Rain Haiku for May

Raining, on and off,

it's Friday, and very gray.
Cat sleeps anyway.
5/1/09.

Spring Tree and a Haiku

Long awaited spring. We're living in a new apartment this year, working from home on some days, and spending afternoons on the deck. Somehow, despite the stresses in life, I'm paying attention to something as simple as the tree hanging over the deck as it started to bud. The tree has since exploded into a bright green leafiness. And this year, I'm in a mindset to actually enjoy it--a mere tree! In response, a haiku:

Giant budding tree,
hanging over the back deck,

bright green leaves bursting.

Scroll down for Recipe Rursday (posted earlier this week).

Tent City in Woonsocket, RI

Up north in Woonsocket, RI, a tent city has appeared in the courtyard of a Methodist Church (see the Projo and Woonsocket Call). Seems that they are struggling with protecting this encampment, regardless of its need. As of today, the people staying in the tents were forced to relocate. NPR has a quick blurb about the relocation, as did the Projo (below).

Woonsocket says church's homeless tents must go. (4/27/09, Projo News Blog - Paul Davis). WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- When Pastor Brian Souza sheltered the homeless in tents at his church on April 20, he had their safety in mind, he says. He also wanted to draw attention to Rhode Island's growing homeless population. He did -- but not in the way he hoped.

Last week, city officials said the homeless cannot sleep in the four dome tents Souza pitched in the courtyard of his church, called River United Methodist Communities.The tents are in a commercial, not a residential zone, Joel Mathews, the city's director of planning and development, said Monday. Even if they were part of a residence, the tents could only house family members, he said. "In that zone, we could cite him for a number of things," including safety and sanitary issues, Mathews said. Already, some businesses have complained, he added.

The 101-year-old church sits on Federal Street, a short road between Clinton and Main Streets, near the Blackstone River. Souza said he wants the city or state to find permanent homes for the six men, who are members of his church.

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An update on the tent city in Woonsocket:

"Woonsocket pastor shuts down tent city at his church - WOONSOCKET -- Under orders from the city, the Rev. Brian J. Souza Thursday removed his campground for the homeless -- a handful of blue tents in the courtyard of his urban church.

It was a difficult decision, said Souza, pastor of the River-United Methodist Communities on Federal Street. The former cop pitched the tents on April 20 to house a half-dozen people, including a deaf woman and a 53-year-old veteran with a prosthetic leg. Souza said he wanted to create a safe haven for people who are down and out, and draw attention to the plight of the state's growing homeless population.

But on Monday, city officials ordered Mr. Souza to remove the tents. The tents, officials said, are in a commercial, not a residential zone.

The six homeless people "will go into the woods somewhere," said Mr. Souza, who plans to host a public forum on the problem later this month. The homeless need permanent housing, he said. "I'm talking to government officials and community leaders." (Projo. May 07, 2009, PaulDavis)"
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For updates, see also: Tent City Related Posts.

Recipe Rursday: Chocolate & Raspberries (or Blackberries)

Last week I was visiting a nearby community garden with a friend and a young woman offered us raspberries in hardened dollops of chocolate. Just as she said, these lovely fresh sweets couldn't be easier to make. (Recipe Rursday is a little early this week. I had to share.)

Chocolate & Raspberries (or Blackberries)

• Berries (your choice - blackberries are less-sweet)
  
• Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips

1. Lay foil down on a cookie sheet or plate.
2. Melt the chocolate. (We don't have a double boiler, so I tossed a 1/4 c. of chocolate chips into a small glass pot on low heat. Stir while the chips are melting, removing the pot from the heat periodically to avoid burning). Your goal is to melt the chocolate down just enough so that you can drop dollops of it onto the tin foil.
3. As soon as the drops are down, place a berry on top.
4. Place tray/plate in the fridge (you could try the freezer, as well). As soon as the chocolate has hardened, peel off & enjoy.

Link-share: Embroidery

Link-share: Embroidery, from Embloggery.

That damn recipe book

Finally, that damn recipe book is finished. Some time back in Inwood (nyc), we started cooking and I started saving the recipes we used. This? The ultimate collection.

• The book is a 3-ring binder filled with page-protectors and includes dishes we've prepared (from recipe).
  
