Luscious in color and bright in flavor, this refreshing strawberry agua fresca makes the perfect summer drink. Agua fresca is Spanish for “fresh water” and this beverage is just that — light and fresh! With its ease of preparation and its ability to be made ahead, this beverage invokes effortless summer entertaining. Try adding a splash of tequila to make an easy strawberry margarita or try experimenting with other flavors, such as watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, or cucumber. This agua fresca will make you long for the hot days of summer!

Strawberry Agua Fresca
Cooking Light, May 2005

Ingredients:
4 cups water
1/3 cup sugar
6 cups hulled fresh strawberries
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)

Directions:
1. Combine water and sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves.
2. Place strawberries in a blender, and process until smooth.
3. Combine the sugar mixture, strawberry puree, and juice; stir well.

Yield: 8 cups (serving size 1-1/3 cups)

Linnell’s Notes:
1. I used Splenda in place of sugar with great results. Because the strawberries I had were farm-ripe sweet, I used less sweetener than the recipe called for. The original recipe states that there are 71 calories per serving, so by substituting Splenda, there will be even fewer calories!

2. Because the two limes I had yielded only 1/8 cup juice, I added 1/8 cup fresh lemon juice to the mix.

3. This beverage should be served well-chilled.

Enjoy!

#1 – Humanity

A man giving his shoes to a homeless girl in Rio de Janeiro

Reading the newspaper or watching the news every day can be a depressing experience when story after story highlights crimes against humanity. View this series of 35 Photos That Will Restore Your Faith in Humanity and remember that acts of kindness can set a chain of positive events in motion.

#2 – A Two Minute Respite
Need to relax, unwind, take a break, de-stress, recharge, or refocus? If so, go to the Do Nothing For 2 Minutes site. Close your eyes or gaze at the photo of the sun peeking over the horizon. Relax and listen to the sound of ocean waves while the timer ticks down. Breathe in deeply and exhale slowly. The instructions state, “Just relax and listen to the waves. Don’t touch your mouse or keyboard.” If you dare ignore these instructions, a red “FAIL” appears on your screen. Give yourself a gift of 2 relaxing minutes.

#3 – One Sentence
After taking a 2 minute break and recharging your creative juices, how about trying your hand at writing a true story in only one sentence? That is the challenge of the site One Sentence. The site says, “One Sentence is an experiment in brevity.” The entertaining part of the site is to read what other people have submitted. If Ernest Hemingway could write a six word short story, you can write a story in one sentence!

#4 – One Recipe, Two Uses
The May issue of the Nutrition Action newsletter features a versatile recipe for a “Greek-inspired topping for grilled or roasted salmon or other fish — also doubles as a delightfully tangy salad dressing.” For more healthy recipes check out the “Healthy Recipes” section at Nutrition Action.

Yogurt-Dill Dressing:
Combine 6 oz. of fat-free Greek yogurt with 1 cup of fresh dill sprigs, 1 Tbs. of lemon juice, 1 Tbs. of Dijon mustard, 1 small shallot, and 1/4 tsp. of salt in a food processor. Process until smooth.

#5 – Happy to Be Grateful
In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.
Brother David Steindl-Rast

Wishing you a weekend of grateful happiness!

Photo by Linnell Chang

“Sorry kids, but Grandma can’t knit and Grandma can’t crochet.” This is my apology to my future grandchildren. Unless a miracle happens, they won’t be receiving lovely knitted sweaters or soft crocheted blankets from me. Odds are they will receive one-of-a-kind creative gifts from this funky Grandma. They might even get colorful tied-dyed-looking garments decorated with Sharpie Pens. But don’t worry, future grandkiddies, Grandma is practicing her technique!

Supplies:

1. Rubbing alcohol
2. Liquid medicine dropper
3. Small bowl
4. Plastic cups in varying sizes
5. Rubber bands
6. Sharpie Pens
7. Prewashed white cotton t-shirts
8. Old t-shirt to practice technique
9. Paper towels

Directions:
1. Select a spot on your practice t-shirt. Place a cup underneath the spot, smooth fabric, and secure with a rubber band.

