Turkish Red Lentil Soup With Cornbread

Cornbread with mozzarella cheese and a little sugar sprinkled on the top. Incredibly fluffy and light, and mouth-watering warm. I drizzle a little honey on mine. I always slather the top of the cornbread with butter when it comes out of the oven, to soften the crust.

The Turkish Red Lentil Soup had cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, and a bit of salsa piccante to jazz it up. I added sauted onion, carrot, celery and garlic, then added it to the cooking stock which contained several ham hocks. The lentils were simmered along with green soybeans I keep in the freezer. They are so pretty.

Yes, we've had a dusting of snow, and the weather reports around here are indicating more snow is on its way! The higher elevations will get the most - almost a foot of new snow will fall. But here in Tacoma, what falls tends to melt within hours.

I went for my daily walk, and enjoyed the foot-prints.

Angel In The Clouds

Our Baha'i friend Kathy gave me this carved agate of an angel in prayer. I've placed it on my window sill, and I try to imagine sometimes what 'she' would say, all captivated there with her little hands clutched to her breast.

Almost every time I look at her, I'm washing dishes or chopping vegetables, always in a hurry. She sits and waits.

Yesterday I took the cotton out of a medicine bottle, and put it on the window sill, to save it for later. It was tightly wadded, and somehow it just didn't look right, so I pulled the strands out, fluffing them. Then, I tucked the ends around her skirt. It created this heavenly effect, just perfect! It was like she had been waiting for this! Her little heart of stone is now drifting in the clouds.

Spaghetti Alla Fornaia It's Not

I found this recipe in Lorenza de' Medici's book, "Tuscany the Beautiful". But, big concern: the recipe called for walnuts and finely chopped parsley, which I didn't have.

So, I just used some seasoned meat (from the 'reduced price for quick sale') that George brought home. I used a little celery and green onion, and threw in the requisite olive oil, garlic, fresh Parmesan cheese and crushed bread crumbs.

It turned out so good! There is nothing like a mound of pasta!

Martin Luther King Day Celebrations

These little cookies were baked by our friend Debbie, who served them at her annual Martin Luther King Day luncheon in her home. They are the sweetest idea, illustrating the collaboration that all of us must have to help address the unity of all races.

Debbie, pictured on the left, hosts this gathering in her home, and many of the guests bring side-dishes and desserts to compliment the ham that she prepares.

The luncheon follows Tacoma's annual MLK Day Celebration at the Tacoma Dome. This year over 2,600 people gathered in Exhibition Hall, to mark the achievements of the women of the civil rights movement - Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Shirley Chisholm, Coretta Scott King, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Roosevelt was one of many DAR members who resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1938 when they refused permission for Anderson to sing to an integrated audience in Constitution Hall. The program had fantastic music, inspiring lectures, dance, and comments by local community leaders. Our governor, Christine Gregoire, also spoke and congratulated the organizers of Tacoma's Martin Luther King Day on their 20th year. Community Service Awards were given to Bernice Griffin and Melannie Cunningham by Tacoma's Human Rights and Human Services Department.

I'll post the photo's I took that afternoon in our Flickr account.

There is nothing like a market to chase away the winter doldrums! George suggested going up to Seattle on Sunday, where he and Rahmat had been the day before, participating in Seattle's Intensive Program of Growth. As he described the enthusiasm of the friends there, I imagined all kinds of wonderful energy and happy faces. (I'll let Baha'i Views describe that, and I'll feature just a few photo's from Pike Place Market.)

One of the best features of Pike Place Market is the fresh fish - absolutely wonderful seafood.
This band was playing down the street in front of Starbucks - Slimpickin's, a band that plays ragtime, cajun and blues. We listened awhile, then hurried into some of the little shops to get warm - a bakery and a store that sells kitchenware. I bought a couple of wooden spoons with slanted sides, perfect for stirring batter, and that was the extent of my shopping.

I took this last shot as I waited for our espresso. You know, big cities offer so much, but I look at this photo and I just want to go home, or get out in the country where I can breathe. (The tentative leaves, disengaged but not fallen to the ground...the clutter, noise, and mess of big cities.) We passed an apartment complex where a 20 foot by 8 inch ditch held dirt and a line of little boxwood shrubs. I felt so sorry for them. I wondered how in the world will they ever attain any real growth, packed so tightly in such a limited space. I wished people - everything - had more time and room to grow.

A Tesselation - Tiled Poinsetta Relief

I was researching the author Antonio Pagnotta, and noticed that he wrote an article on Origami, an innovative and intriguing art form. With a little Flickr search, I found this artist.

Just amazing, the patience required, and the precision !

