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.

 

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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