A Simple Woman's Day Book

For Monday, October 6, 2008

Outside My Window...It's a beautiful fall morning. The warm colors of fall are showing up everywhere, from the beautiful yellow crysanthamums to the indian corn on the door. A pleasant breeze is gently blowing, and there's no trace of evidence that a hurricane recently passed through.

I am thinking...That it's about time to begin planning holiday menus and start thinking about my gift list. I've waited a little too late to make many gifts, but maybe there's still enough time to create a few.

I am thankful for...The Word. True friends. My children. My home. My Source.

From the kitchen...Today I will pan sear the trout that Justin caught yesterday and gave to me. Maybe some roasted new potatoes with olive oil, rosemary and lot of garlic will be go well with it. The remainder of kitchen activity, if any, is still up in the air!

I am wearing...A pair of sky blue scrubs from the hospital, a wonderful stand by to have around for those extra busy days! I'm thinking about painting the entry hall today and this is the perfect outfit for that!

I am creating...Gardening tops my creation list this week. While in Austin I purchased spinach, brussel sprouts (yuk! but Savannah loves them!), brocolli and cabbage to plant in my earth boxes. I also want to plant carrots this year. Home grown carrots are like home grown tomatoes---they don't even compare to the grocery store variety.

I am going... Back to work tomorrow night. After years and years of working the day shift I decided to give nights a try and I absolutely love it! No more day shifts for this girl! Besides, the $1,000 monthly shift differential makes the deal just a little sweeter!

I am reading...Would you believe 'Jerry Baker's Garden Secrets'? This book is chock full of more natural and oragnic methods than you can imagine!

I am hoping...The the market will soon turn around. Reviewing the turn my financial portfolio has taken in the last week is a little unsettling. I must frequently remind myself that the market is not my source but, rather, my source is in the Lord. This morning my broker asked me to pray for him...his stress level right now is greater than any I can imagine. In Jesus name, let it be done. Amen

I am hearing... The morning show discussing, of all things, what color bra to wear under a white shirt. Duh. I thought that was a no brainer but, apparently I'm 'old school.' Somehow, I never thought of wearing a leopard print or hot pink bra under white. What a dummy I must be!

Around the house...The fragrance of 'cinnamon-vanilla' permeates the air. What a comforting, cozy fragrance this is!

One of my favorite things is...The art of creating, especially creating a cozy and inviting home. Whether it be a culinary creation or something created with paint, needle and thread, any art of creating, I love.

A few plans for the rest of the week...Many tasks fell behind during the time of 'power deprivation', but near the top of my list is taking the time to catch up on blogging and maybe spend a little time perusing the aisles of barnes and Noble, my favorite book store.

An easy and good recipe...

Garlic Bread

Ingredients
1 16-ounce loaf of Italian bread or French bread
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 large cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
1 heaping tablespoon of freshly chopped parsley
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)


Method 1 - Toasted

1 Preheat oven to 350°F.

2 Cut the bread in half, horizontally. Mix the butter, garlic, and parsley together in a small bowl. Spread butter mixture over the the two bread halves. Place on a sturdy baking pan (one that can handle high temperatures, not a cookie sheet) and heat in the oven for 10 minutes.

3 Remove pan from oven. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over bread if you want. Return to oven on the highest rack. Broil on high heat for 2-3 minutes until the edges of the bread begin to toast and the cheese (if you are using cheese) bubbles. Watch very carefully while broiling. The bread can easily go from un-toasted to burnt.

4 Remove from oven, let cool a minute. Remove from pan and make 1-inch thick slices. Serve immediately.

Method 2, soft

Preheat oven to 350°F. Make the butter, garlic, parsley mixture as above. Make 1-inch thick slices into the bread, but do not go all the way through, just to the bottom crust. Put a teaspoon or two of the butter mixture between each slice. Wrap the bread in aluminum foil and heat for 15 minutes in the oven.


A picture to share...I LOVE ALL THINGS AUTUMN!