beauty that moves

still here

Before the utterly miserable swine flu entered my life (yes, that is what it seems to be), the very night before in fact, I made a little something to keep all of my art supplies in. I wanted something that would be sort of a bag, sort of a pouch... I didn't want it to have handles, the purpose would be to slip it inside whatever other large bag or basket I was carrying around... it needed to close entirely so no granola crumbs or who knows what from said bag or basket would mix and mingle with my pens and drawings... the fabric needed to be durable, the inside light in color so I could see everything within easily.
Over the last couple of months, I have gratefully sewn well over three hundred little zipper pouches to  fill your custom orders. When the very last order went out a couple weeks ago, I put my handmade shop into a well-deserved vacation mode, and wondered what little item(s) I might like to sew for myself now that I had some extra time. Funny that I would wind up making yet another pouch!

Well, this one is of course slightly different. I used a 12" (or 13"?) zipper, fusible fleece to beef it up a little, and a heavy, vintage drapery fabric that I love. But still, indeed we are looking at a gigantic zipper pouch.

Oh well, it's perfect for holding my things and it slips perfectly into my basket. Now I am taking a little break from zippers...

Here's a little peek at some of the doodling I've been doing (well, all of this is from before the flu). Some of it is still in progress, hopefully you can get a feel for it.

Thank you for all the well wishes and viewing recommendations by the way, wow! I have been watching far too many programs and movies... and now I want Tina Fey's hair and glasses.

A question about H1N1 for you - Does anyone know first hand how long I should expect this to last? I'm on day seven, my fever has been gone for two days (which spiked at 103.7 Saturday into Sunday), but I still feel really tired, weak, and generally unwell. Can't figure it out exactly but I am really ready to be done with this.

this art retreat has been interupted by the flu

That's right. For the last 24 hours I have pretty much been right here, in bed. I left work early yesterday after feeling certain that the scratchy throat I awoke with had more to do with an impending virus rather than the dry air in the house that comes with shutting the windows and turning the heat on. Fortunately, when you work with children, there is no question about whether you are well enough to stay or not. It is always, "Go go go, and don't come back for a good long while, you hear!?" Very wise policy.

So home I went, and home I will stay. Bummer that it is Halloween weekend, if you've followed this blog for a while you know it's a pretty big deal around here. I'm sure Adam and Emily will do just fine mustering up spooky madness without my direction. (Oh, who are we kidding? He is the one that is all about the gore and I am all like "More candles! More candles! What this front porch needs is more pretty candles! And must you pour so much fake blood all over my freshly painted covington blue porch floor?" Yeah... they might be better off without me.

About my symptoms. They are indeed very flu-like in nature. Fever, tightness in chest, terrible cough, body aches that make you crave childbirth instead, sore throat. You know, the whole gamut of seasonal flu symptoms, and yes, you guessed it, the other flu symptoms as well. Hmm... those two lists are so close aren't they?

My breathing is in check, my temp has not gone above 101, and the rest? Well, I guess that all just comes with any flu territory. As long as my breathing and fever remain at a comfortable place, I'll just stay right here and let it ride out. (With of course lots of fluids and rest, Mom! And Adam's chicken soup. The man does not love to be in the kitchen, his place of culinary comfort is outside on the grill. But man, he makes the very best chicken soup, homemade stock and all.)

All of this brings me to a question. I've got my computer here (bedside) and I can stream videos/shows/movies (I'm kind of half watching, half sleeping). Here is what I've watched so far, in part or in whole:

Episode 1, Season 5 Weeds (Streamed from Showtime website. Wasn't in the mood for it, seemed too dark and violent. Was the show that way in the beginning? I thought it would be different.)

Episode 1, Season 1 United States of Tara  (Also from Showtime's site. I liked this better, but cried a lot because I wondered if this is at all an accurate portrayal of someone with multiple personality disorder and how hard it must be for the person and the family living it. Plus, I love Toni Collette.)

Episode 1, Season 2 of This American Life (Same site... of course we all love this show. I loved the story in the beginning about the inner city teens riding horses who were "ghettofabulous," I wished that story was longer. And as if we needed another reason to love Johnny Depp, the fact that he stepped in and granted the wish of the man in the second story... well, that made me teary too, as did the love and struggle between Sarah and Mike.)

Okay, so I'm dealing with a little fever induced sensitivity it seems. Can you recommend something for me to watch, maybe something refreshing? We have Netflix too so I can stream anything available from their site that can be instantly watched. I'm going to be here for the weekend it looks like and I don't really have the energy for drawing, knitting or reading... I feel like vegging out in front of a screen and watching a few flicks. Can you help me out?

