It’s Foodie Friday! Actually, every day of the week could be a foodie day for me, but I love the way Foodie Friday sounds. So let’s celebrate food!
In the online world there are so many blogs, sites, tweets and posts to peruse on a weekly basis – how is one to choose where to spend valuable reading time? I often go with the recommendations of others and have actually found some of my favourite blogs that way.
Today I want to share with you two of my favourite Food Blogs. I hope you enjoy!
What’s Gaby Cooking
That’s Gaby and her site What’s Gaby Cookin’ has a great layout, simple but stunning photography and easy to follow recipes ~ everything from gluten free to holiday meals to vegetarian delights. All the recipes are catalogued well for ease of use. Click on her picture to visit her site.
I ‘met’ Rosa on twitter and quickly became a fan of her work.
Click on the blackberry banner and you’ll quickly see why.
She pairs her unique photography with captivating prose and mouth watering recipes. I love that she provides the links to explanations & definitions of unusual ingredients or cooking terms, and her Wordless Wednesday posts are enchanting and inspiring.
Anyone who knows me knows the deep love I have for my city. I live, explore, worship, shop and enjoy here with a passionate approach. Recent events have not changed that. If anything, the last week has strengthened my appreciation for living in this beautiful, friendly, world class city.
I’ve witnessed my neighbours come together, celebrate victory and mourn defeat. I loved the way almost everyone in the city altered their schedules to cheer on our fabulous Canucks. I love how our work places allow for hockey jerseys instead of a suit and tie. I love how our city officials put up big screens to make room for big celebrations.
And I hate what happened during the riot. Shock and dismay and anger quickly filled our hearts. And then we rallied. We came together for the common purpose we have always had – to make Vancouver great. The people you saw cleaning the streets are the same ones who helped host the best Olympics ever. We, the people, are the reason Vancouver is the city it is. Surrounded by spectacular scenery is just the icing on the cake. It is people who plan and host world class events. It is people ~ friendly, honest, healthy people, who smile and work hard and greet visitors to our city.
And it’s those same people that are the example to those who put a shameful stain on our city for a just a brief moment. Participating in the clean up was an emotional experience for me. I welled up a few times as I witnessed my neighbours cleaning and scraping and stooping to pick up the glass and garbage. I can’t explain it, but it was a beautiful response to a very ugly and senseless act.
To those who participated in the riot, either by committing senseless crime or giving an audience to those who did rather than leaving so police could do their jobs, well… you know who you are. And I hope you are taking a hard look first at yourself, then at those who cleaned up your mess.
And to those who helped clean up, to those who are ashamed of the act, to those who love Vancouver as much as I do ~ Thank You. I’m glad you are my neighbour.
Please visit Andy Fang’s facebook page to see amazing pictures of amazing volunteers! Thank you Andy.
Yesterday was my birthday. Another year added to the many, many I’ve lived before. No big deal, right? Except that it is!
I love my birthday. And I’m somewhat surprised by those who don’t. Especially adults! Sure, it’s great when you’re a kid and you get a cute cake with your cute friends playing cute games, but that’s nothing compared to the fun you have once you’re all grown up with the freedom to choose your delights.
Think about it! It’s the one day in a year to be legitimately spoiled rotten, and deserve every single minute of it. It’s also a day to take time out and indulge in some wonderful pleasures that seem a bit frivolous or time consuming other days of the year. Say it with me, Spa Day!
Birthdays for me haven’t changed much over the years, and they look a lot like birthdays for my kids, except for the addition of good wine:
Presents – yep, I still want them! thank you very much!
Cake – absolutely, and doubly enjoyable the next morning.
Singing – always! sing to me: in tune, bad pitch, off beat…
Dinner – stay in or eat out, just don’t make me lift a finger
Party – big, small, surprise or otherwise, I love them!
We don’t have any hard and fast traditions to observe year to year, we let each birthday be spontaneous and accommodating to whatever our schedule is and wherever we find ourselves. They’re always fun. Always.
And this whole ‘getting older sucks‘ bit? Nope. Not there. Perhaps one of these years I’ll look in the mirror and the lines will bother me or the grey will depress me, but so far that isn’t happening. The lines and the grey are there (although the grey is usually well hidden), but they belong. They’re mine, I’ve earned them, I’ve had fun and enjoyed life. And if some lines and grey and stiff limbs show up to remind me of the fullness of each day I’ve lived, then I welcome them, especially when there’s presents involved!
Unconventional, a word I don’t mind. To be free of conventions gives the freedom to create, try new things, and think outside the box. Or in my case for this ‘Foodie Friday‘ post, to think outside the salad bowl.
Great salads are a mainstay in our household. No matter what’s on the menu, fresh salad will always accompany the meal. A favorite at our table is a Greek inspired salad. I say Greek inspired because it has all the ingredients of a traditional Greek salad, with a few unconventional additions that, I think, make it an over the top salad. Often this will suffice for lunch or, paired with Greek style pita and tzaziki with a bbq chicken skewer, an easy meal for any night of the week.
In a large, pretty salad bowl combine:
1 each lg. yellow, orange, red, &/or green pepper & long english cucumber ~ lg. chunky dice
6+ cherry or strawberry tomatoes, cut in quarters or halves or eighths or….
