sneezes, tears and snazel drainage

It is that time of year again when all the sleepy plant life begins to awake from its long winters nap.

Trees begin to leaf out, days get longer & warmer and the lawn becomes a pleasing shade of green.  The flowers are ready to be planted and the beach is calling my name again – (it says it misses me) :->

But … as this change of season evolves, it comes at a price for some people (allergies) and property by way of pollen dust everywhere.

Puddy tat trax

You see, these are kitty tracks in the yellow pollen.

You’ll have to take my word on that since I couldn’t get Roscoe to walk across the table on command when I had a camera at my disposal.

Each day there are more tracks and other strange shapes popping up. I know they are Roscoe’s tracks because he is an indoor pet – never allowed out – no other cat allowed in and the doxie is too little to jump up that high so by process of elimination —- he’s it.

And because he is a black and white tuxedo kitty, this is the time of year when he breaks out of his ho-hum color palate and adds a little yellow to his wardrobe lineup. (again, he wouldn’t pose for a picture)

Still Puddy tat prints well, a butt print anyway

This is what greeted me today when I walked onto the porch to let my doxie out in the yard to do her, um, “business”.

I had to study this for a minute to realize how this one was made.  I had no doubt it belonged to Roscoe but just what was I looking at?

After reviewing it a moment, I could clearly make out it was where he sat down on his behind with his tail curled up slightly behind him.  Cute, huh?

He truly enjoys sitting in the screened porch because he thinks he’s “outside”.  He keeps tabs on all the action in the ‘hood from his vantage point here atop the glass table.

Why, you might ask, do I not just wipe that table off?  It’s simple.  This yellow dust which lays to rest on anything horizontal comes back day after day for some time.  You also need to know how difficult this is for me to resist the urge to clean it off everyday – (my daughters have  joked with me for years saying I’m a bit OCD) but I know back in the recesses of my well organized, spic and span, handy-dandy catalog of how to keep a home, I am breaking some kind of rule by not cleaning off that table top 3 times a day and  if needed, every day…..I just know it!  Maybe I am the only one who feels this way….. no?

There are greater powers at work in this.  I know the yellow dust must come during the time when flowers are blooming and redefining our landscapes in front yards and back yards all over the U.S.  It is wondrous to see.  When I see the tree limbs become plump with buds, I know the flowers are not far behind so I watch with great anticipation.  And each new day, I study the progress those flowers have made on each and every limb and before I know it, I find myself grinning ear to ear because God has seen fit to provide me with  another season which lets me know He cares about what is important to me.  He causes these lives to awake and say;

Hello, world

backyard tree

These  are the things which make me happy, they make me smile and I wish they always looked like they do right now because they bring  joy to my heart.  Currently I am trying to figure out how to make that happen (at least with the flowers blooming in MY yard)  I want to see blooms of some sort all year long because it reinvigorates me.

If I have to endure the pollen and the sneezing and snayzel drainage that comes with it;

Well, I will not complain, it’s a good trade.

Blessings,

Selena

something new for dinner

I love to cook for my family (and friends).  I love trying out new things in the kitchen.  I love pouring over new recipes looking for just the right thing to fill the bellies of our little family, I think it’s fun.  So during the Daniel Fast at the beginning of the year, I began searching for special dishes which would satisfy our hunger AND please to our palate.

One night I was thinking about these things and started looking at what was in my pantry and refrigerator.  There was a lot of the normal stuff most of us have in our homes, but much of it was not “Daniel” friendly so I worked at adapting what was “Daniel” friendly.  I remembered a dish I’d been served at a local hangout and thought I could make some substitutions in it to accommodate our needs so here it is.

 

my version of Julienne veggies

This is a mixture of carrots, zucchini, onions, garlic and fennel.  The time-consuming part of this meal was most certainly the chopping for this dish.  In a rush, one could very easily purchase the store-bought pre-cut veggies and save tons of time and energy……just an option.

 

Brown rice

 

 

 

This next part was an easy no-brainer, brown rice in a bag.  I used 2 bags and let them boil while working on the next portion.

 

 

 

tofu

 

Now don’t gross out and leave me here.  Tofu is a truly unsung hero to the vegan diet.  I bought a couple of block of it and cut one into small cubes then put them in a pan to cook.  I used soy sauce to simmer it in and the aroma between it and the garlic in the veggies was outstanding!  When cooking with Tofu, one must remember that it is a tasteless protein and will absorb whatever flavor you put it in to cook.

(I have a niece, who, from the time she was a toddler would pick it out of the soups at Chinese eateries and just look at you and grin as her little teeth chomped into the pieces).

It can easily replace the chicken or beef in almost any dish.  It is most versatile.  If you can work your way past what you have probably been told all your life, (that Tofu is nasty tasting) and give it a try, you might just be surprised at the many ways you can work this into a meal.

Depending on how many you are feeding, it is easy to make this dish work for a small family or a large gathering.  Here’s what you will need.  (bear in mind I will give guidelines of proportions and measurements but you can add or subtract as you like)

1 package of plain Tofu cut into cubes

2 boil in a bag style rice (I use brown rice)

1 to 2 cups fresh zucchini (cut into small strips)

1/2 to 1 cup diced onion

1 to 2 TBS minced garlic (fresh or jarred)

1 to 1&1/2 cups of carrots (easily found pre-cut in the veggie aisle)

1/2 to 1 cup fresh fennel (delish!)

1/2 cup Soy sauce (more or less to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 TBS olive oil

You will want to start with the veggies.  Cut them and place them into a pan with a touch of olive oil and set them aside.  They will cook quickly and you do not want them overdone or else they will be “soggy” – not good.  So wait til last on cooking them.

Next get your water boiling for the rice and follow the instructions on the box.  Usually this will take about 10 minutes to complete.

Now cut up the Tofu place it in a pan to “fry” on medium-high heat.  Once it has seared the desired amount, turn down heat and add the soy sauce.  Let this reduce down SLOWLY as the Tofu will absorb all the soy sauce.  You may find you need to add a bit more so watch it closely.

When the Tofu is almost done (about the same amount of time it should take the rice to complete) you can begin cooking the veggies.  Toss them in the olive oil so that it is distributed evenly then bring the pan to a high heat rapidly.  You will want to cook these quickly so they heat up without losing the crispy texture.  Also, add your salt and pepper in this step and taste it along the way.  Only cook them about 5 minutes or so.

When you plate this dish, start with the rice for a bed, then the veggies, then the Tofu.  Add a little soy sauce to each plate and then enjoy your creation.

I would like to show you a finished dish but we were so anxious to eat it that I forgot to take the picture before we devoured it!

Silly me.

Blessings,

Selena