Wednesday, August 28, 2013

A trip to summer camp


Scenes from Tranquility Summer Camp

I recently returned from Tranquility Summer Camp - a creativity and yoga retreat in West Virginia.  I had a chance to refill the well of inspiration during yoga, a hike in the woods that led to meditation on a mountaintop, art sessions, journaling and campfire time in the evenings.  My creativity bug was tickled during a mixed media art workshop with Mary Catherine Starr, hand-tied mala making with Carol Meyers and conversations with the other campers and hosts.   We all had great resources to share so here are some for you to explore:

Keeping life organized:


If you love lists the way I do, you’ll find Trello helpful in keeping you and your projects on track.  It’s like having an electronic whiteboard.  I use it just for myself, but you can also have multiple people use it for group or family projects.  I use it as a complement to Evernote (an electronic filing cabinet) which I mentioned in a previous post.

To read:

This was my reading selection for my free time during the retreat. 

Product Details
The Art of Non-Conformity:  Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World

Being mindful:

We watched this video during the retreat:




For the next month or so, my creativity will be channeled into preserving produce from the garden for it is full-blown harvest season.  If you have any family favorite recipes that call for tomatoes, send them my way.

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Summer harvest

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How I get things done
Resources
Preserving the harvest



Monday, August 19, 2013

Creative spark - Never too Old video

An August's evening harvest from the garden

Is there something that you have always wanted to try, somewhere you've always wanted to go or maybe a new skill you want to learn?  Here's an inspirational short video to provide a perspective on why it is never too late to pursue your dreams.


I hope you feel inspired to get started on a new adventure.

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Heirloom rose


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Sunday, August 11, 2013

Cantaloupe creativity - cobbler bars



This year has brought a bumper crop of cantaloupe to our garden.  My neighbors have each been gifted a melon on their doorstep, my coworkers have eaten heaps of cubed melon and I've juiced a mountain of them...yet there are more!

Prize melon

Being a resourceful cookie, I've gotten creative with a few recipes and substituted cantaloupe for various other fruits and vegetables with good results.  I'd highly recommend this easy cobbler bar recipe using whatever fruit or squash that is in season.  These are great for a potluck and are elegant enough for guests.  They would be nice warm out of the oven with a dollop of whipped cream or scoop of vanilla ice cream.   I replaced some of the butter with juices from the fruit filling and reduced the amount of sugar from the original recipe for zucchini cobbler bars that were my inspiration (the original recipe can be found here.).

Cobbler bars

makes 9

4 cups chopped seeded, peeled fruit or squash (apples, peaches, pears, zucchini, cantaloupe!)
2 lemons, juiced and zest of one (about 1/3 cup) 
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups + 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour (or unbleached)
2/3 cup raw sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed

Preheat the over to 375F.  Spray a 9x9 baking pan with cooking spray.

For the filling:
Combine the fruit or squash with the lemon juice and zest in a medium pan and cook over medium-high heat until about 10-15 minutes or until soft.  Stir in 1/3 cup of the sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and the nutmeg.  Cook for an additional minute to blend in the spices and remove from heat. Set aside 1/4 cup of the juices from the cooked mixture to use in the crumb mixture.  Stir in 2 tablespoons of flour into the cooked mixture and set aside to cool while mixing the crumbs.

To make the crumbs:
In a food processor or a mixing bowl, mix together the 2 cups of flour, remaining 1 /2 teaspoon cinnamon and 2/3 cup sugar.  Cut in butter and 1/4 cup reserved juice from the filling by pulsing the food processor or using a fork or pastry cutter until you have large crumbs.

Press half of the crumb mixture into the prepared pan to make a crust.  Spread the filling across the crust.  Sprinkle the rest of the crumb mixture across the filling.  

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until the top is golden brown.  Cool before cutting.  

The bars freeze well separated by waxed paper.  


The melons are still coming in and I'm looking forward to getting creative with a few more recipes.

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Garden harvest

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Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Garden tour - part 2 - flowers

Pretty in pink dahlia

Tending the garden and preserving the harvest has been keeping me busy with not much time to post.  I've been experimenting in the kitchen to handle my overflow of muskmelon/cantaloupe and I'll have recipes to share soon.  In the meantime on the second half of the garden tour, here are a few of the flowers that I have added among the crops.


 Gladiolus

 Mystery flower


 Hydrangea


Zinnia

I know, I know.  The next one isn't a flower, but I still thought the leaves were picture worthy.


A colorful plant that I got from the Franciscan Monastery plant sale


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Peacock garden ornament gifted to me by a neighbor

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