“There’s a certain amount of humility that is attached to wonder, and a certain amount of pride attached to knowledge and I think the moment you say ‘we know beyond a shadow of a doubt this exists’, you can’t have faith that it exists. Faith is no longer possible. So faith is only possible when doubt is possible. Faith is only possible when humility and wonder is possible. And I feel like the musical world of humility and wonder is a much wider door to enter into than the narrow confines of epistemology and things like knowledge and these really narrow boxes. That’s kind of where our songs are… [those are] the worlds our songs are trying to explore.” – Jon Foreman (Switchfoot)

Note:  Switchfoot has “come out of nowhere” to by the #1 played band for me on iTunes…  Looking at the “date added” column, I 1st ripped a Switchfoot CD in July of 2006, so it’s only been a year and they passed long time favorites of mine like Dar Williams, U2, Led Zeppelin, Pearl Jam, etc.    Granted I have only been keeping iTunes stats since Febuary of 2004 or so, so it doesn’t include a lifetime of listening by any means…

Summer Favorites: Orecchiette Puttanesca

I think this was from Health magazine, but when I searched their archives, I could not find it.

  • 1 pound uncookted orecchiette (“little ears”) pasta (we used bow tie)
  • 1 tbsp capers
  • 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved (we at least triple this!  🙂  )
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp grated lemon rind
  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (too much!!  definitely use less than this to start and add to taste)
  • 2 canned anchovy fillets packet in oil, drained
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 tbs chopped red onion
  • 2 tbs chopped fresh basil (and/or oregano)
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/2 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese
  • We also like to add cubed buffalo mozzerala

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.  Drain.

While pasta is cooking, combine capers and next 8 ingredients in a bowl.  (capers – pepper)

Return pasta to pan, stir in caper anchovy mixture, tomatoes, onion, basil, and parsley.  Sprinkle with Cheese.  Enjoy!

Summer Favorites: Sauerkraut Salad

From Patti and John: 

 

 One bag of Sauerkraut, found in the deli or packaged meat area

Green pepper

Onion

Cider vinegar

Sugar

Oil

Black pepper

Celery seed

Drain the kraut well and rinse. Add chopped onion and green pepper. Something red like Vern suggested, pimento and/or red pepper would be good too. Other vegetables added would be good in this salad.

I used maybe a third cup of sugar to same amount of grapeseed oil and 2/3 cup vinegar. Need to adjust the sugar according to your taste.

Summer Favorites: Squash Appetizer

From Patti and John: 

 

Sunburst squash or yellow squash cut into ½ thick bite-size sections

Tomatoes

Garlic

Fresh lemon juice*

Herbs; flat leaf parsley, basil, oregano

Black pepper

Cheese, goat or mozzarella

Grill or roast the squash until almost tender. Finely chop the tomatoes and garlic and add lemon juice, herbs and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Top each squash with a small amount of cheese and using a slotted spoon, top with the tomato mixture. Bake at 350 for about 10 to 20 minutes, depending on your cheese and if your squash was refrigerated for a period of time. I added the lemon juice when I used the goat cheese. I did not use it with mozzarella. Enjoy!

 

(Note: These were fantastic! Like Bruschetta on Squash…)