Pasta salad

I made this refreshing pasta salad from the recipe "Asparagus Tortellini Salad" of the blog below.The only thing I changed is that I used elbow macaroni instead of the cheese tortellini. I am going to serve it on a bed of baby spinach as was suggested in the recipe.

recipe taken from the blog:

http://mennonitegirlscancook.blogspot.com/ 

A painting and a poem

In the garden ,Watercolor, 6x9 inches

 

The Sun

Have you ever seen
anything
in your life
more wonderful

than the way the sun,
every evening,
relaxed and easy,
floats toward the horizon

and into the clouds or the hills,
or the rumpled sea,
and is gone--
and how it slides again

out of the blackness,
every morning,
on the other side of the world,
like a red flower

streaming upward on its heavenly oils,
say, on a morning in early summer,
at its perfect imperial distance--
and have you ever felt for anything
such wild love--
do you think there is anywhere, in any language,
a word billowing enough
for the pleasure

that fills you,
as the sun
reaches out,
as it warms you

as you stand there,
empty-handed--
or have you too
turned from this world--

or have you too
gone crazy
for power,
for things?

- Mary Oliver

Chippy the chipmunk

Under my deck lives a cute little guy, Chippy the chipmunk.
We met 5 years ago and since then he is my little guy.
I feed him peanuts and almonds and if i forget he (she?) lets me
know with his loud chirps ......he is loud for his size the little bugger!
And here he is!

photos:Ziniania's

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipmunk

A Rose

     

Eye candy friday (Colour Yellow )

from my small garden :photos Ziniania's

What is that? (Τι ειναι αυτο;)

My visit to Ottawa's Little Italy

                           
 Photos Ziniania's

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Italy,_Ottawa

Eye candy friday ( Change)

from this

to this

and this !!!

                           

The beaver pond

resting

 three under the shade

come on... line up please !

let's join them OK !

and a great blue heron ! what a treat !!!

I took a second picture

and a third one.....

and then he flew away.....

 The beaver pond is a 15-20 minutes walk from my house and it is a welcoming oasis  for people and animals alike! It changes faces with the different seasons and I love to photograph the birds that look so happy in this special place.

Okanagan Peach cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1  tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Pinch nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup sour cream
2 firm ripe peaches , peeled, pitted and cut in 6 pieces each
1 tbsp icing sugar

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg.

In large bowl, beat butter with brown sugar until well combined. Beat in
eggs, 1 at a time, beat in vanilla. Stir in sour cream until smooth.

Stir in flour mixture just until smooth; scrape into greased 9-inch (2.5 L)
springform pan. Spread batter evenly in pan; smooth top.

Arrange peach slices over batter in circle around the edge of pan. Bake in 350° F(180° C)
oven until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean, about 50 minutes.
Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Transfer cake to rack; let cool completely. Dust with icing sugar.

Recipe taken from Canadian Living magazine July 2011.

Note: it came out very moist and fluffy and not very sweet . I used 3 peaches and I think even 4 peaches would have been fine.It had this very delicate peach flavor I really liked it and I thought it could be done using pineapple or pear slices.

Eye candy friday

Close-up