this could be all. about. salad.

not that i've had varieties up the yin-yang, but still.

we got this dressing the other night, and it's amazing with feta on whatever lettuce we bought this week.
just fabulous. yes.

:)
at least i've got a ton of other posts of food devoted to starting with butter. ;) healthy is good.

currently, it's 11:34pm.
i prepped this post and a few other earlier....
and i. am. tired. i woke around 7:40...and it was a busy day, making two meals (double batch of broccoli quiche) at lunch time and sitting with a sick little sammi while anna met a friend at the library with reese... watching a baby story or two where the people had no clue how life with babies rolls, and a what-not-to-wear episode and a scene or two from say yes to the dress.
then a meeting tonight at a women's conference our church hosts. yay for getting dressed up and made-up. *yawn*

i'll be seeing the sky at around 7 tomorrow, waking up fully to coffee, Jesus, and all that jazz, so goodnight.
:)

cuts, notebooks, and lunch. the end.

it's not a very nice thing to rush a razor just to get out of the bathroom faster for someone else.
it doesn't feel too good to suddenly be filleting your shin.
so.....don't do it.
just a suggestion. don't pay any attention to anyone outside of that bathroom; lest you hurt yourself. and bleed.
perhaps i need a band-aid.....
and no. there isn't a picture of this, as there are for so many other things on my blog.

last night i started a new journal.
i haven't written in a spiral or fabric bound before.
composition notebooks have done the trick in the past, the squarish binding, sleek lines, my favorite found at Target or Staples.
last night i couldn't find any of those.
all i had was this pretty darn snazzy one.

~~~

this is my yesterday...

Brooke Fraser - Who Are We Fooling MP3 Download

♥

i'm going to upload some photos from the lunch we had yesterday; dad, mom, anna and moi.

it's the little [but busy] place that hangs some of my canvases is closing on the 15th. :( the older ladies who run it say they're getting tired. anna and i say, we'll take it over. but we don't know them that well at all, so that's not an option. it's for sale.

mom and dad ♥

anna, alone. ♥
her and i made an ironic joke about how i took the pictures. heh. we also critiqued that place up and down and dreamed ourselves up a wall. the food is great, but the ventilation system is old or nonexistent; you smell fried something when you walk in. and the color scheme could be more subtle and vibrant at the same time.

this place is cute. and very quirky. ^^ toasting with water like anyone else on planet earth would do... ;)

eclectic is the definition. ^^my canvases...the 5 on the right.

see? this is where dreaming and scheming comes in. now i just need my rich uncle to fund me for no obligation or debt.
this place needs to be primed. high gloss white something on the trim everywhere.
this place needs wood floors; if you stripped up that icky carpet, you'd find some original stuff. sand and refinish.
put in a good ventilation system and poke a hole in the outer wall for a window to shine in the open kitchen...
it all could go someplace really good from there. :)

as i said, the food is great. this is their sea chowder. mmmm. the only sad thing was, i was the only one who didn't get a shrimp at the bottom of the hot, creamy goodness.

i got their house salad when i ordered the chicken parmesan.
there was a pleasant waiting time inbetween all the food shifts.
i was surprised by the ingredients of the salad, but loved it. garbanzo beans, dried sweetened cranberries, sunflower seeds, cucumbers, and a bunch of different greens.
i'm starting to feel bad about smashing this restaurant stuff on the end of . . . well, the stuff about today.
i should post the only-restaurant stuff as a post named how to re-do a restaurant in your mind but still enjoy the place. ;)

. . . in my mind, you know something isn't quite right when the wall matches the color of your arm....and you're considered nearly albino in your family. ;)

the roll with butter, was good. the lettuce, i did not eat. the peppers and onions in the surprisingly flavorful tomato sauce over the penne = so delicious. the chicken, tender and sliceable to a fork? mmm wonderful.

mismatched mugs and glasses.
this summer i'm really going to have to try shooting this one coffee shop up north...oh boy, i love that place. needs a bit more in the way of interior decor, it's rather plain, but still beautiful either way.

