From the Cookbook Cupboard: Whole Foods Kitchen and World-of-the-East

Featuring 

Tomato and Lentil Dahl with Toasted Almonds 

from Whole Foods Kitchen

with

Naan

 from Madhur Jaffrey's World-of-the-East Vegetarian Cooking

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My husband prepared the dahl, I made the naan.  On one half of the kitchen, he chopped away at the onion and garlic, measured out spices and lentils and other such things, while on the other I kneaded and floured and rolled dough.  His pot simmered on the left front burner while my skillet griddled on the right.  A perfect pair, we are.  Oh and the same goes for the naan/dahl combo.  

After sitting down to our bounty, my first words, spoon in mouth, were something like, "Omm, yeahmm."  More eloquently stated, a second later, "That's good."   I then tore off a hunk of naan and dipped into the bowl, ate that, and said, "Nice," or something to that effect.  So yeah, they were good!  If only we hadn't feasted earlier on all-we-could-eat vegan breakfast nachos, to our great discomfort.  Thus we could only eat one bowl each of the dahl.  Pity.  But we enjoyed the leftovers for lunch today and I say, it was still a delight.              

As far as the recipes were concerned... of preparing the dahl, he said, it was ridiculously easy.  Making the naan, on the other hand, got a bit sticky (literally).  The recipe states to add yogurt (of a nondescript amount) to the flour mixture slowly until everything is incorporated.  I plopped some soy yogurt, about a 1/2 cup, into the bowl of flour, squished it around with my hands and thought, this is going to be a pain.  The parts that had yogurt in 'em were clumpy, the other parts were just loose flour.  No amount of squishing really got them to become one mass.  So I proceeded to add more yogurt, and just as I was tilting the yogurt container towards the bowl, letting the stuff ooze out, the whole lot of it plopped out.  Huh, that may be too much, I said to myself.  A quart of yogurt, I think it was.  You know, the big container.  Anyhow, I squished it, and realized, it was really really sticky.  So I sprinkled more flour.  And some more.  All in all, after the kneading and rolling on a floured surface and the whole process, I think I had to add about 2 more cups of flour.  And I didn't think to add more baking powder.  In the end, the taste and texture of the finished naan were great, but it didn't have that light airiness that naan tends to have.  Erm, my fault.  But whatever.  It was still yummy.        

What a gorgeous couple, eh?

"So what are you doing with your hair these days?"...part 1

...a diary about my foray into an alternative method of hair washing using baking soda and apple cider vinegar

Day -2 

Washed my hair using my usual natural/organic shampoo followed with conditioner.  Post-shower, patted with a towel, applied an organic no-frizz oil to the ends, and did a short blow-dry of my bangs.  Typical morning routine.

Day -1 

I didn't shower today and thusly didn't wash my hair.  In a word: Yuck.  It equated to greasy, stringy, good-for-nothing hair.  Thought, this is for the birds.  Wore a beanie all day to hide the hideousness.  Decided, tomorrow I'm going to try that baking soda/apple cider vinegar thing I've read about.  Coincidentally, a lot of people in the blogosphere are giving it a go lately and calling it the "no poo" method.  Note:  My husband abhors the term, and therefore I'm not allowed to repeat it ever again.  No really, he got all worked up over it.  I also can't say, "I'm not using shampoo anymore."  Because to him that implies lax grooming habits.  I'm instead using an "alternative method of washing my hair," or something to that affect.  Sheesh.
    

Day 1  

First attempt at alternative hair washing with baking soda and apple-cider vinegar.  Pre-shower, prepared the stuffs:  in separate containers, dissolved 1 tbsp.baking soda in 1 cup warm water, mixed 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar in 1 cup warm water.  In the shower I wet my hair thoroughly, poured the baking soda mixture slowly over my whole head and sort-of rubbed it around my scalp.  Then rinsed with water.  Thought, my hair has that squeaky clean feeling. That's not normal.  And I wasn't too sure I liked that.  Then I poured the vinegar mixture over my whole head, rubbed a bit, and rinsed with water.  The hair felt less squeaky.  Better.  Finished the rest of my usual body cleansing routine.  For any interested parties - you know, if anyone just wants to be more like me, which I warmly welcome and condone - I like to lather/wash with Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soap, the Unscented Baby Mild formula, that I've added some essential oils to.  Favorite oils include: Lavender, Bergamot, or Sweet Orange.  Erm, anyhow... post-shower, I patted dry with a towel, didn't blow-dry my bangs or any hairs, and applied a little no-frizz oil to the ends.  A couple hours later, after my hair air-dried, I noticed it felt pleasantly soft.  So nice.  

