Hatless?

There are many things you can miss in life...one such thing for me are women wearing hats on Easter Sunday at church. I have never seen it, not once. I haven't even worn a hat for any other reason than it being cold, playing softball with family or occasionally for Halloween. I take that back now...when I went to St. Thomas for my friend's wedding this past July, I bought myself a straw hat as my single souvenir (Although I did receive a gorgeous larimar pendant later on from another friend and her family as the most thoughtful and generous of souvenirs of our time together. Larimar is only found in the Caribbean and I fell in love with the creamy blue-green stone whilst there. See the picture at right for a sample of larimar) and I walked the beach and sat by the pool in that chocolate brown straw hat with mother of pearl buttons.

My sister is actually a lover of hats and has several although I am not sure she has worn them out in public. I wonder why she doesn't wear them? Why do women not wear smart little hats like they used to? Think of those stars in the 1930's and 1940's in their dresses and suits and those beautiful hats crowning their glossy upswept hair the alluring lacy netting seductively partially shrouding their lovely faces. Or perhaps a hat like the one Greta Garbo wears above (but let's face it, Garbo could have worn anything and looked beautiful). I think hats can tease and flirt. I think we little a more elegant playfulness in our lives now.

What brought hats to mind was listening to a program with a woman who is a proponent of bringing back hats. What do you think of hats, dear reader? When have you worn a hat? Have you ever bought a hat because you were drawn to it?

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with honey-lime glaze

I am very behind on posting about Sunday meals I have made, but I will post this recipe for you all because I made it for a second time last night and I really enjoy it as it is spicy, sweet, savory, tart, earthy and fresh all in one bite.

The recipe is from Cuisine at Home which is a wonderful cooking magazine. Every single recipe I have tried from their magazine or cookbooks has been delicious and sometimes they become incredibly longed for (like the southwestern turkey breast and cornbread stuffing we made for Thanksgiving or the fruit salad with a jalapeno-lime sauce made for Christmas brunch).

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with honey-lime glaze
Cuisine at Home, February 2008
Makes 8 cups; Total time: 45 minutes.

Ingredients:

3 ½ lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” chunks
1/3 cup olive oil
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
½ cup honey
¼ cup fresh lime juice
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 °F.
2. Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil, cayenne and salt in a large bowl until coated. Transfer to a baking sheet and roast until fork tender, about 25 minutes.
3. Whisk together honey, lime juice, and cinnamon in a small bowl while potatoes roast. Once potatoes are tender, coat with glaze and roast 5 minutes more.
4. Garnish with cilantro.

Another Interesting Search

I have five posts of varying degree of completeness written for this month and guess what I am going to post about? Read on to find out.

I was searching for a particular book as a friend requested some recommendations of steamy novels that won't disappoint and I went in search of one I read several years ago by Lisa Valdez by the title of Passion. Sex with a very well endowed stranger at a public exhibition in Victorian London...what is there not to like? The author's website has inexplicably disappeared in the few months since I last went there to check on the progress of her next novel Patience which has been delayed in being published for years now and has no set publication date.

In my search I stumbled upon a blog, It's My Blog And I'll Say What I Want To! (which has since moved) that made me laugh and a previous entry really snagged my attention.

The entry's title you may wonder:

I Guess Sperm Really Is Good For The Skin...

Yes, dear reader, I am that concerned about skin care (and my mind is often in the gutter).

UPDATE: Lisa Valdez's website is up and running again so if you want to read an excerpt of Passion or Patience follow the links.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I happen to be more than a quarter Irish that I think may be the largest portion of any single ethnicity as I am a veritable mutt. Even my surname speaks of my Irish heritage. When my father was born a nurse actually expressed pity for him because his entire name was so incredibly Irish. Personally, I think my dad's name has a very lyrical and lovely quality to it. I have great pride in my Irish surname and believe it is beautiful. My last name conjures up happy memories of my father's family--each person endues the name with warmth, laughter and happiness. I think I associate all of that with being Irish or at least that is our Irish heritage.

I wish you all a wonderful St. Patrick's Day whether you be 100% Irish or have not a drop of Irish blood!

Happy Pi Day

Today is 3/14 or otherwise known as Pi (3.14159265358979323846…) day to celebrate that magical number we knew, used and perhaps even loved back in the day we were in school (one friend being a math major I am sure encountered it more than the rest of us).

Any reason to celebrate is good enough for me especially if the food to eat today is the delicious pie. Any kind of pie is worthy today to commemorate: apple pie; cream pie; pumkin pie; chess pie; cherry pie; meat pie; quiche; lemon meringue; chocolate mousse pie; peanut butter pie; custard pie; mince pie; pecan pie...the possibilities are as endless as the number Pi!

I think I will have some key lime pie myself.