Hi dear ones. My heart is sad today because my Grandpa had a massive stroke and is not expected to recover. He has lost the use of his left side and does not recognize anyone.
I’m glad I promised you forest pictures today because Grandpa has always loved being outside, exploring, canoeing, and farming. He would like these.
Love you all and wish you a most beautiful weekend with people you love.
xo
Hello luvs!
It was a gloriously sunshiny day when my friend Jenny came out to visit me last weekend. The whole world seemed to come out of hibernation, birds singing madly, fish flopping in the creek, and folks emerging from their heated homes to bask in the first real spring day of the year.
Jenny thrilled me to pieces by bringing the most gorgeous strawberries, plump, red and perfectly ripe.
On such a scrumptious day we HAD to go for a walk, more of an amble really, stopping often to sniff blossoms and lift our faces to the sun. I’ll tell you more about that tomorrow.
When we got back we were thirsty, ravenous and ready for a rest, so we filled blue bowls with yogurt and fruit, gathered up blankets, and went out to the creek bank for a strawberry picnic.
We stretched out on our blankets and snoozed happily, rousing ourselves now and then to try and identify various birds or catch a glimpse of the big ol’ fish that kept splashing about in the water. The sun blazed down but lovely cool breezes from the creek kept us from roasting.
It was the best of days filled with great talks and peals of laughter, luscious berries, and that wonderful, healing sunshine we’ve missed so much this winter.
What is your ideal simple day?
I was SO happy to get back to cooking club this week! It was so good to see everyone, to sit around for hours getting all caught up on our bits of news while we sipped wine and nibbled on crackers topped with provolone and salty farmer’s sausage.
The theme of the month has been eggs, but on this final night we went rather loosey-goosey with the rules and ate a delightful hodge-podge of this and that.
Cameron and Robin made a wonderful Gluten-free Egg Drop Soup. Instead of using flour to thicken the broth, they simply added more eggs and it was perfect!! I like it even better than the original.
Toby brought fresh pineapple and a whole bag of cheesy Gluten-free Pirate’s Booty to snack on.
Jen made a simple side dish that was so good! Carrots sprinkled with lots of green onion, covered with chicken broth and baked for an hour. Mmm, mmm! Tender and sweet with that lovely, salty broth.
We ended our evening with TWO kinds of chocolate dessert: Paul’s decadent Chocolate Souffles which got eaten so fast I didn’t get a picture, my Dark Chocolate Tart with Gluten-free Buckwheat Maple Crust. Delectable conclusion to our feasting.
What is your favorite thing to make with eggs?
Jen’s Baked Carrots
Ingredients:
6 carrots, cut in sticks
1/2 cup scallions, sliced
2-3 cups organic chicken broth
Directions:
Cameron and Robin’s Gluten-free Egg Drop Soup
Ingredients:
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup sliced scallions
4-6 eggs, beaten
Directions:
Krista’s Dark Chocolate Tart with Buckwheat Maple Crust
(Click here for recipe)
It was a wickedly cold morning in Amsterdam this winter as my family gathered in my brother Ryan’s toasty warm flat for breakfast.
Christmas music played jauntily as Ry and his fiancée Melissa bustled about in the kitchen brewing coffee, sauteing veggies, and beating eggs. The rest of us visited and stood in front of their enormous windows watching passersby in the streets below, endlessly entertained by the ever-changing stream of humanity.
Soon we were called to the table and happily gathered round for a hearty repast, eager to fortify ourselves for an afternoon of exploring.
Both Ryan and Melissa are great cooks, and they outdid themselves with a savory frittata filled with cherry tomatoes, spinach, caramelized onions, and pancetta.
I got thoroughly spoiled with Melissa’s fabulous coffee: strong and creamy with a good two inches of decadently dense foam. Swoon.
Warm, full, and adequately caffeinated, we bundled into layer after layer of woolen coziness and headed outside Amsterdam to explore a park full of beautiful windmills and charming old shops and homes.
I’ll tell you all about it next time. 🙂
Good morning, luvs! How was your weekend?
I was thrilled to pieces to actually experience a bit of SUMMER on Saturday!!! It was glorious, I tell you! Blazing sunshine, clear blue skies, the scent of newly mown grass and budding trees filling the air. My dear friend Jenny came to visit me and we went for a beautiful walk in the country.
It was a wonderful amble through woods and beside flower-filled meadows. We stopped often to rest, smell flowers, and take pictures of anything that took our fancy.
By the time I waved farewell to Jenny I was wondrously roastingly hot. Gone were my winter boots, scarves and sweaters and out came sandals and a favorite sundress.
For dinner that night I couldn’t think of eating heavy warming foods, I wanted cool, refreshing and bright. So I made a Chilled Tilapia Stew with fresh lemon. Mmm, mmm! Tender chunks of tilapia simmered with fire-roasted tomatoes, sweet onions, cilantro, and parsley, it was absolutely delicious, especially eaten barefoot in the sunshine.
What is your favorite memory from this weekend?
Chilled Tilapia Stew
Ingredients:
1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
1 large onion, chopped fine
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1.5 Tbsp garlic, minced
1/4 tsp each of ginger, curry, cumin and turmeric
3 cardamom pods
3 lemons, juiced
4-5 tilapia fillets, cut into 1″-2″ pieces
salt and pepper to taste
Directions: