I'm Smitten!

Elizabeth sent me a bean soup recipe from the Smitten Kitchen, and now I'm hooked! I signed right up for updates and have not been disappointed with the great photos, yummy dishes, and upbeat writing by Deb. Even though she isn't vegan, many of her dishes are, or can be easily adapted by me. Here's my first try at her Smashed Chickpea Salad/Sandwich Spread. The lemon and olive oil give a fresh zing, a nice change from my usual vinagrette.

As I'm stuck at home during a rain/ice storm I had to use what was on hand, so I used dehydrated parley and my new best friend, dried red bell pepper flakes from Penzeys Spices. I confess, fresh parsley enhance this salad, but I actually like the dried red pepper add  a sweet/hot touch. The red pepper is my tweaking of the recipe as I'm using this dish as a salad not for sandwiches (Deb suggested garlicky pickled red peppers as a sandwich addition).
Easy dish, delish, a new favorite!

Embrace the Winter Season

It would be so easy to hunker down and "suffer" through the winter months - stay inside, complain about the cold, wish I was somewhere warm. But a better way is to embrace the season with friends. Here we are out for a ladies walk in the woods. Lots of laughs as we did a little slipping and sliding, and the exercise and comraderie put us all in good moods.

What goes down must go up,

 then down again as we navigated a small stream. Yahoo - no one fell in!

What a treat at the end to find a welcoming snowman made by other hearty souls!
So, bundle up, go outside, and then enjoy that cup of something warm on your return, gathered around the fire with great friends.

Weekend Projects- Satisfaction!

It doesn't look very glamorous and "arty" but I dug in and cleaned out the storage space off my sewing studio. Check out the before and after- here is my new, lean and mean storage area.

Where did it all go? Well, 2 huge bags went to the dumpster and a large cardboard box filled with paper went to recycling; another box full lots of pillows, unused frames, a flagpole, and odds 'n ends is headed to our local charity shop while a laundry basket full of paints, canvas, brushes, etc. is headed to my "wet" studio in a diffferent location; two plastic crates will serve me well in my office at Squam Art Workshops- perfect to file all those registrations that will be coming in February. I actually have some unused space on one shelf, and the toilet and shower are now accessible.

 I was surprised that it only took half a day to do (lesson learned- don't procrastinate on the nasty jobs), but amazed at what I had saved and buried....half-finished projects, bits and pieces of batting and fabric too small to really be of any use...and what I found, like a glue gun with lots of sticks that I didn't even remember having!
Ahh, such satisfaction to complete a project so early in 2010 - let's here it for "De-Clutter"!

Can This Space Be Saved?!?

A lot of bloggers are choosing a word for the year - Kathy picked "Delicious" and Mary Beth chose "Spread" ....well, my word would be "Clutter" or rather "De-Clutter"!
Since summer I've been struck by urge to clean out, pare down, simplify my home and space. I've cleaned closets, sorted through the cupboards in my kitchen, tried to organize the paper that comes into the house via the mail (letting magazine subscriptions lapse, shifting to automatic bills and statements, recycling catalogs immediately). But one area I have neglected is my sewing space. I've just kept piling up the stuff until it has overwhelmed me.

Well, thanks to a challenge in the January AARP magazine, I'm ready to tackle this black hole.

What you see is a small bathroom/closet on our third floor that has become my storage area- you may just be able to make out the toilet under a pile of burlap and stuffing! And see the 3 layers of plastic bins blocking the shower?

We don't use this bathroom unless overflowing with company so ....well....I kinda took it over.
So, stay tuned for a makeover which no doubt will entail lots of trips to the trash bin and secnd hand shop.

OK, OK, I'm back.....

Dropped off the blogasphere while battling a wicked cold, so nothing interesting to report except that night cough syrup works- for about 4 hours - and watch the ingredients lists of multiple products as many have acetamitophen and you DON'T want to take too much of that! Pleased to report that I'm on the mend and hope to be back with some news soon. Happy New Year to all, Peg