Autumn Whispers
Another beautiful day! Autumn is slowly and subtly making her debut, all the while in the guise of summer. This morning I took a long solo walk along the river -- I have become a pedometer convert as of this week and I am trying to do the "ten thousand steps a day" thing-- and although it was warm and humid, there was a hint of coolness near the water and a softly smokey scent on the air.
Cinnamon Dreams
All the while, I was thinking it would be an ideal day to bake cinnamon buns. When I returned to the house after my walk, someone had the local radio station on and it was blasting Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl"!
My son (he's almost nine -- I can't believe it!) has been asking for cinnamon buns for almost two weeks, and I love baking in the humid warm weather, so the deal was set, the planets aligned etc. These weather conditions naturally duplicate professional proofing oven settings, and I have yielded the best results for me in the past. Today I made three luscious pans o' CB's, and my son, my two young adult daughters (+ their young, male friend, Adam!) have pretty much demolished pan number one! Will post the recipe for you soon -- right now I have to take daughter #2 to a private party bar tending gig she has booked.
Showing posts with label autumn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label autumn. Show all posts
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
September 23, 2009
Busy Bee Buzz...
It has been a busy but satisfying work day -- as I have mentioned, there is a bad flu bug going around my workplace, but thus far I have been heading it off at the pass! We are all taking extra precautions with all of the media hype surrounding H1N1. The work volume is not especially high, but there is enough to keep us busy, and we have to be a bit more agile, thoughtful in terms of coordinating jobs around ill employees.
Peachy!
I went to work out today before dinner and it left me feeling wonderfully focused and energized -- I have also been practising some Reiki this evening, sending distant healing to two girlfriends.
It is a particularly beautiful evening and as I am writing this I hear children whooping outside at the playground and through the open windows I can feel this lovely gentle breeze touch caress my skin -- if today were to become a fruit it would be a lush peach, selected at the peak of ripeness, wonderfully sweet, juicy and with that delightful orangey yellow inside! Our prairie winters are notoriously long and bitter, so I have learned to savour these last sunny, balmy autumn days.
Herbally Yours xox
About midday, as I was getting interested in foraging for some lunch, I began to think about my little herb garden at home. Somehow I have grown these bionic, giganto herbs this year (neglect must allow for only survival of the fittest!) - particularly impressive are my basil, oregano and thyme. Realizing that this summery honeymoon could rudely end at any time, it dawned on me that I need to make, enjoy and freeze a bunch of pesto - prrronto!
I make my pesto in the blender -- it is quick and easy and love it drizzled on grilled steak, swirled in sour cream as a garnish for chicken quesadillas, or over buttered spaghetti squash (my substitute for pasta, as I continue to try to replace breads and sugar with fresh vegetables!).
Pam's Pesto
2 cups (packed measure) of freshly picked basil
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup walnuts (or pine nuts)
1-2 cloves fresh garlic
Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or Romano)
Place basil, walnuts, garlic, sea salt and pepper in the blender - pulse to create a coarse blend. Slowly stream in the olive oil while the blender is running on med-high - stop every few seconds to scrape down the sides of the blender. If you have a baby food attachment, they are ideal for this, as the size is smaller and you don't need to scrape as much/as often.
Scrape the basil mix out of the blender and stir in the cheese - your pesto awaits! Yield: approximately one cup of yummy fresh pesto.
NOTE: if you plan to freeze, do not add in the cheese as the cheese does not freeze well -- the texture breaks down. I have heard of freezing the pesto (sans cheese!) in ice cube trays and then transferring the resulting pesto cubes into small freezer bags. I tend to freeze 1/2 portions in small zip-style freezer bags, as with three kids, this is a manageable portion.
It has been a busy but satisfying work day -- as I have mentioned, there is a bad flu bug going around my workplace, but thus far I have been heading it off at the pass! We are all taking extra precautions with all of the media hype surrounding H1N1. The work volume is not especially high, but there is enough to keep us busy, and we have to be a bit more agile, thoughtful in terms of coordinating jobs around ill employees.
Peachy!
I went to work out today before dinner and it left me feeling wonderfully focused and energized -- I have also been practising some Reiki this evening, sending distant healing to two girlfriends.
It is a particularly beautiful evening and as I am writing this I hear children whooping outside at the playground and through the open windows I can feel this lovely gentle breeze touch caress my skin -- if today were to become a fruit it would be a lush peach, selected at the peak of ripeness, wonderfully sweet, juicy and with that delightful orangey yellow inside! Our prairie winters are notoriously long and bitter, so I have learned to savour these last sunny, balmy autumn days.
