A different Child
A different child,
People notice
There’s a special glow around you.
You grow
Surrounded by love,
Never doubting you are wanted;
Only look at the pride and joy
In your mother and father’s eyes.
And if sometimes
Between the smiles
There’s a trace of tears
One day
You’ll understand
You’ll understand
There was once another child
A different child
Who was in their hopes and dreams
That child will never outgrow the baby clothes
That child will never keep them up at night
In fact, that child will never be any trouble at all.
Except sometimes in a silent moment,
When mother and father miss so much
That different child
May hope and love wrap you warmly
And may you learn the lesson forever
How infinitely precious
How infinitely fragile
Is this life on earth.
One day, as a young man or woman
You may see another mother’s tears
Another father’s silent grief
Then you, and you alone
Will understand
And offer the greatest comfort.
When all hope seems lost,
You will tell them
With great compassion,
“I know how you feel.
I’m only here because my mother tried again.”
Monday, April 5, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Hummus
Hummus
2 cans chick peas drained
2 cloves garlic minced
¼ cup tahini
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 red pepper seeded chopped
Teaspoon basil
salsa
Put chopped bell pepper in bowl sprinkle with water and microwave about 5 min.
Combine peas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, salt, basil, red pepper puree, and add water as it gets to thick, may not need all of water you want the dip thick but not so thick it isn’t blending. Pour into bowl and add salsa. I didn’t measure salsa but just eyeballed it, I looked for a good pink color, and did it to taste you can put as much or little as you want.
2 cans chick peas drained
2 cloves garlic minced
¼ cup tahini
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 red pepper seeded chopped
Teaspoon basil
salsa
Put chopped bell pepper in bowl sprinkle with water and microwave about 5 min.
Combine peas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, salt, basil, red pepper puree, and add water as it gets to thick, may not need all of water you want the dip thick but not so thick it isn’t blending. Pour into bowl and add salsa. I didn’t measure salsa but just eyeballed it, I looked for a good pink color, and did it to taste you can put as much or little as you want.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Naan
Naan
Pull off peach size amount of dough (can be little larger doesn’t really matter, bread will just be little thicker which is how I like it)
Put flour on counter so dough doesn’t stick while rolling out
Roll to about 1/8th inch thickness (doesn’t matter if thicker, I prefer mine thicker)
Heat cast iron skillet on a medium high (about 5 and 6 for me)
When water sizzles when sprinkled on then ready to cook with
Add 2tbs safflower oil (can use vegetable oil safflower is better for you, also if not lent you can use butter)
Put dough into skillet and cover (I use a large plate to cover but either a lid or foil will work
Cook about 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Cooks quickly take off and use pizza cutter to cut into pieces.
Pull off peach size amount of dough (can be little larger doesn’t really matter, bread will just be little thicker which is how I like it)
Put flour on counter so dough doesn’t stick while rolling out
Roll to about 1/8th inch thickness (doesn’t matter if thicker, I prefer mine thicker)
Heat cast iron skillet on a medium high (about 5 and 6 for me)
When water sizzles when sprinkled on then ready to cook with
Add 2tbs safflower oil (can use vegetable oil safflower is better for you, also if not lent you can use butter)
Put dough into skillet and cover (I use a large plate to cover but either a lid or foil will work
Cook about 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Cooks quickly take off and use pizza cutter to cut into pieces.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Artisan Bread
Artisan Bread
Makes 4 1-pound loaf
Ingredients
3 cups lukewarm water (slightly warmer than body temp, if too hot you will kill yeast about 100 degrees)
1 ½ tbsp yeast (2 packets, do not get fast rise yeast, need regular yeast)
1 ½ tbsp coarse kosher or sea salt
6 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour
Equipment
Baking stone
Pan to put in oven to hold water while bread is cooking
Plate to put dough on while resting
Directions
1. Heat water to just a little warmer than body temperature
2. Add yeast and salt to the water in a large bowl. Don’t worry about getting it all to dissolve
3. Mix in the flour by gently scooping it up, then leveling the top of the measuring cup with a knife; don’t pat down. Mix with a wooden spoon until uniformly moist. If hand mixing becomes too difficult, use very wet hands to press it together. Don’t knead! This step is done in a matter of minutes and yields a wet dough loose enough to conform to the container.
