juice

This is a warming and filling vegetarian soup with a little "spice". The measurements are relative since I just threw things in as I thought of them.  Play around with the measurements to see what you like :) Ingredients olive oil 3-4 gloves garlic, minced 1 brown onion 2 leeks 1 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon coriander 1 teaspoon dried thyme a pinch of dried chilies vegetable broth 1, 8 ounce can diced tomatoes 1 cup quinoa 1, 8 ounce can lentils, rinsed and drained  - (I usually use dried, but couldn't find them at the moment) Saute garlic, onion, and leeks in olive oil on low heat for about 5 minutes.  Stir in spices for another minute or two.  Add vegetable broth (I just added water and threw in 4-5 teaspoons of broth powder) and turn up heat a bit.  Stir.  Stir in quinoa.  Add diced tomatoes and stir.  Bring to a boil.  Turn down heat and add lentils.  Simmer for another 15 or 20 minutes (until quinoa is done). ...

12/27/13 First, I want to apologize for the absence of posts in the last month.  Who would have thought December could be such a busy time!  ;) A few weeks ago, my two lessons of rock n' roll dancing paid off at a rock n' roll dance put on by the instructors.  A skirt was the suggested attire and that made it easy, having two of them in my wardrobe to pick from.  Sonia looked right out of American Bandstand in polka dots and folded lacy socks.  Anna (Sonia's cousin) rocked a homemade 50s dress that sat perfectly around her tiny waist. In the past couple months I've learned the Aussie terms for a bachelor and bachelorette party: a bucks' or hens' party, respectively.  A bit cuter, and a bit easier to say... We found a common place on the dance floor with the company of a 50-year-old and above crowd.  The main difference separating, namely Anna and I, from them, was their ability to rock and twirl as if on the set of Happy Days.  With just ...

11/28/13 Today's weather was a semi-drastic change from yesterday's sunshine and warmth; of course, not unexpected.  What was unexpected was a supposed case of food poisoning brought upon one of my housemates.  Most of us can relate to the loss of food and sleep that accompany stomach illnesses.  Is it only Americans who gravitate toward the herbaceous and subtly savory warmth of chicken (noodle) soup during these times of fatigue and discomfort?  It wasn't until late afternoon that I adhered my calling to make a chicken (noodle) soup.  The reason for the parentheses around the noodle are attributed to the way my mom started making it after I abandoned gluten.  Who would have thought that the noodles do little justice to the charming satisfaction of this simple liquid casserole... I had the base recipe filed in the "home" drawer of my mind, but with a package of rice noodles aging in the pantry, I traveled through the endless Google images for "chicken ...

We are literally surrounded by things our brains may never comprehend.  Our neighbor’s expertise may be as foreign to us as the syllables dancing from the beaks of rain forest birds thousands of miles away.   We've  heard them on the Discovery channel, but what are they saying?  I've  seen them rolling over miles of dirt, as I lift a finger to keep the dust out of my car.  The closest I have gotten to farm life were the animals at county fairs. My affection for country life is admittedly superficial, outweighed by city living.  However, I have not a true understanding of either as  I've  always straddled the stream between, jumping out on both banks… a puppy surrounded by new faces. Who  didn't  have a farm friend growing up in southeast Wisconsin?  The perfect places for bonfires and capture the flag.  I  didn't  have to travel 9,777 miles to take a sip of this physically demanding life-s...

Written Nov. 12 And so I find my mind all over the place.  Struggling to write down all the details and wishing I had one of those mini-tape recorders to place on all the tables I share with good company. Last night was one of these tables.  Our Monday night Bible study was another time of reflection, education, laughter, wine, and oh so sweet treats.  I had picked up a honeydew melon and some strawberries running errands with Sonia earlier in the day, thinking I would throw together a simple fruit salad to compliment all the other sweets that night.  I tend to pick cantaloupe (or rockmelon, as they call it here) mainly by smell and color.  Honeydew is a bit more confusing for me and my purchase proved I need some work on identifying the ripest individuals.  I give myself a little slack with only a few to choose from, all looking identical on the outside.  Fortunately, Sonia suggested we make dark chocolate-dipped strawberries for the group an...

A few things I have been meaning to mention... Another spectacular soup, with a little kick -->  http://souvlakiforthesoul.com/2008/06/lentil-soup-with-chickpeas-and-quinoa * I used brown/green lentils, but it would be fun to try the red ones next time! A few more Aussie things (and my understanding of them): "good on ya" - I believe this means something real similar to, "good for you," but I have heard it where I think "you're welcome" would go... "chook" - a chicken "ta" or "cheers"  - An informal "thanks" "biscuit" - A cookie, but not a real rich, desserty type "lollies" - candy "crook" - not well/ill "bloke" - fellow/dude Also, fruit salad is more of a after meal treat than a complimentary side salad. I suppose it's important to note that Warrnambool is only one city in all of Australia.  In that case, I should be careful not to gener...

