We are in full spring mode here in Maine; the leaves are out and verdant green, flowers are beginning to bloom, and my husband received and installed his bees. This is our first year as beekeepers, though my father-in-law always had a hive when his kids were living at home. The drive home from picking them up was an interesting experience. I’m not afraid of bees per se, but I can say I didn’t enjoy riding in a jeep with a hive full of 40,000 bees just waiting to pop out and sting me. The few that were out of the hive didn’t bother me as my husband insisted, but I spend the 20 minute ride home with a shirt wrapped around my head just in case. This city girl is slowly adjusting to the natural world, though insects and I are never going to be friends. I am excited about the help from the bees with our vegetable garden and my flower gardens.

Speaking of gardens, we spent much of our holiday weekend working outside. My best friend came over to help me fix my front garden which has suffered from my compulsive habit of making patterns and thinking linearly even when I’m trying not to. We moved some things around and added new plants to create a move natural, less Type A look. This included hauling fallen birch logs and rocks from around the property to create a border.  I think it looks pretty good!

Type A rescued

We also worked on another garden I started last year when our cat, Barry Manilow, died. I planted a type of hydrangea over him, and this year he is gorgeous (and of course still referred to as Barry Manilow).

The hubby and I also worked the veggie garden, putting in two new beds. Last year was pretty dismal in terms of yield, which I chalk up to inexperience, crappy woods soil, and a bad year all around. This year we’ve amended the soil as much as we can afford to (not enough, but better than nothing) and we have a watering system that my genious boy built and installed. So, we wait for our bounty: peas, bush beans, winter and summer squash, tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, cucumbers, beets, radishes, corn, leeks, shallots, and romaine lettuce. I’ve got strawberries and basil growing in containers at the house and I plan to do the same with other herbs. I never thought I would become a gardener, but come late winter I start to dream about my flowers and plants, fantasizing about new gardens and expanding what I already have. Watching them pop up in the cold, dank days of spring is like welcoming good friends back from a deep sleep.

I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome 13 years ago when I was a sophomore in college. Though I have always been on the ‘rubenesque’ end of the body spectrum (thanks Mom for the perfect term), I gained 30lbs my first two years away from home largely due to the hormonal tsunami raging inside my body. PCOS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycystic_ovarian_syndrome) is an endocrine disorder affecting millions of women in the U.S. It makes weight management very difficult and weight loss sometimes feel impossible. One of the potential symptoms, which I have, is insulin resistance. Essentially my body doesn’t know when it’s made enough insulin, so it keeps making more (such a good little soldier!). Too much insulin in the body throws all kinds of other hormones out of whack, thereby causing a domino effect of problems including weight gain (because our bodies can’t just get rid of excess insulin, it gets turned into fat).  Needless to say, it’s especially important for me and women who have this condition to carefully monitor their diets and cut out all the yummy processed carbs and sugary snacks. High fructose corn syrup is EVIL and widespread. If we don’t cut this crap out of our diets, and PCOS and/or insulin resistance is left untreated, type 1 diabetes can follow. Lovely, right?

I’m back to exercising 4-5 days out of the week, and I’m mixing up the activities. I’ve been walking, watching an aerobic DVD, or cleaning the house. Soon I’ll be able to garden. I’m also back to renovating recipes: substituting heart-healthy fats, low-fat dairy, whole wheat flour, lean meats, adding veggies in whenever I can, etc. Making my own bread has allowed me to control the ingredients in my most beloved food (besides cheese) and saved us money. I’ve dropped a couple pounds of water weight so far this week (the rings fit, pants fit a little better) and I feel much more energized. Now it’s only a matter of sticking to it, which is the real thorn in my side. Why do we find it so difficult to take care of ourselves?? Something to think about.

1 cup orzo, cooked according to package

2 cups baby spinach

1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

1/4 finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes

1 cup coarsely chopped roasted red peppers

1 large cucumber, sliced thinly

1/4 cup good extra virgin olive oil

1/2 feta cheese

juice of one large lemon and about 1 tablespoon of zest

Salt & pepper to taste

For the cast party following the choral performance, I baked up a loaf of the onion & cheese bread I posted earlier. This time I used 1/2 whole wheat flour and added 1/2 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes. It got rave reviews. Here’s a picture of it straight out of the oven:

1. After putting together your favorite white bread, let the dough rise until it has doubled. We used rapid rise yeast, so it didn’t take as long as it might with regular yeast. Then punch it down and roll into a rectangle (maybe 12×18”, Mom’s doesn’t like details as much as I do)

2. Now the filling:
1/2 stick butter (if you must, you could try a couple tablespoons of olive oil. I think butter is good here)
1 C finely chopped onions
1 tsp Paprika

3. Sauté the onions in the butter until they are translucent; add the paprika.

4. Spread filling on the dough leaving a 1” border.

5. Now sprinkle grated Parmesan and/or Romano cheese over filling. We used at least 1/2 cup. Freshly grated cheese would be best.

6. After spreading the filling on the dough, roll it carefully, tucking the ends in and make a loaf. Plop (that’s mom’s technical term) it into a loaf pan and let it rise again for about 30 mins.

7. Bake at 375F for about 45 minutes. The top should be nicely browned.

This is heavenly bread – very addictive. If you’re watching your white flour intake like I am, try substituting half the flour with whole wheat flour. And snack wisely. If you accidentally eat 1/4 or 1/2 the loaf, remember that tomorrow is a new day.

Breaking in...so good

Note: I made this bread over the weekend for a party. This time I used 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 white, as well as added about 1/4 finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Soooo yummy. The whole wheat gave it a slightly nutty taste.