Seeing Red...recipes and pops of colour

I've been struggling to come up with cheerful and inspiring posts while we are isolating and cocooning at home.
Perhaps I have hit a bit of a writer's block so instead of obsessing about why I went to the archives and found some bright red images to share.

We start off with the recipe that I made recently...
My husband absolutely loves pasta!

To start 

I roast cut up tomatoes in the oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes until soft.

Several cloves of diced garlic on top of the tomatoes and a bit of olive oil with fresh ground pepper.

This step makes the flavour richer and more intense.

Lidia Bastianich's meatball recipe is the best one that I have tried.

I use an ice cream scoop to make the balls more uniform.

I add the tomatoes that I have previously roasted 

as well as the other sauce ingredients

It serves 6 so we have it for two dinners with a tossed salad.

My husband usually takes the leftovers for his lunches...

as I said he adores pasta so he never tires of this dish.

We are enjoying our meals here in The Humble Bungalow.

(maybe a bit too much now that we are unable to go out for meals)

Dinnertime has become somewhat sacred...

Comfort food is being served regularly here during the pandemic.

This is the vintage ice cream scoop that I use for the meatballs...

I use it for cookies and muffins too.

I've been using leftover vegetables in my weekly soups.

Waste Not, Want Not.

Luscious juicy red tomatoes 

so pretty to look at...

Flying high up in the sky.

Full blown tulips

Heirloom tomatoes and a brioche loaf

slice the tomatoes and the bread

add butter and a sprinkling of salt

the perfect fresh sandwich

awaits

Tomatoes with fresh Mint 

drizzled with a balsamic cream reduction

makes for a tasty salad.

Pearls and stripes 

why not get dressed up?

Even if there is nowhere special to go...

Hope that you have enjoyed seeing some of these bright pops of colour.

A distraction from reality 

is what I am craving these days filled with so much uncertainty.

People are stressed and struggling to keep positive.

We are safe, the sun is shining, the garden is full of flowers.

There is food in the fridge and the pantry has the basic staples.

We have toilet paper!

Books to read and a knitting project on the needles.

Our world has changed but we are doing what we are told by staying home and staying safe and here in BC the curve is showing signs of flattening.

We are grateful for all the medical staff and essential services

 that allow us to remain safely cocooned at home.

We are all in this together in unity.

Please leave a comment of how you are feeling and what you are doing...

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Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog

Stay Safe

until next time....

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

New things...

Here we are in Covid-19 Crisis isolation

in week 4, or is it week 5?

Some days when I wake up I am not sure of the day!

Fortunately the birds are singing and the sun is shining

Spring flowers are in bloom and life goes on...

perhaps in a different way 

but nevertheless

we are able to stay snug in our home.

Things have changed...

Hearts in the window in support of our front line workers.

Each evening at 7pm we go out onto the front porch and bang pots and pans.

Our neighbours are participating with gusto.

It gives me goose bumps listening to everyone who joins in to make this racket!

We are a solid community united in spirit.

The daffodils are putting on a magnificent display.

King Alfred Daffodils are sold by the box early in the Fall.

We grabbed a box of 100 and my husband planted them out front in The Humble Bungalow Garden.

The deer do not eat them so we can enjoy their bright sunny blooms.

We listen to the reports from our BC CDC Health Authority

Dr. Bonnie Henry shares the latest numbers of cases here in BC.

She tells us which community has new cases

how many people are in hospital

 those who are in intensive care

those who have recovered

most people who have the virus 

are at home in quarantine.

Bonnie is the voice of reason and is very calm.

We look to her for leadership at this time.

She reminds us that we need to stay home to stay safe and to stop the spread of the virus.

She encourages us to be social but do so virtually.

Dr, Henry has become a hero and I hope that when this is over the province honours her in some significant way.

Snowflake Snowdrops are quite tall...

we purchased 5 pots of bulbs from a farm stand a few years ago and I have my fingers crossed that they will multiply.

I love the wee chartreuse dots on the frilly petals.

I absolutely LOVED this book!

