Best $20 I ever spent

After lunch and shopping last week my daughter and I stopped in Teavana to get a cup of tea to go. It's a treat to get  tea to go from Teavana for the ride home after shopping. I've often watched employees make my tea in these interesting teamakers but it never dawned on me to ask if they sell them. Well it turns out they do! I bought one for each of us. Turns out the Perfect TeaMaker really does make perfect tea!
I have often bought loose leaf tea many times and am often disappointed when I brew the tea in my trusty brown betty teapot. It's often too bitter and it seems I can never get it right. With Teavana's Perfect TeaMaker I have been able to make great tea EVERYTIME! I've made green tea, Rooibos, and darjeeling. I find myself drinking tea 4 or 5 times a day. I have an electric tea kettle which allows me to bring the water to the exact temperature which makes a big difference, especially bringing out the delicate flavors of green teas or the robust flavors of rooibos tea blends. I like to add a little german rock sugar when making the flavored rooibos or herbal teas and it seems to enhance the flavors nicely.
http://www.teavana.com/tea-products/tea-makers-infusers/p/teavana-perfect-teamaker

Oh Happy day! I think I cracked the code!

I had this yummy Asian stir fry rice at a restaurant last year that I couldn't stop thinking about...it was a "special" and it's not on the menu on a  regular basis. I kept thinking about it, and decided to try to recreate it today and by jove I think I've got it! I cracked the code!

Asian Rice
Serves 2-3

Angus beef sirloin - diced - should equal to 1 cup

Hinode Calrose rice - 1 cup
1 2/3 cups water 

4 large cloves garlic peeled and chopped

Fresh ginger - 2 tablespoons peeled and chopped

1/4 cup bell pepper diced or 1/4 cup green onions sliced or  1//2 cup frozen peas (something green!)
1/2 onion diced

1 medium carrot diced

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 -2 tsp sesame oil

 2 -3 tablespoons soy sauce

Salt and Pepper
1 green onion sliced for garnish

Prepare rose rice: Add 1 cup calrose rice to 1 2/3 cup rice. Stir and bring to boil, cover and lower heat to low for 15 minutes.

Remove rice to a bowl and cool in fridge for about 30 minutes, then add 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 tsp sesame oil to rice. Stir together and place back in fridge for now.

Next, prep your vegetables and toss them in a bowl together: Garlic, ginger, carrot, onion, bell pepper (or peas or green onion if using) Bell pepper or green onions add a bit more of a kick, however if you don't have  those on hand frozen peas always do the trick when you want to add a bit of color.

Stir fry the diced sirloin in 1 T canola oil, when no longer pink, add  the bowl of veggies to the pan and stir- fry on med heat until the onions and  carrots are just done. (about 10 minutes). Add the rice to the pan at this point and stir fry all together for about 5 minutes. Add the very end you can drizzle a few  more drops of sesame oil or a tablespoon of sliced green onion just before serving.

Making Paella

Make a run to your local "specialty" market...you'll need a few  items that your local supermarket may not carry.  Spanish Chorizo, Smoked Pimenton (a special smoked paprika-a must for paella), arborio or bomba rice, and saffron. The remaining items you can pick up at your local supermarket or you may already have most of them in your pantry!
You'll need a large round heavy flat bottomed pan. There are Paella pans on the market but I have never used one. Here is a link to La Tienda that sells all things Paella and more: http://www.tienda.com/

There are many recipes out there for Paella. We have made Paella many times and this recipe has
evolved as our very own Paella recipe over the the years.

Paella

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 lb prawns - if they are already cooked you will not need to pre-saute per recipe. I usually buy prawns uncooked.

2 links Spanish Chorizo sliced into 1/4 inch slices
(Be sure to use Spanish chorizo. It has the shape and firm texture of salami but the links are smaller and darker in color)

1 large onion - diced
1 green bell pepper - diced

1/2 cup fresh finely chopped parsley

1 cup frozen peas

Olive oil

1 teaspoon saffron threads

1 1/2 tablespoons smoked (paprika) pimenton

1 20 oz can diced tomatoes - don't drain

2 bay leaves

1/2 cup white wine

5 1/2 cups-  Swanson's chicken broth

2 cups arborio or bomba rice

1 tablespoon salt (I use Maldon sea salt for Paella.  Beware however, once you taste Maldon you'll be spoiled...and may never go back to Morton's)

1-2 lemons to serve with and or garnish

salt & pepper

I always chop and measure out all the ingredients first! It makes the process of making the paella more fun once you start adding ingredients. When everything's prepped and  ready you can focus on following the recipe, and enjoy that glass of wine as you follow the steps!

