The Ocean Charm of Monterey

This past weekend, my family and I spent a day at beautiful Monterey. I like the tranquil charm of this little seashore town. Monterey is famous for not only its gorgeous ocean views and beaches, but also as the formal capital of Spanish California. Yes, Monterey is full of California history with its beautiful Custom House and other buildings that make up the Monterey Old Historic District.
My family and I drive to Monterey a few times a year. Even though the town is small, there are lots of different and exciting things to do there. This time we took a stroll from Wisherman’s Wharf to Cannery Row and back (about 40 minutes each way). Along the way we enjoyed the stunning ocean views as well as abundant wildlife (sea lions, pelicans, gulls, and cormorants). We had our lunch on the beach listening to gulls and ocean waves. It was a marvelous way to spend a day with my family.
I had taken lots of pictures, and I tried to incorporate them in this mosaic. I wanted to include all the marvels of Monterey – buildings, ocean views, flora and fauna. I hope you enjoy it.



I’m joining Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday. It’s a place to see wonderful photo mosaics of many different subjects.

Growing Lettuce the Thrifty Way

What I want to share today is the way I grow my lettuce.




Have you ever bought living lettuce? It is called so because it comes with roots, which help keep the lettuce fresh for longer time. I bought it a few times from Costco for $2.29 for two huge heads (one butterhead and one lollo rosso) . This in itself is a pretty good deal; however, there is more to it.





After I finish the lettuce, I don’t throw away the roots, but plant them in a container in my yard. I water them as needed, and about three weeks later I get a new head of lettuce.
So far, I planted six of such leftover roots. Two of them were planted recently, but the other four are already providing us with fresh and crispy greens. I don’t cut off the heads completely, just pinch off some leaves as needed.

This week I am joining a gardening party called Fertilizer Friday hosted by Tootsie. She and the other participants have wonderful gardening stuff to show. I do hope to join it frequently in the future.

Pretty Bookmarks and Reading Challenge

I love to read. When I was a college student, I always read on the go. I would read in the lecture hall in between lectures, at the cafeteria chewing my lunch, or at the bus stop. For a bookmark, I would use a grocery shopping receipt or a small piece of newspaper. Now, however, my reading experiences are totally different. I like reading in the tranquil atmosphere (when my toddler has his nap that is) of my living room. I would sit in the soft chair, sometimes with a cup of tea, and enjoy my book. I found that a beautiful bookmark contributes to a joyful reading experience as well.
Nevertheless, I am too frugal to spend money on things like bookmarks, so I mostly use cute postcards for the purpose. But recently I came up with the idea of these handmade bookmarks. I had some leftover crochet thread, so there weren’t any expenses involved. I used an easy crochet pattern from one of my magazines. I also starched my bookmarks to make them harder. And now I have three new bookmarks.



With the set of pretty bookmarks I am all ready for the Summer Reading Challenge hosted by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer. I know what kind of books I would like to read, but I don’t have the exact titles yet.
This summer, I would like to read

• A good mystery. I am a big Agatha Christie fan, so it is probably going to be another of her novels.
• A romantic story. I know it’s going to be a classic. Jane Austen perhaps.
• A biography. I prefer fiction, but sometimes I enjoy reading biographies.
• A few books by John Steinbeck. I want to become familiar with this author’s works because I plan a trip to the places of his life in Salinas, CA this summer.
• A book in Ukrainian. These past years, I’ve worked so hard learning/improving my English that I almost neglected my mother tongue. Shame on me.
  
  
  
  

Also, to show off my new bookmarks, I join Donna at DC's Creations for WIP Show and Tell.

Mushroom Pizza from Scratch

I only make pizza a few times a year. Taking into account the time it takes and the cost of the ingredients, it is cheaper to just order one. For me, there are only two things that justify homemade pizza. First, I simply like the process (kneading and rolling the dough is a great workout in itself). Second, making pizza at home, I have control over what kind of cheese (in my case reduced fat) and amount to use, which helps to keep my pizza a bit on the healthier side.
Sometimes I substitute the mushroom topping with thinly sliced vegetables (tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchinis, etc), so I get a veggie pizza as well.

Basic Pizza Bases

3 cups white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
1 packet (¼ ounce) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing

Combine the flour with the yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Pour in the warm water and add olive oil.
Draw the mixture into dough and knead well. Add more flour if necessary. Return the dough to a clean bowl and cover with a plastic wrap. Let rest for 15 minutes or longer.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured counter and knead again. Divide in half. Roll out each piece into a round, about 10 inches in diameter. Place on a baking sheet and prick with a fork. Let rest for 10 minutes.
Part-bake in a preheated oven, 425 º F for 5 minutes. Brush with olive oil before adding topping.

