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more Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving 2010

Lemon Curd Bars

I found this at allrecipes.com. It's different from most lemon bar recipes due to the lemon curd, coconut, and almonds.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour (substituted millet flour)
1 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
10-oz. jar lemon curd
2/3 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup toasted and chopped or slivered almonds
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter. Add flour, sugar, baking soda. Mix until coarse crumbs form.
3. Pat 2/3 of the crust mixture into the bottom of one 8-inch square baking dish or 9 X 13 baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove and cool.
4. Spread lemon curd over baked layer. Add coconut and almonds to remaining crumb mixture. Sprinkle over top of lemon curd.
5. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool before serving.

More About Turkey

Librarian and quilter Kathie Enright Boucher recommended BIRDS WITHOUT WINGS, a fascinating historical novel by British author Louis de Bernieres. Finishing all 554 pages in about a week while I work and teach is testament in itself to this compulsively readable, resplendent, fascinating tale set in southwestern Anatolia. De Bernieres expertly weaves perninent chapters about Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's remarkable life into the lives of his fictitious characters residing in a rural village at the end of the Ottoman Empire. Rich in vocabulary, BIRDS WITHOUT WINGS is an enchanting story.

Dr. Gill, art historian at the University of Maryland, recommended TRICKSTER TRAVELS: A SIXTEENTH-CENTURY MUSLIM BETWEEN WORLDS by Natalie Zemon Davis, history professor at Princeton. I have only just begun reading this history of Leo Africanus who was born al-Hasan al-Wazzan to a Muslim family that moved to Morocco in 1492

Dixie & Linda at MAQF 2010

More MAQF 2010

Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival 2010

My favorites from MAQF at the convention center in Hampton are not necessarily the same ones picked by the judges. Dixie Jennings attended with me and agreed that some quilts that received no ribbons seemed better choices for prizes than some of those selected. These pictures are of creations that appealed to me.

Holiday Antics

Thanksgiving

Knoxville, TN 2009

Terrific Birthday

Is it possible to have celebrted one's sixty-fifth birthday and not realize one is that old?

Levantine Carrot Salad

A cool front has come through making it perfect weather for soup. I prepared mercimek corba and salata for lunch. This LEVANTINE CARROT SALAD recipe from Still Life with Menu Cookbook by Mollie Katzen is reminiscent of salads we were served in
Turkey in which steamed carrots and other vegetables are marinated and served with yogurt dressing. Here are the salad ingredients:
3/4 cup chick peas
1 1/2 lbs. carrots
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1/4 cup finely minced parsley
4 slender scallions, minced
2 teaspoons dried dill
1 teaspoon salt
freshly gound pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1. Peel carrots, and cut into 1 1/2-inch long matchsticks. Steam about ten minutes, until tender. Rinse with cold water, and drain well.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well, cover tightly, and refrigerate for several hours.
3. Prepare topping by thoroughly mixing or blending the following ingredients:
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup yogurt
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, minced
dash of salt

The Byzantium Table

In sixth-century Constantinople, the more affluent Byzantines could "add the meat of hares and birds...or even lamb. For dessert, there were grape leaves stuffed with cinnamon, currants, and pastries filled with nuts and honey or stuffed with jam. Unlike the barbarian custom of smearing bread with animal fat, the Byzantines dipped their food in olive oil, and they filled out the meal with fresh fish, fruits, and various wines. A man's worth could be judged, so they said, by his table" (Worth, 2009, 116-117).

Books I'm Reading

What did the ancient Romans use for toilet paper?

Certainly not papyrus or parchment! Popular with tourists are the slabs of marble with holes in them that served as public toilets. We sat on them at Ephesus. What's the deal with the pear-shaped holes? Senators and others who may have strolled along the agora would have modestly sat on the toilets, arranging the folds of their robes to cover all private parts. If they did not have slaves accompanying them to take care of necessities, they had to do it themselves. A natural sea sponge attached to a long stick served as the wiping device. The smaller part of the toilet opening, like the neck of the pear, was large enough for the sponge. When it was withdrawn, it was cleaned in the water trough and left for the next person using the public toilets.

100% Handmade Artwork

The Turkish carpet that I purchased in Avanos has arrived! Because it's made of wool and cotton, the pattern is intricate, making it more valuable than a solid wool carpet. The reverse side, in fact, is nearly as lovely as the front. Woven in Kaysuri by the Yun Bunyan family (Turkish-Armenian), the design is a medallion surrounded by an arabesque motif. I knew I liked it the minute I saw it in the weaving demonstration room, but had no idea that it would be within my budget. Indeed, it is lovely.