Many thanks, and I hope you all have a spooky and healthy weekend!

we have improvement!

Just popping in quickly to share the excitement... my ladies are actually starting to look like, umm... ladies!!!

Softer jaw-lines... not-so-crazy eyes... we are making a tiny bit of progress over here. Phew!

(I'm also celebrating because my point and shoot actually captured a little depth of field in the above photo. Now that is something to get excited about.)

It is a perfectly rainy Saturday today. We made a wonderful breakfast this morning of french toast using homemade bread, then headed to the library to pick up some fresh reading (I brought this home, I see there are some pretty poor reviews on Amazon. I loved the cover and the title, we shall see about the inside...), we also stopped at the art store for a handful of new pen colors (Did I mention that the art store is two blocks from my house? Dangerous.), now we are back home sipping chamomile lavender tea and jazz is on the radio. The rain isn't supposed to let up until tonight so you can imagine I will be spending the afternoon settled in right here putting those new pens to good use.

Thank you for the encouragement by the way, you are all waaaay too kind. I hope your weekend is mellow and moody... I love a good moody vibe on the weekend.

a newly discovered part of myself

We declared this past weekend in our home to be an Art Weekend! Mostly it was for Emily's sake, she will be selling prints of her art at a school festival in a few weeks. I will share more about that when the time comes. To help motivate and inspire her creativity, we decided to put all other weekend details aside and join her at the table for hours and hours and hours of drawing, Seriously, I have a blister/callus thingy on my thumb.

Funny thing happened along the way. I discovered I LOVED drawing with these fancy new art pens that we purchased after school on Friday. The ink flowed so easily, the colors were beautiful and kept me wanting to add more here... more there... it was endless.

I have never really done this before. There was the semester of drawing I took in art school, but I never really found my voice with pen and paper. But this weekend, I  think I heard the call. It was distant, wobbly, and extremely shy... but the voice was there. Sitting here on Monday morning I can't help but to feel curious and excited. I completed three drawings and another is in the works. Doesn't the lady in this one look like Kathy Griffin? Hee...

All of this to say I am going to take a two week break. I'm feeling the pull to investigate this newly discovered part of myself. In the midst of work, family, cooking and other life details, I will carve out time for a little at home art retreat. It's exciting to think of the colors, characters and designs (and hopefully improvement!) that will come of it. As amateur as it all is...

So, for two weeks I'll step away from the blog and focus on groovy patterns and funky colors. Oh! The part of it all that I am loving the most?

The silence.

As someone who usually creates with a rather loud sewing machine, it is possible that the silence of this work is filling me more than any other part. It's cozy and portable, two things that are much appreciated these days.

Take care friends, I'll see you soon.

Updated: Many of you asked for info on the pens that I used. The black pens are Micron Archival Ink (I got many sizes) and the colored are Prismacolor.  The colored were expensive, almost $5 a piece (at my local store, maybe cheaper online) so I started with only ten colors. There are well over one hundred to choose from so I will build my collection over time. I am also on the lookout for other types of pens... I think I'm hooked!

i took a walk yesterday

I feel so unbelievably aware of each passing moment these days. Maybe it's the change of season, maybe it's the desire to squeeze every last drop out of a chapter closing. Regardless, I am savoring the feeling of immense presence.

Yesterday, I spent some time walking around the property of Emily's school. The sky was grey, the ground damp, and between the two a gentle rain was released. I will miss this school. For all the second guessing we can so easily do as parents, this I know I got right. It's a peaceful feeling.

a giveaway of the book variety!

 

Many weeks ago on a perfectly rainy Saturday, a package arrived just as hot tea was coming off the stove. It was books! Craft books! I wasn't even expecting them kind of books!

Both books are from Make Good Books, they specialize in offering "charming Japanese craft books in English for the first time." What a beautiful treat! Now we can get lost in the dreamy photos and projects while understanding the instructions!

Needless to say, on that rainy Saturday afternoon with chamomile tea in hand, I devoured these two beautiful books. Felting for Baby is still in my possession and has a nice little handful of bookmarks carefully keeping track of holiday gift ideas. I'm thinking the soft flower vase is my first choice. Isn't that the sweetest?

The second book, Carefree Clothes for Girls, didn't stay in my own hands for too long. About a week after it arrived, I found myself placing it in the hands of another mama, she seemed to be going through one of those stretches that only another mama could understand. I thought she could use a bright spot in her day. The book is entirely beautiful, reminding me of what I imagine Anthropologie for the little ones to look like ... should they ever decided to do such a wonderful thing.