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large pan - saute prawns over medium heat - 3 minutes per side and set
aside on a plate.

To large pan add 1 tablespoon olive oil and saute the chicken breast till brown and set aside on plate.

Into the large pan toss in the chopped onion and bell pepper and lower the heat to medium-low and saute for 8 minutes.
In a small saute pan saute the chorizo slices for a few minutes. Your going to add half the chorizo to the pan with the onions and pepper now and half later. It's not the end of the world if you add it all now-we just like to add the 2nd half of the chorizo later so the chorizo on top is still crisp and spicy when we serve it.

Next, to the large pan, add in the can of diced tomatoes, 1 tsp saffron threads, 1 1/2 tablespoons smoked pimenton and  2 bay leaves. Stir and then simmer all together for 5 minutes.

Next, add 1/2 cup white wine and simmer 2 minutes. Sometimes if I'm feeling generous to the paella I'll make that 3/4 cup. If not, more wine for me!

Next, stir in the 5 1/2 cups chicken stock and 1 tablespoon salt, and bring to a boil. .
Once the liquid reaches a boil, stir in your 2 cups rice, and then quickly lower the heat to a nice
simmer (low)

Stir in the 1 cup peas, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, and gently stir.
Cut the sauteed chicken into 1 inch pieces and add chicken to the pan. Gently stir.
Set the remaining sliced chorizo on top.
Last, carefully arrange your prawns on top. No more stirring! Taste for seasoning at this point and sprinkle in more S&P if needed.
Let this all simmer away for 30-45 minutes. (you want it gently simmering away on a low heat) When the liquid is absorbed and you hear a "crackling" at the bottom of the pan when the paella is ready. Gently lift with a spatula to see if the liquid is absorbed from time to time. You don't want to burn the rice at the bottom of the pan but you definitely want it to brown a little! The ideal paella has a toasted rice bottom called socarrat. 

When the paella is ready, remove from heat and cover for 5 minutes. This makes lifting the paella from the pan a little easier.
Serve with quartered lemons and a loaf of good bread and your favorite wine! Enjoy!

This is great the next day heated up in the pan with a little olive oil. Add a little liquid to the pan and warm it up! I find the paella "crackles" up nicely the next day when you heat it up!

Crispy Kale Chips

I found Crispy Kale Chips at Whole Foods a few weeks ago...Kale Chips? The employee at Whole Foods told me she liked them and told me her favorite flavors. I opted for Cosmic's Cheesy Pizza Kale Chips. Normally anything "cheesy flavored" in snack aisles turns me off but after looking at the ingredients I decided to give them a try and they were really good! On my next trip to Whole Foods I bought Rhythm Superfoods "Zesty Nacho" flavored kale chips.  Here is the list of  ingredients: fresh kale, fresh red bell pepper, fresh zucchini, fresh carrots, cashews, fresh onion, fresh lemon juice, vegan nutritional yeast, garlic, apple cidar vinegar, and sea salt. Everything in the ingredient list is FRESH!
Whole Foods carries several brands - and I recommend you give them a try! Kale is a nutritional powerhouse - and an excellant source of Vitamins and nutrients!
I googled Kale chip recipes and to my delight found many recipes and methods to making Crispy Kale chips at home.

Here is the link to a recipe I used when I made them at home:
http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/03/recipe-for-roasted-kale-chips-with-sea.html
I plan to experiment when making them again and try different methods until I find one I like the best! This link will take you to Kalyn's Kitchen blog. Her kale chip recipe is very similar to the one I used, I share this link because her step by step photos and instructions ensure you'll have great tasting results.

