Reasons To Be Cheerful...

I'm a baby in the heat and humidity and life has been a bit stressful this week. Luckily, there have been many things making me smile. I thought I'd share the happiness:

How to Cook Your Life - An interesting documentary focusing on the author of The Tassajara Bread Book and the connection between Zen Buddhism and daily food preparation. So much more but I'm short on words tonight.

Ohhhhhhh, this is so good when you are craving Indian food (as I do almost every day!) and don't want to pay the $30.00 minimum delivery. Boil in the bag and done in five minutes. Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, No MSG and less than $3.00 a box...You can't beat it. Local SI people, I buy this at Tastebuds on Hylan. They have the most reasonable prices and are friendly, too. I buy naan at Key Food!



Le Ballon Rouge (1956)
One of my elementary school teachers showed this film to my fifth grade class. I loved it then and still do. What a cool teacher. I can now appreciate the way she was thinking. Very few films in my opinion deserve "must own" status, but this one is definitely on the list. So beautifully captures the innocence of childhood.

& last but certainly not least....This little piggy makes me smile every day.

God Bless You, my silly girl.

Must add other smiles- Pink Martini's Hey Eugene!, Stapleton Library, Uncle Louie G's Cannoli Ice and discovering band WaFoo Chamber Unit.

What's Inside Your Car?

No, this is not my car, but I wish it was! My father's parents had one when I was growing up, except it was light blue. Does that count? Anyway, to avoid another food post I was moved to create my own meme about the inside of our cars and what the contents reveals about us. So, here it goes. If anyone who reads this wants to participate, feel free. Otherwise, thanks for putting up with today's shenanigans.

1.What color is the interior of your car? Boring beige with dirt stains.

2. What cd is currently in your cd player? Best of Astrud Gilberto

3. Any evidence of recent (or not so) food or drink? Large DD Latte Lite plastic cup w/straw and a large Subway cup half filled with fountain Arnold Palmer made by me.

4. What is currently in the back of your car? Car Seat, box of tissues, small stuffed bears, overdue library books and dvd, girl cub's ball, Indian hippie sheet from afternoon picnic, various cds and empty jewel cases, a plastic bag for her car sick yuckies, unopened babywipes, roll of paper towels stuffed under passenger seat.

5. Anything up front? cds all over, a gold metallic purse (a temporary moment of shopping insanity after a day spent at the Hamptons outlets) in its plastic Payless bag that I really need to return!

6. Glove Box? car owners manual, pencils, packages of ketchup, napkins, (omg)feminine hygiene product.

7. Ok, come clean with the rest...The entire contents of my wallet sans money and important plastic, old memos from job used as scratch paper, a powder compact, and a religious magazine...don't ask! All stuffed inside a comparment along driver-side door.

It's a Slow Cooker Day...

Was it watching all the fireworks in the rain? All of those margaritas? Or maybe it's because girl cub didn't go to bed until almost midnight last night. Whatever the reason, "I can't find myself today," as my grandmother used to say almost daily! I feel like every bone in my body aches with exhaustion. Could be the weather too, I suppose. That is precisely why this morning I loaded up my handy-dandy crock-pot with all the fixin's for Split Pea Veggie Soup:

I make only a small batch, otherwise it sits in the fridge and turns to sludge. Ew.

1 cup dry split peas

4 cups water and/or vegetable broth

however many carrots diced small

1/2 sweet vadalia onion

1 clove garlic chopped fine

1/2 parsnip small dice (cuz it needed to be used)

Otherwise, use potato

1 Bay Leaf

Salt, Pepper, Cumin, Thyme, Parsley, and a pinch of Chili Powder - All to taste

Put it all in the slow cooker on high for two hours. When the peas are mushy and everything has combined nicely to look like split pea soup, you'll know it's done. At this point, I added a few large handfuls of delicious SPINACH from last week's market trip and let it wilt...Delicious.

***Now I ask myself, "Is this possibly turning into a food blog?" Hmf.

*** Today's Farmer's Market Booty Included: Beets (can't resist), Arugula (HUGE. So excited!), Big Bunch O'Carrots, Gold Apples, and a handful of White Cherries that cost $4.00! Yes, you heard correctly. I don't think I'll be shopping at that fruit stand again. Sheesh!

Happy Fourth of July!

The first official day of summer

Barbecues and Picnics

Friends and Family

Red, White, and Blue Color Combos

I Like Stars

I love Stripes

Fireworks on the river, now watched from the other side

Sales at the mall this morning (?)

Finally doing my own thing this weekend.

I think I startled girl cub when I saw this on the shelf at Key Food!

Too good to be true, but it is...

I hope my friends who are having the barbecue will appreciate the goodness.

Hope y'all are having a blast!

Kismet.

My girls and their girls went to a local beach yesterday. Girl cub didn't enjoy the sprinklers, sand, or any of the "rides" as she described the playground toys. But she did enjoy about an hour of bubble blowing.We all enjoyed ice-cream...Actually it was frozen yogurt for this group of mamas and hatchlings.

This cool blue wall served as a backdrop for many funny portrait combos of our girls-
And of course, a healthy dose of nose-picking.


J and I are so lucky to have met a group of women right here in our own neighborhood. We are all within a year of each other, live within a few blocks of each other, and all have daughters, too. Patrizia, Winter, G, and H-We love you.

Happiness is...

A TRUCKLOAD OF SWEDISH FISH!!!

So many books, so little time...

This is the pile of books I am in the process of reading at present. My appetite for books is ferocious. I can't devour them fast enough. In fact, it would be so much easier if I could just eat them. I have a habit of reading a handful of books at a time. I've always been like that. Again, I blame it on my fickle nature (or undiagnosed ADD)....Ha. A closer analysis reveals it's not all that crazy of a pile. Two are cookbooks, which I read for fun, but interestingly enough, rarely use. I like to get ideas, see what others are up to in the kitchen. The mythology book reminds me of Griffin and Sabine. It has all kinds of secret compartments, hidden pages and envelopes to open. There is even a lock of golden fleece tucked inside a compressed paper box. So clever. I found it in the children's section of the library.

I had book guilt for never reading the DaVinci Code. What kind of reader am I? When a friend was giving it away, I thought I'd give it a tumble. The ideas set forth are intriguing, but overall I find it to be one long game of cat and mouse. It is set in France, however. I'm almost finished after a few months of picking it up only when the guilt thing creeps in.

The others are in various states of beginnings and middles. I confess, Jackie Collins is my guilty pleasure. I started reading her books when at age 12, I found a copy of Chances on my grandparents bookshelf. Hmmm... Anyway, I think I am beginning to fall in love with Ruth Reichl's Tender at the Bone. It's a book after my own heart, a humorous and touching memoir about growing up "around the table." Food as communicator and connector, right Rachael? I read the first fifty pages in my car this morning after I showed up for yoga class 45 minutes early to do just that.