Where have I been? Why celebrating ...

Strange how easy it is to lose oneself in a world of expectations and societal norms… My birthday came and went, so disappointed was I with the state of my life, I ate the cake but did not truly celebrate. But the true gift came later… it was not wrapped, or bought or made. It came from experience (age is a blessed thing) and I am quite sure from things my mother tried to tell me (and finally succeeded)…

The true gift was realizing that it is not the why of life, or the what of life, the when of life, the where of life or even the length of life. Rather… it is the how… specifically, how you live…

So… to make up for my sad little birthday, I am celebrating everyday…practice so that next year and the years to follow I can do it right!

Busy, but time enough to stop and smell the roses

A wonderful new site http://www.sk-rt.com/

Julia Child Kicks Ass!!!!!

My lovely partner doesn't just read biographies, she studies people. Rather than just read a single book about a person, she reads a variety of books about the person …biographies , autobiographies, fiction, music, movies, recipes, art work… anything to really get a better sense of the person and a better understanding of their life and work. I used to find it quirky and amusing and just go my own way, but lately I discovered if I go along for the ride it can a mind-blowing learning experience along with just loads of fun.

I am not sure how she got on to Julia. But this journey has included Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell , My Life in France by Julia Child and Appetite for Life by Noel Riley Fitch. Of course we eventually found ourselves watching the original (1962) The French Chef with Julia Child.

Now, I am your normal consumer of food porn. I get my jollies by watching the food network and checking out the centerfold of Bon Appetite. I use only real sea salt. I know the difference between Panko and Pancetta. I own a Kitchen Aid mixer in a trendy color. And my cook book collection is… well let’s just say size does matter and mine is way bigger than yours. I always considered Julia Child an out dated, PBS relic, who just didn’t stand up to the Emerils, Nigellas and Marthas of the world. WRONG!!!!

On her worst day, Julia could cook circles around an entire army of celebrity chefs and make Martha, Nigella, Ina and Rachel cry for their mommies. The woman yields a knife like the Bruce Lee of the culinary world. In one episode she chopped potatoes so fast I was spell bound. She actually tasted the food with her fingers. She uses butter and olive oil, (because FAT is good). She champions carbs (did you know that a cup of potatoes has the same calorie count as an apple) And my favorite… which I always suspected, if you drop something in the kitchen and no one sees it, it didn’t happen. All this of course in an era where tomatoes did not exists out of season, nor oranges. (no oranges… I can’t even fathom a reality without oranges 24/7 and I hate the things), crappy table wine, no artisan cheeses (she uses Swiss for a substitute for everything) and hold on… no microwaves!!! Oh and wax paper… real wax paper. It was like watching MacGyver cook a presidential dinner with only a stick of gum, bobby pin and a pound of carrots… In short, Julia Child is a cooking goddess… I mean THE Cooking Goddess . So do yourself a favor, do the world a favor and watch and worship the original… and in her own words remember… cooking is about “courage” and “not cutting off your fingers” - Bon Appetite-

Awesome Time Waster

You have to try this game. You are Jimmy Olson and your goal is to get a camera shot of Superman... Just try it :-)

Food Porn Tuesday: Asparugus Crunchies

Asparagus is lovely this time of year and over the last few weeks we have enjoyed it in Quiche, plain and my new favorite, Asparagus crunchies (okay this is strictly what I am calling them). I found this recipe at my local grocery store and it tastes as good as it looks!

1. Take the freshest asparagus you can find. Wash and then snap it, fresh asparagus will naturally snap at the point where it is toughest, so no need to chop off the ends. Pat it dry.
2. Whip up 2 to 3 egg whites, enough to dip the asparagus spears. Dip the spears
3. Take Japanese bread crumbs (Panko). The finer the better, if they are too big, just pound them a little with a mallet. The recipe said to add sesame seeds which would be great, but I had none and the recipe came out fine.
4. Dredge dipped spears in the fine bread crumbs and lay them out on a cookie sheet that you have lightly covered with olive oil.
5. Set your oven to a high broil. Place cookie sheet with spears in the oven for 2-4 minutes. Roll them over to the other side and do another 2-4 minutes until they are lightly browned.
6. Serve with a dipping sauce; I used a store bought sauce of Vidalia onions and figs.
7. Enjoy!

