Chinese Lanterns...

Here's a few photo's of one of my favorite flowers of the season...

Chinese Lanterns ~ Physalis alkekengi

Flowering in late summer then developing these fruits in October, turning from green to brilliant orange... they truly are stunning to look at.

Physalis is actually a herb, related to potatoes, and tomatoes..., its also known as "Winter Cherry," its fruit is harvested for its high vitamin C content, but can be toxic if not fully ripe, its  known for its inflamation-reducing and , cough suppressing qualities and has been used to treat many other varied symptoms... (such as bedwetting!!!)  I love learning about the herbal lore of plants grown right under our noses, don't you? 

However, I'm not in any hurry to chomp these fruit, but they are so very photogenic..., don't you think?

Look what happens to the outer papery skin as it ripens...

All that is left is skeleton like outer shell, cage like holding the little orange like fruit in the center.

Do you have a favorite Fall flower?

Maple Syrup and Toasted Walnut Scones...

Here's my prescription for spending a perfect day indoors when the chill Autumn winds are blowing and the rain is beating down on the windows...

A roaring log fire...

A cup of tea along with a favorite book or magazine...

And a plate of Gluten/Dairy Free Maple Syrup & Toasted Walnut Scones 

fresh from the oven... mmmmmmmmmm

Here's my recipe for the scones...

(by the way if you don't have to eat GF and DF simply substitute the GF flour

for Wheat flour, marg. for butter, and cream for the Almond milk.)

Maple Syrup & Toasted Walnut Scones

Ingredients:  

1/4 cup of good quality Maple Syrup

6 Tablespoons of Almond Milk (or other milk.)

2 1/4 cups of All purpose GF Flour (I like Pamela's or King Arthur brand.)

1/2 cup of GF Rolled Oats

1 1/2 Tablespoons of Baking Powder

Pinch of Sea Salt

1 1/2 cubes of chilled DF Margarine (I like Earthbalance.) 

1 egg beaten

1/2 cup of chopped Walnuts

4 tablespoons of Turbinado or brown sugar

Method:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

3.  Mix flour, oats, baking powder and sea salt in a large bowl.

4.  Slice the marg. into small cubes and blend with the flour, using your fingertips to 

     make a crumb like consistency (or blend these ingredients in a food processor till they resemble

     breadcrumbs.)

5.  Mix the Maple Syrup and Almond Milk and add to the flour mix.

6.  Blend well with a fork, then use hands to pull the dough together.

7.  Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and roll out till its about and inch thick.

8.  Cut out the scones using a cookie cutter or a small drinking glass.

9.  Arrange on the lined cookie sheet, leaving 1/2 inch between each scone.

10.  Brush the tops with the beaten egg.

11.  Mix the chopped nuts and sugar in a small bowl and sprinkle the surface of each

       scone with a generous teaspoon of the mixture - press it down into the scone a little bit.

12.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, till golden brown and walnuts are toasty looking...

MMMMMMMMMMMMM........ Enjoy!

Stirring The Soul...

This hand sized, heart shaped leaf caught my eye in the park the other day...

Dear Friends, it has been a while since I last blogged, since putting back the clocks, my usual time for photographing (around 4-5pm) has had to change, as its almost dark by the time I get home from work... and as I prefer to shoot my photo's in natural light,,, I'm feeling a little frustrated... 

Seeing as my photo's help me focus on a subject to blog about, I am trying to figure out how (and more importantly) when I'm going to be able to get my photo's taken...

I'm having to relearn the meaning of patience, and show myself a little kindness as I try to navigate my "wish list" of things that I truly LOVE to do, as opposed to my daily task list of jobs I NEED to get done...

So this evening, I am curled up by a roaring, fire, crackling and hissing in the fireplace, T.V is turned off, and after browsing my bookshelf I have re-found a favorite poem that I would like to share with you,  written by the Pulitzer prize winning author ~ Mary Oliver... this poem truly stirs my soul...  

West Wind # 2 ~ 

by Mary Oliver

You are young.  So you know everything.  You leap

into the boat and begin rowing.  But listen to me.

Without fanfare, without embarrassment, without

any doubt, I talk directly to your soul.  Listen to me.

Lift the oars from the water, let your arms rest, and 

your heart, and heart's little intelligence, and listen to 

me.  There is a life without love.  It is not worth a bent

penny, or a scuffed shoe.  It is not worth the body of a

dead dog nine days unburied.  When you hear, a mile 

away and still out of sight, the churn of the water

as it begins to swirl and roil, fretting around the

sharp rocks---when your hear that unmistakable

pounding--- when you feel the mist on your mouth 

and sense ahead the embattlement, the long falls

plunging and steaming---then row, row for your life

toward it.

