Dear Mom,

here is a photo of the indian food i made that i told you about in an email.  it's my favorite cuisine (besides italian) to make now.  mainly because i get to use sooooooooo many flavorful spices that smell (and taste) so amazing... plus it's always so low fat.  this day, i made spicy baked cauliflower & sweet and sour Balti shrimp:

a week ago, i went visiting teaching, and my partner is a photographer, and took some pictures.  this family (of the little girl i'm holding - who wears cute little girl glasses) is moving soon... the ward is very sad:

WE GOT FURNITURE!!!... which you know, because it's yours.  THANK YOU thank you THANK you!!!  we have never been more comfortable in our lives!  and now, our living room is my favorite - a beautiful burnt orange and gold.  i love even just looking at it.  

that night, we all lounged and watched about four movies together:
 

margie can't decide which couch to pick as her spot because she loves all the furniture too much.  she's doing really well being gentle on the furniture too.

phineas is in love with the orange loveseats and hiding underneath the big couch - just like our old cats used to do:

everybody enjoys a comfy nap now!

here's an awesome photo of me and jon; i don't know what happened to his face; maybe he had a disease that day:

and this was a day when i ate a big burrito.  i look so fat!  

5.5 months pregnant

yesterday, to spoil us both for father's day, jon practiced his Iron Chef gourmet skills... he boiled rice in chicken stock, marinated shrimp in an asian barbeque sauce he made up, grilled the shrimp on metal skewers over our gas stove, made little hearts out of the rice, topped with the shrimp, drizzled with the sauce reduction, and lightened it all up with cucumber shreds around the edges.  it was sooooooooooooooooooooo delicious:

a close-up

later, he made, from scratch, organic/free-trade hot-lava brownies (perfect gooey brownies with melty pieces of chocolate chunks in the middle oozing out heavenly).

he still insults himself that he can't cook or bake.  

i beg to differ.


Hope you have fun in Mississippi!  say "hey" to everyone for me!

Dear Mom,

Jon and Tim have a tradition where they buy their nieces and nephews the most obnoxious gifts mainly to annoy the parents.  The funny thing is, the kids frequently end up liking those gifts the best.
One morning, Margie was barking incessantly at the patio door, and i was back in the bedroom, so i yelled, "What on earth are you barking at!!?"  and i walked into the living room to find this on our patio, staring in:

I immediately knew it was Tim's doing.  And, i thought: "huh, the first obnoxious present , i guess."  So, i brought it inside and put it in the baby room.  Mind you, it was so big, i could barely get it through the sliding-glass door.  A few minutes later, i emailed jon a photo of it, and he wrote back saying, "you know, that was by the dumpster this morning... i thought of doing the same thing to tim."  Eeeeeewwwwwww... so, cooties and all, i rushed it back out to the dumpster.  Oddly a few hours later, it was in a garage of a family that stock piles all kinds of horded goodies.  I often wondered where they got all their stuff.

The other day, i decided to try to make "healthy" chocolate chip cookies.  And it was a SUCCESS!  i looked up recipes online using whole wheat flour, and tweaked them a bit and came up with my own recipe.  you HAVE to try them, especially if dad is craving a sweet treat.  They are completely whole grain, but NOT at all healthy tasting.  mmmmm they're so good, but with a little less guilt.  I did an experiment on the baking time... see it and recipe below...

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

1 egg 

1 Tbsp. molasses

(mix well, then add):

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup quinoa flour (or oatmeal flour)

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

organic chocolate chips

chopped pecans

Oven: 375º F

Bake: 8 min. for chewy cookies

11 min. for perfect cookies

12-13 min. for crunchy cookies

This morning, as i was walking out my patio door to take some picture of the plants you planted for me, in bloom now, a very brave, huge, beautiful butterfly was tasting all of my flowers... 

it kept letting me get closer...

and closer...

and closer...  and this was not taken with a close-up lens.  you can see its eyeballs in this photo!

