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"We have ordained that these, amid all nights and days, shall be the manifestations of the letter Há, and thus they have not been bounded by the limits of the year and its months."
"It behoveth the people of Bahá, throughout these days, to provide good cheer for themselves, their kindred and, beyond them, the poor and needy, and with joy and exultation to hail and glorify their Lord, to sing His praise and magnify His Name..."
Bahá'u'lláh
I treated myself to a few things recently--some art and some music. Yay!
I have been anticipating Jack Johnson's new album release for quite some time, and it did NOT disappoint! I love it. I can't stop listening to it. At work, I pick it from our playlist and play it over and over--much to the chagrin of my coworkers and our customers. (I'm grateful they just laugh at me.) Must listen. Now. Go.
And while you are listening, think about how cool it is it that Jack Johnson recorded the album using solar power alone. Excellently cool. He has also started his own record label, Brushfire Records, and runs it (along with his world tour) with an impressive level of environmental consciousness. I would expect nothing less, but I am inspired by that kind of commitment.
Also, I have rediscovered my love for K.D. Lang's music. When Ingénue was released in 1992, I was incredibly moved by her talent and got three of her older albums all at once. On cassette tape, mind you. Oh yes. But wow, she has such an incredible voice. And the new CD is beautiful.
Then, just as I thought it didn't get any better, I found a FABULOUS source for some FABULOUS papers online! And among those fabulous papers were ones designed by Amy Butler--one of my favorite designers. Did I already say, FABULOUS!!?? It's worth saying again. Yes. Indeed.
I am a happy camper. Time to get crafting with these gorgeous papers (and brads!!) while listening to some great music!
The recipe for this treat has been requested. I am delivering. Woot!
A while ago, I mentioned getting a recipe book that I simply LOVE LOVE LOVE! It is called Sweet and Natural and it was written by Meredith McCarty. It is filled with sugar and dairy-free recipes. YUM!! A lot of the recipes are vegan. And they are SO SO GOOD! Check out her website--it's pretty cool.
The recipe for the Mango-Key Lime Pie comes from that book, and I have noted a few little tweaks based on my one-time experience making this dessert. If you try it, lemme know how it goes!
Mango-Key Lime Pie with Coconut Crust*
(*the recipe in the book includes candied macadamia nuts as garnish - i left them off because steve is deathly afraid of macadamia nuts. i'm not kidding.)
Coconut Crust
1 to 1 ¼ cup graham cracker crumbs, made from 4 to 5 ounces of (honey-sweetened) crackers
½ cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
2 TB canola oil (or walnut oil)
1/3 cup brown rice syrup, FruitSource syrup or pure maple syrup (i used half brown rice syrup and half maple syrup)
To prepare the crust:
1. Grind graham crackers with coconut in a food processor. Pulse in the oil and then the sweetener. The consistency should be such that the ingredients hold together when squeezed between your fingers. Add a little more sweetener (for stickiness) if necessary.
2. Transfer the mixture to a lightly oiled 10-inch pie pan and press it to cover the bottom and sides. Bake until golden, 10-12 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool. If the crust buckles (or rises) gently press it back down after it cools.
(i had trouble with this. i like a thicker crust, and this quantity BARELY covered the pie dish as a very thin crust. so, i added more of the ingredients, proportionally, and when i put it in the oven, it became kind of like a soufflé! weird. it ended up tasting ok, and the consistency was a little chewy on the bottom. it just didn’t turn out as well as i was hoping.)
Filling
1 ½ cups soy milk (i used almond milk)
2 TB agar flakes
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 ripe medium mango, peeled and pitted
2 TB arrowroot powder
Water
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juices, 5-7 key limes (i used 8) or 2-3 regular limes
½ cup FruitSource syrup or brown rice malt syrup or part pure maple syrup
To prepare the filling:
1. Blend the mango until smooth. Makes about 1 cup. Set aside.
2. Place the soy milk, agar and salt in a 1-qt saucepan. Stir to submerge the agar. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Do not cover the pot. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching and watch for foaming upon boiling. Turn the heat low and simmer until the agar dissolves, about 5 minutes. (because i used powder instead of flakes, it dissolved very quickly, maybe after 1 minute.) Turn off the heat, and remove pot from stove.
