Really great post!
UPDATE: I just found out that it’a Giant Spider Lily (Crinum asiaticum).
I don’t know the name of this plant; it was here when we moved here nearly forty years ago, but it blooms every summer and the fragrance is strongest after the sun sets.
How about helping me solve the mystery — if anyone knows what it is, please let me know!
Even though TECHNICALLY I’m defined as an “empty nester” because my son is on his own, married, and no longer resides at Casa de Enchanted Seashells, I don’t believe he’s ever further away than my heart.
I woke up on Saturday to read this email from my Angel Boy, which is the reason why I baked cookies early this morning and sent a package off to him while they were still warm:
Not ALL is perpetually enchanted in the life of Princess Rosebud; It’s still difficult to think about or talk about my son’s recent emergency life-saving surgery — I can’t even GO there to that place of “what if” — BUT the worst diid NOT occur and he’s making a full recovery.
Briefly, here’s what happened.
He had an obstruction due to a congenital defect we never knew he had, Meckel’s diverticulum. During his surgery, 24 inches of small intestines were removed because they were necrotic, along with 8 inches of ascending colon, his appendix, and lots of other small valves and little parts.
It all came about with no warning. Crazy, right?
Here’s that “if” again. IF my DIL had not fought the ER and been his best assertive advocate to insist they take a more proactive approach to diagnosis his pain (she just would NOT GIVE UP) and IF we had not had such an amazing surgical team led by Dr. Todd Stafford – well, let’s just say that we are all very grateful that he had such a dedicated team of doctors. Nuff said.
He lost about twenty pounds during his ordeal, and at six feet and 160 pounds on a GOOD day, that much weight loss made this normally fit and healthy young man look emaciated.
During his post-surgical recovery, his diet was limited to low fiber and low residue foods; a lot of Cream of Wheat, mashed potatoes, and chicken noodle soup. No vegetables, no fruit, nothing that would interfere with the healing of multiple incisions and re-joining of internal organs.
I’m happy to report that three months after the surgery, he’s defied the odds and is back to eating pretty much everything he wants, with only minor digestive upsets.
He went back to work, teaching a summer course at Yale, and I’ve been sending him healthy cookies and high protein bars on a weekly basis — and as requested, he’ll receive the lentil cookies on Wednesday, and that should keep him supplied until he’s here next week for a short visit. Yay!
You can be sure that I’ll be cooking and baking nonstop. I’m so HAPPY to have my Angel Boy here, close enough to touch and hug and play Scrabble and Bananagrams.
Every minute of every day, I’m grateful to be one of the luckiest moms in the world.
To read all about Angel Boy’s surgery, click on the following links:
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A while back, I posted Alton Brown’s Lentil Cookie recipe that I discovered on Food Network’s website.
This time, I experimented and created a version that’s a bit more intensely nutritious.
Angel Boy’s Lentil Cookies
They are quite dense, full of protein and energy, and would make a great snack for hiking.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, combine egg, oil, vanilla, yogurt, brown sugar. Whisk briefly to incorporate. Add peanut butter and lentil puree and mix thoroughly. In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, protein powder, ground flaxseed, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and allspice. Add the flour mixture. Use a wooden spoon or a hand mixer to combine. use hands to mix. Stir in dried fruit. If it seems a little dry, add yogurt. Form the dough into balls about 2 teaspoons in size and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper Bake for 13 to 17 minutes, depending on your oven’s personality.
Lentil Puree:
In a small pot over medium heat, combine the lentils and the water. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Remove from the heat and puree. If using immediately, let cool.
Isn’t this perfect?
Of course I embellished it with shells. It’s on metal, that’s why there’s a bit of a glare.
Portobellos — or portabellos or portobellas — I’ve seen it spelled all three ways — are fat-free and very low in calories.
They’re also a rich source of selenium, copper and niacin. I learned that portobello mushrooms are the mature form of baby crimini mushrooms. They grow up to six inches in diameter with a dense, meaty texture.
It’s that “meaty” texture that vegetarians and vegans love. We’re definitely NOT trying to recreate meat in any fashion– but quinoa and brown rice and lentils leave little in the way of a CHEWING experience — and this ‘shroom is beyond versatile on the grill or stuffed and baked.
This is how I prepared it last night.
