Meditations on Jesus' Word..."Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause," Jacob 3:1. Jesus knows me and wants so much to bring joy to my time here on earth. To receive this blessing, I must ask.
Dr. Ginger, Medicine Woman...reread this article from Jeff Novik on Super Foods. I like his attitude. Not overeating while choosing a variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains, offers one the best chance for attaining and maintaining good health.
Cucina Fresca...discovered the PERFECT mix of veg toppings for my favorite polenta pizza and am working on a millet/flax crust as well. Even my wanna-be carnivore husband couldn't get enough of my now...
Perfect Polenta Pizza
1 c. coarsely ground polenta
pinch calcium hydroxide (pickling lime)
4 c. water
1-2 red onions, minced or pureed
a handful mushrooms of any variety, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
2-4 large cloves garlic, in the skin
a handful of baby kale, minced
3-4 basil leaves, minced
1-2 roma tomatoes sliced
pinch dried Italian herb blend
pinch red pepper flakes
twist or two of black pepper
8-12 hours before you plan to eat, soak polenta in water with calcium hydroxide. Prepare vegetables. Over lowest heat, sweat onions in a bit of water; continue cooking until they are caramelized and golden but don't let stick to pan. Meanwhile roast garlic, peppers, and mushrooms at 400F for 20 min or until softened and beginning to brown. While the onions are caramelizing and the other veggies are roasting. Pour polenta and water into a deep pot. Bring to a boil and lower heat, stirring constantly. Wear an oven mitt and partially cover pot to keep polenta from burning you as it pops. Shortly, it will pull away from the side of the pan. Pour polenta on a parchment lined pizza baking sheet and spread about 1/4 inch thick. Let it cool and set up for a few minutes. Pop garlic out of paper skins. Top polenta with onions, sliced roasted garlic, roasted veg, kale, basil, sliced tomatoes, herbs, pepper flakes, and black pepper. Return to hot oven and bake for 10 minutes. Eat with a huge green salad. Wow!
Duds...After living in Walmart-ville for so long, I go used to shopping there and found a couple things I really like. White Stag women's t-shirts are my favorite or were. They were perfect with a not-to-low neckline, a long, feminine cut, nice sturdy fabric, and less than $10. With the changing season, I need a couple new t-shirts and went to Walmart yesterday. Sadly, they changed the fabric and style...sigh...now I have to find a new favorite. I'm not a shopper so this is quite a hardship.
Bibliophilia...King County Washington has probably the best library in the entire US. For sure it hold the honor of the highest level of circulation in the country. Although I like having my own books, it isn't practical to travel with cases of books. I know, because I tried it for some time. So....I am enjoying the library here very much.
Nature Walk...enjoying the signs of spring and this ocean view
Pen and Brush...I simply love to make and send watercolor cards. And some have responded that they like receiving them.
Thought Provoking Quote..."We have launched a cleanup campaign. We are a throw-away people. Trash piles grow faster than population by far. Now we ask you to clean up your homes and your farms. “Man is the keeper of the land, and not its possessor.” Broken fences should be mended or removed. Unused barns should be repaired, roofed, painted, or removed. Sheds and corrals should be repaired and painted, or removed. Weedy ditch banks should be cleared. Abandoned homes could probably be razed. We look forward to the day when, in all of our communities, urban and rural, there would be a universal, continued movement to clean and repair and paint barns and sheds, build sidewalks, clean ditch banks, and make our properties a thing of beauty to behold. We have asked leaders of youth groups, auxiliary organizations, and priesthood quorums to give power to this concentrated action for beautification. The Lord said: “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof.” (Ps. 24:1.) “And I the Lord God, took the man [Adam], and put him into the Garden of Eden, to dress it, and to keep it.” (Moses 3:15.) Therefore, we urge each of you to dress and keep in a beautiful state the property that is in your hands." Spencer W. Kimball, October 1974
