unsuspecting foodie

 Hello, My birthday was this past Sunday. Joyce had a cake delivered. It was the perfect cake! This is especially the right cake for those of us on special diets of one sort or another. It is a non-edible, multi-layered, flower cake. Check out the photo.  Hope you are well and enjoying fall.  Hugs, Faye

 Inspired by my friend Lisa M, who recently posted a "modified" version of S alade Niçoise, I tried my hand at preparing the dish (see photo). The different colors and design of this dish caught my attention. I used green olives and a mix of potatoes that I had on hand in addition to other veggies and hard boiled eggs. It was tasty and nutritious. The design didn't work out quite as planned but the colors remain vibrant, in my opinion. Not certain but I might get to see my cousin Bobbi next weekend at a family lunch in the Chicago area. She was my biggest cheerleader for initiating this blog. If I am lucky and see her, perhaps she can teach me the proper pronunciation of this dish as she is fluent in French and taught it for years. Enjoy!

Hello! First, thank you for continuing to read my blog. Posts have been sparse of late and yet, I see there remain readers. Much appreciated. Second, cucumbers this season are not coming along as well as last year's crop. However, we still have time to see if anything materializes.  Last, but not least, below is today's featured photo. I will see my personal trainer, Matt Rossbach of mLAB Fitness , later this morning and I chose eggs for protein with onions and red pepper for flavor to tide me over before the workout. I drank a cup of Almond Breeze blend almond/coconut milk, 450 mg calcium in 1 cup. At some point this morning, probably after training, I'll eat fruit with yogurt. I like making the eggs over easy because I can monitor how much of the yolk I eat at one time.  Turns out, I needed something more than the featured eggs and added a rice cake with a spoonful of almond butter. That should suffice until after this morning's training session.  Enjoy!

 Hello, I hope you are staying cool during what, at least in Champaign, is hot weather.  Today, I prepared a cold dish made with silken soft tofu, 3 scallions finely sliced, 1/2 teaspoon (or so) of toasted sesame oil, and a tablespoon of soy sauce (can use coconut amino if you don't use soy.)  I added toasted sesame seeds, listed as optional. You may add other ingredients but the basic recipe was delicious. Refrigerate or eat right away. One thing to keep in mind is that, apparently, silken tofu crumbles easily. I look forward to eating this dish as part of tomorrow's Shabbos lunch. Take care and stay well. Faye

 This fruit pie was given to us by our friend, Jim. It's made with gluten free flour for the crust. It's delicious!

 Early this spring, I spread a packet of lettuce greens in our south garden area. It didn't appear that they had taken hold and then after rain, cooler weather, and sun, they emerged. I enjoyed a few homegrown  greens with lunch. The wonder, and joy, of spring.  Take care!

Thank you for your patience. Food choices of late have not inspired me to post. Tonight begins Shavuot . It is customary to eat dairy foods on this holiday. Thus post's photo features gluten free pizza and a slice of cheesecake. Salad was also part of the meal.  The pizza basically covered my carb portion of the evening. I only had a nimble of cheesecake as I don't think it is gluten free or low carb. However, for tradition, why not?  Happy Shavuot! I hope you are well. Please continue to be careful out there even though some of the COVID-19 restrictions are being lifted. To your good health!