One Of Those Days...

It's been one of those days today.  I'm sitting at my computer writing this blog and ignoring the bead mess on my work table 10' away lol.  And what a mess!  At this point I would be happy to be able to say I spilled hundreds of tiny foil lined rochelle beads--I didn't.  I'd even be happy to say I spilled a thousand of them.  These tiny, precious beads that add such beatiful accents to the jewelry I make I spilled several thousand of, and will need my magnifying glasses to pick them all up.  Well, I suppose it could be worse.

In the meantime, I have been working with my crock pot again, since it's been cool and rainy for a week.  (I want to mention here that I feel for the people in Florida, which was visited with tornados both yesterday and today, and for the people in the New Englad area, where a Nor'easter is coming in). Our dreary weather here is not a complaint, just an opportunity to take off one perspective (the one who would like sun to go bike riding in), and put on another one (the one that celebrates cool weather because the crock pot can come out).  In the last 24 hours I've been cooking pork rib tips, relatively inexpensive cuts of pork that don't lend themselves easily to a lot of dishes.  I bought $13 worth and threw it all in the crock pot yesterday.  Today they are ready to come out and be shredded, either to be packed (1 cup shredded/chopped meat to 2 cups broth) and put in the freezer for wonderful bean soups, or the meat to be shredded and mixed with bbq sauce for sandwiches. 

Ah, well, I suppose I should get back to my jewelry project and picking up beads.  I have chain maille links to make today, and a wonderful lime green and cobalt blue necklace to finish up.  And oh, pick up all those beads too lol.

Great Business And Great Friends :)

I've been busy making aprons, and I'm in the process of listing a few of them now. 

I love making aprons.  I use a "non-pattern pattern" that I was taught as a child, and which I have plans to write down, copyright and sell at some point.  For the pattern I use my ironing board, a ruler and a straight edge.  Making these make me happy, and hearing about how happy they make others, or how well made they are, and getting more and more happy customer feedbacks, make my day.  I am really enjoying this part of my business.
I hear about a lot of people going to work in their pajamas.  I'm not quite that informal, as I've found my attitude towards working is not serious enough when I try that.  I have things to do, projects to plan and execute, photos to take and edit, listings to create, research to do, bills to pay, marketing plans to work on, sales data to study, etc.  While I write often about my roots and how they influence what I'm doing today, I am running a "real" business, with all the responsibilities.  Now, I will work in leggings or my favorite loungers, (which I won't wear out of the house lol), but that's more a comfort/flexibility issue, since I do a lot of standing at the ironing board, or getting down on my hands and knees to arrange things for photos, and until I've lost the next set of 20 pounds on my goal list, doing that in jeans isn't going to be comfortable.  I do believe in dressing for success :)

I have great friends too :)  Most of them are also busy, and a few of them also work from their homes.  We'll talk in im's, but with some basic rules, like being afk is not an issue, conversations can take hours or be ongoing that would normally only take a few moments, and schedules are very flexible.  It's how we stay connected, and we do it with the understanding that the businesses have to come first.  If we don't hear from someone for a few hours in the middle of a conversation, it's not cause to panic or get hurt feelings--they just got busy, and I do the same from time to time.  We also give each other important business world feedback, such as finding a new venue for expression (blogging), solving business issues, support in customer service areas, etc.  Even my friends that aren't working from home or running their own businesses understand and work with the "rules", which is wonderful. 
Ok, I've spent enough time writing today.  Time for me to get back to work :)

Ah The Wonders Of Cinnamon

It's once again a cold and snowy day in Omaha--no better time than to cook or bake!  :)  I was reminded about how many of the simple things I take for granted because I was taught at a young age just aren't common knowledge anymore.  For example, they've begun selling a cinnamon/sugar mixture in the grocery stores I've noticed, which is great for some baking and for cinnamon toast for breakfast.  I've been making the same thing myself for many years, and for a whole lot cheaper than what I've seen it being sold for.  I took a shaker container that used to hold dried minced onion and holds about 1 1/2 cups, washed it, filled it with sugar and added 4-6 tablespoons of cinnamon to it.  I shake it thoroughly so the cinnamon is mixed throughout, and I've just created what they sell in the stores for less than $.50. 