I read it in two days.

How are you managing during your time at home?

Have you been cooking and baking or getting creative?

What are you reading?

Comments are welcomed and remind you that in order to leave one you need to use a Google Search Engine.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Friday...

Waterfront walks along the seafront are the highlight of my day.

The scenery is beautiful and there are always things to see...

gulls, eagles otters swimming in the Salish Sea near the shore.

There are creative people among us who are cheering us up by painting rocks.

This is one of several rocks that have been popping up on the concrete railing along the waterfront. 

The rocks left last week have been "adopted" by people passing by.

I was tempted to take one but thought not...

I appreciate the bright and cheery rocks 

they made me smile.

Our daffodils and blooming.

Rich yellow and orange mingle together in harmony.

The mini tete a tete flowers are putting on a fabulous display.

These are sold in pots early in the Spring for a reasonable price and I bought a flat of them for under $25 and popped them in the garden with hopes that they will multiply over time.

The deer do not eat them 

so they can be planted out front of The Humble Bungalow.

The deer love tulips so I have a few in pots on the front porch.

Our star magnolia is blooming 

the petals are a stunning bold white that glows.

So delicate and fragrant.

Afternoon Tea with a treat.

Stemmed ginger shortbread from Edinburgh Scotland.

This book deals with sensitive subject matter...

it is a rather disturbing read.

I have three much "lighter" themed books on my shelf waiting to be read.

What are you doing these days?

Are you working from home?

We went outside on our front porch last night and banged pots and pans...

making noise 

in support of all the hard working medical staff that are on the front line .

Most of our neighbours were out there too.

Have you seen Pluto's  announcements on You Tube, Instagram and Facebook?

Meet Pluto

Stay Home and Stay Safe 

Come along for a Walk...fresh air, scenery and some inspirational quotes.

My daily outing is a walk in the fresh air with beautiful scenery.

Serene looking intertidal area at the end of the beach.

Sea Glass is mingling with the rocks 

one only needs to peer closer to find some.

View across from Victoria to Port Angeles in Washington State.

Freighters in the distance are anchored and waiting 

for an opportunity to offload their freight or load up in The Port of Vancouver.

Many freighters anchor in among our Gulf Islands 

which has become a problem for many 

 they run their noisy generators.

The beaches are littered with driftwood from the winter storms.

Many people collect it and burn it in their fireplaces.

Some creative artists make things from the various pieces.

The BC flag flies on a tall pole at the edge of a cliff.

A heart of stones

Many families are seen at the beach

kids throwing stones into the ocean

moms and dads drinking coffee and reading books

dogs frolicking in the water retrieving sticks

people collecting wood

some, like myself, are searching for sea glass

some are constructing huts and shelters out of logs

Someone carved a face on the old roots of this vast tree.

Can you see the heart with wings on the tree stump?

On the way home 

I walked past a lovely garden with many whimsical accents.

The beds overflow with yellow daffodils and hanging planters are hung atop the fences

with cheerful purple and yellow pansies.

This face was attached to a tree...

In the quiet moments and a tea time

I've been thinking a lot about our current situation.

Staying home and staying safe.

Staying positive.

I reached out to some of our elder neighbours to see if they had enough food.

It turns out that they were running low on lots of things and had been trying to order groceries online for home delivery but could not log into the website.

Many stores are 2 weeks behind with their orders so I went to the grocery shop for them and dropped the bags on their front porch.

At the grocery shop we were directed to line up outside ~ a metre apart.

There were strips of green tape that indicated where we were to stand.

When people exited the store one at a time we were given a disinfected cart and allowed inside...

there were not many people inside and so we were able to grab the groceries fairly quickly.

We then stood on discs with footprints a metre apart waiting for our turn 

to put our groceries on the check out stand 

the clerks scanned our goods behind plexiglas partitions.

After each customer the check out was disinfected.

Some of you may be feeling anxious...

maybe you have been watching far too much of the grim news?

I only listen to two programmes,

the daily announcement from our respected BC Disease Control 

specialist

Dr. Bonnie Henry 

and the local evening news.