Lemon Marmalade (Sunshine in a Jar)

My good friend, Allison gave me the most wonderful  lemon marmalade last year. She called it "sunshine in a jar". It is especially fresh and tart tasting with scarcely any bitterness. When Allison gave me a grocery bag full of meyer lemons this year I decided to try my hand at her wonderful marmalade and she was kind enough to share the recipe. She got it from an old Sunset canning book.
Lemon Marmalade

About 11 medium sized lemons
1/2 cup water
6 cups sugar
3 oz liquid fruit pectin (Ball makes a box that contains two-3 oz. pouches)

Use a small sharp knife to slice off all the thin outer yellow peel from lemons; cut the peel into slivers. (I used a zester I used to remove the peel.  The zester made lovely long thin strands of lemon peel which I sliced  into smaller sections). Then ream the juice from the lemons. You should have 1 3/4 cups peel and 2 cups lemon juice. Combine the peel, water, and 1/2 cup of the lemon juice in a 3-quart or larger saucepan. Bring to boiling; then cover and simmer until peel is tender when pierced (about 25 minutes)
Add remaining lemon juice and sugar to the pan; cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Then turn heat high and bring to a full rolling boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand at room temperature for 18-24 hours.

Here is a link to Ball's website which has wonderful easy to follow tutorials. You'll want to prepare your jars and lids etc before you start the next step.
http://www.freshpreserving.com/
Prepare 6 half pint jars and lids for canning process.
Rapidly return marmalade to boiling, stirring to prevent sticking. Stir in the pectin and boil stirring constantly for exactly 1 minute. Quickly skim off any foam that forms. Fill jars to within 1/8 inch of top. Makes 4 half pints. (I made this 3 times and always got 6 half pints each time, which made me very happy!)
I do not have a larger canner anymore-I used a round rack that fit right inside my largest pot. I also used short canning jars so I could give the jars the required water bath and keep the water level two inches above the jars during the water bath process for 10 minutes).

Summers with Nana and Poppy

My parents used to ship us kids down two at a time to visit our Nana and Poppy every summer for a few weeks. Nana always had things lined up to keep us busy. Swimming at the Clubhouse nearly every day was a given! They lived in a golfing community and the house was right on the golf course. We often entertained ourselves with binoculars watching the golfers playing and we all learned to drive Poppy's golf cart.
My great aunt was a nurse in the army so we often got to shop at the BX! The prices were great! I remember finding thee cutest faux fur mini skirt. I had to have it but Nana had her eye on the pumpkin tweed skirt for me. It was very nice, but if I was going to have to pick the faux fur mini was going to win. She tried her best to convince get me to go for the tweed, but my heart was set. She finally relented and bought me both skirts, a win-win for both of us. Sure, I wore both skirts to school that year, but on days I donned the faux fur mini I strutted around like Twiggy on the catwalk.
One year, when I was 11 or 12 Nana had me start copying family recipes down on recipe cards. This was the beginning of my life long love of collecting recipes and cooking. Many afternoons it was on "my agenda" to write recipes down for about an hour. To keep things interesting she sometimes threw me curve balls like the recipes for Elephant stew or Scripture Cake. Below is the recipe for Elephant Stew. I don't think she told me it was a joke right off, she let me figure out that part of the recipe out on my own.
Elephant Stew

Ingredients

1 elephant (medium size)
1 rabbit (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cut elephant into bite sized pieces; this takes about 2 months. Add enough brown gravy to cover. Cook over kerosene fire at 465 degrees. Serves 3800 persons. For those who dislike elephant stew, the rabbit may be added -- but only if necessary because most people don't like hare in their stew.

Dorothy's Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

All of Poppyy and Nana's grandkids had the pleasure of getting to know their neighbors and dear friends in RB, Dorothy and Leigh. Do any of you remember how Leigh parted his hair down the center and always wore a suit with a bow tie? He was such a gentleman and always interested in good conversation with young people. They were such lovely people that it's easy to understand how they quickly became Nana and Poppy's best  friends! I still think of them both fondly. Dorothy made this Chicken and Wild Rice casserole for dinner one evening and was she happy to share her recipes with me when I asked. Often a day or two later I would receive the recipe typed on one of her personalized recipe cards.