So many choices and just one weekend

I am practically giddy about the coming weekend.

Seattle Area Yarn Store Tour
http://www.lystour.com/
20 shops 3 days and all the yarn you can knit... did I mention the free patterns... Last year I only was able to make it to 2 stores.. This year I am shooting for 7.

Seattle Cheese Festival
http://www.seattlecheesefestival.com/
This time all the cheese you can eat... I used to hate cheese until I really tasted the good stuff.

A Wonderful Mother's Day Gift

Mother's day is a little hard for me… My mother passed away several years ago and I feel resentful of the people callously complaining about spending time with their mothers... something I would give anything to have just one more time.

I will be 38 next month and still find myself struggling with whether to have a child adopt or continue on my current path with a loving family made up of a partner and 5 wonderful pets. We are child friendly people with lives very compatible for children; to top it off my partner would love to have children. So what is the problem? Not a problem exactly, more like a hundred little questions, a thousand what ifs.

So mother’s day has become this weird anxious, bitter, sad day… where I question my choices and miss my mom. I was just trying to get through it and then I received a wonderful gift from my partner.

I haven’t started reading it yet, but it is comforting to know that others struggle with these questions as I do…

Red Shafted Flicker

I think birds are totally amazing and I am constantly surprised by what flies by the window. This is a Red Shafted Flicker and he is a woodpecker. I have named him Piglet, although I am sure his real name is much more regal sounding.

Food Porn Tuesday

In honor of this wonderful post by my dear friend suttonhoo and this killer recipe from Anali, today is Food Porn Tuesday.

This recipe was created for my sweetie who wanted pancakes without the hangover. She dubbed them Pan Khakis and we have them at least once a week. The pictures are all mine, I think food porn may be my gift. :-)



Pan Khakis or Cloud Cakes
(The Light Fluffy Almost Flour Free Pancake)
This is a recipe I adapted when we were trying to find a light healthy alternative to carb laden pancakes. They can be eaten savory or sweet and don’t weigh you down or tire you out like normal pancakes.

Ingredients
1 cup cottage cheese (Any curd size- I prefer small)
4 eggs
1/2 cup flour ( this can be any kind of flour I use organic wheat)
6 tbsps butter (melted)

Extra
For sweet ½ to 1 teaspoon of Vanilla
For savory 1 teaspoon fresh chopped herbs or chives

Directions
1. Melt butter
2. In a blender combine cottage cheese, eggs, flour and butter. Add extra ingredient for savory or sweet and then blend until smooth.
3. Heat griddle (I use butter or light olive oil)
4. Pour out small amounts and cook pancakes

Makes 12-15 pancakes depending on size ( I like them small 3 inches across)

To Serve

For Sweet
1½ cups mixed berries sweetened with 2 tablespoons of Real Maple Syrup
Chocolate shavings and whip cream
Fresh fruit

For Savory
A dollop of cream cheese with smoked salmon ,
or fresh salsa

Note: These reheat nicely and will last 5 days in the fridge, I store in container in wax paper.

Blink and it's May

Not sure where the time has gone,but I am still here. Knee deep in dirt and loving every minute. I am searching for ways to reclaim my time, so I have what I need for my favorite activities including Blogging and gardening. Speaking of which, here is one of my favorite plants in the garden, Euphorbia.

Green Days

My plants from Logee's arrived and I am just on cloud nine. Two days and countless hours before I could get my order down to a respectable size (meaning price). I wanted everything, but settled on Giant Papyrus, Passion Flowers(2 types, one is fruiting) and these.