4 lg. celery stalks ~ 1/4 inch slice (oh heck, however big you want them)
1/2 lg. red onion thinly sliced (Thin is better given the strong flavour)
1/2 to 1 full cup of your favourite feta cheese, in chunks
1/2 bunch coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (NOT optional ~ trust me)
A generous toss of kalamata olives (these are optional in my house)
In a smaller yet equally as pretty bowl combine:
1/4 cup each of olive oil (best quality) & Nakano roasted garlic seasoned rice vinegar (another trust me ingredient) plus an extra splash of the vinegar
1 tbsp-ish of dried oregano
3 or so cloves of garlic, crushed
fresh ground salt & pepper to taste
Just before serving pour the salad dressing mixture over the vegetables & toss to coat
Enjoy!!
If you find yourself changing things up & trying something new or different, I’d love to hear about it! Feel free to comment & link to pictures of your salad for others to enjoy.
I’ve spent far too much time away from my blog. Other writing jobs, my daytime work, and daily life have kept me very busy. The nicer weather means I’ve also spent some time in my garden.
One joy of spring is visiting my local garden center to find young plantings that eventually bloom into beautiful flowers to line my front steps. It’s one of the pleasures of having a wide set of steps leading up to my front porch. I also love to plant an herb garden on my back porch. There’s nothing like fresh cilantro in a batch of summer salsa.
Here is the first round of plantings for my project.
Those inspired by a model other than Nature, a mistress above all masters, are laboring in vain. ~ Leonardo Da Vinci
Growing up I watched a show called the Six Million Dollar Man in which an ordinary man, on the edge of death, is given a new lease on life using Bionics. Truly remarkable (on the hokey side), he was able to see, run, lift and throw things beyond what mere humans were able to.
Recently I was introduced to the term Biomimicry during a DesignTV tweetchat hosted by the wonderful Jonathan Legate and Amy at ABCD Designs. Biomimicry, a term coined by science author Janine Benyus, is the study and imitation of efficient designs in nature. And it is literally giving mere humans a new lease on life.
The Biomimicry Institute brings together scientists, engineers, architects and innovators who use designs inspired by the genius present in creation to develop sustainable technologies. All of creation offers clues to sustainable living. Biomimicry uncovers these clues to create viable solutions for eco-friendly design.
For designers, engineers and inventors the application of biomimicry taxonomy (a classification system that organizes how organisms meet various challenges in nature) allows them to collaborate with scientists to ask questions of nature. Questions like how do birds use natural materials to insulate their nests rather than how to make a chemical free insulation for use in homes and buildings.
So how does this apply to we mere humans? Most don’t consider nanotechnology when choosing eco-conscious, brightly coloured, water resistant fabrics for outdoor design projects. For our benefit, there are many sustainable products available, and I was inspired by how the science of biomimicry is already part of so much that surrounds and affects my life.
For instance, plant inspired solar cells with the ability to capture energy and rain capturing systems that mimic the outer skin of the namib desert beetle. To celebrate Earth Day 2011 I was inspired to probe a bit further and discover some of the most amazing and pioneering developments in the world of sustainable design. Here are five that impress and motivate me.
Greensulate Insulation: This fire safe insulating material is literally grown using fibrous fungi and natural materials like rice hulls and wheat husks. There are no chemical by-products or VOC’s, and the insulation can be handled safely making it easier to install.
Living Walls & Roofs: Not only do they look great and add to the decorative look of a yard, building facade or rooftop patio, living walls also conserve energy by helping to regulate the internal temperatures of the buildings they cover as well as improve air quality and reduce green house gases. This living wall in the picture is on the side of Whole Foods market just off Cambie Street in Vancouver.
Geothermal: This innovative construction practice uses the naturally present and accessible heat from the earth to heat and cool new buildings. Ground source heat pumps transfer heat from the earth to a home or building in winter, then dump heat during summer months.
Morphotex Fabrics: Inspired by Morpho Butterflies, these structural colored fibers don’t require artificial dyes to achieve their color. The thickness and structures of the fiber determines the color.
Self Cleaning Windows: Inspired by rough surface of the lotus leaf, self cleaning glass relies on the process of photocatalysis which utilizes UV rays from the sun to help break down organic and mineral based dirts that accumulate on the glass. Moisture from rain water (or your garden hose) forms a water film that rinses away the dirt. The surface of this specialized glass dries quickly and uniformly leaving windows virtually streak free!
I appreciate living in a city that is striving to be the Greenest City on Earth by 2020, and I know my choices help reach that goal. I hope you’re inspired and challenged to be more conscious of the choices you make (the more you realize what is available) as you engage with the world around you. Our great grandchildren will thank you!
And some days it’s just so darn hard to get out the door.
My border collie doesn’t suffer this same plight. She has boundless energy and will run every single day of the week if I feel so inclined. She makes the perfect running buddy, truly.
So I keep lacing up the runners and heading out the door. And having the perfect playlist definitely helps. Here’s what’s helping me stay on the road this week, I get about 10K from this list.
That’s Gaby and her site What’s Gaby Cookin’ has a great layout, simple but stunning photography and easy to follow recipes ~ everything from gluten free to holiday meals to vegetarian delights. All the recipes are catalogued well for ease of use. Click on her picture to visit her site.
Live Explore Enjoy 