Chicken and Wildrice Casserole
Serves 8
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2 1/2 lbs chicken breasts and thighs or a 2 1/2 lb fryer cut up
3/4 cups uncooked wild rice (she used L&M white and wild combo) I use an organic Harvest Medley from Costco-a blend of four aromatic California rices (brown, wild rice,sweet brown rice and heirloom red rice)
1 - 3 oz can sliced mushrooms, undrained (or 1/2 cup sliced fresh crimini or button mushrooms)
1 tablespoon butter
Approx 1/2 cup flour to coat chicken before browning
1 tablespoon finely diced onion
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 tsp salt

Coat chicken pieces in flour and brown in 1 Tablespoon oil.
While chicken is browning  put rice and salt in an ungreased 9x12 casserole dish or similar sized dutch oven and strew 1 T. diced onion over. Add mushrooms.  Arrange chicken pieces on top. Pour 1 3/4 cups chicken broth over all. Dot with 1 tablespoon butter. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Note: If all the liquid is not absorbed after one hour recover and continue baking for 20-30 minutes longer.
Notes: If you are making this for two-use less chicken. I always use skinless these days. I remember that Dorothy's version used skin-on and the chicken looked very pretty sitting on top of the wild rice. So if you like skin on - go for it!
I prefer Swanson's chicken broth the best and I use that or Trader Joes's Savory Chicken broth that comes in a box with 12 little pouches in a liquid concentrate that you just add 8 oz of warm water to and stir. I love the flavor and it is reduced sodium!
Next week: A recipe from Nana's recipe collection!

Creamy buttery soft polenta!

I wanted to make Creamy Polenta with a mushroom ragut and a marinara sauce. I googled Creamy Polenta and found some recipes that included ingredients that I didn't have on hand like cream and cream cheese. All I really wanted to make was a simple creamy polenta - buttery and with parmesan cheese.I found a simple recipe that looked like what I had in mind. I poured a can of Swanson's chicken broth  (Swanson's is my favorite) into a medium size sauce pan and added enough water to make a total of 4 cups water.Once I got it boiling, I added 1 cup polenta, stirring as I poured it in to prevent lumps. When the polenta was stirred in I covered the pan and lowered the heat to low for 10 minutes. When the timer went off I removed the pan from the heat and stirred in 2 Tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup grated parmesan.Voila!
Creamy buttery polenta!
While the polenta was simmering, I sauteed the 1 cup sliced crimini mushrooms in a little butter and olive oil, added some red wine-maybe a quarter cup and a pinch of Maldon salt. I let the mushrooms cook over medium heat, letting the liquid absorb until the mushrooms carmelized into a nice brown color!
I ladled a little marina sauce into a bowl, followed by the polenta and topped with the "mushroom ragut". Polenta makes a great side dish and is really versatile.

Cutting boards

I picked up these cutting boards at Target a few weeks ago. It drives me crazy when cutting boards slip around on my kitchen counter. The back of these boards have a unique crisscross design with non- slip centers in each cross section and it works great to keep the board in place while I am chopping away. I also love the colors and that they are dishwasher safe!

Favorite Things Books, Movie, TV

1. This year I purchased Barnes and Noble's ereader: The nook.  Great tech gadget for those who love to read.
2. It's Christmas time and these are the movies that I never get tired of watching year after year: Love Actually, The Family Stone, Elf and Bridget Jones Diary.
3. Favorite Netflix rental this year was: The Long Way Round and The Long Way Down with Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman. A motorcycle adventure that kept me at the edge of my seat all the way round and down.
4.Shopping the Farmer's Markets. Talking to the vendors and learning about new foods.
5. Taking Amtrak to Berkeley and spending the day browsing the 4th Street shops and having dinner before hopping the train home is my new favorite daytrip to the bay area this year.
6. Nothing beats the Sunday edition of the New York Times when I was to treat myself to a lazy Sunday.
7. Baking from the Sweet Melissa Cookbook, Mark Bittman's weekly videos on the NY Times website, and Hungry Nation's Working Class Foodies turned me on to some great new recipes this year.
8. The Moth Podcast. Also, the Radiolab podcast. Listen and you'll understand why. Both are amazing podcasts and amazingly both are free on itunes.
9. The Bucolic Plague a memoir written by Josh Kilmer-Purcell tells the story about how they came to be Gentleman Farmers. This led to the TV show on Plant Green TV "The Fabulous Beekman Boys" which shows life on the Beekman Farm. It's great fun!
 10. Bored to Death...Jason Schwartzman, Zack Galifinakis and Ted Danson are brilliant together in this HBO series.
11. Gwyneth Paltrow's goop.com is still my favorite newsletter. Very hip and  very cool.
12. Eat Pray Love.  Armchair traveling all the way to Italy, India and Bali...delicious cuisine in Italy, sparing with Richard Jenkins at an Ashram in India and falling in love with Javier Bardem in Bali...what's not to love? Movie was great-the book was even better.

