Saturday, June 20, 2015

the way of things :: gazpacho :: sidebars

family and food
things that certainly
connect us all



good eats
good times
and
funny sidebars
that make your family
uniquely yours
and
well...
mine
mine.

here's a scenario that just might
ring a bell of
familiarity

arriving home
after a full day at work
a grumbling stomach
and an empty fridge greet you
sure
you could opt for carry-out
but
if you're anything like me
(sorry if this is the case)
you begin doing the math
breaking down the upcoming purchase
in terms of hourly rate
thinking
is it worth 3 hours of my work day?

like magic
the pantry and nature
speak to you

canned tomatoes
fresh parsley


onion
cucumber
boys who are willing to run to the store
for the missing ingredient
low sodium V8


armed with an idea
and
technology 
i begin the search for
the best vegan gazpacho soup recipe

funny thing
every time i google a recipe
i put "the best" in front of it
a little tip that hasn't failed me yet
:)


taking me to 
oh she glows

toss all the gathered stuff
in the blender
and pop it in the frig to get cold
perfect
on a hot humid day

quick sidebar
in an attempt to save money
to get the family off the couch
and use that pool
i've declared this to be
(they love when i do this)
a summer without air-conditioning
except in extreme conditions
 (i needed an out clause!)
hence
fans
cool showers
gazpacho!

don't know why i poured it all
into a soup pot first
maybe to encourage my gazpacho virgins
to think soup
not 
salsa

to think meal
not appetizer

tell me
has anything like this ever happened to you?

as i was pouring the mix into the pot
holding the ninja spout open 
i heard a crack
and the two little plastic hinges
holding the little lid in place
popped free
and broke off


i could only locate one
leaving me to think #2
was in the soup

great

"chew carefully"
the savings i made wasn't worth
the cost of
future dental work

but good news
i stepped on it as i was getting
mug #2
cuz it really is the best
and told all to
eat free of fear

now normally 
i'd end my post here with a cute
anecdote
but 
this family of mine
keeps me laughing and i need to share the jokes

i love this one
maybe you've heard it


i can't tell you how many mornings
i wake to this view
somehow
some way
the boys in my life believe
this means dishes are done
i guess it's
the soak that counts
the almost but not quite since the 
water is now cold and the stuff has re-attached itself
requiring a second hot water soak

hmmm...
what up with that
???

then there's
 breakfast pancakes
i've heard there are those
who make one big cake with what's left
in the mixing bowl

not me
i'm onto them

them being my guys


with my gang it's the count
that counts
one is one
and two is
two
i.e.,
one more than one

one more to
mentally
fill 'em up


they keep me laughing

i keep them guessing

it's the perfect
pairing

gotta love it
;)


BTW...i'm loving Stephanie Tourles Creamy Cocoa Butter Lotion for Face and Body discussed in the next post...keep reading and google it if interested in finding the recipe. It's available on the web...gotta love that too :)

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

orange creamsicle body lotion


a rich vanilla cream
blended with
sweet orange
served in a cardboard cylinder
that once warmed
pushes up easily
while you savor each delicious
 lick


yeah
like that
only
the scent takes you there
without any of the 
guilt
calories
flavor


following one of my favorite
Stephanie Tourles 
body care recipes
and this time
exactly as written
almost
I did used olive oil instead of almond oil
other than that
to the tee


last time i used a 
nice blend of
vanilla and lavender
which was very nice
but for summer
"orangesicle"
fits the bill


so 
after gathering all the 
necessary ingredients
and borrowing a few
I turned my kitchen into an
esthetician's playground
measuring
melting
combining
and finally
pouring the light face and body moisturizer
into canning jars
and sampling the product
as i went along


enough to wrap myself
in creamsicle goodness
all 
summer long


plus a little extra
for gifting
as a thank you
for sharing needed supplies
to make it happen

yep
that's what i did today

now
for that
 push-up...