...i stood there as long as it did, watching it uncurl its "tongue" into my "mini-petunias" (calibrachoa), and it seemed to prefer the purple ones.  he really didn't mind that i was watching him or taking pictures.  he let me get as close at a few inches away.  
it reminded me of the time i came home from school - kindergarten i think - one hot sunny afternoon, and spotted a monarch on the flowers that Marilyn Grover grew around the mailboxes.  I tiptoed so silently and slowly up to the butterfly and reached my arm so carefully, closer and closer, until i pinched it by its wings.  i was stunned i was able to catch it.  then i brought it to you and you "prepared" it for Erin Hill because she was a big kid in 6th grade and was collecting insects for science class.  i was glad i was able to help her out as only a 6 year old.

The plants are loving their new home where you planted them along my windows:

Sadly, a squirrel or some other animal dug up the bleeding heart and left a big hole like unfinished surgery on the ground.  So, i planted, in its place for now, the pink "we're having a girl" gerbera daisies:

People stop and stare at the new plants and blossoms as they walk in and out of the back door to our apartment building now.  the yellow flowers are doing exceptionally well, and the hydrangeas are growing rapidly... maybe i'll even get some blooms this year!

Dear Mom,

i made the most amazing dessert with the rhubarb you gave me from your garden.  it stemmed from the day you gave it to me and asked what i thought rhubarb tasted like, if i had to explain it to someone who'd never tasted it, and we both said, "like a really tart kiwi."


so, i had all this rhubarb, and a bulk carton of kiwi fruit, and decided they should become married in a dessert.

i found a martha stewart recipe online for rhubarb berry crumble, and changed it a bit, and it ended up making the most delicious dessert i've tasted in a long time (that didn't have chocolate in it).  you HAVE to try it sometime...
 

here's the recipe:


RHUBARB-KIWI CRUMBLE


3 cups rhubarb, chopped 1/4" pieces
3 kiwi fruits, skin on, chopped
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 Tbsp flour
3/4 zest of one orange (use leftover 1/4 zest for crumble topping)
fresh orange juice from half an orange
pinch of salt


(mix and pour into shallow 9 x 13 " baking dish and let sit 15 minutes)


*crumble topping*

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 (the leftover) orange zest
1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups flour (cookie dough texture)
pinch salt 


(mix and sprinkle 1/2" balls over top of mixture in baking dish)


Oven: 375 degrees F 
Bake: 60 minutes or until golden brown, bubbling sides


serve over ice cream or yogurt if desired... but i liked it best alone.

mmmmmmmmmmmm!  Thanks for the rhubarb!!!

Dear Mom,

A couple months ago, i decided to stop making whole wheat bread for sandwiches and regular eating.  My homemade wheat bread couldn't compete with the rise and softness of artisan bakeries.  

But, i did have success making jon's favorite bread, a french baguette:

Before

After

Then in April, Phineas the cat, and Margie and i had a nice warm spring on the upstairs balcony while the trees were blossoming.  It was one of our last times to relax outside before moving downstairs.

When we moved to the two-bedroom apartment right below us in May, Margie got a present from Grandma Pat (a dog bed) that she lovingly shared with Phineas. See, dogs and cats can be friends:

Jon bought these for me the day before mother's day.  I asked him if they were pink because he thought we were having a girl and he agreed.  Two days later, we found out we were indeed having a girl.  So, i took this picture as a memento for daddy's girl:

About a week ago, as you know, you came to help me garden around our patio (which is encouraged by the apartment manager) with very nice plants from your gardens.  By "help" i mean, you "did" all of the work, as i remember doing nothing... which was nice and relaxing for me.  It reminded me of watching you garden when i was a little girl... i would lie in the grass and watch you pull weeds out of the flower beds or pick thousands of raspberries while getting attacked by thousands of mosquitoes.