Crockpot Apple Butter

I came across a recipe last week for apple butter and it looked so easy so I had to try it. It turned out really delicious and the house smelled wonderful for the 24 hours that it simmered away in my crockpot.

Crockpot Apple Butter
7 cups applesauce (use a good quality commercial kind that is unsweetened) I used Tree Top Organic unsweetened from Costco.
2 cups apple cider (I used a bottle of Knudsen's Cider & Spice)
1 1/2 cups honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice
Mix all the ingredients in a crockpot, cover and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally for 15-16 hours or until the mixture is a deep brown and a thick consistency. Pack into 4 hot pint jars and process in a hot-water bath for 10 minutes counting the time after the jars have been immersed and the water comes to a rolling boil.
OR: Cool and pack into clean freezer friendly jars and freeze! When you are ready for another jar remove  from the freezer and defrost in the refridgerator. I used Ball canning jars that can go into the freezer! Of course I kept one out to enjoy right now! The recipe says it only makes 4 pints but I got 5  eight ounce jars from the recipe.

After 15 hours my apple butter was brown but not thick enough so I raised the temperature to high and kept a close watch on it - stirring occasionally until the apple butter was condensed enough to stay mounded on a spoon and the consistency that looked right to me! My apple butter took about 24 hours to cook in my crockpot. Crockpot temps might vary a little so yours could be ready in more or less time. Removing the lid during the final hours of cooking speeds up the condensing process considerably.

Falling in love with my nook

I loved the idea of having an ereader so I started researching  popular ereaders.  I went back and forth between Amazon's Kindle and Barnes and Nobles Nook. I decided on the nook. I kind of think they are both pretty cool actually. I love my nook but  I imagine if I had the Kindle I would like that too.  Reading is easier with an ereader. Buying books, reading about books, sampling books, turning pages, looking up words, bookmarking...it's all so easy. I've also learned how to utilize some of the "extras" like adding my own screensavers and music. It took me a few weeks to really start reading and using it, but once I got into reading via my nook it quickly became second nature for reading. I'm reading more, I find that I enjoy the reading experience more as well.
Recent reads: The Heights by Peter Hedges, A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff, Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard, and Eat Pray Love by Liz Gilbert.
Next up: Juliet by Ann Fortier, and Freedom by Jonathan Franzen and Ape House by Sara Gruen. Also in my nook library  are several books that I picked up on Free Fridays. Each Friday Barnes and Noble announces the free ebook for Nook users to download for that week!  And there are lots and lots of free books available on the site. Most of the classics are free or around $1.99 Currently I have about 26 books in my nook library. I can  "archive" books so they don't take up space on my nook, and if I want to read them again I can put them back in "my nook libray". Pretty cool, n'est pas?
I think I've only scratched the surface of things I can do with your nook. In my library is the book: Using Nook by Jim Cheshire. If someone wrote a book about Using nook this tells me there's more to my ereader that meets the eye. For the basics B&N has some video tutorials that are great to get one started on using their new nook.

Reading and Watching now

I recently finished reading The Bucolic Plague by Josh Kilmer-Purcell after it was recommended on Goop.com (Gwyneth Paltrow's weekly newsletter). I eally enjoyed the book. Josh's memoir about how he and his boyfriend Brent Ridge (two city slickers) became gentlemen farmers.  Josh keeps it real and because he writes honestly, we the readers can laugh and cry with him and Brent on this crazy ride they are on. They founded Beekman 1802, http://beekman1802.com/  the website is great. Josh and Brent  have a show on Planet Green TV called "The Fabulous Beekman Boys". I've watched the whole first season and loved every minute of it.