[Wait, hold  up a minute...why are you doing this, you ask?  In brief, I say, check out Babyslime's Info: Shampoo Free.  There's good stuff there.]

Week 3 of My One Small Change For May: More Bagels!

I will save the world with bagels, I tell ya!  A plain bagel here, a cheesy bagel there, and it all adds up!  Peace will be born in the bagel!  Well, maybe not, in point of fact...but I've been having fun making them and eating them, and that's gotta count for something!  

If you've been in the know, you're aware that I've been participating in the One Small Change movement begun by Hip Mountain Mama's blog.  I have been following along and hearing about other's changes every step of the way, and I am so excited to be a part of such a large-scale (in terms of overall impact) movement that starts with such small-scale changes in our everyday lives.  I gather so much motivation from others like me who want to make a difference but can only do so much in their own lives - but isn't that all it takes?  I'm not the only one who cares about the impacts on my environment, on my neighbors, on my family, and on my own body... that makes me feel like we're not all terribly doomed.    

A recap of some of the changes I've made this year (some I've shared with the community and some I haven't):

*I've stopped using plastic produce/bulk item bags and instead use ripstop nylon bags hand-made in Eugene, OR (so they're local, too!)  

*I've been hanging our laundry to dry on a clothes line I installed in our basement 

*My husband and I are toilet-training our kitty (yes, training her to use the actual toilet as opposed to a litter box) to eliminate the need for litter (currently, we use eco-friendly litter, made of corn, wheat, or newspaper)

*We've made a commitment to support local alternative energy sources by signing up with our energy supplier to include the price of clean wind/green energy offsets on our monthly bill.     

I'm currently in the process of May's small change:  making oft-used bread-goods at home rather than buying them at the store (bagels and flat-bread, thus far).  I'm pleased with the outcome.  

This is my second batch of bagels for the month of May.  This time, I used the same basic dough recipe but I made a few tiny adjustments.  I substituted about 1/4 cup of millet flour (because that's all I had on hand) for some of the whole wheat flour, added 1 teaspoon of vital wheat gluten, used honey instead of sugar, added about 3 tablespoons of pesto to the dough, and omitted the oil because the pesto was pretty oily on its own.  The pesto added a nice, subtle dimension.  Yummy.  Yet still not flavorful enough for my refined taste buds.  It may be the flour that's the problem.  I'm interested in trying a dough with less whole-wheat flour, perhaps half and half - I feel like no matter what flavors I add or toppings I use in a predominantly whole wheat dough, that wheaty taste is going to stand out.  But right now I have to use up what I have (two huge jars of the stuff) before I can justify getting some lighter flour.  

My bagel-forming technique has improved, but as you can see, there are some cracks in the bagels where seams opened up during the boiling process.  No worries, though.  

They were well-liked this morning for breakfast with some vegan cream-cheese.  On the side, we had a few dollops of plain soy yogurt with warm gooey apricots (dried fruit, soaked overnight in the fridge, then boiled down until the liquid is a little syrupy).  Mmmmmm, breakfast.      

My overall thoughts on the process of making bread-goods: 

*It saves money, though I'm not sure how much.  I'm going to guess a couple dollars, no more.  But two dollars per week is nothing to balk at.

*For every batch, I avoid purchasing a product that comes enclosed in an earth-hating plastic bag.

*It's been fun expanding my cooking repertoire, and it gives me confidence that I can make other awesome foods that I've taken-for granted as being difficult or tedious.

*I love knowing exactly what goes into the food my family consumes.  I can make healthy choices and trust that the ingredients are fresh.         

Gripes:  

Just one -

*I'm still figuring out how to best manage my time when it comes to yeast-rising, letting dough stand, getting chores done around a recipe schedule, etc.  Bagels and flat-bread are easy and take no more than two hours out of my day, but when the time is broken up between several rest-periods, I feel like I can't really get much done in the intervals.  I think I just need to plan things out a little better - i.e. have a basket of laundry ready to be thrown into the wash on the first rise, then hung up to dry on the second, etc.  I feel like I'll be more efficient this way.  I just need a bit more practice and tweaking. 

