Right Now

Stitches out!  It hurt and Sis was brave.

Right Now

First lightening-bug sighting of the season!

More Sweet Treats

We have been playing with the Ninja blender again, this time making Raspberry Sodas.   Which then reminded me that we had made Strawberry Sodas awhile back with Ma and Gong and I'd forgotten to post the recipe.  I'm really enjoying the blender!  Tomorrow, maybe mock-accinos!


Raspberry Sodas
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 (12 oz.) can gingerale or lemon-lime soda
1 (6 oz) container raspberry or plain yogurt
brown sugar to taste, depending on raspberries
1-3  ice cubes, depending on thickness preference

Blend until smooth

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Strawberry Sodas
Per soda:
2 scoops strawberry ice cream
1 tablespoon or more strawberry syrup or jam
half-and-half or cream
seltzer

Stir syrup/jam into seltzer, then add seltzer and cream. Delicious!

Thank You So Much!

Today, Mama Teacher helped us for hours with heavy lifting and carrying, which was immensely helpful as we readied our house for the summer and upcoming events.  Thank you so much, Mama Teacher!

Callin' Cauliflower

Cauliflower is quickly becoming our go-to food.  For all of us.  Really.

Sis loves it any way except raw and Bud will eat it, though perhaps not as fervently.  We eat it roasted with salt and olive oil (about 30 minutes at 425F) as well as boiled with pasta, served with spaghetti sauce (Bud) or seasoned salt (Sis).  I looked back over my blog and they've liked it since they were two.

I like those, but my favorite way to eat cauliflower is in Indian food, like adding it to my No-Hurry Vegetable Curry and now in Indian Cauliflower and Kidney Bean Stew with Coconut Milk.  I think it would be good with chickpeas instead of kidney beans and with additional cooked greens, over rice or couscous.

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Indian Cauliflower and Kidney Bean Stew with Coconut Milk
1 large yellow onion, cut into pieces
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 jalapeno chile, seeded (optional; and I skipped it)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seeds (no way!)
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 1/2 cups dark red kidney beans, cooked, drained, and rinsed
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
2 cups stock
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk

In a food processor, puree onion, garlic, ginger and jalapeno, if using.  Place oil in a 4-6 quart slow cooker on HIGH.  Add the onion mix and the spices.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes.  Add all of the remaining ingredients, EXCEPT the coconut milk.  Cook on LOW for 6 hours.  When the vegetables are tender, add the coconut milk and cook, uncovered, 10-15 minutes.

Robin Robertson, Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker

Drunken Master

Bud's learning how to be a drunken master.

Don't worry, it's a kung fu style.  Essentially, the fighter stumbles around seemingly drunk to confuse his or her opponent, all the while maintaining their strength, power, and focus.  Apparently, it's actually one of the hardest styles because it requires so much control.  See Jackie Chan's movie, Drunken Master, for great examples.  One of the older boys at Buddy's academy is learning the style and Bud watched entranced on Saturday.  So he's been practicing at home, even though he isn't quite sure what "drunk" is.  So I gave him a suggestion:  spin around the room until you're dizzy and then try to do your form.  He loves this!  And it does resemble the style.

While he spins and kicks out of control, I've been making smoothies on my new Ninja blender--gotta love the name!   It's got close to the power of a VitaMix but at 1/6th the cost.  So far, everyone likes my new Mango Smoothie best.

And that's a good kind of drunk.

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Mango Smoothie
1 bag frozen mangoes, approx. 16 oz.
1/2 cup soymilk
1 cup mango nectar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
the juice of one lime
Combine ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth.  Add additional soymilk and nectar, equally, as needed.
Mommy Hungry

Hard at Work

I've been busy compiling all of the recipes from this blog in a single, homemade cookbook--almost five years of recipes!  I hope to have it done by the 5th anniversary of my blog, in August, and available to readers, free, in pdf format.  It's over 300 pages already and I still have 2012 to add!  And three months to go.  I imagine it's close to 1,000 recipes.  And maybe an index!  Of course, there will be odd formatting, typos, and a lack of alphabetical order, but it will be comprehensive.  It's been fun to revisit posts and memories, even at breakneck cutting-and-pasting speed.

It's also a great distraction from all the stress, from which we are working hard not to buckle under.

Right Now

Exciting double rainbow, too wet to take pictures.

Right Now

Amazing boom of thunder right now--I love a good storm!

As long as trees aren't falling on my house.

BENIGN!

