Babaganoush...not your Mother's French Onion Dip!

Last evening I attended a meeting in Ravenna of the North East Ohi o Arabian Horse Association. Usually there are a few light snacks or desserts available for munching while we have our meeting. Last night was a real treat for me! One of our members is Arabaic and he made "Fresh" Babaganoush and brought Aladdin Brand Pita Bread (also very, very fresh)!
Wow! Was I in heaven or what?

I love this Middle Eastern Dip as well as Hummus (which he made for us a few months ago).
I want to share the recipe with you. Easy to make and delicicious! Serve it with sections of fresh Pita Bread! Yum! (or crackers, assorted small bread pieces or even plain old saltine crackers!)

Ingredients
1 large eggplant (about 1 pound)
1 glove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons tahini (found in the grocery store)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Prick eggplant with a fork and place on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Bake the eggplant until it is soft inside, about 20 minutes.
Alternatively, grill the eggplant over a gas grill, rotating it around until the skin is completely charred, about 10 minutes.
Let the eggplant cool. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, drain off the liquid, and scoop the pulp into a food processor. Process the eggplant until smooth and transfer to a medium bowl.
On a cutting board, work garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt together with the flat side of a knife, until it forms a paste. Add the garlic-salt mixture to the eggplant. Stir in the parsley, tahini, and lemon juice. Season with more salt, to taste. Garnish with additional parsley.

It really works!

Yup! I am the owner of a classic case of the winter blahs! I cheer myself up, give myself a pep talk, and then find 40 reasons to stay bundled up in the house on a snowy, cold and yucky day!

But, there is hope. My friend Cindy Hossfeld whispered in my ear just after Christmas. We were talking about our "get up and go" going!

She told me to start taking 1000 whatever measurements of Vitamin D3. The "Sunshine Vitamin" it was called when I was growing up. Maybe it still is called that. She extoled it's virtues and told me that after just a short time I would feel better about being indoors, away from the "Sun".

Well she was right. I started taking the vitamin D3 supplement right after Christmas and voila...I feel much better. I have taken it for two weeks now, and I find myself moving all day, and last night I even stayed up to watch the news, went to bed and read for 1/2 an hour and got up at 6:30 this morning and am raring to go.

No joke! Try it, you may like it!

You know who you are!

...Okay, whoever is praying for snow

YOU CAN QUIT NOW!

Sometimes you just have to laugh

You Gotta Love It ...

North Carolina
NEWS FLASH! - North Carolina 's worst air disaster has occurred! A small two-seater Cessna 150 plane, piloted by two University of North Carolina students, crashed into a cemetery earlier today. Search and Rescue workers have recovered 300 bodies so far, and expect the number to climb, as digging continues into the evening.
The pilot and copilot survived, and are helping in the recovery efforts.

Alabama
A group of Alabama friends went deer hunting, and paired off in twos for the day. That night, one of the hunters returned alone, staggering under the weight of an eight-point buck. "Where's Henry?" the others asked.
"Henry had a stroke of some kind. He's a couple of miles back up the trail," the successful hunter replied.
"You left Henry lying out there, and carried the deer back?" they inquired.
"A tough call," nodded the hunter. "But I figured no one is going to steal Henry!"

Georgia
The owner of a golf course in Georgia was confused about paying an invoice, so he asked his secretary for some mathematical help. He called her into his office and said, "You graduated from the University, and I need some help. If I were to give you $20,000, minus 14%, how much would you take off?"
The secretary thought a moment, and then replied, "Everything but my earrings."

Middle Tennessee
A Middle Tennessee senior was overheard saying ... "When the end of the world comes, I hope to be inMiddle Tennessee." When asked why, he replied, "Because everything happens in Middle Tennessee 20 years later than in the rest of the civilized world."

Mississippi
The young man from Mississippi came running into the store and said to his buddy, "Bubba, somebody just stole your pickup truck from the parking lot!"Bubba replied, "Did you see who it was?"
The young man answered, "I couldn't tell, but I got the license number."

South Carolina
A man in South Carolina had a flat tire, pulled off on the side of the road, and proceeded to put a bouquet of flowers in front of the car and one behind it. Then he got back in the car to wait. A passerby studied the scene as he drove by and was so curious he turned around and went back. He asked the fellow what the problem was.
The man replied, "I have a flat tire."
The passerby asked, "But what's with the flowers?"
The man responded, "When you break down they tell you to put flares in the front and flares in the back.. I never did understand it neither."

Tennessee
A Tennessee State trooper pulled over a pickup on I-65.. The trooper asked, "Got any ID?" The driver replied, "Bout whut?"

Texas
The Sheriff pulled up next to the guy unloading garbage out of his pick-up into the ditch.

The Sheriff asked, "Why are you dumping garbage in the ditch? Don't you see that sign right over your head."

"Yep", he replied. "That's why I'm dumpin it here, cause it says:
'Fine For Dumping Garbage'."

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You can say what you want about the South,
But you never hear of anyone retiring and moving North.
Hmmmmm

The Popcorn Bowl

Saturday night was fun because Daniel did a "sleepover" at our house. As is usual on a weekend sleepover, Daniel and I watch movies (last night it was Ratatoullie and UnderDog) and Papa Tim makes popcorn.

The popcorn is always served in one of three white enamel bowls with blue trim around the top. These bowls are special because they are the same bols that Tim ate gallons of popcorn out of when he was a little boy.

The popcorn popper (a Priscilla) is a stove-top rotary popper with so much patina on it that it looks like it is made out of cast iron. This too was the same popper that was used to make Tim's popcorn by his Father when Tim was a child.

A wonderful memory!

Restaurant Review

My friend Jo Ann Wingfield, of Wooster, Ohio does a Restaurant Review in her column, when she

and her husband Michael try a new spot. (sometimes it is "Buyer Beware").

Eating out in Valley City yesterday at the Von Duyke's Bird Eatery was a lovely female Cardinal and her friend. Ladies taking in the sights and snacking on a choice assortment of seeds and nuts! A "Miss Molly's Tea Room" for my feathered friends.

Glad the schools are closed today. Snow days are cool for kids but for working parents they are a pain.

Snow crews should be out soon, but not on our country roads. The snow falling last night around 11:00 made the air around me and Toby so quiet and peaceful as we walked in the new snow.

I may have to postpone my journey to Columbus tomorrow and just stay home and walk out back with the dog. Tim and I have snowshoes and they haven't been out of the garage yet this winter.

(Photo on the right above was taken last year about this time.Tim, Toby and Daniel)

So...I guess the weather in our neck of the woods hasn't changed much in a year.

Maybe we will dust those snowshoes off tomorrow!

No explanation needed!

Thanks Elsie!