one of my favorite young friends, halldor dropped by last sunday. i had promised him a dinner of potstickers and mussels marinara. we talked a lot and listened to all kinds of music. finally, got down to making the 'potstickers' and re-doing my latest discovery for a salad…. romaine lettuce with avocado, mango and nectarines (all the usual suspects also… scallions, capers, radishes and a dressing i immitated from the sushi house} someday i will divulge the secret of that dressing, if i can remember what i did.)
anyway, we finally ate around midnight 😆 and we were really hungry by that time.
we never got to the mussels. the next day i experimented with the marinara sauce which i recommend everyone try. it's really easy and fast.
what started my obsession with marinara is the plethora of tomatoes i have grown in my little back yard. and peppers. i made gazpacho twice.
i also learned from remembering that someone said the easy way to skin a tomato is to freeze them. i did. and it worked.
when the tomatoes thaw out, just squeeze them and the skin comes off.
so here is the show and tell for mussels marinara. :chef:
wash and then steam the mussels
too many tomatoes
this is adjustible, just put what you have. for instance if you don't have scallions, use shallots. mushrooms would be cool too. marinara is supposed to be a little hot. i mean peppery hot. and served piping hot with buttered artisan bread. :yes:
add the capers after an hour of simmering.
the full dinner should really include the avocado, mango salad. and the artisan bread for sopping up the juices.
salad: with the magic dressing. i finally figured out how to make. but now i forgot what i did. i know it has mashed apple with no skin and rice vinegar, a dash of tamari sauce and fresh ginger juice. it is so delicious it makes you eat every bit of your 'rabbit food'. greens i mean.
i hope i have made everyone so hungry… :devil:
linda, i know i am rascally. 😎 but i do what i say.well, my instinct tells me that the japanese dressing, contained, and i am guessing… apple, rice vinegar, ginger juice, a splash of soy sauce (tamari) and a smidgen of sesame oil. this matches the salad perfectly. i also ground sesame seed with sea-salt. sprinkle that on top.you need a real juicer though for the ginger.
Indeed you have you rascal. You are a man of your word. Thought you were just talking when you said you would post recipe. That all looks delicious, but especially, again, that avocado, mango, etc. salad. I am really going to have to get the ingredients to make that. But I need a salad dressing. Poppy seed? How about sesame and ginger?
this does it!I am moving in! :lol:Yummmmmmmmmmo !!! not only you put us to shame, but you will make me dream of food all night! Do you realize that you could have been the real " Gordon Ramsey ?" only without the attitude !and you could have his millions 10 times more!http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Ramsay
thanks meli for the game 'reparte'' sorry, no accent on my keyboard….just for the record and no slight intended. i never really had a mother of the sort that most think of, but in a way i am glad. i wasn't babied. but i am open minded enough and might consider that that is at the root of my complaints. unfortunately there is no cure. i have verified that; no woman really wants to 'baby' a man. they mostly want a man for his strength. there i go again… starting an essay. *makes a mental note to get to the bottom of "real love and cherishing the one you're with." hmmm wonder what she meant by that… intriguing.yes halldor, i love him. he is a one of a kind and the camera does love him. by the way that wasn't his hat. i put that on him to see if it fit. it didn't. nice classy leather hat but too tight. :happy:oh yeah, gordon ramsey. i have surfed to his show now and again. what a prick.!
lol, lol, lol, meli :heart: and they say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach…. apparently, it works both ways.that would be a final irony for my life that i am adopted by a lovely greek lady for my cooking. :cool:but i know you just have this ebullient way of expressing yourself. but if you want to come, you are welcome, anytime. :happy:
Originally posted by I_ArtMan:
"mothering" one of the things I know how to do meli,the rest I will keep to myself 😮 Halldor is very photogenic !in the videos he looks more mature 🙂
Originally posted by I_ArtMan:
he is that!Originally posted by I_ArtMan:
there is a difference meli :heart:about mothering a man because you want to see the light in his eyes when he is loved,and mothering a man because he wants to depend on others… the second wouldn't even get the time of the day from me :DI love being appreciated not needed.. and maybe I am to domestic to many,but cooking daily for my family, or ironing his shirt, or massaging his feet ,it will be a way of being connected and not being used 🙂
😆 I think we are both apreciating "freedom" way too much to get any further than friendship, and my heart is filled by him as it is 🙂
I think you two should meet.:)
meli :heart: you expressed it very well. you are one in a trillion. linda,some things just aren't possible in the real world. meli loves my soul and i love hers. she is all that i ever wanted in a woman and never really found. but age and chemistry are hurdles. and we are both too practical to go beyond our friendship here, which is very real. i wish… hell, i could sure use a foot massage. just kidding.to tell the truth, what i miss the most is just snuggling together under the blankets. 😆
yes, linda, you can be deceitful, shallow, boring,spiteful, and out of tune with the true values gained by being alive.luckily, i have no friends like that.