Yes, the test results for Mama Hungry came back benign.  We are relieved and grateful.  Thanks so much for your thoughts, prayers, information, and help.  It's been a long week and, while we know it will still be a complicated summer, we are thankful.

Right Now

At car dealership because my airbag light goes off and on....

Start the Presses!

"I know what a bibliography is," declared Bud proudly, when we were discussing second grade last night.  "It's a list of all the websites you used for research!"

Photo Florae

Lantana, my favorite

Fuschia, in a hanging basket

Red Roses, which hadn't bloomed in two years

Scabiosa, or pincushion flowers

Potted Carnations

Double Impatiens

Spiderwort

Marigolds

Verbena

Petunias

Salvia, but not in bloom anymore

Pink Rose

Lobelia, in a hanging basket

1-1

I had a wonderful success on Saturday driving:  I got Bud to kung fu and back all by myself.  In the rain!

But this morning, I tried to drive to pilates and had to turn back because it was too uncomfortable to sit.

I'm a little bummed--adding pilates and eventually church, the furthest destination in my psychogeography, was important to me.  But I know I'm still fatigued from a very busy weekend--kung fu, two festivals, and then church (which I rode in the front seat to and from), and all the usual.  I was tired last night but better this morning until I started driving.

Oh, well.  It will come eventually . . . and now I know my limits.  But I've learned that those change as long as I keep working and resting--I've added 4 miles in a month!  And I did make it to kung fu, which is a huge achievement.

Reading on Reverence

The situations are so familiar that they are pretty much clichés. You stand at the shore, with the waves beating out their rhythmic crash, and the water rushing almost to your feet, seeing nothing but a thin line of horizon where sea and sky meet. The distances suggest infinity, the ocean’s unfathomable depth and power, its ceaseless, primordial force and mystery. The air, too, moves in a huge current, and the soaring gulls catch light on the back of their wings. Something within us unlatches and expands in that immensity, catching some hint of our finitude, the oneness of all life emerging from the sea’s embrace eons ago, the sovereign beauty and freedom of so much overwhelming space and light and sound.

For the rest of the inspiring and thought-provoking article "Primal Reverence" by Kendyl Gibbons in UU World, see here.

I Love This Weather

While I'm sure my neighbors bemoan the downturn in temperatures, I'm loving this cool weather.  It was 49F last night and won't even get to 70F today!  I think that's the best--good for sleeping, good for keeping the windows open, good for being outside.  I wish it would stay like this all summer . . . but since it won't, I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

Fun with Forms!*

Or, "Silliness with Stanchions!"

("Vivacity with Vitrines"?)

*Credit for the title goes to my co-volunteer, Miss S!

I was privileged to assist with a small, local exhibition in the last few weeks.  One of my historic house friends was on the exhibition committee and, because of my museum background, asked if I'd like to help out.  The timing wasn't great, but the request was tempting.  So I said yes.  And I'm so glad I did.  Besides the actual experience of creating and installing an exhibition, I especially enjoyed meeting and working with some wonderful people, whom I hope I see again soon.

Of course, in my museum career I was an educator--not a curator, an exhibition designer, a registrar, or an art handler.  But I know how to write label copy and have strong opinions about didactics.  So, I helped write some explanatory text.  Short, concise, coherent.

And then I helped with many other things, from choosing the objects to assisting with the design plan, from discussing the theme of the exhibition to exploring accessibility issues (spacing, label font size), from considering installations (which topic where, groupings of objects) to considering exhibition design (like backdrops), from mounting text and photos to installing objects.  It was great fun . . .particularly because I wasn't in charge of anything, knew none of the politics, and came and went as I could.  I was like a guest at a museum buffet.

And it was good.

So, why "fun with forms?"  Because several times I helped dress mannequins, having to pin them together, rearrange drapery, relocate dress forms, stuff batting up sleeves, and, most amusingly, use batting to turn a female dress form into a man!  By then, my co-volunteers and I definitely had the giggles and nothing could have been funnier.

In many ways, this was much more fun than actually working in a museum with objects and exhibition professionals could ever be . . . and I know--because I was often shushed away by tense registrars and handlers, much less ever allowed to touch anything!

Letting My Hair Down

I have long hair, probably longer than at anytime in my life, nearly to the middle of my back.  And it's still a wavy dark brown with auburn highlights and no grey, surprisingly (and honestly).  I think it's my one current physical vanity.  Though, I don't do anything to it really, beyond the "mommy bun" cum scrunchy.  I just like knowing it's there, tying it up in a bun without clips, being able to braid it.  I know women of a certain age are supposed to have practical, short haircuts, but I'm going to be an old woman wearing purple and long hair!