I've heard a lot of good things about cinnamon lately, about how it may have a lot of health benefits, but I've always enjoyed cooking with it.  Today, for example, I've been making something like apple crisps but without the topping, and using granny apples.  Granny apples are the apples that have sat around or overwintered long enough that they've lost a little of their moisture, just enough for the skins to be slightly wrinkled.  They're still good to eat, but are better baked than raw at that point.  So for baking my crispless apple crisps I took a one pint Corelle cassarole dish and greased it, then cored and sliced 2 Johnathon apples that had grannied.  I loosely layered them in the baking dish, sprinkling each layer generously with my cinnamon/sugar mixture,  and put them in the oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.  At 35 minutes I opened the oven, took a fork and gently pushed down on the apple slices (the purpose for this is so the wonderful apple juice/cinnamon/sugar mixture thats bubbling in the bottom of the cassarole dish reaches all the apple slices), and put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes.  After it comes out of the oven, it will need to sit for a few minutes to cool and to allow the sugar mixture to thicken, 15 minutes should do nicely.  Baked apples with sugar and cinnamon, what a wonderful snow day treat, and my whole house smells wonderful too :)

Springtime in Nebraska

Well, it seems springtime in Nebraska has finally come, along with it's weather extremes of 70 degrees and tornado watches one day and snow the next.  It's also time for me to wrap up some of my strictly cold weather projects, such as candle making or major ironing (mostly the projects that add heat to the household, which is very helpful in cold weather but not so much when the air conditioning gets turned on).

It's also time for me to break out a very simple but yummy recipe.  I love sno cones and have an ice shaver, but I can't always find the syrup to go on them, so I came up with a good substitute that's fast and simple.  The nice thing is I can make it anytime, and in just about any flavor. 

Sno Cone Syrup

1 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar
unsweetened powdered drink mix, such as Kool Aide

Combine water and sugar in small saucepan.  Heat over med. heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is completely dissolved.  (Do not boil!).  Remove from heat and stir in drink mix.  Cool and put in squirt bottle.  Unused syrup can be refrigerated.  Enjoy :)

Warm Weather Cooking :)

It is warming up, which reminds me it's time to switch my cooking style to more casual dishes which require little to no actual cooking.  While I know these are modern times, I tend to take my cooking cues from some "farmhouse" cooking wisdom.  Farm wives of old, during the heat of the summer months and often without air conditioning, avoided cooking (and adding heat to the household) unless absolutely needed.  Cold meals and things that could be cooked outdoors on a grill were often served instead of hot meals, and cooking was left for cooler or rainy days whenever possible, or Sundays, which were considered feast days and days of rest.

Unfortunately I can no longer make one of my favorite cold dishes because of my allergy to eggs (and mayo, which is mostly eggs), but I'll include it here.

Appitizer/Sanwich Filling (Mayo Style)

Meat or Protein, approx. 5 oz. or 1/2 cup, drained (see note 1)
3 Tablespoons mayo or Miracle Whip (adjust more or less to moisten all other ingredients).
2 Tablespoons mustard of your choice (see note 2)
2 Tablespoons dill pickle relish

Combine all ingredients in a metal or glass mixing bowl, mixing well with a fork until moistened.  Serve as sandwich filling, or on crackers for appitizers. 

For fancier appitizers, serve on specialty crackers, topped with a touch of shredded cheeze, diced cooked tomatos marinated in oil and vinegar or seasonings of your choice, or a black olive, whole or sliced.  You can also sprinkled with paprika or add a sprig of parsley.

Note 1.  My personal favorite for the meat or protein is canned tuna, but I have also used with great success sardines, potted (canned) ham, canned chicken, diced cooked chicken (usually a leftover breast or filet), finely diced cooked ham (also usually a leftover), canned salmon, and diced hard boiled eggs (2). 
Note 2.  I started out using regular yellow mustard, but over the years found that brown and dijon works well also.

Since I'm now allergic to eggs, chicken and mayo, I've been playing with some new variations of the same basic idea I outlined above, just without the eggs, chicken and mayo lol.  This is what I've come up with so far for flavorful, practical egg-free appitizer/sandwich filling.

Appitizer/Sandwich Filling (Egg/Chicken Free Style)

Meat or Protein, 5 oz. or approx 1/2 cup, drained (see note 3).
2-3 Tablespoons Oil-Based Salad Dressing, such as Italian, Vinegrette, or Olive Oil and Cracked Pepper
2 Tablespoons dill pickle relish (optional)

Combine in a metal or glass mixing bowl as in the first recipe, also serving or garnishing as in the first recipe.

