Weekend Round-Up

Do you find yourself starved for color this time of the year? How about a color poem to warm you up. Just thinking about the color indigo warms me up on a bitterly cold day. Indigo is the deep midnight sky, a rich purplish blue. Its the quiet color with deep and subtle tones. Recently I came across Teen Ink, a national teen literary magazine, book series and website devoted entirely to teenage writing, art, photos and forums. Students must be 13-19 to participate. It affords students the opportunity to share their creative work and opinions that affect their lives. http://www.teenink.com/About

This lovely poem was submitted by Sarah.

Indigo 
The color of silence,
The color of shadow,
The color of dusk.
It whispers its secrets to those to can hear,
A soft silken voice, a breath in your ear.
Sweet scarlet bells that twinkle and chime
Dancing in starlight and skimming a rhyme.
Daylight’s end and night’s beginning,
When flowers fade and fires bloom,
Indigo springs on her lithe step,
A bright shattered light through night’s great gloom.
A stolen word though fiercely spoken,
Indigo slinks like a cat in tree oaken.
The canopy of leaves painted in sunlight
Suspended over a gown of pure white.
That is what she wishes to be
Indigo
Flying fast and free.
Instead she wanders through misty voids
Pacing
Watching
Seeking
Racing
Stopping only to watch the destroyed.
Velvet pears on stark moonlight
Sense her temper and her might
And flee to find what cover they can,
Casting imprints in the sand.
But Indigo merely glides past in frost
As haunting as a butterfly lost.

Parts of the desert are just starting to wake up with pops of color. 

Enjoy a round up of recipes from a recent dinner we hosted for our Minnesota neighbors who came for a visit. They found a walk at the ever popular Desert Museum, Tucson exhilarating and the emerging desert colors a "breath of fresh air."  

Pork Tenderloin with Dried Cherry Sauce (previously posted recipes) 

https://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2016/05/worth-second-look.html

Mixed Greens with Apples, Cucumbers and Maple Cider Vinaigrette 

https://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2014/10/vermont-cuisine.html

A sweet treat of Bailey's Irish Cream Parfaits (recipe previously posted)   http://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2016/11/weekend-round-up.html

and a new recipe Mixed Veggie Wild Rice Medley Salad

Cook's Notes: Recipe serves 4-6.  A timesaver cooking the rice the ahead of time. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup each cooked wild rice and long grain white rice 
• 3/4 cup each diced celery, onions and carrots 
• 1 TB. butter
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 2 TB. dry red wine wine or cranberry juice
• 1 tsp. each thyme and parsley flakes 
• 1/2 tsp. sage 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup almonds
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• Wishbone Raspberry Hazelnut Vinaigrette

Directions:

• Cook rice according to box or package directions. Set aside.
• In a small bowl combine cherries with red wine or cranberry juice for 20 minutes.   
• In a large fry pan saute carrots, celery and carrots in butter, add in cooked rice, cherry mixture, spices, almonds and broth.  Stir in 1/4 cup Wishbone Raspberry Hazelnut Vinaigrette or just enough to moisten the rice salad. 
• Grease a 2 qt. baking dish. Pour mixture in, cover and refrigerate until ready to cook. 
• Cook 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Drizzle with more dressing if needed right before serving.