Dinner at 8

Last night we had dinner with friends. Mood lighting made it hard to snap pictures.

Pasta with two sauces.

Fish cakes, salad and carrots with sesame.

Green tea and strawberry cobbler with cream for dessert.

I made a paperbag friendship book as a gift for the hostess. So easy to put together with scraps of paper, simple images, photos and quotations. The crocheted dishcloth underneath along with a candle and oatmeal raisin cookies accompanied the little book.

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. ~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti, My Own Story

Hope you are having a fabulous Friday! Friendship blessings, Tammy

What's Cooking?

Good morning! I hope your Thursday is off to a great start!

There has been a whole lot of baking and crocheting and cooking going on around here. Banana muffins with cream cheese for breakfast.

Lemony Chickpea Stew for lunch. This is the first time I tried this recipe. I seem to have a thing for chickpeas and spinach at the moment.

Saute 4 cloves of garlic in olive oil. Add one can of chickpeas, one can of diced tomatoes, 1/2 cup of vege broth and one small box of frozen spinach. Season with pepper, a dash of red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, zest and juice of 1/2 a large lemon. Cook til spinach is heated through. Serve over brown rice.

I get lots of comments about the fact that I cook and bake in the heat we have around here. The thing is, we live with air conditioning at least 10 months out of the year so I would have to convert to a raw food diet if I didn't cook or bake.

There is something so comforting about a homecooked meal. I make soup year round, even on a hot day.

It is currently a whopping 113 degrees out there and our low tonight will be 91. These guys continue to stop by for refreshment.



And a bite to eat. Whatever is in there, they like it!

Have a terrific day! Friendship blessings, Tammy

Inspired by Others

I had cherries.

I had mangoes.

So I made cherry mango crepes after seeing this post here.

I've never made crepes so they came out a bit thick but it was still a sweet afternoon treat that the kids and I enjoyed. They even said they'd like them for breakfast. The good thing is, crepes can be stored in the fridge for a day or frozen and heated when needed.

Yesterday, after visiting Bluebird Notes and seeing Koralee's post on Out of this World Cookie Bars, I had an urgent need to bake. Although I didn't have the ingredients called for in her recipe, I did have everything for oatmeal raisin cookies. Yum! Some have been packed in a recycled container ready to take to a friend tomorrow night.

The Around a Square Doily is now complete. I don't use cotton thread but a thin cotton so it came out bigger and more ruffly than Glor's did.

And , after a bit of a blog break, my cousin is back. She's the one who got me to blogging in the first place. You can visit her at Gwenny's Way.

Welcome back Chickadee! Hope you are all having a wonderful Wednesday. Friendship blessings, Tammy

Tea on Tuesday

While I am working up an Around a Square Doily posted by Glor at Crochet Galore and having lemon iced tea ...

Jingles is gazing out the window ...

at these two little mourning doves.

They were primping ....

resting ...

eating...

and basically driving her crazy!

And then there were three.

This is the first time I've seen doves actually hang out on the balcony for any length of time. They are certainly keeping Jingles busy!

For more tea participants go to Kimmie's place at Art in Red Wagons and have a terrific Tuesday! Friendship blessings, Tammy

What's On Your Plate?

I picked up this handpainted Moroccan plate during our shopping trip the other day. Love the colors and the simple design. It now sits on my dining room table which is cleared off for once.

Tried a new recipe the other day that I jotted down while watching a cooking show last week. There are many different versions out there but this one is so simple. Even though no one else in my house will eat it, I will definitely make it again for myself.

Chana Saag (or Chickpeas and Spinach)

Cook one bag of spinach separately. Saute two small chopped onions in olive oil til translucent. Add 1 TBS curry powder, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp cloves and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper. Stir til fragrant. Mix in spinach, one cup of plain yogurt and 1/4 cup or so of cooking cream. Stir well, heat through, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with Indian bread or rice.

Started this book last summer and never finished it so I think it is time to pick it back up again.

Hope your week gets off to a great start. Friendship blessings, Tammy

Babas and Babies and Bears, Oh My!

Baba means father in Arabic. Happy Father's Day to all the men in your life.

I don't know why I spent so much time cleaning yesterday. It is a very blustery and dusty day here.

I was finally able to deliver the granny stripe to my friend Elena who had her baby on May 29th. Welcome to the world little Jana.

I crocheted this little bear doily some time back. It was supposed to have a fancy border, but I couldn't figure it out so just finished it off the best I could. I think it will make a nice baby gift framed on a solid colored mat.

Hope the weather is better where you are. Have a fabulous day! Friendship blessings, Tammy

Benihana's and Bowls

It's 111 degrees with light haze (that means dust around here).

After two days in pajamas, it was time to head out into the real world.

So off we went to Benihana's for lunch.

A chef prepares your dishes at the table, performs tricks and tells jokes. They are famous for their onion volcanoes.

Afterwards a quick trip to True Value for spray paint where I was surprised to find a whole section of Moroccan pottery. I bought this pretty bowl for a friend and will gift it tonight along with the green doily I made some time back.

Back home, it was time for a bowl of apple cranberry crisp served with a dollop of ice cream and coconut spiced chai. Delicious!

Hope you are having a fabulous Friday! Friendship blessings, Tammy

Moonbeams and Simple Things

Did you see the partial lunar eclipse last night? I used my husband's Canon PowerShot SX30 to take this photo. My little digital just makes moon shots look like a blob in the sky.

The boys and I are in full summer vacation mode, staying up late and sleeping in. It's so nice to have time to enjoy the simple things.

Bird watching.

Trying out a basketweave dishcloth pattern.

And cooking. Cornbread goes great with a yummy bean salad.

Mix together 1/3 cup of olive oil, 2/3 cup of vinegar, 6 TBS of sugar, 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Combine 4 cans of any kinda beans you like along with one small purple onion and one small green pepper chopped. Toss with the dressing and refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Hope you have a terrific Thursday! Friendship blessings, Tammy

Wednesday Wishes, Watermelons and Weather

Wow! I can't believe it is the middle of June already.

Today is my first official day of summer vacation. The weather is blustery and dusty and 102 degrees but I can always count on my moss roses to greet me each day.

I keep thinking I hear Sweet Kitty at the door. She came every morning at 6 am and every evening for a spoonful of canned food and a bit of dried food. I have to remind myself that she's no longer here. Does Jingles wonder why her outside friend hasn't been coming around?

A few weeks ago Marilyn at Room on the Left and Kate at The Garden Bell, both posted their version of crocheted watermelons after being inspired by an image found in Martha Stewart Living. I was finally able to try my hand at one today. Doily or dishcloth? Not sure. I just used up whatever leftover yarn I had sitting around and tied in the seeds.

Think I will have to try a few more until I get them just right.

Til then, I'll just have a nice, cool snack. Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday. Friendship blessings, Tammy

Tea on Tuesday

Jingle's face reflects what I am feeling at the moment. As of 2:00 pm this afternoon, my summer holiday began. Bliss!

While at Marks & Spencer's gourmet food shop the other day,

I picked up Lemon, Ginseng & Ginger tea ...

to go along with Stem Ginger Shortbread Thins.

Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future. ~Thich Nat Hahn

Visit Kimmie at Art in Red Wagons for more tea. Have a great day! Friendship blessings, Tammy