Now it's your turn to enjoy the book love! Both of these titles will be released on October 13th, very soon! As part of their celebration, Make Good Books is excited to offer FOUR Beauty That Moves readers a chance to win a copy, two of each title will be in the drawing. Please leave a comment on this post and the winners will be announced on Sunday night. Good Luck!

***************************************************************************************

The comments are now closed, thanks everyone! I will be back later today with the winners. We are in the midst of a Farmers' Market and multi-day soccer tournament weekend around here... it is wonderfully hectic. ;)

**************************************************************************************

Finally, we have some winners!!

Felting For Baby

Jenny said:  "Ooh, I like books... :)
And my daughter would love both of those!"

Vala said: "oh I cant put into words how much books mean to me....especially now living in a foreign country where the only access to books in my language or english is by ordering online....its a real treat....."

Carefree Clothes for Girls

Sarah said: "I have been not so patiently waiting for copies of my own! What a wonderful giveaway!!"

Ali said: "I have been forcing myself not to buy these books - but to win them - how wonderful would that be!"

Ladies, if you recognize your comment and would be so kind to email me your shipping info that would be great, otherwise I will email you later on. Then, Make Good Books will send your beautiful books to you!

Thank you Make Good books for the festivities this weekend!

the center is grace

With permission, today I am sharing a portion of an email newsletter that my yoga teacher (pictured above) sent out on behalf of her studio. Anne's words (as well as the poem she shares) really connected with where I am right now... and because we are never alone... I thought of you and figured you might appreciate them as well. 

Things are slow on the blog front at the moment... thanks for hanging in there. That wonderful book giveaway I spoke of will be up by the end of the week though!

In the meantime, rest easy with the words of Anne Falkowski and Danna Faulds.

"Today I reflect on the the many changes that Autumn brings to all of us.  It is difficult keeping the balance always.  But you can't keep the balance unless you've got a center.  Through yoga I have learned that my center is the voice that I hear from deep within. It is never a harsh taskmaster yet it is not the voice of giving up or despair.  The center is Grace and if you work from your center you won't lose your way in all of the confusing and conflicting avenues that are part of our life. Grace first.  

 

The following poem was written by Danna Faulds when she stayed at our home during a workshop last Spring.  She shared with me that this poem came out of the love she felt in our house.  It was a time similiar to right now.  A lot was going on for me and I was striving to find my balance.  I offer this poem to anyone who feels overwhelmed by the fullness of their lives... 

 

Every Act of Love

 

Demands for our attention

tug in all directions-

kids and work, partners

and practicalities, spiritual

practice and the unrelenting

rough and tumble of life.

 

It's a gift to remember

even for an instant that

the Infinite is in this mix,

and every act of love

is an offering that

circles back to us a

thousandfold in ways

we never could predict.

 

Danna's words are a gift and so are you.  Treasure the seasons in your life, treasure your friends, loved ones, work and communities and treasure how precious you are.

 

Jai,

 

Anne Falkowski

Director of Samadhi Yoga Studio"

she has no idea how much kale she ate

Not enough time to write out a recipe today, but I've been meaning to share this idea for a while now. We are actually not doing dairy at the moment, this photo is from several weeks ago.

Ages ago Adam asked me to come up with something that was "like a taco, but a dip." I know there are taco dips, seven layer dips and the like out there... inspired by those and his request, I came up with what instantly became a favorite for him and Emily.

It has all things taco-y and cheese-y... and the best part? It also has about 1/2 a bunch of kale! Diced to smithereens, of course. Emily had no idea! It was a moment of brilliance for this mama. One that will be repeated in various ways, for sure.

Oh, and yesterday was a great day. Thank you!! ;)

a handmade view

Some days are tougher than others. This sight brought a much needed smile. 

:: a pile of handmade bags, made by me and by others 

:: I spy a zipper pouch and a keychain too

:: an Adam made table

:: a beautiful plant that was once a sickly seedling

Just the view I needed. Tomorrow will be a good day. That is the plan...

a housekeeping post :: questions answered

Look at me writing four posts in one week... just like old times! I only have a few minutes, but thought I'd stop in to answer some questions that have come through recently.

