This and That: Beautiful Skies and Various Hobbies

The beautiful sky that greeted my Saturday evening.

Beyond getting rid of clutter I've been preparing for Fall and Winter projects and making a bit of progress.

In February I purchased the fabrics on the left side of the collage (all cotton).

On the weekend I purchased the fabrics on the right of the collage (all cotton, viscose, rayon and bamboo).

I want to make some summer dresses or outfits but I haven't found the right patterns yet. 

I keep looking on line for inspiration and ideas.

I still need notions to undertake the various projects.

These are not for my winter wardrobe. These are in preparation for next summer so I still have plenty of time to find just the right inspiration for the clothing.

The white interfacing at the top of the right hand pile is for a project I hope to make for one of my brothers.This one I'm hoping to start before winter arrives.

The olive green dress below is one I got a Kenyan seamstress to make for my late mom. 

The seamstress was amazing as she sewed up 3 dresses for me virtually overnight.

African women seem to sew without patterns as they know how to measure and cut for various styles.

They are quite amazing in this way.

 I had two similar dresses made for my mom and one for me. I wanted mom's dresses in a very simple cut and wide enough for comfort when seated. I also wanted large pockets in the front of the dress for easy accessibility when seated in a wheelchair.

Mom loved her dresses and at her home going ceremony I made sure to dress her in one. This is the one I have left and on hot summer days I wear it around the house. If I want to wear it out I would have to alter it.

These next few photos are from my community garden plot. I had a good crop of beans and zucchini this year. 

I don't think I'll grow zucchini next year though as they take too  much room in the small plot.

The sunflowers grew very well but the leaves had spots on them.

I will have to try and learn what caused the spotting and check to see whether other

sunflower growers had similar issues.

I harvested kale and lettuce from the small garden.  I could not use up all the kale but the lettuce really didn't grow large enough or plentiful enough though I did enjoy a salad or two. I've had more success growing lettuce in containers on my balcony.  This year in my patio garden I grew mostly flowers which were growing nicely until end of July then all of sudden the garden dried up. I also grew cherry tomatoes and strawberries which grew well.  The peppers, eggplant and zucchini didn't grow well. The herbs grew quickly but sadly, mostly went unused. 

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In Kenya, Eunice remains at the private hospital so we have had no forward movement in getting her to hospital. But since I posted this on Wednesday night she took a turn for the worse and is back in Intensive Care. The family is desperately trying to raise funds for her further treatment.
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Ernest had the plaster changed on his leg and is healing well.

A young friend was robbed of his phone a few weeks ago while riding public transport called matatu (basically a shared taxi van). One really needs a smart phone to survive in Kenya (perhaps in most of Africa these days) as Kenyans do a lot of money transactions via phone and also need to keep in contact with friends and family. Thankfully a young Canadian woman offered to help purchase a new phone for him. That was an answer to my specific prayers.

In other good news, one of the young men I helped to finish an Engineering degree finally got a refund from the university he had been hoping to attend this year.
It took almost 8 months to get the money back.
We are grateful since universities in Kenya  are notorious for being broke.
This is another answer to a specific prayer.
For some odd reason the university insisted on making the refund cheque out to my young friend's mother despite the fact that he is of age and she did not pay his tuition.
This approach had great potential to cause other problems but thankfully everything worked out fine and very soon he will have the funds put into his own bank account.
These funds are needed to apply to graduate school.
More on that as time goes by.


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By the time this post is published I hope to be enjoying my visit with my niece so I will "see" you once our visit is over and she has returned home.

 I close with one more photo of the misty mountains.

I really love the sky.

Joining up with

Skywatch Friday

Hearty Eating ~ Hamburger, Bean, Tomato Stew

Kidney beans are one of my favourite types of beans. I soaked and cooked a bag of beans earlier in the week which were used in a few different dishes.  I used the majority of the cooked beans to make a bean-tomato-hamburger stew.