4. cover loosely. Do not use screw-topped jars, which could explode. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse or flatten on top, approximately two hours depending on temperature. Longer rising times, up to about five hours, will not harm the result. You can use a portion of the dough any time after this period. Refrigerated we dough is less sticky and easier to work with. I recommend refrigerating the dough at least three hours before shaping a loaf. This does not need to be monitored or anything, very easy dough that even if sits out longer does not matter.
ON BAKING DAY
Sprinkle plate liberally with flour to make easy sliding onto stone in oven.
Sprinkle some flour on dough in bowl. Pull about a grapefruit size ball of dough off from rest of dough. Use as much flour as you need to keep from sticking to fingers. Gently stretch surgace of dough around to the bottom on four “sides” rotating the ball quarter turn as you go. Loose flour does not need to be incorporated so if it falls off then don’t worry about it. Place on a plate and let rest for 40 minutes.
20 minutes before baking preheat oven to 450-475 depending on oven place baking stone in oven and empty pan to hold water on shelf under stone while preheating
Make a little slash on top of dough with serrated knife.
After preheated place dough on stone, helps to hold plate up to stone and slide off plate onto stone. After putting dough on stone, place about 1 cup of water in pan and close oven to trap the steam in from water. Bake 30-40 minutes or until nice golden brown coloring.
Refrigerate remaining dough fridge cover with foil. Will last up to two weeks in fridge
Makes 4 1-pound loaf
Ingredients
3 cups lukewarm water (slightly warmer than body temp, if too hot you will kill yeast about 100 degrees)
1 ½ tbsp yeast (2 packets, do not get fast rise yeast, need regular yeast)
1 ½ tbsp coarse kosher or sea salt
6 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour
Equipment
Baking stone
Pan to put in oven to hold water while bread is cooking
Plate to put dough on while resting
Directions
1. Heat water to just a little warmer than body temperature
2. Add yeast and salt to the water in a large bowl. Don’t worry about getting it all to dissolve
3. Mix in the flour by gently scooping it up, then leveling the top of the measuring cup with a knife; don’t pat down. Mix with a wooden spoon until uniformly moist. If hand mixing becomes too difficult, use very wet hands to press it together. Don’t knead! This step is done in a matter of minutes and yields a wet dough loose enough to conform to the container.
4. cover loosely. Do not use screw-topped jars, which could explode. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse or flatten on top, approximately two hours depending on temperature. Longer rising times, up to about five hours, will not harm the result. You can use a portion of the dough any time after this period. Refrigerated we dough is less sticky and easier to work with. I recommend refrigerating the dough at least three hours before shaping a loaf. This does not need to be monitored or anything, very easy dough that even if sits out longer does not matter.
ON BAKING DAY
Sprinkle plate liberally with flour to make easy sliding onto stone in oven.
Sprinkle some flour on dough in bowl. Pull about a grapefruit size ball of dough off from rest of dough. Use as much flour as you need to keep from sticking to fingers. Gently stretch surgace of dough around to the bottom on four “sides” rotating the ball quarter turn as you go. Loose flour does not need to be incorporated so if it falls off then don’t worry about it. Place on a plate and let rest for 40 minutes.
20 minutes before baking preheat oven to 450-475 depending on oven place baking stone in oven and empty pan to hold water on shelf under stone while preheating
Make a little slash on top of dough with serrated knife.
After preheated place dough on stone, helps to hold plate up to stone and slide off plate onto stone. After putting dough on stone, place about 1 cup of water in pan and close oven to trap the steam in from water. Bake 30-40 minutes or until nice golden brown coloring.
Refrigerate remaining dough fridge cover with foil. Will last up to two weeks in fridge
Saturday, February 27, 2010
The Story of Princess Ana
The Story of Princess Ana
Once upon a time in a land far away their lived a king and queen who dreamed of having a daughter to call their own. One day the queen discovered that she was with child and the kingdom rejoiced. Months passed and the queen gave birth to a beautiful baby girl who they called Princess Ana. The princess had beautiful strawberry blonde hair with rosy cheeks and brilliant red lips.
The king and queen were pleased to have the baby girl they always dreamed of. But Princess Ana was so radiant that the world was unable to hold her beauty and she became very ill.
In an effort to save the princess, God decided to bring Ana to heaven and make her an angel for all eternity. The king and queen were sad to say goodbye to their sweet princess.
But God assured them that someday they would all be reunited again. So the king and queen said goodbye to their daughter and decided to hide a stone deep in the woods to honor Princess Ana’s time on earth. The king and queen spent their remaining years remembering their beautiful princess and the day finally came when they all were reunited in God’s kingdom. And they all lived happily ever after.
