Photo by Nora Vasconcelos
One of the things that I admire the most is the peaceful and colorful forms that are found in Nature, just like this perfec flower that is a complete masterpiece.
Text by Nora Vasconcelos
For the past weeks I’ve been reading (and truly enjoying) a unique cooking book titled Meals in a Jar, by Julie Languille, an author who found the way to develop “quick and easy, just-add-water, homemade recipes”.
The first thing that caught my attention was the cover of the book that shows different kinds of preserves which, I must say, looked very delicious, and as soon as I started going through its pages, it was like going on a culinary trip in which I was able to learn how to make all kind of preserves such as Tortilla Soup, Chicken Noodle Soup, Macaroni and Cheese, Machaca, Carnitas, Beef and Vegetables, Cheddar Garlic Biscuits, No Bake Cookies and Chocolate Chips Cookies, all of them designed to be put in a jar (or a bag) and then kept to be used whenever time is short to cook.
These delicious recipes, are also a great option for a present, which I’m sure it’ll be quite appreciate it as it will not only save the person’s some time but also will give him or her the joy of eating homemade food.
As for the preparation of the jars/bags goes, it’s just a matter of following the books directions, spending some time at the supermarket, grocery store or farmers market, getting the ingredients for the dishes and then spending some fun time in the kitchen putting all together.
For people who love cooking, like me, it’s certainly a joy to see how everything is coming up together, nicely and quite tasty. It’s also a great opportunity for us to cook whenever we have time or feel like it, and just open the container, add some water and warm it when we feel tired or don’t want to cook.
So, all in all, I’ve found in this book by Ulysses Press, a great source of joy!
Photo by Nora Vasconcelos
I like this shot a lot because it contains lots of possibilities, from someone who’s anxiously expecting for a love one to come back home, up to somebody who’s been living inside this house for a long time and is affraid of the exterior world, or even curious about it.
By Nora Vasconcelos
For the past month, I’ve been reading a book places in New Orleans, I city I’ve been lucky enough to have visited, enjoyed and in the end loved, thanks to its colorful architecture, its delicious food, its some times melancholic and some many other times lively music and its unique people.
The image of this city that remain in my memory have been getting more and more alive while going through the pages of this mystery book called Murder in a minor key, which is part of the series of books Murder She wrote by the fictional author Jessica Fletcher (main character of the old TV series under the same title) and her writing partner in real life, Donald Bain.
It doesn’t matter how crowded, uncomfortable or noise the bus/train is, my mind is happily wandering around the streets of New Orleans (with the constant risk of missing my stop), seeing the places that are referred to, listening to the magical sounds that come from the jazz performers and enjoying all those delicious smells that come from the family kitchens and the restaurants.
As the parade continues on Bourbon Street and the suspense rises at a funeral home, I’m a few pages away from finishing the book and I have to say, I don’t have the finest idea who the guilty part could be.
Of course, I can’t wait to see how the story develops at the end, but, as the big mystery-book fan as I am, I’m not willing to ruin the excitement of learning all the secrets to come by advancing fast with my reading. On the contrary, I’m patiently waiting to discover, page by page, all the mysteries that are to come, and of course, enjoying my last imaginary days in New Orleans (while traveling on the bus/train), while Mrs. Fletcher is still there.