Those of you reading Ruhiyyih's blog, know that she flew out to Tacoma this past weekend from her home in the Washington D.C. area. She wanted to bestow a personal valentine kiss on her guy, Matt. He drove over from the Tri-Cities to spend the weekend with her.Ruhiyyih has featured the highlightsof that visit.
We were thrilled to see them both, and had a fantastic family reunion at Rue and Annie's. Annie's parents were there, our grand-daughter Daisy, and all my children and their spouses. I made chipotle soup and little loaves of Naan for our lunch on Sunday. I also made a coleslaw from apples, carrots and celery.
The kale decorating this coleslaw wintered over in the garden. Before Ruhiyyih's arrival, I spent several days experimenting with recipes, including ways to use the left-over whey from my cheese-making.
I made Cardamon Pudding, a Persian delicacy, and Cardamon Cookies. 
This is a vegetarian lasagna that I prepared for the Nolan's fireside. The vegetables were broiled before adding them to the lasagna, to seal in the flavor. 
Here, potatoes, onions and peppers are oven-baked for 15 minutes, then broiled for a crispy effect. 
Salads for George's lunchbox: Garbanzo-fava bean, with Orange-Poppy-seed Dressing. Pasta with Pesto and Feta Cheese. 
These crepes were frozen, then thawed for breakfast. 
I made Flax-meal Bread, sliced it thick, and made French Toast. Pecan Strudel Topping with maple syrup. We aren't great fans of guacamole, but I did experiment with it, creating one appetizer that could be used in a salad or dip. The other side dish used beet greens, previously frozen and then thawed (cleaning out the freezer). The photos were so bad I dumped them in our Flickr account, and the side-dishes were so ill-matched that I'll have to resort to finding some new recipes for using guacamole. I hear it is nutritious, but I just haven't found a savory way for using it yet.
I've been reading "Veggie Revolution - Smart Choices for a Healthy Body and a Healthy Planet" by Sally and Sara Kneidel. This book provides an in-depth account of modern farming practices, including small family farms and large corporate giants. Since reading it, I've come to understand just how devastating meat production can be for the environment, especially with regard to water, soil and waste runoff. I'm also reading "From the Farm to the Table: What All Americans Need to Know About Agriculture" by Gary Holthaus. Good books about sustainable agriculture featuring minimal impact farming procedures.