2. Select the Sharpie Pen colors for your design. Keep in mind that primary colors are red, yellow, and blue and that secondary colors are any two primary colors combined. With that in mind, be careful not to blend too many secondary colors together or else you will end up with a muddy brown mess.

3. Draw a small design on your fabric area. Like watercolors, the ink is going to flow, so you want to keep your design on the smaller side. Your design could end up double its size when finished. I tried to keep my drawings between 1/2-inch to 1-inch in size.

4. Pour rubbing alcohol in a small bowl. Fill the medicine dropper with alcohol and place drops strategically on your design. Think about where you want the colors to flow. For a circular design, like a tie-dye style, start in the center. In the case of the small circles I drew, each received a its own drop.

5. Take off the rubber band and let the design dry.

6. Practice, practice, and practice. When you feel you have practiced enough, repeat the same steps using your good t-shirts.

7. Heat set the colors in your dryer. Wash separately at first to make sure the colors do not run onto other fabrics.

Linnell’s Notes:
1. I used a small medicine dose cup, when I was working on an infant t-shirt.

2. In some cases where I did not want my design to be round, I did not use a cup under the fabric. I folded a piece of paper towel into quarters and placed that underneath the top layer of the shirt, to prevent colors from running on to the back layer. After smoothing the surface of the shirt, I drew my design on the front and then dropped alcohol on it.

3. This art form is fun, but unpredictable. I experimented with color combinations and practiced my technique on an old t-shirt before creating a design on the “good” t-shirt.

4. After my designs were dried, I went back with the Sharpie Pens and added embellishment and definition where needed – fish fins, bubbles, etc.

5. This would be a fun project to do with children!

Have fun and let the colors and your imagination flow!

Photo by Linnell Chang

Wouldn’t it be fun to travel the world and become a plein air painter? If I close my eyes, I can envision myself sitting in front of an easel with a paintbrush in my hand. The only problem with that idea is that after taking a couple of painting classes, I realize that my destiny and my talent does not extend in that direction. I haven’t completely given up on learning to paint, but in the mean time, I’ll just have to paint my world with words.

#1 – 12 Things to Say to Yourself
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times: WORDS HAVE POWER. Reading the sentence, “Every breath you take is in sync with someone’s last,” from the 12 Things You Should Be Able to Say About Yourself, forced me to pause and reflect. Every second of every day people all over the world die, but I had never considered the synchronicity of our breaths. Acknowledging that my next breath is in sync with someone’s last breath, gave me a different perspective on life and an increased gratitude for being alive. Marc and Angel Hack Life have written another food-for-thought list that is well worth reading and thinking about.

#2 – Battle of the Potatoes
There’s a lot of hoopla over sweet potatoes. Many restaurants serve sweet potato fries and many dog treats now contain sweet potato. Even my husband is on a sweet potato binge. Are sweet potatoes that much more nutritious than regular white potatoes? Compare their statistics on Food Face-Off: Which is Healthier? and decide for yourself.

#3 – The Heart of a Teacher
Teachers make a profound difference in the world every single day. With the school year coming to a close in many areas, I would like to share this video, based on the poem by Paula J. Fox, as a tribute to teachers around the globe.

#4 – Gifts For Teachers
Trying to think of a nice way to thank your child’s teacher? iVillage’s 19 Homemade Teacher Gift Ideas: Thank-Yous They’ll Really Use – and Love! has some clever ideas that might be just what you’re looking for. The fact that your child can assist in making many of these gifts is a bonus, too.

#5 – Daily Motivation
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily.” —Zig Ziglar

Enjoy your weekend!

Photos by Linnell Chang

Cancer does not discriminate. It strikes the young and the old, the tall and the short, males and females, and even Cockapoos. When my dog Romeo developed chondrosarcoma, I became an involuntary member of a group of owners whose pets have cancer. Within that group, I joined a subgroup, whose members have opted to try to save their pets. We are the ones who stubbornly maintain hope, who cannot bear the thought of euthanizing our beloved “family member,” and who are willing to sacrifice much in order to save our pets.

