Spring, Birds, Movies.

I’ve been meaning to write about spring, it is definitely here. Every year it is incredible to me how the trees seem to burst into leaf almost over night, you can almost see it happening. The spring colours are so fantastic and some of the prettiest of the year especially as they forecast warmer days to come. As they are considered one of the harbingers of spring, we are pleased to see the American Robins are now plentiful and we can hear, through our open windows, all kinds of baby birds calling for their food although we are not knowledgeable enough to identify the species by the sounds of nestlings. Yesterday we had a pair of Mourning Doves courting on our balcony wall, he was really making an all out effort. We can hear the adult robins (http://tinyurl.com/65x68fz) and Northern Cardinals (http://tinyurl.com/d7amqd) calling, along with many other birds which are nesting in the park below us. I wish I were able to paint these birds as our sinlaw Mike does. See link this page.

Matt, by the way, is fine, although tired and went to bed real early.

I’ve been having a bit of a movie fest the last few days, I watched Jumper, Marley and Me and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs – as expected I enjoyed all of them. I read the Jumper books and I don’t think this sticks very closely to the story, (most films don’t) but it was still a good movie. Marley and Me was both funny and sad and Ice Age was typical of the series. Kind of heartwarming.

Here’s a different recipe from WebMD and this time without any strange ingredients.

Potato Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Red Onion

By The Gluten Free Goddess WebMD Recipe from Foodily.com

This is a colorful and lower-carbohydrate potato salad recipe, a welcome change from the ordinary white spud with mayo and boiled egg offerings so ubiquitous at backyard get-togethers. Why? Beyond the no-mayonnaise-and-eggs part, it features sweet potatoes. It's blissfully dairy, mayo, and egg-free.

Ingredients

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled, diced 2-3 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, diced Sea salt Cracked pepper, to taste Extra virgin olive oil, as needed Apple cider vinegar, to taste (use a clean, light vinegar, not too strong) 2-3 teaspoons dill Sliced or chopped red or purple onion, to taste

Instructions

Place the cut potatoes into a pot of fresh salted water and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain well.

Season with sea salt and cracked pepper. Sprinkle with apple cider vinegar. Drizzle with olive oil. Add the dill and onion. Toss gently to combine.

Add vinegar, sea salt and olive oil a sprinkle at a time and toss until the salad achieves the flavor you prefer.

Note: I add a lot of vinegar because I love the combination of vinegar, sea salt, and potatoes. So I add more than I expect to usually, based on tasting. That's why it's so important to taste test while you're seasoning.

A recipe is only a blueprint. You have to engage your own senses.

One flavor tip I've learned from experience: It's better to season assertively when it comes to potato salad, especially if you're going to chill it before serving. Chilling dulls the flavors. You'll often need more than you think.

Serve this two potato salad warm -- I love it still warm. Or cover and chill it for serving later. It's also good cold.

Total Servings: 5

Have a great day