Fresh Tomato Salsa

Tomatoes are in abundance this time of year and I've made salsa several times already for tacos and nachos! I roughly chop 8-10 tomatoes and toss them in a large bowl, then add 1 large chopped onion and chopped chillies with the seeds removed, and some chopped fresh cilantro. Add to the bowl: the juice of two limes and about a teaspoon of salt. I use Maldon, a sea salt that I like so much I rarely use anything else. I like my salsa medium hot so I add two milder chillies and usually one jabanero (a chili that is on the hotter side) If you like hotter - then you'll want to spice it up by adding more. Next I toss the ingredients together in the big bowl. I pulse the ingredients in my food processor until the mixture is blended and the consistency I like (still a little chunky). Just be careful not to over process or you'll end up with a spicy tomato juice. At this point I strain some of the liquid out as summer tomatoes are pretty juicy! Save the strained tomato juice! If you are making tacos you can add it to your ground meat instead of water when you're adding your taco seasoning! I freeze the rest of the strained juice in small freezer containers to have on hand for another day! It would also make some excellent Bloody Mary's I would think!

French Onion Soup

We made French Onion Soup last week. I am into making soup since we had lunch at Soop (on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley) a few weeks ago! You can eat there or take soup home for dinner. Soop even sells frozen stock and other soups frozen so you can stock up and thaw out when your ready. Awesome! I have several containers in my freezer right now! souptogo.com

Here's a basic recipe that I used to make French Onion Soup.

Peel and slice 4-6  large onions and then slice the slices in half to make then into crescents. Don't skimp on the onions!  Add 3 tablespoons olive oil  and 1 tablespoon butter to a large saute pan. Add onions and stir to coat. Let the onions cook 10-12 minutes over medium-high until they are softened and begin to brown. Add 1 tsp sugar and 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tsp fresh). Lower heat to medium and continue cooking 30 minutes more or until the onions are well browned, stirring frequently. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons flour in the pan and stir until well blended. Add 1/2 cup white wine and 8 cups chicken or beef broth, bring back to a boil then reduce heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Toast 6 slices of french bread that have been rubbed with a garlic clove on a baking sheet. Ladle soup into 6 oven proof bowls and float a piece of toast on top. Top with grated swiss cheese and broil about 3-4 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling! Serves 6.

What we all crave.

When I was out walking Bella the other morning I was thinking about what makes relationships last? The good ones. The happy ones. Expensive gifts don't make someone feel "special" unless you can really express it in your eyes, words and touch. By listening and responding, laughing and touching. Thoughtful little gifts often mean more because they tell the receiver I was thinking of you. I was thinking of you and want to express appreciation that your in my life.
Last week my daughters were over for dinner on different nights and I was thinking how proud they each make me. They are both beautiful, well-spoken, can tell a great story, have such a beautiful countenances that everyone who meets them likes them. They are also generous and caring. And yet I am so busy with my "momness" that that I neglect to communicate what I am really feeling. Instead of telling them "It was so great to see you tonight!" the last thing they here as they walk out the door is "Watch your step going down the stairs!"
They sometimes remind me how frustrating it is to be treated like a four year old. I cringe when I hear it because it's true. I don't mean to do it but I do. I want desperately to change that. The other night, I watched the movie "When Did You Last See Your Father?" Colin Firth played the part of a son who's father never really let him see how proud he really was of him and it caused the son great anguish and sadness in his life. It was a very sad movie but it touched me in a way that caused me a great deal of self refelction on my own parenting. I want my daughters to see that I actually see them as wonderful and capable adults and that I am very proud of them. I also impressed with what wonderful people they each are. I think they are both beyond fantastic! Of course they are human and they make mistakes and make them again just like I did when I was their age. You'd think that by the time I was 25 or 30 that I'd learned a thing or two, but no it was around that time that I'd only started to really learn life lessons in earnest. The biggest mistakes I've made in my life usually provided much needed wisdom I needed for the next step on my journey. And sometimes that next step or curve in the road led to something wonderful. So why do I expect that they should be any different? They are living their life walking in their own path just as I did and am doing mine.
My mother passed away just a week before I was 21. She was not the kind of overprotective mother I turned out to be because her mother, my grandmother was. (maybe it skips generations?) When my mom walked in the door from visiting across town my grandmother would call just to make sure she made it home OK. IT DROVE MY MOTHER CRAZY! If my mother had been around when I was a new mother I am quite sure she wouldn't have been worrying about my mothering skills with babies. But I am pretty certain that when I was worried about letting them ride their bikes up to the local Quik Stop three blocks away she would have said, "Let them go for heaven sake!"
Watching your kids bikes go around that corner where you can't see them. Not for the faint of heart. I did it, and not always with the greatest of ease or grace. If I could go back in time I would have said, "Have a great ride!" I want to learn to tell them to "Have a great ride on this journey of life" and that I can express to them that I believe them to be very capable adults that I am very pleased to know.

