Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Little Bit o work/ Little Bit o play


I was blessed to be able to spend time this morning with Kristin and Alesia, two of  PWOC Japan's regional board members.  We prayed around the region....what an honor to be able to serve these women.

I was  REALLY determined to get a work out in and then get to the beach...... But first...a project.....

We moved the plastic stuff down low - hoping this will avert the cascading lids and such when an unsuspecting cook opens the cupboard in which they were previously housed.

I'm looking for a curtain to cover the mess....but at least it's reachable.....and it worked well for sorting leftovers tonight.

I moved the spices to the former attack cupboard.....and it worked well to have them closer when cooking. Only took me 3 years to figure THIS one out....good thing we extended for an extra year. LOL
MICHAEL bought the Lawrys for BBQ  - which we've not done much of this summer. 
I began to contemplate Facebook again. I thought about pulling out completely for a time...but I really DO keep up with my PWOC gals and my family that way.....so I can't totally pull back...still evaluating boundaries of all sorts. ::snort::

Yes, we did make it to the beach......and it was a lot of fun.  I plan to spend every possible moment we can because I know winter is coming. Any locals are welcome to join me. LOL

Arielle's photo was blurry.....but...

Zander fought a losing battle with the ocean

Nolan checked out the fish - not many

Stacia loves to float - is there anything better than floating in the OCEAN? 

I SAID she's been growing.... ::snort:: 


Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Roasted Ratatouille with Basic Aioli


Ashley said they eat this once a week....skip the aioli and just toss it with olive oil over pasta.....I plan to make it once a week so I have the left overs for pizza on Friday night....or....YUMMY! The recipe is from "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Cooking."  And evidently....since I didn't know if you EAT the skin of eggplant...or what a yellow summer squash would be I need a whole new line of cookbooks written for me. ::snort:: Thanks, Ashley. 


Prep time: 10 - 15 min 
Cook time: 35-40 min 
Serving Size: 1 1/2 Cups - makes 6 servings

Now - before I share the recipe....I learned not all squash sold in the summer (even yellow) is "summer squash". ::snort:: 



1 large eggplant cut into 1 in cubes
2 med yellow summer squash; cut in 1/2 lengthwise and into 1/2 in chick slices
2 med zucchini, cut in 1/2 lengthwise and cut into 1/2 in slices
1 green bell pepper - cut into 1 in pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 in pieces
1 yellow bell pepper - cut into 1 in pieces
large red onion cut into 1/2 moons 1/4 in thick

1/4 C Olive Oil
2 T garlic, minced
2 T FRESH rosemary or 2 tsp dried - crush a bit with fingers
1 Tb chipped FRESH thyme or 1 tsp dried
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 C cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Basil Aioli - didn't use as I didn't have many of the ingredients
1/2 C  loosely packed basil leaves
2 large garlic cloves
2/3 C Tofu Mayo
1 TB nutritional yeast flakes
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450*. 

In a large bowl combine vegetables, olive oil and spices. 

Transfer to a cookie sheet - spread in single layer. 

Bake for 15 min. Stir, spread out again, bake another 15 min. 

Stir, scatter tomatoes on top. Bake another 8 - 10 min until veggies are tender and lightly browned around edges. 

If you are making aioli - mix spices in food processor and process 1 min until finely chopped. Add Tofu mayo , yeast flakes and lemon and process 1 min. Serve ratatouille hot with aioli on the side. 

Variation: use ratatouille and aioli as filling for split rolls.....

De'Etta's Variations: mix with spaghetti sauce and pasta for lunch the next day, use left over veggies and make a Roasted Veggie Pizza with the Sourdough English Muffin recipe as the crust, mix it in a tortilla....
Michael REQUESTED I send this for lunch tomorrow! 

Michael, Zander and Arielle ATE this....Michael suggest mushrooms and artichokes added next time..... 

And that yellow Squash? It allowed me to pretend I had cheese on top....and I'll mix it with beans and rice or the bit of left over veggies I squirreled away for lunch tomorrow.  LOL 

Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...