Note 3.  I have tried this with tuna so far, but have plans to try it with the other non-egg/chicken meats listed above.

A Day Trip In The City :)

My 16 year old daughter and I had business downtown today, so after we had finished we decided to spend some time at Omaha's Historic Old Market district.  (For more information on the Old Market, click here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Market_(Omaha,_Nebraska  This is the original Omaha warehouse district that has been converted into an artist's community, upscale urban apartments, shopping and great resturaunts.  It was a beautiful day for an outing, with temps close to 70 degrees.  We had lunch at Spaghetti Works, dining on the patio outside so we could observe St. Patrick's Day revelers traveling from bar to bar, collecting bead necklaces and drinks.  I was thrilled to find that our server was very knowledgeable about the ingredients in their Italian dishes, as I have some food allergies that can create signifigant issues.  After enjoying our lunch (and quality time, which is rare with a 16 year old lol), we wandered over to Overland Sheepskin Company, one of my all time favorite shops for leather goods, then Souq Ltd., one of the original boutiques located in The Passageway, specializing in items from Arabia.  We wandered through a couple of the artisan galleries in The Passageway, and finally over to Goldsmith Silversmith, which makes fine unique and custom designer jewelry.  Enjoying the beautiful weather, experiencing walking on the original brick streets and eclectic community vibe, listening to partiers on balconies and patios cheering and celebrating St. Patrick's Day, catching up with my daughter, it was a great day, and I don't feel a bit guilty about playing hooky from my work today :)  

Springtime Errands :)

I went out and ran errands yesterday, since it was an order's out day.  Spring is in the air, it was in the mid-50's, there was a breeze but not too hard, life was good :)  I noticed blades of green in the thatch of grass, and the buds are swelling.  Soon the forsythia should be in full bloom in their cheerful, bright yellow.  And---I saw people on bikes.

Now, I wasn't thinking of bikes, although I have been a bit disappointed that the one I had decided that shifting when it felt like it was a good idea, which made it terribly challenging to ride.  But seeing person after person on bikes struck a chord in me--I wanted to be riding too!  And it was such a beautiful day for it, so....

After running my errands, it was off to Walmart for me, a 2 mile walk.  I found a men's mountain bike in the brightest of oranges (I usually ride men's bikes, they're more comfortable for my long frame, and orange was my most favorite color as a teenager), at a good price, and rode it home.  Until I get my truck running again, which is still a little ways off, this becomes my personal mode of transportation, which makes things much easier.  I'm also very excited, since I have not personally had a brand-new off the shelf bike since I was a child, usually using my kid's bikes or getting them second hand.  The hardest part of riding it came when I got home and lugged it up 3 flights of stairs to my apartment, so I can etch it with identifying marks. 

The kids' reactions were priceless, as they've never seen me get myself a new bike either.  They've admired it, looked it over carefully, and at least one of my kids has asked if they had any more like it, which means he's considering getting one for himself.

It'll be nice riding around, getting things done much faster than I was, and enjoying the journey.  My abs are very unhappy with me now, but I don't mind, they needed some spring excercise as it was.  Yes, yesterday was a good day :)

Back To Fudge Making :)

My neice, on hearing that I had made fudge for my household, talked me into making a batch for her family also.  Who can resist a 9 year old?  So last night I made another batch of fudge, and today I've packed it, written out a nice old fashioned note card (does anyone else still send notecards anymore?), and followed the time honored tradition of copying the recipe onto recipe cards to send off with the goodies, along with a couple of hints on how to make it if it goes wrong lol.  I've shared the recipe at the bottom of this post also :)

I remember when it was tradition for the "Welcome Wagon" to arrive when a new family moved into the neighborhood.  The neighborhood committee would put together a basket with home baked goods, a sign of welcome to the newcomers.  When someone was ill or when someone passed on, the mourning household would receive gifts of food from neighbors, friends and more distant relatives.  Exchanging foods, the stuff of life, was recognized as a caring gesture, the unsaid expression of the sentiment "We're glad you're a part of our lives," and the generous sharing of one family's bounty with another.  Recipe cards were also often shared.  This passing on of not only foods but also the knowledge of how to make them was a treasured tradition, given and received as special gifts from one person to another. 

