Review with a View

JPiX 2011 Blog Carnival

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere

• Feed the ducks? asks Michelle.
• Rebbetzin’s Butternut Squash Soup on Pragmatic Attic
• Batya blog hops: “If you fall while performing, get up gracefully making it look like it was planned as part of the dance.”
• Ilana-Davita has some root parsley recipes (it’s a Mediterranean root vegetable, sort of like the American parsnip).
• More adventures in Norway, this time to Dublin: Dublin: A Room of One’s Own (With a View)
• I will be giving a beginner Twitter workshop at the Highland Park Public Library on December 5, so tell your New Jersey friends. If you want a preview of some of the talk, read How to Set Up a Twitter Profile.

Have you seen anything with a view lately? Maybe in a movie?

Nature Notes: Washington Valley Park

On Sunday we visited Washington Valley Park in Bridgewater, New Jersey. Our friend found the hike on the website njhiking.com; I had never heard of the park before. Pictured is the lovely reservoir at the bottom of the hiking area.

We decided in advance to follow the red trail – it wasn’t always easy to see these markings for the trail on the trees.

I saw a variety of plants growing – no idea what this striped little plant is called.

I recognized these red oval berries from my childhood – I looked up the bush (red berries with thorns is what I looked for in Google Images), and I learned this is called a barberry bush.

I rather liked this plant inside moss that I found on the trail.

There were various streams on our hike that led into the reservoir. The girls (my daughter and friend) had fun hopping over the rocks.

When we got to the top of the hill on the trail, we were rewarded with views of hawks flying overhead.

You could see quite a distance from the top – the fall colors have faded, but they are still varied, though muted.

For more Nature Notes:

Mock Chopped Liver with Lentils

On Friday I made this version of a lentil paté that really does look like chopped liver, so I am calling this recipe “mock chopped liver.” I previously posted a recipe that I called vegetarian chopped liver – that one suggests eggs, and this one needs no egg, so it is suitable for vegans.

Ingredients for Mock Chopped Liver

• 3/4 cup lentils
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• salt to taste
• 1 onion
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. coriander
• optional: ginger

Cook lentils until soft (add a bit of salt while cooking). Soak walnuts for about one half hour. Sauté onions for about one half hour – the lengthy sautéing helps to caramelize the onions, bringing more flavor to the recipe (if you stop after 15 minutes, it will still taste good). Blend lentils, walnuts and onions in the food processor with spices.

The inspiration for this recipe comes from Mary’s Lentil-Walnut Spread, Lentil Walnut Pate and my friend Klara.

I added this post to Ruth’s Real Food 101.

Nature Notes: Foliage 2011

My daughter and I went for a walk to the library today, and we enjoyed looking at the brightly colored trees. She was off from school because of some teacher enhancement enrichment something-or-another day.

The oak leaves are certainly multi-colored.

I really enjoyed the colors of my neighbor’s blueberry bush.

The local high school looked pretty with the adorning red maple in front.

Hard to believe a week ago we had snow on the ground – this has been a varied fall for foliage 2011.

For more Nature Notes:

JPiX Fall 2011 Blog Carnival

Welcome to JPiX – the Jewish Photo Blogger’s Blog Carnival, Fall 2011 edition. Thanks to everyone who participated. We have a village in France, Rosh Hashana challah, Kfar Adumim, an olive oil factory, havdalah, a Jewish wedding, a lion in Jerusalem and more.

Left to right: Ilana-Davita, G6 and Wing Chun Jew (aka Jacob da Jew):
  

Batya:
  

Chosid’s Blog (Leah):
 

Real Jerusalem Streets (Sharon):
  

Cosmic X:
  

Mrs. S:
 

Leora:
  

I hope you will take the time to visit the photographers’ blogs and leave comments. The next JPiX will be in the spring. If you want to participate, please submit an entry here. If you are brave enough to volunteer to host, please contact me, and we can discuss the details.