Gerbera Daisy

Started playing with editing this daisy and began to realize the possibilities are literally endless!

I've Discovered Who I REALLY Am...

I've always had a cat (or three) around. For me, they are easier to care for than a dog who just seems needier. (I love dogs too, don't get me wrong, BUT...)

And the funny thing is, each cat has their own personality, but it's always some combination of:

Aloof.

Independent.

Affectionate.

Bossy.

Coy.

Sulky.

Cuddly.

Oh my gosh.

I think I'm a cat.

Just the Same as Me!

So I have some time to myself and am, of course, trolling the internet, trying not to think about these.

Which, my recipe is more, take a bite of this and then a bite of that.

Clearly, I need to be distracted.

So I found this. Which got me all excited.

She likes color too!!

Generosity

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed. Proverbs 19:17

See this book?

(photo from ecrater)

I've been on a bit of a Julia Child bender since watching Julie and Julia. I checked out Julia Child's biography from the library and also found this book: From Julia Child's Kitchen. I have fallen in love with it. It is full of notes, explanations, basic instructions, definitions and, oh yeah, RECIPES! I mentioned on Twitter that I was reading it and this sweet lady mentioned that someone had given her a copy and she was going to make a purse from it. My heart stopped. "Nooooo!!!" I screamed. (She assured me that she only uses the cover of books and leaves the guts intact.) She offered me the book. THE BOOK!!! I breathlessly accepted and received it yesterday. I've been walking around reading snatches of it, cradling it like a newborn.

Hopefully, I can get unbusy enough to experiment with some of the recipes. I can practically smell them simmering...

In the meantime, go to Zaties on Etsy and have a look-see. That'll give me time to start some stew.

The Flower

{Click on the photo for a clearer view of the poem.}

Busy People's Fast & Frugal Cookbook

I love cookbooks. I'm growing quite a collection. (And as soon as I figure out how to upload pics from my phone to my blog, I'll illustrate a post with photos. But for now, be a dear and use your imagination.)

So I jumped at the chance to review a cookbook for Thomas Nelson. Especially one with Fast & Frugal in the title.

There's a lot to like about this Dawn Hill's Busy People's Fast & Frugal Cookbook. There are slightly over 300 pages with a solid 294 pages of recipes. The book is laid out well and I think this is it's strongest point. Categories are well represented. Recipes are simple with clear instructions. A sidebar lists supplies and grocery list needed for the recipe. Also listed in the sidebar is a suggestion drawing from another recipe in the book for a total meal. The grocery list ingredients are divided into categories. Dietary information is listed at the end of the recipe with all of the recipes being low-fat and low calorie. Sodium is high in only a few of the recipes.

The cover photos and each photo dividing the sections of the book look professionally done. The food looks appetizing and the lighting is well done. The good news is that there is a photo to accompany many of the recipes. The bad news is that these photos look amateurish with unflattering angles and poor lighting which makes the food look plain and unappetizing. Also, some of the recipes seem as if the author is grasping at culinary straws just to have a recipe.

Now that I've griped about the things that irked me, know that there are some decent, basic recipes in there. Unfussy, filling and balanced meals abound in Busy People's Fast & Frugal Cookbook.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

OK, So posting this didn't quite go as I envisioned, but you get the idea...