By the end of this week, I will have driven Romeo, for 19 days straight, to a veterinary hospital half-an-hour away from home, waited one to two hours each day during his treatment, and then returned home. While sitting and waiting for Romeo, I often chat with the parents of some of the other cancer “regulars.” There’s a certain camaraderie in this group, because we relate to the tough decisions we each had to make — the kinds of decisions that make us look crazy to other people. Look at the faces of these dogs. Look into their soulful eyes and then put yourself in the shoes of their owners. What would you do?

Shadow is a bright-eyed 12-year-old Rat Terrier. Looking at him you would never guess that he has an inoperable brain tumor. Unlike my Romeo, who has a good prognosis, Shadow has no prognosis. With or without treatment he may only have 6-8 weeks to live. Shadow sits on his dad’s lap in the waiting room. As Laurie, the radiation therapist, walks up to Shadow, he turns around and licks his dad’s face as if to say goodbye. Laurie takes Shadow away, but not before his dad can give her a plastic bag filled with Shadow’s favorite treats. One morning Shadow’s dad and I were discussing the high cost of cancer treatment and he told me how guilty he would feel, if he spent the money that could save his dog on on anything else. “I couldn’t sit on a beach somewhere, knowing that the money could have been spent trying to save my best friend.”

Joey, a rambunctious 4-year-old Black Lab, walks happily into the waiting room. Oozing charm, he’s a popular guy as he greets everyone he passes along the way. Joey wears a double barrier, a large cushioned “donut” and a flexible “cone of shame” around his neck, to prevent him from reaching a shaved and sutured area on his hip. Joey had an aggressive soft tissue sarcoma removed from that area and is undergoing radiation treatment. Chemotherapy may loom in his future, as well. Without any treatment, Joey was given a prognosis of 3 to 6 months. Whenever Laurie comes to take him back, Joey stands on his hind legs and puts his front paws squarely on her shoulders, so they can “dance.”

Rocky, an 8½-year-old Bullmastiff lies on the floor panting. He’s clearly not enjoying the hot day and his demeanor shows it. He knows what’s important, though, because sometimes in the middle of a pant, he stops to lick the floor. This big cuddly guy has insulinoma, a malignant neoplasm that grows on the pancreas. Ever since the surgery to remove a tumor-infested portion of Rocky’s pancreas, his dad has struggled with the serious issues of Rocky’s fluctuating insulin levels.

Everyone who sees Molly’s sweet grey and white face, wants to approach and pet her. This 15-year-old poodle mix had surgery to remove a cancerous mammary tumor and is now undergoing chemotherapy. Even though Molly’s mom has a brand new grandbaby and a 92-year-old father in need of surgery, Molly is still getting the best care possible.

Sophie, a 9½-year-old flat-coated retriever mix, hobbles into the waiting room. After having her right front leg amputated, Sophie is learning to walk again. Diagnosed with osteosarcoma, one of the deadliest bone cancers, Sophie is undergoing chemotherapy and will have additional diagnostic tests to see if the cancer has spread. Sophie’s mom rescued her once before and is now trying to rescue her again.

Wearing a pink harness and a scarf adorned with pink cancer ribbons, little Lillie snuggles in her mom’s arms. This shy 10-year-old Miniature Dachsund is here for a post-treatment check-up. Her parents live far away, so during her three-week radiation treatment for thyroid cancer, she stayed at the hospital. Her parents missed her so much that they drove for hours to pick her up every weekend. Everyone had big smiles on their faces today as Lillie left the hospital, 1-year cancer free.

As sad as it’s been to see these dogs fight cancer, I feel a sense of hope. The amount of hope, love, and trust in the waiting room is palpable. Here, I know I am not alone. There are other pet parents sacrificing more than me to give their pets the necessary treatment. No matter what happens to Romeo and the other dogs, I know that all who are involved  — the devoted owners and the hospital’s caring and highly-trained staff  — have done all that we could do.

