There is a fantastic little produce market that is a mere five minute walk from my work. I try to go there at least once a week during my lunch break and always end up leaving with a very heavy bag and rarely spend more than five dollars. Since this past autumn, I have been trying to buy produce that is in season more often because:

1. It is much less expensive.

2. It is much tastier.

3. It is more nutrient dense.

So, I was delighted to discover kale this week. It is very high in Vitamins K and A, as well as many other vitamins and minerals. It is a bit too bitter for my taste as a salad green, but I found two ways to sneak it into meals this week.

I attempt to get a fruit smoothie into our stomachs at least three mornings a week. Sometimes more, sometimes less. My secret recipe for a smoothie is:

six or seven frozen strawberries

a third of a frozen banana

pour orange juice into the blender until it reaches the top of the strawberries and banana

6 oz. vanilla yogurt

an optional glug of flax seed oil

Blend, blend, blend

But I have heard mutterings about sneaking kale into a smoothie and husbands barely noticing it. So, I threw a leaf in on Tuesday morning and, Eureka! It worked!

I knew it was meant to be when this recipe for Tuscan Potato Soup popped up in my RSS feed. I just made it for dinner and it was so rich and savory. I'm not particularly fond of obeying recipes, so of course I made some alterations. I used pancetta instead of bacon, 2 ginormo shallots instead of an onion, and half the recommended cheese. And, I definitely used the reserve pancetta grease :)  Also, I returned the pancetta to the pot just before serving instead of using it as a garnish. It made more than enough for dinner tonight, dinner tomorrow, and two servings to be frozen for a lazy night when I don't feel like cooking. You'll have to check out the recipe to see what kale and a blender have to do with it.

Now, time to enjoy a movie with the husband and doggie!

I went to the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade with my buddy Sakura this weekend. It was really fun. Here are two photos from my cell phone (I forgot my camera). There were tons of dragons dancing around and lots of lanterns hanging from above. It was three hours long! We took a break in the middle for some Chinese treats, of course.

I have had a very short attention span for computers lately, meaning not much interest in blogging. But I have been having a lot of fun reading and baking and playing frisbee.

We went to Santa Barbara for Valentine's/Presidents Day weekend. My family went in 2003 and I loved it so much I have always wanted to go back. For a Christmas gift, Jonathan said I could pick a weekend to go.

There was not a cloud in the brilliant blue sky and it was a comfortable mid-70's the whole time. We ate nearly every meal outside. It was so nice. And we stayed at a great little inn (shown below). I took a lot of pictures of the architecture because it is so beautiful; white-washed stucco, red roofs, black wrought iron, colorful tile, and flowering clinging vines and trees. When we have a house one day, I would love to have a kitchen that reflects the Santa Barbara essence.

We walked up and down the beaches and saw a lot of different birds. Jonathan's favorites were the pelicans. We walked to the end of Stearn's Wharf and to the end of State Street. We were strolling around by the harbor and heard a bagpipe playing in the distance and followed the tune until we got to the top of a hill overlooking the wharf. A woman was practicing her bagpipe so we sat and listened and took in the view. It was one of our favorite parts of the trip. 

It was such a nice weekend away after the busy weeks we have had lately.

 

"She had been studying her lessons, but it had grown too dark to see the book, so she had fallen into wide-eyed reverie, looking out past the boughs of the Snow Queen, once more bestarred with its tufts of blossom."

- L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

My Cherry Tree Neighbor

 

Taking a break from studying Accounting to give a thankfulness report. 

Jonathan is working on a sermon that he will be giving tomorrow morning at intern class and tomorrow night at youth group. He has been busy with that almost every weeknight lately. I have been busy with accounting work almost every weeknight lately. Both our jobs have been demanding. Both of us have gotten sick recently. Weekends have been filled with fun social activities and volunteer opportunities. So much for hibernating :)

In making meals for new moms, helping people move, cooking meals for recovering addicts with our home group, and going to birthday parties and dinner dates, we have been overcome with gratitude. A couple Sundays ago we realized our after-church-lunch-crew had multiplied so that we needed two separate tables to fit everyone! And three of the couples have children now! God really plopped us into an amazing community down here. We couldn't ask for more, we are so blessed.

I saw a bumper sticker the other day that stood out in a sea of  "I'd rather be flyfishing" or "I'd rather be kayaking" bumper stickers. It said, "I'd rather be here, now." Pretty profound for a bumper sticker I think. While we eagerly anticipate and hope in the glory of Heaven, we have so much to be thankful for. Right here, right now.