Super Keen Sunday

The Present: Image by Me

The snow is melting this morning in drips and drops. I can hear crows calling to one another across the tree tops, perhaps notifying all about some tasty biscotti crumbs to be found in my back yard. Perhaps they are merely telling long and involved jokes about humans and our silly ways. Perhaps they are telling one another of forgiveness for transgressions by others. Or maybe they are just yelling for the hell of it, I dunno. On with the Spirit of the Season and all the Goodness and Keen.

Your Daily Keen Things:

I made a large outside tree ornament. I filled a tin pie plate with water to about 2/3 and inch and added gummy bears and carrot sticks. I added a twist tie loop on the side and then left it outside over night to freeze. As of today, three gummy bears are missing. And there are some squirrels with red lips laughing at me from the trees. You can use birdseed, too. Your furry and fluffy and feathery friends will appreciate it.

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I am in the process of helping a few clients establish a Carbon Offset program. If you go to this site you may calculate your carbon footprint and contract to have trees planted to offset all that television watching, mall-hopping and snow-blower energy use. Think about it. It is a good thing.


http://conservationfund.org/gozero

I drink a lot of tea. I enjoy trying different types, though my favorite ones are loose leaf, because I enjoy the ceremony of the brewing of the tea. It involves Patience. Something we *all* need to learn more about.

Indie Finds.com

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Your Daily Wonderful Design:

I am a sucker for innovative architecture. When I saw this I gasped. I want one. Like, now.

CharlotteSkeneCatling

"The conversion of a former Dairy to a five bedroom, three bathroomvhouse with a small bathing pool. The challenge was to complementvthe existing structures with minimal external impact, while opening up the interior to create a flowing, unified, internal space.

Local materials such as estate oak, and stone rescued from the site during excavation were used throughout, and the aesthetic of the new structure was influenced by the raw planks stacked with spacers for drying in the barns opposite the site."

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Your Daily Inspiring Words: A human being is a part of the whole, called by us "Universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest~ a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. ~ Albert Einstein

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Your Daily Wicked-Good Food:

Really. Try it. I know it sounds weird. But it is really very, very tasty. Addictive, even

Sticky Pig Candy

Ingredients:

1/4 lb breakfast bacon, sliced

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp ginger powder

Preheat the oven to 200°C (~390° Fahrenheit) and switch the circulating fan on, if available. Line a tray with parchment paper and place the bacon stripes flat next to each other.

Prepare the spiced sugar by mixing together the brown sugar, the cayenne pepper and the powdered ginger in a small bowl. Evenly spread the spiced sugar with a teaspoon over the bacon stripes. Try not to scatter too much of it on the parchment paper itself, because it will burn there very fast and turn black.

Bake on the middle level for 10 to 15 minutes or until the sugar has melted completely and the bacon has gained some color. Don’t leave the bacon unattended, it’s only a short moment from crisp to burnt!

Remove the tray, immediately lift up the caramelized bacon slices with a spatula (don’t burn yourself!), before the sugar hardens again. Best eaten still warm. A definite ice-breaker for every party!

(Source: http://www.deliciousdays.com