In Celebration

It doesn't take much to motivate me to bake. And the fact that I actually saw sunlight and green grass today was truly cause for a celebration.

Chocolate Crackled Cookies by McCormick gourmet.com
Cook's notes: I came across this recipe in a magazine. It called for a spice which I actually had Roasted Saigon Cinnamon. It also called for 1 teaspoon of McCormick Chile Pepper Ancho spice which I did not have so I omitted it. But certainly that spice would take up the flavor a notch. If I did have it would cut back  to 1/2 tsp. I added in chunks of white chocolate  to the batter instead of using chocolate chunks. These cookies were crunchy and with the type of cinnamon used was just the perfect compliment to the rest of ingredients. Consider adding this cookie recipe to your folder. 
recipe was adapted from McCormickgourmet.com
Makes 2 dozen cookies
Next recipes posted will be a Moroccan Chicken dish and Moroccan Beef Stew. Both recipes use Roasted Saigon Cinnamon. 
Ingredients:

• 2- 4 oz packages of semi-sweet baking chocolate bar
• 4 squares of baking white chocolate 
• 3/4 cup flour (I was a little generous and added 1 heaping TB more)
• 1-1/2 tsp. Roasted Saigon Cinnamon spice
• 1/2 tsp. Chile Pepper Ancho spice
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 stick of softened butter (1/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs room temperature, slightly beaten
• 2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

• Cover a cookie tray with a sheet of parchment paper
• Preheat oven 375
• Coarsely chop white chocolate into small pieces
• Mix sugars and butter beat till fluffy and add in eggs
• In microwave melt 2 packages of semi-sweet chocolate
• Add melted chocolate to butter mixture and blend well
• In another bowl add flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon
• Add dry ingredients to wet and mix well
• Fold in white chocolate pieces
• Place bowl with batter in freezer for 1/2 hour
• Drop batter by tablespoons on parchment sheet
• Bake 10 minutes or until cookies are set and slightly cracked on top
• Let cool a minutes or two on tray and transfer over to a wire rack 

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Robert Penn Warren 

April 24, 1905

America's first official poet laureate February 26, 1986

Though regarded as one of the best poets of his generation, Warren was better known as a novelist and received tremendous recognition for All the King's Men, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1947. 

 Evening Hawk

by Rober Penn Warren 

From plane of light to plane, wings dipping through
Geometries and orchids that the sunset builds,
Out of the peak's black angularity of shadow, riding
The last tumultuous avalanche of
Light above pines and the guttural gorge,
The hawk comes.
               His wing
Scythes down another day, his motion 
Is that of the honed steel-edge, we hear
The crashless fall of stalks of Time.

The head of each stalk is heavy with the gold of our error.

Look!  Look!  he is climbing the last light
Who knows neither Time nor error, and under
Whose eye, unforgiving, the world, unforgiven, swings
Into shadow.

          Long now,
The last thrush is still, the last bat
Now cruises in his sharp hieroglyphics.  His wisdom
Is ancient, too, and immense.  The star
Is steady, like Plato, over the mountain.

If there were no wind we might, we think, hear
The earth grind on its axis, or history
Drip in darkness like a leaking pipe in the cellar.

The Bard

Homer may have been the first poet, but no writer in history before or since has written verse more beautiful than William Shakespeare's. His birthday is celebrated on April 23. Shakespeare was born in 1564 and did not leave behind any personal papers. So much of what we know, or think we know, about him comes to us from public and court documents, with a fair measure of inference and speculation.

As with many poets of long ago little is known about his early life. When he was twenty-one he headed to London to work in the theater as an actor and writer. His plays won praise from nearly everyone who saw  them. 
Shakespeare's plays can be thought of as long poems. He wrote his lines with careful attention to their length often with ten syllables in each line and sometimes used rhyming words at the end.   

The following information came from WritersAlmanac.com and I thought quite interesting.

