I  remember

I wrote that and then I ran downstairs to grab meat so I can make chili tomorrow. And make J and I another drink… (that recipe I will post in a few days because it is more than fantastic). I think everyone should own a magic bullet.

Anyway, I remember having fruit roll-ups once when I was a kid. My mom never bought stuff like that (and I love that she didn’t). But I had one over at a friends house. I loved them. Actually, I loved the sound that the funky plastic made when you pulled it away from the fruit rollup.

I now make my own and I know what goes in them.

Use really ripe fruit, it’s usually the juiciest… These pictures are a collaboration of my last three batches.

My favorite so far.. peach/apple and pear/plum. I like the skins of plums so I leave them on.

It’s super complicated… peel and puree. Cut fruit into small pieces, it makes things easier. I use a hand blender (my new favorite appliance).

If you absolutely need liquid because your fruit isn’t very ripe, use a little juice. Apple cider is perfect. Not too much or your end result will be crap.

Don’t forget to grease your trays! It takes very little, rub it around with your fingers…

P.S. (please santa) I would love extra trays for christmas, hint hint…

Takes about six hours or so on 145. Its done when it stops being spongy. There is a learning curve but it’s so worth it.

Wynn and I went for a lovely long walk Thursday night (aka Thanksgiving). The sunset over the city was more than lovely…

What a fantastic idea! I want one… Save Wynn!

I hate trash day… people are gross. But my dog is cute.

We’re decorating for Christmas tomorrow.. I’m so excited!!

Until then…

Or sloppy Joe, same thing…

These are so much better than what they served you in the cafeteria when you were young.

• 2 lb package of hamburger
• 1 can tomato soup
• 1 can chicken gumbo soup.
• half a yellow or white onion (chopped)
• red and black pepper to taste

Brown burger and onions. Drain grease off and return to the pan. Add pepper and both cans of soup, continue to cook on low-ish  uncovered until it thickens up. Stirring occasionally… About 20 minutes.

Serve open faced over some sort of toasted bread or bun… It’s also good with cheese on top (then again, most stuff is).

 

They really are magic…

Thanksgiving is part of my favorite holiday.

I love the week before Thanksgiving through about January 5.  This month and a half (or so) makes me feel so warm and sparkly. So many of my childhood memories are from this time. Construction paper headdresses, suran wrap corn a coupias, and my favorite meal… with jello salad.

I miss my family like crazy during Thanksgiving. This time of year in Montana is the best… I don’t know if we will ever all be together for the holidays again, that makes me sad.

J came to Swampscott with me the other day… and so we went to the beach, naturally.

And ate wings at our favorite wing place in Salem.

It’s now too cold to sit outside.

I want this in my house. The picture does not do it justice, it is a beautiful piece of art.

How lucky am I that my husband comes to my yoga classes when he’s able… and is better at it than I am.

Ya, I’m suppose to be in wheel and I’m taking pictures… I’m quick.

I did a “headshot” shoot down by the water the other day… I like living in a town where people need headshots.

My favorite view of the city and it’s a five minute walk from my house. She has me beat though, she has this view from her deck.

I’m trying to sprout mung beans, it’s not working… Either that or they are taking their sweet ass time.

day one

day 3

day 5… not that you can tell. I switched to a bigger container and got bored with the view.

All the shells float to the top, it looks cool

I’ll post more photos next week… we will see.

I absolutely LOVE grocery shopping. I have my whole life. I vividly remember the treks to the store with my mom. Poor woman, probably would have killed for an hour of peace to herself, and I begged to go along every time.

This little guy has decided to grow up my wall. I think it’s fantastic, J does not.

Eggnog season is here! Yay!

I get the smallest container I can find and still end up throwing most of it down the drain. I’m on my own, most dairy products grose my better half out. I like it mixed about seven parts milk and one part nog. (Otherwise it’s like drinking maple syrup.) Thus making it next to impossible to get through a carton before it goes bad.

We decided to watch all the James Bond movies in order from the beginning.

We meet some friends at a new little bar.  They are still working out a few kinks, but the food was good. And the company was fantastic.

I guess we are going back for their “cigar, scotch and ugly sweater party” in a few weeks. I could care less about the scotch and cigars (my husband feels otherwise) but I am in love with any opportunity to wear a overly tacky holiday sweater. We both win!

I am going to start doing my blog a bit different.

It won’t always be on Tuesday and I hope to do more than one a week. I also want to try to do my recipes as a separate post, I hope it will make them easier to find.

