my party last night! And yes, thy did scrape the sides of the bowl!
- August 4, 2010 at 1:15 PM
So delicious...Everyone completely fell in love with this dip. It will be a favorite of mind from now on...
I even reheated it a couple days later and it was great.
Thanks Chef! - December 29, 2010 at 10:44 AM
- Kim said...
PERFECT! I was looking for a vegetarian-friendly appetizer for my mother in law and found it! I rarely bring something to a party that I have never made or tried before, but I was low on time and wanted to give this a try. It was amazing and so easy! Thank you, Chef John for another great recipe. :)
- January 2, 2011 at 7:15 PM
i'm trying this recipe for the first time tomorrow, and i can't get my hands on gruyere cheese. what should i use as a substitute, or should i just leave it out and double the amount of parmesan cheese? will it make a difference? also, i can't find grated parmesan cheese that isn't in the powdery form. will that be bad? thanks!
- January 6, 2011 at 7:16 PM
- Chef John said...
use what u can get! it will be fine. Use 1/2 white cheddar and 1/2 regular swiss cheese instead of gruyere
- January 6, 2011 at 7:41 PM
i dont have much cheese either like the other person. i have the grated parmesan in powdery form and mozzarella and sharp cheddar.. will that taste bad? could i use the mozzarella into the mix instead of just placing it on top? thanks
- January 6, 2011 at 8:04 PM
I made this last night and it was incredibly delicious...it's very rich and full of flavor...I had to substitute regular swiss cheese for the gruyere...I also used a bag of fresh baby spinach instead of frozen...I just sauteed it in the onion mixture...the result was truly decadent!! :-)
- February 7, 2011 at 7:09 AM
- Storm Runner said...
Smoked on the BBQ. Mmmmmmmm
- March 17, 2011 at 12:03 AM
Hey Chef John Love your videos!! You've helped me improve my culinary skill thank you so much...
How would the recipe Differ if this had that of a Regular High fat Dip? - March 18, 2011 at 6:59 PM
- Chef John said...
The high fat is just richer and has more cheese and mayonnaise.
- March 18, 2011 at 8:19 PM
- Unknown said...
This is the recipe I've been looking for! Never got the mayo inclusion either (and I love mayo). Thank you, Chef John! "You have to suffer for your art..ichoke-spinach dip." Ha!
- March 23, 2011 at 8:02 AM
This looks delicious!
I have one question:
approx. how many ounces does this make?
I'm curious as to how many 6oz. ramekins this would fill - March 28, 2011 at 10:03 PM
- Chef John said...
maybe 28 oz?
- March 28, 2011 at 10:12 PM
I can't wait to try this recipe out! I absolutely love spinach artichoke dip, but would always buy the frozen, already made kinds. I think it would be nice to make it myself next time. :)
Love your videos! Cooking is slowly becoming my passion, but I'm still not too good yet. But practice makes perfect. - April 3, 2011 at 9:18 PM
- Unknown said...
Wait a sec, the spinach has to be cooked first??!
Or can I just chop up my gigantic bag of baby spinach leaves and throw them in?
That was a funny video!!! - April 11, 2011 at 1:50 PM
- Chef John said...
have to cook to squeeze out the extra water.
- April 11, 2011 at 1:54 PM
- Vincenzo said...
Chef John, Just wanted to let you know that i made the dip this weekend for a bbq i had and everybody loved it. I made 2 recipes of it and had no leftovers. Thank You, Vinny
- June 27, 2011 at 12:07 PM
I just made creme fraiche, can I use it to make it more creamy? when do I mix it in?
- October 24, 2011 at 12:08 AM
This is probably a dumb question .... I would like to use fresh spinach. I thought I could stema it in my dbl boiler.
How much fresh would I need to make this? Should I just use the same amount? - December 7, 2011 at 12:14 AM
- Chef John said...
Yes, you still need 10 ounces of prepared spinach.
- December 7, 2011 at 9:11 AM
I absolutely adore spinach and artichoke dip and I can't wait to try it out this weekend. Question though -- for the butter, is this salted butter or unsalted?
- December 13, 2011 at 9:40 PM
- Chef John said...
I only buy unsalted butter. Thanks !
- December 14, 2011 at 2:18 AM
A restaurant near me stuffs a grilled portabella with this dip and tops it with a slice of provolone and serves it a good grilled bun. Its great!
- January 1, 2012 at 1:16 PM
- Kim said...
When I price gruyere in the fancy cheese case I find it to be very expensive but have found if I go to the deli section of my grocery store and ask them to cut me a chunk oh, about 2 inches or so thick - it only costs me a couple of bucks versus the $8.00 or so for the fancy gruyere. Just a tip for the nifty thrify folks like me. Excellent recipe by the way. This is my 4th time to make it - to watch the Giants kick butt at the Superbowl!Should been a Texas team, but hey...
- February 5, 2012 at 5:02 PM
Hey Chef... in a pinch is there anything that the hot sauce could be substituted for or is it an integral part of this dish?
Thanks a bunch! - May 30, 2012 at 4:32 PM
- Chef John said...
It will not be a spicy, that's it.
- May 30, 2012 at 7:03 PM
I can't wait to try this recipe. My husband and I had the most amazing spinach artichoke dip at Penny Lane Pub in Old Saybrook CT. I wish I had the recipe. I will give this one a shot.
- June 22, 2012 at 9:43 PM
- Unknown said...