Though biographical details may be sketchy, his literary legacy is certain. He wrote 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and a couple of epic narrative poems. He created some of the most unforgettable characters ever written for the stage, and shifted effortlessly between formal court language and coarse vernacular. The Oxford English Dictionary credits him with coining 3,000 new words, and has contributed more phrases and sayings to the English language than any other individual. His idioms have woven themselves so snugly into our daily conversations that we aren't even aware of them most of the time, phrases such as "a fool's paradise," "a sorry sight," "dead as a doornail," "Greek to me," "come what may," "eaten out of house and home," "forever and a day," "heart's content," "slept a wink," "love is blind," "night owl," "wild goose chase," and "into thin air."

Macbeth was written around 1606. This play is filled with ghosts, witches, and other spooks. The story tells of a Scottish nobleman who plots to become king through murder and treachery. During the play the nobleman seeks advice from a fearsome crew of witches. These following words from the play just seem to roll off the tongue as one recites them and are easy to memorize. 

Double, double, toil and trouble.
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Fillet of a fenny snake
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of a newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of a bat, and tongue of a dog,
Adder's fork, and blindworm's sting,
Lizard's leg, and howlet's wing-
For a charm of pow'rful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

Double, double, toil and trouble,
Fire burn and cauldron bubble...

Cool it with a baboon's blood,
Then the charm is firm and good. 
_________________________________________________________________

Asian Barbecued Pork Tenderloin

Cook's notes: Chinese pork ribs are known for their spicy, sticky sauce. The glaze in this tenderloin recipe comes real close to the ribs ordered from a Chinese or Asian restaurant. The sauce is very tasty and its distinctive flavor comes from the unusual blends of spices. The sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated till cooking time. Since the basic sauce recipe makes a small amount I doubled the recipe. 
These pork tenderloins can be grilled and basted with  sauce during cooking time (of course this all depends on being able to reach your grill and not having snow drifts as an obstacle :) 
recipe comes from cuisineathome.com

Ingredients:

• 2 pork tenderloins or a small rack of ribs
• 2 TB. Chinese five-spice powder (found in spice section at store)
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 2 TB. peanut oil
• 1/3 cup Chinese plum sauce (also called duck sauce)
• 2 TB. honey
• 1 TB. tomato paste
• 1 TB. soy sauce
• 1 TB. rice vinegar
• 1 TB. fresh ginger or 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 TB. pineapple juice or orange juice
• 1 tsp. chili garlic sauce (also called Sriracha sauce)

Directions:

• Preheat oven 375 and grease a baking pan
• Combine five-spice powder, salt and pepper and rub over tenderloins
• Heat oil in pan and saute over medium high- sear pork on all sides, 5 minutes
• Simmer rest of ingredients except chives for 2 minutes and pour sauce over  meat
• Roast in oven about 20 minutes or util internal temperature reads 140
• Let meat rest 10 minutes before serving

Earth Day

Official 2013 Earth Day Poster

Today is Earth Day. It was first observed in 1970, but its roots go back to the 1962 publication of Rachel Carlson's book Silent Spring. This book exposed the effects of pesticides and other chemical pollutants on the environment. Earth Day became a secular holiday in 1970. According to Earth Day Network, Earth Day is celebrated by a billion people making it the world's largest secular holiday.
Earth Day gives us the opportunity to think about how we can better take care of our home planet. This year, Weather Underground.com (my official weather source) challenges us to look beyond the traditional environmental conservation efforts, and explore ways that each of us can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 
But sadly, their forecast for our area today is grim with up to 9 inches of snow possible tonight!! The endless winter just goes on and on.



Chief Seattle was a man ahead of his times with his words of wisdom on the need to preserve our earth's resources. He was a well respected speaker among his own people and settlers and a eloquent orator in his native tongue;  Lushootseed.