After you left, it rained heavily for days and days - the plants seemed to love that, because they are doing very well... and even that Hydrangea you thought would die as perked up and has many green leaves on it.  This was taken on a cloudy day (today), so you can't see how well they look, but the buttercups are blooming, along with the little dark red flowers, and the coral bells (liz flowers) are shooting out new buds.  I could've taken some close ups, but i like this long shot so you can see how pretty it is underneath my windows:

And here is the hosta on the other side of the patio.  It has really liked the rain and had gotten greener each day, i think:

My flower pots are doing exceptionally well considering they survived several heavy-fat-rain thunder storms.  Although, the hanging plant (cashmere) does like to be brought inside during super heavy rain or else it loses too many blossoms.  It almost looks like we live in a field!

And here's the other pots:

Hopefully it'll get warm again and we'll have some hot sunny days.  I'm ready for that.

Dear Mom...

Well, my last batch of bread - a few weeks ago - the one that i split into two loaves, still was good, even though it was half the size.  one of my favorite things to eat is broccoli-grilled-cheese sandwiches with lots of cayenne pepper in the middle:

i almost accidentally called this cat Noble.  on one of my walks, i found some wild-growing catnip and picked some for Phineas.  He doesn't go crazy over it, like some cats do, but he does love it.  when i walk in the door from a walk and yell, "Kiiiittyyyy!" he comes running and meaowing, and i sprinkle it on the floor and he sniffs it and eats it.  here he is lying in the first handful i got for him:

my african violets are still doing exceptionally well.  they must like the indirect sunlight.  hopefully i can keep water off of those leaves and keep it alive:

when i worked at the group home, some of my African coworkers taught me how to make some west african food.  then, last week, and african family from church needed some meals, so i got the chance to put my skills to use.  jon said it smelled so good he begged for some before we gave it away.  i made them some "meat pies" as well (ground beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, seasonings inside a bisquick pastry), but below is the "African Gravy" (the tomatoey veggie-packed sauce) that you put over meats and rice:

here was another try at making some homemade bread... on the left is jon's white crusty soup and salad dipping bread, and on the right is my whole wheat bread.  I learned that, even if the recipe doesn't call for it, to add some superfine sugar (i ground up my granulated sugar just a bit to make it superfine), it makes the bread taste better and the loaf rise better:

here's the finished product - very tasty:

i like making my own bread and cutting whatever thickness i want for that moment.  it seems much more nutritious; i don't know if it really is.  one night i had a dream that you made me huge loaves of Grandma Heath's oatmeal bread.  mmmm, that is so good.  didn't we used to have summer sausage & cheddar sandwiches on that bread?

soon, i'm going to get into making baguettes and croissants.  Isn't bread a good metaphor for life?

John Muir said, "Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul."

"For it is we who must pray for our daily bread, and if He grants it to us, it is only through our labour, our skill and preparation."  -Paracelsus

And, MFK Fisher said, "[Breadmaking is] one of those almost hypnotic businesses, like a dance from some ancient ceremony. It leaves you filled with one of the world's sweetest smells... there is no chiropractic treatment, no Yoga exercise, no hour of meditation in a music-throbbing chapel. that will leave you emptier of bad thoughts than this homely ceremony of making bread."

I have to be careful when kneading the dough, because it becomes so meditative.  At first it is hard, makes me sweat, and makes my arms and back tired.  But then the the hypnotic rhythm comes and lulls me into another world of calm.  And i have to be careful not to over-knead.  

I wish i could have been that dedicated in ceramics class when i had to knead my clay.  It never turned out right because i got tired and gave up before i let the rhythmic trance come. 