This Spinach and Artichoke Dip was fabulous! WAY better than in restaurants, and so easy! Thanks Chef John
- August 15, 2012 at 10:49 AM
question for you: what is the difference between the white ends and green ends of the green onion?? Also I make dips all the time with the cream cheese and use the low fat and nobody ever notices, even low fat cheese!!
- August 21, 2012 at 1:52 PM
- Chef John said...
Not sure what you mean by difference... the white part is solid, and like onion, and the top is hollow and green, more like a chive.
- August 21, 2012 at 2:54 PM
*gasp* How have you managed to grate your mozzarella? Must not be up to your usual standards ;)
- October 1, 2012 at 2:23 PM
- Unknown said...
How many of those little ramekins were you able to get filled with this recipe? Thanks.
- October 15, 2012 at 2:55 PM
- Chef John said...
it did 2 of those, which i believe are 12oz each.
- October 15, 2012 at 3:09 PM
Hi Chef John! Love your videos...i am hooked :) How many people would you say this recipe will serve? I have a party coming up and just wanted to make sure i make enough. Thank You!
- October 22, 2012 at 6:40 PM
- Chef John said...
I'd say serves 6-8
- October 22, 2012 at 8:47 PM
- Orenwolf said...
Hi Chef John! I've decided that your recipes, your ideas, and your inspiration will be part of my weekly culinary experiments from here on out.
THANK YOU so much for what you do. Truly.
I had a family get-together a few weeks back, and I chose this recipe as my first foray into FoodWishes - and let me tell you, it was an absolute hit. So much so, that I find myself unable to eat the appetizer, mayo-based creations found at restaurants any longer!
Thank you so much! - November 5, 2012 at 2:30 PM
- ShanFitzBan said...
Just caught your video- looks like a great thing to bring as an appetizer for Thanksgiving this year!
Quick question though- is this something I can make ahead, refrigerate/not bake right away, then bake the following day? I need something that I can mostly make ahead of time, but usually things with cheese I worry about the moisture wanting to separate and making it king of soggy.
Any thoughts are appreciated! - November 5, 2012 at 10:27 PM
- Chef John said...
You can make ahead! It's a soft, runny dip, so it's already soggy ;)
- November 5, 2012 at 11:53 PM
- Shanda said...
Can chicken be added to this?
- November 20, 2012 at 3:31 PM
- Shanda said...
Can chicken be added to this?
- November 20, 2012 at 3:32 PM
- Chef John said...
Sure! Why not!?
- November 20, 2012 at 3:34 PM
- sek said...
Chef John,
I often see your videos on:
Is it possible to use their shopping list for your recipes?
Idon't see that option on your website.
- November 29, 2012 at 2:45 PM
- Unknown said...
The first time that I made this dip, it was delicious, but the consistency was a little thicker than I prefer. So, the second time I made this, I added 6 oz of plain greek yogurt. It was perfect! Also, I believe that this exact same mixture would be awesome to use to make stuffed mushrooms or stuffed shells. Thanks Chef John!!! YOU DA MAN! : )
- January 2, 2013 at 2:41 PM
- S/V Blondie-Dog said...
Dang... I'd done already forgots dat' I already made this dip a whiles back and dat it be a mighty fine good eatin'.
I is jest' gonna have to make this fine gourmet meal yet again sometime real soon!
Yippers... it was good! - January 24, 2013 at 5:46 PM
- Ed the house chef said...
I am unable to get Gruyere where I am. Not even the local cheese shops or vendors carry it, I was very disappointed to learn this. If you couldn't get your beloved Gruyere, what cheese would you substitute? I've been thinking perhaps an emmanteller (spelling) or a gouda, what is your opinion. I hope to hear back from you before the Superbowl :) - January 26, 2013 at 12:06 PM
- Chef John said...
Those would be fine!
- January 26, 2013 at 2:13 PM
- Unknown said...
I tried this recipe yesterday & it was a HIT! This will now be my go to recipe for spinach artichoke dip. To my surprise, I have a ramicin left over that want touched, but was baked. How long will this last refridgerated? Can I possibly freeze it & use it in a week?
- February 4, 2013 at 8:54 PM
- Chef John said...
Yes, u can freeze!
- February 4, 2013 at 11:45 PM
- Jamie said...
Try putting the leftovers into a omelet. Kicks butt!!
- August 15, 2015 at 1:15 PM
- Unknown said...
Chef John, again you leave me looking like a food genius, when all the credit goes to you (but let's keep that between us, hey?) I made this a day ahead in two ramekins as you did.... wrapped them in the fridge overnight, and they still cooked like beauties the next day. I brought to a birthday party that I share with my very Greek/Italian friend with tables piled high with food to be rivaled with. Your dip (and a ziplock of baguette slices) went faster than anything on the table. I've never been so proud! (wipes a single tear from eye). Yet again, you saved the day, for me at least. Thanks for the birthday prowess this gave me! :) - July 17, 2016 at 7:28 PM
- Midmodtom said...
7 years later and I have stumbled upon this great recipe and have the history answer for you! The original recipe came from off the back of a Hellmann's mayonnaise car and was called Hot Artichoke Dip (there is even some history that suggests that it was originally called Hot Mayo Dip but that didn't turn people on as much). Adding spinach is a variation, and there are other variations, but mayonnaise and artichokes are the main ingredients. That you have replaced the mayonnaise with cheese takes it to another level. I have made the Hellmann's version many times, and then started adding spinach. It always came out great, but you couldn't reheat it without the dip breaking/separating; that's when it became an oily mess. I love this recipe because it is more like a gratin and the consistency makes it suitable for stuffing into pasta shells or rolled around pounded chicken and pork. Great as a dip, but also wonderful as an ingredient.