Ingredients:

• 1 chopped medium onion
• chopped green tops from 2-3 leeks or a few stalks of celery or zucchini
• 3 finely chopped garlic cloves 
• 1 can stewed & diced tomatoes or use 3-4 chopped fresh tomotoes
• 1 can of tomato paste
• 1 can of water
• 2 tsp. of dried chili peppers
• a few splashes of soy sauce  
• 1-2 pounds of ground beef 

Method:

Brown the ground beef on low heat so you don't need any oil. Cook well and add a bit of soy sauce to taste and colour. Add onions, green tops from the leeks and fresh garlic and cook well. I used leek tops because I made leek and potato soup the other day and didn't want these to go to waste. I don't suggest you buy them just to use in this recipe. You can use celery or another vegetable of your choice. Zucchini would be nice.

Once the veggies are cooked you can add the large can of stewed tomatoes and the small can of tomato paste. Fill the empty large tomato can with water and add it to the hamburger and vegetable mixture.  Simmer the mixture for another 20-30 minutes.

This is quite a nice, thick hearty stew. It is not chili though if you want it hot you can certainly use a lot more chili peppers.  I think a nice dish of brown rice and/or salad would be good with this stew.  I won't be eating mine with rice because I added a bit of leftover rice from the other day right into the stew so it wouldn't go to waste.

This stew is made ahead for the week. Every week I try a different type of bean
or pulse and make meals around that particular item. Next time I will likely use green lentils.

Kidney beans are good for: cancer prevention, brain function, blood sugar, sulfite detoxification, digestive tract health, cardiovascular issues, energy levels and bone strength.  They are also high in protein (comparable to that found in meat or diary).

What about your dear reader?

Do you like kidney beans?

A New Dish

Would you take a moment to click on the badge to the upper right of this blog &  read the story of Elvis, the young Kenyan who is trying to finish his last year of university?

We would greatly appreciate it.

We seek donations and ambassadors to raise awareness of this young man's need. Would you consider it? You will find all the buttons and information you need by clicking on the bad. Thanks so much!

I apologize for the poor lighting in this photo.

As I adjust to a more rigorous way of eating  I have to try and find a menu of foods that will satisfy a number of criteria.  Foods that can be put together without too much fuss.  Foods that will keep my blood sugar levels balanced.  And foods that are interesting enough to eat over the long term. Part of my new diet includes eating enough pulses and grains daily to keep me full and keep my blood sugar more evenly balanced.  This first week or so has seen my blood sugars going wildly up and down since I'm also experimenting with different foods and noting the effects on blood sugar levels.  It's been a bit hard on me for one doesn't feel good whether the sugar is high or low but but I have begun to see things level out to more acceptable blood sugar levels so that is the good news.  The other good news is that the new way of eating while not easy is made a bit easier because I've already had a lot of practice soaking and cooking various pulses and grains, and practise eating a variety of fruits and vegetables.  I also have canned beans on hand for those occasions when I don't have time to soak and cook dried beans.  My challenge is in having enough of all the right foods in the larder. My room mate has not joined me in dietary changes so having every food we need on hand is an even bigger challenge.

Last week I prepared beans and put them in green salads.  This week I wanted something different so decided to make a cous cous dish.  After looking at a few recipes on line, I put this dish together with a few adaptations.

Ingredients:

• 3-4  cups cooked (in broth) cous cous
• 1 cup of cooked kidney beans (you can substitute another bean)
• 1/2 chopping red pepper
• 1/2 chopped red onion
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or to your taste0
• 1/2 cup chopped or whole black olives (pit removed)
• 1 small bunch of cilantro
• 1 small bunch of parsley
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• feta cheese

Directions:

1. Saute onion, pepper and garlic in the olive oil. Cook until the red pepper is soft enough to your liking.
2. When the onion is transparent and red pepper is cooked, add the beans and olives.
3. Add parsley and cilantro and stir together well.
4. Add cooked (warm/hot) cous cous into the mixture.

Serve hot or cold and garnished with sprinkles of parsley/cilantro and crumbled feta cheese.
Serves 5-6

Let me know if you try it and if you like it!

Meatless Dinner

This dish was inspired by a dish prepared by fellow blogger and artist extraordinaire, Kelly Clarkson at Umber Dove.