May is Pet Cancer Awareness Month. To learn more about cancer in pets and to learn how you can help, check out these sites:
Morris Animal Foundation
Veterinary Cancer Society
Pet Cancer Awareness

Photo by Linnell Chang

There’s quite a buzz around the water cooler these days, except in this case the water cooler is a hummingbird feeder. With their fuzzy-looking baby feathers and miniscule stature, young hummingbirds buzz around the feeder competing for food. Some of them are so small that they cannot stand on the perch to feed. If they did, they would be unable to reach the nectar. Most of the adult hummingbirds tolerate the young birds and some even feed simultaneously with the little ones. But like the human species, greed also exists in the bird world and some of the older birds bully and chase away the young ones. Watching the hummingbirds interact reminds me of all the times I told my children, “Please set a good example and share.”

#1 – Mosaic Marvels

Winters Beauty by artist Laura Rendlen

After viewing the incredible art at the Vatican several years ago, I left with a greater appreciation for the pain-staking art of mosaics. Mosaics may be an ancient art form, but they’re just as beautiful now in modern art installations. I’d like to share with you these 10 stunning examples of modern-day mosaic art.

#2 – Frisée or Mâche?
In my last post, I wrote about growing my own lettuce and serving a very fresh salad for dinner. Also growing in my yard are arugula, kale, and chard. Not bad for a container gardener with a brown thumb! With a variety of salad greens available for us to grow in our yards, buy at markets, or eat in restaurants, it can be difficult to tell them apart. Here’s a Visual Guide to Salad Greens, courtesy of Epicurious, to help you identify them, learn about their characteristics, and link to recipes using them.

#3 – More Great Ideas
Some of the ideas in Even More Simple Ideas that Are Borderline Genius have been around the block a couple of times. However, there are a several of them that had me thinking, “Why didn’t I think of that?” I particularly like the idea of using wired shelving to hold rolls of wrapping paper vertically. Check out these ideas, because maybe there’s one that will make your life easier.

#4 – Furoshiki
Furoshiki are Japanese wrapping cloths. They serve to transport, protect, and/or decorate. Since Furoshiki are reusable, they prevent product waste, especially in the case of wrapping paper and bags. There are different ways to tie Furoshiki, depending on an item’s shape and size. Click here to learn about Furoshiki wrapping techniques.

#5 – Shared Words, Shared Worlds
I share this poem, written by Arab-American poet, songwriter, and novelist Naomi Shihab Nye, with the hope that you will share it with others. Its message is clear: that there’s so much good in a little kindness and that living in a “shared world” is a much better world.

Shared Words, Shared Worlds
–by Naomi Shihab Nye

After learning my flight was detained 4 hours,

I heard the announcement:
If anyone in the vicinity of gate 4-A understands any Arabic,
Please come to the gate immediately.

Well—one pauses these days. Gate 4-A was my own gate. I went there.
An older woman in full traditional Palestinian dress,
Just like my grandma wore, was crumpled to the floor, wailing loudly.
Help, said the flight service person. Talk to her. What is her
Problem? we told her the flight was going to be four hours late and she
Did this.

I put my arm around her and spoke to her haltingly.
Shu dow-a, shu- biduck habibti, stani stani schway, min fadlick,
Sho bit se-wee?

The minute she heard any words she knew—however poorly used—
She stopped crying.

She thought our flight had been canceled entirely.
She needed to be in El Paso for some major medical treatment the
Following day. I said no, no, we’re fine, you’ll get there, just late,

Who is picking you up? Let’s call him and tell him.
We called her son and I spoke with him in English.
I told him I would stay with his mother till we got on the plane and
Would ride next to her—Southwest.

She talked to him. Then we called her other sons just for the fun of it.

Then we called my dad and he and she spoke for a while in Arabic and
Found out of course they had ten shared friends.

Then I thought just for the heck of it why not call some Palestinian
Poets I know and let them chat with her. This all took up about 2 hours.