~~~

well, i'm going to end this loooong post with some shots i took of lyd and me, when we walked earlier in this gorgeous day...

please note that we did not give each other any clue as to what face we did for the camera. heh. :)
the joy of sisters.

sunset hour.

the sun is brilliant.
golden.
all those obvious, beautiful things.
it's 6:08pm.
i've been on this laptop too long.
i won't be on tonight.

i'm posting a few photos tomorrow of today's lunch out with mom, dad, and anna. the little place that hangs some of my canvases is closing on the 15th. :(
i'm going to start reading the book green by ted dekker soon.
now i'm finishing up siri mitchell's a heart most worthy.
better than expected.

this glowy late afternoon deserves to take out the camera. then look at house magazines. and read this decor thang by empowered traditionalist. and dream. and see flowers come up from the dirt. leaves are already there...

and i dare say i spy some buds starting...
and maybe....if it had one....look through an ikea magazine....

 

love must be sincere. hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 

[romans 12:9]

it's 11:39 p.m.

and i'm eating something like corn puffs, with a homemade already-soaked-in sauce of lots of butter, sugar, and cinnamon. and i'm drinking huge glasses of water to cleanse the palette, when a lemon greek yogurt sounds really good for the same purpose... ;)

i really want to go to bed before 1:30a.m. tonight.                    ....that's lyd in the top right. hehe:)

and i got to hang out with these kids from 4-10 today while their mommy taught a birth class...and i got to hold their littlest siblings: 4-month-old girl/boy twins.
truly. awesomeness. :)

p.s. all the recipe posts i just did were things we made in the month of march....that i had written about, and finally prepped and posted on here. i didn't do it all in the last week or anything. it was just a great opportunity--a busy weekend with no writing time-- to post them, finally!

bangkok noodles. mhmm:)

yes!
i'm pretty excited for these.
but i'm more excited for the thai peanut noodles. which i haven't posted yet, have i? those things are more addicting and palatable, personally. but i like these ones a lot.

isn't this exciting; we get to matchstick those carrots!
a note: this new add-on to the house "menu" was inspired by noodles & co.'s dish that anna loves.

we love sriracha sauce now.

first time we've ever used rice noodles....
everyone who saw them soaking in the huge stainless steel bowl of hot water looked at them funny. :)

all the awesome red sauces anna used in bangkok noodles:)

saute some mushrooms, garlic, ginger....

yeah . . . rice noodles.
they're different for sure, but good nonetheless!

that there in the bowl: coconut milk, red sauces (i believe) and soy sauce. i think. oh! and the bowl far to the right? lime juice. from my bare hands. um. that didn't sound right. heh. it was hard work, is what i'm trying to say!

matchsticked carrots and broccoli.
healthy; that's all i think of when i see this picture.
:)

♥

mix it up.
the end:)

oh, here's the recipe. and the link. since you might want them. ;)

Coconut Curried Vegetables with Shrimp
serves 6-8

ingredients:
    * 1 lb rice noodles (from your favorite Asian market)
    * 1 cup broccoli (cut into florets)
    * 1 cup carrots (matchstick or julienne cut)
    * ½ cup scallions (cut on the bias)
    * ½ cup red peppers (matchstick or julienne cut)
    * 1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
    * 1 tbsp fresh ginger (peeled & chopped)
    * 1 tbsp Thai curry paste (red or green)
    * 1 tbsp canola oil
    * 1 can “lite”coconut milk (from your favorite Asian market)
    * 1 tbsp sweet soy sauce, low sodium (from your favorite Asian market)
    * ½ cup sweet chile sauce (from your favorite Asian market)
    * 1 tsp black sesame seeds (from your favorite Asian market)
    * 24 shrimp (16-20 peeled & de-veined)