- April 28, 2017 at 7:25 AM
- VIOLAA said...
Wow Chef John,I find I don't have time to cook because your video blogs are excellent. I have become obsessed with watching all of them.
Thank you for this new knowledge and techniques. - February 2, 2019 at 6:47 AM


text:
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text:
Thumbs down to the amount of crimes this past week in Alexandria. Conspiring to steal a four-year-old kids necklace? Stealing a dog? If any of these criminals are reading this, I hope you are embarrassed. Dont take what doesnt belong to you. Work hard and earn your keep!
Patrice Culligan
Thumbs up to Handcrafted Alexandria for their series of monthly initiatives including the raffle to benefit the Senior Services of Alexandrias Meals on Wheels Program. Included in the raffle are items donated by Fiber Space, La Muse, Arts Afire, Potomac Bead Company and Ten Thousand Villages.
Patrice Culligan
Thumbs up to the three former Alexandria Aces players who have signed professional baseball contracts this year: Justin Mazur, Cody Walden and most recently Kyle Bradley. Their signings further validate the Cal Ripken, Jr. baseball league as a showcase for aspiring major leaguers. Take your family to an Aces game before the season ends its the best value in town!
Denise Dunbar
Thumbs down to the Old Town criminals who are getting ever more brazen. This week an Old Town residents purse was stolen from her own kitchen counter! This heist comes on the heels of numerous such residential thefts, plus a break-in at St. Pauls Church and one at Whistle Stop Toys. To the perpetrator: You eventually will be caught by our very capable police force. I hope your jail sentence is a long one.
Denise Dunbar


text:
git-fetch (1)
Leading comments
Title: git-fetch Author: [FIXME: author] [see http://docbook.sf.net/el/author] Generator: DocBook XSL Stylesheets v1.79.1 <http://docbook.sf.net/> Date: 08/10/2017 Manual: Git Manual Source: Git 2.14.1 Language: English
git-fetch - Download objects and refs from another repositorySYNOPSIS
git fetch [<options>] [<repository> [<refspec>...]] git fetch [<options>] <group> git fetch --multiple [<options>] [(<repository> | <group>)...] git fetch --all [<options>]
Fetch branches and/or tags (collectively, "refs") from one or more other repositories, along with the objects necessary to complete their histories. Remote-tracking branches are updated (see the description of <refspec> below for ways to control this behavior).
By default, any tag that points into the histories being fetched is also fetched; the effect is to fetch tags that point at branches that you are interested in. This default behavior can be changed by using the --tags or --no-tags options or by configuring remote.<name>.tagOpt. By using a refspec that fetches tags explicitly, you can fetch tags that do not point into branches you are interested in as well.
git fetch can fetch from either a single named repository or URL, or from several repositories at once if <group> is given and there is a remotes.<group> entry in the configuration file. (See git-config(1)).
When no remote is specified, by default the origin remote will be used, unless therecqs an upstream branch configured for the current branch.
The names of refs that are fetched, together with the object names they point at, are written to .git/FETCH_HEAD. This information may be used by scripts or other git commands, such as git-pull(1).
- Fetch all remotes.
-a, --append
- Append ref names and object names of fetched refs to the existing contents of .git/FETCH_HEAD. Without this option old data in .git/FETCH_HEAD will be overwritten.
- Limit fetching to the specified number of commits from the tip of each remote branch history. If fetching to a shallow repository created by git clone with --depth=<depth> option (see git-clone(1)), deepen or shorten the history to the specified number of commits. Tags for the deepened commits are not fetched.
If the source repository is complete, convert a shallow repository to a complete one, removing all the limitations imposed by shallow repositories.
If the source repository is shallow, fetch as much as possible so that the current repository has the same history as the source repository.
- By default when fetching from a shallow repository, git fetch refuses refs that require updating .git/shallow. This option updates .git/shallow and accept such refs.
- Show what would be done, without making any changes.
-f, --force
- When git fetch is used with <rbranch>:<lbranch> refspec, it refuses to update the local branch <lbranch> unless the remote branch <rbranch> it fetches is a descendant of <lbranch>. This option overrides that check.
-k, --keep
- Keep downloaded pack.
- Allow several <repository> and <group> arguments to be specified. No <refspec>s may be specified.
-p, --prune
- After fetching, remove any remote-tracking references that no longer exist on the remote. Tags are not subject to pruning if they are fetched only because of the default tag auto-following or due to a --tags option. However, if tags are fetched due to an explicit refspec (either on the command line or in the remote configuration, for example if the remote was cloned with the --mirror option), then they are also subject to pruning.
-n, --no-tags
- By default, tags that point at objects that are downloaded from the remote repository are fetched and stored locally. This option disables this automatic tag following. The default behavior for a remote may be specified with the remote.<name>.tagOpt setting. See git-config(1).
- When fetching refs listed on the command line, use the specified refspec (can be given more than once) to map the refs to remote-tracking branches, instead of the values of remote.*.fetch configuration variables for the remote repository. See section on "Configured Remote-tracking Branches" for details.
-t, --tags
- Fetch all tags from the remote (i.e., fetch remote tags refs/tags/* into local tags with the same name), in addition to whatever else would otherwise be fetched. Using this option alone does not subject tags to pruning, even if --prune is used (though tags may be pruned anyway if they are also the destination of an explicit refspec; see --prune).