Chief Seattle's speech, according to pioneer Dr. Henry Stevens, was given on the occasion of an 1854 visit to the Seattle region by Issac Stevens who was the governor and Commissioner of Indian Affairs of the Washington Territory. Today Seattle's significant words about taking care of Mother Earth still carry great importance. There are several versions of the speech's text since it had to be translated from one language to another before being translated in English. Here are some familiar words from the last part of the speech.

  

"Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the sons of the earth.

"This we know the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.

"One thing we know our God is also your God. The earth is precious to him and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its creator.

"Your destiny is a mystery to us. What will happen when the buffalo are all slaughtered? The wild horses tamed? What will happen when the secret corners of the forest are heavy with the scent of many men and the view of the ripe hills is blotted by talking wires? Where will the thicket be? Gone! Where will the eagle be? Gone! And what is it to say goodbye to the swift pony and the hunt? The end of living and the beginning of survival.

"When the last Red Man has vanished with his wilderness, and his memory is only the shadow of a cloud moving across the prairie, will these shores and forests still be here? Will there be any of the spirits of my people left?

"We love this earth as a newborn loves its mother's heartbeat. So, if we sell you our land, love it as we have loved it. Care for it as we have cared for it. Hold in your mind the memory of the land as it is when you receive it. Preserve the land for all children and love it, as God loves us all.

"As we are part of the land, you too are part of the land. This earth is precious to us. It is also precious to you. One thing we know there is only one God. No man, be he Red Man or White Man, can be apart. We are brothers after all."

This link is to the full version of speech

http://www.rainbowbody.net/Ongwhehonwhe/chiefseaO.htm

On April 22, 2013, more than one billion people around the world will take part in the 43rd anniversary of Earth Day. From Beijing to Cairo, Melbourne to London, Rio to Johannesburg, New Delhi to New York, communities everywhere will voice their concerns for the planet, and take some action to protect it. This year's theme is The Face of Climate Change. It is the hope that by us all working together we can redouble our efforts to fight against climate change and inspire a call to action from our leaders. 

___________________________________________________

Leeann Chin (Feb. 13, 1933-March 10, 2010)

Chinese-born American, Restaurateur, Entrepreneur, Author, Host of a Cooking Show PBS

She founded Leeann Chin Restaurant chain serving contemporary Asian Cuisine in the Twin City area MN in 1980

Currently there are over 40 locations total in Minneapolis and St. Paul

Stir-fry Lemon Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas

Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker Chinese Cookbook recipes by Leeann Chin (1981)

serves 4

Cook’s notes: I skipped the part from the recipe directions about making a batter to coat chicken. The original recipe called for making the sauce and then pouring it over batter fried chicken pieces to serve.

I just used the lemon sauce recipe and added sauce right into the stir-fry mixture instead. Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 lbs. chicken cut in chunks
• 3/4-cup chicken broth
• ¼ cup honey
• 3 TB. lemon juice
• 2 TB. light corn syrup
• 2 TB. cider vinegar
• 3 TB. vegetable oil
• 1 TB. catsup
• 2 cloves of garlic mined
• ½ cup finely diced onions
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 TB. cornstarch
• 1/3 lemon sliced
• 2TB lemon zest
• 1 TB. soy sauce
• sugar snap peas
• 1 small box of mushrooms
• diced carrots
• diced tomatoes
• cashews or walnuts for garnish

Directions:

• In a wok or large non-stick fry pan add 2 TB. oil, stir fry chicken chunks, onion, chopped mushrooms and garlic
• Brown meat till no longer pink in center and set aside
• Mix cornstarch with broth and pour into fry pan or wok
• Add in honey, lemon juice, corn syrup, vinegar, 1 TB. vegetable oil, catsup, and lemon zest and diced carrots
• Bring to boil stirring frequently till sauce starts to thicken
• Reduce heat, add in chicken, onion, mushroom and garlic mixture, sugar snap peas and tomato chunks
• Cook on low heat uncovered 15-20 minutes

Serve over steamed rice, cellophane noodles or chow mein noodles, garnish with nuts and lemon slices

DIY Lamp Project and Two Notable Birthdays

Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.

