This Northwest Life

A move to Wordpress

2010-12-07T21:19:00.000-08:00

In the hopes to have all of my blogging in one place, yet also have it be organized and easy to explore various topics I have moved my blogging to wordpress.

Please come visit me at http://mindfulmixture.wordpress.com/

Walnut and White Bean Paté

2010-11-21T16:09:00.000-08:00

Though this month hasn't lead itself to a lot of super creative cooking what with all the writing madly for NaNoWriMo, we did manage to have a pretty tasty and new to us recipe come up this week. It was inspired by a recipe that was in the October Vegetarian Times Magazine. We tweaked it for our own purposes and made some scrumptious sandwiches with thinly sliced cucumbers that I plan on making again and again - they were delicious! I could see where this Paté could be used in quite a few ways including a variety of tea sandwiches, with crackers and thin sliced fruit for a sweeter bite or maybe olives or capers for a tangy savory taste. You could switch out the rosemary for another fresh herb, add garlic or caramelized onions, maybe paprika or cayenne - the possibilities are endless!

Walnut and White Bean Paté

1 cup walnuts, toasted in the oven at 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes then let cool
1 1/2 cup cooked white beans (I used navy this time), rinsed and drained
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil
fresh rosemary to taste (about a Tablespoon), very finely chopped
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon alder smoked salt, ground fine with a mortar and pestle

Throw everything into a food processor until well blended and smooth.

Gratitude

2010-11-08T15:46:00.000-08:00

An old man began to plant fruit trees on his land one day.
A young man came by and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Planting fruit trees," the old man replied.
"But you won't live to harvest and eat of their fruit," the young man exclaimed.
But the old man answered, "The fruit that I have eaten and enjoyed in my lifetime has been from trees that were planted by people who lived before me. So I will show my gratitude of them and the trees they planted by planting these young trees for the people who come after me."

~Irish Proverb

And the Craziness Continues

2010-11-02T20:58:00.000-07:00

Well I survived day two of my NaNoWriMo adventure with 4437 words so far. The story continues to reveal itself, which is good, since all I had to begin with was a brief dream. I'm working in the fantasy genre for this project and it looks like I've got a pretty kick ass female protagonist to work with. I think she's going to have a lot of fun and probably get herself into a bit of trouble if I'm reading her right. I made myself stop around 7pm because my brain was starting to feel like mush. I did manage to overcome one of my greatest downfalls in novel writing though. Usually when I work on a novel and I don't have a name of character or a good name for a place I go into research mode and drop the actual writing and that never ends well. I forced myself to put blank lines in where a yet to know name would go and just kept on writing. Oh boy but did my perfectionist detail oriented side not care for that! But the point is to keep writing, even if it is messy and there's not a solid name to be had. So deal with it, perfectionist side!

I'm beginning to wonder if there is something in the air, because I had another dream last night, or rather this morning (once my brain finally let me go to sleep), that was a bit on the unusual side even for me. See, I'm a science fiction fan all out and I love the Stargate series. But as much as I love it and as fascinating as Todd the Wraith is as a character I doubt I would pursue him as a lover. Yep, I dreamed that Todd the Wraith was my lover. For those of you reading this that are not familiar with Stargate Atlantis, where this character comes from, let me fill you in. The Wraith are a species of aliens that evolved as a combination of a large parasitic bug and a human. Well that's the simple way of putting it. These guys are an advanced species with incredible technology woven into an organic hive like organism that makes up their space ships. They were the demise of several other advanced groups and continued to rule over their galaxy bring fear and terror everywhere they go. For they feed on humans, or rather their life force, enabling them to live indefinitely if not blown or chopped to bit. A variation of vampire concept, really, just no blood sucking. Now among this group of Aliens one became a bit of an ally to the people from earth that had come to their galaxy, and he was named Todd by one of the main characters, John Shephard (who, by the way would make a far more reasonable love interest). But I guess my psyche likes to be a little different, because it picked Todd to be my lover in last nights dream. Oh, maybe I should show a few pictures of Todd to emphasize the bizarreness of the dream.

Image Source

Well, I guess he could sort of be considered cute in that last picture, at least for a Wraith. When I shared the dream with Mark he laughed and suggested that my next novel might be a little Stargate fan fiction of a rather unusual sort! Yep, I can see it now: Stargate Atlantis: Wraith Lover Oy.

Here's hoping I get some decent sleep tonight sans weird dreams!

Do I Win the Crazy Person Award?

2010-11-02T01:57:00.000-07:00

I woke up yesterday morning with no intention to write a novel. In fact I had stopped thinking about writing novels a while back, or rather had given up on the idea after finding myself quite a ways in more than once and then having something happen that left me derailed or distracted or whatever. Of course that didn't keep me from thinking that the dream I had from that night would make a good concept for a novel. But that was all it really was - a thought.

Then it's late afternoon and I wander over to a blog I regularly read and they have this little announcement about their participating in something called NaNoWriMo where you commit to trying to write a novel in one month - the month of November. And I thought, good for them and moved along.

But the rest of the day I just couldn't shake that nagging feeling of a story wanting to get out. The dream kept popping into my mind and I kept trying to ignore it. Eventually I found myself looking up this NaNoWriMo thing to learn a little more. Curiosity satisfied I moved on into my evening and attempted to go about my normal night. But just at bed time I finally gave in. I knew I wasn't going to get any sleep if I didn't at least write the idea from the dream down. I brought the computer to bed with me and next thing I know I've written a variation of one of the scenes from my dream and it is after midnight and I've written over 1400 words.

I should have been satisfied and able to just set the computer aside and go to sleep, but instead I found myself signing up to participate in the NaNoWriMo event and now I'm all official (officially crazy that is). I've committed to try and write 50,000 words in one month. With a story I only have the faintest idea about, from a dream, none the less.

So I have to ask, Do I? Do I win the crazy person award?

Practicing Peace

2010-11-01T15:48:00.000-07:00

Celebrating Six at the Seattle Aquarium

2010-10-31T22:51:00.000-07:00

Our oldest nephew turned six this last week and we managed to snag him for a few hours of fun at the Seattle Aquarium to celebrate. Being Halloween the aquarium was decked out in fall decor with carved pumpkins in under water exhibits and some scuba divers in costumes as well. We were having so much fun in the moment, we didn't get that many pictures. I'll share what we did get and mix in aquarium shots from a few weeks ago when Mark and I were there on our own.

The touch tanks are a must and it wouldn't be a trip to the touch tanks without getting a hug from a sea urchin or two!

A little face painting was going on too and Connor just had to be a part - how about a penguin to adorn that cute cheek?!

Our visit to the tropical tanks came next and we were in for a surprise! A diver wearing tropical print shirt and shorts was hanging out feeding the fish. This was the first time any of us had seen someone doing a feeding in the tropical tank and watching an enormous puffer fish beg like a puppy was quite the treat! There was even a skeleton snorkeler and a treasure chest in the tropical tank, pretty fun stuff!

We had to go find the seahorses and take a good look at the fish that looks like a sword, at least according to a little boy who was going to be dressing up like a knight in few hours for tricker treating!

Next on the agenda (of said six year old) was to head out and see the seals and otters. We showed up in time to watch the fur seals get fed and the otters were kind enough to come out and say hello. We were so engrossed in these amazing creatures that I'll just have to share a shot of one of the otters from a few weeks ago, when it had a toy frisbee.

We also spent quite a bit of time in an interactive education area where were learned all sorts of fun facts about whales and dolphins. These new interactive touch screens the aquarium has been putting in are a great addition to the aquarium. We were most impressed by the sound that a Blue Whale makes! And we all had to take turns seeing how we measure up to the height of an Orca's dorsal fin.

There were several opportunities for kids to search for special pumpkins in the different exhibits and get a treat if the could find them. I was SUPER pleased with the aquarium that the treats were organic granola bars and organic fruit leather. Seeing them offer something a little healthier but still quite delicious for the kids was wonderful. Not to mention the fact that the treats were organic supports the ideas of conservation that the aquarium promotes. Kudos Seattle Aquarium - I'm proud of ya!

We ended out adventure by heading to Starbucks for cocoa with whipped cream. And just outside there was a giant plush otter to pose with. I'm really glad otters don't grow this big in the wild!

Throughout the visit to the aquarium Connor shared little facts he had been picking up from school and perhaps previous visits to the aquarium. As a naturalist, (and a proud Auntie) I was pleased to hear him telling me about sharks growing back there lost teeth and how sea stars move with their tube feet. I think we might just have another natural science geek in the making - Yippee! What an awesome day with an awesome six year old and some awesome underwater critters! As Crush the Sea Turtle in Finding Nemo would say, "Awesome Duuude!"

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T00:47:00.000-07:00

Magpie #38 - A Short Story

2010-10-28T15:44:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful autumn morning and I was pedaling my bike along one of the back country roads I had yet to explore. The tires of my blue mixtie crackling through fallen leaves of gold and brown, orange and red. I sat upright, my hands lightly holding the cork grips of the swept back handle bars, a bright yellow scarf trailing out behind me. I wore an easy smile, my eyes bright from the crisp air and the joy that comes when riding your bike on a beautiful day during one of your favorite times of year.

The country lane I rode down was bordered by patches of mixed forest and broad green fields with the occasional drive that went off into the distance over a hill and towards a plume of smoke rising from some hidden house. Houses where people were most likely coming in from their morning chores and settling into getting a nice Saturday breakfast on. I could imagine the scent of fried potatoes and onions and the frying eggs to be plopped on top of them, the scent of yesterdays fresh baked bread being toasted up and slathered with butter, of coffee waiting for the cream from that mornings milking to rise and be skimmed from the top of the bucket. And pancakes bubbling up on the griddle. All that imagining got my stomach growling and I began to keep an eye out for a spot to stop and pull out my own packed breakfast - one far less extravagant than the breakfast I could easily imagine being fixed in the distant farm houses.

Eventually I came around a bend in the road and off to the right saw an old cabin with a sturdy log fence surrounding it and the accompanying yard. The cabin looked unoccupied but the apple trees that filled one side of the yard looked well kept and still held plenty of bright red apples, though most of the leaves on the trees had fallen to the ground. I leaned my bike against the log fence, pulled the bag that held my breakfast out of the front basket and made my way to the gate where a sign read:

Elsa Wilson Cabin Built 1818

Home of Ms. Elsa Wilson from 1818 - 1858,

Beloved teacher of over three generations.

So loved by her students and their families Ms. Wilson

was given an orchard worth of apple trees.

The orchard, cabin and grave site

remain here for the enjoyment of all.

Thanks to the Friends of the Wilson County Historic Society

Help yourself to an apple or two when they're ready!

Opening the gate and walking up the path and out amongst the apple trees, I enjoyed the scent of ripening apples in the morning sun. Many of the lower apples had already been picked, leaving the higher ones for the birds and other countryside critters. I could imagine the raccoons coming by at night making a party of it. I eventually found a bright red specimen within reach and plucked it from the branch, the perfect addition to my breakfast.

I settled on the top step of the cabin, not quite sure if the porch swing that hung there was still secure, and pulled out my breakfast. I unpacked a hard boiled egg, coffeecake, and a thermos of coffee and set it all next to me on the porch. Using the cloth napkin I had packed I polished the fresh picked apple till it shone and sat it with the rest of the food while I poured my coffee into the small steel cup that capped the thermos. The steam rose into the air and I breathed it in. I couldn't have ask for a better morning to be out on a ride or a better place to be enjoying my simple breakfast.

As I ate I watched birds flick back and forth from the row of conifers that edged the far side of the fenced in property to the apple trees on the other. Chickadees called cheerily as they hung upside down from the branches, searching for tasty little insects. Juncos filled the air with their squabbling clicks as they chased each other under the trees, white outer tail feathers flashing in the sunlight. A steller's jay flew into the branches of the apple tree nearest me and screeched its claim over the remaining apple, before pulling it from the limb to fall to the ground and spreading its bright blue wings to follow after its prize. A squirrel scurried up a branch of another tree and perched while taking bites from an apple, watching me as it chewed with big puffy cheeks. I could hear golden-crowned kinglets and the occasional red-breasted nuthatch as they fed in the conifers across the way.

I packed up the remains of my breakfast and walked towards the row of Douglas Firs and Western Hemlocks with my second cup of steaming coffee in hand, hoping for a glimpse of one of those nuthatches. It was always a treat to watch them climb down trees head first, tucking their curved beaks up under the bark. Within a few feet of the conifers I stopped though. On the ground among the fallen needles of the conifers was an old cracked grave marker. Squatting down to look closer I could just make out the worn engraved words of what appeared to be the epitaph of the much beloved teacher from so many years ago. I stood and stretched, looking around again. It seemed a pleasant place to be laid to rest, with all the birds happily foraging overhead and the scent of apples in the air. I figured Ms. Elsa Wilson's spirit to be quite content.

Ready to get on with my ride I made my way back to the gate and looking out over the orchard, quietly thanking Ms. Wilson for the sharing of her apples and resting place. Taking in one more deep breath of the apple scented air I mounted back up on my bike. As I rode off I glanced back at the cabin to see the porch swing moving steadily on the porch, with not a breeze to be had, and I smiled. Obviously the porch swing was still sturdy after all, at least sturdy enough for a happy ghost to enjoy on a sunny, autumn, apple scented morning.

Photo Credit

The above is a piece of short fiction written for the Magpie #38 writing prompt. To read other responses to this prompt or participate check out Magpie Tales

Monday's Child #18

2010-10-27T12:31:00.000-07:00

Monday's Child #18

If you insist I stay inside, I must confess,

I'll make a mess you can't abide.

So if this bothers you then let me go,

let me go outside!

On Following "The Rules"

2010-10-27T00:34:00.000-07:00

Image Credit

In middle school my social studies class was given the assignment to pick a historical figure, research them, and then give a presentation with what they had learned. I chose Catherine the Great and found her a fascinating subject. I soaked up everything I could find on her, reading several accounts of her life, a novel about her and watched a film or two as well - all in a very short time. I was so engaged in my subject and research that when the day came to give my presentation, I went up and stood before the class and became Catherine. I began by saying, "My name is Sophie Auguste Frederike, but you might know me better as Catherine, Catherine the Great." Then in some way I became so engrossed in telling "my" story it was as if the classroom disappeared and self awareness with it. When I finished it was to realize that most of the class had tears in their eyes. My presentation was well received by my classmates. When I got my grade, however, it was a D. Despite the power of my presentation, the solid facts, the way I engaged the audience and left them moved and quite a bit more educated on a significant part of Russia's rich history - I had not followed the rules. I had no outline, no formal bibliography, no note cards to refer to as I gave the presentation. It wasn't that I didn't know how to do any of those things, they simply were not necessary for me. But in the eyes of my teacher and according to the rules set up by the education system concerning what learning and communicating should look like, I had all but failed. The students in my class unanimously protested my grade and I was given the chance to provide the missing pieces that were required, eventually bringing my grade to a B. But it left a lasting impression on me. It was among the first glimpses of what would be brought home to me over the years. Being unique and individual, finding your own strengths in and ways of learning and communicating were not a welcome thing in school, or for that matter, society. Over the years I've tried to conform off and on and failed utterly. For I am unique. I am individual. And just like Catherine the Great, I have my own ways of doing things that rarely involve following "the rules".

An October Walk in West Seattle

2010-10-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite times to go out for a photography walk - so many colors and festive fall decorations to capture. These photos, were taken on a recent walk around my neighborhood. I live on a peninsula with great beaches on either side and beautiful neighborhoods in between. I never tire of trying to find a new route, an alley I haven't walked down, a stair case up the hill I have yet to climb. And along the way I usually see some fun things and meet some friendly neighborhood residents. I hope you enjoy the walk, it's a little lengthy, so grab a cup of some delicious fall beverage and settle in for a tour de Alki.