Anyway, today on the way home from church, Mama kept the windows down for a "windy ride," at the kidlets' request.  They loved it.  "Panera Bread Super Boost!" they would call out when she went faster (don't ask, I don't get the connection).  And they giggled hysterically when I let my hair down and it went out the moon roof!

I wasn't thinking, really, about practicalities, just how it sorta felt like the beloved boat rides of my childhood to have my hair whipping around.  Except my hair wasn't this long then.  And so I didn't think about knots.  Yep.  Knots.   Because 15" x 65 mph = 100s knots

They brushed out, though, eventually and with effort.  I'd do it again, though, well, maybe with a single pony tail holder . . . .

Greek to Us

We reveled in the Greek Fest again this year, eating our way through the lunch line and the pastries as usual.  In fact, the matriarchs of the sweets remembered Sis and Bud from years past, recalling them even as babies in strollers.  And, as in years past, at least one person mistook Mama for my other son (I know you don't believe me, but it happens regularly) saying, "Your big one was so helpful.  He told the younger ones not to touch anything!"

Anyway, in addition to our usual menu (note to selves for next year:  the kids do not like the chicken souvlaki; they prefer the roasted chicken and gyro), we gorged (well, I did) on gigante beans.  And when I went back to get some to take home for dinner, the woman behind the counter said she had made them and we compared notes.  She uses celery, a bit of parsley, and lots of dill in hers; she was interested to hear that I do mine in a slow cooker, but without dill.  I'm adding dill next time (which will be soon because I bought a bag of gigante beans).   


We bought fewer sweets this year but reveled in the ones we did get:  ravani, a citrus-soaked semolina cake, is still the favorite; diples, which is like Greek sopapillas, were Sis and Bud's favorirtes; Mama likes kataifi; and I still get finikia (honey-walnut cookie), methismena (the label said they make it with beer!), karidopita (the honey-walnut cake), galatoboureko (custard with phyllo).  We skipped kourambiedes and what I now know is saragli, kinda like a baklava roll (Bud got baklava but didn't like the nuts).  Our new favorite is pasta flora.  I know, odd name.  But it's a Greek jam tart, this time apricot, and we were all sorry we hadn't bought a whole one!


There is always next year!


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Greek Big Beans

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups slow cooked beans or two 15.5 oz cans lima or butter beans, drained and rinsed (or actual Greek gigante beans. )

28 oz can diced tomatoes, with juices

salt and pepper

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

Heat oil and cook onion, covered, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook another minute or so.

Transfer the onion and garlic to a 3 1/2 to 4-quart slow cooker. Add beans, tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours. Just before serving, stir in parsley.

Robin Robertson, Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker


Or, an alternate "fabulous faux fassolia":   I sauteed onions in olive oil, added some garlic when the onions were translucent, then poured in half a can (or less) of tomato sauce, and added the other half of my cooked limas. This was incredible. Both hot and then later in the weekend cold, just like it had been in DC. Mmmmmmm

Garden Still Grows

With the current cycle of lots of rain and lots of sun, cool days and hot days--more like April than June--our garden is bursting with color.  But not photographing well because it's either a). overcast or b). too bright.  So, imagine:  lovely, droopy blue lobelias hanging next to a pinkish fuschia and a purplish fuschia with their exquisite folded blossoms, which are all in baskets; pink potted carnations, which are one of my favorites this year, next to the pink double impatiens, also very pretty, and the pink and red geraniums alongside various tall snapdragons in planters and a huge pot of rainbow-hued pansies (or are they petunias?  I never can recall); in the ground, the red verbenas are near the purple salvia and purple scabiosa (or pincushion flowers) and purple spiderwort and the yellow small daily lilies; in a pot on my favorite rock are my favorite lantana with their tiny clustered pinky-orange and yellow flowers; there are big bushes for butterflies and of lilac and three roses--one red, one pink, and one miniature pink; some tomato plants and one strawberry pot that has already produced two edible fruit that we ate before the squirrels did; a mum growing out of a pot from last Halloween that we never did get rid of and now it is back to life!; in the box in back, a rhubarb plant and horseradish plant from our friend Miss M have come back to life after being weedwhacked by our previous yard guys; and, finally, a whole patch of mint about to overtake my struggling lavender plant.  I'd tell you there was also basil but something visited it repeatedly in the night and now there is only a hole where a thriving plant had been!