Pastel portrait of me when I was a little girl; by my mother Rose.

Dragonfly Art Collage

Dragonfly art collage of mixed media:  acrylic, watercolor, ink, paper, glue on canvas

Finally, I am sharing something that I created!  This is my first serious art piece and I hope to create some more very soon.  I was inspired by my love of gardening and the large pond behind my house.

Asian stir fry my style

I make stir fry almost every day.  
This recipe makes one very large serving that could be shared with maybe one person.  I tend to use what I have in the fridge.  You could use zucchini, yellow squash, spinach, broccoli, regular green beans, carrots or asparagus instead of the snow peas or in addition.  It's all about using things that you like.  You can adjust the ingredients to your taste...this is just a baseline recipe to get you started with being creative in the kitchen.


Ingredients:
1/2         red bell pepper chopped
1/2         green bell pepper chopped
1/4 cup  large red onion chopped (sweet onion is ok)
6-8         any kind of mushrooms sliced
2            handfuls of snow peas cleaned
1            large clove of garlic (pressed)
1TBS      oil  (I use olive oil)
1 tsp      mirin
1 tsp      toasted sesame oil
2 tsp.     ginger in tube or fresh grated
2 TBS     tamari or soy sauce
1 handful of fresh basil leaves sliced thin
salt and pepper to taste
1 section of bean thread (cellophane) noodles.  

Have your veggies chopped and ready, with all of your ingredients lined up so you can have everything within reach.

Heat about 2 cups of water in the microwave.  Place noodles in the hot water and let them sit while you cook the veggies. 

Heat the oil on high heat.

Add onions and let them saute for 1-2 minutes.

Next add the mushrooms; let them cook 1-2 minutes.

Then add your red and green bell peppers, mirin, ginger, tamari or soy, and sesame oil.  Stir fry 1-2 minutes.

Now you can add the snow peas and garlic.  Let this cook for 1-2 minutes; make sure you don't over cook...you want the peas to stay just a bit crispy.

Finally, you can strain the noodles and add them to the stir fry....toss them around to soak up the great flavor!

Sprinkle the top with your sliced basil...you can use cilantro instead or in addition.  You may want to add more soy sauce or even some sraracha or sweet chili sauce to add to the flavor.  There you go, a very healthy meal for two or if you are like me, you could eat it all by yourself!  Yumo!

Tadaaaaaaa!

Pan protector made from a bleach bottle

 I don't think I have seen this anywhere else but I got the idea from Martha Stewart using paper coffee filters between plates and pans to keep them from scratching while they are in storage.  I am one of those silly people who looks at a bottle cap and says..."what can I make out of this?"  I even have a bag of pistachio nut shells just waiting to be used for some art or craft idea.  I have posted a picture story of how to make my invention:  PAN PROTECTORS!

My Basil

My basil reseeded itself from last year.  I like to keep it going throughout the summer to add to my almost daily salads.  We like to add it to our sauteed veggies and tomato sauces and of course caprese salad and Bruschetta.

Here is how I dry my basil for future use.  I just tie it on a cotton string and hang it from a hook on the shelf  for several days until it is crispy dry then I store in a zip lock or glass spice jar.

 BRUSCHETTA
1 can of petite diced tomatoes drained
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar (more to taste if you wish)
1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper
1 clove of pressed garlic
2-3 leaves of fresh basil chopped (use dried if that is all you have)

Cut some french or Italian bread in  1/2 - 3/4 in width and
give the bread a light toasting.

Top with fresh mozzarella and put under the broiler until the cheese melts...best to watch it because it will burn fast!   We usually make a dinner out of this...of course mom has a glass (or two) of Cabernet with hers!s

Shasta Fantastica!

Here is the first flower to bloom on some Shasta Daisies that I planted almost 3 years ago!  I waited soooo loooong for this to appear.  Once established, these plants can spread 3 feet wide as well as tall, and produce masses of long lasting flowers from June until September. 

I made my own sign!

http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/#createposter  

I haven't grown tired of seeing these signs around, have you?.  I was searching the internet on the subject and found a site that lets you make one with your own sentiment!  With all the May Day and Occupy Wall Street "stuff" going on, I came up with this!