Ah, Amanita muscaria, one of the most photogenic of fungi. So beautiful.

This highly decorated little cottage is just a little ways from my own home.

The usual decor is beachy, but they have added a little fall flair.

I think it goes well.

Leaves and seeds on the side walk - always beautiful!

Here is one of the friendly neighborhood residents.

He was willing to stop his busy gathering for a moment and pose for me - how nice!

Here is another friendly resident - though this one only comes around this time of year.

A garden with plenty of greenery left and a beautiful bird bath.

I love that color of green!

Yet another neighborhood resident. This fella keeps an eye on things at a playground.

He's got a cousin over on the other side of the neighborhood who keeps tabs

of all the walkers and cyclists enjoying Beach Drive and Constellation Park.

A friendly offering of bird seed by an odd bird indeed!

This jack-o-lantern means business! That's one good guard, I'd say!

Look how his eyes follow you...

Having grown patti-pan squash before I can understand why the gardeners

may have left these last few end of season squash for the critters - they are so prolific!

Another friendly neighborhood resident who stopped to say hi and pose for the camera!

I just love the splattered mustache on this kitty!

Vibrant red dahlias still going strong.

This was so rustic, I just had to take a picture.

Most likely this shed has been standing for a very long time -

a part of Alki's rich history

This house was really going all out with the Halloween decorations -

what a great window display!!!

And then there was the porch! I wonder what's she's brewing!?

There were even a few friendly ghosts hanging about.

I walked along Alki beach just in time

to catch this tug making it's way west.

A beautiful day to be out on the water!

I had stepped down onto the beach to pick up a plastic water bottle

left behind by someone and came across this lone carnation bud

amongst a pile of rocks and shells.

The glass art sculpture that i admire on my regular walks

had some visitors hanging out for the season.

I seemed to stumble into oz for a little while too.

and Hawaii?

Sparkling blue water, brilliant blue sky all greeted me on the

west and south sides of the peninsula. I had to sit for a while on a bench

and enjoy the view and do a little sun worshiping while I had the chance!

It likes like a neighborhood gnome had the same idea!

And a sunflower, too heavy with seeds to look up and follow

the sun across the sky reminded me in its golden beauty

of sunny days soon to pass and cooler grayer days to come...

making me very happy to have gotten out on this walk on such a beautiful autumn day!

What if - Writer's Island Prompt # 24

2010-10-11T18:56:00.000-07:00

Writer's Island Prompt # 24 - Envision

What if -
What if, when the skies are grey and the clouds are grey and your thoughts are grey
And you sound like Eeyore, only not fit for children
What if -
What if you could peel back the layers and lift the fog and shine a light into the darkness
And you could see the bright possibilities
What if -
What if beneath all the gloom and the dreariness and the sordid angst
You found a colorful life of promise
What if -
What if you could see beyond the past and into the future and clearly the now
And you could envision a future of hope
What if -
What if you took steps forward and made intentions and followed through
And what you envisioned became real

Mondays Child #16 - A writing Prompt

2010-10-11T14:55:00.000-07:00

There were two witches and a wizard made three
And a potion they did make for you and me
With little bits of this and vials full of that
A few worm castings, kitty sheddings and snail slime
Bat squeeks, spider sneaks, and rat's cheese sublime
In a boiling bubbling cauldron upon a firey flame
With giggles and snickles and snookles they did brew
A halloween night full of fun and fright
For everyone, everywhere, they did stew
Mandrake screams and ghostly dreams
Doors that go slam and steaming socks full of toe jam
With salamander spit and toadstools grown in...
Well, never mind that
With a final sprinkle of powdery book dust
And a young frogs ribbet they did thrust
Into the swirling, twirling cauldron of goo
Their wishes of a spooky fun night for me and you.

Inspired by Monday's Child at http://childrensverse.blogspot.com/.

Magpie #35

2010-10-07T23:41:00.000-07:00

Magpie Tales #35 - A Writer's Prompt

Autumn's offerings
captured -
beauty revealed
through the
death of chloroplasts.

Simple Woman's Daybook #2

2010-10-06T20:38:00.000-07:00

For Today...

Outside my window...darkness. But as the last touches of sunlight turned the hill a rosy pink I heard the squawk of a heron and wondered if it was welcoming my husband home.

I am thinking...how silly one of my cats is as she repeatedly bumps her head against the coffee table and wanders about meowing.

I am thankful for...the beautiful day today and that I found the courage inside me to post a poem that touched on my shadow side.

From the kitchen...pots and pans clanging and water running as Mark prepares pesto with the last of the basil from our garden.

I am learning... the I Ching. I received the book today as part of a package of treasures from a friend and sent time this afternoon learning about it and trying it out. Very nice way of tapping into some deeper insights.

I am wearing...my black leggings which I find funny, because I believe I was wearing them the last time I did a daybook post. But I am wearing a different top - the purple long sleeve tee with a swallow design across the right side.

I am creating...a positive mind.

I am going...to continue to practice the Buddhist meditations on loving kindness and mindfulness as I incorporate them into my regular more earth centered practices.

I am reading...The I Ching, Positive Magic, the recent issue of Traveler Magazine, The Miracle of Mindfulness and a handful of other things as well - I'm addicted to reading!

I am hoping...that my husband manages to get to bed at a reasonable hour tonight, after a couple late nighters, I am beginning to see circles under his eyes.

I am hearing... the clinking of dishes, the occasional car door slamming, the fan of the computer and the tappety-tapping of the keys.

Around the house...is a lot of cat fur. Some of it attached to actual cats.

One of my favorite things...is sitting and watching the water, which I happily took the time to do today as it glistened in the bright sun, was tossed about by a crisp north wind and floated upon by several Harlequin Ducks in their fancy painted plumage.

A few plans for the rest of the week... picking up the CSA box and planning my meals around all the fresh yummy fruits and veggies it contains. Checking on my p-patch and possibly pulling the tomato plants if the blight has gotten any worse. Thinking about how to organize the weekend so things that need to get done happen but things that we want to do don't get neglected either.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... The Inquisitive Squirrel:

You can find out more about Simple Woman Daybook posts here.

Writing Prompt: Soar

2010-10-06T12:41:00.000-07:00

A writing prompt from Writer's Island.

Words
Work through my
Mind.

Sparked
From weavings of an
Image.

Dark
Thoughts of what is the
Point.

Feeling
It needs to serve some apparent
Purpose.

Why
Bother with the
Writing.

Translates
To my whole
Life.

Influence
That leads me spiraling
Down.

Into
A deep pit of
Anguish.

And
That is the opposite of
Soaring.

Need
To shake this
Weight.

Like
Water from an osprey's
Wings.

After
Plunging into the icy
Depths.

Mid-flight
Droplets go flying in all
Directions.

Lighter
Now to fly stronger and
Higher.

How
Do I rid myself of this
Burden.

So
I too can
Soar.

Mischievous Wind

2010-10-04T17:28:00.000-07:00

My inner artist wanted to come out and play today...

Wordless Wednesday - A Handful of Change

2010-09-29T14:40:00.000-07:00

A Photo Stroll Through Lincoln P-Patch

2010-09-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

Join me on a stroll through beautiful Lincoln P-Patch...

Where Nasturtiums reach out to say hello...

And dahlias add splashes of bright color...

Sweet-peas scent the air...

Where flowers look as if they were touched by a painters brush....

Roses demand to be admired...

Creativity abounds...

Squirrels find tasty morsels...

Sunflowers shine down upon you...

And peace blows on the breeze...

Rain-drenched Reflections

2010-09-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

Last night the rain came down so hard that it was almost as loud on the roof of the house upstairs as it is on a tent. Amazing downpour. And I mourned for my tomatoes, still green and so little chance of those beautiful fruits ripening and then I remembered that rain brings mushrooms and a good rain this time of year brings a wonderful and earlier flush of delicious treasures I get to search out. So as I mourn, I rejoice.

I look forward to walking through the moist lush forests as the season changes from summer to fall. The dripping of water from the trees, the falling of bright colored leaves. The glistening of water droplets on the needles of the evergreens. The glow of the golden leaves of the maples and alders like a sun themselves in the forest. The smell of moist crisp air and then the distinct smell of mushrooms popping up out of the forest floor. Sometimes faint, sometimes pungent. The strong scent of a lobster mushroom can stop me as I walk along the trail and I start sniffing about, searching for where that treasure might be hidden. All the shapes that start to emmerge again in the trees as the leaves fall. Bare branches against the darker green backdrop of the firs and ceders. The mixed flocks of birds flitting together from branch to branch. Watching 20 or more bushtits descend on the ocean spray seed heads, joining the chickaddes that dangle upside down from the tips of the branches, gobbling up seeds and insects while cheerily chatting away. And I chat right back, talking to my cheery featherd friends, basket on my arm, full of fall fungal treasures and an autumn leaf or two or three....

A Simple Woman's Daybook Post #1

2010-09-15T17:24:00.000-07:00

This is something I came across recently - a way to capture a moment in a person's life in a simple way. I felt like participating today. Check out The Simple Woman's Daybook to learn more.

For now, here's a glimpse into my life, For Today.

Outside my window... grey skies, gulls flying by in the drizzle.

I am thinking... of how difficult it is to find true community.

I am thankful for... the snoring kitty keeping my feet warm.

From the kitchen... a pile of dishes that seems to be breeding,

I am wearing... black leggings, long brown three-quarter length sleeve top, cool stripey smartwool socks, grey moonstone necklace and my favorite green shawl.

I am creating... nothing, at the moment - which is sad.

I am going... to the farmers market this afternoon to pick up blackberries to make more jam.

I am reading... far too many books at once.

I am hoping... to get my motivation back.

I am hearing... the snore of a cat, the bubbles from my lavender dry soda and the hum of the computer in my lap.

Around the house... cats are plopped in lazy late afternoon piles of snoozing.

One of my favorite things... is popcorn. I just had a bowl, too.

A few plans for the rest of the week: making jam, learning about mead making, and trying to stay healthy.

Here is a picture for thought I am sharing... the Snickering Buddha.

Refrigerator Pickles and Other Late Summer Reflections

2010-09-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

I'm having a new tea on this overcast Monday morning. There's always several boxes of Numi Organic Tea in the house, but usually the same three. I have to have the Gunpowder Green - Temple of Heaven and the Breakfast Blend - Morning Rise is our standard black tea these days. Then there's always a box of the Ruby Chai -Spiced Rooibas on hand. When I was at the store yesterday, and was stocking back up, the teas were on sale so I decided to get one of their variety boxes and try a few new ones. Today it's the White Rose - Velvet Garden and it's a success. I love rose in my tea and have several herbal blends that I mix up myself that have rose petals in them, both for the flavor and their medicinal and magical benefits. The Numi White Rose Tea has a good amount of rose to it but the white tea still comes through as well. Nicely balanced. A winner on this grey late summer day.

As I look out the window I am seeing more and more color show up on the trees in the neighborhood. One cluster of chloroplasts at a time, the green disappears and the yellows, golds, reds, oranges and browns begin to appear. Soon leaves will be littering the ground and then my bookshelves and tables and counter tops and vases as I collect them and bring them into my home. I can't resist a pretty leaf or three or thousand. Already I've been tempted by the few that have been tossed to the ground early by recent winds. I'm attempting to refrain until after the autumn equinox. Let summer linger a little before I eagerly embrace fall. Though, I have slipped a bit. Three mums came home last week and now adorn my front porch, lighting it up with bright gold, deep rich orange and an even deeper richer red. They stand out against the lime green of their companion Lime Cypress that came home as well. A plant I've always admired but never had for my own until now. Two of the mums and the cypress are planted in the ultimate treasure - a lovely large glazed pot that had a little wobble to it, so was marked down 40%! I've been wanting a nice glazed pot for my front porch since we moved into this house last fall. And I've wanted one off and on forever - whenever I had a spot for one, and sometimes when I didn't. Tucked in between the mums and cypress are treasures for spring - a few miniature daffodils awaiting the return of the sun to start them growing. Just knowing they are there will help get me through the long wet winter that awaits. But first there is fall.

The change in the season became more apparent to me while up at a mountain lake last weekend, when the temperatures dropped fairly low and there was an obvious crispness in the air that hasn't yet reached the lowlands. Our first backpacking trip in four years took us up to Janus Lake along the Pacific Crest Trail north of Hwy 2. We found the perfect site right near the lake in the midst of a small cluster of trees. A marshy meadow on one side and more trees and huckleberry bushes on the other. Very few insects were still about, color was more apparent, though many of the huckleberries had more than just begun to set. I can only hope for all the critters' sake that they get a chance before winter really sets in. Autumn is short in the mountains. The birds were in mixed flocks feeding along the trail and the lake's edges. Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Chipping Sparrows, Townsend Warblers, Brown Creepers, and both Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches chattered and flitted among the trees and shrubs near our camp and along the trails. Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels came to check out our camp, one being so bold to try and climb into my backpack shortly after arriving. Pikas posed on rocks and called out. One came to check me out up close while I sat having a snack along the trail near a large rock slide. Its round eyes in its round head on its round body with cute little round ears - all focused on me, or rather the granola bar I was holding. Ravens were talkative with their loud "cronking" echoing between the mountainsides that the lake was settled between. A White-tailed Ptarmigan, just starting to have more of its winter whites showing among the more mottled summer browns and grays, made its way through the meadow, stopping to gobble the leaves off certain lime colored meadow plants and then grabbing up an insect or two as well, popping its head up from time to time and cocking it just right to look at the lady watching it from among the trees. A lady with a big grin on her face, always happy to have the rare treat of seeing a Ptarmigan. A treat that had become rarer over the last few years as she - I - got to the high elevations less frequently. That backpacking trip was a reminder to get out there more often again, a necessary thing for my wellbeing, for my soul to be refreshed by crisp mountain air far from a road and all the distractions and to-do lists that await back at home.

To-do lists that I've been slowly working my way through since returning home. Many things on the list are things that can only be done this time of year. All the preserving, that comes at harvest time - each in its season. Now all lined up on the shelves we set up in the basement - strawberry, raspberry and blackberry jams, peaches and apricots. A little space left on the shelves for the applesauce yet to be made. Maybe some green beans if I break down and deal with my pressure canner again. Then there are the refrigerator pickles we line the back of our fridge with each year. Twenty quarts of fresh picked pickling cucumbers sitting in a brine with plenty of garlic, hot red pepper flakes, dill and onion. Cucumbers and dill we picked from a farm not to far away near a little town called Snohomish. The same farm I'll most likely visit again if I decide to do the home canned green beans I love so much but dread doing because of the more complicated processing they take and the pressure canner that for some reason I have to manually adjust the pressure on. But I know they are worth it. So I'll most likely be adding that to my to do list. The to do list I had best get back to now, no more long blog posting to procrastinate all the baking that needs to be done and the house cleaning and the.... oy.

I'll end this post by sharing the Refrigerator Pickle recipe I use, in case any one else wants to line up the back of their fridge with the worlds most delicious pickles ever.

Refrigerator Pickles - this makes approximately nine quart jars

For the brine:

13 cups water
3 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup sea or kosher salt

For the pickles:
Onions, cut into wedges, a wedge or two for each jar
Garlic, pealed, several for each jar
Red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon per jar (heaping if you like them nice and spicy!)
Fresh dill heads, 2-3 per jar depending on the size
8 pounds pickling cucumbers, washed and cut into spears.

