I'm Cookin' Today

I got up (without an alarm) feeling like playing with food and fabric today.  First I stripped the bed and got the sheets in the wash, then I chopped veggies to make a pot of sorta-Bolognese for supper and the freezer.  Every time I make this it's a new experience because I try to use whatever's on hand, I only call it Bolognese because I think it sounds cool.  It's ground meat (pork this time) with a jar of sauce, a big can of diced tomatoes, sauteed onionspepperscelerycarrotsgarlic, a leetle bit of sugar to cut the tomato acidity, some Italian herbs, and a generous measure of my freeze-dried basil from last summer.  (Note:  when I said I didn't want to dry my basil but wanted to keep it, DS said they'd blanched the leaves, plunged them in ice water, and then spread them on sheets to freeze.  After that they're easy to just pour into zipper freezer bags.  The leaves are easy to mince, some have already broken into bits, but it really tastes and smells a lot more like fresh basil than the dried.  Thanks for the tip, DS.)  Once the sauce was simmering I stirred together a batch of Semolina bread.  Bread is what we get to take to Easter supper so I'm thinking I'll just pinch off little pieces and make rolls instead of a big loaf--since my baking stone cracked into 3 pieces the last time I used it.  Oh, I was so mad.  That's the second one from that maker to bite the dust.  I think I'll just get a cheapie from Walmart to replace it.

Now that all the food-play is done I'll be moving down into the sewing studio to whip up a blankie for Somebaby's Easter basket.  As I said, she's too little for candy so it'll be books and a small snuggley lovie.  And I can do that while the laundry goes around and around.  Multi-tasking at its best.

The crocuses are loving the warm and sunny we've been having.  Naturally this week's nice weather quota is filled so Easter weekend is supposed to be chilly and rainy, with possible snow on Easter morning.  Just grand.  I don't think we're supposed to get much snow but snow this time of year is more a major annoyance than anything else, and it should stay away from Easter Sunday, don't you think?

April 3--Mark Newman, Humpback Whale--Sunset.

The day's joyous last leap
bathes the humpback
in sprays of golden
light
before the night
tucks it in to slumber
beneath the waves
until dawn's light calls
it back up again.
~~~~~

While rooting around in the freezer looking for the semolina flour I happened upon a loaf of Orange Date bread.  I think it'll make an excellent lunch schmeared with a bit of cream cheese, don't you?  I'm going to go play some more.  Toodles.
--Barbara