Took a Little Drive

 My husband and I enjoyed an afternoon drive recently.  We wanted to see what wildflowers might be blooming in our part of Texas. There aren't alot, but still, were some interesting things to photograph.  A couple old barns which have seen better days for use but still are interesting.  Sitting there in all their glory, they make you wish you could go inside to explore.

 This little paintbrush is making great effort to be the first to shine this season.

We live in Rains County, which is the Eagle Capital of Texas.  Sadly, I have yet to see one of these elusive majestics.  That is until our drive.  This is an eagle, not our national bald eagle, but a Mexican Eagle. 

We are looking forward to being in the heart of Texas Wildflowers after Easter! It seems like our timing might be perfect for me to capture some great shots - so keep your eyes here for a new batch of photos.

Irish Soda Bread

I really enjoyed baking this bread.  It is easy, quick and tasty.  The downside is that it has to be eaten the same day it is baked - or it gets "hard as the Blarney Stone," according to my Julia Child's Baking book.  Basically, this is a giant buttermilk biscuit.  If you decide to make this as a bread to have with tea or at breakfast, consider adding dried fruits and nuts (currents are traditional, but raisins work too).

What you need:
2 Cups Buttermilk
4 Cups Flour
1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda


Mix and kneed by hand on lightly floured surface. Place dough in a pie plate. Cut an 'x' on top of loaf.  I mist the dough with water and sprinkle a bit of Kosher salt on top, but this is optional.  Bake your bread in a preheated 375° oven on the center rack for approximately 50 minutes.

Shattered Sun

Recently I finished a shawl from a pattern which is so beautiful that I put it on my to-knit list as soon as I saw it.  Additionally, I purchased the recommended yarn, something I don't always do.  The yarn is so awesome - a luxury by anyone's standards.  It's blend of 45% cashmere and 55% silk is so amazingly soft that I may be permanently spoiled for any other fiber. 

The colorway is called Lemon Curd - and is as yummy as the name sounds.  I did add a few more rows to
the bottom section to add to the original size, as suggested by the designer of this Shattered Sun Shawl, Felicia Lo.  The yarn is by her company, Sweet Georgia Yarns.  The finished, post-blocked size of the shawl is 64" x 27" to the ruffle.  I love the wonderfully femine touch it adds!

Chicken, Peppers & Carrots

This is a dish our family enjoys regularly for dinner.  It is a great way to get your veggies and enjoy a really tasty meal.  It is prepared in a wok, so it moves fairly quickly once the veggies are prepared. 


What you need:
boneless, skinless chicken breasts
green bell peppers
'matchstick' carrots
vegetable oil 
rice
sugar
soy sauce
ginger

Slice your chicken into small strips. Optional: marinade the chicken in a little soy sauce and powdered, dried ginger. Now slice your bell peppers. Shread your carrots if you didn't take the easy route and buy them ready to use. 

Preheat your wok to medium high and add a couple tablespoons of oil.  First you will cook your bell peppers.  When tender, remove and do the same for your carrots.  Remove.  Add more oil, which has 2-3 teaspoons of dried ginger added to it,  and cook your chicken, now.  Stir occasionally as your chicken cooks throughly.  If you haven't already started your instant rice, do so now.  Return the cooked veggies to the chicken in the wok.  Add a tablespoon of sugar and a couple tablespoons of soy sauce.  Cook another minute or two, until flavors blend and veggies are re-heated.  Serve over bed of rice.

My Easter Shawl

Last year, Easter was difficult as we learned the news of my niece's (Amy) passing just as we finished our last service.  Amy had Cystic Fibrosis and lost her lifelong battle just before her 23rd birthday. 

I decided, because I really love the dress, to wear my pink linen Ralph Lauren a second year.  The dress is sleeveless, and I never show off my ugly arms, so a covering is necessary. But for my emotional well-being, I decided to avoid duplicating too much of last Easter and made the decision to knit myself a new shawl to go with my dress.  This is the Summer Blooms Shawl, designed by Susanna IC for the cover of Interweave Knits Magazine, Summer of 2012.  My yarn is Tosh Merino Light in the colorway - Molly Ringwald!  I love the blooms visible in the pattern and the beads which add elegance.  The shawl took me about 35 hours to complete to the point of blocking. 

It's Greek (Salad) to me!

Many years ago, a friend shared her family recipe for this Greek Salad with me.  It is refreshing and makes a great change from lettuce based salads.  Not to mention, easy to make, great tasting and pretty decent nutritionally - all making this a weekly lunch "special" each spring/summer. 


What you need:
English Cucumber*
Red Onion
Tomato (Roma/Garden/or what you have)
Feta Cheese
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice

* English cucumbers also go under the name burpless or seedless.  They come in a long version or multi-packs of a miniature version.  If you don't have these, simply take a spoon and scoop out the seeds of a garden cucumber - or leave them is you prefer (but note that the ackward side effects many have related to this veggie are a result of the seeds usually).

Chop your veggies and put them in a large bowl.  If using grape-sized tomatoes, cut them in half.  Add feta crumbles.  In a jar or a bowl large enough to mix dressing in, use equal parts of good olive oil and good/fresh lemon juice.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper.  Mix well and pour over the chopped veggies and feta.  Mix.  Refridgerate for a bit, just long enough to chill.  Toast up some pita or pocket bread to sop up the extra dressing and enjoy this guilt-free treat.

Beaded Knit Shawl

I have been doing some knitting for myself following a season of knitting for others.  I'd discovered this pattern for a beaded lace shawl in the Knit Red book.  The book proceeds support heart health and have many lovely donated patterns.  I choose this pattern by Andrea Jurgrau almost immediately.  Although I'd never before knit with beads, I can't imagine working this pattern without them.  The yarn used is Madeline Tosh: Tosh Merino Light in the colorway Torchere.  I used red glass beads which have silver linings.  There are over 650 beads just on the bottom edge! After some aggressive blocking, the final shawl measures around 30 inches to the center point and about 70 inches across, excluding the scallops.  I put about 50 hours total knitting into this shawl, with the bindoff taking 5 hours to add those 654 beads.  Still, it's kinda like childbirth - now that it is done, I'm so happy with it that the time it took to bindoff is just a memory.