Wash your quart jars and then place the onions, garlic, red-pepper flakes, and dill in each jar. Then pack the cucumbers into the jar nice and tight.

Heat the brine till it just starts to boil. Remove from the heat and using a funnel to pour into the jars, completely cover the cucumbers. Place fresh canning lids on each jar and screw down with canning rings. Place the pickles into the back of the refrigerator and let sit for at least one month before starting to eat. The longer they sit the better they get.

I make about twenty jars and they barely last till the next pickling season. But then we do love us some pickles!

The Page of Pumpkins and a Bit of the Inner Me

2010-09-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

A friend recently sent me what she calls "fun money" and I'm to use it for something fun - no necessity purchases, but honest to goodness fun. I like that. It makes me not have to be the practical penny pinching girl of most every other day. So in honor of that and the friend who sent the gift I headed out to find myself a fun new Tarot deck and when I saw the Halloween Tarot I knew it had to be. This friend is also a late October birthday girl and has a love for Halloween and all the crazy fun stuff that goes with it. I just know I'll be getting her a set of these cards in a month or so.

The traditional suits of the Tarot have been changed from pentacles to pumpkins, cups to ghosts, wands to imps and swords to bats. At first the deck seems whimsical, not too serious. But when you look closely all the traditional elements are still there but with enough of a twist in most of the cards to give a fresh new opportunity to explore the meanings of the cards, possibly find new ways of seeing them and applying them and as I looked through it carefully last night I started seeing that it indeed has some incredible depth. Perfect for personal meditation, which is what I like to use tarot for. I like to use the symbolism to open up my mind and dig deeper. So I pulled one card from the deck last night and started contemplating it. It started on simple enough, little observations, then a few surprising ones and then a flood gate opened up and suddenly I was writing deep personal reflection and when I was done, I was amazed. Who would have thought such a silly seeming deck could unlock so much. But it did and I am making myself be brave and actually post my reflections here. So with out further ado, I present the Page of Pumpkins and a bit of the inner me.

The page here, reminds me of Wednesday from the Adams Family, with her long dark hair and her black and white striped socks. She's stopped along the path she's walking for a moment, sat down her school books and takes the time to contemplate where she's going and what it means. She's picked up the pumpkin/jack-o-lantern - looking into the face of it, studying it - there's even a feeling of scrying as she looks long and hard at it. I see in this card an idea of pondering what you want to be when you grow up, where you want your life to go. What will her studies manifest into in the future? How will they effect her practical everyday life - her livelihood, her home, all those physical, tangible aspects? I'm reminded of the kay sera song, the questions that were asked. It's a clear starry night, a perfect time to see things clearly, at least what can be seen in the dark. The bright things, the things that stand out. There's the smiling moon looking down on her, a friendly ghost hovering nearby, watching and the black cat that is in every card is at her feet, looking up at her. There's no expectations from the others in this card, just warm companionship, watching the page,waiting to see what she might decide, what she might become. I love how everyone else in this card seems to be joyfully, eagerly watching the page. Kind of like how it's easy to watch a child as they discover new things and by watching you can get just as much delight and joy from the discovery as the child has. There's a freshness about this card in that way. Where all the curiosity, hope and excitement for life and the future is expressed and it makes those around the page joyful to watch it. I recall how Mark once told me, when we had only been together a short time, that he enjoyed seeing me enjoy things even more than just enjoying them himself. He enjoyed my excitement and exuberance about life (in spite of all that that life had dealt me) and that being around that brought him joy. Great joy. I had been so happy when he said that and have always held it close to my heart, a shield, a form of protection. Because not everyone who has come into my life has responded that way to who I am. They've judged those qualities in me and even tried to squash them. Something that hurt so deeply each time it happened because my heart was pure, I had shared myself openly, giving of my heart and energy freely, and was met with far less enthusiasm than my loving husband had expressed to me that day. It is interesting that this card came up. I had a moment or two tonight where I almost felt I should pull back, not just be myself in all my enthusiastic expressiveness because of fear of being hurt again the way I had been in the past. I kept telling myself that I need to just be myself, but that can be hard when doing so in the past seems to have caused people to react in negative ways and brought them onto me, trying to make me something I wasn't, something they were more comfortable with or had more control of or whatever other notions that were in there minds. So opening up again, especially in groups is a scary thing for me. I meet people that I enjoy their company, we have fascinating conversations and I let myself enjoy it only to find out that the others were not being open and truthful, but were judging - my intentions, my heart, my personality - me, everything about me. It's hard to open yourself up over and over to that, taking that risk of it happening again - knowing you might get burned and hurt deeply yet again. But a flower that never opens has little to offer the world and never gets to put its face to the sun and is a dark and dreary and somewhat pointless existence and that is not what I want my life to be. So I'm trying again and hoping for the best. And in this card I can see myself as that page, though not just starting out in life, but in a new direction with new possibilities and new people. The Moon like that Universal Spirit that I am a part of, the ghost like an ancestor - my mom - who stays near, and the cat like my spirit and physical companions who have chosen to walk with me on this journey. A journey of learning and pausing to ponder and getting to wear cool striped socks!

Tropical Salsa and Gourmet Fun

2010-08-23T17:44:00.000-07:00

As I write this I'm munching on the last little bit of a tropical salsa I threw together recently for a friends birthday party. It seemed pretty popular and there wasn't much left for the requisite food photo!

This salsa was simple compared to the effort that went into the central player of the party, home made piña coladas, and I mean home made from scratch, all the way! Well, they didn't make the rum, but if they could they probably would! The coconut cream that usually goes into piña coladas is full of all sorts of sickly ingredients and tastes and smells like cheap coconut scented tanning lotion. This stuff, on the other hand had a natural coconut flavor with a toasty nuttiness to it that made drinking only a little very difficult! I can't really share a recipe since there really never was a recipe followed. There were mad scientists in the kitchen with power tools, yes power tools, and lots of pouring this and brewing that and tasting - lots of tasting. The base was made from fresh mature coconuts, the meat scraped out chopped up then simmered in the coconut water and a mixture of half and half and cream. It was cooled and then fresh pineapple was added along with a combination of different rums. It was poured into our glasses and enjoyed by all!

And then there was the cake. Power tools were once again put to use and coconut was shredded and shaved from the fresh coconuts to incorporated into a light layered sponge like cake and frosted with the silkiest smoothest frosting ever. I heard it might be some southern thang. The cake was cheered for upon entering the house and then again when we all had the lovely slices of goodness!

So, as you can see, my contribution really isn't all that impressive in comparison, but one thing it has going for it is that I can tell you how I made it! It was inspired by two things - a recipe in The Tropical Vegan Kitchen and a salsa made by a local favorite restaurant called Agua Verde. As usual I didn't follow any particular recipe, but combined the ideas of the two salsas and then added a little Maurie flare.

Maurie's Tropical Salsa

One small fresh ripe pineapple, outer parts cut off and finely diced
2 medium ripe mangoes, pealed, cut from the pit and finely diced
1 medium to large jicama, peeled and finely diced
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely diced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped fine
1 can black beans, rinsed well
3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon agave syrup
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
pinch of salt

Toss the pineapple, mangoes, jicama, jalapeños, cilantro and black beans in a medium to large bowl. Combine the lime juice, red wine vinegar, agave syrup and olive oil, blending well. Pour over the other ingredients, sprinkle on the cayenne pepper and slat and mix to coat well. Serve with corn chips and enjoy!

* After posting this and linking it on my Facebook page I had a few comments about if this could be made with peaches, which are at their peek here in the northwest right now. I almost threw a peach into this salsa when I was making it, but greedily saved it for fresh eating later. I think peaches would be an excellent local/seasonal substitute for the mangoes. I think I would add a bit more lime juice a tablespoon or two, to keep the balance of flavors. If you do happen to make it with peaches or any other variation, please let me know - I would love to hear how it turns out!

Photo Credit

The Eclectic Artist

2010-08-20T18:43:00.000-07:00

I've been messing about with different art mediums and seeing what sort of art comes from it. I have been reminded again of how eclectic I am. The piece pictured below is one I worked on today. It is absolutely unlike anything I have done before. Though I have dabbled here and there in the art world I often come back to working in pen and ink that has a distinctive style to it no matter how much I mess with it. But I can only do so much pen and ink. It is very hard on my hands. So I occasionally make myself take a break and try something different.

This time around I started messing with altered art, paper art, and collage. Collage has the potential for me to do larger pieces while still utilizing smaller pieces of my pen and ink work. Though there is none in this piece, I hope to try integrating the two in the future.

Another tendency for my art (and creative writing) is for it to take on a life of it's own. If I fight it, trying to make something look a certain preconceived (by me) way the flow stops and I can't continue. When I give in to the stubborn spirit of the art piece and go with the flow things usually work out - but I never know what I'm going to end up with when I start out.

For this piece, I had a stretched canvas that I had at some point in the past given a streaky gray acrylic wash

to. I had gotten interrupted shortly after painting it and never got back to it. So it was sitting there, waiting. Last night, just before drifting off to sleep I had the idea of using buttons and scrap paper to do flowers on canvas. That was all I had in my head when I started out today. And this is what I ended up with.

I used colored backgrounds of magazine pages to create the flower stalks, bird shapes, and clouds.

The leaves I created from cutting out text from the same magazine, searching for words that turned out to have a positive theme.

The clouds were three different colors from magazine pages that I layered and used some colored pencil on the white layer to tone it down a bit. I found whole individual words to apply to the clouds as well.

I also took some stamp pad ink in a frosty blue on my finger and brushed it across the surface of the canvas and around the edges of the cloud.

The teal blue highlights were prompted by one bright button that insisted on being included, no matter how hard I tried to stay with the grey scale theme. And I ended up carrying that over into the birds, which I cut out, free style, from a teal colored page in the magazine.

This is the first time I have ever posted any of my art. It has taken me a while to get brave enough to do so. Now that I have though, I plan on getting some decent pictures of other things I have done and get them up here as well, that way, when I call myself 'The Eclectic Artist', you'll understand why.

A Treasure Already Taken

2010-08-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

Strolling along the beach near my home this morning I happened upon a wonderful and rare piece of sea glass. A rich brown multi-ridged bottle neck, frosted beautifully from constant contact with its sandy, rocky, watery environs, but still some how unbroken - complete. I eagerly picked it up, starting to brush the bits of shell and seaweed from inside it, but they were stuck in place. Upon closer observation I discovered a mussel, not much larger than my thumb nail, in the midst of the seaweed and shells, its long coarse byssus threads attaching it to the inside of the bottle neck. I could have been disappointed that I would have to leave this treasure behind, having a standing agreement with myself and mother nature to never knowingly take something that has become somethings home, but I found myself smiling as I set it back down, discovering the greater treasure was that someone else had already, ingeniously and wondrously, claimed it as its own.

Summer, Swimmingly

2010-08-16T14:55:00.000-07:00

Summer is not summer without a dabble of feet in a cool creek, a dash through a sprinkler or a plunge in a cool body of water on a hot day. I love long slogs up creeks, crawling over and under logs, watching for crawdads who might nibble on my toes. I love rope swings and flying out into the air and splashing deep into the coolness of the dark pool. I love wading along the shore of the sound, looking for pretty rocks shimmering under the water and the cold splash as a large wave crashes into me just as I dip down to pick up a particularly pretty one, sea weed clinging to me, making me laugh. I love a lake, a cool refreshing freshwater swim, where eagles and osprey fly over head, swallows and swifts dive through the air and skim over the water. Kingfishers call out their raucous call and herons perch on old posts or along the shore, their still patience a calming presence. Turtles peek at me, just a little striped head barely above the waters surface before diving down to watery depths. Necklaces made from lake weeds and dragonflies zipping past. I love not being the only full bodied woman wearing a bikini, not afraid of her goddess curves, feeling sexy in the water despite all those extra pounds. I love that black bikini, letting more water move over my skin, cool and refreshing silkiness. The comfortable ache of muscles well used and a growing hunger as I linger on the shores edge after a long swim. I love the feeling of my soft skin warmed in the sun, cooled in the water and warmed in the sun once again. That feeling of relaxation that only comes from times like these. I love summer, swimmingly.

A Sugar Scrub By Any Other Name

2010-08-04T15:19:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you take, lavender, fair trade organic sugar, cold pressed apricot kernel oil, lavender essential oil and a little creative energy? Why a Lovely Lavender Sugar Scrub, of course!

This project was inspired by my love for a particular Suki Product, that I haven't been able to purchase for a while due to budget woes. It's full of lemon lusciousness and I miss it!

I always called it a lemon sugar facial scrub. So when Domestic Witch posted the recipe for the lavender sugar scrub I was excited to give it a try. I didn't realize the difference between the two until after I had made and used the scrub for the first time. The Suki Product uses saponified oil and thus is a cleansing scrub where as the lavender sugar scrub is more of an exfoliating moisturizer. Great for summer sandal feet and silky soft legs, but not for washing your face!

Now I'm wondering if I can get my hands on saponified oil. In the mean time I have a nice squat pint jar of great smelling lavender sugar scrub sitting ready. My feet will be so happy! There was enough to make a couple small jars for family too... happy feet all around!

This project was inspired by a post over at Domestic Witch and made possible by a generous offering of lavender from my mother-in-law. If you happen to be so lucky as to have a bit of lavender on hand (or a nice mother-in-law who has a bit of lavender) then I encourage you to visit the link above to find out how to make your own Lavender Sugar Scrub.

To Happy Feet and Learning!

Celebrating the Harvest

2010-08-01T23:43:00.000-07:00

First Harvest, Lammas, Loaf Mass, Lughnasadh, Cornucopia, County Fair Time - whatever you call it, it's all about the celebration of the harvest. This time each year over the centuries and around the northern hemisphere of planet earth, people have been finding ways to celebrate the harvest of fruits and grains, and their own hard labor. Every culture approaches it a little differently, each with its own customs. Bonfires, gatherings, offerings to the gods, giving formal thanks to the earth for its fruits and so much more goes into these celebrations. Mark and I came up with our own way of celebrating, and today marked our second annual blueberry picking "ritual", complete with picnic and other August time treats. This year our gala event for two was held at the Mercer Slough U-pick Blueberry Farm in Bellevue - a beautiful setting filled with wildlife, blueberries and a good number of happy berry pickers. There was even a surprise visit by a coyote. I learned today that coyotes howl over sirens just like dogs do! It was howling and yipping just a few yards from us and was spotted by some fellow pickers!

This young robin was one of the fellow blueberry pickers present today. I think he's giving me the territorial eye here, don't you think?

Obviously there was enough for everyone, though. We brought home over four pounds of blueberries.

Another berry delight was the handful of ripe blackberries we managed to find and quickly gobble down. Only a sampling of what's to come from the wonderful month of August!

There were a few tomatoes ready for harvest today too!

And what better way to eat them than with a little fresh mozzarella and basil. Yum!

And what August outing wouldn't be complete without a little ice cream?

A large part of the Lammas/ Lughnasadh celebration is the focus on the grain harvest. So to celebrate this aspect I baked a Rosemary Olive Oil Cake. I had never combined rosemary with sweet before, but when I saw a recipe for this in the latest Yoga Journal Magazine, I was quite intrigued and decided to give it a try. Boy, am I glad I did! This recipe is a keeper! I altered the original recipe to try and bring at least a little whole grain into it. Here's my version:

Rosemary Olive Oil Cake

4 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup olive oil

2 heaping tablespoons finely chopped rosemary

1 1/4 cup unbleached white flour

1/4 cup white whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Oil a 10-inch loaf pan and preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium bowl beat the eggs with a mixer for 30 seconds on

high speed. Add the sugar and beat on high till very frothy and pale.