If you ask me right now, I'm thinking I can keep this up.  After May, perhaps I'll slacken the schedule to every other week.  Then we'll be able to enjoy bagels every other day.  That will be the good life.  *Sigh*              

I'll be one of those people!

A breakfast I could get used to!  A homemade bagel, pre-toasting, pre-butter and pre-nutritional yeast

I've always swooned over the idea of baking bread, and have heard from many regular bread-bakers that it becomes a very meditative, mindful task when they get into the rhythm of doing it each week.  I want that.  I also want the yummy bread goodness in my belly.  I guess I've been missing out.  Never baked a simple crusty loaf.  I have however managed moist, chocolatey banana bread (once), and whipped up a few batches (maybe just two) of homemade hamburger buns when we were going gluten free for a while.  But the baking bug never caught. Now, I think I'm ready.  

My One Small Change for the month of May is to try cutting back on store-bought bread goods and, instead, make them at home from scratch.   I've psyched myself up to prepare one bread-y item that we would normally buy at a grocery store per week, hopefully making enough to freeze some.  My intention in doing this is to reduce packaging waste, but also to save a few dollars, and perhaps the thing that makes it really worth-while is the thought of connecting more with my food and providing even more delicious, made-with-love nourishment for my family.  Thus far in my bread challenge, I've tried my hand at making bagels and flatbread (Greek gyro style), with pleasing results.  

Bagel in the toaster oven.

Last week we had bagels:  The recipe I used came from this site and was easy to follow and execute.  It made about a dozen (I'm just eating the second to last of this batch for my breakfast, yum).  I used whole wheat bread flour, without any topping (well, not true, on a few I sprinkled some shredded cheddar I had leftover from another recipe...but it was very minimal).  It made dense, hearty-tasting bagels.  I realize now they may have been dense due to my yeast not activating enough.  Next time, we'll see if there's a difference, now that I know.  I mixed in a little bit of garlic powder and onion flakes to the flour while preparing the dough, but I couldn't taste them in the bagels.  No biggie.  My husband and I both liked them. Next time I think I'll add fresh garlic with some sautéed onion, perhaps with some poppy seeds as well.  Ooh, and my favorite type of bagel to buy from cafes or the store is cheddar jalapeño... I'm curious how a whole-wheat cheddar jalapeño bagel would taste!  We'll find out soon!       

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Here's a picture I snapped before promptly folding the thing up, shoving it in my mouth, and moaning with delight.  Not the best shot, but no other photos were taken.  The evidence has been destroyed.      

Last night I made flat-bread for gyros ("the best I've ever had," said my husband!).  I started with dough from this one recipe (the by-hand version, at the bottom) that called for baking the flat bread, but thought they might turn out too puffy and therefore incapable of easy folding, judging from the pictures.  So I looked at a few other recipes that required grilling instead of baking and decided that would be a better method of cooking.  Following the recipe up until step 2, I divided the dough into balls and let them rise 10 minutes more, then rolled them into rounds and immediately grilled them one by one on a pre-heated cast iron skillet at medium-high heat.  I set them on a plate covered with a clean dish towel to keep them warm while I finished the rest of the fixings.  Verdict:  Perfection!  They were very pliable and soft, just a little chewy, but still firm enough to hold a boat-load of fillings.  No complaints at all with this dough recipe!  I'll be making it again, most definitely.      

For the gyro filling, I spread a thin layer of tzatziki on the flat-bread, piled on sautéed mushrooms with onion and zucchini, veggie chikn' fingers cut into thin strips, chopped cucumber, shredded romaine, and then sprinkled a bit of feta and grated cheddar over the top.  I have to say that this meal was awesome!  We each finished off two gyros, which is kind of a lot...  we're pigs, yes.     

I found the tzatziki recipe here and it was super easy.  I substituted with soy yogurt because we're cutting back on dairy (ignore the fact that we found it acceptable to have two types of cheese in the gyros, but no cow's milk yogurt). And I cut corners by not draining the yogurt overnight - pure laziness, that's all I can say.  It wasn't too runny, as the recipe warned it would be.  I also used three cloves of garlic instead of one - the result was tremendously garlicky...perhaps too much so!  I woke up with garlic breath this morning, that's how garlicky it was.  I'd say two cloves would be plenty for my taste buds, and one clove sufficient, but you can adjust to your own liking, of course.   

