I'm BAAAACK! Thanks so much for your many good ideas and links. And, yes, I'm thinking more of a grainy, nutty, seedy bread with _some_ softness and some bits of seed/nut and dried ginger or bits of tart dried fruit, but not too much. I thought that I'd never escape Verizon Customer Service Con-Fusion Hell. Now, a neighbor is caught up in their Rabbit Hole machine. Pray for her. (I mean, put down your spatulas, get on your knees, and really pray.). She told me she'd lost her Internet and TV; I offered that was because Verizon gave them to me. Now it's her turn to speak with Any-Which-Way call centers -- all with conflicting advice and opinions and no one overseeing things or lending cohesion to the proffered "information." For about a week I could only get Internet access via an old "smart" phone and slow 4G. And the phone working memory space is lean. Then (now, still) my arm is sore. I think I lifted something a tad (x25) too heavy. My biceps deltoid hoopalongacepts muscle-tendon whatchamacallit is crazy painful. Even reaching for a cup of coffee, or reaching around behind me (for remote) is painful. And today is already too hot for me (Iceland and Northern California sound great). Back to bread (finger typing with sore arm, so please excuse errors): Some of you suggestions look really good. With my sore arm muscle, I truly might need to resort to a bread machine or Kitchenaid with dough hook. For the past year, I've been experimenting with my "lazy-busy-sore-hand" pizza dough recipe: I pretty much follow the Bob's Red Mill Artisan flour recipe for pizza dough, but make it a bit wetter. Then I let it rise at cool room temperature or fridge temp inside a thinly coated EVOO poly bag. When it rises to ~ double, I stretch/fold over the dough. After about 24-38 hours, I use it for pizza dough. Someday, I hope to learn Ann-T's recipe and technique. However, I want to try and not consume too many simple carbohydrates (the type that quickly raise one's blood glucose). I am a lover of things like pies, pastries, breads and cakes, but I am no longer 18, so must pay attention to what I eat. In another week or so, I will try either using my Kitchenaid with dough hook or the bread machine (ack) to make some multi-grainy, nutty-seedy bread. I will report back on how it goes (but don't want to bore the many accomplished bakers here). April was cold, snow, rain and wet. Then I had paper work to take care of. I never got much of anything planted, and now it's very hot (for me) in interior New England. My body hates heat and humidity and is _not_ supposed to be in this climate. Cornwall would be better ;-) Our garden rhubarb is ready and is even starting to bolt. Maybe I can find a way to make a few rhubarb dishes that won't send my body's blood sugar into sustained hyperdrive. I've not gotten any our our rhubarb for three years -- always some volcano, flash flood, or "other" to grab my time. Maybe I can freeze some and use some for a smart tart (galette) or bars.

Please don't give me credit for the pattern on this, I just did what I could with what I had to do this quilt. I am very unskilled when it comes to applique, haven't done much of it so thanks for the tip, Latifolia. I have done raw-edge applique on art quilts before but nothing that required exacting shapes. I would prefer turned edge but don't have the patience and skill for it.

John, I quite liked them and DH looked quite keen when I said he could have the extra one. He also said he’d like it again. Really they were pretty easy and straightforward to make, even in my (limited space and equipment) city kitchen. I’d do them again as is, and I might experiment with a version without mushrooms but with sun dried tomatoes and kalamata olives for a more Mediterranean flavour... Please, feel free to take the idea and run with it! Let us know how you went :-)

Kale and Quinoa Minestrone Soup (Vegan and GF) INGREDIENTS 1 large yellow onion, diced (2 cups) 3 medium carrots, diced (1 1/2 cups) 2 stalks celery, diced (1 cup) 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 cups diced, fresh zucchini (from about 2 small) 2 cups green beans, cut into 1-inch segments 1 red bell pepper, diced3cloves garlic, minced 1 (32 oz) carton unsalted or low-sodium vegetable broth 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes 3 cups water 3 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley 1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed 3/4 tsp dried thyme 1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 3/4 cup dry quinoa 1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 1 (15 oz) can chick peas, drained and rinsed (aka garbanzo beans) 2 (heaping) cups chopped fresh kale, thick ribs removed 1 Tbsp lemon juice Shredded parmesan cheese, for garnish (omit or use vegan parmesan if making vegan) 1. In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add diced onion, carrots and celery and saute about 5 minutes, until softened. Add in zucchini, green beans, red bell pepper and saute 2 minutes, then add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. 2.Add in vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes, water, parsley, rosemary, thyme, granulated sugar, season with salt and pepper to taste and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and allow soup to gently boil, uncovered for about 20 minutes. 3.Add in dry quinoa then cover and cook 15 - 20 minutes longer. 4.Add cannellini beans, chick peas, kale and lemon juice and cook, uncovered, until kale has wilted, about 5 minutes. Serve warm garnished with parmesan cheese. Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Mind Body Green NOTES from bbstx: I was not concerned with the soup being vegan or GF; I used chicken broth. I have an aversion to chickpeas; I omitted them. I always rinse my quinoa well.