While the beaters are going, slowly drizzle the olive oil in.

Gently fold the rosemary in.

In another bowl, blend the flours, baking powder and salt.

Gently fold the dry mixture into the egg mixture.

Pour the batter into the pan.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then tip the cake out

onto a rack to continue cooling.

Happy Lammas/Lughnasadh/First Harvest!

Photo Source

and

The Artist

Summer, So Far

2010-07-29T19:21:00.000-07:00

A beautiful Solstice ritual with local druids started off my summer in what could not have been a better way. OK, perhaps less mosquito bites would have improved it slightly. Dratted little buggers! The ritual was a simple yet deeply meaningful one and was followed up in true druid fashion with great food, drink and entertainment. There were stories, poems, song and even a silly joke or two. A great time had by both Mark and me among great company. The main tree we were under was quite thoroughly decorated!

The next summer highlight would have to be the continued growth of our garden and some of the bounty we've been enjoying from it.

And these are just the things I thought to take pictures of. We've been eating lots and lots of greens, new potatoes, scallions, carrots, beets, squash and peas. I just picked our first tomato last night, a yellow Taxi Variety that we have in a planter near our front porch. We're looking forward to eating it tonight! Both the p-patch and the home planters and raised bed are doing well - quite productive. And it's about time to start planting greens and beets and such for the later part of the season! And get the basil transplanted - finally.

We've also been enjoying some of the local bounty that we aren't growing ourselves. We went and did u-pick strawberries and got 20 jars are strawberry jam made up along with a delicious strawberry rhubarb crisp that is long gone. We also got raspberries and made up 16 jars of raspberry jam. The latest was a 13 pound box of apricots that got canned up, made into apricot pie and a handful thrown in the freezer for later apricot delights. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of these due to the camera dieing on us. But trust me, all the colorful jars look lovely!

We've had a good many enjoyable evening strolls along Alki, despite the crowds, and several picnics in local parks with one wonderful summer swim in Lake Washington down at Seward Park. While we were swimming both a Bald Eagle and an Osprey flew over us, not to far above the water. They were having a bit of a territorial spat. The Osprey decided to not argue with the Eagle. Smart Osprey!

We also had a great paddle at the arboretum on Lake Washington with plenty of birding by yours truly. The ducklings were probably the biggest treasure of the paddle, though!

Another highlight was joining my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law for the Vashon Garden Tour. There was a lot of oohing and ahhing and drooling and coveting and dreaming. I took over 150 pictures that day and a healthy selection of them deserve their own post, but here you can see that we three girls just couldn't help but smile after a day of garden delights!

Yes, summer has been good to us so far. The sad thing, though, is that I may not be able to record the rest of the summer quite as well as I would like, due to our camera dieing on us. Replacing it may not be in the cards all to soon. I'll just have to use words in the mean time and do my best.

Happy Summer!

Blending

2010-06-25T14:59:00.000-07:00

Yes, I've been absent more than not, lately. It's been one of those internal transitioning times for me and I always find it near impossible to write about lighter, less personal stuff during those times. So I just don't write - or rather I just don't publish what I write. There is rarely a day that goes by that I don't write. It's therapy and creative outlet all wrapped up in one, and necessary for my sanity to remain at least a little to this side of sane.

During this time I found that having a separate food blog was just way to much to maintain. So I made the decision today to once again blend my "everything else" blogging with my food and recipe blogging. I've imported all the food posts from Rutabagas and Other Adventures to this blog and will continue to incorporate food related and recipe filled posts from time to time. Hopefully this will help me feel less scattered all over the place. I still have my nature related blog The Tern's Song that only occasionally sees posts these days, mainly because most of my nature writing has taken on a more personal and spiritual nature. I'm still wrestling with whether to open all that up into The Tern's Song or not. We'll see.

In the mean time I have a backlog of things to write about for this blog and I hope to slowly but surely catch up. Stay tuned.

A Good Morning

2010-06-08T08:59:00.000-07:00

Up early this morning. Woke up before Mark's alarm went off at 5:30. Odd sense I didn't blow the candles out till after 2am. But I was awake and had some energy so after Mark left I went out for a ride on Ducky. I road out to the first pier along Alki and then sat there for quite a while watching the gulls and crows and a man on a paddleboard waiting for waves. I eventually noticed that the dark birds perched out on the buoy marker/light thing were not cormorants but a pair of eagles. They were perched there watching the morning go by... so I took a lesson from Eagle and perched on a bench and watched the morning go by. When they took off they were just above eye level and very close to me - they are such magnificent birds, so awe inspiring. And enduringly patient - they have to be considering the number of gulls and crows that suddenly showed up to harass them when they took off. I watched a crow keep flying in from behind one of the eagles and when it got with in six inches or so the eagle would shift and drop just a little but it always made the crow pause for a moment in his boldness. Once the eagles had disappeared I picked myself up off the bench and turned Ducky towards home. The heron that I had seen on the way out was now further out in the water where the receding tide was giving access to more of the shallow sandbars. More people were out by the time I was riding towards home. More joggers, more cyclists, more rollerbladers, stroller pushers and dog walkers - all typical of a sunny morning on Alki. It was nice to have a day that I could be out there adding my own touch to the crowd - sitting tall on my blue mixtie and pedaling along with a sunny day eagle enhanced smile.

The Beech Grove

2010-05-07T01:38:00.000-07:00

There is a park not too far from my home that holds a grove of 18 beech trees. I had walked past it many time during the winter and had not noticed it in great detail. Not until a few weeks back when visiting the park with a friend did I realize it was a beech grove. We were drawn into it by the beautiful silvery bark and the bright green new leaves fringed with delicate hairs. It took a few moments before it came from somewhere in my memory that these were beech trees. Upon looking on the ground it was confirmed by the scattering of last falls nuts. We admired the trees for quite a while before being called away by the hoot of an owl that needed to be investigated. But as I was leaving, I placed my hands upon one of the trunks and whispered my thanks and intentions to come back.

The friend I was with could appreciate the trees from a nature loving and naturalist point of view. But she would not have understood the stirring I felt in me as I stood in the grove among those trees, a stirring that was connected to my own spiritual path and the knowledge that there was something very special and sacred for me to learn among these trees.

Nearly three weeks had passed and I finally made it back this evening. This time with my husband, who had wanted me to show him the grove that I kept mentioning. The grove of beech trees had never been too far from my mind and when we arrived at the park, I kept saying I wasn't exactly sure which direction we needed to go to get there but something in me must have known because instead of following a path I cut out across the park in a very particular direction and eventually came out right in front of the grove. It was dusk and the silvery bark was glowing in the last light of the day. The weaving of the branches and leaves against the darkening sky was beautiful. I gently pulled a branch down to show my husband the fine fringe of hairs along the edges of the leaf. We admired them together and I gently put the branch back in place. It was perfectly still as I started to step under the branch when a leaf dropped right in front of me. I kept the leaf safe in my hand while we walked among the grove, stopping and looking up through the branches, studying the different patterns in the bark - both natural and those carved by people, listening to the slight breeze in the leaves that had begun to stir among the branches. I was gently touching one of the tree trunks when my hand passed over an area of the trunk, just off the trunk by an inch or so actually, that was warmer than the surrounding area. It caught my attention immediately. The warmth had an energy to it that I'm not sure how to describe. I had my husband feel as well and he noticed it too - the warmth. I paused there with wonder. What was it?

As we said our goodnight's to the grove I saw a dandelion seed head on the edge of the grove and I reached down and plucked it. I said a wish for the groves continued health and growth and for it to be appreciated and with a laugh for it to have a lovely carpet of bright dandelions below it and then blew all the seeds back towards the grove. It was spontaneous and wonderful.

I kept feeling that I need to go back to the grove again during the day and sit in it's midst and write. I can't shake that feeling. And tonight while researching lore about the beech I came across a couple references to the beech tree being connected to books and learning and wisdom - especially by writing. How completely UN-coincidental.

The Hermit Crab

2010-04-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

Picture Source

A few months back, while exploring on the beach with one of my nephews, I was teaching him to leave the whole shells that could become hermit crab homes. He caught on really quick and only collected the broken shells to give to his Grammy. Every time he found a whole shell he would carry it to the waters edge to leave it for hermit crabs to find. I was pleased with the success of that lesson.

Picture Source

Today, the Hermit Crab taught me a lesson. I was on the beach at Discovery Park leading a Tot Walk. I had seven toddlers, their adults and even a couple infants along for adventure. We had already seen a lot of hermit crabs, some big, some small, some who liked to hide and others who wanted to make a dash for it as fast as they could. In one of the little pools I picked up a small broken Dogwinkle shell, to move it out of the way. When surprise of surprises, there inside the little cup of the broken shell, a space not even a quarter inch in diameter was the tiniest hermit crab I'd ever seen. In a broken shell. Well, darn. Time to change that lesson, maybe. Tiny hermit crabs need homes too, I guess.

Maurie, Maurie...How Does Your Garden Grow?

2010-04-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I mentioned our Lincoln P-patch plot. I wrote about it back in February. We didn't start work on it until this last weekend. And what work there was to do! It had gotten pretty weedy since the above picture was taken in February, but it will give you an idea as to how much change really happened over the weekend.

I wanted a design that would be really comfortable to work in, one where I could plop my ample tush down in a path and comfortably work in the beds. Wide paths aren't that common in p-patch plots because we only get a little bit of land (ours is 10X11 or so) and people want to use all that space for plants. I have a war with myself over this every time I design a new p-patch. But I know the way I garden. I like to be comfortable, not cramped and that can make a huge difference in how much time I end up wanting to spend at the garden. So with Mark's encouragement we designed a garden plot with ample path space and a layout to be able to let some of my artsy nature have room to play.

We also had a serious slope to deal with and it was essential to build up the garden space, level it out and makes sure that we did a design that would not allow our soil and seeds to wash away down the hill. We ended up putting 12 inch tall boards in on the west and north sides to help with that issue and then went with raised beds with in that, to help even more.

There are four triangular beds one for each of the four directions, something I like because of the tie to some Native American beliefs and lore. Each direction is also connected to one of the elements, earth, air, fire and water. I can have fun with that by incorporating colors and little artistic touches to represent each. This was done in more formal herbal gardens in times past and really the garden plot does have an herb garden look to it, though very few herbs will be grown in it - I am trying to find spots at home to put my herbs where they will be more handy. On the East side we put a bamboo trellis up to discourage the dogs that run down the path above the garden from running straight into a garden bed. When we saw that we would have some taller bamboo support poles on either side we thought it would be fun to put a string of colorful prayer flags between them. Mark picked out the larger sized flags from the garden center and we ended up stringing them along three sides of the garden. East, South and West. It makes the garden really colorful and pleasant, and yes, unique! Here are some pictures of the process:

After those pictures were taken we got to planting some starts. Golden beets edge the perimeter of the south bed (in the above picture that's the one to the right). Red scallions edge the west bed. Broccoli fills the center of the north bed and the edges have two different lettuce starts along them. The east bed has Russian Banana Fingerling potatoes and a few left over scallions. I have some shelling pea starts that will go along the trellis. The rest will be left for some summer crops to be put in after the May Tilth Plant Sale. I have two spots where I plan on putting flowers either in planters or by creating more raised bed spots at the ends of the paths on the NW and SW corners. We still have to figure out what we are going to do for the paths.

We have an 8X4 raised bed in our backyard where it gets at least half a days sunshine or a bit more and we will have more food plants in there. I have pictures of that process but I'll save that for another time and another post. It's sunny outside and I think I may just head over to the garden and get those peas in while the weather is cooperating!

Happy Spring and Gardening to everyone!

Catching Up

2010-04-05T16:49:00.000-07:00

I saw the above on one of my favorite blogs that always perks me up. I felt like it about said it - except the cute shoes part. Cute's great, but Comfy is what's really important!

I had a few moments today to take a look at some of the blogs I love reading and realized that I wasn't the only one missing in action in the blog world or the only one thinking about blogging and wondering where to go from here. That was a real comfort. I'm hard on myself when I can't or don't get to everything. So I'm hard on myself most of the time. Now, I'm thinking maybe it wasn't just me and something universal was going on and several people were being effected in similar ways. I feel better now.

I'm so behind on sharing what has been going on that it can be really overwhelming to even start to try and figure out where to begin. I realized yesterday I hadn't been very communicative all around, not just on the blogs. Guess I was in some introverted stage for a bit. But I know that there are at least two people out there that would like to know what I've been up to. So here ya go, Aunt Billy and Uncle Jim - your my best fans.

Weekend before last Mark was busy drying the dishes when my antique glass citrus juicer slipped from his hands and crashed into a million pieces on the kitchen floor. So when a sunny day came the following week I walked on up the hill and did a little shopping. The first order of business was to find another antique glass citrus juicer. This went with our efforts to not bring new plastic into our house and to buy used whenever possible. Not to mention it was a damn good excuse to go browse an antique store. The ladies were super helpful at the antique store and I soon had three citrus juicers to chose from. I went the smallest which was the mid-range in price and the cutest. It has this little extra feature that really sold me on it - a primary ring with little slits that let the juice out but hold the seeds back. It was also extra pointy and sharp so I was hoping it would be easier to use than my last one. It is! With out further ado - meet the new citrus juicer:

While I was up on the hill I stopped in at a consignment shop and was pleasantly surprised by what they had in there. So often consignment shops are either focused towards teeny-boppers or old ladies. I'm somewhere in between and I discovered that the shop was too. There were several things to try on and I found a couple wonderful spring items. Including this fun bright green dress.

And this beautiful cardigan. Check out the detail!

And those are what I wore for our date on Sunday.

Mark surprised me with homemade whole wheat sticky buns for breakfast. They were sticky gooey wonderful!

Then we caught the bus to downtown and went to the Seattle Art Museum to see the Calder exhibit which was fantastic. This had to have been the best special exhibit in a while and the entry was the most spectacular I had ever seen with a huge Calder mobile sculpture turning in the air. I was so inspired by his creativity and use of random objects and metal and color. I walked away with lots of crazy art ideas in my head and I look forward to bringing them to life over time. If you aren't aware of Calder and his art you can check it out here.

After we left the museum we walked through a fairly quiet Pike Place Market where most everything was closed due to the holiday but Mark did manage to get me a single daffodil, which was really sweet. Then we stopped at a small coffee shop that is also a local roaster and had a some excellent cups o' bean juice.

It was time to catch the bus and head back to our little Alki neighborhood with a quick stop for pictures at the beach.

The cats were happy to have us home and sitting still for a little while.

We finished the evening with a light and delicious Japanese meal of Miso soup with tofu, shitake and green onion, brown rice, cucumbers and onions with rice vinegar and a surprise attempt at little cucumber and avocado sushi rolls by Mark. Great day. Great Guy. Lucky Me!

Food Revolution and Life

2010-03-29T15:15:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had so much on your to do list that you just want to sit down and give up? That is how life has felt the last few weeks. I think we all go through times like this and the good thing is that there's usually a light at the end of the tunnel and we just cross our fingers hoping it isn't a train. It's not a train, right?