If you decide to order, be prepared things are small and dainty when they arrive, but according to everyone they grow like wildfire and are giants by mid season. I unpacked everything and nestled them in one of the terrariums in my office.

I planned to garden tonight but ended up walking a few doors down to my friends to covet and drool over her lovely front yard. She has a Eucalyptus to die for and tons of lavender. Plus a rose that looks like it is on steroids... *dreamy sigh*

Prior to this, I made an amazing dinner.. as follows:

• Scallops and Prawns with leeks and butter
• Asparagus risotto with spring peas (recipe from here)
• Wild greens salad with strawberries, walnuts and balsamic vinegar

In keeping with our healthy eating, most vegis were organic and portions were tiny (by my calculations) and lovingly arranged on the plate. Tomorrow we are having Yum Yum Turkey Curry ( A Bridget Jones inspired creation) with roasted Cauliflower. Totally loving this healthy eating thing....

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie....Unless you have your camera handy

Cruel, I know, but our little pup Milo is so cute when he sleeps I just can't help but snap a picture. Coincidently, sleeping is the only time he is even remotely well behaved. What can I say, we love the bad ones.

I have never seen this much personality in one dog… perhaps because there are probably 2 or 3 of them in there. My favorite look I have yet to capture on film is when you call him or tell him to get off the couch and he gives you this look, like “Milo isn’t here right now”. Just as quickly the look will disappear and Milo is back… Where he goes and who is looking out from his eyes at that moment I really don’t want to know. Then of course there is the staring thing he has recently combined with a complete lack of personal space. (He likes sit very close to people)

Isn’t love grand? Anatole France said, “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”

If you would like to awaken your own soul I recommend Petfinder (this site is currently prohibited in our house). If you want your very own Milo, I recommend searching for pets described as “special” or pets on their third and fourth homes. (At 10 weeks of age we were Milo’s third owners and the people at the pound waived all the fees, because we promised to never return him.)

I really believe that there is no such thing as a bad dog, just good dogs who make bad choices. And no matter what the choice, every creature just wants to be loved and cherished.

Craft + Tech =

Craft + Tech= http://www.creativetechs.com/tips/quicktips_73.html

Cut paste and fold your own Apple accessory....

Political Humor for Your Ipod

Looking for a little fun political humor to grace your MP3 player? Check out the Capitol Steps http://www.capsteps.com/


PS: Awesome Card Generator at http://www.blyberg.net/card-generator/

Best use of an appliance to create a web site

All these years I have been using my appliances to cook on or store food, when I could have been using them to create amazing web sites....
http://noonebelongsheremorethanyou.com/

Everything but the pink flamingos

There is something so amazing about the act of planting. Perhaps it is one of the few chances we have, to give something back to the earth…

Last weekend, I started a vegetable garden; a small part of my larger Peace Garden. I prefer to grow edibles in containers and raised beds, but I will also be using edibles as ornamentals in the front yard. The raised beds will contain a rotating crop of beets, kale, chard, lettuce, onions, peas, radishes, carrots, garlic and edamame.

The metal containers are from the local chain hardware store and they are excellent at reflecting light and keeping the soil hot. They will be home for raspberries and strawberries. I am still scouting locations for my tomatoes. Not completely sure which part of the yard gets the longest amount of sun.

I am most excited about the front yard. The color scheme is hot pink, orange and chartreuse. In addition to euphorbia, roses, bamboo, New Zealand flax, Green Envy zinnia, pampas grass, Heuchera, honeysuckle and this really cool shrub with pink tinged leaves, I am also using rhubarb, Swiss chard, runner beans and lettuce.

Am I going a little overboard..? Most definitely…but how often does one get their spouse to agree to a hot pink, orange and chartreuse front yard.

Something Alarming is Happening to Me....

You know how they say big changes start small and then one day you wake up and you are different…? I am afraid it might be true.