If I watch too much I go down a "rabbit hole!"

~ Self preservation ~

controlling my own reaction to things that I cannot control are key.

Sharing

 some inspirational quotes with you.

Soap on a bed of rocks

Wash your hands.

"You have power over your mind - not outside events. 

Realize this, and you will find strength."

~ Marcus Aurelius ~

"When adversity strikes, that's when you have to be the most calm. 

Take a step back, stay strong, stay grounded and press on." 

~ LL Cool J ~

"Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands - and then eat just one of the pieces."

~ Judith Viorst ~

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. 

You are able to say to yourself,  I lived through this horror. 

I can take the next thing that comes along."

~ Eleanor Roosevelt ~

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

I'd love to hear from you and perhaps you can share what you are doing to keep yourself amused during these days and weeks of staying home cocooning.

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~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Tea Time and a comforting casserole....

This lovely local tea shop Silk Road is currently offering curb side pick up 

if you place an order you just indicate pick up instead of paying for delivery.

If you order $50 or more delivery is free.

The Royal Abkhazi tea is my favourite.

In the Spring and Summer taking tea in the Abkhazi Gardens is a real luxury.

It feels so civilized sitting on the sunny patio above the expansive lush garden

You can opt to take tea inside the tearoom 

 small sandwiches, scones with jam and sweet treats.

I love meeting up with friends 

walking in the garden 

looking at the beautiful flowers and foliage

sitting for a restorative cup of tea served in pretty fine bone china tea cups.

For now

 I will imagine sitting in that magical garden in the sunshine 

dreaming of the days in the future when we can reconvene 

 meet up to savour one of the loveliest places where we can take tea.

The Sour Cherry blend is very refreshing.

I like this tea brewed hot or served over ice on a summer day.

We do not have a dog, but many locals who do,

 take their pet to the off leash park at Dallas Road waterfront.

We spied this wee "stick library" for the dogs...

I love the wee paw print at the top right of the structure.

Thank you to the wonderfully creative and talented crafts person 

who designed and built this dog friendly "library!"

Thank goodness we are still permitted to go out for our daily walks.

Self distancing is a requirement that we take very seriously on the paths.

The fresh air and exercise is such a tonic for us all.

Speaking of tonics...

Cheesy Pantry Pasta 

We craved comfort food so I made a rich cheesy pasta casserole.

We had two small packages of dried macaroni and penne pastas

(about 3 cups)

I used them both and cooked in salted boiling water until al dente.

I made a simple roux with butter, flour and milk

and when it thickened I added about a cup and a half of grated cheese.

I added the cheesy sauce to the cooked drained pasta,

 put it in an ovenproof casserole dish.

Grated a bit of cheese on top covered the dish with foil

popped it in the oven for an hour at 350 degrees.

How are you managing?

Have you found a soothing routine while you are directed to stay at home?

I'm finding that I stay in my nightgown much longer in the morning

as there is no need to hurry and get ready to go out.

I am missing going to the shops...

it is not that I buy a lot I just enjoy perusing the wares

chatting with the shop keepers.

missing the coffee shops

 meeting up with friends

When this pandemic is controlled and we are permitted to go out to the shops

will there be a surge in shopping or will we have re-evaluated our priorities?

I know that we will want to support 

local businesses, coffee shops 

and

restaurants.

In the meantime...

It is a time for us to be patient and wait out this pandemic until it is deemed safe.

Our magnolia out front in The Humble Bungalow Garden is starting to bloom.

Snowdrops are still putting on a showing looking lovely...

taking these small snippets

holding fast 

admiring the bountiful and beautiful Spring flowers

appreciating the small Joys that grace these quiet days

Grateful to wake up each morning...

a symphony of birdsong 

a pot of hot coffee

greeting another day with hope

faith in our medical experts and scientists

who are guiding us gently through this health emergency.

Take care of yourself 

stay cozy as you cocoon in your home.

"Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today."

~ Thich Nhat Hanh ~

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~