The Stars and Stripes

July 4, 2020July 4, 2020 / Karina Pinella / 6 Comments

Tall, proud, and breezy,
Waving independently,
The red, white, and blue.

Happy 4^th of July!

Altercation

June 28, 2020June 27, 2020 / Karina Pinella / 4 Comments

Dispute of all time,
Knock-down, eye-poked, hair-torn fight;
Then, the two brats laughed.

Sole Mate

May 16, 2020May 15, 2020 / Karina Pinella / 5 Comments

Image: Pixabay

Lots of laughs and fun,
Parading around the house,
Me, myself, and I.

A party of one,
Perfect companion,
Who could ask for more?

Inmate

May 9, 2020May 9, 2020 / Karina Pinella / 8 Comments

Image: Pixabay

The wait continues

With indefinite end date,

Sentenced to sameness.

Purgatory

May 2, 2020May 1, 2020 / Karina Pinella / 8 Comments

Image by PIxabay

No crowding allowed,
No parties, concerts, or games,
To flatten the curve.

Damned to inertia,
Waiting for life to happen,
Can’t do the limbo.

Beef-flavored Vegetable Pot Pie

April 19, 2020April 18, 2020 / Karina Pinella / 4 Comments

Thinking of meat pie,
Couldn’t decide how to make,
Tried to be healthy.

Topped with fried onion,
Beef-flavored veggie pot pie,
Makes good comfort food.

Recipe

Line an oil-sprayed pie plate with a 9” pie crust either pre-made or homemade. Note: I stretched out my dough a bit to fit the oval glass dish I used.

Easy homemade single pie crust: 1 cup flour, intermittently pour and stir in ¼ cup oil; continue stirring while adding ¼ cup water until dough clings together. Knead lightly and roll out. (from The Tassajara Bread Book by Edward Espe Brown)

Sauté 1 sliced onion and 3 minced garlic.
Add 2 chopped carrots, 4 cubed potatoes, and 1 cup beef broth. Simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes until vegetables are tender.
Add 1 cup cubed zucchini and 2 cups sliced mushrooms. Add ½ cup beef broth. Simmer on medium- low heat for 5 minutes.
Add 10 oz. frozen peas, ¼ cup raisins, and ¼ cup beef broth. Lightly sprinkle with Tamari sauce; simmer for 4 minutes on low heat.
Add ¼ lb. cooked ground beef; turn off after meat is heated through with vegetable mixture.
Pour beef and vegetable mixture in pie plate. (If any extra filling, use it the next day to make fried rice; add mung bean sprouts and chopped scallions and scrambled or fried egg.)
Fully cover top with fried onion pieces; I used the Trader Joe’s brand. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese.
Put dish in preheated oven set at 350 degrees F. Take out after 18 minutes. Let it set for 5-10 minutes, depending how patient you are.

Happy devouring!

Christmas Trees

December 25, 2019December 20, 2019 / Karina Pinella / 13 Comments

Natural or dressed,
Ready to spread Christmas cheer,
Express it with fir.

Exploring Egypt: More of Luxor

October 8, 2019October 7, 2019 / Karina Pinella / 5 Comments

7^th and last of the series on my 7-day stay in Egypt

More sights in Luxor,
Lunch with local family,
And back to Cairo.

As always, the day began early to see more wonders of Luxor, which used to be the ancient city of Thebes. First stop is the Colossi of Memnon, two 56-feet tall statues on Luxor’s west bank. They represent the Pharaoh Amenhotep III.

Next stop is the royal burial site, Valley of the Kings, where over 60 lavishly decorated tombs of pharaohs are located, dating from 16^th to 11^th century B.C. We went inside three of the four tombs that were opened to the public that day. To help preserve the artwork, the tombs are rotated every year for visitation and renovation. So, in any given year, usually only four tombs are open for exploring inside.

Another noteworthy royal site we visited was Hatshepsut Mortuary Temple, which was built for the longest reigning female pharaoh in Egypt, Hatshepsut. She ruled for 20 years in the 15th century B.C. and was considered one of Egypt’s most successful pharaohs.

After our historical excursions underground, we went to a local family’s home for lunch, which reminded me of why I love Middle Eastern food.

Our hearty lunch was then followed by some free time, which was spent learning more about Egypt’s rich history in the Luxor Museum and walking around the city.

After sunset, we all went to the train station for our return trip north to Cairo. That overnight ride on the sleeper train took approximately 10 hours. (Once we reached Cairo by early morning, we flew to JORDAN – the next travel series.)

To see the beginning:
1^st day: Old Cairo
2^nd day: Giza/Cairo
3^rd day: Aswan
4^th day: Abu Simbel
5^th day: Nile River
6^th day: Luxor

Exploring Egypt: Luxor

October 7, 2019October 6, 2019 / Karina Pinella / 12 Comments

6^th of a series on my 7-day stay in Egypt

City full of shrines,
Magnificent artifacts,
Temple of Karnak.

The Temple of Karnak
The Temple of Karnak is a large, well-preserved complex of monuments that honor various pharaohs. As a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Karnak Temple has an impressive collection of pylons, massive stone obelisks, and chapels. Sad fact: More Egyptian obelisks today are found outside of Egypt, like in Paris, than in Egypt itself.

Animal Care in Egypt
The tour company we used has a charitable stake in this organization, so we stopped by the Animal Care in Egypt facility to see how the animals are given care and treatment. Many locals depend on ACE to help heal their donkeys, horses, and other animals.

From ACE’s website (https://www.ace-egypt.org.uk/): “Animal Care in Egypt (ACE) is a charity dedicated to helping stop the suffering of thousands of animals in the poorest communities of Luxor by providing free veterinary care and education.”