Required Reading for the Fashionista

I just finished reading: Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster by Dana Thomas. I was fascinated from page one and devored every word. You'll read about the humble beginnings of Louis Vuitton to what luxury is today and how has it evolved over the decades. Meticulously written and researched, Thomas' weaves the history of luxury into a golden spun yarn, a delicious and lively read.

The Tower Cafe

On Tuesday I had lunch with a friend at the Tower Cafe after we watched a movie at the Tower Theater. The outdoor seating area is like an oasis-it is lush and green and a really nice place to enjoy your meal. The service is relaxed and friendly and the food is really good! I went a little early so I could sketch before my friend arrived. I knew the minute I saw it that I wanted to sketch and paint this fountain.

Rainy day cooking

It's raining here today and pretty quiet. I made Heather Van Vorous' "Rainy Day Lemon & Ginger Tea". I make it about twice a week - I drink a cup hot and chill the rest. It's the most refreshing drink cold and very comforting hot. Perfect for a rainy day! I also made Heather's "Roasted Cauliflower Soup" - but left out the caraway and cumin seeds and kept it simple on the seasonings using 1/2 t. thyme leaves and a bay leaf. I had some pizza dough that I rolled out and sprinked with a little olive oil and Sea salt with Mediterranean Seasonings (spices garlic, lavender, rosemary and basil oil). Just before serving I sprinked a little smoked paprika and a few drops of truffle oil on the soup. Yum! Good comfort food day!

Great Ball Jars of Strawberry Freezer Jam!

Last weekend I was in Whole Foods looking at some delicous looking strawberries when the woman standing next to me mentioned she had been coming every week to the store for these strawberries because they were so good. That did it! My indecision was over and I bought 3 baskets! I tasted a few when I got home and decided I'd make these babies last by making Strawberry Freezer jam.
Years ago I'd made it and remeber it being unbelievably fresh tasting. It truely elevated toast to some heavenly morning dessert. It would also be wonderfull as a filling in a Victorian sponge cake, or stirred into yogurt.
Checking the recipe I realized I didn't have any fruit pectin...why would I? I haven't canned or frozen anything in years-but I remebered this freezer jam was pretty easy. So off to the store to buy fruit pectin. I found the pectin, but there were several kinds. I noticed No Cook Freezer Jam Fruit Pectin made by Ball @ $1.99. No Cook? That got me thinking this could be easier than I had first anticipated. How often does that happen?
I just follwed the directions on the package...
I washed and hulled & crushed my strawberries till I had the required 4 cups. Next you mix the package of the no cook fruit pectin with 1 1/2 cups sugar, and then add the 4 cups crushed strawberries and stir for three minutes. Next, you ladle jam into Ball's 8 ounce plastic freezer jars (which I happen to already have). You could use other plactic jars but the Ball jars are so cute and I love how the lids twist on. You let it set for 30 minutes and freeze, or you can use it right away. Which I did promptly! (on toast) Did I mention this elevates the toast experience to a new level? Keeps in the fridge for up to 3 weeks or in the freezer for up to a year. I guarantee that stuff will not be in my freezer for long. This was so easy that I may just have to go crazy and make more more more! You can also do this with other tender type fruits: apricots, cherries, berries, grapes, pears, plums). You can also watch a video demonstration at: www.freshpreserving.com