Irises

A friend brought purple and white irises yesterday from her garden. I gasped in awe at how gorgeous these flowers are and immediately thought of my niece, J whose favorite color is purple. I have been on the lookout for all things purple for over twenty years now because of this and have come to love the color myself.

These flowers are large, frilly and showy. They are not fragrant, which may be a good thing since they would be likely to be overpowering if they were fragrant. One has already closed making way for a bud behind it that is half grown. I am curious to see if it will open.




I was curious about the "beard", the little furry protrusion that looks like a tongue, or a white caterpillar on each of the lower, outer petals. After looking at it and wheeling by it a number of times, finally I couldn't resist and I had to touch it. Was it soft was the reason for my curiosity? Yes, as soft as a bee's body or a kitten's fur. I am amazed even more. (And yes, I know that a bee's body is soft for I touched one once and no he did not sting me.)

All in all the flowers made for a delightful Sunday along with a lunch of spinach bolani and some watching of the Lord of the Rings on television. I am grateful for all of these good things.

It is the second Sunday after Easter and almost too chilly and gray to feel like either Easter or Spring. Still this season will speed by all too quickly.

Please note: the photographs are copyright 2008 Marguerite Manor

More Bolani Recipes

The other day, I discovered some bolani in my freezer that I hadn't eaten yet. Since it is nearing the end of the month, it is time to scrounge for what is on hand and use it creatively rather than to buy more. So I pulled out the pumpkin bolani and heated it in my large skillet with a little canola oil. It crisped up around the edges and smelt absolutely wonderful. With a drizzle of honey and a scoop of plain yogurt it was like having dessert for lunch. Delicious!

Then I realized there were spinach bolani in the freezer as well. Warmed up the same way and topped with freshly sauted (in canola again) mushrooms and parmesan cheese this was another wonderful combination. I should probably team up with these folks to write a booklet on how to use their marvelous products. (Another idea. I don't need more ideas!)

February has been a slow month, colder than usual and I am glad that tomorrow is the beginning of March--I hope it will be better all around for everyone whom I know who has been struggling through February.

The daffodils, tulips and hyacinths have lightened the burden of February. Spring is coming. Easter will soon be here. The flowering plum trees are blooming. Hope is in the air with the promise of the Resurrection. I hope that I do not hope in vain. Hope is akin to gratitude. Perhaps if we do not hope we cannot be grateful. I am grateful for spring and for quiet time to try to work on the myriad of projects I have started. Perhaps some will finally be completed this year.

More about Yogurt Cheese

At the beginning of the summer my neighbor and good friend L dropped by one Sunday with delicious things called Bolanis and the sauces to go with them. They were from an Afghan vendor at our local Farmers' Market. The Bolanis were rather like flour tortillas and filled with spinach. The first "sauce" was yogurt cheese flavored with mint and garlic. The second was cilantro pesto. I have long felt that I did not like cilantro, but decided it would be rude to say so. I found this delicious.

The next time L went to the Farmers' Market I asked her to bring me some more of this delicious Afghan food. I have now tried the pumpkin bolani--my favorite, and the potato and onion bolani, which I think would taste better warmed. In addition to the yogurt cheese and cilantro pesto, I have also sampled the eggplant sauce. The eggplant would be delicious on pasta. I have a jar of the sweet and sour carrot on the end of my counter waiting to try. For more about Bolani and Sauce, here is the link,

http://www.bolaniandsauce.com/

.

Yogurt cheese is so simple to make and so good that I will be making it regularly. Tonight I had it with shredded Parmesan added to it. (Trader Joe's shredded Parmesan, to be precise.) Tomorrow I will make a new batch.

I will probably try making some variation of cilantro pesto, too. Bolani and Sauce will most definitely still have my business, but since I cannot go to the Farmer's Market myself, and because I have a limited income, I will also experiment with making some of my own variations.

Now I am interested in Afghan food and will find someone in the neighborhood who goes to the library to check out an Afghani cookbook. The story of the family who are taking their traditional food to the Farmer's Market is an American dream story come true and I admire them.

If you are interested in making yogurt cheese, another link is to King Arthur Flour for the yogurt cheese maker. This is another family owned business, one that goes back to the American Revolutionary War as one of the oldest flour mills in America. It is one of my favorite businesses. Here is the link to the yogurt cheese maker

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/landing.jsp?term=yogurt+cheese+maker&go=DefaultSearch&stype=product

.