old fashioned chocolate cake...avec pansies!

Over the Christmas holidays I made my mom a chocolate cake. Just found the pics so I thought I would share! I used Nigella Lawson's recipe for old fashioned chocolate cake. I will say that for the icing, I substituted sour cream and extra melted chocolate for most of the powdered sugar--you just need a bit to help it all stick together but powdered sugar can turn a smooth, subtle chocolate icing into sickeningly sweet, granulated gloop.

Pansies are really the only flower we have growing at Christmas time in north Florida, and they make for a dramatic presentation.

kashk-e bademjan

This evening I made one of my favorite Persian dishes, Kashk-e Bademjan...okay, well I made my version of Kashk-e Bademjan! I haven't visited the (to my knowledge) only Arabic food store here in Greenville as it's pretty far away, so when making my favorite Arabic dishes, I've learned to compromise. 'Kashk' means Persian and 'Bademjan' is eggplant, the main ingredient in this dish. The signature feature of the dish is the whey mixed with the eggplant and caramelized onions at the end of cooking; I don't have access to whey so I use full fat Greek yoghurt with a pleasing, if not authentic, result. I also include toasted black sesame seeds; they add a nice texture to this mushy dish and I can't imagine Arabic food without thinking of the subtle smokiness of these when toasted. Here is a link to the recipe for Kashk-e Bademjan from a blog I am following, all about Persian food; gorgeous pics and full recipes.

I paired my dish with ready made Toufuyan flat bread (the best option if fresh made pita isn't available), cilantro and a spiced basmati rice pilaf (cinnamon, falafel seasonings, a few rose petals, pine nuts and black sesame seeds). Below are pictures of my creation.


In other news, we have a new addition to our happy household! This feral kitten came to our door to eat the cat food I had put out for the mysterious fur ball coming to get in our trash. I have also spotted it's mother and a huge possum! Glad the kitty made it's way here and found a home. Over the next few weeks I'll be working on coming up with the money and time to take care of new baby kitty maintenance.


And I caught one of our other fluff balls sneaking into the clean laundry!

birdwatching

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care." Matthew 10.29

At home in Jacksonville with my parents for the weekend. Homecomings are always such a joy. I was awakened early this morning by my parents giggling as they tried to decide what to sing to me to wake me up, before they left for work. They are so silly! Since my brother and I have been out of the house, I see my parents enjoying the activities of daily life with renewed energy. They cook together (or rather my dad cooks and my mom watches while sipping a toddy), watch PBS cooking and home decorating shows together, read to each other and enjoy their space, which for the first time in their married lives is almost pristine; exactly the way they've always wanted it. Their primary activity, however is using their matching high powered binoculars to bird watch from the breakfast table, or the deckchairs in sunnier weather. It's always exciting to sit round the breakfast table attempting to agree on an identification for the latest avian breakfast guest.

This morning as I sat at the breakfast table with my mom's binoculars I heard a host of birds and saw quite a few too; 2 Redheaded Woodpeckers (at the feeder, go figure!), 3 American Goldfinches, 2 Cardinals (bright male and dusty female), 2 Carolina Wrens nesting in the sago palm, 2 big fat Blue Jays (in the crow family and very smart birds), a small flock of starlings, 1 Tufted Titmouse, 3 ambling Doves (I think they must be sort of dopey birds), 2 red Housefinches (male and female), 2 Carolina or Black Capped Chickadees and 4 very plump squirrels, one with a limp (T_T). You can just imagine the clatter as everyone chirped to their mate and scoffed at the competition on the feeder. You too can enjoy this kind of company every morning!

There are two key elements your backyard must have if you want to attract songbirds. Food, preferably suited to your area's native birds is key. Look for feeders that have some measure of squirrel proofing: spring loaded perches, small feeder holes, large discs on top and bottom, or caged feeders. Securing the feeder to a shepherd's crook isn't entirely squirrel proof, but is better than hanging the feeder on a branch. Do however, put the feeder relatively close to the overhang of branches as this gives safe cover while the birdies munch. This brings us to the next birding essential.

Birds are, for the most part, defenseless creatures which makes shelter your next must have. Don't overestimate the abilities of feisty mocking birds, crows, blue jays and even doves who will sometimes rumble with other birds, hawks or cats; birds and song birds especially as they're the smallest, are easy prey for hawks and cats. I won't harp on about it here, but read about the very preventable decline in songbird population by way of pesticides, reduced habitat but primarily, CATS!

So apart from keeping your pwecious wittle kitty inside, you can start to build a backyard songbird paradise by planting. Don't worry if you don't have ancient oaks, leafy maples or towering pines, as my parents do. If you have little or no shelter, plant fast growing shrubs, preferably native to your state, or easy to grow native trees. Look for shrubs and trees with edible seeds and berries--again native species, or your native birds won't touch all those beautiful berries! If you're in the southeast, I recommend crape myrtles. The link will take you to lagerstroemia indica, the kind of crape myrtle that is so popular here in Florida. We've seen an average growth rate of 6-8 inches in height and spread over the last few years and as the crape myrtle is a late bloomer, flowering from late summer through early fall the abundant seed pods in Autumn are perfect for seed eating finches and sparrows. The crape myrtle is the perfect start-up tree for budding bird watchers in the southeast.