I've got lots of great recipes and food related posts waiting to be shared but so little time to get them up here. I hope you will hang in there till I get myself better organized. In the time that I haven't posted as often I have also been doing some soul searching. What do I want out of this and my other blogs? Who do I want to reach? What do I hope to accomplish? The answers to these questions are many but ultimately I want to bring some joy into people life and also inspire them. Inspire people to think outside the box, to make changes that are good for them, their families, their communities and this earth. On a food blog that's going to be about doing all those things in relation to - well, food. Preaching to the choir isn't what it's all about. It's great, it lovely, it's nice to have at least a few people that don't get all weirded out or defensive or think you're whacked because you care about what you put into your body and what others put into theirs. But the real change happens when people see what you're doing and get excited about it and maybe try it little by little themselves. That little by little can add up and the next thing you know big changes are happening around you, in your own life, in your families lives an in your community.

That's exactly the kind of thing that Jamie Oliver is after in Food Revolution and he's up against some pretty big barriers. But he cares, he's got an audience and he's going to make a difference. If you haven't seen the shows yet, please give yourself the time to sit down and watch them. It's worth it. Really it is.

http://www.hulu.com/jamie-olivers-food-revolution

And I'll be back soon, a little more organized and full of stuff to share.

A girl. A bike. A love.

2010-03-26T14:58:00.001-07:00

Click on over to Gettin' Around to read my latest piece about me and bikes. Enjoy!

http://gettinaroundpnw.blogspot.com/2010/03/girl-bike-love.html

Baby it's Cold INSIDE

2010-03-25T11:52:00.000-07:00

This is the first day since we turned off our furnace that the cloud cover has been thick enough to keep the sun from warming my upstairs studio to a more pleasant temperature. The house is cold. Usually it is several degrees warmer upstairs on the south side, but not today. It's in the fifties even in here. I have a thick sweater on, a blanket over my lap and a cat on my legs and I'm still cold. My nose is cold.

Even with all that being true, I have no intension of turning the heat back on. For the last couple weeks we've been living with the house ranging from 55 to 62 knowing we will see our reward when the next energy bill comes. This house had proved very expensive to heat and the winter was tighter than was comfortable. We didn't want our spring to be the same way. So off went the heat.

There are other benefits too. We're using less energy and so the weight of our footprint will lighten a bit more. That's a good thing. I want to enjoy the beauty of this earth for as long as I'm here and I want my nephews to have a beautiful place to live as well and their children after them. I'm very willing to do my part. The cats are willing to help too by being reliable lap warmers.

For two people that have been known to spend several days out on a mountain in the middle of winter for a snowshoe backpacking trip - living in a house without heat really shouldn't be a big deal. I think the mentality changes when we come indoors. What is tolerable and even enjoyable outside feels uncomfortable inside. This has got to be some sort of psychological thing. I try to remember that when it's feeling particularly cold inside. Maurie, I say to myself, Maurie you have chosen to go camping and hiking and even climbing in colder temperatures than this and you had fun doing it - stop your whining!

Or I'll pack up the computer and go to the library where our tax dollars are already paying for the heat.

CSA Shares and Simple Navy Bean Soup

2010-03-17T15:46:00.000-07:00

I just finished a wonderful lunch of left over navy bean soup that was whipped up yesterday and I'm still nibbling on the sweet and juicy pear from our last CSA box from Full Circle Farm.

And I'm mentally jumping for joy to hear that my sister in-law and brother in-law are signing up for a share from Full Circle Farm as well!

All this thinking about CSAs has me eagerly awaiting tomorrow's box. I've been dreaming up what I will do with all that delicious produce since I finalized my selections this weekend. I'm especially excited about getting a double order of eggplant this week - completely out of season, but something I've been craving for a few weeks now. I want to make the simple oven roasted eggplant with anchovy that I found in my mother in-law's Silver Spoon cookbook and I want to try my hands at a recipe I came across online for eggplant "bacon" that gets marinated and then put on the dehydrator for a while. It sounds very intriguing. If I'm lucky enough to have any eggplant left (doubtful) I might make up a batch of Baba Ganoush to go with the Chipotle Garlic Hummus recipe I'm planning on making. I found that recipe in the Tassajara Cookbook I've got checked out from the library (I really want a copy of this one for my collections!). That would give us some good picnic foods for the weekend. Something to take along for our outing to the Seattle Tilth Spring Plant Sale that we are going to with some friends.

For tonight though I'm roasting up some parsnips and cabbage for a veggie St. Patrick's Day dinner. Yum!

Here's the Simple Navy Bean Soup recipe:

In the morning:

2 cups dry small white navy beans
8 cups water
1 Bay or Myrtle Leaf

Put all of the above in a slow cooker and cook for 6 hours on low setting.

When it's getting closer to dinner time:

2 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, diced
1-2 tsp earth balance or butter or olive oil

Saute all of the above in a large stock pot till slightly softened. Add the beans and their broth, discarding the bay leaf. Add smoked sea salt to taste (that's my secret ingredient!). Bring to a simmer to blend flavors. Right before serving stir in a 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley.

We served this with garlic bread - the perfect thing to sop up the last of the bean broth in your bowl. This soup tastes even better the next day!

Happiness is Spring

2010-03-16T09:58:00.000-07:00

Happiness is Spring. And getting my first blogger award.

Jeanne from Collage of Life, In One Place and Finding My Way stopped by to give me a Happiness Award. How awesome is that?!

Here's how it works:

1. When you have received this award

you must thank the person who

gave it to you in a new post.

2. Name 10 things that make you happy.

3. Pass the award onto ten other bloggers

and inform the winners.

Naming ten things that make me happy is easy. Deciding which ten of all the great bloggers I read to give the award to - not so much. No wonder Jeanne temporarily forgot how to count!

I'll start with the easy part. Ten things that make me happy. These are all things I experienced yesterday.

1. Birds Singing.

2. Walks.

3. My Green and Yellow Tevas.

4. Exploring the Nooks and Crannies of My Extended Neighborhood.

5. Whimsical Garden Art.

6. Pondering the Lesson of Nature.

7. Narrow Tree Lined Lanes.

8. Flowering Magnolia Trees.

9. Daffodils.

10. Spring!

Now for the hard part!

1. Ange @ Signed by Ange for her humorous and art-inspired blogging.

2. Kate @ The Holdfast Seeker for being a kindred spirit and her wonderful writing.

3. Lili @ Fearless Nesting for all the lovely posts she writes and all the sweet comments she leaves.

4. Marie-Jolie @ Permission to Unwind for her philosophical "yarns".

5. Meli @ Bikes and the City for pictures of bikes with coffee - I get all giddy when she posts a new one!

6. Ecogrrl @ EcoGrrl Speaks for being a faithful commenter and a such an interestingly eclectic blogger.

7. Dawn @ Dawn's bloggy blog for all the birding trips I get to experience vicariously through her blog.

8. Tiff @ Carbzilla for being such a fun person and living in Seattle so I can enjoy her company in person.

9. Averie @ Loves Veggies and Yoga for her smiling face and words and so many yummy recipes!

10. Small Footprints @ Reduce Footprints for her artsy green-inspiring self!

Phew! I made it! Thank you to all of you who visit my blogs and help create the community that makes blogging all that much more rewarding.

How about a "Furry Friday" post?

2010-03-12T16:53:00.000-08:00

My friend, Tiff, over at Carbzilla posted a bunch of pictures of her fur children today and it inspired me to do the same except I'm giving it a name - Furry Friday just has a ring to it don't you think?

We have four fur children - all cats. They won't let us have a dog. These monsters have been on our minds even more lately as we ran into some big issues with their food just recently. The food that we were feeding them was recalled and the company decided to change the processing from pure raw to pressure-pasteurized. If I wanted to feed my cats pasteurized food they would be fed out of chemical laden cans. We chose Raw for a reason - many reasons, actually. We also chose organic. This goes along with our core values, not just on how we want to treat our animals but how the food they eat, being obligate carnivores, is treated as well. This also keeps more chemicals out of the environment and doesn't promote factory farming. These are all things that are very important to us, important enough to pay for it - both figuratively and literally. Literally because it costs more to feed our pets this way and figuratively because this means we have less "free" money to spend on social stuff and the like - which we can handle but not everyone else can understand. These are the same decisions we've made when it comes to our own food. Our money just gets prioritized differently. However, with the change in the food we had been feeding them and with our inability to source reliable and safe organic chickens to make our own we've been left with only one option and that option costs twice as much. Yikes! We don't actually have that in our budget, something has to give and we're at a loss to what. That is still left to be figured out, but we know these furry critters we share our home with really are worth it. I mean just look at these adorable faces:

Ginger the beautiful.

Ginger - Conqueror of Papa

Ginger - Protector of sick Papa

Ginger - Protector of sick Mama

Ginger - Cuddler Extrordinaire!

Jazz - Queen of Window Ledges.

Jazz and her disappearing act.

Jazz - the basket case.

Jazz the belly rub temptress.

Jazz the silly.

Tigger thinking about what he has to say...

and then he says it loud and clear!

Tigger the cross-eyed goof

Tipsy the counter-holder-downer

Tipsy the blanket hog!

Tigger and Tipsy - Bro and Sis

Covetous Coconut Creations

2010-03-09T15:48:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit

Pirates made from coconuts - so funny! I could be a coconut pirate, but for now I'll just share some other coconut creations to covet.

I opened the fridge yesterday to grab a scone when I noticed a leftover container with something in white in it. Not recalling what it could be I cautiously opened the lid and peeked inside. It looked like whipped cream. Had Mark been holding out on me? When did we get and whip up any whipped cream? Then I sniffed. The whipped cream smelled like coconut. Next I stuck my finger into it (it felt like whipped cream) and tasted it and...

HOLY-MOLY WOWZERS!

Then I remembered. Mark had told me he couldn't get the coconut milk to blend so he had stuck it in the blender for a few seconds. What he didn't know was that when he stuck the blended coconut milk into the fridge it set. It set into a frothy whipped yummy goodness and became whipped coconut milk - any day rival to the real deal. It was like whipped cream and creme frache all mixed up in one but with the light taste of, well, coconut.

You know what I did, right? I mean I WAS grabbing a scone from the fridge, and what goes with scones like nothing else? Creme Frache, of course. And I had this perfect creme frache look-a-like right there in front of me, complete with finger marks. I couldn't resist. I plopped a heaping dollop on both sides of the scone got the coffee that my cat, Jazz, made me make (really - she was running between the coffee maker and the fridge and looking at me intently - she knew it was "time for a little something" and she wanted to make sure I made coffee and not some fruit smoothy thing, 'cus those fruit smoothy things do not contain milk - her favorite thing on earth!) Anyway, I grabbed the now glorified scone and that milky coffee and headed back to my studio to relish in this new found accidental creation all the while thinking, "My husband is a genius!" I was so engrossed I forgot to take a picture.

Later that night, however, I introduced my husband to his geniusness by taking a slice of his carrot cake and putting a big heap of whipped coconut goodness onto it. He agrees, he's a genius. This time I got a picture.

But wait there's more! Not only did we have this homemade coconut adventure we've also been continuing to test out more products from Luna and Larry's Organic Coconut Bliss. Remember I blogged about their Dark Chocolate Coconut Bars? Well we couldn't help but try one of their ice-cream creations as well. Still non-dairy, still organic, still fair trade, still magnificent! The flavor we picked up was the Cappuccino - we love our coffee flavored frozen desserts - so it had to be the first one for us to try. You know what we discovered? Coffee and coconut, together, rock! Wow, this was delicious. I highly recommend it - but beware, it is rather addictive and disappears far to quickly. They need to work on that - maybe the miraculously refilling coconut ice cream container could be their next endeavor. Or maybe my genius of a husband will figure it out - I can dream can't I?

The Blog Disease

2010-03-09T11:53:00.000-08:00

Image Credit

There are currently 615 articles and blog posts in my Google Reader. By the time I am done writing this post that number will have increased. And I will want to read all of them. Each and every one of them. I respect the time that it takes to get a post up on a blog or an article written and published. I know because I write blog posts and articles too. I wish I got more of them written, in fact. And there is the problem. It takes time to read all those articles and posts. It takes time to write my own articles and posts. I have so many articles rambling around in my head waiting for me to take the time to get them down on paper or typed up on my computer. If I go and read the 615 and climbing (I just looked - it's 616 now) articles waiting for me in my Google Reader more ideas will be sparked and I will have even more writing to do. It's a vicious yet glorious cycle.

I have so many interests that I can't limit myself to just one kind of blog or website to follow - like food blogs or birding blogs or green living blog - I have to follow them all, and more. Likewise I can't just have one blog. No, I have three blogs that are currently active, several that are closed at the moment and one that I co-author with my husband. I think this certifies me as an insane bloggomaniac, don't you? It's a disease of sorts, really, and it's contagious. Because one of the common side effects of bloggomaniacism is blog-pushing. That's where the sufferer shares their suffering by pointing out to others all the amazing blogs that feed their habit. Sometimes they do it all at once. At other times they're more sneaky and they only give you a handful to check out at any given time. It doesn't seem overwhelming so you fall right into the trap. You really have to watch out for those sort of bloggomaniacs - their dangerous. They'll even write a whole blog post about it and you'll never know what's coming till it's too late.

A Handful (or two) of Blogs I Read (and you should too)

Collage of Life

Permission to Unwind

Signed by Ange

EcoVelo

Bikes and the City

Change Your Life. Ride a Bike!

Love Veggies and Yoga

Oven Aversion

Rawmazing

EcoGrll Speaks

Peachy Green

Reduce Footprints

The Holdfast Seeker

Dawns bloggy blog

The Tangled Nest

And don't forget to visit the other blogs where I write, too!

The Tern's Song

Rutabagas and Other Adventures

Gettin' Around

I hope this post finds you all happy and enjoying life (and addicted to blogs).

Current number of articles in my Google Reader: 618

Lessons from the Birds

2010-03-09T08:17:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I have to remember that my observations of the natural world need not go beyond my own yard. Like the pair of crows that I've been getting to know since moving in last fall. Though there are plenty of other crows around, this pair seems to have claimed the area closest to my home, one was even peaking in a window yesterday. Would it seem odd that I can recognize this individual pair - I mean crows all look the same, don't they? Well, at a casual glance, perhaps, but upon closer examination they do have individual characteristics. But it's not the physical aspects that make this pair easy to identify for me. It's their distinctive personalities. Yes, crows have individual personalities. Honest. The way this pair interact with me has made them stick out of the crowd. That coupled with the fact that we're neighbors, so to speak, and over time we are just getting to know each other much like human neighbors who don't speak the same language might get to know each other. I've even started to wonder if this fine feathered couple will be nesting nearby and if I'll get a chance to meet their offspring later this summer.

I had this happen several years back at another house in another city and with another species. This time it was a pair of chickadees among all the other chickadees that visited the feeder in my yard and this time I had more help with identifying the individuals. One of the pair was partially leucistic, off white where most chickadees would be black to dark grey. It stood out from the beginning and I got to know its feeding habits, the way it interacted with other chickadees and its overall personality. When it showed up one day and started showing off to the chickadee that had showed up with it, I caught on that this leucistic bird was a male and he was showing off his miraculous food supply. She must have been impressed because they both became more scarce, the male's visits to my yard were focused and quick, go straight to the feeder, grab some seeds and fly off, repeat. Until one day they showed up looking a bit worn around the edges and with a full brood of fluffy chickadee chicks just fledged from the nest. This time the male patiently, well sort of patiently, tried to show the chicks how to feed at the feeder on their own between giving in to their incessant chatter and wing flapping. The female flew from the feeder to one gaping mouth to the feeder and back to another gaping mouth.

