Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Two Polenta Dishes


If you're a vegetarian and hate the sight of "bloody hunks of meat," don't leave yet. Let me explain further.

I've been having an "off-blog" conversation with two of my regular blog visitors about polenta. I've blogged about polenta before, which is how this came about. As it happens, I made two different (but similar) polenta dishes tonight.

I often, if not usually make them with no meat. These two happen to have meat. But hold on . . .

This polenta happpens to be the kind you buy in a tube--it's available at Wegman's, Giglio's and elsewhere. You slice it and fry it in olive oil, with garlic, onions, olives. Or whichever of those you like, until the edges turn brown. This takes quite a long time--a keep forgetting to notice how long, but longer than it seems it should. You can use homemade polenta just as well. This is quicker if you work or are otherwise busy.

Then, serve with bruscetta, salsa, marinara or your sauce of choice. Lots of cheese helps provide a whole prodein.

The top dish is made with grilled streak sliced in strips after grilling, bruscetta, freshly grated cheeses. Parmesean, Romano, cheddar and others. It is made in a pile with the fried polenta at the bottom, then a vegetable medley stirfry with asparagus and yellow squash, then the steak, then the bruscetta, then the cheese. You can buy fresh bruscetta already made, or make your own.

The second dish is a similar series only using grilled sliced lamb and peach-pinapple salsa instead of steak and bruscetta. Both of these dishes are yummy, delicious and wholesome with or without meat.

I am going on another store tour tomorrow (Thursday) with ML. Have a great day, be healthy and eat well! Posted by Picasa

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope your day and your life are full of love and happiness and good health!!! Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Wind-chill Day 2

The boys are home again today--we're having another wind-chill day. We are worried now that they will add some days at the end of the year that will interfere with our planned honeymoon to Slovenia. It's more video games and I can't send them out to play--it's way too cold out.

They were so noisy yesterday that today I told them they had to be more quiet, at least while I was working. So far, so good.

Tuesday is my designated day to work on poetry and I did write a new poem. It's very weird and might offend some people, so if you're easily offended, don't read it. It's called, "Don't Read This Poem (An Invitation)" and is based on a dream from the night before last. I just realized I posted it in the wrong place, although it could properly go there as well--I meant to post it in the dream writing blog. Maybe I will. Posted by Picasa

Monday, February 05, 2007

Wind-chill Day

The boys are celebrating; it's Wind-chill Day! No School. Video Games Galore. They are shouting and killing each other over and over. I'm not sure I approve of the violence, but now they are in there singing. I made them milkshakes. Chocolate. They nuked themselves some taquitoes. It's party time. I'm trying to work on my novel. The noise is horrendous, but at least they sound happy. Outside, the sun is shining--brightly--but it is COLD! I guess winter has finally actually arrived--and with a vengeance!

I'm also still working on my delayed IMBOLC* taking down of the greens between chapters--hope I finish today. I am ready for the turn into sun!

*"the official last day of the Christmas season and also the last date for taking down the Christmas greens. Leaving them up after Candlemas (or Imbolc) is bad luck." I may be in for some bad luck then, because I'm not quite done yet. And this is the 5th! Posted by Picasa

Sunday, February 04, 2007

Nature Nearby

I'm always complaining about living in the city, but we do have coyotes and herons and rabbits and squirrels. Even in the winter. Even when it's cold. Posted by Picasa

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Friday, February 02, 2007

Flower Photo Friday, Part II

From our Store Tour Yesterday. Posted by Picasa

Flower Photo Friday


Flowering Kale (which is not really a flower) in snow, and detail. I included the detail becase I love the subtle color changes. (Photos by me).

I know you've seen this before, but I wanted to show it in the snow--this is how it looks now. All those dandelions and periwinkles that were flowering early are all now under snow.

If you are as fascinated by detail as I am, you can click and double click these to see larger and larger again.

P365-07Ph Posted by Picasa

IMBOLC and the taking down of the greens

People around here look at me strangely when I say that we take the greens down on Groundhogs' day. It's the end of the holiday season in some traditions. So that's what I'm doing, removing, strand my strand, the chains of jewels and baubles from the tree. Happy Imbolc. And by the way, our groundhog saw his shadow, so there'll be six more weeks of winter. Too bad. I was hoping, except for the polar bears and penguins and arctic foxes and ptarmigans, that the late winter would be as mild as the early winter was. Posted by Picasa

Thursday, February 01, 2007

The Store Tour










ML (for Mary Louise, not Mother-in-Law!) took me on a store tour today. We went to 7 or 8 stores that she thought I might like to know about, the best places to buy produce, meat, chicken, fish, bread and baked goods and other foods. (I also bought frames for my art and photos).

The last photo shows baskets of vegetables reflected in a mirror. Here's bread and vegetables and 4 more shots of ML.

We were gone all day. Tonight, I worked on revisions for 3 chapters of Frog Haven: 13, 14, and 15.

P365-07B & Ph Posted by Picasa