I felt much like a little bumble bee trying to probe deeply into this beautiful glass globe in Tim and Debbie's home on the weekend. If you look closely, the filament and bulb are buried, much like a real stamen and pistil. I couldn't help but wonder who the artist was who turned this glass, making such wonderful patterns along the edges.
I also enjoyed this fanciful pattern, over another lightbulb in the livingroom. It is not a question of just light, but featuring it in the most beautiful way, sending soft patterns up onto the ceiling and out into the room. The occasion was Tim and Debbie's monthly Devotional Meeting, which George and I enjoy attending.
Prayers, readings and music are offered, and I read this little card, which Debbie has prepared with a fanciful border. It's words offer good cheer and a positive spirit.

Cornelia and her little son sat next to me, and it was most enjoyable watching him play with a few toys while Tim told a story from the life of Baha'u'llah. He only scooted these animals around, never grabbing both for a growling match, teeth barred. He put a few of them into my hands, then took them out, never making a peep, never engaging them in a confrontation. Later, when I sat with him, he gave a big roar for the tiger, but tended to herd these animals in a little corral where they all huddled together. (I do not think this child has watched too many cartoons. Or, Animal Planet.)
Part of the Devotional Meeting is brunch, which includes waffles. Tim prepared the batter, and just about everyone crowds into the kitchen to watch him, or to turn the sausage, or to get a cup of coffee.
I huddled into a corner to stay out of the way, and greeted Emmy and Sam.
The table is set, and Tim brought out the waffles.

This is Sonja...she is my age, in her 60's. A few weeks ago I visited with her, and I told her to never to cut her hair, no matter how old she gets. It is just too beautiful, so soft and feathery, and I enjoy watching her twirl it in patterns around her head when she wants to keep it out of her face. There is something just so beautiful about swirling strands of hair, the texture, the movement.

I took about 150 photos on the weekend - Debbie urges me to continue to do this for the sake of Baha'i archives, but much to my disgust, the light was poor, and not much can be saved for archival value. George can mull through them and find something for his Baha'i Views, or to post on our Flickr account.

We attended Chris and Shadie's Fireside in Gig Harbor, bringing along our friend Walter. It was a small, intimate gathering as Shadie's father has recently passed away. She has gone down to New Zealand to be with her extended family.
Russ played music, Karen backed him up with some vocals - in fact, we all started to sing along.
I liked this image of Russ tuning his guitar. It reminds me of how 'the instrument must be tuned, stretched tightly, in order to play the music', and it was a good impression to think of when listening to the concepts presented at the Fireside.

Dr. Enayat Sobhani told us some stories of his life in Iran many years ago when the Baha'is were severely persecuted. As he told us one story after another, I couldn't help but notice that he laughed so hard at every story. As each predicament for the Baha'is in Iran intensified, he laughed harder and curled up into a ball, from which he'd uncurl long enough to catch his breath, uncurl for the next dramatic story, then proceed on with more frightening details. Various family members were imprisoned for their Faith, some killed, and yet here he was in America, retelling every detail of those days long ago. His eyes would squint and brim. He'd hold his arms around himself and rock and sway, as if these were bedtime stories he'd heard from his own parents as a child. Perhaps they were. I just know that they were placed on strong pillars in his memory, unshakable, never to be forgotten.

I enjoyed Dr. Sobhani's humor, his laughter. He seemed immune to the cultivation of animosity, of trashing others, with even so much as a whisper. He'd just say, with his face sobering into a careful stillness, that yes, these things happened, to his family long ago.

(Child of Africa has a post relating to current treatment of the Baha'is in Iran, particularly in regard to accessing higher education, of which Baha'i youth are denied access. She writes: " The Baha'is have established the Baha'i Institute of Higher Education so that Baha'i youth can have access to education offered by faculty members around the world." The BIHE is a creative and peaceful response to this type of persecution in Iran.)

It's The Little Things That Need Attention

I served this little collection of store-bought taste thrills, for our Ruhi Class, thinking they might go nicely with a bit of tea, and having no time to bake something special. I filled a cookie jar full of the goodies, and every time I look at it, I see the contents of the jar getting smaller and smaller, due to little mice with names...like Rahmat and his imaginary friends, all of whom have a sweet-tooth. Cookie jars just don't stay full.

I made biscotti yesterday, after I saw how easy it was to prepare it - it does require two separate bakings, one to bake and the other to toast. Both these biscuits have the same recipe - flour, butter, salt and baking powder, almonds, and finely chopped Mandarin orange peelings that I save from every orange that we eat. I've learned that many recipes require an 'orange zest', which is best rendered from peelings and juice.