~

My next attempt may be at crackers.  I like crackers.  My husband likes crackers.  Together, we enjoy crackers.  Home-made crackers would rock.  

Oh!!! Or cinnamon swirl bread in the style of Dave's delicious creation!  Yeahhhh.  

Mmmmmmm.  Bread stuffs.  

On second glance...

Here's what I saw yesterday in Apartment Eye-Spy:

          

Easy, you say?  I can't stump you.  

Ok, so humor the rest of us, let's see what I spied...

It's the simple things... : An Apartment Eye-Spy

True, happiness can't come from found objects, man-made things, stuff.  

Still, sometimes the littlest trifles of things 

- tarnished trinkets or treasure -

- the texture of old glass - 

- smells of faraway places that may linger in an object  - 

make me smile. 

And that's reason enough to keep them around.  

A game of Eye-Spy reminds me that they're there...

~

Here's what I spy with my little eye...

At first, just a peek!

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Come back tomorrow to take a step back, get a better look, and find out what it is I spy!

Bergamot Tea Cakes

This Sunday afternoon I was craving something cakey but not, familiar but wholly different, soothing while at the same time uplifting, sweet but subtly so.  I am in no way a baker, but have occasionally dabbled in what I call 'adventure baking' (what bakers would just call 'baking' I suppose).  By 'adventure' I mean make it up as you go, hope the result won't be disastrous, but enjoy the process nonetheless.  It turned out the result was, by unanimous vote (well, all of two voters), a yummy success!

Bergamot Tea Cakes   

1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon glutenous rice flour

1/2 stick of softened butter

a pinch of salt

3 large eggs

1/4 cup of warm water

10 drops bergamot essential oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  With a whisk,  mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients in separate bowls.  Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients to make a thick batter.   Small chunks of butter left in the batter are fine.  Spoon batter into a lightly greased muffin tin or non-greased silicone muffin mold.
Sprinkle tops with a pinch of sugar.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick in center comes out clean.  Break one apart, serve with a cup of tea, milk, or on its own, and go 'mmmm.'

Makes 6-8 tea cakes.
      

The Cookbook Cupboard: Veganomicon

This is a new, potentially permanent, 'thing' I'd like to share with you when you visit Cozy Little Life - an occasional recipe review from my favorites in my own kitchen's cookbook cupboard.  I don't cook from recipes often, in fact it's really rare, maybe four times a year...but my husband likes to use recipes when he cooks now and then, and I like to eat the things he makes me.  I've also been getting into a rut lately, a funk of sorts, and have been needing some new motivations to get me excited about cooking.  I love trying new dishes, but sometimes I can get so controlling (or is it lazy) when it comes to using a recipe, that I end up substituting like crazy, ignoring steps, and turning a dish into my own creation, and it's not always an improvement on the original.  So committing myself to trying out recipes in their original form with whole-hearted conviction will be a great exercise for me and my taste-buds!

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Featuring 

Baja-Style Grilled Tempeh Tacos

from

VEGANOMICON: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook, 

by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero,

Da Capo Press & Lifelong Books

~

The first recipe review I'd like to share (hopefully not the last) is for Baja-Style Grilled Tempeh Tacos.  Yesterday was a hard day for me - I had a combination case of the deep blues and the 'mean reds' - so to help me out and cheer me up, my fantastic husband cooked dinner for me, using our Veganomicon which he bought for me this past Christmas.  

These tacos were just perfect - light, refreshing, fresh-tasting, healthy, tangy, yummy, oh so good...  The recipe didn't seem difficult, and a lot of the cooking time involves marinating.  You can prepare most of it ahead of time.  They went great with a light Mexican beer (in fact, the marinade is a spiced up beer-base) and would be perfect eaten on a warm summer evening.  Though we were stuffed, just the two of us having eaten the suggested 4 to 6 servings (do we just eat a lot, or what's the deal?), we didn't feel gross afterward.  The recipe made 8 tacos for us.

C'es La Vegan tried this recipe and gave it a rave review, as well.  I love her photo.  Her taco is topped with avocado, something I really wanted to try, but they were too pricey.   