- This option controls if and under what conditions new commits of populated submodules should be fetched too. It can be used as a boolean option to completely disable recursion when set to no or to unconditionally recurse into all populated submodules when set to yes, which is the default when this option is used without any value. Use on-demand to only recurse into a populated submodule when the superproject retrieves a commit that updates the submodulecqs reference to a commit that isncqt already in the local submodule clone.
- Disable recursive fetching of submodules (this has the same effect as using the --recurse-submodules=no option).
- Prepend <path> to paths printed in informative messages such as "Fetching submodule foo". This option is used internally when recursing over submodules.
- This option is used internally to temporarily provide a non-negative default value for the --recurse-submodules option. All other methods of configuring fetchcqs submodule recursion (such as settings in gitmodules(5) and git-config(1)) override this option, as does specifying --[no-]recurse-submodules directly.
-u, --update-head-ok
- By default git fetch refuses to update the head which corresponds to the current branch. This flag disables the check. This is purely for the internal use for git pull to communicate with git fetch, and unless you are implementing your own Porcelain you are not supposed to use it.
--upload-pack <upload-pack>
- When given, and the repository to fetch from is handled by git fetch-pack, --exec=<upload-pack> is passed to the command to specify non-default path for the command run on the other end.
-q, --quiet
- Pass --quiet to git-fetch-pack and silence any other internally used git commands. Progress is not reported to the standard error stream.
-v, --verbose
- Be verbose.
- Progress status is reported on the standard error stream by default when it is attached to a terminal, unless -q is specified. This flag forces progress status even if the standard error stream is not directed to a terminal.
- The "remote" repository that is the source of a fetch or pull operation. This parameter can be either a URL (see the section GIT URLS below) or the name of a remote (see the section REMOTES below).
- A name referring to a list of repositories as the value of remotes.<group> in the configuration file. (See git-config(1)).
Specifies which refs to fetch and which local refs to update. When no <refspec>s appear on the command line, the refs to fetch are read from
variables instead (see
The format of a <refspec> parameter is an optional plus +, followed by the source ref <src>, followed by a colon :, followed by the destination ref <dst>. The colon can be omitted when <dst> is empty.
tag <tag> means the same as refs/tags/<tag>:refs/tags/<tag>; it requests fetching everything up to the given tag.
The remote ref that matches <src> is fetched, and if <dst> is not empty string, the local ref that matches it is fast-forwarded using <src>. If the optional plus + is used, the local ref is updated even if it does not result in a fast-forward update.
When the remote branch you want to fetch is known to be rewound and rebased regularly, it is expected that its new tip will not be descendant of its previous tip (as stored in your remote-tracking branch the last time you fetched). You would want to use the + sign to indicate non-fast-forward updates will be needed for such branches. There is no way to determine or declare that a branch will be made available in a repository with this behavior; the pulling user simply must know this is the expected usage pattern for a branch.
In general, URLs contain information about the transport protocol, the address of the remote server, and the path to the repository. Depending on the transport protocol, some of this information may be absent.
Git supports ssh, git, http, and https protocols (in addition, ftp, and ftps can be used for fetching and rsync can be used for fetching and pushing, but these are inefficient and deprecated; do not use them).
The native transport (i.e. git:// URL) does no authentication and should be used with caution on unsecured networks.
The following syntaxes may be used with them:
- * git://host.xz[:port]/path/to/repo.git/
- * http[s]://host.xz[:port]/path/to/repo.git/
- * ftp[s]://host.xz[:port]/path/to/repo.git/
- * rsync://host.xz/path/to/repo.git/
An alternative scp-like syntax may also be used with the ssh protocol:
- * [user@]host.xz:path/to/repo.git/
This syntax is only recognized if there are no slashes before the first colon. This helps differentiate a local path that contains a colon. For example the local path foo:bar could be specified as an absolute path or ./foo:bar to avoid being misinterpreted as an ssh url.
The ssh and git protocols additionally support ~username expansion:
- * git://host.xz[:port]/~[user]/path/to/repo.git/
- * [user@]host.xz:/~[user]/path/to/repo.git/
For local repositories, also supported by Git natively, the following syntaxes may be used:
- * /path/to/repo.git/
- * file:///path/to/repo.git/
These two syntaxes are mostly equivalent, except when cloning, when the former implies --local option. See git-clone(1) for details.
When Git doesncqt know how to handle a certain transport protocol, it attempts to use the remote-<transport> remote helper, if one exists. To explicitly request a remote helper, the following syntax may be used:
- * <transport>::<address>
where <address> may be a path, a server and path, or an arbitrary URL-like string recognized by the specific remote helper being invoked. See gitremote-helpers(1) for details.
If there are a large number of similarly-named remote repositories and you want to use a different format for them (such that the URLs you use will be rewritten into URLs that work), you can create a configuration section of the form:
[url "<actual url base>"] insteadOf = <other url base>
For example, with this:
[url "git://git.host.xz"] insteadOf = host.xz:/path/to/ insteadOf = work:
a URL like "work:repo.git" or like "host.xz:/path/to/repo.git" will be rewritten in any context that takes a URL to be "git://git.host.xz/repo.git".
If you want to rewrite URLs for push only, you can create a configuration section of the form:
[url "<actual url base>"] pushInsteadOf = <other url base>
For example, with this:
[url "ssh://example.org/"] pushInsteadOf = git://example.org/
a URL like "git://example.org/path/to/repo.git" will be rewritten to "ssh://example.org/path/to/repo.git" for pushes, but pulls will still use the original URL.
