Author: Ann Ivy Male

Penne with Sausage

by Ann Ivy Male

Ingredients

1/2 onion diced, 3 cloves of garlic diced, 1/2 yellow pepper diced, 4 Italian sausage links (remove meat from casing), fresh basil leaves, Persian cumin seeds, chilli flakes, tomato paste, jar of marinara sauce, salt, pepper.

Heat olive oil in a cocotte – add the fresh basil then sauté onions, garlic, yellow pepper, sausage meat and spices. When the meat is evenly browned, add 1 tablespoon tomato paste and the jar of marinara. Simmer for 45 minutes. Serve over cooked penne.

 

Spicy Chickpeas with Cucumber and Lime

by Ann Ivy Male

Spicy Chickpeas with Cucumber and Lime

1 can chickpeas

1/2 onion, diced

1 grated clove of garlic

5 grape tomatoes, diced

1/2 teaspoon whole mustard seeds

1 tablespoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon ground chilli

Fresh coriander and mint.

Heat coconut oil and vegetable oil in a cast iron frypan. Add mustard seeds, garam masala, chilli – fry for a minute or two – add onion, garlic, tomato and chickpeas. Sauté for 10 minutes – season with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh coriander and mint.

Serve with cucumber sticks and fresh lime.

AIM

Symphony in the Sky

by Ann Ivy Male

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To the 4:00 a.m. song bird –
Yes, I hear you in the background of a dream
Your music; the alarm waking the night,
Sending the darkness away

To the 8:00 a.m. shimmery, blue-head Grackle –
The young mouths are waiting in the nest entwined by burgundy blooms of clematis “Niobe”
You frantically dash from tree to tree – shrieking at any sign of danger
Ambitiously tugging into the ground to find morsels of strength to stuff into tiny, hungry beaks

To the 1:00 p.m Mourning Doves –
You dance together on decayed tree limbs – oblivious to the world below
You are coy whilst displaying your affection
Your song is melodic and soothing

To the 5:00 p.m. Cardinal –
Your red feathers illuminate in the late afternoon sun
You sing to your lady,
She hears you –
She sings back to you; her song of admiration
You feel proud

To the Red-Wing Blackbirds, Chickadees ,Robins, Sparrows and Swallows –

“Sing, sing a song, sing  out loud, sing out strong”

It is now dusk and the symphony of songbirds is the music of the sky
I am the audience
I am elated

At 10:00 p.m ; the sky is deafly silent.

The glow of the full moon sets the stage for the next performance.

 

Words and Photography by Ann Ivy Male