Out there

Near Crescent Bay

Last week we traveled to Washington's Olympic Peninsula. It's hard to describe the otherworldliness of this place. Sweeping vistas of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Old-growth fairy forests of towering cedar, hemlock and fir. Wild flowers, green mosses and lacy ferns. Coastal tide pools revealing miniature worlds of marine life. Hidden waterfalls and secret coves. Come see..

Ships on the water...

A ship travels along the Strait of Juan de Fuca

Tall trees..

Sentinels

In a coastal forest...

A fern path

Prehistoric plants

Birds on the water...

Sea gulls

A bald eagle

A waterfall...

Water travels to the sea

Wildflowers...

A wild daisy

A wild rose

Intertidal gardens

Sea plants...

...and creatures

A good way to start the summer.

Slip Back

Lately I've found a place for focus of a different kind. I'm not sure how to describe this place because defining it diminishes it somehow.

I wrote a poem - more of a canto really - that describes going there.

Perhaps it is a simple meditation. I don't know.

Here it is:

Slip Back

Slip back behind the words
Behind the I and the He and the Should
Find the stillness, the quiet calm
Be there without judgment
Without thought even

Slip back

Slip back

Slip back behind the words
Behind the Why and the What and the Who
Find the silence, the all and nothing
Be there watching
Only watching

Does anyone else out there do this sort of thing?

Apricot Coconut Granola

Apricot Coconut Granola

Spring is busy. Longer days give me the sense that I've more time. So what if I don't get to the garden until four in the afternoon! I still have several hours of daylight to accomplish garden tasks.

One regular task in my week is granola-making. My family gets grumpy if they open the fridge in the morning and find only a few crumbs of the granola batch remaining.

I make granola differently each time, selecting the ingredients from what I find in the cupboard. Here's the recipe for a recent batch that we particularly enjoyed. It includes dried apricots which give a nice pop to the palate.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
2 cups of wheat germ
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds or pepitas, chopped
1 cup hulled sunflower seeds
1/2 cup coarsely ground flax seeds
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup of shredded coconut
1 cup chopped apricots
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 330 Fahrenheit (about 165 C). 
• In a large baking pan, slowly heat the honey and oil on your stovetop. Your setting should be on low.
• Mix the oats and wheat germ into the honey and oil, stirring slowly.
• Once the grains have been added, put in the seeds, continuing to stir the mix.
• Place the baking pan into the oven, setting the timer for 7 minutes.
• While the first items are baking in the oven, coarsely chop the nuts.
• At the 7-minute bell, take out the baking pan and add the nut mixture and the coconut. Mix thoroughly. 
• Continue to toast the mix for a total of about 35 minutes, stirring every 7-10 minutes.

Apricots, dried cranberries, and raisins - sweet!

• While the grains and nuts are toasting, chop the apricots. Then add the raisins and dried cranberries to the apricots.
• Set the dried fruit aside for now. (It will be added after all the toasting is done.)
• When the granola has reached that golden color, remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 5-7 minutes. Then pour the granola into a large bowl and mix in the dried fruit.
• Let the mix cool. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator. 

A new batch!

If you are looking for a way to keep your family eating a healthy breakfast, try making some granola. It is delicious with yogurt and fresh berries.

You can find other healthy recipes here.

Hope your spring is going well!

Patience is the hardest

A good friend wrote and asked me to share something I've been working on, so I've put up a sachet I embroidered recently. My friend and I used to paint together in Romania. She is a wonderfully brave painter, and I've never forgotten her advice to me… Paint as if you have no shame. Some would disagree with this, but the notion of leaving behind inhibition during the creative process makes sense to me.

Since I've moved to Seattle, I've not given myself much time for creative process. You know what moves do - all aspects of your life get packed away, jumbled up, and tumbled out when you reach your destination. It takes time to figure it all out, and it takes patience.

Patience is the hardest.

Apricot Almond Yeast Bread

Apricot Almond Yeast Bread

It's raining in Seattle. What to do. What to do...

Make bread!

I usually start this process by looking in my cupboard to see what I have on hand. Yesterday as I poked around the pantry I came across a large bag of dried apricots that I normally reserve for making granola. Hummmm...

Why not apricot bread with almonds?

The key ingredients: apricots and almonds

This recipe is inspired by a recipe from The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook. (By the way, if you do not have a copy of this book, I highly recommend it.)

This dough is slightly sweet, made with apple juice, honey, and apricots. Added almonds give it a nice crunch.

Adding honey

Here are the ingredients:

3/4 cup apple juice
1/4 buttermilk (or regular milk)
7 tbsp water
2 1/2 tbsp honey
2 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 1/3 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp yeast
1/2 cup chopped almonds (for the dough)

2/3 cup dried apricots (added mid-knead)

1/2 cup of chopped almonds (for crust)

Preparation:

Using your electric mixer with a paddle attachment or your bread machine, combine the ingredients except the dried apricots – keeping in mind your machine’s instructions.