cooking procedures:
   1. Soak noodles in lukewarm water for 30 minutes. Drain and cool in ice water. Drain, let rest & toss with oil.
   2. Blanch broccoli & carrots in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain, cool down in ice water, drain and set aside.
   3. Place large sauté pan over high heat. Add canola oil and sautéed mushrooms until lightly golden.
   4. Add shrimp, coconut milk and Thai curry paste.
   5. Add carrots, broccoli, peppers, scallions, ginger, sweet chile sauce, sweet soy, and noodles to pan in that order. Toss once or twice to coat all ingredients well with sauce.
   6. Place on platter and sprinkle with black sesame seeds.

~~~

currently, it's sunday night.
i prepped this recipe post and the last 2 or 3 in one afternoon; got down to the wire and decided it was time to post recipes i'd mentioned.... other people might as well have the chance to try them out too.

every sunday we've been watching this...
i love watching the different steps and interesting process of the whole thing. lots of tips, right? for that coffee-art-food shop i might have someday.

and flipping back to secret millionaire during commercials......

random little thang...... i forgot where i found it........
well then. 10:31pm, and i'm thinking bed and a book sounds marvelous. i read one chapter of it earlier around 4:30-5...and tiredness hit me like a train. so what did i do? i shut off the lamp and slept cozy for 2 1/2 hours--until about 7:30. the sun was setting, and dad had gone out to get gyros to split up for dinner.
gyros, family, and a cooking show? kind of a great way to end a really busy but wonderful weekend, everyone of us at home for the first time since friday afternoon. :) p.s. this is my 390'th post....maybe another giveaway sometime? hmmm.... :) :)

action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change - this is the rhythm of living. out of our over-confidence, fear; out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope. and out of hope, progress.
[Bruce Barton]

vegetarian tacos. ♥

vegetarian tacos.
they're not getting old.
and each time they're becoming more of a favorite.
with everyone in the family. ;) even the pickiest eater. heh.

quick brown rice is how we like to do it. with a few diced and sauteed peppers, a minced onion, and some garlic. toss some mexican seasoning in there.

rip up some leaf lettuce.

in a small saucepan, warm up a can's worth of black beans.
in a bowl off to the side, pour the diced tomatoes with green chiles. :)

never forget the cheese.
even though the other day when we made it, we had it without cheese and it was still good....cheese finishes it off amazingly well.

get you some tortillas.
i suggest larger the better. the ones featured above are pretty whole-grainy and smallish.

so. line-up?
this is how we do it.

tortilla.
cheese.
toast that dry in a stainless steel skillet until the cheese is melted but the tortilla is not crispy yet.
beans.
lettuce.
tomatoes with chiles.
mmmm!
all that
=
♥
enjoy!
[currently: 1:41am, going to bed after a few long fascinating conversations. books with mariah, new zealand  friends and history with the girls, and chinese-food, produce etc., school food, birth, panera, etc., with the d family. awesome:) goodnight!]

peanut butter jelly bars. yes. :]

yeah, i'm starting out with a shot from last night's canvas post.
:)
because i like it.

yeah...awful light. sorry.
evening time+men of the family gone to a conference hosted by our church+girl time!+chinese take-out because nothing was planned+anna's brilliant idea to put me to work on a recipe she found earlier that day;)=yumminess that you can hardly eat any of because doesn't everyone OD on chinese take-out? ;)

mmmm. basically a toffee bar/sugar cookie type of thing for the crust.

:) brown sugar? what's better than that? tell me!

mix it up, baby.
there's peanut butter in there.
and i suppose i should find the actual recipe so you can make this simple goodness...

this is before baking.

after.
let me tell you, half of the family was addicted to it. i wasn't, because i must've OD'd on chinese a bit too much, or else i was going for moderation.
it's a good thing to try to practice. ;)
[currently: sitting around an indoor fireplace at a conference center with the siblings...waiting to meet with heather, steph, and a friend:) small cup #2 of douwe egbert's coffee because i'm not brewing starbucks at this time of night. heh. beautiful night.]