Pink In Autumn...

If you think Autumn is all about copper and golds, crimson and every possible shade of orange?  Think again and think Pink!!!

To celebrate Beverley's Pink Saturday http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/ , I searched out some pink, in nature and around my house...

Dusky pink hydrangea flowers with purple Callicarpa berries...

Stunning late flowering dahlias...

More dahlia's...

Pink pearls and sparkling gems...

Happy Pink Saturday Everyone!

Love,

Neinah

More Fall Comfort Food...

Taking the dogs for a walk, I noticed this little maple tree in the park...

All these colors  from just one branch of one maple tree...

o ~ o ~ o

Going for walks in the park stimulates my appetite - especially for soup...

Here's a recipe inspired by a recipe for "Moroccan Carrot Soup" from the latest edition of Mary Jane's Farm magazine...

Ingredients 

3 cups of peeled chopped carrots

2 cups of peeled chopped parsnips

2 medium size chopped peeled onions

4-5 peeled chopped garlic cloves

1 cup of chopped parsley

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tspn. Ground Cumin

1/2 tspn Ground allspice

6 cups of Vegetable stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion and garlic in 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

After 5 mins. add carrots and parsnips.

Add broth, bring to boil and cook for 20 minutes or so, till the veggies are soft.

Stir in parsley, lemon juice, cumin, and allspice.

Puree with a hand held blender (I don't have one so I used my Vitamix.)

Add salt and pepper to taste...

Quick, easy and sooooooo tasty...

Enjoy!

Pink Baby Feet (Of A Different Kind!)

Happy Pink Saturday one and all... Here's my pink contribution for the week... (well at least the feet are pink!)

My Mother-in-law sent me these photos with the caption...

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A BABY PORCUPINE???

How cute is this little guy???

Isn't he/she ADORABLE???  I am reminded of the Beatrix Potter character "Mrs. Tiggywinkle" - who was actually a hedgehog.... but still looks very similar at the baby stage at least...

Don't forget to check out all the Beverley's Pink Saturday bloggers at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

A Way To Remember...

This past Monday was the Mexican holiday "Dia de los Muertos," a day for the living to celebrate their  family members and friends who have died.

I've been fascinated by this alternative cultural attitude to those that have passed since my first visit to New Mexico where I visited a cemetery on the outskirts of Taos some 8 years ago with my good friend Gioia.

It was the day after the celebration but  all the graves still had their decorations,  strings of marigolds, fruit, candles, bread, bright colored plastic flowers... and other offerings...

  Instead of feeling the usual sense of forebode when I saw the graves, I felt a deep sense of exhilaration and joy..., at what seemed to be such a wonderful idea - Once a year, paying respect and celebrating the lives of relatives and friends who were once with us.  I was struck by what a healthy attitude this was to  deceased, loved ones,  and how uncomfortable and unsatisfying my own limited, stiff and morose beliefs were...

I remembered how I felt after my parents both died, I felt a great yearning to honor them, wether it was denial or not, I don't know, but I had a very hard time letting them go...   At one point I'd wanted to create a shrine in my flower garden to them both... with photos, candles??? I wasn't sure, I worried what people might think, I worried that whatever it was I was trying to conjure up wouldn't be right, and might in someway be offensive to some, they might think I was crazy!  - Yes, it was a confusing time and I never built the shrine...   I wish I could have whispered in my ear 11 years ago... "Its ok, do what you feel is right,,, it will be perfect, its a good thing to do, you will have a place to go be with them, whenever you need to talk/pray.."

Fast forward 11 years, and here I am making my first shrine/alter to celebrate 2 people I loved so very much.  I started to worry that I was doing it wrong, then I realized that my internal  critic/negative non-creator nellie was about to have her way with me again and so I and laughed at myself (and her,) and grabbed a scarf, lit a candle, found a couple of photo's and some other personal items that are imbibed with spiritual meaning to me... and there...was my sacred place to honor and celebrate my parents.  As soon as I lit the candle the room felt different and a quietness descended upon me... I think they loved their shrine..,and I felt their love and their presence...

I'm already planning how I want to celebrate next year...

Better late than never....

HAPPY DIA DEL LOS MUERTOS!!!