For two people:
Two portobello mushrooms
1/2 onion
One summer squash or zucchini
1/2 jalapeño
Chard and beet greens (from our garden)
One small tomato
Two slices whole wheat bread or 1/4 cup bread crumbs
Prepare the mushrooms by carefully washing off all dirt — don’t soak any mushroom in water or they’ll tend to become spongy and/or mushy. Ick. Wipe dry. Remove the stem and set aside. Scrape out the gills to make more room for the filling. Place bottom side down (stem side up) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle a teaspoon of olive oil over the mushrooms. Bake at 350 degrees for about twelve minutes. Immediately remove and drain off any water. Notice the shrinkage!
While the mushrooms are in the oven, chop the onion, jalapeño, tomato, greens, mushroom stems, and shred the squash.
Using a teaspoon of olive oil to coat the pan, sauté all the vegetables except for the greens until soft. Add a pinch (or more) of dried red pepper flakes, cracked pepper, fresh basil, and oregano. Add the greens and a few tablespoons water or wine or low sodium vegetable stock. Put a top on the pan and steam until the greens are tender.
Take off the heat. If you’re using bread crumbs, add them now and stir. If you’re like me and ran out of bread crumbs, take the bread and shred it in a bowl, add about half cup of warm water. Allow the bread to soak up the water and then squeeze out all the water and add to the cooked vegetables. Mix well.
Place the mushroom cups on a baking sheet with a clean sheet of parchment paper. Fill each of the portobellos with equal amounts of filling and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese (or vegan cheese), if desired.
Preheat oven to 350 degre
es and bake for approximately fifteen minutes until heated through and cheese is melted.
Add a fresh salad of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and feta cheese with a lemony vinaigrette to complement the “meaty” stuffed portobello mushrooms for a healthy and satisfying dinner.
Options: Use any leftover cooked vegetables, too. plus spinach, green peppers, shredded carrots, corn, brown rice, quinoa.
#portobello #recipe #vegetarian
Looking toward the eastern sky.
Southern California at approximately 9:00 p.m. Saturday, July 12.
I wish I was a better photog ‘cos the supermoon was white bright and amazing.
If you didn’t already know, it should really come as no surprise to anyone that I am slightly OCD.
Yup, I’m the one who needs all the pictures perfectly straight, the furniture dusted, and my floors ARE clean enough to eat off of…for reals.
Our house is kinda old, built in the late sixties or very early seventies, and we haven’t done a major overhaul on the kitchen, so I still have the old porcelain tile with white grout, which poses difficulties keeping spotless and sanitary even for someone like me whose middle name is “Bleach”.
Every so often, I step out of my Louboutins, throw down my Chanel, and get my hands dirty for a purpose — to freshen and reseal the grout.
Until we remodel and tear out the countertops, this is an excellent method of keeping everything looking clean and fresh.
And it’s SO easy!
This is what I use; it’s bright white ‘cos that’s my grout color. I purchased it at Home Depot — it’s pre-mixed and EASY to use.
STEP ONE:
I use my finger because I’ve tried a lot of other tools and nothing works better. I don’t even wear gloves, but you really should.
Just scoop up a mess of grout and push it into the space between the tiles, dragging your finger down along each square ’til it’s filled and even.
Make sure you really wash that stuff off your hands; it’s very drying and probably toxic!
STEP TWO:
Take a rag or a sponge (or both) and carefully wipe away the excess grout. Let it dry overnight and then wipe off the tiles again.
STEP THREE:
See the little brush? Turn the grout sealer upside down and squeeze just until enough sealer coats the brush; continue to squeeze, and paint all the grout with the sealer, let dry for about an hour and add a second coat.
When it’s dry, wipe the tile with a clean, damp cloth to remove any excess grout.
Beautiful grout again…sparkly clean and shiny, easy as 1-2-3!
Perfect for the Fourth of July…or any day of the week.
Our neighbors are hosting a party for the 4th (is it next week already?) and requested my famous array of infused vodkas.
The last time I made them, we all stayed up ’til way past midnight playing ping pong and darts in our garage and running back and forth between our two houses like we were back in college.
It was awesome fun!
It’s so friggin’ easy, but you need to start NOW, because the ingredients need a chance to infuse and marry and develop flavor in the vodka.
Plus, it’s impossible to NOT indulge in a little tasting every so often LOL.
Here’s all you need to be successful:
A HUGE bottle of good vodka. I got Stoli ‘cos it was on sale.
Jalapeños
Garlic
Black peppercorns
Lavender (from our garden)
Basil (bought it, our garden’s a bit late this year)
Ginger
Rosemary (from garden)
I think any herbs would be great to experiment with. All you need is more vodka!
Clean glass jars.
