I'm Back! With Salad Dressing!

Hi, everyone. I don't know why it's been so hard for me to get over here and write lately. A few out-of-town trips and apparently I'm all wackadoo. I do have lots to write about, but I thought I'd start my comeback with something I know a few of you want, and that I'd been working on for quite a bit. Salad Dressing!

I don't have a name for this. It's just the everyday vinaigrette that I use when I'm not celebrating a seasonal acid (lemons, blood oranges, etc.) This is pantry food at it's best. You can use it as you would any vinaigrette, but I like it best in a salad with whatever good fruit we're getting (apples, pears, peaches, strawberries, grapes, grapefruit, persimmon, pomegranate, and pretty much all types of orange have been tried with success), a little cheese (parm, pecorino romano, goat cheese, feta, and mozzarella are all good), and nuts (pine nuts, pecans, walnuts, especially glazed spiced walnuts, etc.) It's fun to try out different combinations, and you can certainly also add any of your favorite salad ingredients. I love thinly sliced fennel bulbs and fresh herbs, and I can see red onions working well also if you like them.

So, a word on a few ingredients, and we'll begin. I've been futzing with this dressing for at least 8 years and it's gone through two rounds of official recipe testing, so rest assured that everything's there for a reason before you start experimenting. I started using organic Raw Agave Syrup for the dash of sweet because of the sugar-sensitive people in my life. It's got a clean flavor and a really low glycemic index, but I kept using it because it's great at emulsifying the dressing, too. You can pick it up at Henry's, Jimbo's, Whole Foods and the like. For the curry powder, I can't emphasize enough that a quality product is important. Whatever you do, don't use the curry powder you'd find in the spice aisle at a big grocery store. It's awful. Go to an Indian market. There you'll find quite a few varieties which you can play around with if you like, but I'd recommend a nice bright red blend. You'll save a buck, too. So.

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
5 tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, pressed or smashed (depending on whether you like a lot or a little)
1 tbsp. raw agave syrup
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. + small pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cardammom
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a jar. Shake well, and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before using. Shake again before pouring. A little goes a long way. Leftovers can be kept sealed in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Enjoy!

MLKJ Day of Service

Somehow I ended up tossing logs up a steep hill today. I'm sure I'll be sore, but I loved every minute of it.

Pardon My Sneezes

I have been down with a flu for a bit, so it's been very quiet, sleepy, and sneezy around here. Mark was home to tend to me a bit, but it was a sad use of his week off. We did enjoy several good films and a record amount of beautiful sunsets.


Later in the week we made it out to Quail Botanical Gardens and had such a treat in the bursting citrus garden. I took lots of notes and am looking forward to Pink Lemonade lemons and Algerian Mandarins in my future.

Later this week I'll be starting physical therapy. I'm really looking forward to getting back to something like my usual strength after 9 months of pain and inactivity. At the same time, I'm a little nervous about confronting the exact size of the hill I have to climb. At any rate, it should be an interesting week.

Oh, it's also the last week to donate to the girls walking the Three Day in my name. They start their long long walk on Friday. Jenny and Erica are doing great, but Kelley still has a ways to go. If you've come across any lose change, please help her reach her goal, HERE. As a little bonus, Kelley's got possibly the silliest picture of me on her fund-raising page.

WINNER!

Well, that was fast!

Congratulations to Brain-Prism for being the first to donate $500 and winning a flight in a 1943 Stinson. I'm wishing this generous guy a perfect day on which to enjoy his prize, and an unforgettable zip over Temecula.

Maybe if we're lucky, he'll let us know how it went.

There's still time to donate to the 3-Day, and several more dollars needed to reach the girls' goals. I hope you can take a moment to help them out.

Or We Could Just End This Crap Once and for All

A little while back I wrote about how important it is to be aware, of our bodies, our options, and breast cancer as a whole. But wouldn't you rather not? Don't you wish breast cancer was a little more like, say, polio? A disease with which our kids are going to have absolutely no association, no mental image, save maybe a vague impression that it's probably not good?

Every year we learn more and more about breast cancer, but it's not happening fast enough, and we can change that.

This year I have been blessed by many great friends who helped me get through this. With meals, movies, open ears and lots of laughs, you guys have saved me in many ways. My doctors, my husband, family, and myself, we're the reason I'm alive. But you guys, my friends, are the reason I'm still me. And you're not done helping! Two of my girlfriends are participating in their first Breast Cancer 3 Day, a challenging trek to fund a cure for breast cancer, on November 21-23. I hope to be able to join them with even more friends next year. But in the mean time, please check out their pages and consider donating. No amount is too small, and if you were considering any kind of holiday gift to me this year, a donation will absolutely suffice.

Here's Jenny's page, and here's Kelley's.
***Update: Since Jenny's pretty much at her goal, she'd like to ask that you donate through her team-mate, Erica, any funds that you'd normally donate through her.

And, since my dad is AWESOME, he has rustled up an incredible prize to the first to donate $500 or more.

A ride in a completely restored 1943 Stinson Bi-plane over the Temecula wine country. An amazing airplane flown out of Fallbrook, CA, by an amazing pilot, and just in time to prove to your friends on the East Coast that we do get fall color. If you want to win this, donate, then leave me a comment letting me know you have and giving me the name under which you donated and to whom. I'll verify your donation with the appropriate walker and if you're first, get you your prize. Good luck!

For those of you who just cant spare the coin, don't worry. In the future I'll be posting ways you can help without spending a penny, as well as a totally free giveaway.

Home Alone

Last night Mark had to work a night shift, and I managed to have a pretty peaceful evening. After driving him in (my first time back behind the wheel) I settled in at home with the latest from This American Life. Then I got out the bag of craft goodies that Mark got me to recuperate with and whipped up something from Folding Trees, where you can find the tutorial for this and lots of other projects.

It's not much, considering all I'm wanting to do lately, but it made for a really nice evening with nary a tv or computer to rile me up. Now if only I hadn't heard that mysterious scratching sound just as I turned out the light.

Also, I had some photo fun just before surgery that Photojojo is talking about today. When I first started taking photography in high school, I borrowed my dad's Nikon, which he'd outfitted with several cool lenses, filters, and flash filters. Unlike the photojojo folks, I was lucky enough to be given the whole camera bag of goodies a few years later for Christmas. So knowing about all those yummy toys was a big part of my choosing the Nikon DSLR Mark bought me for my last birthday. I've talked about the advatages of brand loyalty before. I've now got 5 lenses for my DSLR, and I just got to playing with the vintage ones. The Macro made it out first.

If you've got vintage lenses that you want to hook up to your digital SLR, even if they're not the same brand, go over to Photojojo and find out how.

Officially Behind

Well I am so backed up with posts that I don't quite know where to start. Last week was an amazing week with Mark not at the hospital. I'll surely do a run down of the highlights in the days to come. Today I have quite a bit to do before seeing Dr. L to (hopefully) figure out a window into which we can expect to plan for my next surgery. So todays post will be a teaser of things to come that should also hold me accountable to posting them. Fun for all.

1. Last week's highlights
2. A guy walks into a flower shop
3. Saving local, why & how
4. Plant friend update
5. Project Couch


In the meantime, here's a seahorse for you, because they're cute, AND one little clue to our adventures last week.