I'm up early every day and for me its a most magical time. My home affords a view of the wide expanse of the Long Island Sound looking north. Across the water the lights of Connecticut twinkle until the sun starts its ascent on the eastern horizon. Its at this moment that ribbons of yellow, orange and pink swirl across the sky and a melodious chorus of bird calls treat early risers like myself.

We gathered family and friends to celebrate spring's delightful return. Here are some recipes we used for our Easter weekend. Murderous Carrot Burgers: 1.5 cups finely chopped fresh carrots (washed, skin on, ends cut off) 2 cups crushed cornflakes (crush first then measure) 3 eggs beaten 1/4 cup finely chopped celery 1 tbsp. finely chopped onion 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. sugar ground black pepper to taste 2 tbsp. vegetable oil Directions: Using food processor, finely chop carrots then place in saucepan with just enough water to cover carrots. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, drain all the water from carrots. In a large bowl, combine drained carrots, chopped cornflakes, eggs, celery, onion, salt, sugar and pepper. Mix well, allow to set for 5 minutes. Shape in to at least 6 carrot burgers. Fry method: heat oil in skillet over medium heat, cook burgers for 3 minutes on each side until browned. Panini Grill: coat grill pan and cook burgers as above. Serve on whole grain buns or kaiser rolls. Topping suggestions: baby arugula, melted goat cheese, dijon mustard, hot sauce....whatever you like!

Asparagus Pizza: 1 frozen(thawed) or fresh pizza dough 1 bunch of asparagus trimmed to about 6-7 inches long, reserve tender part of ends and chop 1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella sliced 2 tbs. olive oil ground black pepper Directions: Preheat oven to 450 degrees, place pizza pan or baking sheet in oven. On lightly floured surface, gently work the pizza dough out with your hands and knuckles until it is about 12" in diameter. Remove heated pan from oven, lightly dust pan with flour, carefully slide dough onto pan. Sprinkle olive oil over dough and spread with fingers. Place asparagus around the dough with tips pointing out and ends meeting in the center of pie. Sprinkle remaining chopped pieces of asparagus around pie and place mozzarella over asparagus. Top with pepper to taste. Bake in oven 12-15 minutes. Cool for about 5 minutes and cut with pizza cutter.

And finally, as promised...my famous dessert pizza! 1 frozen(thawed) or fresh pizza dough Jar of Nutella 1 tbsp. olive oil options: chopped hazelnuts, fresh strawberries, bananas, dark and/or milk chocolate chips Directions: Preheat oven to 450 degrees, place pizza pan or baking sheet in oven. On lightly floured surface, gently work the pizza dough out with your hands and knuckles until it is about 12" in diameter. Sprinkle olive oil over dough and spread with fingers. Remove heated pan from oven, lightly dust pan with flour, carefully slide dough onto pan. Bake dough for about 10 minutes watching carefully, and at first sign that dough is beginning to form a bubble, remove from oven and make a fine slice in dough releasing air. Return to oven but continue to watch dough while baking. Remove dough from oven when done and place on cool surface. Using offset metal spatula or spreader, spread generous amount of Nutella over dough. Place desired toppings over Nutella, cut, serve and enjoy!

And there you have it, a few simple, somewhat healthy, fresh recipes to enjoy this week. Coming next, herb gardens, fairy gardens and terrariums.

Farewell to March

Spring has arrived with lively bursts of pastel colors in the trees. A beautiful sight to see against the background of green buds. Take time to enjoy nature's art show before the leaves pop.

I recently read an article posted on GOOD.is on why creative people need multiple outlets...so true!
http://www.good.is/post/one-is-not-enough-why-creative-people-need-multiple-outlets
Juggling a full time HS Librarian position that I love, getting outdoors as often as possible, getting together with friends and family and finding time to "create" each day poses an interesting challenge.

My goal is to have this blog highlight some of my interests and if they spark some excitement for you, feel free to follow the links to what I post.