I watched the chicks grow up, lose their fluffiness and blend into the crowd of chickadees that frequented my feeder. All except for one. One of those chicks had managed to fly into the back door one day and I had spent quite a while holding it in my palm keeping watch over it while it waited for the world to stop spinning and the ability to see straight to come back. Have you ever seen a chickadee with crossed eyes? I have. Eventually it shook itself out, tested its wings and flew up to a nearby branch that hung close to the back porch. From there it looked around at the world and back at me briefly before setting off for a longer flight. I often wondered if this chickadee was the same one who so bravely flew in to eat seed from my palm without a bit of hesitancy not long after that. One bird would fly right in, light gently on my hand, grab a seed, take the time to get it just right in its beak and then fly a short distance to a branch to work the heart out of the shell. Other chickadees saw this and did their best to be brave, but they were always more hesitant and far quicker to grab the seed and run.

The leucistic male continued to show up and even brought another brood to the feeder the next year. Eventually he didn't show up and it was obvious he was missing. His bright feathers among his darker fellows, the way he would dance around on the branches seeming to show off to his mate and young - his presence was missed and I still remember him and his offspring with fondness.

These little relationships we form if even for a short time with these wild creatures around us can leave our hearts touched. It can help us to realize that these birds are intelligent individuals with distinct personalities that stand out if only you take the time to notice, to get to know them. It can help us to see how important they are to the world around us and that can help inspire us to live in a manner that gives back to the earth just as much or more than we take. That is a lesson I willingly learn from my feathered friends for as long as they will grace me with their presence.

Carrot and Parsnip Bisque and Vegetarian Dishes in the Slow Cooker

2010-03-08T11:52:00.000-08:00

Aw, the slow cooker, that ingenious invention that lets you cook dinner all day while you get everything else done. I was l aways taught never to leave the oven on while you are away from the house, I think most of us were. In comes the slow cooker to the rescue, an appliance that can safely be plugged in while we're away or otherwise preoccupied.

Thing is, most people consider the slow cooker as a way to cook chucks of meat in various sauces, it is not commonly connected to vegetarian cooking. That becomes even more obvious when you glance through most any of the slow cooker cookbooks at a bookstore. They are meat centric to the core, you'll be lucky if you find maybe one or two vegetarian main dishes. Those are usually lentil soups or some other bean dish.

Then I discovered Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker. Since then I've adapted any number of the recipes in this cookbook. I've made stocks, and soups and the list goes on. I still have several recipes to try and several that spark my imagination for winging it. If you like the convenience of a slow cooker but are vegetarian or would like to weave a few more vegetarian dishes into your meal plans I highly recommend picking this cookbook up. My copy belongs to the library and keeps getting checked out over and over again - eventually I hope to find a used copy to keep.

The following recipe was adapted from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Robin Robertson.
It was really delicious. This was also the first time I had ever made a carrot based bisque before - and I was really impressed. I think I'll be trying a lot of variations on that theme in the future.

Carrot and Parsnip Bisque

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion
4-5 cups sliced carrots
3-4 cups peeled and sliced parsnips
2 small to medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
5 cups water or light vegetable stock (I used water and it was very full flavored)
salt to taste
1 Tablespoon dried dill or 2-3 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill and more for garnish

Heat the oil over medium heat and add the onions, carrots, parsnips, potato, and garlic. Cover the pan and cook until the vegetables have slightly softened, about 10 minutes. When softened transfer them to the slow cooker (4-6 quart), add the water or broth and a little salt, cover and cook on low for about 7 to 7 1/2 hours.

After the 7 to 7 1/2 hours stir in the dill. Then puree the soup in batches in a blender or food processor until completely smooth. Pour it all back into the slow cooker to keep it more before serving.

Serve with a little more dill sprinkled on top.

The Bottom of the Box

2010-03-04T21:40:00.000-08:00

Tuesday night found me pulling out the final few items of last weeks CSA, the bottom of the box so to speak. I was down to spinach, sweet potatoes and an onion. I added to this some garlic and a package of whole grain tempeh that I had in the freezer. These would need to become dinner.

I knew the flavors were right. I love both tempeh and sweet potato sandwiches with greens. Why not all together, minus the sandwich part? So I peeled and diced the sweet potatoes, diced and cried over the red onion, thawed the tempeh in hot water in the sink and rinsed the spinach a thousand times (well, it felt like it!). I trimmed the stem ends off the spinach and spun them in the salad spinner to get some of the water off, diced up the thawed tempeh, peeled the garlic, pulled out the garlic press and grabbed the olive oil.

First a good coating of olive oil went into the pan. I heated that over medium heat and added the sweet potato. I covered it and let it saute-steam, occasionally stirring. Then the onion went in and was cooked till it was translucent. I added the garlic, stirred it around a couple times and threw the spinach in, once again covering it to help it start to wilt. I stirred it around and pulled it off the heat before the spinach was over-cooked, wilted but still solid. I added about a tablespoon of soy sauce, stirred the whole mess to blend and called it done.

We served it up into our bowls and chowed down. It was absolutely delicious! I am certain that I will have to make sweet potato, tempeh and spinach sandwich now - this combination of ingredients is too good to ignore! I also have a feeling some variation of this will be made fairly often in this house from now on. I love it when great recipes are discovered this way, when you're to the dredges of the fridge and pantry and it's as if the ingredients have just been waiting to meet - like it was meant to be.

Wishing for Inspired Moments

2010-03-04T15:29:00.000-08:00

I wish for moments outside and in my heart that inspire me to write about the the thing I love writing about most, but so often gets put aside for other projects - Nature. I wish that those moments would transform themselves into the words and pictures that I have long dreamed to fill this particular blog with.

This post was inspired by Wishcasting Wednesday after seeing a post by Ange. May both those women's wishes come true, this I wish for them too!

image credit

Antiques, Buying Used and Change the World Wednesday Challenge

2010-03-04T13:48:00.000-08:00

This week Reduce Footprints has put out a challenge that I fully embrace. Here's what she wrote"

"This week consider antique stores for household purchases. If you've never been in an antique store, visit one to see what items they offer. If you need a couch, table, tools, dishes, etc., check out an antique store before buying new."

This is something I love to do. I love the challenge, the browsing and the hunt. This sort of thing fits well with my eclectic taste as well. My mom was also great at this and many of the items I have today she either found for me or I inherited from her. Some came from my grandma and my Aunt, while others were special things I found on my own or with my husband. One year we even did all our Christmas presents from antique or second hand stores. One little item for each person wrapped in a scarf I had knit for them as well. There was a broach for the MiL, cookie cutters for the SiL and so on, a hobby horse for a nephew. It was so much fun, trying to find something that spoke of each person we were shopping for. If I could I would do stuff like this far more often. I thought that for this challenge I would share pictures of some of my treasures. I hope you enjoy them and are inspired to find some of your own.

I'll start with my most prized antique, an Art Deco Secretary that my husband gave me for a wedding anniversary.

It has become my special place for displaying favorite things and where I love to store all my favorite stationary.

Often there will be other second hand treasures sitting on top of it. Like the blue pottery piece holding some Farmers Market flowers in the picture above. And the cut glass bowl filled with shells and a tea light below. The shells are mostly ones I collected from a beach shortly after my mom passed away and the bowl was one she gave me.

My mom gave many beautiful antique dishes and my grandma gave me a few as well. My absolute favorite is in the fridge right now holding something so there won't be a picture this time, but it's a yellow Fiesta-ware like bowl that gets used all the time. Here are a few of my other favorites, but definitely not all of them!

As a tea drinker and the daughter of a woman who loved teapots I have quite a collection. Here are my two favorites.

One winter when we were living in Olympia Washington there was a power outage that motivated me to buy this hand coffee grinder for my husband, that way he wouldn't have to look forlornly at the whole coffee beans in the cannister, ever again. He took this to work where he made grinding his coffee by hand part of his French Press coffee break ritual. Now it's at home with us since he no longer has his own office. I think he hopes it will be joined by a French Press for at home - preferably one from a second hand store or a locally owned business.

Antiques and second hand finds are used in the everyday life of our home. I'm not one for just having them sit around collecting dust. Here are a few examples of where second hand finds have become essential to our homes organization, especially in the kitchen.

Two crocks sit next to our stove holding various cooking utensils including an antique bright yellow butter melter and plenty of my favorite kitchen utensil - wooden spoons! The pink glass dish holds fair trade organic sugar while the orange glass holds a collection of chopsticks. Both glass pieces came from my grandmother. The crocks were finds by my mother and me and are one of the things I always want to buy more of when I'm in an antique store. Below you can see that the table these all sit on is serving as extra counter space next to the stove and is an antique itself.

Another antique find from Olympia was the spice rack below along with several of the spice jars It was originally brown. I sanded it and painted it the pale yellow it is today. I also sanded a break in one of the drawer fronts to give it a curve instead of leaving it looking ragged.

One of my all time favorite things to look through at Antique store are the linens. I'm constantly dreaming up ideas for vintage fabrics, from using them for what they were intended to letting my creativity loose and letting them become something new. Here are just a few things in my collection.

I hope all this will inspire you to find the potential for antique and second hand stores in your life. I haven't mentioned half the things that are second hand and antique in my life, but I was writing a blog post not a novel! I'll leave you now with a picture of my favorite candle holder, a metal filigree thing that always has a beeswax candle in it waiting to provide a nice candle light ambiance.

Bloggy Friend Meet Up

2010-03-03T16:43:00.000-08:00

What a great blogosphere we all have! We get to meet such interesting people through our blogs. Some far and some near. Today I met up in person with a fellow Seattleite, Tiff from Carbzilla. It was lots of fun. I'm still amazed at how much we have in common and it sounds like our husbands have plenty in common as well. I have a feeling we will never run out of things to do or talk about!

Big thanks and hugs to Averie from Love Veggies and Yoga - if it weren't for her blog Tiff and I might never have met!

Blank Walls

2010-03-02T17:36:00.000-08:00

Two large wall spaces in my living room have been suffereing from blank-wall-itis. The art we had was either too small or too big. There was just no Goldilocks in our collection. So when we were driving through Belltown this weekend and my eyes spied a large and colorful piece of painted canvas just sitting there with a little post it on it (that just had to say FREE), I made Mark go around the block and then I made him try harder to fit the thing in the car, I knew it would and I was right! We hadn't originally planned on driving to the family gathering we were going to and our bus rout would not have taken us past this spot so it made the fact that we ended up having to take the car (because of my little accident the day before) - well it made it worth it because this particular piece of art would have been several hundred dollars at a local import store. So now, one of those blank wall spaces is no longer blank. Instead there's a little bit of the European countryside in my living room.

This piece ended up being too big for over the fireplace mantle, but fit well on the wall behind the love seat. I've had my hope and heart set on a particular plaque for above the fireplace wall for quite some time.

It's available from a local Celtic Store called GaelSong but at $185.00 for the set I have yet been able to afford it, let alone justify it. Maybe, some day. For now I have one less blank wall in my living room and that makes me happy.

Peanut Butter Ball Improv

2010-03-02T16:41:00.000-08:00

I needed a little something this afternoon (this is a common trait of mine, no?) to go with my cup of decaf cafe au lait. So I got the food processor down and started pulling ingredients that sounded good. No recipe, just improv for food. The results are delicious! Very peanut buttery with a base of oats and almond meal, a touch of chocolate -two ways- and coconut just because.

Here's what went into them:

1/2 cup oats, ground to a coarse meal in the food processor
1/2 cup peanut butter, crunchy
1 Tablespoon almond meal
1 Tablespoon unsweetened coconut
1 Tablespoon chocolate syrup
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons almond milk
1 teaspoon agave syrup

All the above blended up in the food processor and then molded into little balls. This made 14 Tablespoon size goodies.

Ups and Downs

2010-03-01T23:17:00.000-08:00

A quick little shout out for you to head over to my husband and my alternative transportation blog to read all about my little adventure this weekend. I just hope you can handle a little blood! (It's not THAT bad and there's pictures of daffodils too - so you can handle it!)

http://gettinaroundpnw.blogspot.com/2010/03/ups-and-downs-of-alternative-errand.html

Coconut Bliss Bars - A New Addiction

2010-03-01T21:41:00.000-08:00

Finding an honest and true certified organic non-dairy treat is nearly impossible and that keeps me from trying the ones I hear about, for me Organic is paramount. So when I peeked into the freezer at the local PCC and saw these, I snagged them up super duper quick!

And oh my goodness am I glad I did! Not only were they made from certified organic ingredients, fair trade chocolate and sweetened with agave - THEY WERE DELICIOUS!!!!!

Coconut Milk, Cocoa, Agave and Vanilla = YUM!

I highly suggest you run on out and pick yourself up a box of these, gobble them all up, go get more, gobble those up and then maybe send me a couple boxes so I can gobble some up too! Just use the super fast shipping option or they'll melt! ; )

Here's a link to their website.

Temporarily Out of Service

2010-02-24T14:26:00.000-08:00

I think it was a good thing I listed so many great places to visit in the last Favorites Friday because I am temporarily unable to get fresh posts up. All the pictures for the yummy recipes I was going to share are currently stuck on my computer which is having technical difficulties. I've borrowed my husband's in the mean time for other things and he is working on a solution.

So please enjoy all the links and if you are looking for some great blogsto keep you busy just go to my blogger profile and check out some of the many blogs I follow.

Be sure to check back often though, because I'm hoping to get this fixed ASAP!

A jolly good ride, ol' chaps, jolly good!

2010-02-24T10:52:00.000-08:00

My husband is what I call a "bike brain". He identifies bike frames on the fly the way I identify birds. It's impressive. I often receive several bike related links from him each day and I see him longingly reading about the interesting bike cultures in places like San Francisco and, mother of all bike places, Portland Oregon. When he saw that a Tweed Ride was happening here in Seattle it was a bike dream come true. So last Sunday found me dressed up in some second hand digs to get a decent early 20th century tweed-y look and heading off to Cal Anderson Park for the first ever Seattle Tweed Ride.

Over fifty people joined the tea-time picnic and then the slow paced parade like ride from Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill to Gas Works Park in Fremont. We got plenty of stares and grins, I guarantee that.

For those, like my husband, who enjoy bike gawking it was heaven. The bikes ranged from modern road bikes to mountain bikes, to fixed gear, to cargo bikes to one vintage European mail bike.

There were lots of fine looking tweed-y ladies and gents, lots of laughs and a good time all around.

Those good times continued on for a number of folks who after gasworks continued the ride to a good British style pub. Mark and I opted out of the pub fun for a leisurely, if long, ride home along the Seattle waterfront where, at Starbucks, the gentleman who made our coffee turned out to be one of our fellow tweeders. Love that small world stuff.

Our ride eventually took us over the West Seattle Bridge and along the west Seattle waterfront where we rode off into the sunset and the peace of our Alki neighborhood.

I'm looking forward to next time already and there's no doubt that Mark is too - if the permanently plastered grin on his face was any indication.

More pictures can be found here.

It's Favorites Friday Time!

2010-02-19T22:45:00.000-08:00

It's Favorites Friday time! I hope everyone enjoys all these links - I did!

There were a couple could articles this week on Food Issues. Mixed Greens Blog wrote a thought provoking post on what leads us to change the way we view our food in Carbon 101 Foodprints. I think this is a great post that shows how we are each on our own paths to figuring out our relationships with food and that we will each be challenged towards change if we allow ourselves to be and what provokes that change may be different for each person.

Over at MNN (Mother Nature Network) there was an article about potential foods we could lose due to monoculture, genetic modification and industrial agriculture. I really enjoyed the bits of history they provided about where mass outbreaks have happened before with disastrous results, like the potato famine. To me this brought home, even more, the importance of avoiding and hopefully eventually banning GMOs as well as supporting local small agriculture with an emphasis on diversity of both crops and varietals.

