Rosemary Pine Nut Hummus

This is delicious! After tasting Salt Lake Citris Grill's citrisgrill.com recipe, I went hunting on the internet and found this.  My changes are noted below.  I like to double the recipe in my Blendtec, processing it on the "dips" setting.  Dad really likes it.  He told me I had perfected the hummus art when I made the last batch.  It makes me want to make him some every day.


Rosemary Pine Nut Hummus

[Makes approximately 2 cups]

1 15-oz. can garbanzo beans (or white beans)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. or more fresh rosemary leaves, removed from stem (I use half of that maybe)
2 Tbsp. pine nuts
1/4 tsp. garlic powder (I use 1sm clove fresh)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil (or more, if desired)
1/2 cup water (1/3 makes it less soupy)

Combine white beans/garbanzo beans, lemon juice, rosemary, pine nuts, and garlic powder (clove) in a food processor (or Blendtec). Process until well combined. With the food processor running, drizzle in olive oil through the chute, and then add water in tablespoon increments until texture and consistency have reached your preference. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve with raw vegetables, stuffed in mushrooms, or with pita chips or crackers.

Earthing

Why have we never heard or talked about this?  Earthing, getting connected to the earth (especially by going barefoot) apparently now has lots of well-understood amazing health benefits.  We are now always "shoes off" outside.  We'll see how our floors hold up!
Check out this:

Interview about Earthing

Source

(Don't worry, it's not a movie, it's just audio so you can keep doing whatever you were going to do right after you sat down for a second to check GalliGals.  I think Meredith might be posting about it soon on ODL, so keep your eyes out for that.

DejNau Voo

Well, it IS Laurel in the painting!  We contacted artist Connie Lynn Reilly conniereilly.com.  She said she and her husband had taken "hundreds of photos," at the 2005 Nauvoo Pageant, including apparently at least one of ten year old Laurel Galli tuning up for another night in the Nauvoo band.  The painting is entitled "A Time to Listen" from Connie's "A Time to . . . " series taken from Ecclesiastes 3.  I had been to the exhibit twice and Laurel once before, but neither of us had seen it.   If you attend the exhibit, look at the wall furthest from the escalator.

Star of Wonder

That night we had another interesting "coincidence".  We admired a painting by Annie Henrie entitled "Balm of Gilead."  We had appreciated her work before, and long ago had a slight acquaintance with her father, fellow painter Cary Henrie when we lived in New York City.  I don't think we were even in the same ward for much of that time, but we knew of Cary partly because his uncle lived in Garden Park Ward.

That night, we talked about how nice it would be to meet Annie, and maybe even commission a piece from her.

Streams of Mercy Detail

Streams of Mercy

As we were leaving, we saw a family near the main entrance watching the film of artists represented in the competition.  Craig spotted a man I thought appeared no older than a very fit 45, and asked, "Is that Cary Henrie?"  I looked and said, "He looks too young!  And I don't remember what he looked like, anyway, but now that you mention it, it could be."  Craig approached him and said, "Excuse me, are you Cary Henrie?"  And he was!  What a surprise!  It would have to have been 25 years ago or more since we had last seen him.  He had no recollection of either of us, but was able to introduce us to Annie, who then talked to Laurel about the BYU art program.  They are interested in seeing the Minerva Teichert  paintings in Garden Park, and we are interested in seeing more of their work.  Life is increasingly leading to uncanny synergies--the Lord's signatures.  Attached are a couple of Annie's images.

Synergies popped up the night of the opening of the exhibit a few weeks ago too, when our friend from London Lisa DeLong knew Lance Harding, who had studied with her at the Princes School of Traditional Arts psta.org.uk.  Lance was a good friend of our friend Donna Nielsen donna-connections.blogspot.com, also there that evening.  Lance is researching sacred geometry with Vern Swanson, Garth Norman and John Pratt in Jerusalem at the temple mount. We heard Vern talk about it a couple of years ago at Ellie and Doug Stephens' home. Suffice it to say, cosmic energy was swirling then, too.  Who can untangle the Lord's web?

A Night at the Museum

Tonight I was at the church museum with Mom and Dad, perusing their exhibit, and admiring the work.  There was some very nice art there.  This included a picture of a beautiful matriarch, a few detailed quilts, and a picture of me.  Maybe you did a double take on that last sentence.  Well I'll tell you, I did a double take at the picture!  Allow me to explain further.  I came across a picture of a little girl, dressed as a pioneer, tuning a violin.  I was immediately struck by how much it looked like me, and in the little dress that I played in the Nauvoo band with.  I have contacted the artist, and am awaiting her reply, but until then, maybe you can give your opinion. 

Quinoa Vegetable Paella

Quinoa Vegetable Paella

This is one of those dishes that seem to improve overnight. Reheated leftovers make a great lunch. Spicy food lovers note that this is a subtle dish, not a spicy one.

