" The glory of thy perfect bloom! "

I have been fascinated by the Magnolia flower since I was introduced to it. Silas Weir Mitchell wrote “The glory of thy perfect bloom!” in his “To a Magnolia Flower in the Garden of the Armenian Convent at Venice” http://bartleby.com/248/519.html

In the Victorian era, the symbolic meaning of the magnolia was dignity, nobility, and perseverance. The bark of the tree was demonstrated to have medicinal uses for anti-anxiety effect. It has been documented that magnolias are ancient trees dating back to millions of years and that it was named for Louis XIV’s physician Dr. Magnol.

The magnolia is queen of all flowers resting on its shiny deep green leaves looking so majestic. There was a time I could not tolerate the scent of flowers, especially roses and carnations. When my father passed away, we received many flower arrangements that were kept a long time. And as they wilted, the scent became stale and that memory made me avoid flowers for a long time.

For my wedding, I had prepared a bouquet of artificial flowers to carry in the church because I didn't want the flowers to have any perfume. We were ready to go to church and, at the last minute, my girlfriend Azad arrived with a perfect bouquet of gardenias and insisted I get rid of my handmade artificial flowers. That was the magic moment--the reset button was pushed--and flowers became part of my life again.

I always think of the magnolia flower as a giant glorious gardenia dedicated to Azad my "aromatherapist".

I will be back July 6, 2009

Spicy cottage cheese spread

This spread is great for a quick appetizer with pita chips or as a spread for a French baguette toasted open faced on panini maker. My daughter also uses it as a pizza topping. I like to make this recipe for my "pesas" (Armenian for sons in law).


I use Trader Joe's cottage cheese. I like the curd size of this brand.



Empty in a colander.



Pour a container full of tap water over it.



Mix with the spices.

I learned how to make this spread from my friend. She uses an aged soft cheese that her folks prepare, but my variation is made with readily available nonfat cottage cheese.

I get the 32 oz. container and empty the cheese into a colander. Then, I fill the cheese container with tap water and pour it over the cheese. At this point, I am rinsing and getting rid of the creamy part. Let it drain on top of a bowl for at least an hour or place it in the fridge overnight. Then mix with the following ingredients. (Sumac is a spice that's available in most middle eastern markets. If you can't find it, use lemon juice instead.)

1 Tbsp thyme

1 Tbsp oregano

1 Tbsp sumac powder ( = 1 Tbsp lemon juice)

1 Tbsp dried onion flakes

1 tsp salt

1 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp cayenne

2 Tbsps extra virgin olive oil

One of my friends sent me this suggestion, making a quilt.
I think it is great. Thanks.

Doilies – round and oblong and baklava shaped… many of them.

Everything was hand made,
this was my own made for me.



This design was original created by my mom
she was very protective of this one
At the time they did not have patent lawyers



This is a cushion cover



In Aleppo Syria, it was customary to offer guests
a tall glass of cold homemade Cherryade with your best doily.
this is prestarbucks.



This one is a pillow case border



I remember my mom making this one it is
part of a set.



This shape would be used on a coffee table
Composed of 12 small doilies attached to each other in baklava formation


This is meant to be a nightgown collar

I wonder if you have the same problem (May God forgive me for calling it aproblem). I have inherited so many of these doilies I need advice on what to do with them.

Some are hand crocheted by my mom or aunt or people who were near and dear to me. I cannot get rid of them. They represent the hands that took care of me. I cannot decorate with them on my tables or place them under tablelamps. It simply is not my style.

I even remember my aunt Manoushag teaching me how to make them. It was considered one of the virtues of a proper housewife – making them painstakingly, to have the very best ones. Ones that were more complicated and sophisticated looking were a source of pride.Then there are ones that only certain villagers knew how to do, like my husband’s folks (Marash people) or Adana people where my mom and dad came from.

When our mothers got married they would have a whole series of different types of needlework displayed a week before the wedding. There would be a special day dedicated for the relatives especially those on the groom’s side to visit the bride’s house to check out the bride’s display of all the dowry she was going to bring with her, all the hand made and hand sewn underwear and doilies and sofa cushions covered with black velvet that had been decorated with colorful lace needlework, pillow case borders. If it was too simply made the women would whisper to each other that the bride was not very good at it and that the dowry was not up to par.

Back to my doilies what does a good daughter do? My daughters would not want them – at least I don’t think they do. And, as time goes by, I am inventorying everything, making lists: “give away,” “Goodwill,” “find a new use,” or “dump.” But doilies are a whole new category and I need divine intervention! I cannot place things that have a great emotional value in the garbage. I collect them in a bag and ask my husband to take it to the garage with the following instruction: “get rid of them next year if I don’t ask for them in the mean time.” Believe me, he knows what to do.