She was laughing a lot by then. Telling about her life. Answering
Questions.

She had pulled a sack of homemade mamool cookies—little powdered
Sugar crumbly mounds stuffed with dates and nuts—out of her bag—
And was offering them to all the women at the gate.

To my amazement, not a single woman declined one. It was like a
Sacrament. The traveler from Argentina, the traveler from California,
The lovely woman from Laredo—we were all covered with the same
Powdered sugar. And smiling. There are no better cookies.

And then the airline broke out the free beverages from huge coolers—
Non-alcoholic—and the two little girls for our flight, one African
American, one Mexican American—ran around serving us all apple juice
And lemonade and they were covered with powdered sugar too.

And I noticed my new best friend—by now we were holding hands—
Had a potted plant poking out of her bag, some medicinal thing,

With green furry leaves. Such an old country traveling tradition. Always
Carry a plant. Always stay rooted to somewhere.

And I looked around that gate of late and weary ones and thought,
This is the world I want to live in. The shared world.

Not a single person in this gate—once the crying of confusion stopped
—has seemed apprehensive about any other person.

They took the cookies. I wanted to hug all those other women too.
This can still happen anywhere.

Not everything is lost.

Have a great weekend!

Coco’s Special Cheese Dressing
Recipe from Kathy Shepard

Ingredients:
1/4 to 3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup buttermilk
4½ teaspoons cider vinegar
1½ teaspoons garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Combine milk, mayonnaise, sour cream, and buttermilk. Whisk until blended.
2. Place vinegar in cup and stir in garlic salt and pepper.
3. Add to mayonnaise mixture and blend in cheese.
4. Store in the refrigerator.

Makes about 2 cups

Linnell’s Notes:
To keep this salad dressing on the healthier side, I substituted Greek yogurt for the sour cream.

Enjoy!

#1 – Use your Brain and Feed a Hungry Person
With a little luck and some smarts, you can play a game that helps feed people around the world. More specifically, answer questions in Humanities, Math, Foreign Languages, Human Anatomy, English, Chemistry, Geography, and SAT Test Preparation and for every correct answer you get, Freerice donates 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program. Check out the website to test how smart you are and to learn how your answers could help feed starving people.

#2 – Creative Typography
Here’s a different take on creative writing — how about creatively writing words? Ji Lee, designer and former creative director of Google and currently the creative energy at Facebook, challenges us to “Create an image out of a word, using only the letters in the word itself without adding any extra elements.” Watch this video to see some of his extremely creative examples:

#3 – Ingenious Stuff to Make
A basketball purse, a cutlery clock, and a broom-head pencil holder are some of the ingenious DIY projects that can be found on 7 Ingenious DIY Designs You Can Make At Home.

#4 – Be Lighter
With summer just a couple of months away, it’s time to get in shape for bathing suit and short season. That also means it’s time to think about those little things called calories. Here’s an infographic with everything you need to know about calories:

#5 – Light From Within
“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

This weekend, light up from within by helping someone in need!

Instead of eating ordinary hamburgers on a bun, take your hamburger dining experience to a whole new gastronomical level. By creatively substituting and adding different elements, you can successfully fuse together the flavors of different cultures. Last weekend I created Korean Barbecued Hamburgers for a weekend backyard barbecue. Soy sauce, sesame seeds, brown sugar, and chopped green onions flavored the hamburger meat. After grilling the patties, the fun began! Spicy kimchi topped the burgers instead of traditional pickles and a small handful of fresh pea shoots, instead of alfalfa sprouts, added a nice crunchy texture. And, in lieu of ketchup, I substituted Korean Ssamjang sauce. Ssamjang sauce is a thick spicy condiment normally made from doenjang (Korean soybean paste), gochujang (Korean chili pepper paste), sesame oil, onion, garlic and green onions. With everyone asking for MORE, these tasty burgers were deemed a huge hit!