Lark’s Note:  We first had this on April 23^rd, 2012, at the Flemings’ new home, 3160 Upland Dr.  It was Craig’s first visit to the house, and for FHE we brought the new little family with Bob “Papa” Fleming as the latest addition, dinner and a wee bit of help unloading boxes, besides a good deal of Oooing and Ahhhing.  Picture us with paper plates on knees, feeding a hungry little Aaron.

Craig told the friendly ward members bringing banana bread that the Flemings were nudists.  Then it turned out that we knew them several ways!

Also, this website sources notwithstanding, you can't do without everything!  I sauteed the onion and garlic in olive oil.

It really can't be called paella, it's so much more fun to think of it as that.  Served it with lemon, of course.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron, crushed
• 2 teaspoons Spanish smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• dash cayenne
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1 14-ounce can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 3/4 – 3 cups vegetable broth
• 2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced (we could fit only one on top)
• 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
• 1 can artichoke hearts, rinsed and cut into quarters

Instructions

1. Put the quinoa into a large bowl. Cover with water and stir well to wash the grain. Pour off the water and then repeat the washing process. You may also put the quinoa into a fine mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly.
2. Sauté onion and garlic in a deep non-stick skillet with a little water until soft. (I use my inconveniently-named “chicken fryer” for this.) Add the quinoa and saffron and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes. Add paprika, cumin, cayenne, tomatoes, peppers, beans, and 2 3/4 cups vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to very low, and cook covered for 15 minutes.
3. After 15 minutes, check to see if more broth is needed. If it looks dry, add the remaining vegetable broth. Place the zucchini on top of the quinoa and re-cover. Cook for about 5 more minutes, until quinoa is done. Remove the cover, stir in the peas, and cook uncovered until peas are warm and all liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Arrange the artichoke hearts on the top and serve. Add salt at the table, if necessary.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s) | Cooking time: 40 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 6

Per serving: 288 Calories (kcal); 3 g Total Fat; (9% calories from fat); 13 g Protein; 55 g Carbohydrate; 0 mg Cholesterol; 307 mg Sodium; 10 g Fiber

From fatfreevegan.com

Italian Veggie Marinade

Aunt Patty asked for this recipe today, and since she's so lovely and had a big BIG birthday this week, I'll put it up.

We have used it on grilled vegetables, but today I was in a rush, and I'll let you know my secret. I sauteed the vegetables on very high heat in olive oil on the stove in a large frying pan in batches, so that while the onions were sauteeing, Fei Fei and I were slicing peppers and cutting asparagus. Ditto later with giant portabello mushrooms. As batches were finishing, we dumped them into a large bowl, then added the marinade on the whole lot.

I'll put the official recipe below, but admit that today I used three cloves garlic, minced, the zest of one orange, the juice of two medium small oranges, almost the same amount of balsamic vinegar and some olive oil (no more than 1/2 cup), sea salt and fresh ground pepper. That provided a lot of liquid, but it was good as it sat on the warm vegetables for a half hour and then made a nice sauce for the rice we had. An easy and delicious way to eat your vegetables!

Here is the official recipe.

2 T Orange Juice
1 T Balsamic Vinegar
1 Clove garlic, minced
Olive oil
1/2 t Salt
1/4 Pepper

I note that in the past, besides adding orange zest, I have added basil, parsley, and a little mint.

Speaking of vegetables, for our family date this week, we watched "Forks over Knives". If you are interested in learning more about the effects of animal protein on disease and don't have time to read Eat to Live, by Joel Furhman, that movie will give you an overview of the subject.

We love you, Patricialicious!

The Most Unhappy Family

According to a study cited by a NY Times blogger, of all the family combinations, four girls is the least happy family composition.  Here are the reasons they listed:

NEGATIVES OF HAVING FOUR GIRLS:
1. Fight and argue all the time
2. Difficult to reason with
3. Ignore and dislike each other
4. Bedtime routine is a nightmare
5. Create a lot of noise around the house
6. Rarely confide in you
7. Hard to deal with when ill
8. Takes ages getting ready for school
9. Had to buy a bigger house and car
10. Hard to cope with on a daily basis

Sound familiar, Mom and Dad?

For your information, this was the list of potential sibling combos and how they rank in happiness.

1. Two girls
2. One boy and one girl
3. Two boys
4. Three girls
5. Three boys
6. Four boys
7. Two girls and one boy
8. Two boys and one girl
9. Three boys and one girl
10. Three girls and one boy
11. Two boys and two girls
12. Four girls

Mom and Dad, looks like you would have done a lot better statistically by finishing while you were ahead (right after I was born).  JK, LE and HR :)  I'm glad that Mom and Dad kept going, even if we were rather "hard to deal with when ill."

Also, for your information, Sherry Turkle did a TED talk that was really good (remember?  She was the one who had the good podcast about the alienating potential of technology).