8
POPSThree wishes for baby Sadie More: May she read in many languages, sing in many tongues and dance to many rhythms. May she walk beside a wheelchair with comfort, may she always know the sign for 'dreams', may she be comfortable in her own skin and with the skins of others. May she come to understand the difference between cost and value. All things cost. All people have value.… I hope that we who welcome Sadie into our lives…May we teach her the breadth of the word family. May we let her learn early to feel secure in the fact that she is loved, she is valued and she is wanted. May one day, when she is 30 and tired, when she is at the end of her rope, may she discover that our hands have weaved her an extra foot or two. That we have stored up enough love, packed into every corner of her heart, she never need fear of running out. May we give her the foundation of knowing love. From this beginning, may Sadie, first crawl, then walk, then run, finally fly ...
11
POPSFood of the Week: Cabbage A few quick serving ideas: Cabbage leaves are a great way to inspire leftovers. Spoon some leftovers such as rice salad or a vegetable mixture onto the center of a cabbage leaf and roll into a neat little package. Bake in medium heat oven until hot. Enjoy your easy and healthy version of stuffed cabbage, a traditional eastern European dish. Braise red cabbage with a chopped apple and red wine. This is a child-friendly dish, since the alcohol (but not the flavor or the flavonoids) will evaporate. Combine shredded red and white cabbage with fresh lemon juice, olive oil, and seasonings such as turmeric, cumin, coriander and black pepper to make coleslaw with an Indian twist. Sauté cabbage and onions and serve over cooked buckwheat for a hardy side dish. Use shredded raw cabbage as a garnish for sandwiches.
10
POPSFood of the week: Olives Tips for Preparing Olives: To pit olives, press them with the flat side of a broad bladed knife. This will help break the flesh so that you can easily remove the pit with your fingers or the knife. The brine in which olives are packed can be used as a replacement for salted water in recipes. Toss pasta with chopped olives, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and fresh herbs of your choice. Marinate olives in olive oil, lemon zest, coriander seeds and cumin seeds.
1
POPSRecipe Roundup: Savory Cookies Working in an office, the holiday season often becomes an unending cycle of sweets – cookies, candy, cakes, more cookies... These savory cookies sound like a tasty change of pace. One of the companies we do business with did something original and sent an assortment of nuts instead of a box of candy or anything like that. It was sooo nice to have that to graze on instead of yet more sugar. Pecans, mm! Macadamias, yes please!
4
POPSHearty Lentil Soup with Smoked Sausage
2. Add the onion and carrots to the pot, adding up to 1 Tablespoon of olive oil if necessary to prevent sticking. Cook 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring so that the vegetables are coated with the caramelized bits left in the pot from cooking the sausage. Add the garlic and cook 1 to 2 more minutes. 3. Add the water, lentils, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, with the lid cracked, 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 4. Stir in the parsley, cumin, paprika, salt, and red pepper flakes if desired. Simmer, with the lid cracked, an additional 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 5. Carefully puree about half of the soup in a blender on low speed until still slightly chunky, then return to the pot. Or use an immersion hand blender (I absolutely love my KitchenAid Hand Blender) to puree the soup to desired consistency. Stir in sausage. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with chopped fresh parsley if desired. Makes about 8 cups.
2
POPSHalloween Recipes I just stumbled upon some Halloween recipe links that I saved a couple of years ago. Enjoy!
3
POPSLebanese lentil-and-rice pilaf with blackened onions Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and next 4 ingredients; sauté until onion softens, about 4 minutes. Add broth and lentils; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Stir in rice; return to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook until liquid is absorbed and rice and lentils are tender, about 15 minutes longer. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced onions; sauté until soft and beginning to blacken, about 20 minutes. Season pilaf to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to plates; top with blackened onions. Place tomatoes and cucumber alongside. Top pilaf with dollop of yogurt. Sprinkle with mint.
3
POPSSpanish Kale and Potato Soup In a heavy soup pot, heat the oils over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry for several minutes, or until the onion softens. Add a little water as needed to keep from sticking. NOTE: You can also cook the onion and garlic with the oils in a microwave oven (place in a Pyrex covered casserole, or pie dish with another one on top for a lid, for about 10 minutes. This works well if you are doing a bunch of things at once, because you don't need to stir! Add the bay leaf, paprika, cumin and chile flakes and stir for 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for anbout 15 minutes,or until everything is tender. Taste for salt and pepper. THE PORTUGUESE VERSION, CALDO VERDE: Omit the turnip and use 4 potatoes instead. Use the sausage option and omit the beans. Use only 1/2 lb. kale.
1
POPSrecipe: garlic & black pepper rasam Rasam is a south Indian soup served early in the meal. "Rasam normally forms the second course in a traditional south Indian menu. There are various way of preparing it. It is normally mixed with plain cooked rice and eaten with different side dish. It makes for a very good appetizer or soup also when taken all by itself. Rasam has many spices and is considered to be good for health." from http://dailygirlblog.blogspot.com/2005/12/hot-pepper-rasam-south-indian-soup.html