The name of one of the following can be used instead of a URL as <repository> argument:
- * a remote in the Git configuration file: $GIT_DIR/config,
- * a file in the $GIT_DIR/remotes directory, or
- * a file in the $GIT_DIR/branches directory.
All of these also allow you to omit the refspec from the command line because they each contain a refspec which git will use by default.
Named remote in configuration file
You can choose to provide the name of a remote which you had previously configured using git-remote(1), git-config(1) or even by a manual edit to the $GIT_DIR/config file. The URL of this remote will be used to access the repository. The refspec of this remote will be used by default when you do not provide a refspec on the command line. The entry in the config file would appear like this:
[remote "<name>"] url = <url> pushurl = <pushurl> push = <refspec> fetch = <refspec>
The <pushurl> is used for pushes only. It is optional and defaults to <url>.
Named file in $GIT_DIR/remotes
You can choose to provide the name of a file in $GIT_DIR/remotes. The URL in this file will be used to access the repository. The refspec in this file will be used as default when you do not provide a refspec on the command line. This file should have the following format:
URL: one of the above URL format Push: <refspec> Pull: <refspec>
Push: lines are used by git push and Pull: lines are used by git pull and git fetch. Multiple Push: and Pull: lines may be specified for additional branch mappings.
Named file in $GIT_DIR/branches
You can choose to provide the name of a file in $GIT_DIR/branches. The URL in this file will be used to access the repository. This file should have the following format:
<url> is required; #<head> is optional.
Depending on the operation, git will use one of the following refspecs, if you doncqt provide one on the command line. <branch> is the name of this file in $GIT_DIR/branches and <head> defaults to master.
git fetch uses:
git push uses:
You often interact with the same remote repository by regularly and repeatedly fetching from it. In order to keep track of the progress of such a remote repository, git fetch allows you to configure remote.<repository>.fetch configuration variables.
Typically such a variable may look like this:
[remote "origin"] fetch = +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/*
This configuration is used in two ways:
- * When git fetch is run without specifying what branches and/or tags to fetch on the command line, e.g. git fetch origin or git fetch, remote.<repository>.fetch values are used as the refspecs---they specify which refs to fetch and which local refs to update. The example above will fetch all branches that exist in the origin (i.e. any ref that matches the left-hand side of the value, refs/heads/*) and update the corresponding remote-tracking branches in the refs/remotes/origin/* hierarchy.
- * When git fetch is run with explicit branches and/or tags to fetch on the command line, e.g. git fetch origin master, the <refspec>s given on the command line determine what are to be fetched (e.g. master in the example, which is a short-hand for master:, which in turn means "fetch the master branch but I do not explicitly say what remote-tracking branch to update with it from the command line"), and the example command will fetch only the master branch. The remote.<repository>.fetch values determine which remote-tracking branch, if any, is updated. When used in this way, the remote.<repository>.fetch values do not have any effect in deciding what gets fetched (i.e. the values are not used as refspecs when the command-line lists refspecs); they are only used to decide where the refs that are fetched are stored by acting as a mapping.
The latter use of the remote.<repository>.fetch values can be overridden by giving the --refmap=<refspec> parameter(s) on the command line.
Update the remote-tracking branches:
$ git fetch origin
The above command copies all branches from the remote refs/heads/ namespace and stores them to the local refs/remotes/origin/ namespace, unless the branch.<name>.fetch option is used to specify a non-default refspec.
Using refspecs explicitly:
$ git fetch origin +pu:pu maint:tmp
This updates (or creates, as necessary) branches pu and tmp in the local repository by fetching from the branches (respectively) pu and maint from the remote repository.
The pu branch will be updated even if it is does not fast-forward, because it is prefixed with a plus sign; tmp will not be.
Peek at a remotecqs branch, without configuring the remote in your local repository:
$ git fetch git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/git/git.git maint $ git log FETCH_HEAD
The first command fetches the maint branch from the repository at git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/git/git.git and the second command uses FETCH_HEAD to examine the branch with git-log(1). The fetched objects will eventually be removed by gitcqs built-in housekeeping (see git-gc(1)).
Using --recurse-submodules can only fetch new commits in already checked out submodules right now. When e.g. upstream added a new submodule in the just fetched commits of the superproject the submodule itself can not be fetched, making it impossible to check out that submodule later without having to do a fetch again. This is expected to be fixed in a future Git version.
Part of the git(1) suite


text:
Well I haven't been around much lately, mostly because of time spent remodeling the house. Now I need to try and make sure everything gets done before Iain shows up this summer. My background is pretty simple. I started in Shotokan for 2 1/2 years. For the last 28 years I've trained in the Shobukan branch of Goju and some Matayoshi kobudo. Have had the same sensei for those 28 years. If you're wondering what would make me stick with someone for 28 years, you can get somewhat of an idea from this article. MASANOBU SHINJO, LEE GRAY AND THE SHOBUKAN - THE OTHER GOJU RYU
Find myself still being amazed at the new things I learned in Goju every month.
Teach a small group of kids and adults. Have been teaching on and off for about 19 years. Besides the knowledge and the skills I've learned, I appreciate the chance to get to know people I wouldn't otherwise have met simply because I practice martial arts.


text:
Every musician plays scales. When you begin to study the piano, that's the first thing you learn, and you never stop playing scales. The finest concert pianists in the world still play scales. It's a basic skill that can't be allowed to get rusty.
Every baseball player practices batting. It's the first thing you learn in Little League, and you never stop practicing. Every World Series game begins with batting practice. Basic skills must always remain sharp.
