Sometimes It's the Little Things that Make Me Happy

I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. I have several reasons for feeling that way, right now, but the most immediate is that Norm and I are getting ready for a camping/rafting weekend that includes a couple of my favorite nephews, Hunter and Max. In preparation, I did some shopping this morning for a few items to add to our camping gear. Nothing big, mind you, but things I've wanted and now finally have - like that cool red and white checked tablecloth that makes a campsite look so homey, and the clips to hold it onto the picnic table if it happens to be windy. Since we're planning to go rafting, I also picked up a few small items that I thought would make that more enjoyable, like a waterproof box to put my camera in - that is IF I don't chicken out and decide not to take it rafting, and a 5 gallon waterproof bag to pack our lunch in. Soggy sandwiches just don't sound very appealing to me! Norm took a group of men to Boulder Lake - the campground we are headed to - last year, and I'm trying to learn from their experience of losing items that were not attached when they went rafting, so I also picked up a package of caribiners so we can attach anything we take to the raft. The cats meow will be getting to do some fishing - I love to fish, but haven't been for several years. I fully intend to remedy that this year. I'll be happy if we catch a few pan fish. Will report back - you know there always must be a "fish" story! Well, have tons of packing yet to do, so better get to it. Oh - and you might be hearing a bit more from me this weekend, as I'm planning to try my hand at some "on location" blogging. Signing off.

Something Nice in Madison



The gazebo



If you live in Madison, Wisconsin or happen to be visiting for a day, there are a lot of possibilities for how to spend the day. You might visit the State Capitol or the Historical Museum or the Veteran's Museum. You might walk down State Street, stopping in at whatever eclectic little shop that tickles your fancy, then end up with lunch from one of the carts on Library Mall and Babcock ice cream from Memorial Union. What you might not think about doing is visiting one of the small gardens that grace the beautiful campus of the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and for sure, then you would be missing out on something special. Today when lunch time came around I took a short walk, and ended up at the Botanical Garden. Granted, it is only an acre and a half, but that just means you can take a relaxing stroll and not be in a hurry to see everything. It is a sweet little nook in which to come to rest your mind. If you have a few minutes when you're in Madison, I recommend it. Here are a few photos to give you a taste.

Water lily

Prickly Pear

Hydrangeas in all colors

 



Sparrow taking a bath

  

Goldfish in the pond

The Blossom Sculpture

Disclaimer: for those of you who are familiar with my husband, Norm's photography, he get's neither the credit nor the blame for these pictures. For better or for worse, they are my original work.

Serendipity

It started a couple of weeks ago when my SECOND batch of home-made chicken stock got away from me before I could take care of it. I told my sweet darling, Norm, that I needed to cook the chicken on Friday so I would have time on Saturday to take care of it – strain the bones out, package, and freeze. That may not appear to be a lot of effort, but when life is moving forward at the speed of a freight train, it seemed like plenty. So, I planned it, and put the chicken in the crockpot yesterday morning before leaving for work, using a variation of this recipe. Then, last week when we were headed to the Dane County Farmers Market, Norm put in a request for one of his favorite foods that his Mom used to make. Now, you must understand, Norm’s parents were both of German heritage, and this dish is distinctly German. It is creamed lettuce on boiled potatoes. Since we were headed to the Farmers Market, I made sure to get the lettuce and the potatoes – couldn’t have timed it better, as one of the vendors had German butter potatoes. How totally appropriate for the dish I intended to use them for. It was a gamble to get them, though, as I knew nothing about the cooking properties of German butter potatoes. As it happened, they turned out to be perfect for boiled potatoes. Since asparagus is in season and we love it, we bought some of that, too. So, here we were with all the fixings for a “down-on-the-Farm” meal, and just the two of us to eat it. Hmmm – must be time to invite company. Then Norm’s buddy, Tom, called him on Thursday about getting together. How perfect is that? So we invited Tom and his lovely wife, Lesa, to join us, and getting into the spirit, they brought home-made corn muffins, honey from the bee’s that Tom keeps, and a marvelous rhubarb crunch and ice cream for dessert. It isn’t often that circumstances come together in such a way but what a joy and blessing when they do. Thanks, Tom and Lesa for a fun evening of mutual camaraderie! Hope we can do it again soon! Now I’d better go and take care of my THIRD batch of chicken stock!

Doesn't this look like a meal you'd like to sit down to? [the creamed lettuce is mid-right]

Check the “In the Kitchen” page for recipes for the chicken and creamed lettuce. You’ll also find a picture of the turkey on the gardening page.