• Each has a date, some have the 'guest-in-town' mentioned, and most include notes or suggestions for next time.
  
• A few months ago I took apart the book from its chronological order, and re-grouped the recipes by main ingredients or order in a meal (e.g., appetizers, soups).

For the groupings of recipes, I had to turn to friends in Omaha for advice. Much debate was had. In the end, wontons went with pasta dishes, 'vegetables' received their own section, I resisted ethic food groupings, and all dishes involving beans were absorbed by the other categories. That last decision was for Ashley, who freaked out over the identity of beans. Did you know that beans are botanically considered a fruit but culinar-ily viewed as a legume? He lost sleep over this conundrum.

Garden on the Deck: Making Progress

(Cauliflower Seedling, taken 4/23/09)

The weather was luscious jackson today. Sweet peas are now in pots, pepper and mustard seeds are planted, and my first seedlings (cauliflower) are up. I'm so proud. As a bonus, I somehow roped Chris into planting something of his own - eggplant seeds. Can you tell how much he loves 'nature' with the ice cream scooper in his hand?

Recipe Rursday: Southwestern Egg Salad

This is a quick & easy egg salad that only needs a little tweaking, in my mind. The original recipe is from WeightWatchers (thus the low-fat mayo), but there's nothing particularly weight-watchy about it, if you use regular mayo. I loved having chili peppers in the egg salad, but keep in mind, not everyone loves tangy peppers. The photo above looks like the salad is heavy on mayo/dressing, but actually I just needed to strain the salsa and chili peppers a bit more--doing so will thicken up the dish.

Southwestern Egg Salad
6 hard-boiled eggs (I used 4 whole & 2 whites only)
chives, chopped
1/3 can (small can) chili peppers, rinsed & chopped
cilantro, minced
1/2 small red pepper, chopped
1/4 C. mayo (low-fat, or regular)
1 Tbsp salsa
Pinch or two of ground cumin (go light)
Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Hard boil the eggs. There's such a debate about this! What works for us: in a pot, barely cover the eggs with water, bring to a boil with the lid on. Remove lid & low simmer for 12 minutes. Run under cold water to cool, roll on a cutting board, & de-shell under cold running water.

2. Mash eggs & add all of the other ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Perfect in a tortilla.

Easter Sunrise in Queens

Easter Sunrise in Queens, taken 4/12/09.

Caliente

Meet Caliente*. Rescued from a garage sale for $30. Her tires are newly filled, but I still need to raise the handlebars and seat (yes, shocking for someone with legs as short as mine). Now I just need to find a matching pink helmet. Someone recently told me, "Every woman needs two wheels." So true.
*note: "Caliente" arrived pre-named (it's written on her crossbar).

Happy Day

A scrapbook page from last month (photo date: 10/3/08)...it's 1-page/month these days.
I guess I should add that whenever I include Chris on a scrapbook page, I can't help but say cheesy things. In what feels like another life, he and I charged a weekend in Paris to our credit cards. We couldn't justify doing that today, but there isn't a need to go to Paris, either. Eight years later, I still can't believe that I'm fortunate enough to have found someone that makes me so happy. He's the most crazy and wonderfully supportive person I've ever met. ...I know, cheesy cheesy.

Garden on the Deck: Setting Up

Random houseplants capable of resurrection? That's about as green as my thumb has ever been. This spring, however, a few people at Street Sights have inspired me to start a garden on the deck. I've never had much interest in flowers, so (with the exception of a small pot of peonies gifted at PC's farmer's market), I'm only growing vegetables.
This weekend, I planted a set of 8 spinach plants, gifted to me through a friend. They received their start locally at Scratch Farm in Cranston (part of the Southside Community Landtrust). I've also planted cauliflower seeds and a few mysterious seeds labeled "balloon" (from a co-worker) in an egg carton. And the peony received a pot. Most of my pots & seeds came from my friend Elizabeth, who is moving from pots to a community garden.
Still to come...planting sweet pea seeds that need to soak over night, Italian hot pepper seeds that need maintenance & indoor warmth, and a bunch of plant starts that I'll pick up from the Southside Community Landtrust plant sale (maybe eggplant, tomatoes, and a few basil plants).