winter

Although, winter is not official for three weeks, it sure feels like it. Very cold temperatures and now beautiful fluffy snow, just in time to create some holiday spirit. Here are a few photos of some snow.

Paw prints from my cats brief visit outside.

Sunday soup #11 -chick pea stew

Here is the last soup in the series, I hope you enjoyed them all during this autumn season. 
A chick pea or garbanzo bean is an edible legume that is high in protein. This one of the earliest known cultivated vegetables. Here is a yummy recipe from my sister for a stew. This is very hearty and filling.

JANN’S CHICKPEA STEW

2 tbsp olive oil
1 ½ c. Chickpeas

1 chopped onion

3 minced garlic cloves

2 c. water or broth

1 chopped tomato

2 tsp. fennel

1 chopped zucchini

1 medium chopped potatoes, 

salt and pepper
-Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil, add zucchini and potato, cook until slight browning, then add all other ingredients, simmer for 30 minutes or until potatoes are done.

-this can be served over a bed of rice
HERE ARE THE OTHER SOUPS FROM THE PAST WEEKS:
POTATO LEEK
CURRIED LENTIL
CURRY CORN CHOWDER
VEGETARIAN CHILI
CARROT
GREEN CHILE POTATO
SQUASH
BLACK BEAN
NAVY BEAN AND BROCCOLI
PUMPKIN

HOLIDAY CRAFT FAIR

HERE'S ONE LAST ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE HOLIDAY CRAFT FAIR ONE WEEK FROM TODAY IN FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA. BE THERE OR BE SQUARE!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Thanksgiving is an American and Canadian holiday, celebrating the autumn harvest while expressing gratitude and appreciation for all we have. It is a time for many family and friends to get together for a nice feast and to have a day off of work or school, maybe watch some sports or play some games. The general theme is being together and giving thanks. 
Thanksgiving in the United States was observed on various different dates throughout history. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln, declared the last Thursday of November to be a National Day of Thanksgiving.  It was not until December 26, 1941 however that President Franklin D. Roosevelt, after pushing two years earlier to move the date earlier to give the country an economic boost, signed a bill into law, with congress, making Thanksgiving a national holiday and settling it to the fourth (but not final) Thursday in November.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Thanksgiving centerpieces

Having some fun with mini pumpkins and playing with table arrangements. Here are photos of two Thanksgiving and/or harvest centerpieces. Use what you have around the house. They can be very simple and are fun to make while giving the feast some festive atmosphere.

Sunday soup #10- pumpkin

Pumkin soup is great for Thanksgiving. Here is a soup with a great use of some of my favorite herbs of the season. Thyme is a flavorful, yet not overpowering herb, from the Thymus plant. It used for cooking as well as medicinal purposes. As with bay, thyme is slow to release its flavors, so it is usually added early in the cooking process. Sage comes from the mint family of herbs that is an evergreen, it has a slight peppery flavor. 

PUMPKIN SOUP
-saute
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 chopped medium onion
4 minced garlic cloves
2 baked pie sized pumpkins
-add
4-5 c water or broth
2 Tbsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dry sage
2 Tbsp dry thyme
4 bay leaves
1 fresh chopped sage leaf
-bring to a boil
-simmer 30 minute
-pure
-serve with bread

more thoughts about pumpkins

glass ornaments

Getting into the holiday spirit, I like to make and/or purchase hand made ornaments for the tree. Here are some glass Christmas tree ornaments. I cut out the shape, put the "ornaments", "star" and "trunk" on it, then put in the kiln for a good bake. This was the result, abstract and colorful...

Ornaments express cheer and meaning.

