Yellow bunny... hello rabbit!
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 Happy Fish in multi-color. Ms. Kitty is not for sale... I was taking some photos for Etsy, and Ms Kitty decided to help! Best photoshoot I’ve had with her to date! (She doesn’t pose for the camera like Gilligan, my beloved camera-junkie.) She is also kind of hard to photo due to her color. But, she worked it for this one! Pose to left, pose to the right… what a good kitty! For Ross’s sake, I had to ensure it was clear that Ms. Kitty was not for sale. I think he was more than jokingly concerned.  Happy Blue Fish- again, with our esteemed model! I’m in the kitchen watching the reinactment of our first date. It’s calm and wonderful with the smells of fresh tarragon and shallots. I remember my fiance had bought fresh oysters that first night and kept them under full-airconditioning the whole way to my house in traffic Valentine’s Day meant a lot to me in years past, simply because the relationships felt bad and I wanted a token. Now, today, I didn’t want anything and the wonderment of what is now is surprising. It’s not the kind of “off the charts” feelings I once had, it’s more subtle and requires appreciating in a holistic sense. But, it’s all encompassing.. and better. As I’m sitting here writing, bacon’s being fried, the asparagus has been snapped one-by-one, and my cupcakes are about ready, the lattest, deemed a travesty of taste from R (my fiance), but he did it with love. The meal will include beef ( chateau briand), bernaise (the tarragon and shallots), herbed roasted potatoes and asparagus with bacon and lemon juice. We’ll have a good beaujolais with it. Finally, long after the dinner is complete, we’ll have my cupcakes. They are chocolate with pink icing and holiday candies. I cannot excuse the taste for the meal, that’s just what I wanted. But, it’s not about the food, except for the nostalgia, it’s about walking through the house and seeeing our handmade kitchen table we shared. It’s about the fire burning in our “Smiley” brand fireplace in the house we bought. It’s about my beloved “he chose me” dog at my feet, wonderfully loving Ms. Kitty in her seat and R, in his culinary element right now, with me to assist as needed. It’s about us. I set the table as I did on our date three years ago. It required breaking down my art table for the night. The table had the same candle-holder as our first date. The holder didn’t quite work out in the city loft I had then, due to the fans blowing the candles out, but it did this time. Little attentions to detail , such as the wine having breathed, the flowers and the adornment on the candleholders matttered. He even noticed! So, fast forward to after dinner, it was, as always, better than restaurant quality. We’re happily watching the tv, talking of wedding plans casually, doggy on the couch, kitty being brushed to her discomfort. Ben will need to be picked up from work in a few hours… Ross has been planning how Ben, my brother, can enjoy Valentine’s dinner too. I am a very lucky person.  Lucky Rabbit- FINE ART PRINT 19 x 13  Gryphon or Griffin- 19 x 13  Tortoise- from Tortola  Rawr! 13″ x 19″ or 26″ x 38″  Happy Fish - print from original work 13 x 19 signed The scrambled tofu that got me hooked was had on a trip some years ago to Ithaca, NY. It was at a restaurant just off the Cornell campus. Since, I’ve been making it “almost” for years at home. Today, I mastered it! (just know, though, scrambled tofu is its own wonderful thing. It is not meant to represent regular eggs or standard greasy breakfast tastes in any way. It has its own taste echelon!) The best scrambled tofu: 1 block firm tofu Start heating oilve oil in a large cast iron skillet at high heat. While heating, chop the onion and peppers finely, to about centimeter size cubes. Add to pan and stir. Keep an eye on it as you prepare the tofu, letting it cook until slightly softened, about 5 min. Squeeze as much liquid from the tofu as you can. (I use a spaghetti strainer lined with paper towels and a pan lid to press it.) When the peppers and onions are ready, crumble in the tofu. Add the soy sauce, tumeric, paprika and dry mustard and stir. Let that cook, stirring occaisionally for 7-8 minutes. While that’s cooking, chop the scallions loosely, mostly for the green leaves, add in to the pan when ready and cook with the rest. Then serve. The tofu will be yellow and soft. Some people top their scrambled tofu with salsa or sofrito, but it’s good just on its own! … should do something for year of the tiger too!  Flower Hearts and Happy Thoughts
 Happy Heart |
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that day in ecruciating heat. He wanted to make it perfect!