Herbally Yours xox
About midday, as I was getting interested in foraging for some lunch, I began to think about my little herb garden at home. Somehow I have grown these bionic, giganto herbs this year (neglect must allow for only survival of the fittest!) - particularly impressive are my basil, oregano and thyme. Realizing that this summery honeymoon could rudely end at any time, it dawned on me that I need to make, enjoy and freeze a bunch of pesto - prrronto!
I make my pesto in the blender -- it is quick and easy and love it drizzled on grilled steak, swirled in sour cream as a garnish for chicken quesadillas, or over buttered spaghetti squash (my substitute for pasta, as I continue to try to replace breads and sugar with fresh vegetables!).
Pam's Pesto
2 cups (packed measure) of freshly picked basil
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup walnuts (or pine nuts)
1-2 cloves fresh garlic
Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or Romano)
Place basil, walnuts, garlic, sea salt and pepper in the blender - pulse to create a coarse blend. Slowly stream in the olive oil while the blender is running on med-high - stop every few seconds to scrape down the sides of the blender. If you have a baby food attachment, they are ideal for this, as the size is smaller and you don't need to scrape as much/as often.
Scrape the basil mix out of the blender and stir in the cheese - your pesto awaits! Yield: approximately one cup of yummy fresh pesto.
NOTE: if you plan to freeze, do not add in the cheese as the cheese does not freeze well -- the texture breaks down. I have heard of freezing the pesto (sans cheese!) in ice cube trays and then transferring the resulting pesto cubes into small freezer bags. I tend to freeze 1/2 portions in small zip-style freezer bags, as with three kids, this is a manageable portion.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
September 8, 2009
Clouds in my coffee
It's a bittersweet thing, the first touch of autumn - especially when the days still feel so summery. Damn it! I still want to wear my white leather pumps and high-heeled Crocs -- I like to take my recycling out in my bare feet and not have to wear anything with sleeves!
Long distance loving?
Summer is my first love, my true love - that breathtakingly blue-eyed special someone I searched for and now that I've found that sweet somebody who is my ideal, I don't want to blink, breathe or move! Autumn, on the other hand, is like the loving older sister that makes you cookies and takes you for coffee when your heart's delight gets transferred to New Zealand or some other far off (and sunny) place!
Nourish your body; bolster your ego
Well, as low as you might feel as the days get shorter and your golden amour has less and less warmth to share with you, take care of your body and soul by eating well. Today I am sharing my healthy, energizing Thai Tuna Salad recipe with you - summer will come again and I am sure, once tried, you will enjoy this meal over and over again as well.
Thai Tuna Salad
1 can of chunk white tuna (120 g size), drained
2 Tbsp. full fat mayonnaise
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 cups shredded romaine or other favorite salad greens
crushed, dried chilies, to taste - a sprinkling will suffice
Optional-- a few salted cashews as a garnish
Place the tuna in a small bowl, break up with a fork and gently toss with oil and chilies. Rinse and dry the romaine, tearing it into bite-size chunks. Arrange the romaine in an individual salad bowl or on a medium-size plate. Top with tuna, then mayo and add a few cashews, if desired. Dig in!
Serves one
It's a bittersweet thing, the first touch of autumn - especially when the days still feel so summery. Damn it! I still want to wear my white leather pumps and high-heeled Crocs -- I like to take my recycling out in my bare feet and not have to wear anything with sleeves!
Long distance loving?
Summer is my first love, my true love - that breathtakingly blue-eyed special someone I searched for and now that I've found that sweet somebody who is my ideal, I don't want to blink, breathe or move! Autumn, on the other hand, is like the loving older sister that makes you cookies and takes you for coffee when your heart's delight gets transferred to New Zealand or some other far off (and sunny) place!
Nourish your body; bolster your ego
Well, as low as you might feel as the days get shorter and your golden amour has less and less warmth to share with you, take care of your body and soul by eating well. Today I am sharing my healthy, energizing Thai Tuna Salad recipe with you - summer will come again and I am sure, once tried, you will enjoy this meal over and over again as well.
Thai Tuna Salad
1 can of chunk white tuna (120 g size), drained
2 Tbsp. full fat mayonnaise
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 cups shredded romaine or other favorite salad greens
crushed, dried chilies, to taste - a sprinkling will suffice
Optional-- a few salted cashews as a garnish
Place the tuna in a small bowl, break up with a fork and gently toss with oil and chilies. Rinse and dry the romaine, tearing it into bite-size chunks. Arrange the romaine in an individual salad bowl or on a medium-size plate. Top with tuna, then mayo and add a few cashews, if desired. Dig in!
Serves one
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
