WEED

What is a weed?

It's supposed to be a nuisance plant. But I have some really beautiful weeds growing in my garden. Like Foxglove:
WEED FOR WEDNESDAY Some people may want to pull those babies out - but not me. I say, "Who is the genius that determines what's pretty and what's a pain?"

At least in my garden, that genius is going to be me. Now, I know foxglove can be dangerous. Some people consider it a poison but other people consider it a lifesaving medicine.

Of course you shouldn't plant foxglove, or Fairy Fingers wherever kids or pets might eat them because they will get sick. But, for me, I plant them in places where my pets can't get to them because I think they're pretty. Plus, I've never seen my dogs or cat even try to eat them. Maybe they're smarter than I give them credit.

Another "weed" I have in my yard is Amaranthus retroflexus.
Some people call it "pigweed" but it was cultivated by the Aztecs for culinary purposes and by Native Americans for it's grain. I think it's pretty.

So, is a weed just a plant that grows too easily? Why do we fight in our gardens to keep these plants out? I garden with the "cottage garden" mentality: If I like it, it stays. I don't care what people call the plants.

What do you think? Do you have any "wanted" weeds in your yard?

Julie and Julia - Crepes Suzette Flambees FAIL!

I love to cook. MacKenzie loves everything French. The two go together perfectly with this book: Mastering The Art of French Cooking - well . . . almost. More like Gran Marnier Crepes - but I'm not complaining. It was a fun TRY.



So, we've decided to do a dinner party Sunday night: MacKenzie, Kara and I will work together to make the meal, like Billy Crystal used to say, "Simply Mahhrvelous".

But . . . I know how anytime I plan something Murphy's Law takes over: Whenever something can go wrong - it will.

So, I decided to do a pre-party test. My husband and I tried-out one of the recipes by making Crepes Suzette, with an Orange Butter, Flambees. (Pages 649-652)






We had a few glitches in our performance but the meal came out tasting, "Complicatedly Marvelous!" A little heavy on the Grand Marnier but oh well.

We ran a little short of batter - we have a lot of people in our family - but the worst part was that the Crepes Fourrees et Flambees are supposed to be dramatic and flame with a short but distinct fire. The fire lit for a second - but you can't even see it in the video.

The recipe says: "Pour over them the orange liqueur and cognac. Avert your face and ignite the liqueur with a lighted match."

I did everything just as directed - one small problem - no flame, or at least not enough of a flame to actually see it in film.

Next time, I'll make sure I have a NEW lighter. We couldn't get the lighter to light enough to put a flame to the liqueur. FLAMBEES FAIL! :(

Oh well, there's still Sunday night's dinner to look forward too.

I love cooking on cast iron but it's heavy and gets so hot - Lars had to hold the pan to roll the batter around.





And, for those of you planning on grilling steak this summer, here's an Oregonian FoodDay recipe that I hear is Fab: so if you try it, let me know if you like it.

THE ORPHAN - Movie Review Monday - NO spoilers

Friday was a nice hot day to go to the movies, with MacKenzie.

The Orphan was super-suspenseful. I love that feeling of sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for something to happen. And, in this show, something happened – more than once. It has a bit of a twist in the end. It was EZ to see Esther was crazy but there was one part I hadn't figured out, and I watch/read/write a lot of horror-so that was interesting. It made me want to come home and google a bit of research to see if it was "real".

Anyway, like I said, I don't want to give any spoilers away but. . .

In the end, I knew who would “get it” but that didn’t bother me. I kind of expected more catastrophes that didn’t materialize but there was one spot where I literally jumped in my seat – and so did MacKenzie.

After the show, we met up with Kara and Shay and went shopping. It was a fun girls’ day out. And, if you like horror/suspense/thrillers, without a LOT of gore, I would recommend The Orphan.

If you see it, come back and let me know what you thought. What's the last movie you saw?

ANOTHER GREAT DAY ON THE WATER

Have you ever gone innertubing behind a boat that's dragging you over the top of the water, like a stone skipping across the surface? Then maybe you'll understand how hard it is to do it--standing up.

Lars and Luke were playing King of the Mountain on the water. They were even able to do it -- standing up with the boat going about 35.

But what's even more impressive? We caught it on film :) And, it wasn't blurry. YIPEE!!!

Another great day in the Pacific Northwest!

SATURDAY SUSTAINABILITY - Go Outside and Play

Erin Simons, the green team leader at adidas in Portland, invited me to come talk about Sustainability and why I blog about it.

I gave a few tips/hints/and EZ examples that anyone could do. I also showed a few examples that savvy sustainability enthusiasts might be interested in undertaking: like Roof Garden construction.

We all want to be super-sustainers but I try to be realistic too. Like when I’m recommending that parents use cloth diapers, I know it’s not the easiest option so I try to include some alternative green theme ideas. For example, parents can take a cloth diaper and fold it over three ways lengthwise so that it will fit in the center of a disposable diaper. By using cloth inside the plastic panty, you will double the effectiveness – at least you can use this option at night – it will cut your nighttime diaper usage in half and be even more convenient. No need to get up in the middle of the night to change the baby.

My theme is: “If we all do a little, it will do a lot.”

The green team at adidas has already been working on the global green-theme. They discourage the use of plastic utensils or dishware in their company cafes. They encourage sustainability with their staff. And they promote one of the all-time greenest pastimes: SPORTS. There’s almost nothing as green as getting outside and enjoying a good hike, run, or swim. We can have fun without creating waste. And, by “playing” a sport, you’ll be burning calories without creating heaps of waste in the world.

So, get out and enjoy your summer the sustainable way and remember IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING!

Earth-Friendly Friday

TWO-USE COFFEE


You can use a teabag more than one time, well you can do the same thing with coffee grounds-but, if you're like me, you'll have to add some fresh grounds on top - I like my coffee strong-especially in the wee-hours of the morning.

Tip for Being Earth-Friendly: Instead of making one pot of coffee and then throwing out the grounds, just add a second (fresh) scoop of coffee grounds on top of the used grounds and make another pot. That way you'll save coffee filters, coffee, and money.

Then, to be even friendlier to the earth, take the used grounds and put them-right with the filter-out in the compost pile to go into the garden. You'll be replenishing the soil and adding mulch at the same time.

Answer to Thought for Thursday

Answer: The Doorknob