Tomato Pizza Topping

1-2 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
14.5 ounces (one can) canned chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a saucepan and gently cook the onion and garlic until soft.
Add the can of chopped tomatoes, oregano, thyme, and bay leaf and stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer, uncovered, over moderate heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently until some of the liquid has evaporated to leave a rich tomato pulp. Remove the bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mushroom Pizza

2 precooked Basic Pizza Bases
1 quantity Tomato Pizza Topping
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 cups white mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 ounces mozzarella, sliced or grated

Cover the precooked pizza bases with the tomato topping.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet and cook the mushrooms until soft.
Arrange the mushrooms on top of the tomato sauce, then cover with cheese. Bake in a preheated oven, 400º F, for 15-20 minutes.

All the recipes are from Sarah Brown’s book Vegetarian Bible.





I'm linking to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.

Kringla Cookies for Norwegian National Day

The seventeenth of May is the national day of Norway. My husband is Norwegian, so it is a very important day for him.
I wanted to do something special for my husband on the occasion, so I searched the web for different Norwegian recipes. On allrecipes.com I found a recipe for Norwegian cookies called Kringla. The recipe had good reviews, so I decided to give it a try.
I followed the recipe precisely, yet I had a bit of trouble. The dough turned out very sticky, so it was impossible to roll it and make shapes. I had to put the dough in a ziplock bag and press it out on the cookie sheet. My Kringla cookies came out imperfect in shape, yet soft and fluffy, a bit too sweet for me, but definitely delicious. But most importantly, they brought homeland memories to my husband making his National day special.

Spanish Reminiscence: Serving Plate

For the Show and Tell Friday this week, I want to show a plate from Spain.



Two years ago, my husband and I spent a vacation there. We stayed at a little town called Arenas de San Pedro in Castilla y León. In addition to the breathtaking landscapes and a magnificent medieval castle, we were charmed by a small local pottery.
The pottery was run and operated entirely by one family and was passed from a generation to generation. It was an interesting place, and the owner was so kind as to give us a little tour around and briefly explain the creation process.
At first, we wanted to have a special order plate with the name “Casa del Sol” written on it (just before our trip to Spain, we bought a house in CA and we named it “Casa del Sol” as it has so much sun). Unfortunately, a special order would take longer to make than our stay, so we had to choose something from the shop. We chose this serving plate as we liked both the shape and the design. Along with the plate, we bought a very cute jug with the same flower pattern. Unfortunately, one day I accidently knocked the jug down and the snout broke off. I was very upset about the incident, and to cheer me up my husband said that now we have a reason to visit Spain again.
Whenever I use this serving plate, it brings so many wonderful memories from our vacation. The little doll in the picture is from Spain too, but she doesn’t have a special story like the plate. I bought her at a gift shop at the airport. The doll was probably made in China; nevertheless, she is so cute that I thought she deserves to be mentioned too.  

How does the Garden Grow? May

I don’t know the name of this amazing tree, which delights me with its blossoms every spring. The flowers start rich purple then gradually turn light purple and finally white. Because the flowers don’t start blooming all at the same time, the tree exhibits a beautiful mix of purple and white. I adore this tree; it makes a wonderful picture spot.



And now from purple to yellow. These are my nasturtiums. I recently found out that their flowers are edible and can be used in salads. Well, perhaps someday I will give them a try, but it will take me a while to get used to the idea.



I also want to show two of my herbs. This is my golden lemon thyme (and a little fellow left in the garden by the previous owners). I am very pleased with this herb as I use it quite often in cooking and it doesn’t require any special care at all.



Finally, this is my basil. Well, it’s not exactly “mine” as I didn’t grow it (though I tried to grow basil from seeds this year, I didn’t succeed). I bought this pot from Trader Joe’s for only 2.99. When I saw it, I couldn’t believe my eyes – such a big pot for such a low price. When buying fresh basil from a produce store, a much smaller bunch would cost more then that.
When I was driving home, the smell of fresh basil filled my car making me fancy homemade pizza topped with chopped fresh basil. Yum!

I'm linking to Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer. Please, come and see other blogers' outdoor adventures. 

My New Summer Top

My birthday is coming up this weekend, but I am already receiving gifts. This crocheted summer top is from mom. I already have a few crocheted tops from her as she makes me a new one every year. Some of them have elaborate patterns, others are not so fancy.
The pattern of this particular top is quite simple, but I think it’s all right. The top has such a vivid color that an elaborate pattern would probably overdo it.



Here I am “modeling” my new top ;-)



I'm linking to Cindy's Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home.

Filoli Estate

Last Friday, my husband, my son, and I went for a field trip to Woodside, CA. We visited one of the most beautiful estates in America – Filoli.
The mansion is surrounded by magnificent formal gardens. I hadn’t seen such variety of flowers in my life. I found it very inspirational to walk around and explore all the paths, ponds, little fountains, and shady corners with neat benches.
It is worth mentioning that Filoli was used as the Carrington mansion in the TV series Dynasty. I loved watching this series when I was a little girl. I admired everything about the show – beautiful actors, gorgeous settings, and fabulous outfits. How wonderful that the beauty of Filoli is accessible to the public nowadays!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm editing my post. Instead of all the pictures, I upload this photomosaic (which I learned to make just now). Hope you like it :-)



At Little Red House there is a Mosaic Monday party going on. I'm joining the fun!