If you're interested in giving this recipe a try, I recommend that you pick up a copy of Veganomicon - this cookbook has so many tasty-sounding dishes, some that we have tried and I'll soon blog about, some that I look forward to testing out in the future - I don't think you'll be disappointed!  

Here Comes the Sun

My husband and I took a trip to visit my family in Tucson, AZ the first week of April.  The last time I saw them all was Christmas in 2007, and that was also the first time I introduced them to Austin, who at the time was my soon-to-be fiancé.  It was a short visit then of just a few days, and this time around, the trip was only five days long, so there was a lot of catching up, hanging out, and showing Austin the sights of the desert.  

Having grown up in the desert, I've gotten rather jaded about all that dry, dusty brown-ness and the hot, searing sunshine...but several years away and lots of time spent in the damp, gray northwest has helped me to appreciate it and given me a new perspective on it all.        

Here are a few photos I wanted to share from when my dad took us to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum:

  

Bright and Early: Apartment Eye-Spy

Good morning!  Welcome welcome, come on in.  Glad you stopped by!  Oh I see you have your cup of tea [coffee, smoothie, juice, water] in hand.  I think I'll join you...just one moment while I put on the pot...
Ah, that's better.  Sigh.  

So you were curious about my Eye-Spy, eh?  Well, go on, take another quick look-see.

Here's what I saw yesterday in Apartment Eye-Spy:

 

...

Here's a tiny hint:  you've actually seen all of these things before.  

Guessed, yet?  Still stumped, perhaps?  Ok, now step back with me, have a better look, and find out...

On the Surface of Things: An Apartment Eye-Spy

Care to guess what it is that my little eye does spy?  

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...

Come by tomorrow to take a step back, get a better look, and find out what I spied!

Clean Energy, Happy Earth

This weekend I put up a clothes-line in our basement.  And I'm really surprised I haven't done this before.  For some reason, I always had this slight doubt that clothes would actually dry naturally in a damp climate, even though I've seen it happen and have practiced line-drying when on vacation in other wet environments such as southern Ireland.  Overnight is all it takes.  Well, three laundry loads later, I'm a total clothes-line convert.  There's something so enjoyable, so mindful and connected, about hanging up the clothes.  I already have an obsession with clothes-pins:  they're this house-wife's version of duct-tape, a universally useful tool.  Finally, I'm using them for they're intended purpose!  

And on a similar note, today I signed us up with our local power supplier to purchase Clean Wind each month to offset our energy usage.  One unit = 200 kilowatt hours (kWh) of new wind generation in the NW.  200 kWh is actually more than our average monthly usage, so I feel pretty darn good about this.  We already purchase Green Source in addition to our basic service rates - "Under this option, 100 percent of your electricity use is offset with renewable energy. In 2009, the mix for this product came from approximately 82 percent new wind, 11 percent new biomass (wood waste) and 7 percent new geothermal energy."  I'm so stoked to contribute my share (a few dollars, at that)!   

I guess you could call this my "One Small Change" for April, even though I haven't kept up each month since January.  It's the least I can do for my lovely planet, just in time for Earth Day!    

Recipe for Comfort: Lentil Love Bowls (And The Story Behind Them)

Feel free to skip ahead to the recipe at the end, or read the whole story and also get some ideas on substitutions.

I've been making this dish, in some variation, for years.   It was less of a recipe and more of an intuition (as most of my cooking always has been).  It came to be while I was living alone in student apartments during college.  I was on a tight food budget, still figuring out how to eat well as a vegetarian, and experimenting with cooking large quantities of single dishes, made of the nourishing ingredients I knew and loved (and could afford) so I could simply re-heat and go.  Lentils and oats were cheap and hearty, so I ate a lot of oatmeal and a lot of Lentil Love Bowls that year!  And something to note:  one of the reasons oats and lentils are so comforting, besides the fact that they leave you with a warm, full belly, is that they both contain great amounts of mood-boosting B vitamins, including Folate, which can reduce symptoms of depression.  (*Love bowls do not contain oats, only lentils).