I guess you’ll have to check back more often… or subscribe:)

Happy Thanksgiving out there!

And a very special Happy T day to my family. I am sooo thankful for you… Even when you fight about gravy.

 

Rooting around in a deep freeze with wet fingernails should be an olympic sport.

Right on top, the 23lb turkey I didn’t bother to put in the right spot when I threw it in there…

Not one ding!

I wonder what the uniforms would be….? It would be like ice skating, only no sequins or flesh colored lycra.

I vote 1950’s Stepford wife garb…

I won’t be posting again until Wednesday night… see you then.

I’m going to continue to photograph fall until the last leaf is covered with snow.

I never get sick of fall; I’m (kinda) never ready for winter… Although I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas time!

There are things I love about winter but the list is short.

My mum bloomed… I’m so happy!

I want a ginkgo tree someday. I think they are in my top three favorite (non fruit bearing) trees.

Wynn’s dog park..

I love anchovies, so does my husband.

I love caesar salads.

• 2-4 cloves of garlic
• 1 lemon
• 1 can of anchovies
• 1/2 tsp (or more) cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp (or more) black pepper
• 2 c parmesan cheese
• 2 c olive oil

In the food processor or blender (you get a smoother consistency in the food processor) add everything but the cheese and lemon. Add the cheese at the end. Mix until smooth. Start with half the lemon, keep adding if you like it lemony.  Or serve with extra lemon on the side. It looks pretty.

This is a strong dressing, a little goes a long way.

Freeze what you don’t use in ice cube trays. Take a couple out as needed.

I got a crown on 11-11-11.

I don’t know how I feel about the dentist… I don’t hate or fear them like a lot of people. I don’t think I like them either… Anything more than a cleaning gives me the willies.

I had to capture my hillbilly twin though, pure class.

I’ll give whomever names this movie a prize.

I left and went to the beach, my day was all uphill from there.

I want to hang out with these people and drink cider on their porch.

My amaryllis…

I’m so excited to have a flower bloom in my house, especially this time of year.

Dear Robert,

I hope the reason you don’t need your sign anymore is because you found a home:)

p.s. you suck for littering.

 

Eleven is my favorite number. And on 11-11-11 my day was perfect.

Ever since I was little I notice 11:11. Either time or just a string of ones.  My husband signed our marriage certificate at 11:11. When we closed the gates after our wedding, the time on the clock when we got back in the car was 11:11… That’s how I know he’s perfect.

My old jeep’s speedometer turned 111111 driving by the 11 mile marker outside of Powell. Of course I took a picture.

It’s amazing how many times I drove by that old 11 mile marker at 11:11.

No matter what it means, it always makes me smile. 

 

11:14 is another time I always notice. I feel since my favorite number is 11, and my sister’s favorite number was 14, noticing 11:14 is her way of saying hello…

Today I noticed the clock at 11:14…

After dropping an order off in Swampscott, Wynn and I went to the beach. My new favorite beach…

We were the only souls as far as the eye could see. I couldn’t help but feel truly blessed to have a whole beach to myself and my favorite furry companion… for almost an hour.  She wandered freely off her leash. I sat and listened to the waves and appreciated the sun on my face.

It was absolutely breathtaking.

Have you ever been so full of positive energy that it feels like it will come bursting out of the top of your head. Thats how I felt when we left our perfect hour by the water.

One happy dog…  

Happy 11 11 11… I hope it was as fantastic of a day for you as it was for me.

 

 

I’m usually able to kick a migraine in a day…. Not the case this time.  I have been working on my computer in 8 minute increments for almost a week now.

90% of the things on my to-do list involve me being on the computer.

I am behind.

Today I said F-it! I need to get some stuff done! I will not think about my crooked back and neck.

Soooo, I’m watching “Pirate Radio” and working on what seems like way old news…  A movie that makes you laugh out loud is good for so many ailments.

Our dear friend Kevin was in town from London, I cooked a turkey. Although I love Kevin enough to cook him a turkey when he’s in town… He just got lucky and came to dinner on the right night.

Oh, and  cooked my first apple pie from scratch. It was fabulous! I used honey instead of white sugar. And I added 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp nutmeg.

My favorite part, using one of my grandmothers pie pans…

Latice seemed too ordinary for this household, so I used ninjas.

Halloween and Gorefest go hand in hand.

