Tabouleh Scramble in the Garden

I recently returned from a three week trip to Austria as the beginning of my new global art piece called The Gypsy Project. As much as I love this idea of roaming the world, the one thing I missed the most while gone was my tribe. I am very lucky to have a group of very close friends that I would call my family. In a book out a few years back called Urban Tribes, I read about my generation's creation of urban families, filled with like-minded people who care about the same things. I realize how lucky I am to be surrounded by people like this and upon my return home to my base and my studio womb, the first thing I felt myself craving were soulful visits with my friends.

Today, I got back to my routine of visiting my friend Leslie in her garden and as always, found a place of solace and vitamins for my soul. As usual, I was welcomed into her kitchen as she served me coffee with honey and her daughter Elle stood on her kitchen block stool to help mommy tear up fresh lemon thyme from the garden and slice cherry tomatoes for our breakfast that was cooking on the stove. I was measured for one of Leslie's new upcycled fabric dresses that she makes from old sheets, doilies and napkins. I chose a maroon paisley print with brown striped lining and look forward to wearing it when I visit Morrocco in August.

We sat in the garden with the spring breezes and discussed staying true to our heart's missions in our work and our world. Leslie reminded me that it was okay to be a wandering artist and I reminded her that it was okay to try to persuade the whole world to reuse-reduce and recycle. Quartered oranges for dessert provided energy for the rest of the day.

Before I left I filled my tote bag with fresh items from the garden including lemon thyme, kale, cilantro, and arugula. And of course, I had to get the recipe for the amazing egg scramble created by Leslie's husband Tim, that we had enjoyed with the birds.

Tim's Quinoa Kale Scramble (Adapted)

Saute chopped kale, cherry tomatoes halved, pesto sauce and cooked quinoa in a pan with butter. In a bowl, combine eggs and lemon thyme and whisk for two minutes then add to the mixture in the pan. Scramble until done. Chop up feta cheese and add in at the end to stir and melt among the other ingredients. Salt and pepper per desire.

Glad Corn Addiction

It all started with my good friend Bill. I asked him to be my date for an evening with my supper club and asked him to bring something for starters. He showed up with two bags of Glad Corn, which turned out to be the most incredible tasting thing I have had in a long time. Imagine the bastard child of good old fashioned corn nuts and traditional salted popcorn. What makes these corn nugget delights so great is that they are puffed and crunchy simultaneously. They are seriously addicting. Bill's small bowl didn't last long in my supper club crowd as greedy fingers swiped the last flakes of remnants from the bowl. 

My best friend Lisa sheepishly admitted to me later that she was aware of Glad Corn already but had been keeping it a secret. Apparently Bill had bestowed a bag upon her a month before and she had been hoarding it in her home snack cupboard, rationing out a small handful per day like a squirrel because she loved them so much and didn't want them to be gone. This is the best friend who hides nothing from me and shares everything so generously, usually. 

Bill explained that they are not found in stores and not anywhere near where we live. He said that he orders a bunch of them from the website when he runs out and told me he'd put me on his distribution list. 

One visit to the website and I learned that Glad Corn's Minnesota-based creators Stan and Gladys Friesen stumbled upon the product by accident. Something about Stan's renewable ethanol energy experiments in the kitchen colliding with Gladys' cooking and a big boom later the Glad Corn was born, better than popcorn and easier on the teeth that most corn products. I also learned that is all natural, gluten free, a good source of fiber and has no trans fats. 

A few weeks ago I celebrated my 38th birthday and late at night I got a text from my friend Bill telling me to look outside on my back porch. A huge new bag of Glad Corn awaited me. I have since come to sprinkle the stuff like croutons on my salads or toss with dried cherries into a small bowl for an afternoon snack pick me up.

Yesterday I discovered a really cool recipe. I remember when I was a kid, I loved putting potato chips into into my sandwiches. Didn't matter if it was peanut butter and jelly or meat and cheese, the chips would always cause the sandwich to crunch with delight and tingle the tongue. So I created an adult, healthy version that delivers the same pleasure, is only 420 calories, is super filling, and delivers an amazing energy punch!

Glad Corn Almond Butter Wrap

Spread two tablespoons of organic almond butter on a whole wheat tortilla and sprinkle 1/4 cup of Glad Corn on top of the almond butter. Roll up and enjoy the crunch!