Bright spots of color are popping up everywhere these days. Even in the cactus garden.
And the bees are loving the lavender.
Summer Blooms
June 17th, 2013 · Explore, Photography, Wanderings
Categories: Explore· Photography· Wanderings Tags: Bay Area·blooms·garden
Graduation Congratulations & Free Printable Card
June 11th, 2013 · Crafts, Free, gifts, Make, paper crafts
Graduation season is almost at a close, but I’ve got a celebration party this weekend so I made a simple card and mini tassel. The tassel is made with pink embroidery floss because pink is a favorite color of the Grad.
Here’s the how to:
Simple. I could see using these with tags to decorate gifts, flowers, etc.
The card is downloadable pdf I made and you can download. I printed it out on card stock, cut out the card and the banner embellishment. Then I used small foam dots to attach the banner.
Here are a few ideas and quotes I’ve gathered for the inside of the card:
The best way to predict the future is to create it. – Abraham Lincoln
Relish the Adventure
You can do anything you put your mind to.
You GO Grad
Live Joyfully
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams
Wishing You a Bright and Shining Future
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams – Eleanor Roosevelt
Reach for the stars
Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars. -Les Brown
The one real object of education is to have a man in the condition of continually asking questions. -Bishop Mandell Creighton
Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip. -Will Rogers
Graduation is not the end, it’s the beginning
The Tassel is Worth the Hassle.
The future lies before you
Like a field of driven snow,
Be careful how you tread it,
For every step will show.
-Author Unknown
Hitch your wagon to a star. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart. -Kongzi
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
You’re on your own.
And you know what you know.
You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
-Dr. Seuss
Categories: Crafts· Free· gifts· Make· paper crafts Tags: cards·graduation·quotes·sentiments
Noodles Chill Out: Japanese Version of ‘Pasta Salad’
May 15th, 2013 · Food, Recipe
Our recent “Cook-Up” club had the theme of “food memories.” I have so many memories around food, mostly heavy, comforting holiday foods. But we were in the middle of a heat wave and I didn’t want to go near any of those. My mind kept wandering back to the heat of Summer in Japan when I ate cold noodles for the first time.
In my memory was a small shop in the mountains where there was a cold running stream that would carry the noodles to us. We would catch the noodles with our chopsticks and put them in the chilled dipping sauce.
When I told Mario about it, he expressed his doubts. So I started to think a little harder. He mentioned that it would be really difficult to catch slippery traveling noodles with chopsticks. And I agreed my memory must have been wrong. We must have used a scooping basket of some sort to grab the noodles. It was almost 30 years ago and I have been mis-remembering things lately. And he wasn’t questioning the noodle catching, just the “with our chopsticks” part.
The memory was so vivid: coming in out of the pressing heat and humidity to a cool cave-like restaurant and the sound of a running stream. And then to find the stream carried the noodles. I wanted to relive that delightful experience, so I searched around.
It turns out “nagashi somen” is somewhat of a “tradition” not just a restaurant gimick. And I found video! (I love the internet)
Take a look:
nagashi somen from kitsune-kun on Vimeo.
And they do use chopsticks! Makes me miss Japan.
Here’s the recipe (bamboo river is optional)
Chilled Somen: Light, flavorful and perfect for a warm day.
5 bundles of dried somen noodles (about 1 per person)
Sauce/Dressing
2 cloves garlic crushed
2 teaspoons grated ginger
1/2 cup Japanese soy sauce
1/2 cup mirin
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Mix all dressing ingredients together and chill. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add somen noodles and stir. Bring the water back to a rapid boil and decrease heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain somen and rinse under cold water.
You can add the dressing or serve it along side a bowl of noodles as a dipping sauce. Serve it over ice to keep it cold and refreshing.
Categories: Food· Recipe Tags: Japan·Japanese food·noodles·Summer
