Our cat Mordred was accident- ally forgotten last night, left out in the cold on the front porch! When I got up at 5:00, to fetch the morning paper and get my coffee going, I heard his little scratches at the front door. Oh no! He'd spent the night curled up on the love-seat on the front porch, with 'who knows what'' prowling around the neighborhood. Raccoons, possums, and a white and tan tabby-cat probably cheated him of a good night sleep. When I opened the door, he bolted inside, found his spot on the living- room sofa, and spent most of the morning there.

I sat and read awhile, noticing huge snowflakes starting to fall. Pretty soon Mordred's eyes were closed, and his 'motor started to run'. Just watching a snoozing cat is so exquisitely peaceful.

I've spent the last week reading a bio-chemical assessment by Gary Taubes on contemporary attitudes towards nutrition and obesity . Taubes spent seven years researching data for his book, "Good Calories, Bad Calories". He utilized every science connected with the impact of nutrition on health, then wrote this controversial book. Rigorous, due to a mountain of data over the past 75 years, it is not easily processed, and leaves a few serious questions unanswered - primarily because research goes in directions sponsored by big food corporations. For those who struggle with problems of weight regulation and diabetes issues, this is an important book. He has drawn an amazingly detailed and compelling picture of how diet, obesity, and heart disease link together.

I started reading the book because of it's exploration of hormones, the endocrine system, metabolism, and the role of insulin in breaking down carbohydrates. His position on carbohydrates is solid - they head for the fat cells, and stay stuck there. It takes Omega3 fats to help pull the fat out for reduction diets. In all, it is a fascinating book, and it parallel's much of my own thinking on good nutrition and a healthy diet. His 'bottom line construct throughout the book may be "Americans just eat too much food."

Well, my inclinations this week have been a little festive: I've made Cardamon Cookies, to set aside for our Ruhi Class this upcoming week. I told my family - "Free samples", so I don't know how many will be left by the time our friends come over. You may wonder about all the rocks in this photo - they are a gift from Kathy, one of the participants in our Ruhi Class. Every week she brings me a new specimen - agates, fossils, petrified wood, crystals, coral, etc.

This week has been especially cold out - perfect weather for hearty soups and homemade bread! I chopped up these vegetables to put into a Tuscan soup featuring kale and polenta. Pictured here is one leek, and a little red onion. These are added to sauted onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. I then added one quart of organic chicken broth, fresh thyme, sage, and rosemary, one chopped small hot red pepper, fresh parsley and salt and pepper.

As the broth simmered, I browned several large bratwurst and then added them to the vegetable broth. When the brats were done, I added the kale leaves which have been torn into modest pieces, slices of the polenta, and a cup each of garbanzos and black beans. I simmer all of this together for about 15 minutes. An incredibly fragrant aroma fills the house - anytime greens are simmering on the stove with a bit of sausage, onion and garlic, George will be coming out of his study to check it out.

I served the hearty soup with bread I made on Thursday, a sprouted flaxseed whole wheat bread. Lavishly buttered, it hit the spot with my Tuscan soup! My daughter Laurel gave me the sprouted flaxseed at Thanksgiving, and said it is highly nutritious. I like it in bread because it gives a bit of chewyness to the texture, making it very hearty.

I'll end my post with these two photos, one of Laurel's kitchen and the other one of both my daughters last month, checking out the vegetables at the 'Whole Foods Market' up by Seattle. Ruhiyyih is on the left, Laurel on the right. We spent our afternoon making cinnamon rolls together - my first attempt to show my daughters the fussy properties of yeast, who, if surrounded by oil, throw up their hands in disgust, and refuse to perform. One little trick is necessary to get them activated - a warm environment and a little sugar....just like us!