Hot off the grill

I promised my daughter-in-law that I would share this recipe. When we tried it, I couldn't believe that it would work. But it went exactly as the recipe described. And it was delicious!!!

But, here's the real shocker - Did you catch that "we" up there? I love my husband, but he never volunteers for cooking duty. The kitchen freezes any normal thought flow for him, so he avoids it like, ummmm... I don't know. Pick the worst thing you can think of. That's how he avoids the kitchen.

The grill is another matter. If I assemble the necessary ingredients, he will happily grill any meat and do a superb job. A few days ago, I assembled a raised dough, pushed it into something like the shape of a circle, and handed it to him with the instructions, "Put this right on the grill. Two minutes on each side." I tried to act confident, but I really couldn't believe that this raw dough wasn't going to droop down into the fire. (Yes, fire. He always cooks on HIGH!)

Within 4 minutes, he was back in the kitchen carrying perfectly browned rounds that were ready for the toppings. Once loaded, they were back on the grill for 2-3 minutes more - just enough time to melt the cheese.

Wonderful.... absolutely wonderful!

The recipe I used is from a 1998 issue of Martha Stewart Living. The age of the recipe is testimony to the confidence I had that it would work. Her recipe is for Grilled Flatbread - I used it as pizza crust.


(We ate so fast that I have no pictures of our creations, so I am sharing the photo from the back of the recipe card.)

Here is the recipe according to me -

Grilled Pizza
Crust -
1 tsp yeast
1 cup warm water (110 degrees)
Place water in medium bowl, sprinkle yeast on top and stir to dissolve. Let sit for 5 minutes until bubbly.

To the bubbly yeast, add:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
Stir to combine. Turn dough out on to well floured surface, and knead for 1-2 minutes. (I let my kitchen-aid do the combining and kneading.) Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes. (Experience speaking - this would be the perfect time to get toppings ready. Don't even imagine you will have any prep time once you send the dough to the grill.)

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 4 equal pieces and roll into 1/8" thick rounds. (misshapen is ok - looks very artisan) Lightly brush both sides of each round with olive oil, and place rounds directly on the hot grill. Grill until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.

Put desired toppings on the grilled crusts. Return to the grill for another 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Enjoy! (We devoured almost 3 of these. I have one plain crust in the freezer for another day.)

One last tip - Don't put toppings right up to the edge, or overfill your crust. You may end up with pizza flavored briquettes.

Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. John 6:35

Searching for Mrs. Piggle Wiggle

We should all be thankful that there are people in this world who purchase new items - so that the rest of us can buy those same items at the gazillion thrift shops that have popped up everywhere.

My weakness? Books. Without fail, in every thrift shop, there are overloaded shelves of books that are stacked like pick-up sticks. One wrong tug and... well, I haven't suffered any serious injury yet, but it's been close.

Last week, on the road with my dearly beloved, we hit a few of these stores. And I came home with a stack of treasures.


At the top of that pile is a beautiful copy of Rebecca. The cover is really pretty, and for 25 cents I knew it had to be mine. I was so happy to own this classic, until...


...I got home and discovered it was written in German. On the bright side, I have always envied book artists who have foreign script to use for backgrounds in their art. Need fulfilled.

As a child, I loved to read. One of the books that lived at our house was about Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. I read Mrs. Piggle Wiggle again and again. But somewhere in the process of changing little children into teens into adults in their own homes, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle disappeared.

Last week she reappeared! Twice! In different states!


I can't wait to share her with my grand kids. After I refresh my memory, of course.

I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear him. Ecclesiastes 3:14

Words

Words... all around us. Written, spoken, whispered, imagined. Separating the chatter from vital input? A life skill indeed.

There are a variety of steps necessary in honing this skill, this deciding what to hear and what to ignore. The first, very important step? Consider the source.

In my experience with weighing words, if my first, best source, says something twice, or more(!), I sit up and take notice. That happened last week.


First, it was Psalm 130:5 - I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. The verse just wouldn't let go.

Next, Lamentations 3:25 - The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It was perfect for a card I made for a friend. I didn't even notice the "wait" until I was proofing the card. And then, again, it wouldn't let go.

In church Sunday, the message started with Abram and Sarai, whose impatience got them into trouble... they wouldn't wait for God to complete His promise.

Wait... wait... What am I waiting for? I don't know. But the One who owns my heart and soul has filled the air with "wait"... "wait". So, with eyes wide open, I "wait".