Seated meditation is the arena in which the meditator practices his own fundamental skills. The game the meditator is playing is the experience of his own life, and the instrument upon which he plays is his own sensory apparatus. Even the most seasoned meditator continues to practice seated meditation, because it tunes and sharpens the basic mental skills he needs for his particular game. We must never forget, however, that seated meditation itself is not the game. It's the practice. The game in which those basic skills are to be applied is the rest of one's experiential existence. Meditation that is not applied to daily living is sterile and limited.
The purpose of Vipassana meditation is nothing less than the radical and permanent transformation of your entire sensory and cognitive experience. It is meant to revolutionize the whole of your life experience. Those periods of seated practice are times set aside for instilling new mental habits. You learn new ways to receive and understand sensation. You develop new methods of dealing with conscious thought, and new modes of attending to the incessant rush of your own emotions. These new mental behaviors must be made to carry over into the rest of your life.
Otherwise, meditation remains dry and fruitless, a theoretical segment of your existence that is unconnected to all the rest. Some effort to connect these two segments is essential. A certain amount of carry-over will take place spontaneously, but the process will be slow and unreliable. You are very likely to be left with the feeling that you are getting nowhere and to drop the process as unrewarding.
One of the most memorable events in your meditation career is the moment when you first realize that you are meditation in the midst of some perfectly ordinary activity. You are driving down the freeway or carrying out the trash and it just turns on by itself. This unplanned outpouring of the skills you have been so carefully fostering is a genuine joy. It gives you a tiny window on the future. You catch a spontaneous glimpse of what the practice really means. The possibility strikes you that this transformation of consciousness could actually become a permanent feature of your experience. You realize that you could actually spend the rest of your days standing aside from the debilitating clamoring of your own obsessions, no longer frantically hounded by your own needs and greed. You get a tiny taste of what it is like to just stand aside and watch it all flow past. It's a magic moment.
That vision is liable to remain unfulfilled, however, unless you actively seek to promote the carry-over process. The most important moment in meditation is the instant you leave the cushion. When your practice session is over, you can jump up and drop the whole thing, or you can bring those skills with you into the rest of your activities.
It is crucial for you to understand what meditation is. It is not some special posture, and it's not just a set of mental exercises. Meditation is a cultivation of mindfulness and the application of that mindfulness once cultivated. You do not have to sit to meditate. You can meditate while washing the dishes. You can meditate in the shower, or roller skating, or typing letters. Meditation is awareness, and it must be applied to each and every activity of one's life. This isn't easy.
We specifically cultivate awareness through the seated posture in a quiet place because that's the easiest situation in which to do so. Meditation in motion is harder. Meditation in the midst of fast-paced noisy activity is harder still. And meditation in the midst of intensely egoistic activities like romance or arguments is the ultimate challenge. The beginner will have his hands full with less stressful activities.
Yet the ultimate goal of practice remains: to build one's concentration and awareness to a level of strength that will remain unwavering even in the midst of the pressures of life in contemporary society. Life offers many challenges and the serious meditator is very seldom bored.
Carrying your meditation into the events of your daily life is not a simple process. Try it and you will see. That transition point between the end of your meditation session and the beginning of 'real life' is a long jump. It's too long for most of us. We find our calm and concentration evaporating within minutes, leaving us apparently no better off than before. In order to bridge this gulf, Buddhists over the centuries have devised an array of exercises aimed at smoothing the transition. They take that jump and break it down into little steps. Each step can be practiced by itself.
1. Walking Meditation
Our everyday existence is full of motion and activity. Sitting utterly motionless for hours on end is nearly the opposite of normal experience. Those states of clarity and tranquility we foster in the midst of absolute stillness tend to dissolve as soon as we move. We need some transitional exercise that will teach us the skill of remaining calm and aware in the midst of motion. Walking meditation helps us make that transition from static repose to everyday life. It's meditation in motion, and it is often used as an alternative to sitting. Walking is especially good for those times when you are extremely restless. An hour of walking meditation will often get you through that restless energy and still yield considerable quantities of clarity. You can then go on to the seated meditation with greater profit.
Standard Buddhist practice advocates frequent retreats to complement your daily sitting practice. A retreat is a relatively long period of time devoted exclusively to meditation. One or two day retreats are common for lay people. Seasoned meditators in a monastic situation may spend months at a time doing nothing else. Such practice is rigorous, and it makes sizable demands on both mind and body. Unless you have been at it for several years, there is a limit to how long you can sit and profit. Ten solid hours of the seated posture will produce in most beginners a state of agony that far exceeds their concentration powers. A profitable retreat must therefore be conducted with some change of posture and some movement. The usual pattern is to intersperse blocks of sitting with blocks of walking meditation. An hour of each with short breaks between is common.
To do the walking meditation, you need a private place with enough space for at least five to ten paces in a straight line. You are going to be walking back and forth very slowly, and to the eyes of most Westerners, you'll look curious and disconnected from everyday life. This is not the sort of exercise you want to perform on the front lawn where you'll attract unnecessary attention. Choose a private place.