I can't recall the first time I made it, but I do recall how it inspired endless mouthgasmic "ohhhhhs" and "mmmms," so I made it over and over and really could never tire of it.   In the biggest pot I had, I threw in some of this, some of that, lots of curry powder, lots of marjoram, and let it simmer on the stove.  Unbeknown to me, a friend of mine, David, who lived just across the hall, had been cooking a similar dish to the Love Bowl.  One day delicious smells were wafting over from his place, through my door, and I received an instant message (oh recall the days of AIM) from him stating he had made far too much food for one human being to consume in a week.  He invited me to help him devour it.  It was amazing!  Almost the exact dish, but his was made with the addition of tofu and a different curry powder.  It must have been divine providence - this recipe was meant to be, meant to be loved, meant to be shared.  I soon added tofu to my own version, and that's how the Love Bowl began!

The Lentil Love Bowl is so versatile, it's almost an 'un-recipe.'  Post-college, I came to know the full versatility of it when I moved into a house with three guys, and the Love Bowl became a daily dish (consumed literally every single day of the week).  One house-mate, Luke, would bring home boxes of slightly wilted veggies he had picked up for free behind New Seasons Market or at Food Not Bombs, and everything would go in the slow-cooker to be made into Love Bowls.  His favorite and most oft-added ingredients were kale and root-veggies.  At the same time, I was obsessed with the burrito as a food form, so day-old (or four-day-old) Love Bowls were spooned into tortillas, topped with jalapeños, wrapped up, and drenched with sriracha.  The creamy, savory goodness paired well with rice and millet, and when sopped up with hunks of crusty baguette, it became ultra-rustic.  If chips were ever in the house, we'd eat Love Bowls like a chunky dip with avocado, cilantro, and pepper jack cheese.  Smeared on toast or topped off with a couple eggs, scrambled, boiled, or fried, it made a great stick-to-the-ribs breakfast.  Thinned out with lots of broth, Love Bowls became a tasty soup.

More veggies variations that I've tried include: carrots, zucchini, potato, celery, mushrooms, beats, corn, spinach, squash, etc..  You can also add seeds, such as pumpkin or sunflower - soak and cook them with the lentils.  If using flax, I recommend ground flax just sprinkled on top at the end.  Truly, the possibilities are endless!


Lentil Love Bowls, The Original

Ingredients (all can and should be approximated or substituted to your liking - that's how I do it):

• 2 1/2 cups of dried lentils, soaked overnight
• 1 can of coconut milk or coconut cream, but not coconut water
• 1 can of tomatoes, crushed or diced, including liquid
• 1 can of green chilies, diced
• 1 bell pepper, green, yellow, or red, diced
• 1/2 of a yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup firm or extra firm tofu, cubed
• 1/5 of a stick of butter
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried marjoram
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of curry powder, a blend with turmeric and cumin, not to be confused with Thai curry paste
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, or a couple cloves of fresh garlic
• A few squirts of Braggs Liquid Aminos, or 1/2 a teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 of a cucumber, diced - optional (for raw garnish, or even cooked in the pot...no really, give it a try!)

Directions:

1. Rinse, drain, and cook lentils in new water until soft.  I usually use twice as much liquid as lentils, and cook in the Crock Pot on high for a few hours.  But I used to cook my lentils on the stove, bringing the water to a boil and then simmering on medium heat.  Depending on your method of cooking and how fresh your lentils are, the cooking time will vary. 
2. If using root vegetables, seeds, or more beans for variation, add them at the very beginning and cook in the same liquid as your lentils. 
3. Ladle out any leftover liquid in great excess.  A little leftover is ok.
4. While lentils are cooking, sauté the onion and bell pepper, as well as garlic (if using fresh garlic) until slightly tender and beginning to brown.
5. Add the onion, bell pepper, and all remaining ingredients to the pot and let simmer for at least 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The-longer-the-better, as any curry is always tastier after it has had lots of time to infuse with its flavors.  I let my Crock-Pot sit simmering on low for several hours before I deem it ready.
6. Ladle into big bowls, spoon it up, and feel nourished.      

Apartment Eye-Spy

Here's what I spied yesterday...in Apartment Eye-Spy

Take a step back to see and discover more...

Dibble Dibble Dopp Go the Fat Rain Drops

Just a two-fer Eye-Spy today!  Some heavy-clouded skies have made it hard for me to take any half-decent photos around here of late, and frankly I'm just less-inspired when the weather is dreary.  Hope you all are enjoying some sunnier skies wherever you may be around the globe!   