:: I am no longer writing at Simple Green Frugal Co-op. I stopped about a month or so ago (forgot to mention it!), and do not know if or when I will be returning. It's fantastic over there, a wonderful group of writers that were always so supportive and patient with one another behind the scenes. My time writing for them was so well spent, the problem was I just ran out of time to do so! So, I'm taking a break. Maybe there will be a place on the roster for me in the future should my schedule open up a little. I'll be sure to let you know!

:: You likely noticed there was no First Friday Giveaway for September. My apologies for not making an announcement about that. The monthly giveaway was the second committment I needed to let go of, as fun as it was!! I can't currently promise the small chunk of time that it takes to produce and run the monthly giveaway, so I'm going to let it go for a bit. There will be other giveaways, they just won't appear as routinely. Word on the street is that a giveaway will be showing up here next week... a giveaway of the BOOK variety... ooooh!

:: I feel a kale post coming on soon. I receive so many questions about kale recipes and such that it deserves a good post. Similar to the grain salads post. Stay tuned for that!

:: When we move to Vermont, we do not plan to homeschool again. There is a Montessori school that goes through eighth grade in the area we are moving to, that is our plan. We are going up to visit next week! After that, there are quite a few alternative/private schools for the high school years. So that is our plan, let's see if life has the same agenda. ;)

:: Yes, I do cook with coconut oil! Do any of you? My current favorite is a friend's recipe... she dices a sweet potato or two, cooks gently in about 1/4 coconut oil (maybe a splash of water), once cooked add chopped kale (surprise, surprise) and saute a few minutes more. Season with sea salt and pepper. Seriously good. I think I'll do a coconut oil post too. If you have a favorite recipe, please share it in the comments!

 

:: Yoga! Yoga! Yoga! My goodness you all have the best questions. I get a lot of emails from readers asking for yoga help and recommendations. I''m thinking a full week (possibly two) of yoga posts is needed. It's been on my mind for a long time. I'd like to bring others into the mix as well... other yogis... perhaps my teachers... I'll have to see what my friends are up for. Knitters have been asking for yoga help with neck tension too, which makes me think a couple of short videos demonstrating simple neck-release techniques would be a good idea... it's hard to just write it out. I need to show you.

:: Yes! New bags and Bulks Food Bags are making their way to the shop... things in that area are just moving at a snail's pace right now. I'm shooting for mid October for a BIG spruce up in the shop.

:: In the meantime, the photos in this post are a little tease. There are a few new goodies in my vintage shop, and more will be filling the shelves over the weekend. Did you see those lampshades!? I knew they'd be gone in a flash. So cute.

I'm sure I didn't cover everything, (and much of this was a needed mental purge of sorts)... you all ask some really good questions! If there is something you've been wondering about or hoping I would cover here on the blog, the time is now, ask away! It's good for me to check in with you guys this way. Your thoughts and questions give me great insight as to why you all come here in the first place! ;)

Happy weekending!

where would i be without you?

 

First, it was Miss Smarty Pants herself who persuaded me to fully swing back to the slightly sweet and delightfully creamy way of enjoying my brew. I had a long stint on the "I'll take my coffee black please"  side of the fence, but I'm not sure there's any going back now. Can you imagine making your own vanilla creamer? So good. And clever! I doubled the vanilla because it just seemed like a fun idea. It was probably totally unnecessary but I did. I'd like to try using maple syrup as the sweetener... it might change the consistency though... hmmn. Will ponder that and make it work. Alicia's vanilla creamer is outstanding, I bet many of you have the ingredients to make it right now!

Next, it was Elena and her very lovely recipes that turned me on to three of my favorite ingredients all swirled up in a combination that I have never tried! You should write these things on your grocery list right away and make it very soon. So perfect for autumn.

Then, it was Amanda with her yummy broccoli soup that found it's way to our dinner table the other night. Accompanied by various random things from the pantry to round out the offering. That works, doesn't it?

And finally, it was all of you, my crock-pot friends. Your wisdom and confidence is rubbing off on me!  I decided to put all of Amanda's soup ingredients into the crock-pot early in the day on Sunday. We had a soccer game in the afternoon several towns away, I knew my little athlete would be hungry when we arrived home. I simply gave it a whirl in the blender after we walked in and dinner was served!

You have all made our week so tasty, thank you!

the first of many

Is it too soon to be collecting furniture for the Vermont house? Some changes are needed in the furnishings department for us as we make this move. The house isn't too much smaller than our current home, and actually, it has more rooms, or spaces. The rooms are indeed smaller though, to avoid feeling cramped I think we will need to swap a few things.