We went with A&R (and his sisters) on a harbor cruise for Halloween. Fun! The weather worked out better for the half dressed twenty-somethings that just wanted to hang inside and dance. I wanted to be outside looking at the city from the water. No go, it was like an episode of Deadliest Catch.

So we joined the goddesses in bustiers…

And we got our first snow…

We got up in the morning and drove to New Jersey to see the fam… Long over due trip.

Oh my gosh I love J’s grandma! I got so lucky with my in-laws…

The last sugar pea of the season. And it was tasty.

I love my new yoga bag. Organic, so it doesn’t smell like it has been sitting in an exhaust pipe. It’s just perfect!

HA! I so remember making these when I was in grade school… The only time I’ve been entertained by litter.

Happy November everyone!!! It’s my favorite…

These are in the Maverick station, I stare at them while waiting for the T… a lot.

I would love to live back then… sigh.

I canned for the first time!

Eight jars of apple butter. It’s pretty damn amazing!

Apple Butter:

• 15 lbs of apples peeled and chopped small
• 4 cups of apple cider
• 2 cups honey
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 3 tblsp cinnamon
• 3 tsp nutmeg
• 3 tsp ground clove
• 2 tsp allspice

Adjust recipe depending on the type of apples you use; less sugar for sweeter apples. My apples were pretty tart.

Put apples and cider in stock pot, bring to a boil and reduce to simmer with the lid on. Stir every fifteen minutes or so. Boil apples down (takes a awhile) until all the chunks are gone.  Stir in the spices and sweet stuff.  Leave the lid off and continue to boil liquid out. Remember to stir often.

Wait until it starts to get thick to taste test, flavors intensify as the liquid boils out.

I found this helpful…    “Remove a spoonful and hold it away from steam for 2 minutes. It is done if the butter remains mounded on the spoon. Another way to determine when the butter is cooked adequately is to spoon a small quantity onto a plate. When a rim of liquid does not separate around the edge of the butter, it is ready for canning.”  website

Finish up with a hand blender to make it smooth.

This process took about 12 hours so plan a time when you’re going to be home all day.

Spoon hot apple butter into sterile jars and lightly tighten lids. They will seal as they cool… Brilliant!

I went to a metering workshop Saturday at Harvard… I’ve never really walked around there, kinda cool.

We have a friend that’s a vegetarian, I love it when they come over and I can experiment with new dishes.

Vegetarian French Onion Soup:

• Four to six large onions thinly sliced (mandoline)
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 heaping tblsp flour
• 2 quarts vegetable broth
• 1/2 bottle red wine
• black pepper to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cayenne peppers
• 2 fresh sprigs of thyme

Melt butter in a large pot, add onions. Cook down until the onions caramelized. Stir in flour. Add the liquids first, then the rest of the ingredients. Let it simmer down (with the lid off) for about  30-45 min.

Cut up a baguette and stick in the oven until they turn into large round croutons. Pile Gruyere (preferred) or Swiss cheese on top of the croutons and stick back in the oven until melted. Add two or three to the top of each bowl of soup.

This is a large recipe (I needed to use up a lot of onions). It easily serves 10, or enough to freeze.

I had a shoot at a beach in Swampscott the other day. It may be my new favorite beach…

Wynn loved it because it was sandy and not rocky like the one we usually go to…

We met Wynn’s crush out on our walk today. She acts so different when she’s around this particular dog… Makes me laugh.

One of my besties, King, sent me a hydrangea in the mail last spring. It’s still blooming… amazing!

It makes me smile every time I look at it.

Happy Tuesday Loves!

I haven’t cheated once in 35 weeks.

This week I’m cheating… I just had so much going on this past week, (and lack of things catching my eye) I only took a handful of pictures.

How many pictures in a handful…? That particular unit of measure doesn’t really work in this case. You can have a stack of 500 pictures that’ll still fit in your hand… How many digital files in a handful?

Some images from this last week and some from much before that… 

A couple of you have seen a few of these before, and some I know have but your minds are slipping so you get to see them for the first time… again.

Squash soup:

I used this recipe. A. B. is my go to on recipes… I love him.

I used one acorn squash and one butternut squash. And I added red peppers to make it spicy…

We went to the water twice this week, I feel recharged. Even though we will die if anything crazy happens with the oceans; I love love love living near the water.

The first fall I lived in VA was pretty amazing…

Old college assignments I ran across today. I remember every detail about all these shots.

Sigh…

I miss school so much. What an absolutely fantastic time…

Happy Tuesday Loves!