#MeatlessMonday - Orzo Salad with Feta and Cherry Tomatoes #vegetarian

Photo courtesy of joannova via Flickr

Orzo Salad with Feta and Cherry Tomatoes  

Ingredients:

8 ounces orzo pasta
1 pint red cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 pint yellow cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/4 cup olive oil
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1 large cucumber, peeled and chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Black pepper to taste


Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the orzo and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until al dente. Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water.

Toss the pasta with the olive oil in a large bowl. 

Add sliced tomatoes, feta cheese, cucumber, green onions, parsley, lemon juice, and black pepper. 

Chill through and serve.

Thoughtful Thursday - Rite of Spring

Ah, spring! The time when all the trees in our neighborhood pop like popcorn. The time when the chill in the air becomes tinged with the most melancholy of breezes. The time my favorite oak struggles to make a comeback from icy vestiges of winter--and the Magnolia tree we planted in memory of our dog Oberon, blooms.

I always do something special to mark the seasons. The "something special" changes from year-to-year, but marking the season in a reverent way is important to me. This Spring Equinox weekend, I decided to have a go at making myself a resin ring. I've never made resin jewelry before (I'm not crafty) but saw this via Faerie Magazine. Cool, isn't it? I thought it was a ring when I first saw the picture, but turns out it was a bracelet--and one I couldn't afford. The design stuck with me, but the price...maybe I could make it? I did some research, bought a silicone ring mold, resin and release spray, and...they sat on my counter top for the next few weeks. Enter Spring Equinox weekend. Perfect timing! I gathered some greenery from the base of my oak tree, mixed it with the resin, poured the mess into a silicone ring mold--and voila!

My Rite of Spring ring.

It was very difficult to get the tiny bits of plant matter into the tiny mold. Unfortunately, it turned out cloudy! I read that if your materials are damp (my plant matter wasn't dried or sealed) it can react with the resin. I will definitely be trying this again--next time, with just moss and clover because the dandelion doesn't work for me. Perhaps I'll get it right by the Summer Solstice.


Follow up: Spring Ring #2

#FolkloreThursday - Fauns and Nature Spirits

Photo courtesy of daniel.stark via Flickr

In Greek mythology, fauns were associated with the god Pan. Fauns were connected to nature, particularly the forest, and reputed to be quite unpredictable. Travelers were said to encounter these spirits in lonely, wild or remote places. Depending on their mood, fauns could either be helpful or a hindrance.

Some feel fauns transcend the mythological horned and goat-legged creatures. Fauns have also been equated with unseen nature spirits. Such deities are present in many cultures. They are effectively the “living soul” of a tree or place. These spirits are thought to be otherworldly, often glimpsed in a darkened wood or flash of sunlight through the forest canopy. Nature spirits are said to act as the guardians and life force of an area. They are not necessarily bound to one spot, but can venture a short distance away. Legends tell of people becoming unsettled in certain forests at night. It is said that nature spirits roam those woods, searching for unwary travelers.

Happy Spring, everyone. Enjoy that walk in the woods...

Tangled Tuesday - Goddess of Spring

Vocaloid Hatsune Miku

Happy Spring!

#MeatlessMonday - Lime-Glazed Cookies #dessert

Happy Spring! Thought I'd start the week off with some cookies. Enjoy!

Photo courtesy of nsdis via Flickr

Lime-Glazed Cookies

Ingredients

2 teaspoons lime juice
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons lime zest
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine the 2 teaspoons of lime juice with the milk. Let stand for 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the lime zest and milk mixture.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and blend into the creamed mixture. 

Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the edges are light brown.
To make the glaze, stir together the remaining lime juice and sugar. Brush onto cooled cookies.

Thoughtful Thursday - Church for Sale

Photo reposted from Smithsgore

My husband came across this church for sale last weekend. It's no longer used as a church, so for £70,000, you can own a grade II property north of Yorkshire Dales and turn it into whatever you wish.

Knowing how much I love this particular area of England, my husband "jokingly" asked if we should buy it and move. He's a British citizen and I've mentioned (more than once) if he were to ever considered moving back, he'd hear no protests from me.

Usually, I find churches contain too much residual energy to consider living in one. And while I'm not particularly religious, the thought of turning a church into residential property seems disrespectful. But this one calls to me. Why? Because I'm working on a novel with an abandoned church as a key component. It's located in a pasture just like this one...in the heart of Yorkshire Dales. My husband didn't know that, by the way.  He knows I'm working on a new book, but I never tell him details until the book is "done." So literally, it's as if someone plucked the church from my brain and put it up for sale. Coincidence? Most likely.

I have to say however, the place intrigues me.

#Paranormal Wednesday - Little Ghost Stories: Part Two

Photo courtesy of Jose M Vazquez via Flickr

Welcome to part two of my Little Ghost Stories. Because of Musa Publishing closing its doors (and consequently, its blog) you may see a couple of recycled Musa blog posts this week. This is one of them. I've gone into greater detail on this particular one because I don't have space/word count constraints in my blog.

Little Ghost Stories: Part Two

I grew up moving yearly. My step-dad was always in search of the "perfect" teaching job, which didn't afford us the stability of a white-picket fence kind of life. In one particular instance, I remember being relegated to a walk-in closet as my bedroom because that's all we could afford. I suppose it has given me issues, but my parents did the best they could. Most of our rentals were older places, and with these older places, came a ghost or two. It's something I learned to accept. A new rental meant a new "something" to coexist with--and sometimes they weren't so nice. This experience is one of many. You can believe me or not, it's totally up to you.

When I was 13-years-old, my parents rented an older house near the woods. It had a garden, a tree-house, a large yard to do cartwheels in—everything a kid could want. It also had ghosts. I would lay awake for hours and watch a white cat walk through my bedroom wall. Over and over again. No explanation for that, it just was. During the day, and out of the corner of my eye, I would see an old lady. She would follow me down the stairs to the playroom and back up again. She would follow me into my bedroom. Sometimes, I would see her in the living room, sitting in my mom’s rocking chair. I wasn't afraid, she was something I came to accept. Out in my tree-house, there was another presence. It wasn't the old lady and it wasn't the cat, but something else entirely. Whatever "it" was, made me vaguely uncomfortable. I'm not afraid of heights in the slightest, but I always felt I needed to watch my back in that tree. I had the strong feeling there was an opportunist who would be inclined to give me a shove, should my attention wander. Yet another presence lingered in the basement, but only when it rained. Another stood beside our mailbox, waiting. Let's just say the house was full! It wasn't until we moved, that I overheard my parents discussing the fact that a lady had died in the house just before we bought it. That was news to me (and unfortunately, taught me the joys of eavesdropping). As far as the other presences went, I'm unsure about them. As a kid, I learned to shrug my shoulders and move on.

If you missed it, part one of Little Ghost Stories is here.