Bread.

If you go to India, "food" means rice. I also find it interesting that when ancient Israel experienced famines, they were still able to offer nuts & fruits as gifts to Egypt . Evidently, in Israel, "food" meant grain; for grain makes bread, and bread... well bread is food.

Food staples are inevitable. Though America lacks no eatables, I think it safe to say that to many Americans "food" is bread. Cinnamon toast in the morning, a turkey sandwich or pb&j come lunch, and hamburgers for dinner.The unfortunate fact is that most available bread is sadly lacking in nutrients. Most commercial flour may as well be dust; if I remember correctly, 80% of the nutritional value is lost with the 40% of each grain kernel that is discarded, (but don't quote me on that).

The main thing I am trying to say, is that I love bread. Really love bread. But not the bread I mentioned above. Not even the expensive kind, though that is good as well. I will, rather, thank my mother for my whole life for teaching me how to make yummy, whole, affordable bread worth eating, (and worth every effort to have a steamy slice fresh out of the oven). This bread is simple, it is versatile, & I love it.

Exibit A:
I'll throw this tantalizing beauty together anytime we have the ingredients on hand.


Toasted Bread with Olive Oil
Fresh Basil
Sliced (cherry or full size) Tomatos
Plain Yogurt


Exibit B:

The credit for this goes entirely to the genius of Heidi Swanson and the determination of my brother, Jared. He found her blog and has found a way to recreate more than one of her amazing recipes. This one was memorable:


Marinated Tempeh
Oven Baked Tomatos
Fresh Lettuce
Avocado

Find the complete recipe on Heidi's blog! (linked above)


So yummy. A worthy way to use a good loaf of bread.

Should I post the recipe?

You reap what you sew.

Thank you to Ginny for having such a lovely sewing day at her house!

For her birthday she stocked up on fabric for all of us to sew a pillowcase; such an easy and rewarding project. The few of us who were there made for a delightful & relaxing party.

There was a beautiful assortment of blues & yellows to mix & match. The original pattern was structured such that the main body was one color with a strip of a contrasting color on the edge. Annie decided to add some pizazz by adding extra stripes to the border. Her meticulous care for details resulted in the flawless pillowcase seen above.

I chose a more subtle marigold print & a simple golden border. It is a pleasing pillowcase with a countrified air to it; the sort of thing that must have been made in the days of flour sacks & hand stitching.


I had so much fun. Thank you so much. & HAPPY EIGHTEENTH BIRTHDAY!

Sauted Zucchini Dish with Egg & Almond

This creation I made a while back stemmed from my discovering the yumminess of zucchini. Yes, my mom was always right and I was always wrong about the merits of this vegetable. It is smooth and sweet with an almost creamy texture when cooked.


This particular occasion left me on my own as far as dinner was concerned, so I was free to exercise my creativity on a few zucchini sitting forlornly in the fridge. This is a loosely what I did.

To serve one:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion,
2 medium sized fresh zucchini
2 hard boiled eggs
aprox. 1/2 cup of almonds.

Chop onion and begin to saute in olive oil. Add zucchini, sliced into disks, and cook until both are slightly browned.Cut eggs into small pieces, (most easily done using an egg slicer). Add these to the zucchini and onions. Finally, coarsely chop the almonds and add to ingredients. Season to taste with salt and/or pepper and whatever other spices you enjoy.

Serve with plain yogurt as a cool, creamy, contrasting side.

The proportions are all approximate; feel free to adjust and expand to accommodate different numbers and preferences.

Fresh Eyes

Today brought a visit from a girl of eighteen, here to practice her English & experience a new culture. She is from northern Europe, & so I took the opportunity to ask her,

"What do you notice most about American culture; is there something here that strikes you as different & odd?"

After quietly thinking a moment, she responded thus.

"One thing that makes me wonder, is why do restaurants give so much food?"

She was right, of course. What makes restaurants think that we could possibly eat everything they give us? Or a more pertinent question might be, how have they made us think that we (in our right minds) would want to eat such enormous portions? For clearly we are convinced more often than not, & end up staggering back to our cars with regret for each final bite.

"The other thing I have noticed," she continued. "Another thing, is why do Americans all have such big cars when they do not have such big families? Where I live we drive much smaller cars."

I began to think of feasible answers.

"Well, sometimes people fill up the cars; perhaps we tend to have bigger families here."

This led to the average family productivity: our 2.09 children hardly exceeds their 1.8 enough to warrant such drastic vehicle sizing differences.

"Perhaps many of the cars are intended for driving other kids places, like sports & music."

But let's be honest. Even I don't understand those massive trucks that fit a mere 5 people but have enough room for a living room sofa set.

"For another example, I went and bought shampoo and shower gel, & I thought why do they have to be so big?"

It seems as though we all have a bit of a super-size-me syndrome. We are so immersed in opulence that extraordinary quantities do not phase us in the least.

My belief in doggie-bags is now official.
&
(although we do fill it up)
I'm extremely tired of our mammoth car.

Modern Bird Studios Guest Giveaway

Modern Bird Studios Guest Giveaway

Hello all, I just came across this fabulous artist who paints using YOUR photo as a springboard. Grosgrain is doing a giveaway for one of this striking and personal art pieces as well as offering a 15% discount on a purchase. If nothing else, take a peek and enjoy looking at these unique and beautiful creations.

{you gotta run right back to the start}

i read today the words of solomon in ecclesiastes: do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?" for it is not wise to ask such questions.
when your window is lit each morning [& each morning after that] it must always be treated as if it were the beginning of something. it is rather tiresome to feel as if we were always just starting off. yet still, this is true; it is vain to say "why were the old days better than these?"
the only reasonable thing is to resolutely say "today will be the best day ever" & resolutely act upon it in trust that it will be so.

I have been wanting to make a dress... If I could only make one that looks like this.

Fabulous Grosgrain. So inspiring. She is hosting a give away, and I wish she could also teach me her many tricks.
Cherry Pop Refashion Frock Give Away!

The Reason I like Chocolate

A poem:

The reason I like chocolate
is I can lick my fingers
and nobody tells me I'm not polite

I especially like scary movies
'cause I can snuggle with Mommy
or my big sister and they don't laugh

I like to cry sometimes 'cause
everybody says "what's the matter
don't cry"

and I like books
for all those reasons
but mostly 'cause they just make me
happy

and I really like
to be happy

Nikki Giovani

Brownie Face

Making brownies, or anything sweet for that matter, is a magnetic activity. When once you set the bowl and whisk on the counter, the whole collection of young people in the house will, rest assured, surround you in a matter of moments.
And when the batter is poured, leaving a delicious coating on bowl, spatula, and whisk, there will be a general consensus that "I asked for the bowl first." In the end all will receive their fair share of batter and , joy! There is always the pan of brownies in the oven, repeatedly forgotten, yet still to be eaten as soon as dinner comes to a close.

Behold, this precious brownie face; evidence of the aforesaid facts.

i <3 faces - photo challenge

i heart faces is a blog that holds photography contests. This weeks contest is in honor of their first birthday, so it involves inserting their logo somewhere in your photos. These are my entries:

“I am submitting this photo into the I Heart Faces logo photo contest. By entering, I am granting I Heart Faces LLC permission to consider my photo for use in the marketing and promotion of their website.”

Go see what other people are doing! http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/search/label/I%20Heart%20Faces%20Logo%20Contest