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Life happenings need my attention at present, so will be back as soon as time permits. Wishing all readers happiness and health.

Gazpacho and Caprese Salad

One of my favorite summer things to eat is gazpacho; it's easy, healthy, and cool. I recently discovered a great salad idea at a local Italian restaurant too, so I'm including my version of that below, along with the recipe for gazpacho.

Gazpacho

3 lbs. tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 bell pepper
1 jalapeno pepper
bunch of basil or coriander
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. olive oil (or more if you desire)
juice of two fresh lemons
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 can V8 tomato juice (optional)
I also like to add curry powder (inspired by my hubby) and hot red pepper flakes, totally optional

Just food process everything except the celery together, the celery is better left in chunks then added to the food processed soup. Adjust ingredients to suit your taste. We also like to throw in avocado chunks to the finished soup. Great accompanied with sprouted bread toast.

Caprese Salad - 1 serving

1 head romaine salad
1 regular or 2 plum tomatoes, nice and ripe
roasted red peppers
fresh mozzarella cheese
fresh basil
olive oil and balsamic vinegar, or a nice Italian dressing

I use one head of salad per serving. Chop up the lettuce, slice the tomatoes then slice them in half, cut enough strips of roasted red pepper to cover the salad plate, cut half a round of fresh mozzarella in to chunks, and chop the basil into easily eaten strips.

Put the salad on a plate, then decorate it with all the other ingredients. Put dressing on to taste.

Some Foods of the Middle East

We like food. We like GOOD food. We feel very fortunate to have discovered in Allentown, PA, a Syrian presence along with ethnic Syrian restaurants rife with absolutely out of this world offerings for the most discerning palate. Take a look at the Damascus Restaurant web site for a sample of what is available, here. If you've never eaten Middle Eastern food, this restaurant is the place to start, it's ALL good! I've taken the liberty of snapping some shots of our latest dining experience at Damascus, and I hope if/when you are ever in the area, you are able to stop in to enjoy same.

Babaghannouj
Smoked eggplant dip blended with lemon juice, garlic & sesame paste. (rear plate)
Labnie
Yogurt spread. This is home made yogurt, best I've ever tasted.  (plate in foreground) I meant to get a shot of the appetizers before we started, forgot, and almost missed even getting these!!!! It is THAT good!!!

 Lovely olives

 Stuffed grape leaves

Tabouli
Chopped parsley, onions and tomatoes mixed with bulgar wheat, oil, lemon juice and spices

 Lovely fresh garden salad with each entre

 Know why this is their slogan? Because it's true!

Lamb Supreme
Cubes of lamb, mushrooms, green peppers, onions cooked with our special spices.

Moussaka
Spears of eggplant topped with chick peas and onions, baked in tomato sauce.

Kafta Kabob
2 skewers of ground beef mixed with parsley & onions and topped with fresh tomatoes and tahini sauce.

Falafel
Ground chick peas, combined with fresh damascus spices, deep fried & topped with tahini sauce, tomatoes, parsley and lettuce.

Flours for Mother's Day

Being with people who think outside the box is always an adventure. On Mother's Day this year, I came downstairs to a bunch of flours, with a note from son J telling me he wanted to get me a classic Mother's Day gift. Classic it was!! As I looked around, I realized he had cleaned everything up as well, which, for me, was the best gift ever, as we had spent the previous day in NYC, got home late, and the house was a mess.

More treats awaited me...
 

 Hand mades and licorice drops from T&C

Below are some other flowers I am appreciating, and at the same time wishing I could send their lovely odors through the blog post, there is nothing quite like walking outside and being enveloped in the scent of lilacs and peonies : )







 

 

 

 

 

Earth and Her Gifts

It's been a bit longer than I had intended, but Mother Earth was calling, and I could not ignore her. Digging in the dirt is one of my favorite things to do.

Here are some thought provoking links:

Our friend EJ posted this on Facebook, definitely worth the 20 minutes it takes to watch it.

Link 1

For another great space video, which has become a YouTube sensation.

Link 2

Last, but not least, to watch the trailer for Journey of the Universe on film, click here.

Link 3

 

 

Peduncles, Brumes, Journey of the Universe, and Chardin

I wouldn’t know the words peduncle or brume if I weren’t married to a teacher/poet. Teaching and poetry are my husband’s (JS) vocations. He is a seeker and an information sharer, and he has imparted many of his discoveries to me on our journey together through life. As a result of JS’s meandrous approach to acquiring knowledge, through his vast and various interests, he became aware of the American Teilhard Association. The ATA is dedicated to the future of Earth and to the communities that inhabit her, and is named after PierreTeilhard de Chardin. You can find out more about the ATA here. The annual meeting for the ATA was held in New York City last weekend, so we decided to go, since we’re in the vicinity. We took the PATH to Manhattan, rode the subway up to Union Theological Seminary, where we ate lunch and then attended a lecture given by Mary Evelyn Tucker. ME Tucker co-authored a book with Brian Swimme entitled Journey of the Universe. The lecture related how the writings of Chardin inspired Journey of the Universe, which outlines our roles and responsibilities as humans toward the earth, and toward our fellow creatures, as life unfolds. The lecture was interesting, and we learned other things as well.

ME Tucker also co-directs the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology, found here.

JS sat next to a lady named Terry, a retired NYC teacher, who told us about a wonderful book store on Crosby Street off Houston. The Housing Works book store boasts 30,000 volumes, all donated. We made our way over to the store, only to be told they were closing early to host a wedding! It looked wonderful inside, so we will be going back. They have a web site, which you can access here. Terry also told us about:

The Museum of Math and

Madison Square Park around 26^th off Broadway

Bereket Turkish Kabob House

Katz Delicatessen

All places we intend to visit.

As we got to the top of the stairs after getting off the subway, I heard someone crying. I looked down, and there was a navy blue button, obviously having been stepped upon myriad times. I picked up the button, put it in my pocket, and cleaned it up when we got home only to discover the words “BURBERRY” across the top and bottom. The button is now resting peacefully with its step buttons in my button box.

After we took the PATH back to Jersey City, on the way back to the car we saw a peregrine falcon swoop down to grab a pigeon….WOW!!!

In The Mystery of Edwin Drood I discovered a new word I was able to gift to JS for a change. The word is bumptiousness….isn’t that just one of the most fun words you’ve ever heard?!!!

Dandelion Tea

Don't poison your dandelions....eat them!!!! They're so good for you! Not only are they some of the first little sunshiny faces to pop out of the earth after winter, the consumption of the fresh greens or dried greens and roots steeped into a tea are fantastic support for your liver function.

There is nothing like a handful of dandelions from little hands attached to little bodies that have been wandering through the grass looking for those treasured blossoms, to be picked and brought to an appreciative recipient. And who hasn't made a wish on a headful of dandelion seeds, then blown them to the wind to be carried to the ears of the listening universe? Why do we need dandelion free lawns? Who told us dandelions are something we should kill? Why do we listen to that lie? The dandelion free lawns I see, or lawns free of weeds in general, are empty of people as well. It's good for us to remember Earth is full of gifts, and if we accept them, we're healthier, happier, and wiser.

To learn more about dandelions and what you can do with them, click here. ROAR!!!!