I miss that myself sometimes. Having a warm male body to snuggle up to.
😮 thanks,now I am going to good
Goodnight Angeliki. Sweet dreams and have a wonderful time in the Hamptons. Sounds great. I was so impressed with upper state New York. Beautiful.
G/nite great people… I am off from work for 4 hours already and finally I feel relaxed, tomorrow I work from 10am-6pm and then I go to spend the evening in the Hamptons. Back on Saturday morning on time to wake up Yannis for his Saturday museum work 🙂
@ Scott. Seriously, is there any other way to be? Don't know much about that. I am what I am.
best wishes for a restful sleep meli :heart:
Yes.
and a well-earned rest. 😎
I miss all …but the male body's scent the most 🙂 that triggers all in me 🙂
yes, it can be in a friendly way. but the libido in the middle of the night sometimes awakens a friendly stirring :lol:you guys are so genuine, i just love it. :love:
Originally posted by I_ArtMan:
that can be in a friendly way :p
I suppose I can be boring, and even spiteful on occasion, but I hope I am not shallow and I don't know how to be deceitful.
Actually, Scott, you didn't make a mistake. I knew that was a generic statement; however, I chose to apply it to myself. All is good.
i, in no way was being personal about those qualities. just listing them as an exercise. hey, linda, you are never boring. 🙂
i see my mistake. the use of 'you' i should have said, "one can be…"
i get hungry :yes:
I love when all this love and food melts together. The body is full :p 😀
Looks good. But it all reminds me of making Gazpacho in a manufacturing plant. The horror.
From marinara sauce to snuggling in the blankets. A great way to start my morning. 😆 Have made this sauce many times in the past but never put capers in it. Will have to try that the next time I cook. It's that salad I must try now. Looks heavenly.
I am in love with that salad. I would like to snuggle up to one of those today. 😀
Originally posted by PainterWoman:
from now on I will call snuggling "marinara" and I will remember all my friends participating in this exchange :heart:
The people who make up smileys are aliens and do not know the finer emotions.
yes, meli :heart: everyone should really have a marinara partner… especially on those long winter nights. cold feet, in the sauce. :happy:how come there's no smiley for 'cozy' ?
i didn't know that linda, now i understand. but someone should help them. :happy:
Why don't you create us some more appropriate smileys Scott. After all, you ARE an artist.:happy:
you're right. i should. no, i will. so much to do. but i will fit it in. 🙂
:happy: Good boy!
and one for Linda,
meli,:heart:I do share the "cozy" from Plurk,please feel free to copy,(it is one of my favorites )
thanks, linda :happy:that is nice meli :heart: it'll do for cozy. but mine will have a white handlebar mustasche. 😆
hahaha *she feels ticklish * :p
😆 you are a funny man Scott Cumming :heart:
that's a sure sign that you're alive, meli :heart: 😆
when witty wooers woo with witty wordslovely ladies like these likely lovers, lamentably,many marry men more marvelous making money, though,they tend to treasure those titillating trysts tenderly. he he he
why thank you. that is a rare compliment. and i must accept it with absolute grace. i never try to be funny, just witty when i will. :happy:
:)interesting I read "woo" in two places at the same time :)I am reading this and I happened to think of the night we were exchanging verses :)(you are so much better memorizing) I hope you enjoy :http://www.quotesandsayings.com/books/shakespeare/t_shrew.txt:up:and for the ladies:http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/634b1c8808/secret-shakespeare-man-from-secretshakespeareman
akamu,i missed you too. thanks for commenting. forgive me. sometimes i get a wee bit distracted. 🙂
Originally posted by I_ArtMan:
:oand I did copy it for a safe keeping
i am flattered. i don't save those frivolous ones. but i am glad you did. :happy:
sorry walter, i missed responding to your comment. welcome to the sometimes hungry group i lovingly call the 'kool-aid house' 🙂
meli, :heart: thanks for the links. shakespeare is the master. what a marvelous head he had. :smile:woo is a great old english word. it's kind of onomatopoeic.i have practiced memorizing stories and poems, but that one i made up impromptu. i have that kind of mind. aliterations are tedious though sometimes. except in limerick form, for the people with the patience. :heart:
woo is a great word, i'm partial to swoon as well :)Your recipe has made me hungry scott, I'll have to get off the computer and cook something! also, another way to skin tomatoes if you dont have time to freeze and thaw, drop them in boiling water for one minute and then move them to cool water for another minute, makes the skins slide right off.