I loved the post that The Daily Raw Cafe wrote to her Aunt Gigi and the marinated collards recipe that went with it.

For a delicious sounding vegetarian mexican food fix check out Oven Aversions' Mole Burrito with Guacamole This sounded so delicious and she had a good point about products that seem to be one thing but turn out to be another. By the way, I only recently discovered this blog, but I'm really enjoying it so far. You should definitely check it out.

Live Green Mom decided to make her own chocolate syrup and it sounds yummy!

Seitan is my Motor had a delicious sounding Carrot Coconut Soup.

Rawmazing did it again. The recipes on this blog never fail to inspire me to eat more raw goodies. Just check out the recipe for Cinnamon Raisin "Toast"

BitterSweet had a recipe for Adzuki Bean Gyoza - Little Bundles of Joy, Indeed!

Here's a source for coupons for natural and organic products - eat and live sustainably and save a little money in the process!

Julia and Julia goes Vegan? Oh yeah! Check out A to Z Blogging of Conscious Cook and Vegan Table. I'm looking forward to following Pink Vegan's progress.

So simple and so delicious made with three of my favorite things - mushrooms, asparagus and tempeh. See what Vegan Minded Blog wrote about here. Yum!

Last, but not least I came across something fun over at Dinner at Christina's where everyone gets together and shares their "firsts" in the culinary world from that week. It's called Friday Firsts and she explains how it came about here. Go check it out and share a first!

Well, I hope that keeps everyone busy over the weekend. I also hope everyone enjoyed my recipes from this week and the story of how I met my husband. I really will have to share my stories sometime about all the gourmet dinners I've had while out in the wilderness, especially the one where we had home cooked southern food in a snow cave during a blizzard. It's a good one.

Coming soon to Rutabagas and Other Adventures:

Zucchini, Carrots and Broccoli Two Ways
A cookbook review - Vegan Brunch
Fennel and Grapefruit Salad

and much much more...

Question: What has inspired you to change your ways of looking at food and how you eat?

Now I'm off to spend the weekend enjoying the spring weather:

Reading through my new Vegetarian Times Magazine:

And dreaming up recipes for all the lovely produce in this weeks CSA from Full Circle Farm.

A Yoga Dream

2010-02-19T12:52:00.000-08:00

I have a yoga dream.

The studio would be an easy stroll from my home. It would be spacious with earthy tones and a no scents policy.

All the instructors would be warm, gentle and funny. They would first and foremost encourage non-judgement and would practice it themselves. They would believe strongly that a practice is a persons own and encourage them to find what works for them at that time, in that pose, in that place on the mat. They wouldn't feel the need to control every aspect only offer suggestions gently and without pressure. They would respect each person for who they are and you'ld know it. You would know that you are valued that when they say Namaste they really mean it with all they are.

Included in the schedule would be mid morning and mid afternoon options. There would be a good gentle to intermediate vinyasa class available at those time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. On Tuesday's and Thursday's there would be Yin Yoga at the same times - so a weeks practice could have a balance of Yin and Yang. The classes would be long enough to provide a good 15 minute seated meditation after shavasana, sometimes guided, sometimes not. Different techniques of meditation would be intorduced and practiced. The beginning of the class would include plenty of pranayama in all its variety. We would be reminded to smile.

Connected to the studio would be a completely organic vegetarian café with lots of fresh raw foods. There would be comfy chairs to sit in and chat over a cup of herbal or green tea, maybe an ayurvedic option. There would be a lending library with books on yoga, ayurveda and sustainable natural living and eating. Only completely natural and sustainable products would be sold and used in the studio. There would be a sauna. There would be plenty of options to meet the needs of various incomes so that yoga would be available to all. The whole thing would be non-profit. There would be plenty of happy healthy smiling people.

This is my yoga dream.

This and That

2010-02-18T17:36:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry Reduce Footprints, I couldn't do it. I was afraid this would happen. I had a funny feeling when I read this weeks Change the World Wednesday Challenge that I wouldn't be able to pull it off. Every time I went to the grocery store over the last couple weeks I would check and walk away sad when it wasn't there. But today, it appeared and I could not resist - I mean I WRITE about vegetarian food so how could I keep from grabbing up the March copy of Vegetarian Times when first I laid eyes upon it?

You wouldn't expect that of me, right? Am I forgiven? Maybe the fact that on the same errand I stopped by the library to pick up a googgely-gob of cookbooks on all things raw.

So at least I fulfilled that part of the challenge. You gotta meet me half way, OK? OK.

The third part of my errands this afternoon was to pick up my CSA from Full Circle Farm.
It was LOADED with delicious fruits and veggies - lots of them.

Yes, two people really can eat that many fruits and vegetables - and then some, really! This weeks share:

3 pounds Garnet Yams
1 head Cauliflower
1 bunch Carrots
1 Cucumber
3 Hass Avocados
.66 pound Snowpeas
.66 pound fresh Shitake Mushrooms
.66 pounds cut mixed Salad Greens
1 monster head Green Leaf Lettuce
6 Braeburn Apples
6 D'anjou Pears
6 Navel Oranges
1 Mango

Oh and if you look closely at the pictures above you'll see a special little something that we added to our order this week, Seattle's own Theo Chocolate Coffee Dark Chocolate Bar - YUM!

All those fruit and veggies were organic and only cost $37.05. They would have cost significantly more at the local PCC where I regularly shop and I'm supporting a local farm directly by buying through them - as the local season progresses more and more of the produce will come from Full Circle itself. I'll be able to drop the size of the box when my own p-patch starts producing and use their substitution options to make sure I don't get to much of any one thing or not enough of another. I can put my order on hold altogether if I get inundated with too many veggies (is there such a thing?) or if I get a chance to go out of town for vacation or I decide to just shop the local farmer's market for a few weeks. It's all good. I love my Full Circle Farm.

Now I'm going to sit here and enjoy the view of pink blossoms and busy hummingbirds while I peruse my pile of cookbooks, my new magazine and attempt to not eat the whole chocolate bar before Mark gets home - I would be in SO much trouble!

Vegetarian Reubens and Romance

2010-02-18T11:37:00.000-08:00

I met my husband in the woods.

You see, there was a backpacking trip where I knew a bunch of the people and he knew a bunch of the people and all those people met up at a trail head in Olympic National Park on October 20th, 2000. I was pulling my gear out of a friends car when a big red truck pulls up with the famous (infamous?) SARboy. That's short for Search And Rescue and that was his trail name at the time.

I was told that upon seeing me he said to his fellow passenger, "Man, she's cute - too bad she's taken."

That's me with the monster pack!

Yep, I was not single. Was not looking. So that this all happened was a bit of a shock. What happened? I'm getting to that. We donned our enormous backpacks (Did I mention this was to be a gourmet backpacking trip? Someday I'll have to share the menu and recipes.) and headed up the trail.

Switch back after switchback after switchback. Eventually it was noticed that someone had fallen far behind, it was their first time on the trail since they had gotten out of the army and that was a couple decades earlier. A bunch of folks decided to wait for them while myself and one other girl headed on to secure the campsite. We had gotten about a half mile or so shy of the campsite when my companion went down. She had slipped on a root that had made a step in the trail and had come down on her ankle at a wonky angle with her full weight and the 75 pounds or so she was carrying. (I told you, heavy packs!) So we dropped her pack and I assisted her along at a hobble till we got to camp. Eventually everyone else showed up along with the dropped pack and went about setting up camp while I and SARboy took a look at the injured girls ankle. You see, we were the two with medical training on the trip and so were thrown together to care for (or torture if you asked her) the injured party. First thing was to get that ankle into the icy cold creek and set up people to make sure it stayed there. For some reason it kept popping back out of the water seemingly of its own accord.

It became obvious to me that there was a fracture along with the severe sprain so once it was thoroughly iced I slathered a bunch of herbal salve (a slimy green murky looking thing that works wonders) onto the ankle and we got it wrapped up nice and sturdy.

The injured party decided to stay for the remainder of the trip and just keep off the foot and keep it elevated and gripe at us when we insisted it go back into the icy water. And so SARboy and Trail Artist (yep that was my trail name at the time, I had a way of making art out of random objects along the trail) were thrown together for better or for worse.

We worked well together with little or no effort and ended up falling hard. (Yes, there is way more to this story - but this is a food blog so I will be moving along now -maybe I'll tell more on This Northwest Life at some point - like how Mark almost caused me to break my own ankle on the way out or how he had threatened I would have to marry him if I asked him to hold my coffee mug one more time.)

It took us a few weeks of talking online and on the phone to figure it all out. Then came the very painful part, for me, of ending a 6+ year partnership with an awesome guy and one of my best friends. Not fun, not easy.

Eventually Mark and I agreed to meet up again for a snowshoe backpack trip near Mount Hood. We had a blast.

When we came off the trail we had our first meal out together at a local McMenamins. We knew it was meant to be when we both ordered Reubens and Beer. Reubens are one of my husband's favorite things and those two things put together were why I chose a form of Reuben as the special meal for my husband of 9+ years. (Yes, we were married 3 months to the day after meeting. Go figure.)

Now that we have a more vegetarian bent on our eating we didn't want regular old reubens and I had seen several references to Vegan and Vegetarian Reubens. The ones that intrigued me most were those using tempeh. None of the recipes seemed quite right, so we winged it, as usual and ended up with a delectable, rich and amazingly messy Tempeh Reuben. It rocked!

Here's the recipe. The marinade was adapted from an adapted Vegetarian Times Recipe.

Vegetarian Reubens

8 oz package tempeh, I used multi-grain, sliced in half and then down the middle to make it thinner.

The marinade:

2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup water
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon caraway seed
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Marinade the tempeh for several hours to overnight.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Dressing:

3 Tablespoons mayo*
3 Tablespoons ketchup
3 Tablespoons chopped dill pickle

Combine the above and set aside.

To put the reubens together:

Slather the dressing on 2 slices of really good artisan bread - rye or a multi-grain, or a sourdough. Layer slices of tempeh on two of the pieces of bread,spoon a little of the marinade sauce over it, top with a slice or two of swiss cheese* and a goodly pile of sauerkraut. Put the other side of the bread on top of that. Repeat for sandwich number two.

Heat a griddle or skillet lightly coated with oil over medium heat and grill the sandwiches on both sides till lightly browned.

Serve with a juicy dill pickle and big cloth napkins.

*This could easily be vegan by using veganaise in place of regular mayo and using a vegan swiss cheese or other vegan cheese option.

Almost Wordless Wednesday - Where I wish I could be on these sunny days

2010-02-17T20:43:00.000-08:00

These pictures were taken back in 2001 during a backpack snowshoe trip at Mount Baker WA.

Chickpea and Sun-dried Tomato Stew

2010-02-17T20:09:00.000-08:00

Another simple recipe to warm your bellies. This one I copied from a friend several years back and have since altered it here and there. It's one that after making it we often ask ourselves why we don't make it more often.

Chickpea and Sun-dried Tomato Stew

1 medium onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 carrot, diced

1 Tablespoon oil

3 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas

1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes

6 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped into pieces

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon stone-ground mustard

dash cayenne

dash black pepper

3 cups vegetable stock

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 Tablespoon cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

2 Tablespoons Tahini

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Saute the onion, garlic and carrots in the oil over medium heat, till onion is soft. Add the everything else except the tahini and parsley. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer 15-20 minutes. Blend 1/2 the soup in a blender with the tahini until smooth. Return to the pot and stir in the parsley.

Wordless Wednesday - Crows

2010-02-17T20:02:00.000-08:00

Mostly Raw Almond and Coconut Macaroons

2010-02-16T17:20:00.000-08:00

Inspired by all of Averie's delicious sounding raw cookie balls and made up on a whim when I was needing a little somethin'.

Mostly Raw Almond and Coconut Macaroons - Makes 1 Dozen

3/4 flaked oats
3/4 cup finely shredded unsweetened cococunt
1/4 cup agave
1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 Tablespoons coconut oil
2 Tablespoons almond meal/flour
2 Tablespoons rice milk or other non-dairy milk
Splash of vanilla

Put the oats in a food processor and process for 15-20 seconds. Add all the other ingredients and process till a dough comes together. Gather the dough up in tablespoon portions and roll in your hands to make small balls.

So simple!

So yummy!

So Pretty!

Sweet Potato Tacos with Chipotle Cream

2010-02-15T20:42:00.000-08:00

These are one our favorite quick week night dinners. It's simple. It's delicious.

1 large Sweet Potato or Yam, peeled and diced
oil to coat the above
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
2 tablespoons sour cream or vegan alternative
1 tablespoon plain yogurt, dairy or vegan
1 heaping teaspoon chipotle puree*
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
corn tortillas

Place the oil coated, diced sweet potato in a roasting pan and roast at 375 till tender - 20-25 minutes.

In the mean time blend the sour cream, yogurt, chipotle puree and lime juice in a small bowl.

When the sweet potatoes are done, warm the corn tortillas. In each tortilla put a little of the sweet potato and avocado and drizzle the chipotle cream over the top.

Eat and Enjoy!

* Chipotle puree can be made by taking one can of chipotle chilies in adobo sauce and pureeing in a blender or food processor. Place in a jar and store in the refrigerator to have on hand for all things chipotle. It will keep for several months.

Random Acts of Kindness Week

2010-02-15T19:15:00.000-08:00

This week is Random Acts of Kindness Week.

A few suggestions:

For everyone:
Smile! It will make you feel better and everyone around you feel better.

For your neighborhood:
Go for a walk, take a sack and some gloves and pick up trash.

For the earth:
Use a reusable mug when getting your coffee fix for the day and choose an organic, fair trade, shade grown coffee.

For a stranger:
If someone has less items than you at the grocery store, offer to let them check out before you.

For wildlife:
Don't harass them. Keep dogs on leash or under voice command at all times, keep cats indoors or put a small bell on their collars and teach the children in your life to look, admire and respect the wild creatures around them.

For family:
Do one of the tasks or chores that you know is a family members least favorite.

For your neighbors dogs:
Put a bowl of water out near your home for those walking their dogs. Even better- pick up some healthy organic dog treats and place them in a waterproof container with a sign explaining that they are there for the doggies to enjoy.

For yourself: Choose healthy and tasty options for your meals and take the time to just eat and enjoy the food.

Lots more information and ideas can be found here:

http://www.kindacts.net/ideas_resources/RAK_week/RAK_week.shtml

http://www.actsofkindness.org/

and for online random acts of kindness:

http://theraokgroup.com/index.html

There's a great article about it here:
http://www.tonic.com/article/random-acts-of-kindness-week/

Let's spread Kindness!

A Valentine's Day Story or What Not to Do On a Date

2010-02-12T16:53:00.000-08:00

I was sweet 16 or somewhere near that and I was dating a guy named Steve. Nice guy, raised by nice parents who had taught him well. It was Valentine's Day and he was taking me out to dinner at one of the nicer restaurants of our home town of Corvallis Oregon. The restaurant was known for its intimate atmosphere - read LOW lights. There was a multi-course dinner being served that night starting with a simple appetizer of fresh vegetables and a soft white cheese. Or so I thought. I cut off a piece of the soft white cheese and delicately put it into my mouth and began to chew. I paused - puzzled. What kind of cheese was this? Why, it tasted just like... butter? At that moment the waitress came around to our table with a basket of bread and gave a puzzled look at the missing chunk of butter. I put a delighted look on my face (thank you theater class) and swallowed. Steve, that well trained boy, never bat an eye, never said a word and it was a delightful dinner - though I was a bit more careful at identifying things in the low light for the rest of the evening.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Chocolate Infused Favorites Friday

2010-02-12T15:10:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's Friday again already! This week has just flown by. I've been very busy reading about all sorts of yummy food related things, and there seems to be a theme this week - chocolate. Chocolate seems to be on everyone's mind and their blogs. Hmmm, perhaps it has something to do with that holiday coming up this weekend?