So do some research on native plant species and songbirds in your area; Audubon's birding basics should help. Look at migratory paths so you know which birds to expect in each season, and during these chilly times, feed, feed, FEED! Food is scarce when snow and ice cover the ground so the easiest thing to do is buy a bag of seed and stick up a feeder. Build one with your kids if you're homebound on a snowday! This spoon feeder is super cute, cheap and will last forever, but if you want something a bit more involved go for the bird biscuit or the classic pine cone bird feeder. The best birding times are just after dawn and just before dusk, but you can usually spot something all day if your yard is well stocked with birdie treats. Consider taking part in The Great Backyard Bird Count, a great conservation lesson for kids. Enjoy!

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care." Matthew 10.29

UK vicariously cont'd

Got a call from darling boyfriend early this morning, said he was walking around London near the Cavendish Hotel, trying to stay in the sunshine as it peeked from the clouds. We found The Cavendish in A Fodor's Guide titled See It Britain. Not very useful in the way of London hotel suggestions as most were over £200 a night, but the hotels were spread all over London which makes for good research if you're not familiar with London's districts or neighborhoods.
The Cavendish is near Piccadilly Circus tube station which is a walkable distance from the Soho district, Leicester Square, Oxford Circus and Covent Garden areas. Check out this video from my favorite travel host Rick Steves, out on a restaurant crawl in Soho. This is a useful mapped guide to restaurants, shopping, bars and events, however, don't count on every listing being up to date!

If I were taking a trip to London (so depressing to say "if" and not "when"!) I would start from my hotel or nearest tube station, use a big-print map to plot my course and list places to eat and things to see along the way. Even if some of the things you've mapped are now defunct, you're sure to find something interesting near by. During my own travels in Asia, I found that asking a local to point you in the direction of something interesting is a great tip for keeping your adventure momentum going. Ask a local every few blocks as you walk until someone suggests something interesting enough, near enough or cheap enough for you to do.

UK vicariously

Just got back from dropping darling off at the airport for a business trip to the UK. I miss him so incredibly much when he's gone, but a break can sometimes bring freshness and a clearer perspective at the end of it. And he's off being amazing and adventurous which makes me so proud.

I am not ashamed to admit that I'm ravaged with jealousy of his jet-setting adventures while I get to stay home with kitties and do homework. So, in the spirit of living vicariously, I'll share some of darling's favorite spots (many researched and recommended by moi) from his trips to England.

The Shaftesbury Hyde Park International This was the first hotel darling stayed in on his first trip. We chose it because of its generally positive Google reviews, affordable price and close proximity to Hyde Park. An easy walk into Hyde Park a few blocks away and just a single block from the Bayswater Tube station made for easy coming and going to other areas of London. Hyde Park is located just north east of London proper, a sprawling but well manicured garden plopped in the middle of the London metropolis. Here are some gorgeous pics taken by my gorgeous.

The Tate Modern probably tops darling's list of favorite places, earning a visit each time he's been in the UK. Located on London's South Bank, called the Left Bank of London, near the Millennium Bridge, the Tate modern is for those with an eye for the abstract or at least the unusual and time for contemplative wandering. Darling had lunch on the Tate terrace and looked out over the Millennium Bridge toward St. Paul's Cathedral.

great job on the snow kitty, darling!

A few weeks ago we had massive amounts of snow (for these parts) fall on Greenville. Being, as I am, from Florida, this was glorious...for the first few days. Then the housebound restlessness, aching joins from damp cold, drip drip dripping during the afternoon from ice melting onto the tin roof became almost unbearable. I was so glad to see all the glorious whiteness finally go, although I did feel a bit cynical for wishing it away. And sad, too that it has to go slowly, contaminated and gray. When it's lying on the ground in great piles it's so hard to believe that it's water!

During the first day the world outside our window was quiet and twinkled with pristine beauty. The birds seemed to come out of the woodwork (or, literally the woods) and I saw hosts of tiny Tufted Titmice (Titmouses?), radio active Northern Cardinals and their rusty brown female partners, a single pair of Carolina Wrens, and jumpy little red house finches. We took a drive two days after the big snow and this is what we found.

the beginning of a courtship

It's been just over a year to the day that I made my last blog post. After spending the last day revamping my design and focus for the blog, I'm ready to blog it up. A lot can change in a year; I've quit my job as a refugee advocate, re-routed my career opting for nursing school instead of graduate studies in sociology, moved to Greenville, SC, acquired two kitties and last but not least of all, a dream-boat boyfriend. Time does indeed fly, whether you're having fun or not.

I've now been in Greenville for 6 months exactly and have made a not entirely successful adjustment. I got a part time job at the local Whole Foods Market but couldn't handle pushing carts and bagging groceries with a degree in my pocket, so quit that. My main chance for meeting people is now during my classes, but as most students are quite younger than me, and native South Carolinians, I've found that difficult. There are numerous volunteer opportunities, but I'm finding it hard to create structure in my life at the moment and don't want to jump into anything that in the end I can't keep my commitment to. My best bet is finding things to do that I believe others should know about. My personality tends to be motivated by need or filling an information gap. We'll see what I come up with.

Most days so far, involve birdwatching, kitty scratching, homework, reading news on the web (guardian.co.uk, nytimes.com, telegraph.co.uk, drudgereport.com, greenvilleonline.com, economist.com, npr.org), listening to classical music on npr (the only thing on our local npr station), cleaning the house (a rarely finished task), more kitty scratching, and making dinner for darling boyfriend. Tasks to include in daily routine in the future include but are not limited to : blogging (success!), daily jogging regimen, part time job, A's in college courses, crafting, volunteering, and most importantly finding things to do in and around Greenville that are stimulating and that I can then blog about and share with others.

Stay tuned!