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March 31, 2009

Cauliflower Wraps

A friend of mine sent this recipe to me and it's become one of my favorite lunches.

cauliflower wrap

And here's how to make it!

Ingredients:
approx. 6 flour tortillas

and....

Filling:
1 large head cauliflower
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. dijon mustard (I love dijon mustard, so sometimes I add more... :-) )
1/2 to 3/4 cup Almond Spread (recipe follows - you can also use mayonnaise, but the almond spread is really good!)
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. salt

Cut the cauliflower into chunks and steam until very soft - about 15 minutes from the time there is actually steam. Meantime, make your almond spread. Drain the cauliflower if necessary and mash it with the remaining ingredients (I like to mix the remaining ingredients together first, and then add to the cauliflower). Set aside.

Almond Spread:
about 1/3 cup raw almonds
about 1/3 cup water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 garlic clove, pressed (optional - my sister thinks it's too sharp with the garlic raw)
pepper or cayenne pepper if desired

Boil about 2 cups of water (separate from the 1/3 cup). Place the almonds in a bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Let them sit for about 3 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water to cool and then squeeze the almonds to pop them out of the skins (fun for little kids who want to help :-) ). Place the almonds in a blender with the 1/3 cup of water and blend well. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until creamy, about 2 minutes.
(This will make more than you need for the wraps - you can save the excess as use as a healthy substitute for mayo on sandwiches, etc.)

Toppings:
1 to 2 tomatoes, chopped
lettuce leaves, torn
1 grated carrots
1/4 cup black olives, sliced (optional)
(you can add any other toppings you like)

Spoon cauliflower filling into tortillas and top with veggies. You can serve this warm or chilled. Fold up and enjoy!
Serves 3 to 4.

March 24, 2009

Regency: Modest?

Lately I have seen a lot of Christian young ladies, particularly homeschooled ones, who are very enthusiastic, you might say, about Regency style fashions. I've been wondering if this style is really modest or not. Obviously most of the original gowns of the period were not, being very (very) low necked, but most girls these days are making them with higher necklines. But is the shape of the gown modest?

This is not going to be a long post about my opinion since I am still rather undecided myself. I have a poll up, and I would love it if you would vote and afterward, comment on this post with WHY you voted that way (why you think it is/isn't modest).

*Update: Final poll results are below.*


Do you think the Regency (empire waist/Pride & Prejudice style) is modest?
  • Yes (55.0%, 28 Votes)
  • No (29.0%, 15 Votes)
  • Haven't thought about it (16.0%, 8 Votes)
Total Voters: 51

March 17, 2009

Dress Up Your Letters

I just wanted to share a cute way to seal your letters that my sister did recently. Even if you are putting them in an envelope and mailing them, this is a cute way to fancy it up a bit.

Letter Cases

If your letter paper is 8.5 x 11 inches, fold it in half lengthwise and then in thirds. Then cut a piece of colored paper or cardstock to 5.5 x 7 inches. Place your letter on the cardstock and fold the cardstock over it in uneven thirds, so that the top flap comes to the middle (as in the photo). Then you can just place a sticker to seal it, or do as we did and punch out a circle, write the recipient's name on it, and attach it with adhesive such as double stick tape. My sister added a little bit of whimsy to the sticker by putting little dots all around the circle.
Of course your paper can be any size - just adjust the measurements as needed.

March 12, 2009

The Maidens of Virtue Essay Contest!

PhotobucketWell, here it is! Our first essay contest!! *cheers* I hope you all will enter! :-)

This year we have 2 categories as usual (9 to 13 and 14-25) BUT  this year they will both write on the same topic. Each category has different word limits so make sure you check which category you are in.

This year's topic is True Beauty. It was a bit harder coming up with an essay topic than a poetry topic - but hopefully this one won't be too hard for you and will allow you plenty of room for creativity.

We'll be awarding one grand prize in each category, along with several runners up - the number depends on how many entries we get! Prizes are to be announced...

AND the first three entrants in each category (that is, the 3 earliest postmark dates or email dates) will receive a little gift... So get busy!! :-)


Please tell all your friends about this! Oh, and if you want to put that button on your blog or website, you can grab this code (it's on our sidebar and website too so you can always come back and grab it again):

(The button will be deleted from our server after the contest is over and will no longer be visible on your site).

If you have any questions you can email me or you can always leave a comment. HAPPY WRITING!

March 10, 2009

And the verdict is...

Well, it's been a week since I posted the contest poll and the results are that essays and poetry tied! That put me pretty much back where I started - not really, since now I know there's interest on both sides. I did a random drawing between the two and so... this year we will be having an essay contest!

For those of you who voted for poetry... please don't go away. I'm sure we will do a poetry contest again!

Stay tuned for more information on the contest coming up soon... and thanks to all those that voted! :-)

March 2, 2009

Essays or Poetry?

It's March and March is usually the time when I announce my Maidens of Virtue Poetry Contest. This year, however, I started thinking about whether or not to continue doing poetry. Both times I did the contest I didn't really get great response - I got enough to actually do the contest but still comparatively few entries.

So I was contemplating doing an essay contest this year instead of poetry. I'm looking for feedback - if those of you who visit my blog and website would prefer to enter an essay contest, or a poetry contest.

Please comment with your opinion - the more feedback I get, the more accurately I can decide which type of contest I should do this year! I'd like to get as many opinions as I can within the next week or so. Thanks for your help!