The cool thing about a new ornament every year are the memories each time you put the tree up. Where you got it, who you were with, etc.

more ornament ideas: 

paper mache ornaments:

cookbook-Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is around the corner. Do you have your menu planned? Do you make the same things every year? Here is a mini cookbook, with a Thanksgiving theme. I made this with the idea of travel in mind, small enough to put in a bag, with all the standard recipes that one makes on the big day of eating. It is 4" by 4 1/2" in size. Materials needed are decorative paper with a harvest/Thanksgiving/food theme, cut to 4" by 9", a stapler, the recipes, stickers or whatever other embellishments you may want. To make just fold the paper in half, staple in the center, then add recipes and fun elements of choice. Here are a few pages from mine:
the cover

more recipe pages from another cookbook:
recipe storage

Sunday soup # 9- navy bean and broccoli

In my opinion, to cook dry beans rather than canned beans are the tastiest. Of course canned beans have their place, as it generally takes a long time to cook beans. Depending on the bean and the method (stove top or crock pot) it takes anywhere from 2-10 or more hours. The package will usually suggest how long to cook. Be sure you soak the over night in water, drain, then start cooking with clean water. You can add spices while you cook as well, like the amount of salt you want and bay leaves for a richer flavor to your beans.
The next soup is made with Navy beans, which are a small peas size beans the color of cream white. they have a mild flavor, yet dense and smooth. These are the beans you generally see in "baked beans". Broccoli is high in fiber, vitamin A, C, D, & K, along with many other nutrients. 

NAVY BEAN AND BROCCOLI SOUP
1 pound of cooked navy beans
6 cups broth or water
spices:
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder
6 bay leaves
1 tbsp dry rosemary
-bring to a boil
add 1 pound of broccoli 
1 sprig fresh rosemary
-simmer for 20 minutes
-serve with herb bread
** you can add ham to this to make this  carnivorous

aprons

I love aprons, they are a fun way to "wear" what your creative project may be. Whether in the kitchen or for other attempts at generating ideas, this is a great "weekend" project. Here are some aprons that I put together, made new by recycling old aprons. These are themed for the upcoming holidays, using scraps of material and ribbon, cut to fit the sizes I wanted.
autumn/Thanksgiving with details

holiday/cookie theme with details

see more aprons--
check it out at: 
recycled aprons

recycled coasters

The possibilities are endless with this idea. Materials: recycled cardboard, scrap decorative paper, glue, paper glaze, cork. Begin with about an eighth inch thick piece of cardboard, cut into 4 inch squares. Then adhere the images you like on top, it could be image: photos, clip art, recycle a map, whatever theme you like, just make sure it is flat. Put a sealer of some kind on top: varnish, modge podge, paper glaze, or use a piece of glass. Be sure whatever you use will not discolor your image. I used paper glaze. Put cork on the bottom with a strong glue, so it will not scratch your furniture. Have fun and be creative.

Sunday soup #8- black bean

Eat your beans, they are healthy and low calorie. The common bean is high in starch, protein, and dietary fiber. Also, an excellent source of iron, potassium, thiamine, b6, and folic acid. Black turtle beans have recently been reported to be an extremely good source of antioxidants. Black beans have a dense meaty texture and go well with many veggies and sauces, especially in Latin American cuisine. Here is a spicy black bean soup recipe I'd like to share.

BLACK BEAN SOUP
in olive oil, saute
1 onion, diced
3 garlic clove, minced
3 carrots, chopped
then add:
1 lb of cooked black beans
8 oz tomato sauce
salt
pepper
2 bay leaves
Cholula sauce, to taste ( you can use tabasco sauce or whatever hot sauce you like)
2 c broth
-bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes
-serve and garnish with a dollop of sour cream

GRATITUDE

In the month of Thanksgiving, I always like to reflect on what I am grateful for. Not that I don't acknowledge the rest of the year, it just seems like a good time to think about it even more. What am I grateful for? 
-For my husband and our awesome compatibility. 
-For my dear friends who are a source of inspiration, that allow me to truly be myself with them. 
-For quiet mornings drinking coffee and reading. 
-That I have a job. 
-For the fun times of cheap entertainment, like going for walks and playing games.
-That I have good genes and am a fairly healthy person.
-That I am able to have time to think, to learn and to create in my daily life.
-For the beautiful place that I live.
***What are you grateful for? (Please share your thoughts.)
"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."--John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Here are some other thoughts on gratitude, that inspired this post.

Curious Girl
Dropped Stiches

fun tees

Here are a couple of t-shirts I made. They are from clip art and photo shop collaging. My husband helped me with the "map" design. The "Electric Company" image was just one I loved. You can print from your own printer and iron on or you can get a heat press and use special paper. Either way, they are unique, fun, and an expression of yourself. They make great gifts as well. Here they are with detail close-ups included.