My dish is not as artfully created as it is what I call a "throw together" dish and it hit the spot for me today. I've been wanting to go meatless several times a week/month, or whenever the mood strikes.  This is to help health and my pocketbook.  I've been using more and more varieties of beans which I usually cook from scratch, and also a lot more variety of vegetables and fruits, for some time.  So the meatless meals is a progression in  my changing eating habits.

Kelly's dish inspired me to experiment with adzuki or red beans.  I promptly went out and bought a bag of dried adzuki beans after reading her post. I originally intended to make the rice and bean bowl as per her recipe, but instead today I used the beans in stir fry.  I intend to make Kelly's rice bowl another day.

On the left side of my plate (in the photo) is a stir fry made up of chopped onions and fresh chopped garlic sauteed in a bit of oil.  I added the following spices to taste: curry powder, paprika powder, salt and pepper. I then added sliced green cabbage, sliced carrots, chunks of zucchini and the cooked adzuki beans which I prepared the night before.

Cook the beans and veggies until the vegetables are to your taste. I like my veggies on the crunchy side but I do like my cabbage a little more tender so I cook that for awhile before adding the other veggies.  I added some boiled yams as a side dish. I like them plain with a little salt.

Later, I will have some Greek yogurt and fresh fruit for dessert.  If I get with the program I may even try to bake some dessert squares, called Oatmeal Scotchies. These you can find over at my blogging friend, Katy's blog.  I can probably freeze these to have on hand and to take to an outing I am going to on the weekend.

If you missed the update on Edwin, please click here.

Beans, Beans, Beans

Today on my walk I managed to find a brand of lentils and beans that I haven't tried before. The price also seems a little cheaper than the usual offering at the other stores I frequent.  So I picked up a few bags of several types of beans and green lentils.

Right now I'm soaking garbanzo beans and pinto beans and thinking of what to make with them.

These new to me garbanzo recipes look like something I would like to try.   

Garbanzo Bean Medley

1 tsp. olive oil
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, sliced thin
1 clove garlic, chopped (optional)
1 can garbanzo beans (I'll use "from scratch" beans as they have no preservatives)
1/8 tsp. fresh pepper
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a skillet  and saute green pepper for 2 minutes, add onions and garlic; saute until soft. Add beans, pepper and salt; saute until well blended and heated through. Serves 4.

Notes:  I will use red peppers instead of green ones because I prefer the taste and colour.

Garbanzo Bean Soup

 

1 lb. garbanzo beans (the recipe calls for dried but I'm using "made from scratch" beans)
8 c. water
1/2 c. olive oil
1 lg. onion, diced
1/2 clove garlic, diced
4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
2 bay leaves
1/2 (6 oz.) can tomato sauce
1/2 (6 oz.) can stewed tomatoes
4 med. size potatoes, peeled

Saute onions in olive oil and when tender add all other ingredients with the exception of stewed tomatoes and pepper. Saute for 2 more minutes. Bring garbanzo to a boil and add all ingredients. Lower heat to low and boil until tender. More water or salt may be added to taste. Cook until potatoes are done. If you would like a thicker consistency.mash some of the beans and potatoes.

I'll probably use the pinto beans for some make ahead chili, as in this recipe but I'll use pinto beans instead of kidney beans. 

The health benefits of beans are many:  they lower cholesterol and promote digestive health, promote  heart health, stabilizes blood sugar levels. The beans also have antioxidants in them and can help manage your weight by giving a feeling of fullness (satiety).  Garbanzo beans contain molybdenum, manganese, folate, fiber, tryptophan, protein, calcium, phosphorous and iron. 

I was surprised to learn that garbanzo beans may be one of the world's oldest, cultivated bean.  I was also surprised to read that India supplies the vast majority of the world's garbanzo beans; something like 80-90%! Other producers of garbanzo beans are Pakistan, Turkey, Ethiopia and Mexico.

This chart is a bit old but I don't think that the bean production levels haven't changed too dramatically.

Recently I learned two tips for cutting down on the gas in cooked beans. The first tip is not to cook the beans in the same water in which you soak them. The second tip, is to change the water part way through the bean cooking process. I tried the latter tip last time I made beans and it really worked.

What about you dear reader?

Do you have tips you use to cut down on gas from cooked beans?