Rainy Day Grainy Salad

Bulgar. Most commonly known in the Greek dish, tabbouleh. While tabbouleh is great, sometimes I'm just not feeling something Greek. So, I decided to give the humble bulgar a second chance at something, well, not Greek. This salad was thrown together literally with ingredients I had in my kitchen or garden and thrown together quickly. It makes a great lunch salad and would be great as a main entree topped with a little grilled chicken. And ok, if you're feeling the Greek thing, even a little feta cheese mixed in would be a nice addition. This is somewhat a more hippy-dippy take on a classic "rice and beans" combo, except the "rice" is the bulgar and the "beans" are the lentils. I like to use black beluga lentils - they have a nice small size and don't get mushy in turn making your salad more of a "dip" and the color is beautifully contrasted with the rest of the ingredients. Plus you can buy them pre-cooked and cooled at Trader Joe's for practically pennies!

Ingredients:

1 cup bulgar, cooked according to directions and cooled

1 cup cooked and cooled lentils

3 stalks celery, quartered lengthwise and diced

1/2 cucumber, diced

3/4 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped

3 green onion stalks, chopped

2 cups arugula (or more for us arugula fanatics!), roughly chopped

2 TB fresh squeezed orange juice

1 1/2 TB sherry vinegar

1 TB honey

2 TB grapeseed oil (or other light oil)

Salt and pepper*

Combine the bulgar through the arugula in a large bowl. In a separate small dish, whisk together the remaining ingredients and toss with the bulgar mixer to combine.

* Be sure to season this salad well. Enough salt and pepper can make a world of difference in the quality of a chop salad like this.

Devonly,

Yours

Chicklettes

The Chickies are getting SO BIG! However, sad to say: turns out one is a rooster. I had already contemplated what I was going to do with a rooster if I ended up with one. Well, maybe not exactly what I was going to do but whatever it was it involved not keeping it. BUT....

He's the nicest, sweetest, gentlest (need I mention quietest?) one of the lot. He will gladly hop right up into my hands and perch on my arm. He will snuggle up on my lap and lay down for a nap. Oh, I'm so torn...Jason keeps reminding me they are food and not pets, but just look at them! You try telling any Polly Ana with half a heart beat you want to kill that soft little fluff ball that thinks you're it's mother and well...it's just not gonna happen. That being said, anyone know of what I can do with a rooster or where I can send it that they won't give it the 'ole Anne Boleyn?

They do this really cute thing when I take them outside in the sunshine - they half lay/half fall down onto one side and spread their little wings out. It's the funniest thing I've ever seen! I had two perched on my arm doing just that. What a sight to see! I was tickled pink. I will definitely have more pictures to come soon. I actually took these pictures last week and they already are so much bigger! Their feathers are just popping out of them as fast as you can blink.

Until then, chirp chirp and peep peep!

Devonly,

Yours

The Wind Beneath My Soul

A cool spring breeze whistled through the house this evening, dancing sunshine across my neglected piano. There was laundry to be done, dished to be put away, and a never ending list of things to do. But the ache of forgotten chords drew me in.

My tired and warn fingers flew across the soft, cool white keys as my heart soared and wept with music that sings my soul. Music that has known so much sorrow, joy, suffering, and hope.

My fingers grew tired and sore, and the cool breeze turned them icy cold. But still I kept playing. Like two lovers being reunited, my piano embraced me and I fell hard on it's shoulders.

You feel like home.

Devonly,

Yours.

Rhubarb Crisp

I have never actually cooked with rhubarb before, it seems quite intimidating to me actually. I never know if I should cook it sweet or savory, if it is a vegetable or a fruit? This year, however, there have been piles of it placed next to the juicy cartons of strawberries and instantly the combination makes me want a fruity crisp. My first attempt at making this crisp involved strawberries, and it was a disaster. I couldn't tell if it was the "compote" ingredients I used to cook down the rhubarb, the strawberries, or the fact that I accidentally doubled the amount of butter necessary for this amount of topping. Either way, the second batch was much more successful so I'll just give it to you straight. I tried it out on my friends, and it was passed around the table and devoured in minutes flat.

This is a little tart, so you can always add more sugar to your taste, but I actually really emjoy its tartness. Serve with some vanilla ice cream or lemoncello, and you've got a spring dessert that is worthy of company!

You will need:

About 1 lb. rhubarb stalks (8 stalks), leaves and ends trimmed

zest and juice from one lemon

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup + 2 TB Bisquick

1/2 brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 TB ground flax seed

1 TB wheat germ

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the rhubarb into 1/2" slices and combine with lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and vanilla extract in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occassionally until rhubarb is tender but still holds its shape, about 10 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

Combine the oats, Busquick, brown sugar, cinnamon, flax seed, and wheat germ in a bowl and mix to combine.

Pour the rhubarb into an 8x8" baking dish, or other very cute baking dish you may have. Top with the oat mixture and pour the butter over the top. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until crust is nicely brown and juices begin to bubble up from the bottom. Let cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

There's nothing like baking with in-season produce and enjoying it at it's peak! Hope your family loves this as much as mine did.

Devonly,

Yours

The Gregorys + three

We have three fluffy, chirpy little additions to the Gregory family! Meet Henrietta, Pepper, and Lucy! I haven't chosen which name will go with which chick yet, I'm still getting to know their personalities. But one has quite a set of lungs on her, so I'm thinking she might be Pepper. They are the cuttest, tiniest, softest little fluff balls ever! They are all Cuckoo Marans, and I can't wait to see their "chocolate" eggs!

Since it's a yucky rainy day outside, we just have to look out and take a peek at their new home. Tomorrow if it's nice I'll take them out on their first outing!