Speaking of odd trivialities, I made a Moroccan chicken dish Sunday night which looked so ghastly that I refused to photograph it. It was the most awlful-looking purple-brown, with little black dots of seasonings, garlic and floating leaves.

I started with a recipe shown on that program by Keith Floyd on the Travel Channel; he brought out the chicken, the anise and tarragon, the cumin, tomato sauce, tons of garlic. As the chicken browned, this traveling gourmet threw in all these marvelous spices - I could almost smell them as he talked about the relationship of anise and tarragon, and how they must always be together, as they bring out the flavor of the other, just like a good marriage! Well, I threw in the spices to my chicken, just as he indicated, and added the freshly ground COFFEE (he said, 'trust me, this is an essential ingredient, just one tablespoon).

Well, I tasted this rich dark brine, and it seemed a little flat (at least not what I'd hoped for), so I added a dried hot red pepper, a little Hershey's baking chocolate and some of my candied Mandarin orange rinds, to add a zing and a little more flavor (chocolate? why not!). Oh, the ghastly color, like a farmers pasture, and all that minced garlic and cilantro floating around. I was beginning to get heart palpitations! I fried up some sliced polenta, and added it to the sauce in the pan.

Thank goodness my pantry offers an enticement of options for rescue...I sliced up a few rings of red onion and set them aside (to stay crisp on top), and added some prunes and dried apricots. Then, I stirred the pot, mixing anise, tarragon, cumin, chocolate, coffee, garlic and onion, cilantro, a smidgeon on honey, and.....the chicken. When the Moroccan Chicken finished cooking, I thought "This is something I have absolutely no inclination to eat! However, it smelled HEAVENLY! Rahmat said, "When is that going to be DONE?" (I thought, God what are they going to think when they see this *****! )

Well, I called George down from his study, he said, "It smells fantastic", and he showed me how his saliva was starting to drool out of the corners of his mouth. He got dramatic, and let it drop onto the floor - yes, he can exaggerate hunger pangs. I told him to wipe up the floor and get a plate. I said, "You are not going to like the sauce, but the chicken is fantastic, tender and stunningly flavorful. It has an unusual addiction. (Heh, use coffee or chocolate and they will ask for seconds, I thought.) Rahmat rushed into the kitchen, and both he and his dad piled the goop onto their plates and went into the study.

For the longest time - like an eternity - there was no sound, just the news-broadcaster talking about the violence in Kenya, the clashes that have left hundreds of Kenyans dead in the past two weeks, where barricades prevent the local workers from accessing their jobs picking tea leaves. No comments from the guys. I couldn't believe I did this to them! If I wouldn't eat it, why did I expect them to? I feebly asked George how it was. He barely lifted his eyes from the plate to answer, nibbling on the chicken bone.

I felt a little guilty, "You don't have to eat all that sauce, just spread a little of it over the polenta. It will give it some flavor..." He looked up, shook his head and slumped forward, saying "This is the BEST meal you've EVER cooked!" Rahmat gave it a second!

Goes to show you, when guys are hungry, they'll say anything. I don't care if it was good. The trauma of trying to figure out how to salvage this meal is the only thing I remember - and I'll never cook it again! Who wants to be reminded of a cow pasture.

Just Let It Melt In Your Mouth - Lemon Delight

This desert is the only one I prepared this last week, and I polished off the last piece Sunday night after our hike, so sadly, none to share here except a photo of that last piece! This mouth-watering dessert has big-time flavor, but at a cost - tons of calories. I used reduced-fat creme cheese mixed with a cup of powdered sugar for the first layer of filling, then added a can of lemon pie filling for the second layer. I beat a little vanilla and sugar into real whipping cream for the topping, and added a sprinkling of crushed pecan cookies just to make it look pretty. The crust is flour, butter, and crushed pecans. It is an easy dessert to prepare, just takes about 15 minutes, and you let it set for an hour before serving - that never happens in my house, of course.

We managed a brisk hike in the Banner Forest Heritage Park on the weekend. The sunlight was a delight, so beautiful streaming through the trees. (George looks a bit menacing here!)The trail was fantastic, irregular, up and down, meandering. At one point I began to sprint along, as it was downhill, and we managed to jog the majority of the hike. However, it was only after we got safely back to the car afterwards that he told me a serious bear attack occurred in this forest last fall! Anthony Blasioli was alerted by his dogs as he rounded a bend on the trail. He was riding his bike, so got off the trail, and was then suddenly attacked. Blasioli said,"He was too close and too quick. I had no chance to decide what to do. It's surreal. You don't understand this is happening. At one point I thought, 'This is it, I'm going to die.'" I'm sure glad George decided to tell me that after our hike was over!

