Hors D'oeuvres galore....

Avocado and Feta Salsa

This was probably the biggest hit at Jenny's Party. It was the biggest catering job I have done to date. A huge learning experience, and I loved doing it!


Avocado and Feta Salsa
Have a fork on hand to get the last of it- you won’t want any to go to waste!!

2 cloves of garlic – minced
2 Tbs (or more) of fresh parsley – chopped
1/2 tsp of oregano
1 Tbs of olive oil
2 Tbs red wine vinegar

2 plum tomatoes - chopped
1/4 cup of red onion – chopped (or more if using Vidalia)
4 oz crumbled feta
2 avocados – cut in chunks (put in last, right before serving, to avoid browning)

mix and serve with nacho chips and/or quartered, toasted pita pockets

Pizza Cookies

I made these cookies yesterday for an event at Eli's school. I thought they looked so cute! They were little sugar cookies. I spread strawberry jam on them when they were still warm, and then sprinkled them with shredded coconut. The toppings were little bits of dried apples and pieces of green fruit roll-ups. I thought they looked so cute! The whole plate of them together looked great. But...... when I brought them and put them down on the table, the school kids just kind of looked at them and moved toward other things. I asked one little girl what they were- she said little pizzas. I told her they were cookies, and she looked at me like I was nuts. I guess I made them look too real, as there were about 6 left and I had only brought about 20. Oh well. I liked them anyway.

grilling cheese

I have been having huge cravings for cheese lately. I am willing to try most cheeses, and I saw one at the store that intrigued me, as it was touted as the "grilling cheese of Cyprus". Halloumi was the name of it, made of sheep and goats milk. I brought it home, and got right to the business of preparing to indulge in my new cheese, eager to taste it. I tried a bit when I was cutting it- quite salty. The cheese was really firm, almost like cutting into a block of mozzarella.

I warmed a small iron frying pan with a touch of butter in it. The butter sizzled and I put in the slices of halloumi. While that was going on, I toasted some bread, and sliced some plum tomatoes. The cheese was holding together and not oozing and 'melting' but simply warming and starting to get a bit golden. With some patience (I was really eager), it took on a slight grilled look.

When it was finally looking a touch browned and hot, I lifted it from the pan and carefully placed the hot cheese ontop of the bread and tomatoes. I scattered some freshly chopped mint on top. It was gorgeous. As I bit into it, I knew I had found something so new and scrumptious, that I would need to have it again and again. The mint was just the right accent and the flavors worked so well together. Of course I made another one as soon as I finished the first. Yum. Great little lunch!

the violet yard

I have always loved violets and the way they blanket the lawn in the spring. I had no idea that violets would be my backyard one day, as they are now. Our yard apparently is completely unwilling to grow much grass, due to years of being exposed to the towering pines on our property. We tried liming the hell out of the yard. The ground merely swallowed that and smiled, promising to do nothing more. The smile from it, was our yard knowing that I have a way with letting things be what they are and appreciating them for what they are, and not always trying to put up a fight. It is what it is. I have a yard, that is happily green and growing, and blesses me with a mist of purple every spring. Following this cheerful show, it gets mowed, grows more and continues on this way until fall. We have a wonderful green backyard that feels good under happy bare feet. It just isn't grass. It is wild and free and happy to be violet.

I grew up in a large white house set far back from the road. We had an expansive front lawn, wonderfully grassy, that was perfect for all sorts of running around and games that I would play with my siblings. Every spring one special area of the lawn in the front of the house would take on a violet hue. A hue that is only known to those lawns lucky enough to have such a beautiful weed. This occaision would be later followed by the dreaded first pass of the lawnmower, the little blossoms not to be enjoyed again for an entire year.

One spring, my friend Sophie and I spent one entire morning carefully picking violets and tying them into little bunches. After lunch, we proceeded to work our way around the neighborhood, knocking on doors and innocently offering our little nosegays for $1 each. That being about 30 years ago, it was complete and utter highway robbery, which some of our surprised neighbors paid. I think we really only sold a few, and those few were to women who must have just felt obligated to support our industrious effort I think.

Now, somehow compulsively, I find myself every year picking a large bunch of the wonderfully hued violets and putting them obediently into a little vase to be a little splash of spring inside the house.

Half Birthdays

In our house, we celebrate the half birthdays too. Okay, actually only for the kids. (Can't imagine if I had to celebrate a 41 1/2 birthday! yikes!) I started it when Eli was 3. Somehow a whole year was just too darn long for him to wait. Add that to the fact that his birthday is in February and in the whole extended family there are tons of birthdays in late summer, and early fall. It just about killed him. So we set ground rules, as he is a huge 'precedent' kid.

