The Life Of Linz

If you’ve come over from The Nourishing Gourmet – welcome!

A guest blogger/contributor? Who, me?

Yes! I’m so very excited to be working with the lovely Kimi of The Nourishing Gourmet! I’ve been a reader of hers for a long time now and have found her posts on traditional foods very informative and encouraging along my journey to healthful living.

I’m honored to now be part of a great group of gals  who will be contributing a (at least) one recipe a month to the Nourishing Gourmet blog. Each of us will be developing and sharing recipes that focus on traditional cooking and nutrient-dense foods, following the Nourishing Traditions/Weston A Price Foundation guidelines, or sharing tips for how to integrate a real foods diet into your life, like this post by Dina-Marie of Cultured Palate, where she shares what she’s learned about cooking nourishing food for a large family

I’m excited about this opportunity, largely because of the encouragement and accountability it will provide me as I continue on this path to a traditional foods diet. I still feel that I have a long way to go, but if I’m going to be “preaching” it, I’d better be living it as much as possible!

So… click on over to see my recipe for a Spring Green Frittata!

As soon as I saw this quote, I knew it had to made into a cute little poster! So I asked Kimi for her permission to whip this up. She said yes, so here it is!

Pin it: http://pinterest.com/pin/253046072785769621/

It’s no secret that I love, love, love a good cup of coffee. I love the ritual and pleasure of a nice cup of rich black coffee – the smell, the taste, everything.

But lately, I’ve been developing a real affinity for tea as well. Partially as a result of trying to limit my caffeine intake in the interest of health, partially because coffee was getting to be a bit – dare I say it? – boring, day after day. I needed to find an alternative for those days when I wanted a warm cup of something, but just didn’t feel like another coffee. Don’t worry though – tea, as much as I’m growing to love it, will never replace coffee in my mind or in my life. They are completely different drinks and comparing them is, pardon the cliché, like comparing apples and oranges.

And so, I’m learning that tea definitely has a place in my life. I’ve been tasting my way through the teas in our cupboard, and we have a surprising variety. When you frequent a discount grocery that sells good teas (brands like Traditional Medicinals, Yogi, Tazo, Mighty Leaf, and of course, Twinings,) for $1.25 a box, it’s hard to resist throwing an interesting-looking blend or two in the cart. When it comes to most black tea, I can take it or leave it – although, a friend gave me a few bags of Lapsang souchong and I found it quite yummy with a splash of milk, as pictured above, and surprisingly not nearly as smoky-tasting as it smells, and I will always love Earl Grey – but I really do love a good herbal blend, and even a cup of plain peppermint is enjoyable.

I don’t remember if the first cup of tea I ever had was a stoneware mug of hot, milky, sweet black pekoe in my grandmother’s kitchen, or out of a plastic Tupperware tumbler with a sippy lid while lying on the couch with a stomach bug, made for me by Mom, lukewarm with just a splash of milk and the littlest bit of sugar. Regardless, I’ve always associated tea with relaxation and comfort, which is why it doesn’t work for me early in the morning. But sometimes, a moment to relax with a cup of herbal tea is all the afternoon pick-me-up I need. I like that.

Smelling: Eucalyptus oil, as I’m using it in an attempt to combat spring allergies.

Seeing: green, green, and more green. also, flowers!

Hearing: early-morning birdsong.

Tasting: UNREAL peanut chocolate candies (M&Mish) – a little treat before starting a 5-day juice fast tomorrow.

Feeling: so very, very sad for Boston, MA and West, TX.

The Goat Herder and his Lots and Lots and Lots of Goats from Will Rose on Vimeo.

A few months ago, when we were decorating for Christmas, I grabbed two old books from the shelf downstairs – one red, one green – to add to a little vignette I put together on the buffet in the kitchen. Neither of the books had anything to do with Christmas other than the colors; the green one was about pond life, the red one was about farming.

I have no idea where we got this little book – the free pile at the library, perhaps, or maybe a yardsale, auction, or used bookstore – but I found it to be quite an interesting read, full of simple yet practical information relating to farming and homesteading. It appears to be a first edition, with a 1904 copyright.

In addition to the text, it is illustrated with a number of drawings and color plates, and I found some leaves, plants, and flowers pressed between some of the pages. 

My favorite chapter so far is the one on home dairying, and although it was written with the cow in mind as the dairy animal of choice, there are a lot of good tips regarding the care of dairy animals, proper handling of milk, sanitation of milking equipment, and a bit of information on churning butter.

I just thought it was a very interesting book!

If you’d like to take a look at the book, it’s available here on Project Gutenberg. If you’d like to own your own copy, there’s a revised print edition,* as well as a Kindle e-book,* on Amazon.

*Affiliate links

Triad

Tenor

Lyra

Baxter

Too much cuteness!

RoomToGrow RodeoQueso Fiona, March 8, 2011 – March 6, 2013

I miss you, my sweet Nona-girl.

“my symphony” – w. h. channing   font: Mathlete

Smelling: Tomato sauce simmering on the stove… mmmm.

Seeing: Grey skies and snow flurries in the morning, sunshine and blue skies that same afternoon.

Hearing: This song has been in my heart and on my lips this week.

Tasting: Grapefruit for breakfast. Lentil Stew, adapted slightly from this recipe from Food Loves Writing. And coffee, always coffee.

Feeling: Terribly impatient and tired of waiting to meet the goat babies that will be arriving soon.

*note* I know that a few of my readers had subscribed to my blog through email. If you’re wondering why you haven’t been getting updates, here’s the scoop: when I accidentally deleted my blog, it made the email subscriptions inactive. So, if you wish to receive updates via email, you’ll need to subscribe again. Sorry!