Leora

Nature Notes: Foliage and Flora

One would think, the closer you get to a tree the more sharply one can see the beautiful foliage. Last week I discovered that when I got close to a beautifully red, yellow and orange leafed maple, the leaves that were against the blue sky already looked damaged and faded, while the ones closer to the trunk were still vibrant, colorful and youthful.

maple tree trunk
Close to the tree trunk, the colors range from yellow to bright red.

sky maple leaves
Further from the base of the tree, the leaves are darker and browned at the edges.

Since Michelle invited the animals to her Thanksgiving feast, I am inviting the few flowers left in my yard: the chrysanthemum, the marigolds, white alyssum, rudbeckia and petunias.
rudbeckia and marigolds
I am happy the marigolds have been able to withstand some of the frosty nights we have experienced. A few rudbeckia are trying to bloom in late November.

chrysanthemum bud - little flower among brown leaves
Most of my mum flowers have browned, but a few stragglers bloomed late and decorate my yard.

kale in front of marigolds
My kale experiment is going well. The kale I planted in August from seed is gracefully adorning my front yard. The kale in the back, however, seems to be a Thanksgiving feast for some animals, as it is nibbled away.

For more Nature Notes, visit:
Nature Notes

Thanksgiving Soups, Side Dishes, Desserts

pumpkin watercolor
Pumpkin, detail from watercolor painting of Three Squash, 2009

Or any other holiday or reason to gather and eat. I like collecting recipes. Maybe one day I’ll actually try some of these.

Traditional Thanksgiving:

Soups:

Salads:

Warm Side Dishes:

Desserts:

I am going to add more to this list today. But I wanted to hit publish already…

Kid-Friendly Spicy Potatoes

potatoes
True confession: I’ve never tasted these. But my kids and my father loved them.

Ingredients

  • 4-6 baking potatoes (make more so you can eat some after the baking and still have some for the recipe)
  • canola oil, enough to coat the potatoes
  • 1 heaping tablespoon ketchup (or tomato sauce if you want to avoid the high fructose corn syrup)
  • salt
  • required spices: black pepper and garlic powder
  • optional spices: white pepper, onion powder, turmeric, allspice, paprika, cumin, oregano

Bake the potatoes for over an hour. Take them out of the oven when you can stick a fork in them. Eat a few of them, but make sure you have at least 4 large ones left for this recipe. When they are cool, you can either stick them in the refrigerator for a day or two, or continue with the recipe right away. Cut up the potatoes in cubes, without the skin. Toss them in oil and ketchup (or tomato sauce). Sprinkle with salt and spices. Bake for about twenty minutes. Serve warm.

Red Leaves on Pavement

red leaves on pavement
The fun of the colorful foliage season for a photographer is to achieve a new way of looking at the rampant hues of autumn.

For more posts with a little or a lot of red, visit Ruby Tuesday:
Ruby Tuesday

As some of you may be cooking this week, I plan to post a few recipes and links to recipes.

Review with Apples

apples at Highland Park Farmer's Market
Tomorrow is the last day of the Highland Park Farmer’s Market for the 2010 season. I will miss my Friday visits to see the vegetables, fruits and flowers. And of course, chat with the people. This past week I met Debbie at the market, whom you can read about in this interview.

On My Blog

Clock in Cape May, New Jersey, photo taken in 2009 red onion veteran

Linda’s Recital on Sunday at Etz Ahaim in Highland Park – bassoon and piano

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere

  • Batya put together a nice Meet the Blogs post. Thank you for the mention, Batya.
  • Factual Friday is cool. For example, Mrs. S. has more friends on Facebook than Mr. S. – isn’t that a precious fact? ๐Ÿ˜‰ Seems to have something to do with blogger friends.
  • Hannah posted about a program to teach empathy called Bullies and Babies. Some commentators are skeptical: does this work?
  • Ilana-Davita has a descriptive, charming post called 10 Things I Love About Antwerp.
  • I love when Michelle quotes Emily Dickinson and matches a precious, inspiring photo to the quote. Or is the quote being matched to the photo?

Thursday Challenge: Time

Clock in Cape May, New Jersey, photo taken in 2009
Clock in Cape May, New Jersey, photo taken in 2009

Thursday Challenge theme is TIME (Hourglass, Clock, Sundial, Calendar, Wristwatch, Old, Young, Aging,…).

Next Week: WEATHER (Snow, Sun, Cloudy, Rain, Lightening, Rainbow, Tornado,…)

No Cook Pea Salad

red onion
Red onion at Highland Park Farmer's Market

I love the idea of a side dish that requires no cooking. You might want to make this in the summer, but as winter approaches, fresh vegetables may not be as abundant. This pea salad can be accompanied with squash or rice.

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. frozen peas
  • 1 clove garlic
  • first cold-pressed olive oil – enough to coat the salad
  • 1 half red onion, chopped (or use a sweet vidalia onion)
  • sea salt, to taste
  • 1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley or cilantro
  • optional: pepper, allspice or cumin
  • optional: shredded carrots – 1 large carrot or a handful of baby carrots

Put the frozen peas in a container. Crush the garlic clove, and add it to the top. Put in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it (the peas will need several hours to defrost). When you are about to eat, coat with olive oil. Add the chopped onion, herbs, salt, optional shredded carrots and any spices you desire, such as cumin or allspice. Stir and serve.

Recital with Linda Balavram

recital
My friend Linda Balavram will be having a recital this Sunday, November 21 at 2:30 pm at Congregation Etz Ahaim in Highland Park, New Jersey. She plays the bassoon and will be accompanied by pianist Kathleen Haynie.

Linda Balavram
When I was in college at Boston University, there were often free recitals by top quality musicians. How nice to have such a treat here in Highland Park!

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