A leaf in time saves your stomach

I woke up last night around 2 am with ‘that’ feeling…terribly thirsty but knowing from experience that what I wanted most, a huge glass of cool water, would be the wrong thing unless I wanted my dinner to have an out-of-body experience. Chilled, achy, feverish, nauseous…I hate this combination because it means that I can’t take and Advil for the first 3 because of the fourth; bummer.
But then I saw the light…or rather stumbled through the dark of my two a.m. living room to the window-box where I found…

Basil! the best anti-nausea herb I know. I chewed up a few leaves and stuck the other under my nose. This morning I got my sweetie to bring me a thermos of warm water and kept sipping water and chewing basil until my stomach was in shape to eat a slice of bread (followed by the long awaited Advil!) I still feel lousy but at least one of my symptoms is off the list for good.
Next time you’re feeling woozy, grab a leaf. In a pinch smelling lemon rind scratched with a fingernail, crushed French Lavander or orange peel will help too.
Stay well!

More views from a rainy garden…

Lemon Thyme, Dwarf Marigolds, Basil

First let me say that I am from Texas, July is supposed to be hot. The warmest it’s been here since the summer started is the upper 80’s. I miss my summer, the one where you start to bead up in sweat when sitting outside in the shade.
My Texas friends and family are all suffering in the rainless heat of their summer…the grass always looks greener/more parched on the other side of the Atlantic.
I will say that despite the chill and damp of the weather, there’s been just enough sun to keep the garden happy and interesting. I suppose I should just put on another sweater and be happy with what I have.

My coriander (cilantro) went quickly to seed.
Don’t know what the flower
spike is?
perhaps ‘Catalognia’?
Another mystery plant, I like the way
the leaves look like a swirling
tutu.

Greater Celendine

Has an orange sap that an Italian friend explained could
cure warts and it’s true. Apparently it’s also used as a dye.

I’m not surprised! I quickly found that this orange sap WILL stain clothes a DARK olive
green. You can also use it as ink and it gets
darker in the sun rather than fading!

Summer Garden in the Land of Rain…Pumpkin Flowers have Gender!

pregnant lady pumpkin flower!

Gentleman pumpkin flower…
they make the pumpkin possible and
are then good stuffed with goat cheese
and fried!
sorry pumpkin flower lady, I had to look
to check if it was true…you’re different
on the inside too…

Hank Williams Calls it Quits

why this morning?
why that particular song?
why that 5 min. clip of my life:

the saturated taste
of anonymous food from
a particular bar and grill
salad
that tastes too much like itself
that i can’t bear to eat
my gut too full
of wanting.

only the bitter of
iced tea is
palatable,
over the garble and hum
of some game
summing itself up
behind the intentional
chaos of bar bric.

the hallowed blue
of your eyes
reaching in for something
i don’t have
your pallid tenor echoing
uncharacteristic honky-tonk
verses with the digital
hiccup-skip of a
corrupted file:

why don’t you love me
like you used to do?

New adventures in pesto…something summery

Sundried Tomato, Lemon Zest, Mint, Walnuts

There is a lot of fresh mint growing in the garden this year and the basil is a bit thin…we figured out what to do; this is the stuff! Matthew has been bugging me for about a week now to try a pesto of Sundried tomatoes, Lemon Zest and Mint. Little Robin is not so crazy about things with lemon peel (though she is happy to lick sliced lemons), so, we decided to try it today at lunch while she is enjoying her last few days of school food.

2 abundant servings or 4 side servings :

For the pesto:
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes in olive oil
2 Tbs. fresh mint
Grated Zest of one small lemon (appx. 1 scant lightly packed Tbs.)
Scant 1/4 cup walnuts, pecans or pinenuts (pinoli)
Extra Virgin olive oil

To make pasta salad:
160 grams – about 1/3 lb ( of pasta, cooked in boiling, salted water then drained and well-rinsed in cool water and drained again)
1/2 cup of whole milk ricotta, crumbled (use low-fat if you want but it’s just not the same!)

To make the pesto, put all the stuff in a pile (see picture), mince fine with a mezzaluna or chef’s knife. Take roughly chopped stuff and run through a small food-processor (or use an immersion blender) with additional olive oil (up to 1/2 cup but start with less – maybe a few tablespoons) turn it into a paste with the consistency of well…pesto ;)!

Place cooled pasta in a large bowl and coat with pesto. Add crumbled ricotta and stir in gently.

It should look something like this and taste wonderful!

Suggested wine: Oriveto classico (chilled) or light Beaujolais (chilled).

Happy eating!

This also was bound to happen…

My daughter (consummate actress) reenacts the wedding.

Cast:
Papa……………………….Matthew Broussard
Mamma……………………….Robin Kay Broussard
Robin………………………….’baby’ Eme.
Grandmother/wedding photographer………………..Bonnie McClellan Broussard
They do make a cute couple!

Internet suite: Sappho’s Sandals

how are the toning shoes working?
(I keep seeing an add for those too,
over here to the side) but these are sneakers,
not sandals.

Should I join the “Performers Café”
as suggested…713 others like it
but it’s only for musicians.

Am I that?

Sappho would say yes,
Poetry is singing:

She would lift
her garlanded brow,
her ivory arms,
her silver voice:

“up with the roof!
Hymenaios –
lift it, carpenters!
Hymenaios –
the bridegroom is coming in
equal to Ares…”

Perhaps she knew
the “Secret Psycology”
they’re touting at:
Make Him Fall For You?
Or maybe her fall…
or maybe,
she just had
a good pair

of toning sandals?