I must remember these methods for de-skinning tomatoes. I usually just use a knife to peel them. I do not like the skin on my sliced tomatoes.
:jester: ha! more than one way to skin a tomato, so much nicer than skinning :cat:s 🙂
Aack! do you know how to make a cat go 'woof!' ? soak it in kerosene and light a match! 😀 I'm sorry Dory (my :cat: ) don't read it! I don't mean it, but its so funny 😆
What´s wrong with skinning cats. Make good slippers. Even leave the heads on in the front of slippers 😀
thanks muse for the tip… i just knew there was more than one way to skin a tomato. 💡 linda,that's the hard way all right. i don't mind the skins normally but not for marinara or spaghetti sauce. it's good 'roughage' you know. :sherlock:
nic, that's a devilish thing to say. are you trying to spark a riot here? at least muse joined in the with the cat bashing. i guess i started it. :faint:
nobody tell peta and we'll make it through the riot okay :p and i'm keeping my cat away from here! luckily she's a cat and cannot read.
nic really wouldn't hurt a fly. well, maybe a fly, but not a cat. 😎
Such statements about cats will be turned over to Peta immediately! Better watch your step here—-you are messing with an embedded bunch of cat lovers.
:yikes: eek!
cats talk to me. i love cats… i just said there's more than one way to skin a tomato. cats, dogs, birds, they all talk to me. i like the way they watch my every move. as if they are reporting back to someone. :happy:
Animals love me. Have always had a way with them. I babysat an African Gray parrot named Babe for a friend while she went to Costa Rica or somewhere out of country. She had had Babe for years. When she came back to pick Babe up, Babe didn't want to go with her. She said from then on he talked in my voice as part of his wide repertoire.
linda, that's very funny. remind me not to leave any animals with you. 🙂
Oh, do you have talking birds Scott? Birds and cats especially love me.
Yes, Scott, and I have seen a guy talking to flowers in my yard, telling me how cute they were with their little faces smiling, laughing and talking to him. He also ran across the road and hid behind a barn because "the pigs were watching him and were out to get him" but then, he was wired on meth and hadn't slept for a month. 😆
i don't have any talking birds, linda. just sometimes when i am outside, i hear them saying certain things… really, i had a blue heron once fly off in a huff, shouting :shit , shit, shit! but most of the time they warn me or point out things i might have missed otherwise. they go "look there." a blackbird once at big sur kept telling me "wake up", "wake up" i know, you think i'm crazy. nope, passed all the tests. i really hear them. :happy: but that's just because i listen. taking heed is another story.
oh, that's different. relating to the flora and fauna when you are sober is natural and good. but if your b vitamins are depleted by drug abuse, it's just the imagination gone rampant. funny story, linda. "the pigs are watching"; and in that moment you might even say that the pig was more intelligent than he. 😆
Yes, pigs are very intelligent animals, but the pigs he was referring to were the kind who wear uniforms and carry guns and arrest people.:D
ha! those kind of pigs eh? once at a music festival a young man had a conversation with our campfire, then he laid down and took a nap next to it, we let him sleep but watched, we were worried about him, gatting too close to fires in that state. but can't you just imagine the things fire could speak of?
I have communed with a few fires before. They always hypnotize me.
oh, those pigs.there's nothing better than watching the fire burn for relaxing the mind, i think. Maybe that's why i have always loved fireplaces and the campfire. outside, it's a toss-up what i gaze at more; the stars and the depth of them or the fire and its life as it changes. muse, i see you have joined the baby picture club. :up:angeliki has left the club in favor of a luscious mouth. i suppose, enough is enough, but i will keep mine for a while longeer. there must be at least ten people. allan (ricewood) started it all. :happy:
right on. well, you are a welcome guest at the 'kool-aid' house too. (everybody comes here to eat with their eyes.)
