Busy, but Blessed

One of my watercolors...

     Wow.  I can hardly believe it's Thursday already.  Where did the time go?
     Okay; Tuesday was my birthday, and I was gone almost all day.  Among other things, Moshe and I went out for a late lunch.  We went to a wonderful local restaurant.  Even though we live up in the mountains, "ten miles from nowhere", there is a REAL restaurant in our little town, with a REAL chef, and REAL food - everything made on location.  Wonderful. We savored every bite and every moment. We even brought home a doggie bag for Moxie and salad greens for the chickens.
     Wednesday was a trip to the Farmer's Market.  It's about a thirty-minute drive one way.  We purchased more apples, sorghum syrup, and Jerusalem artichokes.  On the way home we stopped at a roadside stand "to get an onion", and came home with a fifty pound bag of them.  I also have a big basket of local pears that a neighbor gave us over the weekend...
     Soooo... today is definitely a food prep/canning/drying/freezing kind of day. I'm going to plug in the portable CD player and sing along as I work.  Moshe has a big list of chores, too. Lots of projects for building more storage shelves, fixing a leaky toilet valve, finishing the shelves for our dehydrator.  Life is always busy and interesting around here.
     I have the best husband in the world. Are we perfect? No. Absolutley not. But, we are a great team. When we have a problem, we talk it out, work it out. We are committed to each other. As Moshe said yesterday, "We have our problems just like everyone else, but, I took my wedding vows seriously."
     Busy but blessed.  That's me.
                                                         Shalom y'all - Twyla

Moshe & Me... dressed up silly for a birthday party

the Birthday Party

          Yesterday we had our good friends Pat & Teresa over to celebrate their birthdays. Pat's big day is  today, and Teresa's will be Thursday. The photo below is of myself  (with eyes closed and mouth open, of course!), Pat, and Teresa, sitting on the screened-in porch with the birthday cake I made for them. Moshe isn't in the picture, 'cause he was the photograper... The four of us spent the day at the beach, had a picnic lunch there; then, came home and visited some more. I made tomato pie, a  tossed salad, and fresh corn on the cob for supper. We also had Moshe's homemade bread and several little bowls with treasures such as homemade cashew butter , apple butter, and pickles in them. (Do you get the idea that we sorta' like food? Especially homemade food?)

                           Well, anyway, here is the recipe for my tomato pie:             

                                                       TOMATO PIE

                                        2 Pie Crusts, baked per package directions

                                        2 pounds Ripe Tomatoes

                                        1 teaspoon Black Pepper

                                        1/2 teaspoon Salt

                                        2 Cups Sweet Onion, chopped 

                                        6 Tablespoons fresh chopped Basil

                                        1 Cup Mayonnaise

                                        3 Cups grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

          Peel tomatoes, remove seeds, and slice 1/2 inch thick.  Dry slices on paper towels. Divide ingredients between the 2 pre-baked pie shells. Layer tomatoes, then onions; sprinle with salt and pepper; then, layer with the chopped basil.

         Mix cheese and mayonnaise; then, spread on top, covering completely.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Allow to "rest" for 15 minutes before slicing.

                                                                 Shalom, Y'all!     Twyla