3. In a cup or bowl, dissolve the arrowroot powder in water (just enough to cover the powder) and add it to the pot. Whisk until somewhat thickened and smooth. Whisk in the lime juice, sweetener, and mango purée.
4. Transfer filling to the cooled pie shell. Refrigerate until set, about 45-60 minutes. It will gel at room temperature in about 1 ½ hours.
(i had trouble with this too. i used powdered agar, and i learned that i needed to reduce the quantity. the filling was way too gelatin-y and thick. i would have liked it to be more fluffy or custard-y. oops.)
When serving, you can add a topping to either individual slices or the whole pie. Slice thinly a mango and a kiwi and arrange slices slightly overlapping in spoke-fashion around the pie. I did not garnish mine. I got hungry the day before and ate the fruit. He he.
Voila! Dessert!
According to the recipe, each of the 8 servings of pie has 370 calories, 5g protein, 13g total fat, 4g saturated fat (from the coconut), 5g fiber, 65g carbs, 0 cholesterol (and that's awesome!).
...add a bounce to your step, and infuse your heart with love today.
And if these links don't deliver, you need to get yourself checked out. Yo.
Happy Bureaucratic Valentine's Day!
Why not send your honey a Valentine e-video instead of a card? (**Warning - not all content on the link is PG.)
Just in case you need some help with the ladies, here's some advice from a pro.
And finally, simply for good measure, *vintage* sunglasses from the 70s, 80s and 90s. Oh my.
Spread the love, y'all. Spread the love.
Every summer, my local library had a contest to see who could read the greatest number of books while school was out. A list of summer reading books was posted downstairs in the children's library, and a reader's progress through that list was tracked by adding a rectangle with the title of a book read to the length of a bookworm next to the reader's name on a poster. It was a cool visual. I'm all about bar graphs and pictographs. I am pretty sure they grouped contestants by age or reading level. I don't remember what the prize was, but I remember winning one summer and being at the library almost EVERY day. On days when I wasn't at the library, I was either out biking or working through math and science workbooks that were meant for students one or two grades higher than mine.
I was (am?) a nerd. I am aware of this. Thank you.
I loved our library. Well into high school, I elected to do my homework there rather than at home because I just loved the way it felt to be there. I loved the smell of all the books, the study tables and the large floor-to-ceiling windows on the upper level that offered an amazing view of the sunset. Most of all, though, I loved the children's books and the children's library downstairs.
I loved that special crinkle of the plastic jackets the library used to protect its hardcover books. Every time you opened a book, there was that familiar crinkly sound. I pored over the racks and racks of "young adult" paperback series -- Sweet Valley High, Choose Your Own Adventure, the Shannara books by Terry Brooks, and Twilight books. And I practically lived among the rows of fiction books.
Recently, I have been re-exploring my love of books. But not just ANY books - specifically, illustrated books. And more specifically, illustrated children's books. I LOVE picture storybooks. Totally love them. The illustrations inspire and uplift me. Always.
Many people don't realize how artful illustrations are. I have often heard adults refer to illustrated books as childish and amateur, belittling the illustrator like, "Oh, (pick an artist) couldn't hack it as a *real* artist, so I guess he's just illustrating books now." JUST illustrating books??!??? Crazy! Let me tell you from experience, there is nothing about illustration that is any less artful, complex or difficult than completing a painting, major photographic work, or graphic design layout.
Whatever.
Anyway, here is a list of the best--at least according to the American Library Association, which administers the Caldecott Medals each year. I picked up a list of Caldecott Medal winners at my local bookstore just to see how many of them I have read. I like to keep up with quality books so that I can make informed recommendations to my friends with children and keep a running list of books I would like to have in our own library one day.
Without further ado, the Caldecott Medal winners for the past thirty years, or so:
I will say that some of these books, due to having been published long ago, are no longer in print. That is where your local-fabulous-used bookstore and your library come in handy!
I will also say that I have always been impressed with the diversity of books and illustrators awarded the Caldecott Medal or Caldecott Honor. Very impressive.
There are so many more books, but this list will have to suffice for now. Read on!