I did 😀 It just seemed like a fun thing to share :p , plus i want to be like all the 😎 cool kids on opera 😆 allan has such great ideas 💡 Of course we were all such cute kids who doesn't want to be in the baby piture club?!
yes, and I get hungry every time I come here.I think Angeliki gets bored easily? She likes things to be new and different all the time I think. Whirlwind. Amazing lady.
my meli is a honey beeshe travels far and wideuntil she comes to a seaand watches the flowing tide.then she deepens in her heart :heart:her greatest love is familyher second is good art.my meli is a honey bee.
orrrr a butterfly?
I like that Scott, but I think she is more flamboyant than a honey bee—more like a Bumble Bee. Just sayin…….:D
Yep, or maybe a colorful little hummingbird.
what a nice meal, Scott! what a blessing… I've got to keep the ingredients for that salad… I am having avacado tonight in some sushi rolls (not homemade, though) I'm getting hungry! 😀 great photo, too.
i usually don't talk about people when they are not present. :smile:but, i have to agree, hummingbird is kind of appropriate, and meli won't mind the analogy. just as busy as a bee. :cool:My hummingbird is bright and lighta heart that beatswith all its mightA busy bee sheand ready to fleeif her eye should seea wary movement or the silent shadow of a predatora nimble flower's stamen lipsbrushed her noble forehead and with a sipping kissleft golden seed and a quiet blissBut with invisible speed she sped onthen hovering protected by a sky blue flower she savored inprecious weightlessnessa new and honeyed powera nectar sweeter still than all…the juice of loveoh! stimulus divineflowed through her trembling body like strong wineand suddenly explosionssweeter than all the flowers of the worldburst in her mindand changed her flying forminto a golden girlVenus blessed and virgin born anew
jill,thanks for the comment. yes, it's a great salad. i am doing it again and again. don't like to use the stove in the summer if i can help it. i get my protein from sushi, even sashimi, and the salad is a perfect counterpart. the trick is the salad dressing. it should be rich with fresh apple pulp, no skin. the rest i said already.
I copied it to my Opera Notes till I find a more permanent home for it. Sounds just like her.
I love that poem Scott, and am going to save it when I can find somewhere to save it to. I am sure Angeliki will too.
Been hovering between 95 and 107 here for awhile now, although it has "dropped" into the lower to mid 90s the last few days. We will have high temps, really, up through October, at least during the day, although the nights will be cooler. If the weather runs true to form for the last several years. Thanksgiving and Christmas here sometimes sees us in shirtsleeves.
Really. Most of the plants have now perished from the heat.
will do! thank you.
my tomatoes from the garden are still all green, btw…
linda,so glad you liked my little poem. :happy:jill,you must have started those tomatoes late, i'll bet. :sherlock:
in June sometime, I think. so that is a bit late… I just assumed they'd be so eager to get eaten :)the heat isn't affecting mine yet… but I imagine it could if it keeps up? we are upper midwest…
i know linda, i was in houston once for two weeks, then again for christmas. deserts always lose their heat at night. the worst is humid places like florida. where the nights are as hot as the day. right now here it's a comfortable 65 degrees farenheit. easy to get to sleep.jill, :lol:"I just assumed they'd be so eager to get eaten." that is very cute. 🙂
linda,not even at night? what part of texas are you in? i guess the lowlands are humid; like the east coast of mexico. hmmm.move to the moutains. move to southern france, marseille or the spanish mediteranean. like valencia or barcelona. i'll wager that that is perfect weather. :sherlock:surrender is said to be a very elevated spiritual experience. :cool:how nice to see you offering a beautiful flower with the noble bee. :happy:
We probably won't see 65 before October.
I surrender
Better take advantage of that, Scott. 😀
g'nite meli :heart: sleep well. :smile:i hold you tightwith all my mightcomes the night…it's alrightwhen we sleepit will be deep'til dawn's light peepmy heart you keep
oh, linda, that is so gorgeous. someday i must go there. 😎 i love lakes… they are so much better for swimming in. :happy:
Just saying what I think and "see" Angeliki. Scott, I live in East Texas, about 80 miles this side of Shreveport, La. East Texas is hilly, green, heavily forested and chock full of creeks, rivers and lakes. Humidity is very high. Often feels as though one is in a sauna when one steps outside. I happened to take notice of the temperature recently at 10 p.m. It was 91. So, it is very muggy. Not good for my lungs at all. But very, very beautiful.
Originally posted by I_ArtMan:
my secret wish is that one day I can live it again,it was meli, and I was too young to know it !have you ever melted metal meli ? when it melts in front of your eyes under the heat, it is very close to the feeling of "surrender"
meli :heart: it's true. the moment it seems to let go and become liquid is very special. but lead (as in for plumbing) is slow and there's no 'moment'. gold on the other hand, is sudden and you can see it release it's structure. the impression of it is unforgettable. everything resists change. everything. but gold surrenders elegantly.