The End
Once upon a time in a land far away their lived a king and queen who dreamed of having a daughter to call their own. One day the queen discovered that she was with child and the kingdom rejoiced. Months passed and the queen gave birth to a beautiful baby girl who they called Princess Ana. The princess had beautiful strawberry blonde hair with rosy cheeks and brilliant red lips.
The king and queen were pleased to have the baby girl they always dreamed of. But Princess Ana was so radiant that the world was unable to hold her beauty and she became very ill.
In an effort to save the princess, God decided to bring Ana to heaven and make her an angel for all eternity. The king and queen were sad to say goodbye to their sweet princess.
But God assured them that someday they would all be reunited again. So the king and queen said goodbye to their daughter and decided to hide a stone deep in the woods to honor Princess Ana’s time on earth. The king and queen spent their remaining years remembering their beautiful princess and the day finally came when they all were reunited in God’s kingdom. And they all lived happily ever after.
The End
Gypsy Soup
Gypsy Soup
3 to 4 tablespoons oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup celery, chopped
3/4 cup green pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
dash cayenne pepper
3 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoos tamari (haven't been able to find tamari so left out and was still very good)
2 onions, chopped
2 cups peeled, chopped sweet potatoes
1 cup tomatoes, chopped (I used canned chopped tomatoes)
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon basil
dash cinnamon
1 bay leaf 1 can drained chick peas (didn't have on hand so used little bit of wheat Penne pasta, and was great)
Saute onion, garlic, celery, potatoes, pepper, and tomatoes in oil for 5 minutes. Add everything else except chick peas and tamari and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Add the rest of ingredients and simmer another 15 minutes until potatoes are tender.
I know this one can get expensive if you have to buy everything which defeats the purpose of a lenten meal but I keep most of this stuff on hand (seasonings and some of the veggies) those seasonings are good to keep around for future recipes (I used paprika and bay leaves all the time) so good idea to buy them to have on hand anyway.
3 to 4 tablespoons oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup celery, chopped
3/4 cup green pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
dash cayenne pepper
3 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoos tamari (haven't been able to find tamari so left out and was still very good)
2 onions, chopped
2 cups peeled, chopped sweet potatoes
1 cup tomatoes, chopped (I used canned chopped tomatoes)
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon basil
dash cinnamon
1 bay leaf 1 can drained chick peas (didn't have on hand so used little bit of wheat Penne pasta, and was great)
Saute onion, garlic, celery, potatoes, pepper, and tomatoes in oil for 5 minutes. Add everything else except chick peas and tamari and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Add the rest of ingredients and simmer another 15 minutes until potatoes are tender.
I know this one can get expensive if you have to buy everything which defeats the purpose of a lenten meal but I keep most of this stuff on hand (seasonings and some of the veggies) those seasonings are good to keep around for future recipes (I used paprika and bay leaves all the time) so good idea to buy them to have on hand anyway.
3 Bean Barbecue Chili
3 Bean Barbecue Chili
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 can (1 pound)black beans
1 can (1 pound) red kidney beans
1 can (1 pound) white kidney beans (I used Great Northern Beans and it was good)
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilis
1 can regular diced tomatoes
1 package (10 ounces) frozen mixed vegetables
1 chopped onion
I also added some of my other favorite seasoning little basil, and ofcourse salt
In large soup pot saute chopped onion in hot oil until soft. Stir in chili powder and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes and heat to boiling. Reduce to low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Drain the beans in a colander and stir into tomatoe mixture. Add frozen vegetables, barbecue sauce, and 1/2 cup water. Heat to boiling, reduce to low, simmer uncovered 10 minutes to blend flavors. Great served over rice.
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 can (1 pound)black beans
1 can (1 pound) red kidney beans
1 can (1 pound) white kidney beans (I used Great Northern Beans and it was good)
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilis
1 can regular diced tomatoes
1 package (10 ounces) frozen mixed vegetables
1 chopped onion
I also added some of my other favorite seasoning little basil, and ofcourse salt
In large soup pot saute chopped onion in hot oil until soft. Stir in chili powder and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes and heat to boiling. Reduce to low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Drain the beans in a colander and stir into tomatoe mixture. Add frozen vegetables, barbecue sauce, and 1/2 cup water. Heat to boiling, reduce to low, simmer uncovered 10 minutes to blend flavors. Great served over rice.
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