Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts

Friday, May 22, 2009

Books I'm Reading

Yes, I'm reading a cookbook. I love reading cookbooks generally, but this one is full of stories that are associated with each recipe or section of recipes. Most of them relate to the origins of the recipe or to the small town where Crescent Dragonwagon once ran a Bed and Breakfast and developed many of these recipes. I haven't read enough to justify a full on review, but, so far, the book is really entertaining and the recipes look wonderful. Most of them are simple and don't require specialized ingredients. I can't wait to try her version of wilted lettuce! Here's an excerpt from the publisher's comments:

"Introducing a new voice in vegetarian cooking. Packed with 1,000 recipes that are seductive, sexy, and utterly delicious, Passionate Vegetarian covers all the bases of meatless cooking, from east (Stir Fry of Asparagus with Black Bean-Ginger Sauce), west (Talk of the Town Barbecued Tofu), from the Mediterranean (Swiss Chard with Raisins, Onions & Olives) to the American South (Black-Eyed Pea Ragoƻt). You'll find lush lasagnas, plump pierogies, bountiful burgers, beans, and breads, pleasing pasta and pies. You'll spoon up soups and stews, and delight in desserts from simple to swoonworthy."

Okay, so I haven't officially started this book, but I'm going to start today. It looks really good and I haven't read something like this in a long while. I'll try to keep you updated as I get into it. Here's a publisher's comments excerpt:

"First Darling of the Morning is the powerful and poignant memoir of bestselling author Thrity Umrigar, tracing the arc of her Bombay childhood and adolescence from her earliest memories to her eventual departure for the United States at age twenty-one. It is an evocative, emotionally charged story of a young life steeped in paradox; of a middle-class Parsi girl attending Catholic school in a predominantly Hindu city; of a guilt-ridden stranger in her own land, an affluent child in a country mired in abysmal poverty. She reveals intimate secrets and offers an unflinching look at family issues once considered unspeakable as she interweaves two fascinating coming-of-age stories—one of a small child, and one of a nation."

I just started this one yesterday. I love Heather Armstrong's blog, "dooce." She's irreverent and goofy and doesn't hold back on any subject. The book is a collection of essays she edited. She asked other bloggers to write about fatherhood. Some wrote about their fathers, others wrote about their experiences as fathers and the remaining ones wrote about their husbands as fathers. I think many of us tend to forget that fatherhood is a journey and an adjustment for the new father.
I'm not so much reading this book "Bend the Rules Sewing" as I am perusing it intently. I have many projects marked, but we'll see if I get to any of them. Hopefully, I will! I'll let you know if I try any. I suggest anyone with an interest in sewing check out this book. It is full of relatively simple projects with clear instructions.

I am sticking with my challenge, thanks to my husband. Last night close to midnight he photographed three more cards for me. Whew! Here's today's listing:

Grumpy Owl on a Branch

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Yes, I Did!

I know I haven't blogged in a while, and, the longer I go between posts, the more difficult it is to get started again. Argh! First things first: I did complete my ten day etsy challenge. I forgot to post the final day, but I did it! It was stressful at times, but also great fun. During the ten days, I clocked my 1,000th view of the items in my shop and sold five items. I'm considering making this a monthly challenge to drum up business and, perhaps, involving other etsians, but we'll have to see.The Easter Chick card was item number ten. I've since added three more items. They are all Easter gift card and tag sets. The cards are smallish (3"x3"), so they cannot be mailed. They would be cute in an Easter basket though. I have two other items that I will post soon. One is a larger Easter card and the other is a wedding/anniversary card.

Speaking of anniversaries, I have to congratulate my dad and stepmother on their 30th wedding anniversary! That is quite an accomplishment. Their anniversary is the same day as Tim's sister Michelle's birthday, and she turned 30 this year. How strange is that? By the way, "Happy Birthday 'Chelle 'Chelle!" Oh, and the picture of Dad and Pam is quite old. It was taken in Maui at least twenty years ago. I think it's cute though.

We had some visitors this weekend here in Louisville. My brother and sister-in-law, Edison and Cyndi, came for the weekend. LB had a great time, as usual. She loves the attention! They own their own landscaping company in Huntington, WV, Oasis Landscaping, so I was able to pump them for information on what I should do with my yard. Details to come.

I'll leave you today with a "how cute is my child." We recently switched B to a toddler bed. The other day, she snuck out of bed to curl up in a chair and read a book while holding her Herb the Vegetarian Dragon toy. Apparently, she fell asleep and stayed that way for a couple of hours. (And, yes, this all took place in her bedroom. She wasn't wandering around the house unattended!)