What have you been hearing?

Large numbers of small blessings

I have been missing from this space. Not because the days are empty... not because there is nothing to report...

The truth is that the days here have been filled with a million little things... too small to report, too significant to forget. If I used one word to describe this summer, it would be "blessings", a myriad of blessings small enough to be taken for granted - shame on me if I do.

Here are just a few to show you what I mean -
I have a yard with grass to mow and the mower works.
My garden is planted and already filled with the promise of beans, tomatoes and zucchini.
Dinners have been interesting - even yummy!
Strawberries, in the freezer.


I harvested an armload of lavender for lemonade, lots of lemonade.
Our family gathered on July 4th - sweet fellowship with food, swimming, laughter - safely there, safely home again.
I picked my first zucchini from my garden.
I sleep at night.
Flowers are everywhere around the house - coming and going, then coming again.


We have just enough business.
We are not sick.

So tell me, what are the first 5 things on your list of blessings?

O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever. Psalm 136:26

Curwen Press Miscellany and me

Curwen Press... have you ever heard of it?

Last week I spent a few days on a road trip with my dearly beloved. Because there are many miles involved, we change the view by stopping at an occasional antique store.

That's where I discovered Curwen Press.

In a stifling second-floor room of a small town antique store, I found this.


I flipped through it and loved the few pages I saw.




It wasn't until I got home that I saw this...


... and decided that before I started cannibalizing the book for art to frame, I should do a little research.

Surprise! Curwen Press has a fascinating history, and I hold a rare piece of that history in my hands. Not to worry... I've changed my plans for cutting it up.

Don't let anyone ever tell you that shopping is a waste of time. I find it to be very enlightening!

... for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. I Samuel 16:7

Giving gifts

It's funny... the little things that cradle big emotions.

A small driveway pebble, chosen because it was available, given with the words, "Remember me, Grampa"

A gift bag, decorated with figures whose arms and legs poke straight out of their heads...

A small, Honeysuckle vine that grows with fierce vigor, flowers from early spring till the winter snow flies, given as a tribute...


An Evening Primrose that produces brilliant blossoms... which by evening wilt to a salmon colored clump. A memorial gift...


The pebble has traveled thousands of miles with Grampa. He gets a little misty when he handles it.

Can't remember what gift was in the decorated bag, but the bag hangs in the work room, holding flower petals.

Honeysuckle vine = "bonds of love" in the language of flowers. I remember that whenever I look at that vine.

Evening primrose = "inconstancy, changeable"... and so it is in days, weeks and passing years.

Don't just throw money at father's day (or any occasion!) and call it good. Find a stone. Give a part of yourself. It lasts so much longer than a tie.

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. I John 3:18

The good... and the bad

The lavender plant in my front yard is flourishing since my cleaning session a couple of days ago. It is covered with fresh buds - which is good news, because at the precise moment of ripe-but-not-quite-open, I will harvest them for our family favorite, Lavender Lemonade.

The first year I made this, I was sure the grandkids would all refuse a beverage as unfamiliar as lavender lemonade. I was so wrong. It was a hit with all who tasted. Lavender lemonade joined the list of must-serves, right next to the black bean salsa.

I've decided to share the recipe. Just make sure that your lavender buds are edible - that is, pesticide free! (note: the ratio for substituting fresh for dry - 3 to 1)


The beautiful glasses and the garnishes are nice... but optional.

The bad?

I have poison ivy. Buried in those dead, dry, autumn leaves somewhere I brushed against the wicked menace. It's not too bad. (Praise God) I will survive. But thank you for gasping.

Wherefore doth a living man complain for the punishment of his sins? Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord. Lamentations 3:39,40

Dried roses

There is a little rose bush in my yard that produces an abundance of these...


So, when I learned that flowers can be dried in the microwave, these little beauties were my first (and most available) choice for experimentation.

I found the instructions here. Equipment required (beside the microwave and flowers)? Two microwave safe plates and paper towels.


Lessons learned:

- When they say "dry, not crisp" - listen.
- A flattened, dried rose blossom has its place, but I prefer the individual petals.
- A glass plate is a good weight.
- Don't use your best flowers the first time. Experiment with "seconds"!

The color in the petals stayed fairly true to the fresh blossom. Can't wait to try this again.

For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. Psalm 100:5