In reality, we only have two pieces that I don't see fitting in the new house, and they are big pieces. The rest of our things are older, hence they have a smaller footprint which is just what we need. But it's our living room furniture that we will most likely need to let go of, which isn't a whole lotta love lost. It's a typical, overly stuffed and fluffy modern set of the gigantic variety... furniture is made so much bigger now to catch up with the bigger homes. Seeing as we are going in the opposite direction, I've felt the need to keep my eye open for a few new pieces, particularly of the seating variety.

And they should probably rock too. Well, with all the sitting by the wood stove and things of that sort I imagine will be taking place, rocking sounds rather nice. I'm thinking 3 or 4 various rockers, wooden and solid in construction, sprinkled throughout the house will be just right. If they could be mission in variety like this one, reminding me of the architectural beauty of our current home, well, that will be all the sweeter.

Allow me to introduce you to the first of hopefully many rocking chairs for our new home. I found her while out thrifting this weekend.

Goodness, she's a beauty.

apple picking sweater

 

A couple of weeks ago I had a birthday, the day marked my 37th successful trip around the sun. To be honest, I'm not really thrilled about this number.  It's an odd little number that doesn't carry great significance as far as birthdays go, but I've just never liked the sound or feel of it. And now here I am, owning it for a full year like it or not, so I guess I better make the most of it! We celebrated with Thai food at a far away, dingy bar. We do not recommend this, unless of course you are not too thrilled about turning 37 and need a few good laughs... then you should hurry up and go because it turns out Thai food and happy hour in a typical, depressed mill town on a Friday night are an entertaining combination.

A fresh stack of new books and a little something sparkly were lovely surprises at the end of the day too.

It was several days later however, that I received the most unexpected and beautiful gift in the mail. Adam's mother has been quietly and secretly knitting this sweater for me for quite some time now.  I can't even tell you what my thoughts were upon opening it, because truly, I was completely speechless.

The color. It's green!

The buttons. They're wood!

It is so warm, beautiful and is the first handknit for me sweater I have ever owned!

For me, knitting my own sweater (and sweaters for my family), would probably be The Everest of crafting. What a capable feeling one who can do such a thing must have. I have so much to learn...

I do clearly remember having one thought (besides overwhelming gratitude) when I opened this package. I remember thinking, "This is the perfect apple picking sweater!" You know I had to try it out this weekend...

 

It turns out that yes indeed, it is the perfect apple picking sweater! With a sweater this beautiful to wear year after year while summer fades and autumn rises, I think I will happily be up for another 37 years of apple picking, so long as I have my handknit for me sweater to mark the occasion. Thank you Pamela!

won't you join me?

Good Morning! I'm on a borrowed computer so I need to be quick... and I have no cute photos to share either.

But...

Recently, I had the pleasure of chatting with two wonderful women. Lisa, of Polka Dot Cottage, asked me to join in on her fun (weekly-ish) Morning Coffee series, and Amy, of Progressive Pioneer invited me to join in her Mama Views series. Thank you ladies for an easy and gentle experience!

If you have a few moments today, join me over at Lisa's, then hop over to Amy's for a visit too! Take care everyone. ;)

a wild woman breathes

A few people thought the house pictured in the last post was our home, some of you thought we were on vacation and staying there. Well, it was actually neither, and both at the same time.

We had the pleasure last weekend of traveling up to Vermont (to the property that we will be moving to in July), where we blissfully roamed for hours. In no time at all, the house in the photos of that post will be our home, and we will spend our days living closely to the earth and one another, our perfect life long vacation.

There is so much I want to share about this life change, and I will share many things. But it is likely that what I write here is about all the information I'm willing to part with at the time. The short explanation of what is happening is that we will be renting this property with the option to buy it in a 2-3 years time. It is the best arrangement for us and a comfortable arrangement for the owners. Speaking of the owners; we think they're rather fantastic and part of my not going into too much depth about the details and location of this property has to do with the fact that it indeed belongs to someone else and it's important to us that their privacy is considered. All of this to say that the few times I have written about our Vermont move, I received a bunch of very sweet yet curious emails and comments from people wondering where exactly it is... how we found it... etc... for now I'd like to let what I do share be enough, I won't have much else to share beyond that. I hope everyone understands.

 

We headed up to do a little more exploring and started the day at a sweet little country fair. It was quaint, festive and unbelievably perfect. All I could think of was how complete it felt and it is so wonderful to think that it will become our country fair very soon. These photos are from our time there. Goodness, it felt so gentle and safe.