The physical directions are simple. Select an unobstructed area and start at one end. Stand for a minute in an attentive position. Your arms can be held in any way that is comfortable, in front, in back, or at your sides. Then while breathing in, lift the heel of one foot. While breathing out, rest that foot on its toes. Again while breathing in, lift that foot, carry it forward and while breathing out, bring the foot down and touch the floor. Repeat this for the other foot. Walk very slowly to the opposite end, stand for one minute, then turn around very slowly, and stand there for another minute before you walk back. Then repeat the process. Keep you head up and you neck relaxed. Keep your eyes open to maintain balance, but don't look at anything in particular. Walk naturally. Maintain the slowest pace that is comfortable, and pay no attention to your surroundings. Watch out for tensions building up in the body, and release them as soon as you spot them. Don't make any particular attempt to be graceful. Don't try to look pretty. This is not an athletic exercise, or a dance. It is an exercise in awareness. Your objective is to attain total alertness, heightened sensitivity and a full, unblocked experience of the motion of walking. Put all of your attention on the sensations coming from the feet and legs. Try to register as much information as possible about each foot as it moves. Dive into the pure sensation of walking, and notice every subtle nuance of the movement. Feel each individual muscle as it moves. Experience every tiny change in tactile sensation as the feet press against the floor and then lift again.
Notice the way these apparently smooth motions are composed of complex series of tiny jerks. Try to miss nothing. In order to heighten your sensitivity, you can break the movement down into distinct components. Each foot goes through a lift, a swing; and then a down tread. Each of these components has a beginning, middle, and end. In order to tune yourself in to this series of motions, you can start by making explicit mental notes of each stage.
Make a mental note of "lifting, swinging, coming down, touching floor, pressing" and so on. This is a training procedure to familiarize you with the sequence of motions and to make sure that you don't miss any. As you become more aware of the myriad subtle events going on, you won't have time for words. You will find yourself immersed in a fluid, unbroken awareness of motion. The feet will become your whole universe. If your mind wanders, note the distraction in the usual way, then return your attention to walking. Don't look at your feet while you are doing all of this, and don't walk back and forth watching a mental picture of your feet and legs. Don't think, just feel. You don't need the concept of feet and you don't need pictures. Just register the sensations as they flow. In the beginning, you will probably have some difficulties with balance. You are using the leg muscles in a new way, and a learning period is natural. If frustration arises, just note that and let it go.
The Vipassana walking technique is designed to flood your consciousness with simple sensations, and to do it so thoroughly that all else is pushed aside. There is no room for thought and no room for emotion. There is no time for grasping, and none for freezing the activity into a series of concepts. There is no need for a sense of self. There is only the sweep of tactile and kinesthetic sensation, an endless and ever-changing flood of raw experience. We are learning here to escape into reality, rather than from it. Whatever insights we gain are directly applicable to the rest of our notion-filled lives.
2. Postures
The goal of our practice is to become fully aware of all facets of our experience in an unbroken, moment-to-moment flow. Much of what we do and experience is completely unconscious in the sense that we do it with little or no attention. Our minds are on something else entirely. We spend most of our time running on automatic pilot, lost in the fog of day-dreams and preoccupations.
One of the most frequently ignored aspects of our existence is our body. The technicolor cartoon show inside our head is so alluring that we tend to remove all of our attention from the kinesthetic and tactile senses. That information is pouring up the nerves and into the brain every second, but we have largely sealed it off from consciousness. It pours into the lower levels of the mind and it gets no further. Buddhists have developed an exercise to open the floodgates and let this material through to consciousness. It's another way of making the unconscious conscious.
Your body goes through all kinds of contortions in the course of a single day. You sit and you stand. You walk and lie down. You bend, run, crawl, and sprawl. Meditation teachers urge you to become aware of this constantly ongoing dance. As you go through your day, spend a few seconds every few minutes to check your posture. Don't do it in a judgmental way. This is not an exercise to correct your posture, or to improve you appearance. Sweep your attention down through the body and feel how you are holding it. Make a silent mental note of 'Walking' or 'Sitting' or 'Lying down' or 'Standing'. It all sounds absurdly simple, but don't slight this procedure. This is a powerful exercise. If you do it thoroughly, if you really instil this mental habit deeply, it can revolutionize your experience. It taps you into a whole new dimension of sensation, and you feel like a blind man whose sight has been restored.
3. Slow-Motion Activity
Every action you perform is made up of separate components. The simple action of tying your shoelaces is made up of a complex series of subtle motions. Most of these details go unobserved. In order to promote the overall habit of mindfulness, you can perform simple activities at very low speed--making an effort to pay full attention to every nuance of the act.
Sitting at a table and drinking a cup of tea is one example. There is much here to be experienced. View your posture as you are sitting and feel the handle of the cup between your fingers. Smell the aroma of the tea, notice the placement of the cup, the tea, your arm, and the table. Watch the intention to raise the arm arise within your mind, feel the arm as it raises, feel the cup against your lips and the liquid pouring into your mouth. Taste the tea, then watch the arising of the intention to lower your arm. The entire process is fascinating and beautiful, if you attend to it fully, paying detached attention to every sensation and to the flow of thought and emotion.
This same tactic can be applied to many of your daily activities. Intentionally slowing down your thoughts, words and movements allows you to penetrate far more deeply into them than you otherwise could. What you find there is utterly astonishing. In the beginning, it is very difficult to keep this deliberately slow pace during most regular activities, but skill grows with time. Profound realizations occur during sitting meditation, but even more profound revelations can take place when we really examine our own inner workings in the midst of day-to-day activities. This is the laboratory where we really start to see the mechanisms of our own emotions and the operations of our passions. Here is where we can truly gauge the reliability of our reasoning, and glimpse the difference between our true motives and the armor of pretense that we wear to fool ourselves and others.
