The best tomato sauce, ever…

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I subscribe to Martha Stewart Living magazine and every now and then there is a recipe in an issue that turns out to be amazing and, by that, I mean both very tasty and not hard to make. The MSL Roasted Cherry-Tomato Sauce has become my new favorite thing to eat!

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I didn’t actually make it, Steve did. He’s probably going to be tinkering with the recipe a bit because that’s what he does but it was wonderful as written. It’s not exactly a ‘tomato sauce’, it’s more of a juicy-roasted-squishy tomato topper that is good on many things… pasta, bread, salad, etc.

We’re going to try making it with larger tomatoes because my tomato plant will (I hope) produce lots of big tomatoes :-). I suspect Steve will cut them into wedges, but maybe not. At any rate, if you are looking for something quick and tasty for dinner, try this!

UPDATE: We tried it with bigger tomatoes last night and it was just OK. Lots more juice and less intense flavor. Next year I’ll plant cherry tomatoes.

 

 

She’s Peaseblossom!

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The Downtown Sherman Preservation and Revitalization organization has done something new… they are producing A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a (relatively new) outdoor amphitheater in a local park. Our very own Shakespeare in the Grove was great fun!.

Steve and I, and many others, attended the first show last night. We took our lawn chairs and breathed outside air and watched the play as the sun went down. Our granddaughter, Elanor/Peaseblossom, was the first person onstage which gave us both a big grin!

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It rained a couple of hours before the show started and a small shower moved through during the first act. It left a rainbow in its wake…

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As the rain came down the audience mostly moved under cover, on the stage floor. It was then that I got this quick photo of Peaseblossom and the lead Fairy, Sarah. After the rain, the show went on.

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This production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is being put on by gifted and enthusiastic thespians. Many talented people from our area worked together to start a new tradition, one that I hope will grow and prosper. I’m looking forward to seeing another production of Shakespeare in the Grove next year!

There are 5 more performances as I write this… tonight and tomorrow, and next weekend: June 6, 7, and 8.

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The wonderful wheel of color…

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Three of my friends at C&T (Lynn Koolish, Kerry Graham, and Mary Wruck have written a book about color, and the ‘Wonderful Wheel Of Color’ for kids and I’ve gotta say that I am impressed! (FYI, you’ll find this book on my site here.)

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First, the color information is written for kids but it is not dumbed down. The language is clear and written in a way that kids will relate to. Elanor is already looking forward to getting her hands on this book :-).

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There are plenty of activities. Some are what you would expect in a book about a color wheel with color wheel patterns to paint, collages to make, and designs to color. But there is even more! There are projects perfect for kids, and maybe adults!

Elanor’s BFF, Lola, is coming to visit for 2 weeks this summer. They’ll be spending quite a bit of time at our house and I can see t-shirts…

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…and paper flowers…

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…and hand-sewn stuffies in our future!

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This book is only $12.95! You can find it at pieceocake.com here.

I’ll follow you anywhere…

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You’ve heard that phrase before, right? Blow in my ear and I’ll follow you anywhere…

I don’t watch basketball, but if all games had moments like this I might be tempted to tune in :-).

Signs by the road…

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Also seen while walking:

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This sign is obviously there for drivers but I came upon it while on foot. I could not help but imagine it being there for blind walkers (which makes no sense at all, but there you go). With that thought in my head, I couldn’t help but think that the lovely cactus at the base of the sign was seriously out of place:

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I’ve fallen into cactus before when I was in 2nd grade, so I often have a prickly, tactile response to cactus. I love succulents but I’m staying away from most of the pointy ones.

 

Perspective…

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While walking, I came upon this scene…

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The way those striped things* are placed, each one farther away than the one before, so that your eye is drawn along them—into the distance. I liked the placement, and their orange stripey-ness, and the orange cones in the street. I took more than one picture.

In the next photo, because of where I am standing, those things* are lined up more precisely. You can put yourself where I am, looking down them.

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This vantage point keeps the viewer on the left side of the image. It’s subtle, and it’s interesting. Scroll up to the first photo and you’ll see what I mean.

Why is this so? It’s because the line of those striped things* curves just a bit to the right in the first photo, which leads your eye toward the center of the frame. In the second photo, they are in a straighter line and the endpoint stays on the left side of the frame.

Most quilts, mine as well as those make by others, are designed in such a way as to keep the viewer centered. This makes me want to design a quilt (or quilts) that puts the viewer in a different place.

*What are those things called?!