 

After our time at the fair we headed over to the property, I'm sure you can imagine how many photos I took while we explored the entire afternoon away. As we pulled up the driveway, greeted by a freshly painted house and fields that had just been hayed, my mind filled with the very thoughts that have been occupying my dreams and my days for months now; "I just can't believe it's really happening, it fulfills and surpasses all that we had hoped and planned for."

I made a little video collection of photos, with a song that has become an important part of the soundtrack to this chapter of my life. I hope you have a few minutes to watch it, and don't forget to turn up your volume! The title for this post was pulled from my favorite part of the song. 

Later this week, Adam has an appointment with a real estate attorney in Vermont. He'll also spend some time at the town hall checking out property records and such. Things are moving in a very forward direction, and it feels so incredibly good.

It was nice to stop in here for a bit this afternoon, now it is back to weekending. Emily's first soccer game is tonight and we are all rather excited around here!

things are good

I just wrote a whole post about where I've been, what I've been up to, then Typepad deleted the whole thing. I guess we'll just have to let that be... but I'm here, and I've been there. Things are good and I will be back regularly very soon, just not quite yet.

Almost all of my orders have been shipped, the final batch goes out by the end of this week at the latest. Then I will focus on bags and things for the shop for those of you very kind and patient people who have been asking. I'm gearing up to send off a few important and exciting emails... need to focus on that.

The seasonal shift from summer to fall is my favorite. So much to think about. 

I hope you are doing well, it's been awhile, hasn't it? Be back soon.

morning and night :: 8

 

morning and night :: 7

crock-pot recipes :: give us your best one!

Hi! I'm not sure if I'm completely done with my morning and night series (thank you for being okay with the change of pace around here), we'll see. I think I might have one more week in me... next week.

I didn't pick my camera up once yesterday which leaves me with no morning and night photos to share. So for today, I thought I would ask a question that I've been meaning to ask you for quite some time now. What is your best crock-pot recipe? I want to better my relationship with this handy kitchen appliance, it seems useful and practical, but usually it produces meals that seem like, well, like they've been sitting in a crock-pot for 8 hours. Do you know what I mean?

But the idea of a crock-pot is very appealing. A slowly cooked, made from scratch meal, ready and waiting when you walk in the door. How lovely is that? The problem is, I currently have only one recipe that is working for me (and I've tried many). I'm not really into things like "throw a bunch of chicken into the pot and add canned cream of mushroom soup." I'm also realistic about not being able to duplicate a freshly sauteed pasta dish filled with fresh pesto and sun-dried tomatoes either. But there has to be some middle ground. Maybe a good curry dish? Some hearty mediterranean type stews? Any ideas?

Wouldn't it be great if we built a Crock-Pot Recipe Box within the comments? It would be so amazing! The best of the best right in one easy to find place. I envision all of you popping into the comments and doing one of three things:

• Share your prized crock-pot recipe right here within the comments. This works great if you don't have a blog.

• Share a link to an already existing fabulous crock-pot recipe. Maybe it's on your own blog or elsewhere on the web.

• Write a post (maybe with a photo!) on your own blog and come back here giving us a link to it in the comments.

I'm going to leave this post up over the weekend, it might take a few days to build our collection (especially if you wanted to create your own post with a pretty picture and link back to it from here). It will be great to watch our recipe box fill up, then I'll create a button to have over on the sidebar so we can all easily locate this post again when we're planning our weekly menus. Does this sound like it could work?

I'll start things off by sharing the recipe that is photographed above, my one tried and true success! ;)

Santa Fe Beef and Beans

• 1 # boneless beef roast, cubed/diced small. We use venison

• 2 cups salsa

• 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (I cook big batches of beans and keep them in the freezer for easy use)

• 1 1/2 - 2 cups corn (from the freezer)

• 1 8oz can tomato sauce

• 3 cloves garlic, minced fine

• 2 Tablespoons sucanat or maple syrup

• 1 Tablespoons tamari/soy sauce

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, according to taste

• shredded cheese for the table, cheddar or Mexican blend

• a pot of cooked rice to serve it over

Place all ingredients into crock-pot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.  Serve over brown rice and top with shredded cheese.  To make this vegetarian, just skip the meat and double the beans! If I get home very close to dinner time, I put on a pot of white basmati rice for the quick cooking time, if I have enough time I make brown rice. I've also served this over egg noodles.

Okay, now it's your turn. Give us your best one! Oh, and spread the word too, we want lots of recipes! I hope you all have a great weekend, mine will most certainly involve a crock-pot. ;)

 

morning and night :: 6