Korean Hamburger Elements
Ingredients:
Korean barbecued hamburger patties (recipe below)
Hamburger buns
Lettuce leaves
Tomato slices
Kimchi
Pea shoots (AKA pea sprouts)
Ssamjang-Mayo sauce (recipe below)

Korean Barbecued Hamburgers
Meat recipe revised from the Favorite Island Cookery: Book II

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
2 stalks green onion, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1½ T. soy sauce
Dash pepper
1 egg
2 tsp. brown sugar
1/2-inch piece of ginger root, minced
1 tsp. sesame seed, toasted
1 tsp. sesame seed oil

Directions:
Combine ingredients and form into patties. Broil 3 to 5 minutes on each side, pan fry or grill them on the barbecue.

Yields 3 to 4 servings

My Ssamjang-Mayo Sauce:
2 T. mayonnaise
1-2 T. Ssamjang sauce, depending on desired level of spiciness

Mix both ingredients together in a small bowl.

Assembly:
1. Spread Ssamjang-Mayo sauce on buns.
2. Add lettuce leaf to bottom portion of bun.
3. Place hamburger patty on lettuce leaf.
4. Place tomato slice on top of hamburger patty.
5. Put a few slices of kimchi on top of tomato.
6. Place a small handful of pea shoots on top of the tomato.
7. Place top portion of bun on top of shoots.

Linnell’s Notes:
1. I always double the meat recipe when serving 5 people.
2. Kimchi, Ssamjang sauce, and pea shoots can be purchased at most Asian markets. Kimchi and pea shoots can often be found at Trader Joe’s and I’ve purchased pea shoots at farmers’ markets, although they’re more expensive there.
3. If you can’t find Ssanjamg sauce, any chile garlic sauce like Sriracha can be used.
4. Recipes for two great side dishes to accompany these Korean Barbecued Hamburgers can also be found on this blog:
Asian Coleslaw
Asian Cucumber Salad

Enjoy these flavorful burgers and make sure to have plenty of napkins on hand!

Peace Rose by Linnell Chang

My high school photography teacher used to say that black and white photography was an art form that required a fair amount of skill, whereas, color photography required less skill, because it got an assist from Mother Nature. I agree with him. My photograph of a Peace rose is nice, but Mother Nature did the lighting and the color for me. For this to be a good black and white photo, more forethought would have been necessary prior to the shoot. When color is stripped away, the viewer’s appreciation of the subject matter changes. A black and white photo, with its shades of grey and exposed lines and angles, bares its soul and tells a different story. What do you think?

#1 – Who Is Vivian Maier?
As a longtime fan of black and white photography, an old news feature caught my attention. Until recently, Vivian Maier’s existence as a photographer was unknown. She lived on the East Coast in the 1950s and was a nanny by profession. Decades later, when the contents of a storage locker went up for auction, her skills as a street photographer would be revealed to the world. Watch the video to learn more about the interesting discovery of her work and check out the Vivian Maier website to view historical social commentary through her black and white photographs.

#2 – Re-purpose Plastic Bottles into Gift Boxes
Who doesn’t have plastic bottles at home waiting to be recycled? How about making pillow boxes out of them? Pillow boxes make great gift boxes and storage containers. Follow the tutorial provided by Too Good To Waste and re-purpose some plastic bottles today!

#3 – 10 Winning Words
If Scrabble is your game, you’ll want to learn these 10 words and keep them in the back of your head:

Oxyphenbutazone
Quizzify
Oxazepam
Quetzals
Quixotry
Gherkins
Quartzy
Muzjiks
Syzygy
Za

To learn more about these words and to check if I spelled them correctly, read 10 Words That Will Win You Any Game Of Scrabble.

#4 – Fork Bows
This is one of those ideas that needs to be shared – how to tie perfect little bows using table forks. If you’re clever, you’ll find a way to extrapolate this knowledge and create bows on a larger scale. I’m already thinking about wood pasta rakes and pitchforks!

#5 – Life’s Challenges
“Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.”
Bernice Johnson Reagon

Have a perfectly lovely weekend!