Open Sesame

 Tahini (sesame paste) is a staple in Middle Eastern cuisine.  It's one of the main ingredients in hummus (along with chickpeas) but can be used in so many different ways.

Sesame is high in phosphorus and manganese, which is good for bone health; is rich in antioxidants, has anti-inflammatory properties, and is a healthy fat containing a variety of vitamins and minerals.

I like to make vegan pancakes and store them in the freezer.   It's easy to take one or two out to pop in the toaster in the morning for breakfast.

During lockdown, I ran out of maple syrup so started putting tahini and powdered sugar on my pancakes and that's pretty much how I enjoy eating them all the time now.

For the pancakes I put 1/4 a cup of oatmeal in the blender along with a cup of water, 1 TBS coconut sugar, 1 TBS sunflower oil, a dash of vanilla and a good sprinkling of cinnamon which I blend for about 30 seconds; then add to 1 cup of wheat flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp baking powder.  Mix and cook in a heated, dry pan.

I also like to make a salad dressing with tahini and serve it over romaine, tomatoes, onions and roasted potatoes.  (For the dressing I mix a TBS of tahini with lemon juice, s&p, cumin powder, garlic powder and water til I get a creamy, pourable consistency.)

The containers the paste comes in are a nice, thick plastic and since there's no recycling here, I've been saving some of them which I recently used for planting coriander seeds.The sprouts really started to grow after our first rainfall.

(I love when the seed shell still clings to the sprout as it grows.)  

The sprouts could be eaten now but I prefer to wait for the final stage of growth which is cilantro.

I like making a salad of chopped tomato, onions, cucumber, cilantro and chickpeas dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, s&p, cumin and garlic powder.  It goes really well with spicy toasted pita chips.

(It's close to my bedtime now so I really have to stop talking about food. :)

Have a fabulous Friday!

Bee kind!

Reap What You Sow

 Hello again!

Another gray day here in the desert.  Although winter time is our rainy season, we never know exactly how much we will get from one year to the next.  This year definitely seems like it is going to be a wet one.

In addition to feeding cats on my daily walks, I also wind up picking up garbage.  I can't stand to see litter all over the place so when I find an empty plastic bag laying around, I'll pick it up, fill it up and then find the nearest trash can.  A little each day lets me feel that I'm at least doing my part to leave a space better than I found it.  Wet trash sure is a mess to clean up, though.

The kitty in the picture is Stella.  She lives by the park and found me sometime around June so I've been feeding her ever since.  She's obviously found a dry place to hide because I never find her wet after the storms.  Every time I think I should grab her and get her spade, I realize she's pregnant again.

Thought I'd share with you my journey of joy with planting seeds from a store-bought cantaloupe in June.

Sprouting happened pretty quickly and the vine surprisingly grew and flowered a lot over the summer.  But it wasn't until the weather started to cool off and the bees returned that the magic really began.

This is my first time growing cantaloupe and I'm doing it in a big pot on my balcony, so it's pretty exciting to see the process.

There's three at different stages of ripening now.  I sure hope they like all the rain they're getting.  Even if for some reason we never get to eat them, just watching the whole growing process has been a joyful thing to witness.

Happy Thursday!

In Between the Rain

 Managed to get out for a late morning walk in between rain showers.

I try to check on the neighborhood kitties that I feed at least once a day; and sometimes spend a little time with the ones that want love as much as (or more than) food.

A peek of blue sky and the sun came out.

I saw ducks waddling along, a cat & chicken sharing food and sunflowers in bloom.

Shortly after I got back home, it started raining again.

Made myself a bowl of garlicky mashed potatoes and roasted brussel sprouts for lunch (couldn't even force myself to swallow them as a kid, but now I love them).

Hope all is well where you are.

Sending a little love your way.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Daily December

 Hello Friends!

Here we are again, welcoming a new month -- the last month of this very chaotic and challenging year.

I hope you are well.

For the first time since July, I had a friend come to visit (only my second time to see anyone since all this corona craziness started in March).  My friend, Aruna, is the one I used to have weekly art dates with and unfortunately she will be leaving Kuwait for good at the end of February.  Today she brought me this handpainted wood piece (along with some other gifts).  I will definitely be very sad to see her go.

February 15th was our last crafty meet-up with Kuwait Crafters and we are all missing the companionship and inspiration shared by the group.

It's been raining here a lot the past several days.  I bought yarn for the first time since last year and started a traditional granny square blanket.

The rhythm of going round and round is like a meditation.

I also finally made this cute little granny square cat, a pattern that I saved from an Instagram post in January of 2019.

This is Tiggy, one of the cats I feed on my daily walks. He is the sweetest, but loves to walk between my legs the entire length of the street, so instead of a few minutes get to the end of the block, it takes me 10-15 minutes.  Someone mentioned he looks like a Maine Coon.  So many cats are being abandoned now which is very overwhelming, disheartening and maddening to see.

You may have noticed that the title of this post is Daily December. I've been such a bad blogger this year, I decided that blogging every day this month might be a very good thing to aim for.

Thanks for stopping by.

Take care!

Happy December!

Monday Morning Walk

 Coffee is the best Monday motivation.

Yesterday I dropped a stack of large tiles on my right foot and man oh man did it hurt!

Although one of my toes is a bit swollen and has turned many different colors, I'm still able to put on my tennie shoes and for that I'm thankful.

It was a beautiful day for wandering and leaving little surprises along the walking path.

I decided to cross the highway via the pedestrian bridge to explore a different neighborhood.

Always love finding buildings depicting Kuwait's seafaring past and traditional architecture.

And I'm always grateful when we have mild weather, blue skies and sunshine.

Have a good Monday!

Hello November!

New month! New beginnings!

Hello friends!  How are you?

Not gonna lie, there's been moments this past week when the shedding of some tears was absolutely necessary.  There's a lot going on, and I'm sure all of us, on some level, are feeling like our lives are in limbo.

Friends in the UK are about to go back into a 30-day lockdown because of the surge in cases of covid19.  Weeks back the government here was considering implementing a curfew again but then decided against it.

Anxiety, sadness and a bit of depression sometimes creeps in and I have to give myself a pep talk.  There is so much suffering and I really have to remember to be grateful each and every day.

I am happy and very thankful that the weather is cooling off and just keeps getting better with each passing day.  My walks are once again pleasurable and very much needed for mind, body and soul.

Despite all the uncertainty and chaos, we gotta keep moving, growing, changing, adapting, creating, appreciating and spreading love.

Stay safe everyone!

Sunday blessings,

Sunday Saunter

Hello everyone! 

I'm happy to report that I am currently clicking away on a wireless keyboard.

Although the computer repair shop we normally go to still hasn't re-opened, one of the technicians was able to come to our house yesterday.  He wasn't able to find a keyboard replacement in the market, so for now, I am wireless; and if I'd known how inexpensive it was to be so, I would have gotten one of these weeks ago.

I'm also happy to report that full on walking weather is back, with daytime temperatures below 100 F and nights dropping into the 70's.  Woohoo!  That makes me very happy indeed.

Last night I did a little cross-stitch of some bees so took it along with me for a photoshoot.

The bees are loving the lantana right now.

It's always a lovely time of year when the weather is mild and color is returning to gardens.

I found a curtain ring while wandering so brought it home and transformed it with cross-stitch and crochet. Even the ribbon is recycled.

Well, it's late and our internet is going super slow so this post is taking longer than expected.

I'll leave you with a little love.

Have a blessed day!