Sunday, November 21, 2010

Totally Herbacious

I finished my Thanksgiving grocery shopping this morning.  It seemed like a good idea at the time, to go early Sunday morning and beat the inevitable after church crowd.  Evidently all of Ft. Belvoir's commissary patrons thought along those very same lines.  Great minds think alike, I suppose.  Despite our best intentions, the commissary was a nutso madhouse; triumphantly, I escaped unscathed.  I do have to buy sweet potatoes elsewhere, because the sweet potatoes the commissary offered  for sale were jumbo sized.  Like not even normal jumbo.  They were mutant jumbo sized.  The idea of buying mutant sweet potatoes left me feeling uneasy, so I chose to skip those for now.

As I got got home and started unloading groceries, I found myself simply delighted by the fresh herbs I purchased.  It seems kind of strange to be so entranced by herbs, but the smell is simply intoxicating.  I'm finding myself in a bit of slump lately; between being sick, growing a year older and baking a tragic birthday cake, I haven't been as joyful and thankful as I should be.  Imagine my surprise when I was so taken aback by my joy over the aroma, texture and sight of some simple fresh herbs.

I didn't buy parsley, but the song is almost complete. 

Sage




rosemary



and thyme.


Rosemary is my favorite, but all three combined sure do get me excited for Thanksgiving dinner.



A bowl full of sunny, bright citrus has a similar affect.




plus a few green apples that didn't quite fit in our overflowing fruit drawer










It's the little things that can make or break your day.  A non fat misto with toffee nut syrup to drink while navigating the crowded grocery store aisles;  a bowl full of vibrant lemons and tangerines;  the scent of rosemary left on my hands.

What are you delighting in today?

7 comments:

Sissy said...

I am crafting today. Yay!

Alison said...

I thought of you when I went to Michael's today. My Michael's doesn't have those star ornaments this year. Boo.
I bought some clear bulb ornaments and ribbon to make some cute ornaments for my little Christmas tree. Yes, I have two.

I'm thoroughly unimpressed with Micheael's christmas ribbon selection this year. Or, perhaps my store is just sold out of the good stuff. Boo. Hoo.

Veggie Tales said...

For dinner we had fresh from some guy named Randy's garden brocolli, sweet potatoes and salad made from all kinds of greens and lettuce. He also gave Dad a loaf of homemade bread (that was just eh--kinda dry). And some cocoa-y cookies drenched in powdered sugar. Mmmm....that was after a huge breakfast at Denny's. I'm NOT getting on the scale for three days. Or maybe I should...
Anyway, eating garden fresh veggies delighted me. And sitting at Wallace Brooks park by the lake drinking coffee this afternoon was filled with delightfulness too.
P.S. What would Caroline like for Christmas?

Alison said...

What a delightful day. You can't beat garden fresh veggies.
I'm having a hard time figuring out what to get Caroline. She'd like a pair of good earrings....stud type that she can sleep in. She has some sterling silver hoops, but Bailey has her convinced that if she sleeps with them in, she'll get her ear caught on the pillow and rip her ear. ugh. So, she takes them out every night and I have to put them back in each morning because she hasn't mastered that yet.

Otherwise, maybe a gift card to Michael's so she can get some craft supplies.

Webkinz are still a winner. She wants a chihuaha Webkinz, but I don't know how hard those are to find.

Ack, I still don't know what to get her. And then her birthday is less than a month later.

Hilary said...

Your pictures are gorgeous! You totally needed the new camera! And I too, was humming the Simon & Garfunkle song when I saw your herbs. As my 9 year old nephew would say, parsley is overrated.

Linda said...

Beautiful photos. I was having a quiet moment and thought I'd check your blog for delicious photos. You did not disappoint! Thank you neuroticalison.
Can't resist sending you the link for the benefits of oh so healthy parsley: http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/07/01/23/the-amazing-health-benefits-of-parsley.htm
See you at the gym slim - not that you were ever fat!!! I just couldn't resist the rhyme and the Slim Jim reference - not that I'd ever eat Slim Jims!!!,
Linda

Alison said...

Hi Linda! I'm sorry I overlooked your comment. The green juice I've been drinking has parsely in it. Good to know it's good for you, even though I still think it's a weed!
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and that your husband doesn't embarass your daughter too terribly with all his pots and pans.
Actually, last night I was watching a tv show where the grandma was cooking with her granddaughter and she pulled out her Thanksgiving oven schedule. I couldn't help but think of your husband and his special Thanksgiving schedule.
:)

See you on Monday!