Restoration...

Do you ever run into one of those times when you reach an end? You know the kind I mean - where you’ve finished a big project or made it through an especially busy period of your life? That’s me right now. I just finished a very busy school year and was plagued with illness along the way, and am very much feeling the need to take time to be refreshed. I’ve been asking myself what that means over the course of the past few weeks, and realized that I simply need to do some of the things that I enjoy that tend to get shelved when I take on outside commitments. So - I made a short list of summer priorities. If it’s not on the list, it might not get done. As I write this, I’m reminded of the summer after I finished taking college classes. I hadn’t had much opportunity to read for pleasure, so I promised myself that is would be a summer of reading - and it was - 11,000 pages of reading strictly for enjoyment. This summer’s priority list includes gardening and working in the yard, practicing my music, writing, 15 minutes a day of housecleaning (ala Flylady), camping and fishing. Here’s to hoping that by summers end I will feel mentally and physically restored. What do you plan to do this summer to refresh yourself? Write a comment and tell me about it.

Doro...What?

Most days part of my routine for preparing to leave for work includes packing a lunch. I have two primary reasons for doing so. The first is economics. I other words, I’m a cheapskate and packing my lunch is the cheapest way for me to eat. The second is self-control. By packing my lunch I can attempt to regulate my food intake. Most of the time lunch is a salad during warm weather, or soup when the weather is cold. Then there are infrequent days like yesterday when I allow myself to splurge. After a very busy weekend that included coordinating a festival for my church and attending a wedding, I felt like I was due for a treat. If you’re from the Madison area, you probably know that Library Mall on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison plays host to several lunch stands where you can purchase a variety of different types of ethnic food including Mexican, Greek, and one of my favorites- East African. So yesterday when lunchtime came around, I headed out for a stroll to Buraka. My original intention was to get some Dorowat - a spicy chicken dish that I crave occasionally - but when I got to the cart and scoped out the menu, I decided to opt for the Vegetarian Peanut Stew. As with the Dorowat, the stew tends to be a bit spicy, but was the perfect choice to warm me up on a chilly day. The Peanut Stew had potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, and onions, and is covered in a rich, creamy peanut sauce that has that wonderful yellowish tinge that tells you turmeric has been added along with the other spices. When ordering they offer a choice of rice or injera, a traditional Ethiopian bread made with teff flour that you can’t buy conveniently anywhere else. The injera has the flavor of sour dough, and the form of a somewhat thick crepe. I wouldn’t dream of going with rice, knowing that the injera is something special that shouldn’t be missed out on. Add to that a side of Ethiopian lentils, and it’s a great lunch to have for a treat! If you happen to be in the Madison area and wandering State Street, I recommend trying Buraka. In the evenings, the restaurant is also available. Check it out!

Bowtie Primevera

Sunday was a busy day as Norm and I worked on the garden, so I was looking to put together a quick meal. Having been to the Farmers Market the day before, there were plenty of options available. Since I was in the mood for pasta, this is what I came up with:

Bowtie Primevera
1 C. Bowtie pasta, cooked according to package directions
6 stalks asparagus, broken or cut in pieces
1 medium-sized fresh tomato, diced
1 T. dried basil
1/4 C. heavy cream
2 T. romano cheese
Garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste
Half a fresh cucumber, cut into wedges for garnish
Leaf lettuce, enough to cover 2 serving plates

Cook the bowtie pasta according to package directions. A couple of minutes before it reaches al dente, add the asparagus to cook lightly. While pasta is cooking, arrange leaf lettuce on two dinner plates. When pasta is cooked and asparagus is bright green, drain. Return pasta and asparagus to pan. Add the diced tomato, dried basil, heavy cream, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir until slightly thick. Divide into two portions and serve on a bed of leaf lettuce. Garnish with cucumber wedges. Eat! Serves 2. Prep time: half hour or less

Verdict: this was a perfect spring meal, something warm, but still had the flavors of the fresh spring vegetables and went together quickly. This would be good with diced chicken or shrimp in it.

Starting again!

So - my daughter informs me that only people from Wisconsin start a conversation with the word "so". I'm from Wisconsin - and I do it a lot - start sentences with the word "so", that is. Hopefully it won't be enough to annoy you. Anyway, so I'm back at the blogger game, in the hope of improving my writing skills. We will see what happens. Come on along for the ride!