I'm glad to be able to recall and share in this old tradition today with my neice :)  Here's the recipe.  :)

Old Fashioned Fudge
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Grease 8" square baking pan.  Set aside.
2. Combine sugar, cocoa, and milk in a medium saucepan.  Stir to blend, then bring to a boil over med. high heat, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat and simmer.  Do not stir.
3. Place candy thermometer in pan and cook until temp. reaches 238 degrees F (or soft ball stage).
4. Remove from heat.  Add butter and vanilla.  Beat with a spoon until fudge starts to lose it's sheen.
5. Pour into prepared pan and let cool.  Cut into squares.

*If fudge hardens before it's poured, it can be reheated until liquid over med. heat.  Without adding more ingredients, repeat steps 4 and 5.

Winter Reminds Us...

Winter is reminding the Midwest that she has not retired for the season yet.  As the winter storm bears down that will bring low temperatures and even lower wind chills as well as more of the white stuff, I have gotten my ice blue beads (the same color of the ice on a glacier when a piece has sheared off recently) and my silver chains and findings out, and they are what I will be working with for the next few days while I'm drinking my coffee or tea in my warm home :)

I love the materials I'm working with, and they are so appropriate to the current weather.  Large aqua/ice blue seed beads, some of them foil lined so they shine like fresh snow in the sunlight (something we aren't likely to see for a couple of days), tiny rochelle beads, all foil lined, large frosted beads to add accent and drama to the creations, medium beads with embedded foil accents to create interest, silver chains which are also wonderful winter colors, and silver wire from which to make the chain maille links with which to marry the elements to create beautiful jewelry for my website at http://www.etsy.com/shop/HorsefeatherNuggets?ref=si_shop .  This is the place where the jewelry will be listed as soon as the pieces are finished and I have enough natural light to take pictures of them.  :)

Busy Busy Day...

Today is not a fun day for me--it's a heavy work day.  I have a to-do list that would choke a horse, a weekend to clean up after, listings that have to be done for my online shops and projects on deadlines that have to be finished.  It's not a day where I'm anticipating having any spare time at all, especially not any time to relax.  However...

I did take 5 frivilous minutes and write a thank you note to one of my adult sons that's living with me (until he's got all the paperwork done to go into the Marines).  Why?  He's seen how busy I am, and has been doing little things around the house for me today without my asking him to.  A load of dishes has been done, lunch was magically fixed, and he understood when we were having a conversation that I was working with numbers and couldn't talk with him for a few moments until I got the numbers recorded, because he wanted to throw numbers at me too.  This is also the kid I'm most likely to get in a yelling match with lol.  So, I wrote him a simple note that said "Every little thing you do for the household helps me out in ways you can't imagine.  I wanted to let you know I noticed and I really appreciate the help."  In purple pen, on a 3 x 5" card.  I'm not always good at letting my kids know that I appreciate them, but today I took 5 minutes out of a very busy day.  Just thought I'd share :)

Crock Pot Roast For Dinner Tonight

I have been a fan of crock pot cooking for over 30 years, and one of my favorite dishes is roast with all the trimmings.  Using my crock pot has saved me many, many hours over a hot stove, and has also saved me tons of power, since it's temperature controlled and so little of the heat is lost to the air like it is on a stove.  It's also very forgiving for new cooks (which I was at one time), very rarely burning anything.  But I digress...

Tonight's dinner is an inexpensive beef roast, slow cooked with 3 large cubed potatos, 2 chopped carrots, 2 chopped celery stalks and 1 large diced onion, started last night and allowed to slow cook all day today.  About an hour before I plan on serving it, I'll add seasoned salt to taste.  There's a lot of versitility to this dish, as you can leave things out or add things (my favorite is cabbage, but any "cold weather" vegetable would work), and in an 8-12 quart crock pot, there's enough to fill whomever is in the house (usually 3-5 peeps with bottomless stomaches), plus put some away in the freezer for a quick microwave meal.  I also pulled off several pints of beef broth and froze it for soup stock later on, since I'm allergic to some of the commercial brands.  I also control how much fat is in it, (not much usually), it's a good source of veggies that those with better educations than I say we need more of, and how much salt goes in is also in my control (since I also have a salt restricted diet). 

