Another blissful-restful weekend I am spending. I love to spend time at home and be just  cozy and warm with a plethora of things I like to do. So while I do my laundry or  turn the  dishwasher on, I can do something else that I  enjoy. To be  productive with my  hands gives me joy no end. It seems that every weekend I feel a need to create or do something that gives me satisfaction whether it be food or a project. I made  a simple dessert from  sticky rice flour  and tapioca cooked in coconut milk and brown sugar. Steve loves it---that surely doubles my satisfaction of having made it.
        

                           

This morning I  stopped by the farmer's market and got me (this time) a purple cauliflower, two butternut squash, a bundle of kale (my new favorite greens) and a bunch of cilantro (my all-time favorite herb aside from  basil).

As usual, the beauty of the cauliflower (with its intense purple) holds me from cooking it too soon. (I'll probably start eating it as a crudite  slathered with some  onion dip---then cook the rest in curry and achar masala). Meanwhile, like its beauteous cousin (the purple broccoli), I let it sit on a goblet to grace my  wee dining table  and give my eyes to feast on for a day or two.

Here she is...my artsy craft for the  day:

                      

I do not have fish in my fridge right now but I guess I will be eating one very soon (one of these days) as I made my favorite condiment to eat with one whole fried fish---head, eyes and all.  I will always have time to make cilantro hot sauce.

                                      cilantro hot sauce

Last Friday, I contacted someone in  New York City who  teaches tatting at her home. I got really excited with the prospect of learning the craft. I wish I checked out youtube first before I emailed this tatting lady who graciously emailed me back with information regarding the lessons. In the afternoon today, while my favorite guys went to the library, I spent time learning the art of tatting. I've seen someone in my past make  lace (as a requirement for an home-economics project) but I have never tried it myself. I ordered a  book to have something on print and also watched tutorials on youtube. I just do not have the shuttles to start yet so by the time the sun set, my hands were itching to create something again and there  by my side table I saw my crochet needle and thread and started making some  snowflakes. (How apropo---winter is coming isn't it? Although I must admit, I already have a  gazillion snowflakes I crocheted a few years back for my Christmas tree) I find crocheting more snowflakes (still) fun.
 
                                            snowflakes pictures here

I started my Saturday with a drive to the middle school to drop off my little Zachary for his gymnastics and soccer classes. He really looks forward to these activities doing  forward rolls and kicking balls, and nothing else. (When I probe deeper, he tells me they played duck-duck-goose-goose in his soccer class) Going back home, I had two hours to kill (not a lot of time considering the clutter I have to straighten up), I stopped by the farmer's market and browsed through the items. A purple veggie I mistook for cauliflower kept calling my name so I thought I'd make a pot of  spicy curried (with achar masala) cauliflower that will make Steve happy (and healthy). When I paid for it, the vendor corrected me and said it is a broccoli [confused, I looked at the other stall where I thought I reall saw a purple cauliflower....and it was a cauliflower in the other stall, ONLY  much much deeper purple]. I've never seen a purple broccoli before.

When I got home, I inspected this broccoli in my hands and marvelled at its smoky purpleness. I realized I could not bring myself to cook this purple princess, so I trimmed its leaves and ensconced it on a goblet to grace my little dining table. It looked very happy and comfortable where I put it. I could almost read the florets' thoughts..."we are so pretty we might not be eaten afterall."

I continued to marvel at it through the day as I passed the table going here and there doing housechores. I sometimes pause to touch its purple wonder...I think to myself, "What am I going to do with you, oh  purple princess? You look so delicious---but you are too beautiful to cook." 

To get my mind off the dainty thing sitting on my table---I started to bake bread---reminiscent of a usual breakfast item back home. We used to have pan de sal (like rolls) with cheese and dunked in coffee in the morning. Lead me to nostalgia lane. People walk to the panaderia early every morning to get their  brown bags of pandesal. The same happens about 3 in the afternoon when people  eat their merienda (snack), this time  usually paired with  Coca-cola.

As dusk approached, two other items I picked up for good health now sitting in the  basket caught my attention. I swear they were saying "psst...pssst." (this is a very informal way Philippinoys catch other  Philippinoys attention. These red and orange beets, powerhouses of antioxidants stared me in the face as though asking---"are you gonna leave us to wilt  here in this basket?" I usually make use of  their leaves too (why throw a good source  of fiber when it's there?) I thought a good  boiling, dash of salt and pepper and drizzle of olive oil will highlight its delicious flavor.

These beauteous Latinas (they look to me, so colorful and full of life) attended our dinner as a side dish and they were surely devoured lavishly with a great smacking sound of the  lips.

Delicious indeed!!!