  

Apartment Eye-Spy

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Drop by tomorrow and I'll tell you what it is I spy!  

I've Been Sowing

Fingers crossed, within less than a month this dreary little window box will be exploding 

with wildflowers and alpine poppies.  Seeds were sown earlier this week on a beautiful 

sunny Spring afternoon.  As I write this, the weather's icky and gray and has been

spitting on that flower box all night.  But a little rain is just what those seeds need, alas I can't complain.  

I really need some respectable gardening tools, no?  That's a giant soup spoon (trowel)

 leaning against the measuring cup (watering can).  You can tell I'm new to this "gardening" thing.  

But I can't wait to learn!  

Free-dom, Peace, and Happiness

on the corner stoop

in a tattered brown box

are things for free

nubby sweaters

cracked handle-missing mugs

old mixed tapes of forgotten songs

a condom wrapper

- inappropriately discarded -

twelve mismatched forks

things loved once

now neglected

or never cared for at all

you may ride by on your bicycle

and behold this junk

it is offered up

for you to take

and use in your home

you may rummage through

pick nits

examine any loose threads

sniff

dust off with your hand

take your pick

take it all

take nothing

true

all things have a shelf-life

rotting damaged goods

get discounted prices

in the supermarket

but some things are good

for just a little while longer

past their expiration date

noelle boosinger, september 2007

I love love LOVE coming across "free" boxes and goods, and around SE Portland I find them quite often. I'll be coming home from work at noon or on my way to the grocery store when I spot something on the street corner. OH! Treasure! I really can't resist digging through every box or pile of discarded things - maybe at the bottom there's my prize. I've found/adopted so many items that are now some of my most cherished and unique pieces. Clothes, kitchen utensils, dish-ware, pillow-cases, picture frames, chairs...you name it and someone doesn't want it anymore so they're sharing it with you! Recycle, reduce...yeah those are great. But re-use! That's one of my favorite ways to save the planet. Sure, some things I find and fall in love with need repairs, re-purposing/up-cycling, cleaning or painting... but I get so excited anticipating exactly how it will look and fit into my life. Other things are golden from the get-go and I always feel like the luckiest person alive for being gifted that one perfect, meant-for-me thing. Either way, I'm always so grateful for the bounty I bring home, grateful for the wonderful possessions someone has kindly blessed me with, FOR FREE! Sweet!

Of course, how freeing it is to return the favor and offer my own gifts to those who want or need them. Every few months I purge and de-clutter the unneeded things around our home. Sometimes all I have to offer are a few pairs of shoes that gave me blisters or books that I can't resell, often found originally in free boxes. My husband and I are not keen on having a lot of stuff that we don't need and absolutely love. We're pretty minimalistic folks. However few, those items are staying out of the landfills and going to another home where they will be taken care of and cherished for a little while longer. That makes me feel so good!

How about you? Are "free" boxes plentiful in your neck of the woods? Or do you participate in swaps, freecyle, or bartering organizations? I'd love to hear about it.

Also, remind me and some day soon I'll write to you to share my awesome source for free women's clothing here in Portland!

A Few of my Favorite Things

Here's what I spied in... Apartment Eye-Spy

...

New bamboo cutting boards! Our old one was a bit larger and we couldn't find a suitable place to store it besides directly on the counter. Because it sat out constantly, it wasn't taken care of properly (I've since gotten into better habits) and it began to crack as well as get this yucky waterlogged smell. These new ones get a quick wipe off or rinse, a dry, then they are hung up; once a week I lovingly oil them.

::

Our wall of love. Sweet little notes, drawings, photos, and mementos, hung above our bed so we can be reminded of them often. I feel such an overwhelming sense of joy and peace when I re-read and re-visit all these wonderful memories my husband and I share.

::

Vintage oil lamp that belonged to my grandparents on my father's side. It hung in their home for as long as I can remember until my Poppop passed away and my Nanny had to move into an assisted living home. I remember days when I would visit them as just a little one, five or six years old, begging Poppop to "make it rain" in the lamp. It was so magical to me. Sadly, it no longer works and I had to gut the inner-workings when it needed a major cleaning a few years back. But it will always be special for me, and it makes for unique focal point in our bathroom.