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This has been sitting in my camera for a while, but we eat a salad like this about once a week. The particular ingredients vary some but not as much as you might think.

Shredded cheddar cheese, bag o’ lettuce, celery, parmesan cheese, canned olives, green chiles, beets, sunflower seeds, homemade salad dressing, bell pepper, onion, boiled shredded chicken, boiled free-range eggs, and a miniscule amount of home grown grape tomatoes.

Chili Eggs
2 eggs
splash heavy cream or milk
1 teaspoon chili seasoning mix (recipe below)
2 tablespoons butter

Melt butter in frying pan. Beat eggs together with cream and seasoning. Scramble egg mixture in butter. Top with additional seasoning mix if desired, perhaps some sour cream.

I Don’t Like Vegetables Soup
1-3 cups chopped cooked meat (I usually use chicken)
3 large rutabagas, peeled and chopped
1/2 celery bunch, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
Any other leftover, in season, inexpensive, or sale vegetables (green beans, cabbage, asparagus)
6-ounce can tomato paste
Water to cover
4 tablespoons chili seasoning mix or to taste (recipe below)

This is clearly and obviously a vegetable soup. But the chili seasoning and the long cook time mute the flavors and make the vegetables more palatable for vegetable haters.

Combine all ingredients in stock pot. Simmer for 5 hours or more. This recipe is generally too large for my slow cooker, but if you have a very large slow cooker, I would imagine you could use that.

Chili Seasoning Mix
4 tablespoons minced onion or onion powder
4 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons salt
4 teaspoons dried red pepper
4 teaspoons garlic powder
4 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne or to taste

I’m late in posting this because I had some family issues come up, but I am pleased to announce that my review of Who’s to Say What’s Home by Kim Calder was accepted for electronic publication by Rattle. I very much like the poetry they publish, and I feel honored to have the opportunity to make a small contribution to the magazine. The review is here.

Reflections
A.M. Otwell, 2009
12 x 36 inches
Acrylic on Canvas
Original $750
Prints available.

My blog lost its formatting/appearance with the last WordPress upgrade. It embarrasses me that I didn’t notice for a few days.

I’ve developed a bad habit of talking about what I’m doing on FaceBook (and less often Twitter) instead of here — the content really should be split between here and there.

Part of what was bogging me down was the copious amount of comment spam I had to wade through every time I logged in. As a result, I’ve disabled comments on any post older than 30 days. That should cut down on the spam while still giving anyone who wishes an opportunity to comment.

In other news, I finished a painting but have yet to get a good photo of its vivid colors. I’m still working on that. I’ve also got a huge stack of books and magazines to read, at least one of which I plan to write about here.

But this week, I’m working on some different things for my “day job,” so I would anticipate that the blog will be quiet for a bit longer.

“And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever” John 14:16, KJV.

The Death of Allegory by Billy Collins

The Lowest Place

Give me the lowest place: not that I dare
Ask for that lowest place, but Thou hast died
That I might live and share
Thy glory by Thy side.

Give me the lowest place: or if for me
That lowest place too high, make one more low
Where I may sit and see
My God and love Thee so.

—Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)

What Zimmer Would Be by Paul Zimmer.