I think the best part of serving crock pot roast is the reaction I get from those who partake.  I don't think I've ever had a complaint in the years I've served it.  Everyone eats well, everyone seems content (and full) after the meal, and as a bonus, it slows everyone down to really eat and enjoy the meal.  I'm looking forward to not only eating this treat tonight, but also seeing the people I care most about well fed and content.  :)

Making Fudge

I did something special a couple of days ago.  I made a batch of old fashioned fudge.  Now, old fashioned fudge only takes a few ingredients, but it also takes large amounts of patience (waiting for the candy thermometer to rise to the correct temp), diligence (stirring constantly until it boils so it doesn't scorch), and discipline (pour it too soon and it remains gooey, but pour it too late, and it becomes crumbs).  There's both a skill and a real art in making it, but mine turned out well (after I had to reheat it because at first it was crumbly lol). 

I remember my mom teaching me how to approach making candies.  (This is the same person that taught me how to make aprons--see earlier post here  http://midwestartistsjourney.blogspot.com/2011_02_01_archive.html ).  Making candy wasn't something that was going to be ready quickly, and it was going to be infuriatingly slow at times, but it was always special when it came out right.  I learned that with most, it was better to make them in the wintertime when the air was a little drier, because some candies are sensitive to moisture in the air, plus you don't want to put that much heat into the air if you're trying to keep the house cool.  I also learned that you become a very popular person if you've got a batch of homemade candies and let the neighbors or your friends know about it lol.  But I digress.....

My home filled with the smell of cooking cocoa, which brought my daughter out of her room to see where the wonderful smell was coming from.  She took a look at the gooey batch slowly bubbling on the stove, and asked me to let her know when it was done.  After she left the kitchen, I smiled to myself.  She's enjoyed quite a bit of that batch since I made it, and she will be back when it's gone, asking if I'm going to make more, and that's when I'll have her help me make the next batch, and teach her about patience, discipline and diligence.  Thank you Mom, for teaching me, so I can pass it on to the next generation :)

Orders Out On A Beautiful Spring Day

Today was another "orders out" day, and what a beautiful spring day!  I walked about a mile to a local gas station to get lunch--not good for my diet or my wallet, but oh so satisfying lol.  I rarely indulge in a sub sandwich and chips since my cholesterol is so high, and pop is a big no-no with my weight and my kidney issues, but today was my indulgence day, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Temps in the low 50's, so I sat outside to eat, and watched a red-tailed hawk (also known as a chicken hawk) cruising the thermals above a nearby parking lot.  They are so graceful in flight, but also a reminder of one of the reasons my cats are strictly indoor animals.

I noticed someone else out walking too, actually several someones, but this one gent caught my attention for some reason.  He was walking around on this beautiful day mostly looking at his feet, only glancing up to cross the street.  It struck me as a little sad, because usually when I'm out and about I'm looking around me and especially up, because the entire universe is out there, and I'm usually happier exploring that with my eyes than the ground beneath my feet, although there's some interesting things there occasionally too.  The gentleman I observed didn't look like he was looking at much, more like he was depressed.  I hope he finds a reason to look up soon.

The postmistress I talked with later remembered me enough to ask if I was out on my bike today, which was so nice.  I love being remembered for things other than the mischief I occasionally get into lol.  So we chatted about bicycles and blogs for a bit, until her next customer came along.  It was just a fun, casual little conversation, but it's nice interactions with others that sometimes can make or break your entire day, and I'm grateful for them.  I try to go out of my way to make sure when others interact with me, they have had a nice experience.  There's already so much not-so-nice things in the world, and people just don't treat others well anymore, so I try to be a little different.  For example, a city bus passed me when I was out walking, and he looked at me and slowed down as though he were preparing to stop, even though I was between bus stops.  I grinned, shook my head no, and waved, to which he also grinned and waved as he sped up again.  It was a 10 second interaction, but I felt good because he was prepared to do me a favor, and I'm sure he felt good that it was recognized and appreciated.  You never know the impact you may have when you show someone a kindness--it might be the only thing that goes right in their day, and then it's like gold. 

To finish off my walk, I went to the grocery store and got about 20 pounds of groceries to carry the mile home.  That's about how much weight I've lost in the last 4 months or so, and it felt soooooo good that I was able to put it down when I got in the door, rather than continuing to carry it around involuntarily.  I have quite a few more pounds that have their eviction notices, but I'm happy to celebrate the 20 that have departed so far.

That's about all I have for today.  Enjoy :)