Dear Mom,

 i've become bored, for the moment, with sewing and knitting, but shall resume soon, i assume.  i was in a cleaning mood today, so i did all the deep cleaning for which i had energy.  then we went grocery shopping and jon nicely carried in all the bags. here's the start to a baby washcloth i'm making:

will end up being approximately 6" x 6"

i think i want to knit or crochet a baby blanket too when we find out the gender, which i think will be in late may.  i want to find some fluffy, fuzzy, baby-touch-friendly yarns to make it though.  that might take some hunting. 


the birds (mostly sparrows and chickadees) are loving their vernal equinox feeder.  i will keep filling it all the way through fall.  it's too small for robins, but two females made a go at it one day.  i wonder if i should get them a feeder too.  if you look really closely, you can see one of the sparrows on the roof waiting for me to leave the balcony so he or she can get back to the food:

jon brought home sushi for dinner last night.  i'm not supposed to eat raw fish, so i got a caterpillar roll (rice, seaweed, eel, cucumber, tempura shrimp, lined with avocado on top, and unagi [eel] sauce).  it was so delicious:

jon got some gyoza (that puff pastry looking thing - filled with pork and veggies) and some salmon sashimi (individual slices of raw salmon - trust me, it's good - it tastes like velvet ocean) that he likes to dip in soy sauce.  this place near us called Oishi makes the best and least-expensive sushi:

here's margie begging for some of my food, but she didn't get any because it was so good i finished it all:

pat ramsey gave me some pussy willows - she grows them in her yard!  they look so nice on my table:

we got some torrential thunder and rain storms last night.  the grass sure is green today after the rain.  yesterday, before it rained, it got so stuffy in our apartment that i broke down and turned the air conditioner on for a few hours.  not even fans in the windows had been helping cool it down.  however, in no way am i complaining about the lovely march weather we've been having.  it's like early summer!  yay!


talk to you again soon.


your daughter.

Dear Mom,

 i haven't been able to eat much meat lately (pregnancy symptom), like, kind of not at all - it's turned me back into a vegetarian - but the other day i got a craving for a very Minnesotan meal - something i've seen you make a lot: Tuna fish Casserole:

it was delicious

in addition to making up my own recipe - while consulting online versions - i also discovered that i didn't have any cream soups.  my favorite in casseroles is always cream of mushroom or cream of celery... and i didn't have any mushrooms, but i had lots of celery, so i made my own cream of celery soup:

i had some leftover for chicken chop suey, your recipe

 
that Glisten you gave me sure did work!  notice the yellow/cream plate; that was the color of the dishwasher before Glisten, and after it was gleaming white, and got rid of all the hard water spots on my dishes and glasses, just like you promised:

Jon made a meal i requested on wednesday night.  usually i cook because he's tired after working all day, but it smells soooooooo much better when he does.  it's something Tim taught him, i think - penne, tomatoes, toasted walnuts, with a bleu cheese cream sauce.  it's supposed to have chicken in it, but i don't like meat lately, as i mentioned.  mmmmmm, it was so good:

and i ate all the leftover the next day for lunch

we ran out of bread yesterday, and i really wanted some, and neither jon nor i wanted to go shopping, so i just made some with what ingredients i had.  i didn't have any bread flour, but this "Crusty Cob" turned out okay with all-purpose.  i have this great book called "100 Great Breads" by paul hollywood, and he gives really interesting tips - one of which was: you don't always have to dissolve yeast in warm water, just throw it in ... and, the longer bread takes to rise (like when in a refrigerator), the more flavor it will have... etc., etc.:

i had so much fun making it, i don't think i'll even buy bread anymore!

this morning, i had some toast from the bread i made, with raspberry jam (with seeds).  it was pretty good, but i'm going to invest in a bunch of flours and yeast, etc. to make it right next time... and experiment with other breads.  wow, i'm really turning into dad.  pretty soon, i'll be making divinity and home-made tootsie rolls.  Margie got a little taste of my toast too, because i got full (the bread was dense):

breakfast on the balcony in warm spring is my favorite thing

 i'm knitting some baby washcloths, and making some maternity dresses for myself, but i will show you pictures when they're done.  i better go take a shower and then take margie for a walk in this nice weather!!!