John Muir, Scottish-born American

Naturalist, author and Sierra co-founder 

April 21, 1838-December 24, 1914

Muir was an early advocate of the preservation of wilderness in US. He was an ecological thinker, political spokesman and religious prophet whose writings became a personal guide into nature. His writings led to the creation of Yosemite, Sequoia, Mount Rainer, Petrified Forest, and Grand Canyon National Parks. Today he is referred to as "The Father of the National Parks".

Charlotte Bronte, English novelist and poet

April 21, 1816-March 31, 1855

Charlotte was the eldest of the three Bronte sisters. She wrote the novel Jane Eyre under the pen name of Currer Bell.
Bronte is known for writing long narrative proses. The following lines are the first few from a poem titled "Retrospection." There are 177 more lines after these.
We wove a web in childhood

A web of sunny air

We dug a spring in infancy

Of water pure and fair

We sowed in youth a mustard seed

We cut an almond rod

We are now grown up to riper age

Are they withered in the sod. . . .

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These repuropsed lamps were my bargain purchases for the week at $28.00 each. The lamps could easily be duplicated with a little imagination and creativity on your part. The bases were from a thrift store with a shade added with glued feathers in an artistic creation. The top photo shows a thin braided piece glued around the base of the shade. You could also scour flea markets and antique stores for lamps. Fabric and craft stores are a good source of decorative items that could be glued on shades if feathers are not available.  

Reflections

Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding. 
       - Albert Einstein

In the wake of the aftermath of last week's unsettling events in Boston it is good for us to pause a moment and remember those innocent people who lost their lives as well as the injured. The following poem comes from Caroline Kennedy's poetry book "She Walks in Beauty." 

This book draws upon poetry's eloquent wisdom to ponder the many joys and challenges of being a woman. The collection of poems are divided into sections that signify to Kennedy notable milestones, passages and universal experiences women face each day in their lives.

May Today There Be Peace Within  

by St. Teresa of Avila

May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.

May you use those gifts that you have received , and pass on the 

love that

has been given to you....

May you be content knowing you are a child of God ....

Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the

freedom to

sing, dance, praise and love.

It is there for each and every one of us.  

 _____________________________________________________________________

The World According to Bella

On The Mend

The last few days have been a little rough but I am tough. Dr. Ekholm says I am just fine and I proudly wear the battle scars of 5 stitches and 6 staples. But a pain pill a day does help. My exploring adventures outdoors at the lake have been a bit limited. Mr. C takes me on short walks since I am not quite up to climbing snowbanks and running up and down snow covered  hills.  I have spent lot of time indoors resting.  

I did perk up when Mrs. S brought me this gift. Rawhide bones are just the best. 

And then she read me a favorite book while I chewed on my bone.

I like to hear all about George's adventures. He is like me. We are both curious. We both seem to get into trouble a lot. I Iike to hear about the time when George swallows a jigsaw puzzle piece and goes to the hospital. It was funny when he got on a cart to see how fast it would go and crashed it. 

Love, Bella

Outdoor Dining on Hold

Another spring stormstorm has put outdoor dining on a hold. Perhaps it is permanent and we are destined to live forever in a frozen state. A good day to stay inside and bake.

White Island Chocolate Cookies with Macadamia Nuts

Cook’s note: Sometimes the best recipes are the ones you will find on the wrappers of a food item. This yummy crunchy cookie recipe was found on the back of Nestle Premier White Morsels. I loved the addition of toasted coconut with Macadamia nuts. I actually followed this recipe. Imagine that!

Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients:

• 1-2/3 cup flour
• ¾ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 stick of butter plus ½ stick of margarine for a total ¾ cup (note if use all butter cookie gets too greasy when baked)
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1/3cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups white chocolate morsels
• 1cup-toasted coconut
• ¾ cup chopped macadamia nuts or walnuts

Directions:

• Combine flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl and set aside
• Beat butter, both sugars and vanilla till creamy
• Beat in egg
• Add in dry ingredients and mix well
• Fold in nuts, coconut and chips
• Chill in freezer 1 hour
• Preheat oven 375
• Roll dough into 2-inch balls and space 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet
• Bake 10-12 minutes cool on a wire rack

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I found some "light" poems I know kids will like as Young People's Poetry Week winds down.

