camera catch-up

even though

i am blogging sporadically

at best

the intention is always there

and the camera proves it

the pictures it holds

aren't of family splashing in the pool

no...not those

i am firmly footed 

in the moment

and for me

the lens distracts

much like those stupid

smart phones

(but that's another post entirely

ha! yeah, right!)

no.

the pictures in my camera

tell a story

or rather an intended story

of an outdoor concert

that found all those who braved the conditions

donning colorful tent-like ponchos

and even bigger smiles

that's not a flash

just as i got the shot

the stage lights

lit my gang up like that deer

in the headlights

there are rainy day fashion pics

that i wanted to share here

like a 

what to wear to an outdoor concert when it rains 

post

oh

it was going to be so good

another day

another time

some day 

in the future

when i am reminiscent

i can see myself sifting through

the many pictures wondering 

who half the people are

i have no idea

but they sure know how to dress

in the rain

moving forward

or rather scrolling forward

so many pictures

so little space...

i may have mentioned

our home is

an air-condition free environment

doors and windows are 

wide open

sounds of life

fill my space

and a finished pool deck

beckons

really 

lovin'

it

between the raindrops

this past weekend

was very nice

and allowed me to 

finally!

get the outdoor furniture

out of storage

and i declared it officially summer

about that rain...

not weed

citronella

to combat that dreaded

MI State bird...

the mosquito.

the plants are

happy 

with it

this has been an amazing

year for the

butterfly

and they are loving my milkweed

from weed to cupboard...

this was going to be a post

about

removing the gunk

that accumulates

and in the humid weather

almost grabs hold of you

as you try to open the

cupboard

air-conditioning

my old friend

you are dearly missed

tried goo gone

the rag says win

but the continued stickiness said

lose

googled this recipe

a homeopathic remedy

blending oil with baking soda

and elbow grease

maybe too much so

the after

after i gave it a spray of windex

to polish it it off?!

where was that smart phone when i needed it?

yeah i successfully

stripped the varnish off

and stained them windex blue

not cool

adding paint cupboards to the

to-do list

what's next?

ping pong

stands at the ready

on our driveway

you know you're a redneck when...

grabbing fun whenever 

the sun makes its brief 

appearance

our badminton court

with painted boundary lines

because

we are a competitive group

had to start serious training 

when my sister told me

her husband

my greatest rival

has been practicing

yep

we (ha!)

are a competitive group ;)

i think that just about

does it

we are all caught up

hopefully i will be back before

august

until then

my camera will

be there to

hold the story

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 :)

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...

breakfast pudding

life is short
eat dessert first

first thing in the morning

Overnight Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

@minimalist baker

it's like gazpacho's answer to

minestrone

when cold sounds better

than warm

your brain will be like

what...

chocolate

creamy

pudding

for breakfast!?

all while knowing

its loaded with good stuff

plus it's

naturally sweetened

you could top it off

with

granola

berries

whipped topping...

or

have it 

straight-up

a delicious twist

on yogurt

better yet

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

is

Summers answer 

to

Coco Wheats.

Life is short...

eat dessert

for breakfast.

backyard forager :: part 2 :: preparing your finds

i owe a debt of

gratitude

to the great italian men

who i work with

talk with

philosophize with

we discuss

literally

everything

nothing seems off-limits

when lunch time finds us

gathered around the cutting table

sharing

talking

encouraging

this time

their wacky sewing machine operator

to eat those dandelion leaves

that are so 

plentiful in her yard

 stories unfold of

their mama  

who

had the family pick leaves

from around the shop

to be added to soups

sautes

salads

for their cherished tender bitterness

much like cicoria 

from her homeland

not found here in the states

dandelion greens

make a good substitute

washed thoroughly

with salted water

rinsed

and washed 

again

and 

again

just to be safe

left to air dry

then

rolled in a clean towel

and stored in the crisper

until ready to use

two days later

and still looking 

just picked

i followed a recipe

at epicurios

for sauteing the greens

reducing the ingredients since 

i didn't have the 3 pounds of leaves

called for

sounds like a lot

but

they reduce down

 substantially

as any good green will do

olive oil

garlic

red pepper

sea salt

pepper

blanched the leaves

briefly

for about 3 minutes

drained well 

then

tossed all in the frying pan

gave it a splash

of fresh lemon

(another tip i learned from the guys)

just before serving

took a taste

first impression 

fabulous

then the after bite

of bitterness followed

taking me off guard

pretty strong

even though i used tender 

young leaves

but saved the day with the main

dish

which paired perfectly 

with the bitter leaf

Colin Byrne's Spicy Pasta

(google it...you'll want this one)

Who's Colin Byrne?

A character from a Susan Elizabeth Phillip's 

novel 

Ain't She Sweet

(because life's too short to read depressing books)

who enjoys his pasta with a kick

so do i

but

not quite as hot as he does

so i used only 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

then topped with feta

and

kalamata olives

delizioso

alongside 

sauteed dandelion greens

perfetto!

go ahead...

eat your greens!

:)

backyard forager :: dandelion leaves

the conditions were 

right

the timing

perfect

the sun

shining bright

who could ask for more

living on an acre

and a half

has its challenges

and 

its rewards

i learned early on

that this family of mine

loves to play 

outdoors

and they don't take it easy on the yard

biking

quading

badminton competing
croquet playing

Frisbee throwing

ball catching

dog chasing

it sees a lot of action

a pristine 

immaculate

plush manicured lawn

is a thing

found only in glossy magazines

or a drive through

a nearby subdivision

where each yard is a beautiful

shade of emerald

pulling in my drive

i see another type of beauty

in the

"weeds"

weeds that tolerate the hot

August heat

keep their nice shade of khaki
intermingled with
bright green crab grass
beautifully self-maintained

without the constant watering

feeding

or treating with

-cides

necessary to keep the green

all that to say

my yard is 

au naturale

like me!

i've trained my brain to think of

the dandelion 

as a flower from heaven

my yard

God's flower bed

planting where He thinks best
and

who am i to disagree

God don't make mistakes

is there any sweeter 

mother's day gift

than a hand-picked bouquet

of dandelions

held by dirty, chubby little fingers

presented with

a big smile
and love-filled eyes

i think
not

this year 

i turned my attention

to their leaves

i watch enough survivor shows

to be dangerous

and now

after a little research

i know
i could live on these
delicacies

when to pick:

before the bloom

when leaves are tender

where to pick:

where dandelions

prosper

what not to pick:

roadside

chemically treated areas

doggie dumping grounds

in other words

i need go no further

than my 

own backyard

(as well as front and side)

while dodging the dog kennel

with that
common sense approach
i went about the business

i hope you
enjoyed this
garden tour

as i went about a little

backyard foraging



stop back for
part 2
when i put these
garden greens
to good use

God bless the dandelion
manna from heaven

:)

what does your 

garden hold?