It's time for gazpacho. But are we going to have any summer?

The morning after my dinner party I had some chopped parsley in my refrigerator. I use it to decorate the plates and give a final touch before I bring the dishes to the table. Also I had freshly squeezed lemon juice that I had prepared for my salad, some leftover cocktail sauce that I had mixed for the shrimp, leftover champagne, some red wine, stale bread and last but certainly not least we had a huge zucchini from our garden. It looked like the fixings of gazpacho to me. What do you think?
Gazpacho is one of the finest ways of using vegetables that might otherwise go to waste.

So here it goes:

1 cup cubed day old bread
1 cup parsley
1 can diced tomato 28 oz
2 cups 1/2" cubed zucchini
4 tbsps of fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup champagne (vinegar is ok)
1/2 cup cabernet (tomato juice 1/2 & 1/2 with water is ok)
2 tbsp of cocktail sauce
1 small can garbanzo, rinsed
1 small white onion finely diced
1 tsp salt (you can increase this)
1 tsp black pepper
1 bell pepper, chopped fine
1 small garlic clove
1 cup shrimp (optional)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (you can reduce or omit this but it’s soo good)

I placed all the chopped ingredients in a large salad bowl. The wines and the garlic went in the blender on high power then to the bowl. Added all the rest and mixed.

You can serve it right away but if it rests in the refrigerator for an hour the tastes blend and it becomes so delicious.

What do you think? Are we going to have any hot Gazpacho days this summer? It's been a full month of mild overcast days.

The story of our cactus plants

My husband asked me to come out and see the flower on our patio table. He had brought a pot of cactus from the garden that had started flowering.

See, my mom loved her garden. She had such a green thumb. Most of the plants she had started from cuttings, beautiful carnations, begonias and herbs. In her later years, she had started a collection of cactus plants, dozens of them. When time came for her to move to an apartment she had a hard time separating herself from her plants, so my husband brought all the cacti to our house. My mom would visit and check on her plants and enjoy them. She would always tell us, "you are not taking good care of them."

After my mom passed away, in her memory we (my husband did the heavy lifting) transplanted all the cactus plants to clay pots and placed them front and center in the patio. It has been such a source of joy for me. Each time one has a flower my dear husband brings the pot as a centerpiece for our patio table.

Speaking of bread, pizza

I recently updated my foolproof recipe for bread

2 Tablespoons of virgin olive oil
2 cups of bread flour (http://www.ochef.com/97.htm)
2-1/4 teaspoons (1 pkg) active dry yeast (I get it from Costco, it is a 2 pound pkg. I keep it in the refrigerator)
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup lukewarm water (I mix 1/2 cup hot water + 1/2 cup tap water)

Place all the ingredients in the food processor (use the metal blade, I use a 14 cup size Cuisinart) starting with the olive oil so the dough will easily come out of the bowl.

Pulse 10 short pulses. It will form a ball. Mix for 1 minute and transfer to your counter. Flatten to a 5" disc and quarter it like a little pizza.

At this point, you can freeze each portion separately in plastic bag to be used at a later time. Each quarter will either make a thin crust pizza or a loaf of bread.

Preheat oven to 500°F for 15 minutes.

Let dough rise for one hour at room temperature.
Prepare cooking sheet--cover with foil, spray with canola oil.
Spread dough on foil. Be gentle. Let it rest a few minutes and stretch again till it fits a baking sheet.
Sprinkle 1 cup of Costco brand shredded "mexican blend" cheese, a cup of pickled sliced artichokes, half a medium red onion sliced thinly, sundried tomatoes, and drizzle olive oil.
Bake at 475°F for 15 minutes. Turn off the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes in the oven. Take it out and slice as desired.

My family enjoys this pizza. I like to keep one portion of dough in the freezer in case I have unexpected guests. From the time it's out of the freezer it will take 3 hours till ready to bake.

If you shape it just as a loaf, bake it for 10 minutes. Let it rest in the oven for 5 minutes and it's ready to serve.

I like to make the bread ready and bake it during dinner so I can serve it warm with the cheese course after the entree.



For thin crust pizza



Shredded cheese, artichokes, sundried tomatoes, red onions added.



Dough flattened, sundried tomatoes added.



This is the sundried tomato bread loaf

Why the blog?

I started this blog to share experiences, cooking, traveling--just daily life, things that happen to me and things I make happen. Plus it gives me something to do when I lose my husband to the greatest competition in our house--our pool. He’s always out "cleaning the pool" and I don't like to be ignored!
My daughter first suggested that I start the blog and she helped me come up with the name. It’s a play on "our daily bread." “Hots” means bread in Armenian. I hope you enjoy the blog and visit often.