We had left-overs when we returned from our hike - I did a lot of cooking on Friday so I would be free on the weekend.
I served this watercress salad with stuffed peppers. George got the watercress - I've had it only a few times in my life (the first time when I was in England). I sliced a little leek, some dried apricots, threw in some currents, and drizzled a little Briannas Home Style Dijon Honey Mustard Dressing over the cress. I crushed some of my home-made crackers over the top.
Stuffed Peppers seem to be on our weekly menu of late - it is a good way to dispose of left-overs, especially rice. I just barely cook these peppers through. Garbanzos work well with the rice to provide amino acids that help make for a complete protein.
I make pizza on Friday nights, using a Bobboli crust. This particular pizza had ground buffalo, assorted (slightly stir-fry veggies, to soften them), ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheese. I add fresh Picco de Gallo and parsley on top, and I add another cup or two of Mezzetta 'Napa Valley Bistro sauce to the meat and vegetables. This sauce has porcini and portabella mushrooms added, as well as a touch of Merlot. It makes an incredibly fragrant pizza, light, not greasy.
Earlier in the week I experimented with lasagna, trying for something not too sweet, or too tomatoey, as I'd be serving it in the evening. George doesn't require heavy food then, and I was trying to cut the sugar content often found in tomato sauces. This lasagna turned out great, for my first experiment.

I'll end this post with our cat Mordred waking up to early morning. It was gently unfolding, with the most exquisite colors, from deep blue to lemon, and then to shafts of sunlight. However, the sky eventually clouded up and rain began to fall. I went for my walk/run on the hills at Old Town, and when the postman saw me jogging in the rain he said, "This is no time to be out in the rain!" I laughed and said, "Sure beats snow!"

Showing Off Those Christmas Toys!

These sweet little ones, Abby and Adam, live next door. Yesterday it was time to make the grand tour of our city block, with Adam taking the lead on his CAT dump-truck (which spilled him a few times!) 'The Little Mermaid', is negotiating a traffic jam in front of our house. Both these vehicles have songs that play as the kids toddle down the walkway, and it reminds me of the ice cream truck in the summertime.

And, there is a story here! Little Abby had just fallen off her 'Little Mermaid', and wanted a moment of conso- lation...."just stop yer darn photos, would you, lady? I'm hurtin' here!" Hugs, hugs!

This week the heat from my oven warmed the kitchen. I kept the thermostat down, and let the aroma of ethnic cooking fill the house. Pictured above are Koulouri Rings, a Greek pretzel that I served as an appetizer, with a hot tomato-based salsa. This little biscuit, dusted with sesame seeds or poppy seeds, is baked all over the Mediterranean. Depending on how it is made, it can be crunchy and flakey like mine were, or softer and more like bread. In Turkey it is called Simit, and is sold by street vendors, who carry it on top of their heads!

I first noticed Koulouri - Simit when I was scanning Greek kitchens and interiors in the book "Greek Style". (One of their kitchens is pictured here.) The little loaves of bread and the pretzels were on cutting boards in some of the old kitchens. I went from searching for recipes to googling images of the quaint, whimsical dwellings found on many of the Greek islands. These little homes can be rented, although for a hefty price during the tourist season.

One of the distinguishing features of floors and patios shown in "Greek Style" is pebble tiles, made from local rocks. It is called Krokalia, and has been used for centuries. This is an example from "Greek Style". I think it is a beautiful way to accent small private spaces.

I made Yellow Squash Soup again this week, and served it with home-made burritos that were filled with (slightly stir-fried), finely chopped vegetables like leeks, onions, carrots, cauliflower and celery. I added ground buffalo, garlic and cumin, and added the zing of Mandarin orange by pureeing one, then adding it to the mixture. Refried black beans held everything together, and I used strips of Mozzarella to sealthe tops shut. It turned out to be one of the most flavorful burritoes we've ever had. Also one of the prettiest!

I served Persian Rice for dinner Sunday evening. It has a mild cinnamon/nutmeg aroma, and is enhanced with turkey, fried onions, slivered almonds, dried apricots and prunes, and candied Mandarin orange peel that I've boiled and candied in brown sugar. The effect is light and flavorful. A recipe for this is featured in the cookbook "A Taste of Persia" by Najmieh K. Batmanglij..
I've been taking care of my grand-daughter this past week. Her mom, Annie, is participating in a wedding, and will be back mid-week. Daisy is playing with her Nintendo DS, a Christmas gift.

I took this photo of Rahmat, after he'd been stylin' his hair with one of his big scarves. It begged a photo! He may look wild, but he is one of the most gentle people you'll ever meet. I had to run and grab my camera before he changed it.