When your machine beeps, or when you are in between your first and second kneads, add the dried apricots. This delay keeps the apricots from getting too chopped up in the machine.

When kneading is done, let the dough rise for about 45 min. or until it has doubled in size.  (If you prefer hand kneading, see my note on hand kneading in my Best Ever Polenta Pumpkin Seed Bread Recipe.)

Once the dough has doubled, pour it out into a floured surface, and give it a good kneading - a couple minutes. Shape your dough into an oblong form and roll it in a bed of chopped almonds.  Place the almond-covered dough on your baking sheet.

Almond covered dough

Let the dough rise again until doubled in size.  (I use a damp cloth to cover the dough while it is rising.)

Baking:

Bake your loaf for about 20-25 minutes in an oven preheated to 415 Fahrenheit (about 210 C).  Your almond crust with be nice and toasty while the dough will be moist and chewy. Delicious!

Moist and sweet!

If you try one of my bread recipes, please let me know your results. Happy baking, friends!

Healthy Butternut Squash Bread

Healthy Butternut Squash Bread

I recently had some butternut squash left over from dinner. What to do? Why, put it in bread, of course!

I found my inspiration from MyBakingAddiction, a great site for all you obsessive bakers!

My own version has more fiber - whole wheat flour and ground flax seeds - and less sugar. That's the healthy part! Yet it's rich - due to buttermilk - and nutty - from walnuts and flax seeds. Add sweet and spicy - cranberries and cayenne - and WOW! It's delicious!

Sweet and nutty

Want to give it a try?

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butternut squash purée
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup water
1 cup raw sugar
1 cup all-purpose white flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
A dash of cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp coarsely ground flax seed
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the butternut squash puree, eggs, oil, buttermilk, water, and sugar.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add the flax seed, walnuts, and dried cranberries to the dry ingredients.

Stir the dry ingredients into the butternut squash mixture. Remember the rule about not over-mixing!

Look how rich this batter is!

Bake for about an hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

What a wonderful crumb!

Thanks to MyBakingAddiction for the original recipe!

February inspiration

Showy blooms at the garden show

February can seem dreary, especially here in the Pacific Northwest. Yet there is beauty everywhere, and a promise of more to come.

February is also brings the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. After two days of show bliss, all I can say is, "Wow!" Floral displays, uniquely designed gardens, seminars, and a marketplace of plants and all things garden. I was in heaven.

I was especially drawn to all the garden ornaments. Here are some of my favs.

Glass blooms

Hanging ornaments

A sleeping giant in the grass

I found the succulent displays particular inspiring. (If you hadn't noticed, succulents are very de moda these days.)

A vertical display

The show inspired me to create my own little landscape. It's made from an old soup terrine I haven't used in years.

My succulent landscape

What inspiration will March bring?

All the signs

On the Seattle waterfront - Washington

Lately I've been struck by all the signs I see out in the world. Remember the 1970's song that went, "Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?"

In Santa Cruz - California

Most of the signs I've come across are "No" signs - ones that tell you what NOT to do: no parking, no trespassing, no stopping. Depending on where you live, you may see "No" signs in more than one language.

In the Salinas Valley - California

Oftentimes a "No" sign conveys it's message with images. Some images are simple.

In the Oakland hills - California

Some are more complex.

On the Seattle waterfront - Washington

Perhaps more interesting are the signs that tell you what you MUST do.

In the Oakland hills - California

This simple, yet creative, one is my favorite.

In the Oakland hills - California

It communicates it's message well. :)

Seen any interesting signs lately?

The Incomplete List

I've caught the virus, the one that's been going around.

One of my favorite blogs, Houzz.com recommends you make lists when you're sick, something to pass the time on the couch, between raspy coughs and itchy sneezes.

My list will be visual, I thought. I can post a listing of my favorite photos from 2013. You know the photos I'm talking about, the ones that capture that moment, that special line or color that catches your eye, that shadow, that reflection, that singular texture.

Starting with my most recent photos, I worked my way backwards through time, skimming all the days past, the people and places I had encountered.

It wasn't long before I had exhausted myself. I've taken over four thousand photos in 2013! I had barely reached my way back to August when I had to give up.

So here is my visual list, which begins in August in Vienna, Austria...

A last visit to The Leopold

Then moves to London, England in September...

A London bus in Kensington

The Underground at Notting Hill Gate

Then to days at sea and arrival in New York...

On board the QM2

And to a visit to the California coast...

Moss Landing and the Salinas Valley

And finally to discoveries in Seattle in October...

Products of the Northwest

This is a recent photo, taken on one of many sunset walks this fall...

The Sound at sunset

Pretty amazing life, this.

I'd better get myself well soon. I hate missing out. :)

A walk in Queen Anne

I took a walk in the morning. It had rained and droplets decorated bare tree limbs along the way. Can you see what's hiding under the bushes?

I found an old Ford truck. It reminded me of an old family photo taken before I was born. My dad is sitting on the hood...

 Fall still burns in the neighborhood.

I love the moss-covered paths best.

That's all.