Lost Poems

Anonymous

I wrote a bunch of poems,

stapled them together,

took them to a friend’s house.

But they somehow slipped

through the floorboards

and disappeared.

I never got those poems back.

I tried to rewrite them

But they weren’t the same.

One night two months later,

sleeping at my friend’s house,

we heard restless sounds,

strange little noises

that my friend insisted

were nothing but squirrels or mice.

But I pictured my lost poems

scurrying on little feet

between the floors.

Squished Squirrel Poem

Anonymous

I wanted to write about

a squished squirrel

I saw on the road

near my house last week.

You can’t write a poem

about a squished squirrel,

my teacher said to me.

I mean, you just can’t do it.

Pick a sunrise or an eagle

Or a dolphin, he suggested.

Pick something noble

to lift the human spirit.

I tried. I really did. But I kept

Coming back to that squirrel.

Did his wife send him out

To fetch some food or something?

There was blood and guts

but here’s what really got me:

he had pretty dark eyes

and they glistened still.

You can’t write a poem

about a squished squirrel,

my teacher insisted,

But I don’t think that’s true.

Keep A Poem in Your Pocket Day

Keep A Poem in Your Pocket Day April 18, 2013
The idea is simple: select a poem you love, carry it with you, then share it with co-workers, family, and friends.

Keep A Poem In Your Pocket

by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers

Keep a poem in your pocket

and a picture in your head

and you’ll never feel lonely

at night when you’re in bed.

The little poem will sing to you

the little picture bring to you

a dozen dreams to dance to you

at night when you’re in bed.

So-

Keep a picture in your pocket

and a poem in your head

and you’ll never feel lonely

at night when you’re in bed. 

 I am one of Ralph Fletcher’s biggest fans. Over the years I have enjoyed reading his novels, picture and poetry books and books on the writing process. “Twilight Comes Twice” is a children’s poetry picture book. It is written in evocative prose that describes the transition from day to night and back from night to day.  Fletcher is a master at creating vivid images using personification and metaphors to explain twilight, dawn and dusk. The illustrations enhance the text.

This book is a great teaching tool for helping those who want to improve their descriptive writing by using metaphors, similes and personification.

The following stanzas are the first four found in the book “Twilight Comes Twice”

   

Twice a day

a crack opens

between night and day.

Twice twilight

slips through that crack.

It stays only a short time

while night and day

stand whispering secrets

before they go their

separate ways.

Dusk is the name

for evening twilight.

Dusk gives the signal

for night to be born.

Dusk deepens the colors

Of ordinary things.

Even the common grass

faces on a luster

that makes you

stop to look.

___________________________________________

The World According to Bella

Woe is me!  I should have seen the signs:

Last night Mr. C gave me a huge cup of food right before bedtime.

Today was a first for me-no food in my bowl for breakfast. 

A pack of water bottles barricaded the closet door where my food is stored.

Mr. C and Mrs. S continued ignoring my whining as I pawed their bed to get their attention starting at 6:05 AM.

Mrs. S kept whispering to Mr. C and then they’d spell out words to each other.

If I had only checked Mrs. S’s calendar yesterday I might have noticed the red circle around April 18 and the words: Bella surgery

All I can say is today is my worst nightmare come true. Not only did I not get my breakfast but Mr. C refused to feed me and we had to leave the house very early. In the car he told me I needed some surgery but it is nothing to worry about. Something about a bump on my neck that has to come off. He assured me that with a few stitches I will be fine. But what I don’t get is I do feel fine except I am starving!! My tummy keeps growling. And... I think this is going to hurt!
Love from a scared and hungry Bella