come on Barbie lets go party

Forgive the somewhat cheesy title, but when you do a lot of running, any song that has a peppy beat is fair game :) I have been enjoying my days off, and to celebrate all this free time we decided to host a little party. I have forgotten how much fun it is to have lots of people over and just laugh, drink, catch up on news and eat wonderful food. I love preparing the house for the arrival of guests and try to keep things very simple: home-made hummus, veggies and pita bread, some home-made bruschetta with garden-grown basil, in-season fruit and some good cheese...and lots of wine of course. For flowers, I bring in some of my pots from outside - it's inexpensive and befitting to summer.

The hummus disappeared in record time and you could see where people had scraped the side of the bowl to get the last bit of goodness out. I have decided to post the recipe because it is really easy to make and it tastes fabulous.

Raina's Hummus

2 cups canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

2/3 cup very hot water

4 cloves of crushed garlic

3 - 4 tablespoons of sesame paste (tahini)

Place the above in a food processor and blend until smooth. Place in a bowl and stir in the following:

4 - 5 tablespoons olive oil

juice of 2 lemons ( or as much as tastes good to you)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

salt and pepper

place in a nice bowl (I use a slightly rounded-edges soup bowl) and spread the hummus out, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with some red paprika. As with any recipe, you can experiment - if you prefer more garlic, add more - if you prefer less of a lemony taste, don't put in as much lemon juice. I serve this with a variety of sliced veggies and pita bread. Place the hummus in the fridge until your guests arrive - and then enjoy.

this morning

So I have worked hard all week and I have one day - today - before I go out of town again. I woke up to fabulous sun rays streaming through the side-cracks of my blinds reminding me that today will be a gorgeous day. I have some tasks I am supposed to accomplish such as: run my 16 km run, weed my flower beds, work on the side of our house that now has weeds the size of trees growing, pack, .... you get the picture. I think many of those things will get accomplished, however I could not help taking a time out this morning to enjoy my garden and sneak in a few rows of my stripey socks. I don't know too many knitters who could resist the sweet sounds of Koigu yarn calling out to be knitted.

Although I dread having to get on a plane tomorrow - again - I know that on Tuesday night I come back to FIVE DAYS OFF. Just so you all know, I am reading your blogs when I can although I have been slower with my comments. I try to fit them in between 'tasks'. Hope you all have a great week.

things that wait for you

I am finally home after being gone for over a week. I had a great conference and a lovely visit with my parents. I am home for only five days and then I am off again on business. I have to say I am tired. I came home after all these days to a most beautiful garden. Everything was three times the size and although there is something to be said to be able to see this amazing difference so clearly, I prefer to be here and watch the garden grow. I was greeted by a fully blooming bush loaded with giant peony heads. 

I have not been knitting anything exciting although I do have a pair of simple socks started. There has just not been any time. I am still waiting for the summer to come - you know... summer....  lazy days drinking cold gin and tonic while lazying about in the garden, allowing the sun to warm one's face. Life has been unusually busy with work and business travel. I can't wait for it to just STOP. This will hopefully be my last business trip this summer and things will slow down. I start working four days a week in July and I can't wait.

the naked bike race

Yes....I actually did witness a naked bike race. I am on my beloved Vancouver Island, first for work and in a few days, for pleasure....and this being the land of vegetarians, pot smokers, hippies, and the duly retired, well, a naked bike race somehow seems appropriate. Especially when the participants are gleefully riding 'a la buff' through Government Street in downtown Victoria. Luckily for all of you, I forgot to bring my camera cord so you are all spared the gory details. I have to say that the guys did not look too comfortable in my opinion - most of them were riding with their butts off the bike seat - for some strange reason.

Sorry for this brief note - I am actually attending a conference and have very little time to post. However, I really thought you would want to know about the naked bike race. I will say that it will probably be the highlight of my trip!!!!