Follow me on Pinterest to see what else I'm doing! Have a great weekend and get out to appreciate those blooming trees before the blossoms are swept away.

Pinterest

I've discovered the fun of posting all interesting things on Pinterest. Using the button provided you will be able to link directly to my page to view boards.

Give it a try and I'll be adding more in the next few days.

Have a great weekend!

Mid-winter stroll

Yesterday was a beautiful day, perfect to be outdoors. We decided to explore Bailey's Arboretum and discovered a refuge for enchanting owls and red-tailed hawks. One can sniff the air and sense anticipation of warmer days to come. Walking through winter gardens, seeing trellises, benches and gazebos is an invitation to come back when it is warm enough to sit and listen.
Returning home warm up with a cup of hot strawberry and black currant tea and a light sandwich. Cucumbers sliced thin layered with cream cheese on multi-grain bread is a perfect mid-afternoon snack.

King Arthur Flour – Baking Banter

King Arthur Flour – Baking Banter

Moved to Bayville!

Hello! Its been quite some time...I know. Our adventure in Vermont was ... an adventure. We missed our family and friends and all things New York so very much. Its great to be back and see everyone. It feels right.
Vermont is a beautiful state, green, mountainous, a perfect place to relax and get away. We will return every summer to do just that and at the end of the week, happily return home to New York.
I'm certain there were reasons for our brief stay up north, its was quite an education. We met some lovely people, made a few good friends and shared some interesting experiences and a few laughs along the way.
Now on to the next chapter. I'm not sure where this blog is going, we'll have to see where my instincts take me.
To be continued!

Never Boring!

Life is never boring. At least not in my world. Over the past 4 months...yup, its been that long since I've been able to connect my thoughts together in an entertaining fashion, I've made several fascinating discoveries.

Discoveries about friends, family, food, fiction books and myself. Not necessarily in that order. I've made new friends, experimented with interesting foods, added new family members, read some great fiction and I'm still the same me.
I've experimented with various pretzel recipes, developed my own special recipe for yogurt and frozen ice pops, perfected a popover recipe, and an amazing red velvet cake.

It all started when Katina, the youngest of our 9 children, was home with mononucleosis.
It was to become a month off where she was my captive audience as I tried various ways to tempt her-mono ridden palate. John and I ate everything, all she wanted was his Nutella and Brie paninis with basil on sourdough bread.

The ingredients:
12 ounces Brie cheese
Nutella
1/3 cup basil,sliced thin
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 loaf sourdough bread, slice in to 12 thin slices

The recipe:
Preheat the Panini Press.
Brush each slice of bread with olive oil.
Place bread in the press, close and grill.
Remove bread when slices start to turn golden.
Place 2 slices cheese on one slice of bread, sprinkle with basil.
Top with another slice of bread that has been spread with Nutella.
Return to press for another 2 minutes until the cheese begins to melt.

Enjoy! This is a delightfully easy recipe. And, its delicious.

Erica, John's oldest daughter, my step-daughter recently became engaged to Matt. They are a lovely couple and truly made for each other! We are all very happy for them. We are happy to be welcoming Matt in to our ever-growing family.

I've had a chance to break from my usual routine of reading non-fiction books. Reading fiction is like being on vacation, you can escape in to another world of your choosing. "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett takes place in the 1960's and examines the complicated life of blacks and whites living in the segregated south. "Casting Off" by Nicole Dickson is the story of a young writer who learns to cast off her painful past to embrace the love and warmth of a new world that awaits. "Knit Two" by Kate Jacobs, is the sequel to "The Friday Night Knitting Club". Its members learn to use their craft to take them on the path of personal growth. "I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti" by Giulia Melucci is a memoir taking the reader through failed relationships from college to mid-life. "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" by Jamie Ford is a beautifully written love story taking place in Seattle during World War II and the sadness of what happened to Japanese Americans during that time.

Much more to follow...to be continued...you'll just have to wait for what's coming up next. In the meantime you can enjoy the recipe and the books!