Warm Wishes

I wish you....

 LOVE

 

PEACE

 

HEALTH

JOY

LIGHT

 

HOPE

 

Dear friends,

May you have a very Merry Christmas,

and a Happy, Healthy New Year!

 

Blessings and Love

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comfort Food

As we deal with the recent events...as our hearts and prayers go out, and we know that no words or sentiments can ameliorate what Newton is going through....we try to comfort each other, 
and perhaps even  seek some comfort and order for

  ourselves amidst  the chaos....

palomasea

On this gray Sunday....
a Donna Hay cook up with dear blog friend  
Dzintra, was just what I needed...

 issue 64




For the main meal....

Harissa Chicken with  Spiced Eggplant
p.42

palomasea

 
 I actually made my own Harissa paste..
Just looked at the ingredients on the tube at the grocery store...
I mixed cayenne, crushed garlic, salt, 
olive oil, cumin, and smoked paprika...
Turned out well, I think... 
The lemon sauce on the eggplant 
was a surprising flavor combination, but very yummy...
All of this Mediterranean goodness was served 
on a bed of steamed collard greens...



The real comfort came at dessert....

palomasea

This is Chocolate Three-Milk Cake...(p.139)
topped with a tangy yogurt and vanilla frosting...
Soaked in a combo of condensed and plain milk with melted chocolate...
oh boy.

I modified both recipes a bit so that  
I could use as much of what I already had on hand.

Thank you dear Dzintra...and Donna Hay...


Peace and comfort to all....


 
palomasea
 



Please visit Dzintra's lovely blog to see which luscious meal she prepared....

 Blessings
 

Fetching Fechin

 NICOLAI FECHIN

One of the greatest cultural treasures of 

the Twin Cities is 

The Museum of Russian Art...

TMORA

Housed in a former church, the museum founders chose to preserve the beautiful Spanish-Colonial Revival architecture.

Inside, the feeling is airy, spacious, yet cozy....

TMORA

The only museum in the U.S. primarily dedicated 

to Russian and former Soviet art and culture....

TMORA

They have a fantastic permanent collection, as well as rotating exhibits which are coordinated with museums all over the world.

On this particular visit, the featured 20th 

century Russian artist was Nicolai Fechin...

1881-1955

FECHIN

Are you familiar with this artist?

His name was entirely new to me, and I am so excited to discover Fechin's stunning body of work.

FECHIN

.FECHIN

FECHIN

FECHIN

FECHIN

FECHIN

FECHIN

FECHIN

FECHIN

FECHIN

Soulful portraits, beautiful still-life, 

landscapes, sketches....

All 35 of Nicolai Fechin's featured works were food for my soul that day.

The artist was born in Kazan, Russia. 

The difficult post-Revolution situation forced Fechin to emigrate 

to the United States with his wife and daughter.

They eventually settled in Taos, New Mexico, where his home is now 

preserved as the Taos Art Museum,

founded by his daughter, Eya...

Portrait by Seamus Berkeley

A happy December to everyone!

May you find something in each day to feed your soul beautifully....

xoxo

Thankful....

From my heart and home to yours.....

Wishing everyone an abundance of love this Thanksgiving.....

Thankful for YOU!

xoxo

Moving Forward

said Albert Einstein....

 Although not in Hurricane Sandy's path, 

it seems like this past week my mind and heart have been right there....

Worrying about friends, family, and the people (and animals) of the entire East Coast has left many of us feeling helpless, shocked, and overwhelmed. Short of sending prayers, money, supplies...
there is not much else one can do to ease the burden
of what, for thousands of people, amounts to building new lives. 

My apologies for not visiting dear blog friends lately....and to paraphrase the wise Mr. Einstein...if I do not keep moving, I may just lose my balance.

To lighten the mood a bit, and perhaps inspire, I would love to share the work of a couple of bloggers who are very dear to me.

The lovely, kind-hearted Jocelyn at zendoll
creates beautiful, one-of-a-kind, inspirational jewelry and charms...

 Jocelyn's Etsy

This beauty is up-cycled....

 Etsy







Jocelyn also creates the most charming collage paintings...

 

Thank you Jocelyn, for your kindness and beautiful friendship....





Through the Eyes of a Young Photographer 
 is a brand new blog, featuring our everyday world as it is viewed through the eyes of a sixth grader...

 

I was not born with this "eye" for good photography....but my mother had it. 
She rarely left the house without her camera.

Skipping a generation...
my daughter is happily carrying on the tradition...


Wishing everyone a happy week...
Wishing strength and hope to our fellow sisters and brothers on the coast.

 

Can't wait to catch up with all of you!

Mother Nature

Today I am thinking of everyone on the East Coast.

Praying for the safety and well-being of all....

 

We had a taste of winter this past week...

Can you see the little white snowflakes in the photo?

The flakes were actually quite large, and the strong northern wind was relentless...

 A little taste of winter in October.

 

That unexpected snowfall made me stop....listen to the wind...

watch the magical flakes perform their silent acrobatics...

I was overcome with reverence and gratitude....

 Leah Flores

Take care and be safe, dear friends....

From Russia With (Paper) Love

I hope everyone is having a great start to the week...
As you can see, Autumn is in her full glory here...
I am constantly in awe of this colorful miracle of nature.
With a chill in the air, I am thinking of the upcoming holidays...the entertaining, the gifts, the snow! :)  
Are some of you in full-blown planning mode? 
When it comes to giving presents, I have become more aware of my desire to gift handmade treasures. 
Thanks to brilliant artists like Anita at Castles Crowns and Cottages, I have an increased appreciation for paper artistry. I try to create my own cards, but anything beyond this is still mysterious and challenging for me! 
Enter my kind and talented niece-in-law, Maya....

Maya lives in Moscow, and to my delight and surprise, she has been busy creating these paper confections! I had no idea that she had this gift until I was introduced to her blog here. It is in Russian, but a translate tab should open up at the top, if you would like to visit.

They are all so beautiful! As I was admiring from afar, and wondering "How does she do that?", she surprised me with these treasures delivered to my doorstep....

An ornate, gorgeous little box....

A lovely holiday card....

A precious Birthday card...look at the sweet crochet work...

Stamped on the back in Russian
"Made With Love"
Indeed it was.


Thank you lovely Maya!

Have a beautiful day, dear friends!
xoxo