I'll go along with the chocolate theme for this weeks Favorites Friday and make everyone happy by pushing the chocolate craze just a little further along.

If your looking for chocolate recipes then check out these posts:

Over at Mixed Greens Blog you'll find a recipe for Chocolate Pudding featuring one of my favorite chocolate companies, from right here in Seattle - Theo Chocolate -

Vegan Crunk revisits a memorable dessert from Millennium Restaurant in San Fransisco and tries her hand at recreating it. The results sound delicious. Check out the recipe for her take on the Chocolate Almond Midnight Torte.

Love Veggies and Yoga has several options for chocolate fans. There's the delectable looking Vegan Fudge, the beautiful (they look like something done by a professional chocolatier) White Chocolate, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, and one of my all time favorites desserts - Chocolate Covered Strawberries.

I tried out Chocolate Covered Katie's 5-minute Chocolate Mousse recently. It turned out pretty tasty. (It must have been, I think we managed to gobble it all up before getting any pictures!) It was way richer than I thought it would be. I'm eager to try different brands of tofu as the base after reading that some are better for this kind of thing. I also thought it would make a decent raw-like icing for something too so I'll be searching for a raw dessert, maybe with strawberries to try that out.

With all those delicious chocolate possibilities I only ask that you use only fair trade, slavery free chocolate. If you don't already know about the the slavery issues related to chocolate, you can learn more about it here. Fair trade is the way to go!

Now, I'm going to be sacrilege and share something completely different for any other lemonphiles out there who would rather serve up a sweet-tart luscious lemon-filled delight.

What is a lemonphile?
lemon - a tart citrus fruit, usually yellow in color
phile - one who loves, likes or is attracted to

Put them together and what do you have? A lover of all things lemon! If that's you, then definately check this out this humorous post from The Daily Raw Cafe and the recipe for her Lemon Coconut Pie.

Or maybe you just want a little spice in your life? How about these Raw Cinnamon Rolls from Rawmazing. These are on my to-do list!

I hope those links will keep you busy and inspired to spend some time in the kitchen this weekend!

Coming soon to Rutabegas and Other Adventures:

Sweet Potato Tacos with Chipotle Cream
Chickpea and Sun-dried Tomato Stew
Fennel and Grapefruit Salad
Vegetarian Reubens and Why a Reuben is Special Enough for Valentine's Day (I might even share the story of how I met my husband, it's a good one!)
A Cookbook Review - Vegan Brunch
First Ever "Meet Your Food Monday"

And so much more...

My question for anyone who might like to answer it:

Do you have foods or meals that are connected to special memories in your life? What are they and the memories that make them special?

Have a great weekend and Valentine's Day, everyone! Till next week, happy cooking!

Garlic and Kale Soup and Intuitive Cooking

2010-02-11T13:31:00.000-08:00

I mentioned last week that I was still working through many of the recipes from the current issue of Vegetarian Times and that one recipe I hoped to make was the Garlic and Kale Soup. Well, I finally got around to it and switched it up a bit based on what I had on hand in the house. This recipe proved versatile enough to stand up to my altering it and that is a good quality in a recipe in my book.

I didn't originally learn to cook from recipes, just like I didn't learn to sew from patterns. My mom was both a master seamstress and a master innovator in the kitchen. She had to be. Sewing is what made the money to put the food on the table and the food was rarely purchased based on a recipe - that would have proved to prohibitive in cost. Like many others who didn't have such luxuries she shopped according to what was lower priced that week with an occasional splurge for something special. Even the few recipes she actually referred to were altered often to make due with what was on hand. This wasn't to say she didn't have very many cookbooks. Far from it. If you had seen my mother's house and then mine shortly after she passed away you would see the irony in her being a woman who rarely followed a recipe. Cookbooks were a hobby of my mothers. Some people collect stamps, art and trinkets. My mother collected cookbooks. One of her favorite past times was to stop by a local second hand store and peruse the new cookbooks that had come in, often coming home with half a dozen at a time. New, old, obscure and occasionally popular cookbooks of the day. She would sit at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and read cookbooks like others read novels. If you happened to be nearby she would share what she was reading when something caught her eye or her taste buds, rather. I have picked up on this habit myself. Just ask my husband and look around at the piles of cookbooks I've brought home from the library.

I, at times have had the luxury to cook from recipes and at other times struggled to eat organic and chemical free while relying primarily on a food bank. What I learned from my mom was indespensible during those times and gave me the creativity to cook outside the box at others. I learned to use my senses and my creativity to pull meals together inside my mind - testing flavors in my head while looking at ingredients in the pantry and refrigerator, while walking down the rows of stalls at a local farmers market, when seeing what came in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share or what was available from the local food bank. It has become second nature for me to rarely follow a recipe precisely. While talking to others I have found that this is a rare quality among the general population of the United States. Most have barely learned to cook, having grown up on take out and boxed foods. Intuitive cooking is a lost art for many of the people in the US today. Thankfully there are food movements and food has been the "in thing" for a while, so I have hope that will change.

Of course among those writing food blogs it may not be rare at all. There are a lot of creative cooks out there. I only wish that could be said for the rest of America - that ability is one that would help many people eat healthier and have an all around better relationship with what fuels them. I would love to see programs at local food banks and farmers markets that reach out to people and share those skills. I would love to see chefs and home cooks and food lovers everywhere reach out to bring a good chunk of our society into a healthier relationship with food. If there were free to inexpensive cooking classes that taught how to prepare meals based on what came in a particular CSA box, less people would be daunted by the thought of signing up for a local CSA. More people would be supporting local farmers and the main course would be based on fresh vegetables instead of a slab of meat. People would be healthier and hopefully happier.

All that said, I'll share the actual recipe for the Garlic and Kale Soup from Vegetarian Times and then share how I altered it and give a few other ideas how this recipe could be altered to accommodate more pantries, more budgets and thus more people.

Garlic and Kale Soup - Vegetarian Times

1/2 cup wheat berries
2 Tbs. olive oil
3.5 oz shitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced (1 cup)
10 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/4 cup brown rice vinegar
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 bunch kale (10 oz), stemmed and coarsely chopped

1. Soak wheat berries in a large bowl of cold water overnight.
2. Heat the oil in a 2-qt saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, and season with salt, if desired. Saute mushrooms 10 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Add garlic, and saute 2 minutes more. Stir in vinegar; simmer until vinegar is almost evaporated, stirring to scrape up browned bits from the pan.
3. Drain wheat berries, and add to mushroom mixture with vegetable broth and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes. Add Kale, cook 10-20 minutes more, or until kale is tender. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

I used spelt berried in place of wheat berries. Most kinds of whole grain would work. Even precooked, left over grains could be added towards the end of the process to simply warm through. Try barley, brown or wild rice, quinoa and so on. Some would not need to be pre-soaked and you may need to adjust the cooking times. You can find cooking times for grains online by doing a search or some basic cookbooks will have a reference chart in them.
Fresh shitake mushrooms can be expensive, for instance the organic ones I purchased for this dish were close to $15 a pound. It was my splurge that week. But that would not always be possible. You could use dried shitake, re-hydrated and the extra liquid squeezed out of them before sauteing or you could just skip sauteing the mushrooms and add them at the time of the broth. If need be use less expensive regular mushrooms, the flavor will be different but the soup would still be good.
I didn't have any broth on hand, since I have had to make my own broth now to avoid some potential irritant ingredients in even the organic broths available. Making home made broth was still on my list of things to get done. So I used some barley miso paste at half strength to make a broth base. I dissolved the miso in the water in a separate pan and then added the warm broth to the recipe when the time came. So my soup became Miso, Garlic and Kale Soup and it was yummy. Any kind of broth or low to no salt bullion would do. If you used dried mushrooms, the broth from re-hydrating them would be perfect. If none of those are possible use water, salt and an herb like parsley (fresh or dried) if you have it to give the broth flavor. The garlic and mushrooms do a lot for the broth on their own.
I happened to use kale for this soup, but ANY leafy green will work like chard, spinach or collards. If you don't mind a slightly spicier flavor to the soup you could try mustard greens or arugula.

Obviously altering this recipe is pretty straight forward and not all recipes would be as simple. But I hope this will inspire just a little creativity, just a little - it's a start, anyway.

Plastic, Plastic Everywhere - Part 1

2010-02-10T15:53:00.000-08:00

I was pondering plastic recently, as any green-minded person is likely to do. Specifically I was pondering how to bring less of it into my house because there's already way too much of it out there. I asked a big question - could I keep from buying anything that was put in, wrapped in or made of plastic ever again. With the bulk of my shopping being food and household items and with my tendency to shop at natural food stores - you would hope this might be possible. But is it? As I walked through my house looking here and there I really started to realize how difficult this would be.

I was getting low on toothpaste and the cap to my toothpaste was made of plastic. No toothpaste. I've done the salt or baking soda thing before and I really don't care for it. I like my Weleda Toothpaste. My Preserve toothbrush is made of 100% post-consumer recycled content. It was once a yogurt cup or three. But it would still be plastic. Would completely recycled plastic be OK? Obviously it's a greener choice than others out there. The one time I tried a recycled wood handled toothbrush wasn't a success - the sizing was all wrong and I couldn't get to my wisdom teeth way in the back. While in the bathroom I noticed that all my products, though among the purest you can find, had some amount of plastic in their packaging. The glass bottle and jars of my preferred organic face products - Suki - all had caps that were plastic and some had plastic pumps. The Aubrey Organics shampoo and conditioner both come in plastic bottles with plastic caps. I've done the no shampooing thing in my time too - it was a no go for me even after getting past the recommended transition time. Even if I tried the alternatives like vinegar rinses - the vinegar bottle would most likely come with a plastic cap or plastic film lined metal cap. I find the little plastic bottle cap rings on the beach all the time - they're one of the most prominent pieces of plastic trash on my local beaches. They annoy me. So does the prevalence of plastic in my bathroom.

From the bathroom I thought about medicines. As an herbalist, I use a lot of herbs, which I can thankfully get in bulk. But I also use tinctures, and though they come in nice little glass bottles with glass and rubber droppers - they also come wrapped in a protective seal of plastic. That's not a bad thing - them being obviously sealed - but the plastic is. I'm not set up to make all my own tinctures at this point. I would need a press and a good source for organic grain alcohol. Would the press or grain alcohol come packaged with some amount of plastic? Then there's my capsules that I need to take for various health conditions. They come in plastic bottles and wrapped in a plastic seal. Some may come in a glass bottle but the lid will have that darned plastic ring again. It would be loads of work to make all the capsules on my own - even with a capsule maker - oh, my capsule maker is made of plastic. Darn. Well it wouldn't be NEW plastic.

Then there's the food stuff. There is a local glass bottled milk - but that comes with a plastic ring and lid. So that would leave cartons of milk with old fashioned openings - you know, the kind like we had on the little milk cartons when we were kids, the ones that NEVER want to open right?! My milk alternatives that I use would be out as well. None of then come without some sort of plastic on them. Would that leave me having to make soy, almond and rice milks from scratch? Yikes! I'd be so busy I wouldn't have time to blog about it (while typing on my plastic encased laptop). I would have to forgo anything packaged for the most part. No cans of anything, they all have linings and most of those contain toxic BPA anyway. No jars of anything - those plastic lid rings again. Not many boxes of anything either - inside those boxes there usually resides a plastic bag. Even some veggies would be out if they were held together with one of those annoying sticky plastic tapes that have organic printed repeatedly on them. The cats would be out of luck. Their raw food comes frozen, made by a local company, and sealed in plastic bags. Obviously there is a good purpose to this but if I wouldn't be buying anything with plastic? Poor kitties.

I dare you, just take a look in your pantry and see how much food comes with an escort of plastic. I did - it wasn't pretty.

So after much consideration I figured that it wouldn't be currently feasible or practical to try and never buy anything with plastic ever again. I like to be clean, well fed and I won't let my kitties suffer starvation or a low quality chow.

So if you want to cut even more plastic out of her your life, what's a girl to do? I want to DO something.

I'll share some more thoughts and solutions soon. Stay tuned.

Cookie Monster Goes Raw

2010-02-10T11:12:00.000-08:00

There are a total of six cookie monsters in this house. The first and foremost would be Mark - my
hollow-legged skinny pole of a husband.

(Really I DO feed him and his mother had to swear the same thing and his sister, Meri, will most likely have to say the same thing about one (or both) of our nephews - they seem to be taking after their Uncle Mark. I'll feel for Meri when she has to start feeding those boys through their teenage years!)

The next cookie monster on the list would be Ginger. If a cookie comes out, she's quick to try and steal, beg or otherwise let it be known that she things all cookies belong to her. She's a tortoise-shell tabby with the attitude to match her striking good looks. She occasionally gets a cookie crumb and a reminder that she's an obligate carnivore and if she eats too much grain things get messy. (This IS a food blog so I won't get anymore detailed.)

Then comes Tigger (the loud mouth) and his sister Tipsy. These two grey striped monsters are always on the lookout for a stray cookie or crumb or whatever they can get their nosey little whiskers into.

Now Jazz, she's a different story. She would quickly forgo the cookie to get her pink little tongue into the glass of milk that goes with it. This cat will drink coffee if it has milk or cream in it. When you go to the coffee pot and start to make coffee she gets all excited and under foot because she KNOWS that the milk will soon come out of the fridge and I have been a sucker enough times to make a nuisance into a monster. Heaven help this cat if I were to ever go Vegan!

And the sixth cookie monster? Well, that's me. I've been known during times of bad behavior to have a cookie or two for breakfast. Shame on me.

Having cookies for breakfast may not be such a bad thing now that I've discovered the glories of Raw Cookies, thanks to Averie over at Love Veggies and Yoga. That woman is always posting up the most delicious ideas and recipes and so far I've tried out the Raw Vegan Peanut Butter Protein Bars - they were good. Then I made a version of her Raw Oatmeal Raisin Cookies which turned out way to cinnamon-y for the likes of me but they were right up my husband's alley - the guy is a cinnamon freak. I made these with raisins as the base and learned that it would be better to soak the raisins first. I had to add water to get a workable dough. I honestly wonder if 2 T of cinnamon is a typo*...but Mark loved them anyway. I have to make more for him asap, I've been informed. (I don't have a puppy-dog, but who needs one when you have a husband that is so good at puppy-dog eyes?!)

Since the first batch of cookies didn't turn out to my liking I decided to play with the recipe a bit. Averie gives lots of options for ways to switch it up with the raw cookies. I ended up using dates as my base, and added coconut and only a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon but more than a splash of vanilla and ooh la la I got a winner! I LOVE these cookies. These little cookies are packed with good for you stuff. On my last trip to the co-op I picked up some raw chocolate nibs that are SO going into my next batch. To top it all off, these cookies are SO easy to make - I can't wait to get one of the nephews over here to help me make a batch. They'll learn baking from mom and grandma and un-baking from Aunt Maurie - what well rounded kids (culturally, that is) they'll be!

* Thanks to Averie for stopping by in the comments and pointing out my oops. I had doubled the recipe - that's where I got the 2 from. But even worse was how I read Tsp as Tablespoon. It comes from the way my mom always wrote recipes:

Big "T" "for tablespoon and little "t" for teaspoon.

I saw the capital T and my brain said Tablespoon and ignored the rest of the letters - even after double checking! Silly me!