The Peaceable Kingdom

Personalized Stationery

nobody@vox.com(Singing Horse) — Mon, 26 May 2008 21:23:25 -0700

I'm copycatting Little Miao...

This is what I've been wanting to do in the last two months: baking more cupcakes, and I'm still trying.

Singinghorse Design

I had a little problem saving the design, probably because of my browser. I'll try again later.

Design yourself here.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

There And Back

nobody@vox.com(Singing Horse) — Mon, 19 May 2008 06:33:22 -0700

I just came back from a long trip, for business. The good part is that now we know for sure that we will be relocating in the summer. Relocating to where is still up in the air since we don't really know which of our options is the best. I still feel really tired, physically and emotionally. I don't take changes very well, especially in the beginning. But now that it's certain we have to move, I'm slowly warming up to the idea of seeing new sceneries and embracing a new environment. My birthday is also coming up really soon. As my life has always been in full swing (maybe still an understatement), I usually just look back, on my birthday, and feel amazed that I have survived till this day without a major setback. So thank God for everything and every day. The only little regret is that I don't feel I've grown a little wiser.

Anyway, I'm glad that I'm back to Vox again. Sorry for being such a lazy neighbor, and I wish everyone a happy day. Hopefully we can continue to share something beautiful and special here while I make the necessary preparations for moving.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

So What The Heck Do We Eat? -- Day 101

nobody@vox.com(Singing Horse) — Thu, 01 May 2008 22:29:17 -0700

It feels like ages before I blogged again. April went by really fast without me noticing much what was going on in Vox. I hope everyone had a wonderful April. I'm learning to live more in the present, so May will be a little different. I haven't been cooking much at all, but I finally caught up a little yesterday. I made a big pot of soup, potato-pea-quinoa soup. I eyeballed everything so the recipe gives you a lot of room for customization according to your own taste.

Potato-Pea-Quinoa Soup with Broccoli and Walnuts

Potato-Pea-Quinoa Soup

3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1 large carrot, finely chopped

1 orange (or green) bell pepper, finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into consistent 1-inch pieces

4 plum tomatoes, chopped

3/4 cup yellow split peas, rinsed

3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed

8-9 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked for 30 minutes and reserve the soaking water, finely chopped

2 1/2 tsp. tarragon

2 1/2 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. sage

1 tsp. oregano

2/3 tsp. parsley

1/2 tsp. rosemary

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 tsp. paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Over medium heat, sauté onions, pepper, carrots and garlic for 8-9 minutes until carrots get a little soft.

2. Add potatoes, tarragon, thyme, sage, oregano, parsley and rosemary. Stir once and cover. Cook for 3-5 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes and 3/4 cup of boiling water. Bring to a boil and lower to simmer. Cook covered for 5 minutes.

4. Add peas, quinoa, and chopped mushrooms and the soaking water. Add 2 bay leaves. Add plenty of water (according to your own preference for the thickness of the soup). Bring to a boil and lower to simmer. Cover. Let the soup simmer for 45 minutes. Stir a few times and check the thickness. Add water or uncover a little to achieve your own desired result.

5. When the soup is done, remove from heat. Add paprika and salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaves.

Serve with croutons or over rice. We had our soup with some steamed broccoli and raw walnuts.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

A Small Hiatus Again... I Hope Things Will Improve

nobody@vox.com(Singing Horse) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 05:53:15 -0700

I'll be gone for several days, maybe a week. Traveling, but not for pleasure. After next week, I'll feel a lot better, I hope. I've been really under a lot of pressure and stress, because I can foresee great changes in our near future. After next week, our life will be very different, in a fantastic way, but still, I don't take changes well. But when I was watching a good movie - Romulus, My father - yesterday, I heard an important line that made me feel much better.

"Things change. But our life is what our thoughts make it."

So, I'll be going with a little more self-assurance. And with God's grace, I'll be returning with a better feeling. Until then, I wish all of my neighbors and everyone a happy week and a productive blogging week. God bless!

Emma Learns Boxing

Sweet Napping Time

Zzzzzz...

Am I Gorgeous? I'm Not Really Asking A Question.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

I Finally Joined Great Cooks Blogroll

nobody@vox.com(Singing Horse) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:26:24 -0700

I had a little conflict about joining Great Cooks Blogroll. I'm not a great cook, so I was looking at Jill McKeever's blogroll for a while, a very long while, without any action. (Jill has a great blog Simple Daily Recipes.) But everyone's food seemed so good, I was more and more tempted every day. Finally, I reached a point where I could justify to myself that I had the goal of becoming a great cook. Here I am, proudly annoucing my new membership in the blogroll.

Well, nobody actually said that I had to be a great cook to join. I was just making fun of my indecision for no reason. So, don't be like me. If your blog is 80% about food, recipes, cooking, baking, food photography, food news, etc., you can join right away! And, please, do join right away. It's a great resource for meal ideas and restaurant reviews and other food-related stuff.

Great Cooks Blogroll

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Kitty Update

nobody@vox.com(Singing Horse) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:51:44 -0700

Emma's been getting better. Her ears are much cleaner now. Her feces are getting better too as she had some solid stool yesterday. Well, I'm still training her not to go sick on food and training myself not to feel too bad when she cries loud for more food. I have to keep her in the kitchen while we eat in the livingroom, otherwise she'll be eating every morsel out of our plates right after her breakfast. In a few days we'll take her to the vet for a more thorough ear cleaning and a re-examination. Enough of the serious report. I wasn't able to blog earlier because Emma apparently thinks she's more qualified to blog when she's not sleeping on my lap or playing. I happen to have a different opinion and my laptop is confiscated by Her Highness.

Kitty Emma Taking Over Voxing...

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Got A Meme From Karyn

nobody@vox.com(Singing Horse) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 21:40:52 -0700

Taken from Karyn...

Describe Me in one word... just one word.

Here's how to play:

1. Put my one word in the comments section of this post. Just one word that you think best describes me.

2. Then copy and paste it into your blog to have others do the same about you.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Foodie Blogroll

nobody@vox.com(Singing Horse) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 00:27:08 -0700

I've finally joined the Foodie Blogroll started and organized by Jenn The Leftover Queen. I've been blogging about food for over a year, so I figured I might as well officially "enlist" myself. For anyone who's interested too, you can easily submit your blog here, whether you cook, eat food, or just like to talk about food.

Foodie Blogroll

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

How Much Is Your Blog Worth?

nobody@vox.com(Singing Horse) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 04:12:49 -0700

This is totally unexpected! I thought that my blog would be worth like 2 cents. I mean I'm really trying hard to have my own style and do better in many areas, like the writing, photography, contents, and pretty much everything. I'm so excited now.

I've noticed that embedding a widget is not that easy in Vox. Is it just me? ~~I guess I might have to live with this huge space above.~~ I finally got rid of the big space above by specifying a height. Phew!

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

A Small Hiatus

nobody@vox.com(Singing Horse) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 22:02:15 -0800

I've been busy with work in the past few days. I haven't been reading blogs or blogging. I haven't been cooking or doing anything really worth blogging. I only made a new banner after finding two wonderful photos in the Vox Banners group. I guess I've already missed at least a few interesting things in my Vox neighborhood. So I might as well just take a short break now. Maybe I'll be able to do something creative in the next few days. Until then, take care and God bless all of you!

Read and post comments | Send to a friend