Caprese Stackers

Thanks to Dad who got us some of the earliest locally grown tomatoes of the season! I couldn't just put their tasty loveliness with a salad so decided to feature them with our garden basil pesto and a little left over mozzarella. I topped them with a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Pita chips were nice on the side and I steamed some broccoli too.

Sunny Pâté

Using a small Ninja Prep I made a vegan Sunny Pâté. I pulsed together a cup of sunflower seeds, a half a can each of pitted black olives and water packed artichoke hearts with about 1/3 cup fresh garden herbs and the juice of 1/2 a lemon.

I folded in 10 chopped cherry tomatoes to vary the texture and color. It has a really sunny and bright flavor. The only thing I might add is a little olive oil, the 'chokes and black olives added enough salt by themselves.

Sunny Treats!

Happy Summer Solstice/ Litha to you all! To stay with the sunny theme I have made some broiled corn tortillas with oilive oil and a sprinkling of garlic powder and salt to go with a chilled soup for lunch.

The one looks like it has a sun spot!

Irish Vegetable Soup

The Perfect Meal

The weather forced us to slightly alter our plans this Thanksgiving day. Freezing rain and sleet made us begrudgingly punt on running in our first Turkey Trot this morning.

We knew the weather might have an impact even last evening as we shopped for a few groceries. No, we didn't stock up on bread and milk but bought a single TastyKake Pumpkin Pie to split today with what ever meal we pulled together.

We didn't have the scent of hot turkey fat to wake up to like I can remember 40 years ago. As Jim decorated our indoor Norfolk Island Pines, thus dubbing them our our Yule Trees for the year, I threw together a lunch of left overs.

Left over Tofurky sandwich slices on some seeded rye with a healthy pile of mixed greens, a few wedges of tomato, a dollop of spiced butternut squash, perfect avocado slices and the condiments of Vegenaise® and a cranberry apple chutney made the most perfect Thanksgiving meal.

No, I fibbed. What made it perfect was the company. We weren't surrounded by every member of our loving family but Jim and I had each other. We munched a Dagwood sized sandwich and smiled as we did the best we could to make the holiday feel festive. I am thankful for Jim's heart that lifts me on the gray and gloomy days. Redefining each stage of life is a challenge but with him I am up to it.This is a similar sandwich, the real one disappeared before I got it photographed.

The Grange Fair (Centre Co. Burning Man)

Throngs of individuals are drawn together annually in Centre Hall not so much for creative expression but still one last hurrah of summer. Rather than make the trip to The Burning Man this year, we opted for a local venue.

Just like @ Burning Man, there are many creative dwellings. Some reflect the starry skies, each show individual personalities.

Walking down the esplanade mixing in anonymously is a little more challenging for some.

Merchants show off their wares.

Deities and religious icons make regular appearances.

A large variety of food vendors .

Even drugs of all kinds, be wise and wary.

This charming couple chose wisely, no deep fried cookies on a stick for them.

Plenty of things to bring a genuine smile...

...again and again.

Innovative transportation to inspire you to take the experience home with you and carry you through out the rest of the year.

Entr'acte

A lot happened in the short time between my burning the bogus CD and the point where I was confronted with dancing my Holiday Shindy. RGBisMe and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary first (the evening before) with Angrist & feralgyrl with a lovely evening catching up, being abundantly gifted and a nice meal at a local restaurant.

We then spent the next day with Asrai and Ravenboy. Asrai and Ravenboy opened their home to us. They showered us with love, gifts and an amazing meal. They made an amazing Shepherd's Pie (vegetarian of course) and a British Pudding. Both were so amazing and yummy. It was a perfect visit on a day that was very special to us.

One of the most exciting gifts they shared with us was a package of Miracle Fruit Tablets. The miracle fruit, Synsepalum dulcificum, produces berries that, when eaten, cause sour foods (such as lemons and limes) to taste uncharacteristically sweet.

We put a whole feast of sour and bitter foods together to try out these crazy tablets. We prepped lemons, grapefruit, cranberries, and limes. We poured a very tart wine to go with our mustard, sauerkraut, pickled beets, pickled dill beans, pickled hot cauliflower and pickled garlic.

The effect that dissolving these little tablets on your tongue has to be experienced to be believed. Having a spread of very sour things to sample was a great idea. I think each person might have their own personal favorites but the four of us all agreed that the limes were incredible! I also loved cranberries dipped in mustard.

Our anniversary and winter solstice celebrations were so much fun and I am glad to share them.

Home Grown Pad Thai

Ingredients I grew to use in our Pad Thai lunch.