So today…

• I started my morning with a flax seed, strawberry yogurt shake
• ate an energy bar before happily tackling my lunch time training session
• did 30 minutes on the treadmill even though I had forgot my IPod and there were no good magazines
• thanked my trainer for a great workout instead of calling her a sadist under my breath
• selected my sandwich at lunch based on the calorie and carbohydrate count
• went to Starbucks and left not with my favorite Frappuccino with extra whip, but with a Venti Passion Fruit Ice Tea without sugar (just a little Splenda)
• worried on the drive back to office that Splenda might be the devil
• left work on time to go to PCC (local food coop)… at the market, I
• Selected organic strawberries over the perfectly good on sale strawberries from Venzuubekpakistan or wherever…
• purchased 9 pounds of organic sweet potatoes for the homemade dog food I make for our dog (he’s allergic to gluten)
• Bought organic fair trade light brown sugar, because “if I am going to eat sugar it is going to be the best!”
• Came home and cooked a vegetarian Mexican casserole with brown rice, sweet potatoes (not just for puppy), corn, salsa, guacamole, organic black beans and cheese… (super amazing and like a million servings of vegetables in every bite)
• enjoyed the meal even though it had no meat or corn syrup
• finished cooking for the night, by making organic blueberry muffin loafs with (the really good fair trade organic sugar) yogurt and assorted healthy stuff

WHO IS THIS PERSON?????

Exercise, organic healthy food… If it weren’t for the fact that I also had an Easter Peep and diet coke I would swear I had been replaced by some pod person…

On the good side in the six weeks I have been exercising, even thought I have only lost 2 pounds, I HAVE reduced the indicator levels for my blood sugar, lowered my blood pressure to normal and can do 30 minute of cardio without puking… Plus I am totally eating better and actually like some of the exercise stuff…

Big changes start small…

Photo Fun

I am having the greatest time with my digital camera. Not sure why I waited so long to get one. This is actually 5 photos laid together to create a panoramic view of my back yard. Consider it a before shot gardening season officially began for me last weekend.

Spring through the window.

Growing a Movement: The Peace Garden

Despite the rain and occasional blasts of cold air, it is quite clear that spring is about to explode all over the PNW. At this point I am pretty sure that the early spring has been brought about by sheer force of will; a collective wish from the thousands of us weary of the winter.

I am fond of planting plants in memory and honor of the people I love. For my mother I plant Lilacs and for my great aunt roses. As an ode to my childhood I plant Lady’s Mantle. (I think it looks like clusters of Chartreuse fairies when it is in bloom and that reminds me of being a little girl). I planted an Olive tree in a pot one year, a horticultural cry for peace. It is not fairing so well in its lonely little pot, so this year I think I might give it company by planting a Peace Garden.

During WWI and WWII Victory Gardens were planted throughout the US and UK as a way to boost the morale of citizens, supplement rationed food stores and take some of the pressure off of food supplies stretched thin by the war effort. But I don’t want to support the war. Don’t get me wrong, I support our troops but want them home rather than fighting and dying.

A Peace Garden is about life. It is about celebrating the things that bring us all together. It is about earth, air, water, food and sun. It is about memories of the past, hopes for the future and the ability to be present in your own environment.

Imagine this…

What if everyone with space (yard, patio or windowsill) planted a Peace Garden?

Tending those gardens would lower their blood pressure and relieve stress. Children who tended these gardens would learn compassion reducing their likelihood for violence as they grow older. The food they grew would be a healthy addition to their diets; extra food (like Zucchini) could be donated to local food banks reducing hunger. Some of the flowers grown in these gardens could be shared with neighbors, strengthening community. Of course Peace Gardens are organic and the greenery would provide an environment for backyard wildlife. Collectively, all the good Karma from these Peace Gardens would elevate humanity to a higher state. And finally Global warming would be completely reversed due to the abundance of new plant life. Okay I am totally reaching here… but it would still be amazing…