I pour a decent amount of vodka into the jars, and start adding things. My friends love Jalapeño Garlic Pepper Infused Vodka while I LOVE spicy hot jalapeños…my Jalapeno Infused Vodka.
On their own, the Jalapeno/Jalapeno Garlic infusions are delicious for sipping; however the addition of low-sodium tomato juice makes a PHENOMENAL Bloody Mary. Just add celery.
Our next favorite is Ginger-Basil Infusion. Mouth waveringly delish.
Lavender Infused Vodka is flowery and herby at the same time, and AMAZING with dessert.
I’ve never tried Rosemary Infused Vodka, but it can’t be bad, ya know?
Now YOU try it!
Be creative — try lemon balm or lemongrass with basil or other herbs. I’ve used fruit too; apples and peaches and cherries are awesome.
If you’re anywhere near Casa de Enchanted Seashells on the 4th, stop by for a tasting!
Just saying “toenail” and “fashion” in the same sentence makes me feel all oooky and squeamish BUT I’m doing this for YOU — my readers — as a public service to bring you the pertinent details and relevant information — especially since it’s officially summer and our feet are exposed in sandals and flip-flops.
Hold on, I need a sip of yummy Stonecrop screw-top chardonnay before I continue…you might also want to prepare yourself with an adult beverage — I can wait.
This is where it all started. I saw this pic on Facebook, gagged a bit, threw up in my mouth a bit, shared it, and received TONS of commentary, more than is normally generated by a photo-share — and it fueled my determination to delve into the subject of extremely long toenails — I truly believe it’s reached the status of being POST-worthy.
Here ya go, what do YOU think?
100% of the comments on my Facebook page were like this: “Eww”, “Disgusting”, “Yikes”, “OMG, those look like pterodactyl claws!”, “Chain saw!”, and “YUCK”.
Although, I’m not totally hating on the shoes. Who doesn’t love sparkle?
Could this be the NEXT BIG THING?
I’ve done a bit of armchair research. Apparently, having LONG toenails is a “THING”; a certain segment of society thinks it’s SEXY.
Check out this FB page if you don’t believe me and here’s a tip: MUTE the sound if you click on it…http://www.yevettenails.com/home.html
In many cultures, long toenails are as appreciated as long and manicured fingernails. Many women take great pride in their toenails, treating them with the same attention and concern as their fingernails.http://skincare.lovetoknow.com/Long_Beautiful_Toenails
You gotta check out this Pinterest page: http://www.pinterest.com/authormaxinep/freaky-long-toenails/
No way, it’s not for me!!!
Personally, I can think of a zillion reasons why that wouldn’t work for my lifestyle…I go to the gym and work out, can’t have those claws getting in the way of my jumping jacks or at kickboxing, right?
We hike; no way those monstrosities will fit in hiking shoes-or any shoes for that matter. It doesn’t seem possible to be an active, athletic person with those gnarly hooks.
Oh, and HYGIENE. That’s a big one.
Most importantly, I have no doubt that my tugboat man would NEVER again want to get all cuddly and romantic if he had to go to bed fearing a midnight slashing.
What do you think?
Are YOU going to join this fashion trend?*************************************************************************************
Animals do it right.
Bear claws and an adorable sloth.
My road trip to Yellowstone was life changing.
I often dreamed of seeing the wolves of Lamar Valley and one day my dream came true.
I’ve never written about my magical journey to Yellowstone because it’s more than a few posts; it’s book-worthy.
I kept a journal of those enchanted 3000 miles — I was lucky enough to see wolves and foxes and bears and moose and all the animals I love so much and want to help protect and defend against senseless killing.
I will never forget the first moment I spotted a wolf.
I can honestly say that it was a seminal event in my life.
It was so special words cannot do it justice –to glimpse a brief moment in the life of this majestic, breathtakingly beautiful and wrongly vilified animal.
If I close my eyes, I can still see the beauty of another wolf, a black wolf, nonchalantly chewing on the end of a huge log—an AMAZING sight.
It was an overwhelming experience of transcendent joy.
I can’t wait to return to Yellowstone and I will hopefully fulfill another one of my life’s dreams, to hear the song of the wolf.
Unfortunately, the camera I had at that time didn’t have a powerful enough lens to capture a photo of the wolves we saw, but we came away with a couple of other treasures, an osprey feather and a backbone, possibly of a bison, washed up from Slough Creek to the campsite.
Wonderful memories of a dream come true.
Osprey feather
Bison vertebrae (at least I think it’s bison)
UPDATE: Just found this on Facebook, just HAD to edit post to share:
Enchanted Seashells | Princess Rosebud 
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