They seemed very curious and inquisitive about the yard. Or maybe they were just admiring the pretty flowers in the window box Jason just installed outside our kitchen window.

It was at this point of the photo shoot that I was aware that Harley was trying his hardest to climb up in the counter to check them out, having his back two legs on the ground and the other two on the counter! He just goes bananas when they're around. I introduced each one to him and he was shaking so hard his teeth were chattering! I'll have to wait until Jason gets home and can help control everyone before I can snap a few photos of the interactions.

Meanwhile, Jason has been working hard on getting their coop built:

The outside shell is all put together, now it's just to complete the house-part, the nesting boxes, the doors, and the remaining chicken wire on the outside. Oh, it's going to be so cute! (It even has a little flower window box! Oh!!)

In other news around here, I've been making some wonderful necklaces that I can't wait to show you! Hopefully I will have them up by the end of the week, and listed in my Etsy shop. Until then, my friends, it's off to bake muffins, dance with the broom, and pet the puppy.

Devonly,

Yours

Winters-Not-Quite-Over-Yet-Vegetable Soup

Just when you start seeing fresh tomatoes and berries in the grocery store and start daydreaming of the long summer nights, eating outside until it's late, and all the magical produce that comes with warmer weather, you look outside and realize it's still in the 40's - 50's and raining. And then all you want is a warm bowl of comfort.

I made this soup for some friends and we (mostly I) ate it up so fast, I didn't have time to take a picture of it! Yes, I know this is like breaking the first cardinal rule of blogging about recipes - not to post a picture, but imagine it looks something like this:

Plus a dash of this:

Got the jist? OK.

You're gonna need:

I large yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large carrot, cut in quarters lengthwise and chopped

2 celery ribs, cut in half lengthwise and chopped

1 small acorn squash, peeled, de-seeded, and chopped into 1/2" cubes

about 6 cups GOOD chicken stock

1 (14oz) can chopped tomatoes

1 can cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained

2 bay leaves

2 TB freshly chopped basil

1 TB freshly chopped thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 bunch chard

Grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

1. Heat 2 TB olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot, stirring until vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and still for 1 more minute.

2. Add the acorn squash and the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover until squash is tender, about 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, chop the ribs of the chard and set aside. Slice the leaves of the chard into quarters and roughly chop about 1" thick. Add the stems of the chard and the remaining ingredients minus the chard leaves and cook until heated through, about another 10 minutes.

4. Add the chard leaves to the soup and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. To serve, top with freshly grated parmesan cheese, or any other favorite hard nutty cheese.

I also made mine the day before and let it sit overnight before re-heating and serving, and it was delicious! This soup is so comforting and reminds me of home so much, I hope it becomes a staple in your home and warms you up on a chilly spring (or winter!) evening. Enjoy!

Devonly,

Yours

Springing into a new life

WARNING: This post is a little out of my norm - it's a reflection and meant to be a release for me. And it's a little long. So pour a glass of whatever you enjoy, and if you make it to the end, thank you.

Every spring, correction: every change of season, I get this little itch inside me for change, for newness, for life. It creeps up and crawls all over my insides making me want to break out of every restraint I have around my life.

I want beauty
I want life
I want freedom
I want soul

As Maroon 5 played over the satellite music station at the salon today and I made hair color and waxing appointments for grouchy Seattlites, I longingly looked outside and thought of my Dahlia bulbs that needed planting and the cute, colorful!! (we were all black at work...it's very hard to wear all black all the time) spring outfits that needed to be found and strutted about.

I thought about my friends, scattered all over the west coast: what they were writing, painting, building, reading, and how they were nurturing their souls and building character. And how cute they all looked doing it (Side note: this is the amazing thing about my network of friends - they look cute doing just about EVERYTHING. It gets to be rather annoying...just kidding, friends, you are the color in my photos, and the lace on my dress). And I began to feel myself become a little jealous. Thinking how much I've neglected this little blog that was started to inspire me, you, and be a creative outlet for me and how I missed it yet didn't have the energy to put into it or much of anything lately. Thinking how I've not been the friend or the wife I want to be.

And then I stopped myself. What's keeping me from doing that now? Even while working? I've thought for so long that I needed to go seriously part time or quit my day job to pursue myself and discover my soul more. But why can't I do it while working? Am I just using that as an excuse for not pursuing my passions and dedicating time to that? Part of it is that as we get older and think about bringing other little people into the world, I think about all the free time I won't have very soon, and the other part of it is that even though I don't work a full time job, there are a lot of other responsibilities on my plate with Jason traveling a lot and keeping up with the house, the dog, the groceries, the etc... And yes, it would be easier if I didn't have a job and that's what I really want. But maybe easier isn't what I need.

For the last two years or so I've been wanting to discover myself - to "arrive" at some point of knowing what goes on inside. And I'm not necessarily talking about counseling or therapy (which yes, I know would be a good thing to do as well). But maybe, hopefully, I've been doing that all along. Maybe, just maybe, in the piles of dishes, piles of dog hair and poop, in the nights alone and the tears, I've chiseled away just a little bit more of my shell and found a new part of me. And even though I don't necessarily have the journal entries, the paintings, the books put up to collect dust on my shelves, I have laugh lines, tear stains, plants that I've watched grow in, bottles (and bottles, and bottles!!) of wine in the recycling that have been drunk with friends.

So this spring, while life is emerging all around me, I will try and put to rest my desire to be the person I'm not, and embrace the person I am. I have to stop waiting for life to happen to me and make my life what I want it to be. Even if it doesn't look exactly like I thought it would.

Devonly,

Yours