For your half birthday you get:
1. 1/2 a cake
2. one candle
3. one balloon, you choose the color
4. one present (no party)
and if you are lucky:
mom will put up streamers and the b-day sign

So, last weekend we did Emmett's (overdue) half birthday. He is 4 1/2, but we hadn't had his 1/2 birthday, so every time someone asked me how old he was and I said "4 1/2" he would get upset and say "no, I haven't had my half birthday yet". So we had to do it before it got any more overdue (hey a month isn't too bad).
Now I'm not corrected when I say that Emmett is 4 1/2, and he even announces it too!

Vietnamese spring rolls

These spring rolls are wonderful, light and refreshing. A good mix of flavors, with shrimp, and bean sprouts, rice vermicelli noodles, scallions and a touch of mint, all wrapped in rice paper. Then you dip it in a sauce similar to hoisin. I finally figured out how to make these as I really love them!
I made a dozen last week for a picnic with some friends. The three of us take turns bringing lunch. We go to pick up our kids from school, where they have just had their lunch. Then we meet at either one of our houses, or a playground, and the three boys play while we get to have a 'grown-up' lunch and enjoy each other's company. We do it once a week, and have been at it for a few weeks now. It's good for the kids, and for the moms! As it was my week, I made these on a hot day that we would want something cold and easy to munch at the playground.

speed bumps

okay, so people drive really fast on our road, which is narrow and has no sidewalks and alot of people walk in our neighborhood. So, since we live in a little community that has an Association, they decided that the 3 speed bumps aren't enough, and that they should make them into speed 'humps' which are far more effective (hey, even I slow down for them!) and they added one right in front of our house.
People usually speed by on our dangerous blind curve. For the last 2 days, people actually slowed down. Yeah. Now today they come through and add more pavement and essentially make them so smoothed out that people now are again flying by, and not even tapping the brakes. What was the point?! Apparently the firemen said it was hard for the fire trucks to go over them. duh. so they smoothed them out 'a bit' without really even giving them a chance, or anyone else a say in it. so much for the association. I think I will join the board and voice my opinions.
---update- May 10: they increased the top of the hump and now it is just right. People slow down, and if they don't their car makes a fantastic 'whump' sound as they land on the other side. It can even be heard late at night when the air is still, and the skylight in my bedroom is open..... "whooosh, whump"..... hehehehehe. But generally people have slowed down alot on the road, and are finally taking the corner at a much safer speed!

spring cleaning

spring is here, according to the calendar... not the temperature. yesterday I took down some of the frames in the front hall to put in some newer photos. this has been loooong overdue. There were no photos up of our trip last spring that we took to europe. we took so many great photos and had such a good adventure there with the boys. I think I was putting it off partly because I wasn't sure which pictures to put in, then finally, yesterday I decided that was a stupid thing to be holding me back, wanting to make it just right, and that I should do something rather than stagnate about it. so I took down the biggest frame that had lots of photos from Vinalhaven, (there are 2 more frames with Vinalhaven photos in them too), and I just grabbed the stack of photos from the trip and chose a pretty good selection. It can be changed, but now I feel like I at least made progress and did my 2% in some direction. I also put the photo of Eli into a frame with his target that he shot a bull's eye with a crossbow, when we were in Prague. It looks great.

stinkin' cold

spring is not in the air. It's cold. we had a fire going in the fireplace all day yesterday, which was nice, but.....
I am so ready for some sunshine and warmth, even though I love winter and cold. I think I really just need the quick fix of a week in somewhere sunny and warm, and then I can get back to enjoying the cold here. The other day I was supposed to take emmett to swim at the pool with his friend. I was dreading going out in the cold and the thought of disrobing, even in a heated environment. I sucked it up, and went, as I knew it was good for emmett to get him going with swimming, since he was psyched to go with his best friend. We got there, got in, and ..... it was great! we got into the hot tub afterwards too. loved it. it warmed me to the core. I even thoroughly enjoyed seeing the flurries as we drove home!
next year I need to make sure to figure out a way to get a week in the warm sun in February or March.

good tunes, flye point

This morning I was listening to my favorite Friday morning radio show- on WWUH with Steve Theaker- he played a tune by Jonathan Edwards and I was immediately transported to last summer in Maine where I got to see Jonathan Edwards up close and personal at Flye Point Music Festival. Flye Point is about halfway up the coast of Maine and at the tip of a penninsula. It is a privately owned piece of property that has a large guesthouse on it: the Lookout- check out the aerial photos of it on this link!

We started in the morning and I helped park cars for a while with some friends until noon, then we jumped into the back of a pickup truck that took us down to our arranged free entrance into the festival. We walked down the lawn and could hear the music. It was a wonderful and casual atmosphere. There were several thousand people, vendors with great food, and some fun wares. It was windy and there were quite a few people flying brightly colored kites that were spectacular against the brilliant blue sky. It was such a great day, with tons of sunshine and one of the most heavenly views one can imagine. The stage was at the edge of the sea. We were all flocked around looking at the stage, and beyond across the ocean and at the many islands in the distance. The music was fabulous and I was there with my little Emmett who was having a great time dancing freely to the music. sunshine, great music, great view, and good company. loved it.

emmett's sweater!