I have the rest, or some of the rest, of the previous post waiting impatiently for your attention.  Sonia and I spent the day together yesterday and showing her my blog was a grand idea.  I think she got quite a kick out of the descriptions I've made so far of the juicy details of her Australian life.  I also appreciate her editing my mistakes... Thanks Sonia! *** Yesterday, the 11th of November, at the 11th hour, we recognized Remembrance Day by attending a brief, yet touching, ceremony at Flagstaff Hill.  We said a prayer, listened to beautiful singing and trumpet playing, and commemorated those who served in World War I.  Bright bouquets of flowers were placed at the foot of a proud angel statue, positioned above two plots of red poppy adorned white crosses.  The layout reminded me of the memorial day presentation in Echo Park in my hometown of Burlington.    

Written a few days ago... Last Sunday I enjoyed a tour and roast at Sonia's parents' house in a small country town just outside Warrnambool called Mailors Flat.  This is where Sonia grew up. Sonia's mom, Jenny, was one of the first people I met at Trinity Lutheran Church... Even before I met Sonia. (I'm sitting in a park next to Lake Pertobe, right now, with a magpie cooing in front of me.  I can't forget to tell you that it wasn't the magpies' cal I was so annoyed with.  It was the big, black crows'.  I actually find the magpie's voice to be a bit soothing...) Sonia "warned" me that her dad was a collector of sorts.  A type of pack-rat that her mom was working on.  Although I'm quite distracted by my own clutter, and have reduced my possessions substantially as the result of travel, I could relate with the urge to save objects tied to personal experiences.  She also noted that her parents were living in a type of mobile home,...

Not taking the time to blog has dire psychological consequences, so I have found.  The lost effort, or maybe more so time, to put thoughts on "paper" leads to a build-up of still life memories and short video clips floating around in the brain; captivating simplicities and beautiful situations that may be lost forever... Sounds a bit intense... The following may be a collection of these random mind tattoos... Just to warn you :) A couple days ago, I could have captured the $1,000 prize money for best photo of the year... Should I have had a camera and maybe not even the best photo taking skills.  It was a sunny, late afternoon and it had just started raining.  As we made our way to Images restaurant for dinner, just a few hundred meters behind Sean, Ryan, and I, began (or ended) the biggest, brightest, closest, and most powerful rainbow I have ever seen... and will probably ever see.  Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet: each color as clear as a paint b...

Here is a post I started a while ago which I found in Word.  I considered tossing it, but decided putting it up despite it being old.  Could you help me fill in the blanks?  I can't remember and have yet to look them up... I had a good weekend… My roommates and I watched, The Great Gatsby, Friday night.  I felt like I’d seen the movie previously as scenes I had once imagined through words on a page, wildly played themselves out in front of me.  As I watched the director’s presentation of colors, music, and conversation bounce around like a child in a blow-up castle, I began to think of the current youth attention span.  Entertaining as it was, I almost felt I needed to surface for air a few times.  But, in a way, I understood the unique feeling attempting to be portrayed, and remained present ‘til the end.  What makes a novel a classic and what are the new classics going to be? Church was shortened a bit Sunday morning as Ben (from Wann...

The last couple days have been interesting... We didn't have power the last couple days.  I started to talk about it, but it's too confusing and useless to explain.  The cool part was spending some quality time with the guys: a fire, pre-packaged popcorn, and a glass of wine.  We talked about our families, "impactful" past experiences, and our futures.  Silliness and seriousness... It is always a good discussion. I got a membership to the public library and have been there a few times to study.  I am so tempted by all the books staring at me as I try to concentrate on school work.  I did purchase a book for a buck off the "book sale"  cart called Between a Rock and a Hard Place .  I believe it's the story that was made into the movie 127 Hours with James Franco.  Quite an inspiring true story.  I'm telling myself to hold off just a couple more weeks until I am done with finals... Sean and I planted the garden last Saturday an...

MUCH has happened since I wrote last.  I apologize... I haven't been able to add new posts for some reason... Ryan, Sean, and have moved into our house (7 Koroit St, Warrnambool, VIC, 3280, Australia) officially yesterday.  We spent the whole day cleaning the house Thursday and are settling in quite nicely.  I can't begin to describe the character and potential of the propery.  Gardens with brick pathways, a wall fountain, a one man "house" called 'The Stabbin Cabin' out back, a huge garage with "junk" that we have found quite useful, a shed, garden beds... Stone floors and a fireplace in the kitchen/dining room area offer a cozy cabin feel.  Today (Saturday) we walked into town for some supplies, checking out the local op shops and hardware stores.  We've managed to collect a few wooden pallets from businesses that we plan to use for fire wood and construction projects.  In fact, the guys put together a box for all the firewood they got today....

http://www.pbase.com/tassiebirds/image/100479885 I was blessed with the feeding displays of two bird species after my run this morning.. Very exciting to a 8-) The first one was one of these guys: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_birds_of_Tasmania http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-mar2009.php It was poking its beak into the bark of a tree limb, pulling out and consuming something white.  An up close view of this bird allowed me to see two small, red waddle-looking things under its chin.  I also hadn't quite noticed the yellow underbelly of this bird until now... looking up at it. The second one was another one of these guys (below) http://www.gaiaguide.info/Group.html?groupId=uUyRKkWb It was picking at the same bush I saw parrots much at previously in my "backyard" area.  I can't get over the exquisite coloration... Pure eye candy... 8-) http://www.cairnsunlimited.com/birdwatching.htm ...