Tuesday, May 10, 2011

This and that and other stuff

Some of you have written that you are storing teacups in drawers!
Weather in the Midwest is often unpredictable but going from having our furnace on at night a few days ago to a temperature of 87 degrees as I type is just too weird... even for us.  Fortunately we are to get back to normal (or even a little below) by the weekend.

I am working on the yard and the garden a little at a time this week.  Hubby did his usual excellent job of getting the soil all ready for me yesterday and I was hoping to plant green bean seeds today but it was just too hot.  I did do some tweaking to the herb garden but otherwise spent all my outside time pulling weeds and pruning thorny bushes (ouch!) in our front yard where it was cooler.

I will put the hummus and Jerusalem salad recipes on my recipe blog soon, along with the requested recipe for my macaroni and cheese.  I tend to not measure when making mac and cheese so I need to make it again and pay attention to what I'm doing. ;)

I learned about Jerusalem salad from the menus of Middle Eastern restaurants near campus.  As I told Stephanie over the phone, twenty years ago I had no idea I'd be researching hummus recipes!  Israeli salad is very similar to Jerusalem salad but it does not have tahini in the lemony dressing and the recipe calls for the addition of chopped onions. 

They are both delicious as well as healthy... and they'll get cheaper when tomatoes are in season.  Hubby has decided he loves this food but will never understand our passion for Indian dishes.  Of course, this is the man who thinks cinnamon is spicy! 

Hmmm.... there were a couple of other items I wanted to write about.  I'd forgotten about a friend's question regarding the British comedy from the 1970s that is a favorite.  It is called Good Neighbors and it's about a couple who decide to become self sufficient while living in the city.  You can find more about it... here

If you like British comedy you will like this.  If you remember the self sufficiency movement in the 1970s and wondered what it would be like to try it in the city... you will like this.  British comedy (even back then) can be just a little edgy and "raw" but absolutely nothing like what can be found on TV today. 

Also, I know there are e-mails that were never answered.  For some of them, I just got behind and could not catch up during that month I wasn't feel well.  Then I found a number of e-mails in the Spam folder that I'm sure were "good"... but I still didn't open them.  Sometimes the Spam folder gets a hic up and throws a bunch of e-mails in there that are not at all Spammy.  If you had a specific question, write again!  :)

Third... an announcement about another Book and Film Recommendation.  Some of you know I've been working off and on for a year now to put together the second round of recommendations from your comments.  However, I just have not found the time to go through twenty-five (or more) pages of comments to assemble the recommendations.

So... I'm going to be asking you again in a couple of weeks (not now!) and this time I'll have you just to list them in Comments and then if you want to explain anything, send me an e-mail.  That way I can quickly get the list assembled and posted.  Be thinking of your favorite authors... nonfiction, and fiction.  I'll be more specific at the time I ask for them.

Speaking of favorite authors, I'm re-reading Hidden Art (aka: The Hidden Art of Homemaking) by Edith Schaeffer most probably for the 10,357th time.  One of my all time favorite books.  :)

10 comments:

Vee said...

You mention that book so often that I really must read it. I'm putting it in my folder titled "future purchases." I'm quite certain that I'll want it for my library.

I had to laugh that your husband finds cinnamon spicy. So does mine. He bought some Carolina barbeque chips and I couldn't believe that he had and told him he'd not enjoy them. I was right; he doesn't. They're atop the fridge for the duration, I guess.

You also made me chuckle with your "not here." I can tell that you can get buried in an avalanche of recommendations. Okay, I'll be good and not mention anything.

La Tea Dah said...

I have never thought of storing my teacups in drawers. It is a great idea! Thanks for sharing!

matty said...

I read this book because of your recommendation. It is a charming little book and one that is easy to read again and again. I love Alexander Stoddard because of you, as well! LOL

Glad you had a great Mother's day! Enjoy this change in the weather and get out there and get your hands dirty!

Miss Melissa said...

:) Love your tea cup drawers. :) So cute! Sorry i havent commented in a while. Been a bit behind on blogs lately and been a bit busy! :) I do LOVE your blog though. :) I must get a copy of that book on homemaking, it looks great. :) Being so young and all i NEED to learn all that stuff! :) So by the time i am Old and grey i hopefully know a thing or two about homemaking. Haha ;)
I laughed that your hubby thinks cinnamon is spicy. :) Funny thing is my hubby NEVER liked spicy food before he married me and now he LOVES it. :) So i guess thats good for me! :)
Hugs
Melissa

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

I think I am due a reread of Hidden Art as well! Right after I finish Equipped to Love.

We like spicy food here - I haven't had much Indian food - but we must branch out I am thinking!

Heather @ Simple Wives said...

I do enjoy british Comedy, so I will have to check out the movie. Hummus has become a recent favorite, so I will be looking forward to the recipe!

Blessings,
Heather

Anonymous said...

Wow! What happened to the wonderful pantry post that was after this one! Is blogger at it again? I noted last night it would not let us go to any comments on any Blogger sites. Hope all is ok on your end and with you and Blogger. Wish we could just open the back door and talk over the fence as we both gardened but that is not possible. Sarah

Sharon Lovejoy said...

Love catching up with you and YES, I always look forward to your recommendations.

I don't know how you find the time to do so much. Do you sleep?

Love,

Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island

A Cultivated nest said...

I love "The Good Neighbors". I got the whole series as a present a few years ago and I find myself watching it every spring. It's incredible how funny it still is.

My husband and I have always loved spicy food and finally our daughter is developing a wider palate. Finally she'll eat something besides chicken fingers and hamburgers!

Manuela

terricheney said...

I thoroughly enjoyed Good Neighbors...I'd seen it years ago on Georgia PBS and then rented the discs one at a time from Netflix. I'd love to some day own these DVDs. I like that as gungho as they are about living on their own foodstuffs and bartering there were times they tired of it and were always trying to achieve that necessary balance.

Blogger 'stole' my post earlier this week too and left behind the poor first draft. Thank you for stating you had posts emailed to you. I've gone in and set it up so that I too can have them emailed to me.