See what I mean by green? Year round.
the word "liquid" reminded me of one special photoshoped pictures in my files… Good Night all 🙂
And a larger lake, Lake Palestine, about 30 miles from me. We have scads of large and small lakes within a half-days drive of here. OK, I promise not to throw anymore pictures of my little corner of the world up here—today anyway. 😀
This is Tyler State Park, just outside Tyler, Tex where I live. One of the smaller lakes around here. But pretty, with camping sites and nature trails.
throw as many as you want linda. there are no rules here. :happy:
thank you Linda,you made it possible too with your wonderful comments,this is precious 🙂
yes it's lush. very rich. :happy:
😮 thank you meli,it was a peaceful night,:) I wish I can tell the same about my Tuesday…I updated my Plurk on it :)Love ya always :heart:
i can see the future meli :heart:you're going to get me into 'plurk'. naaaw… i have enough to do as it is.
hahaha,Kitty the other day said to all:welcome a new member I_ArtMan,then Debra, Emi,Matt all welcomed you and Kitty accepted the friendhip request, Matt and myself try to keep your Karma alive… we update our life line there with events,music,art ,heart aches,and lots of love…. it takes time to be hooked to it but if you do it is another "black hole"
i'll give it a shot. just that it's as bewildering as facebook what we are doing there. opera seems so much more stable and useful even. these others are so time ephermeral. :heart:
Originally posted by L2D2:
if I love you ,which I do, I will urge you to read his book titled "The Zahir"trust me,borrow it from the library ,or buy it used on line… it is a flipping awesome read!
Originally posted by L2D2:
it is called "spell of love " :heart:did you ever read the "the witch of Portobello"it is by paulo coelho, one of my favorite authors… I am very much like "Athena" 😆 just kidding *hugs*
You are an easy mark, Scott. You gave in to her machinations with scarcely a whimper. Angeliki, are you a witch?
Angeliki, exactly how many social sites do you visit? :eyes: Have no idea how you work and do all this visiting, too.
Have seen this person's name mentioned before but not familiar with his writings. Angeliki, do NOT make me add more books to my already long list.
Originally posted by I_ArtMan:
hmmmmmmmm as a Nirvava Member I can tell you I am close to a year and I never felt alone or bored when there 🙂 I have very short friends list (as I do on Opera) but the girls are all good people ! (Matthew , and Andrew too … )
fresh ginger juice – you actually extract from the root?
you can freeze it, just wrap in saran and it lasts quite awhile… take it out and grate it into stirfry or steep for tea/lemonade… it's a great way to store it.
yes, just drop a piece in the juicer. it doesn't have much, but it's powerful.
I have bought ginger root before with good intentions, but ended up letting it dry up into a rock.
thanks for the tip. I bet you just finished dinner about now, Scott? 🙂 you eat late often? or was it just this dinner… we often do.
I always blend lemon juice with ginger, an ice cube tray is filled and stored in the freezerwhen i have ice tea a cube can make the taste divine! 🙂
great idea. i think i'll try that. :happy:
good evening meli :heart:
:happy: thanks! this is a cheerful one!
i was trying to show that i was happy to be hugged. :heart:
Originally posted by I_ArtMan:
sounds familiar… a year or so ago we did have a onversation on it :heart: I am looking forward to it :)I am glad you used the "dancing fool" he is very enjoyable 🙂
yep, "the dancing fool" i haven't used that one since i started this blog. :happy: to see you, meli :heart:working on next chapter. "the apple picker"
because you pay attention meli,and I am sure you feel all kind of moods in a room too! I can see it :heart:
it doesn't take much to raise my spirits. just a nod from someone can sometimes make my day. 😎
Originally posted by I_ArtMan:
I knew a hug will make you happy meli :heart:
meli :heart: one of my favorite phrases… 'pay attention'*makes a mental note to essay some words on the subject.attention is just like a muscle. if you use it, it will be stronger. and, this is going to sound a little like the thumper principle but,if you don't pay first yer not gonna get nothing. (double negative)by the way, in case you've forgotten, meli :heart:the thumper principle is:"if ya can't say nuffin nice, don say nuffin at all."cf. bambi:cool:
the whole world would be different if only everyone just followed thumper's instructions. :heart:
Originally posted by I_ArtMan:
yes, I got it! 😀