We will find a great deal of this information surprising, much of it disturbing, but all of it useful. Bare attention brings order into the clutter that collects in those untidy little hidden corners of the mind. As you achieve clear comprehension in the midst of life's ordinary activities, you gain the ability to remain rational and peaceful while you throw the penetrating light of mindfulness into those irrational mental nooks and crannies. You start to see the extent to which you are responsible for your own mental suffering. You see your own miseries, fears, and tensions as self-generated. You see the way you cause your own suffering, weakness, and limitations. And the more deeply you understand these mental processes, the less hold they have on you.
4. Breath Coordination
In seated meditation, our primary focus is the breath. Total concentration on the ever-changing breath brings us squarely into the present moment. The same principle can be used in the midst of movement. You can coordinate the activity in which you are involved with your breathing. This lends a flowing rhythm to your movement, and it smooths out many of the abrupt transitions. Activity becomes easier to focus on, and mindfulness is increased. Your awareness thus stays more easily in the present. Ideally, meditation should be a 24 hour-a-day practice. This is a highly practical suggestion.
A state of mindfulness is a state of mental readiness. The mind is not burdened with preoccupations or bound in worries. Whatever comes up can be dealt with instantly. When you are truly mindful, your nervous system has a freshness and resiliency which fosters insight. A problem arises and you simply deal with it, quickly, efficiently, and with a minimum of fuss. You don't stand there in a dither, and you don't run off to a quiet corner so you can sit down and meditate about it. You simply deal with it. And in those rare circumstances when no solution seems possible, you don't worry about that. You just go on to the next thing that needs your attention. Your intuition becomes a very practical faculty.
5. Stolen Moments
The concept of wasted time does not exist for a serious meditator. Little dead spaces during your day can be turned to profit. Every spare moment can be used for meditation. Sitting anxiously in the dentist's office, meditate on your anxiety. Feeling irritated while standing in a line at the bank, meditate on irritation. Bored, twiddling you thumbs at the bus stop, meditate on boredom. Try to stay alert and aware throughout the day. Be mindful of exactly what is taking place right now, even if it is tedious drudgery. Take advantage of moments when you are alone. Take advantage of activities that are largely mechanical. Use every spare second to be mindful. Use all the moments you can.
6. Concentration On All Activities
You should try to maintain mindfulness of every activity and perception through the day, starting with the first perception when you awake, and ending with the last thought before you fall asleep. This is an incredibly tall goal to shoot for. Don't expect to be able to achieve this work soon. Just take it slowly and let you abilities grow over time. The most feasible way to go about the task is to divide your day up into chunks. Dedicate a certain interval to mindfulness of posture, then extend this mindfulness to other simple activities: eating, washing, dressing, and so forth. Some time during the day, you can set aside 15 minutes or so to practice the observation of specific types of mental states: pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral feelings, for instance; or the hindrances, or thoughts. The specific routine is up to you. The idea is to get practice at spotting the various items, and to preserve your state of mindfulness as fully as you can throughout the day.
Try to achieve a daily routine in which there is as little difference as possible between seated meditation and the rest of your experience. Let the one slide naturally into the other. Your body is almost never still. There is always motion to observe. At the very least, there is breathing. Your mind never stops chattering, except in the very deepest states of concentration. There is always something coming up to observe. If you seriously apply your meditation, you will never be at a loss for something worthy of your attention.
Your practice must be made to apply to your everyday living situation. That is your laboratory. It provides the trials and challenges you need to make your practice deep and genuine. It's the fire that purifies your practice of deception and error, the acid test that shows you when you are getting somewhere and when you are fooling yourself. If your meditation isn't helping you to cope with everyday conflicts and struggles, then it is shallow. If your day-to-day emotional reactions are not becoming clearer and easier to manage, then you are wasting your time. And you never know how you are doing until you actually make that test.
The practice of mindfulness is supposed to be a universal practice. You don't do it sometimes and drop it the rest of the time. You do it all the time. Meditation that is successful only when you are withdrawn in some soundproof ivory tower is still undeveloped. Insight meditation is the practice of moment-to-moment mindfulness. The meditator learns to pay bare attention to the birth, growth, and decay of all the phenomena of the mind. He turns from none of it, and he lets none of it escape. Thoughts and emotions, activities and desires, the whole show. He watches it all and he watches it continuously. It matters not whether it is lovely or horrid, beautiful or shameful. He sees the way it is and the way it changes. No aspect of experience is excluded or avoided. It is a very thoroughgoing procedure.
If you are moving through your daily activities and you find yourself in a state of boredom, then meditate on your boredom. Find out how it feels, how it works, and what it is composed of. If you are angry, meditate on the anger. Explore the mechanics of anger. Don't run from it. If you find yourself sitting in the grip of a dark depression, meditate on the depression. Investigate depression in a detached and inquiring way. Don't flee from it blindly. Explore the maze and chart its pathways. That way you will be better able to cope with the next depression that comes along.
Meditating your way through the ups and downs of daily life is the whole point of Vipassana. This kind of practice is extremely rigorous and demanding, but it engenders a state of mental flexibility that is beyond comparison. A meditator keeps his mind open every second. He is constantly investigating life, inspecting his own experience, viewing existence in a detached and inquisitive way. Thus he is constantly open to truth in any form, from any source, and at any time. This is the state of mind you need for Liberation.
It is said that one may attain enlightenment at any moment if the mind is kept in a state of meditative readiness. The tiniest, most ordinary perception can be the stimulus: a view of the moon, the cry of a bird, the sound of the wind in the trees. it's not so important what is perceived as the way in which you attend to that perception. The state of open readiness is essential. It could happen to you right now if you are ready. The tactile sensation of this book in your fingers could be the cue. The sound of these words in your head might be enough. You could attain enlightenment right now, if you are ready.
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