Finally! some progress and gratification in finishing a project after all of that ripping out. and it is great, looks wonderful and is a cool sweater. It is machine washable wool. Emmett so far is not into wearing it despite the fact that he was completely involved in the creating of it, with color choice, pattern approval, etc.
He was willing to put it on just for one photo, but he doesn't seem to want to actually wear it. Which is okay, as it is a bit too big, and will fit wonderfully next fall/winter. He was eager to be out riding his bike, but it was warm enough that he didn't actually need a sweater, so he wanted it off right after I snapped the photo.
Now I will be on to making the one for me again, without the skein that was a different dye lot. In the meantime, I am looking for jobs somewhere other than here, as I really need a change and we could all use a new location!

ripping out....

okay, now I am going nuts since Emmett decided he wants a green sweater, despite the fact that I have just about finished the blue norwegian-ish sweater! which I had to rip the sleeve out once to make it smaller. Now, all I needed to do was some finish work, and also the collar. When I tried it on him, he said, " I want a green sweater, mommy." I asked him if he will wear this one, and he said no. aaaaaaarrrrrrrrggggghhhhhhh!


so, I searched for an simple pattern that I would like, and finally found a great one. It is a Debbie Bliss one from a book called Junior Knits, and the pattern is called Woody. It is great. So then I had Emmett with me the other day in a craft store, and he found a green yarn he liked. It's acrylic and I figured at $2.17 a skein (and I'd only need 2 of them) it would be okay. SO I started knitting it, but the gauge was way off, so rip it out and start again. Then he changes his mind about which green (I had bought 2 shades). So I start again (but bagged ripping it out this time). SO I start a third time, and figure I will do it a little different at the bottom since it curled last time. Now I am about 6" into it, and it is still curling, and I think it is from the cheap yarn. again: aaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhhh!
(post note- see finished sweater done in beautiful washable wool here...)

So, I put it down and decided to work on the wonderful one for myself with the marled blue-ish green yarn. I am doing a pattern from the new Interweave Knits, and it is a ridged turtleneck sweater. I started it but didn't have enough of the right color, so I was knitting it with a stripe of yellowish yarn in it to compensate for too little of the great color. Then I ripped it out as I found more of the yarn I need and really only want to tip the edge, and not have a big stripe.... and because I found that in my eagerness to start it I only used half of the stitches I needed to make it in the round. So, I started again. but only because I knew that in the end I would be glad I did, and have something that I really like and enjoy wearing.

Okay, so rip it out I did, and then got most of the way done with the body, before realizing that one of the skeins that I used (obviously the one without a label on it) was a different dye lot. You can see the wide stripe from it. So...... now I will yet again be ripping it out. What I did find was that it fits great, and I love the pattern. But since I need to feel like I am getting somewhere, I may start on the sleeves next before ripping this out, and also knit them both on the needle at once so they are really the same.
But not sure, I think I need a break for a little bit. I know knitting is therapy, and I have needed it...... but how much therapy can I take without something to show for it?!

knitting now.....

this is the poncho I was knitting for my friend Stef-

it was huge!! it is knit from the top down, and just goes around and around, so if it weren't for some color changes with the funky yarn she chose, I would have been bored to tears, especially at the end when it got to be more than 700 stitches in each round! yikes!
but.... it got me inspired to knit again, so now I need to do more.

I bought some great yarn at the local knitting shop and need to make something comfy with it. I had bought the wool to knit some "cuffs" but decided that I liked it too much for just little cuffs, and needed a whole sweater out of it.
here is the yarn- beautiful soft "renaissance" by classic Elite yarns. I chose a pattern from the new Interweave Press. It is a turtleneck that I need to amend a bit to make it be what I really want. Psyched to start it but still have another project that I should finish first. we'll see.

Off for the Summer

This summer brings new adventure, as I will be in Maine as a director of a small day camp. I will be living with friends in Brooksville (near Blue Hill, and Deer Isle), and the boys will be with me there.

I will write more about this as the summer goes on, but for now I will be brief. I have many things to share, and I am trying to figure out how to attach my database file of recipes, so that the entire collection will be available online.

I am still doing my haiTea business, although, on a limited scale at the moment, as there are issues that need to be resolved with it. It requires attention that I don't have at the moment to give to it.

I am looking forward to being in Maine,and in camp. I always have loved being in Maine, and also being at camp- being a part of a group and around alot of children and creative youthful energy on a daily basis. So I am looking toward this summer to feed my soul a bit.

all for now-

Lindsey