Holding Pattern.

Hello there. This is not a test of the emergency broadcast system, this is not a drill. This is your life, taking you by the face and shaking you awake. It's Q4 of 2012. Somewhere long time ago, some Aztec mason ran out of room on his tablet and somehow this coincides with my life taking off like never before and launching me into the busiest whirlwind ever. I know, I know, I am usually a busy person and always on the run. Well, now, take that and give it some crack, sugar and a few hundred red bull and a wicked ass pair o wings is what you will get. I will check back in on this and pick up where I left off. But for now. Life is making me sit up and take notice.

Fall Flavors

It is truly awful, erm, official. Fall is here. The leaves are turning, the air is cool and there's pumpkin in just about everything consumable and Karen in writhing in pain. But I come with a different batch of fall flavors; butternut squash and sweet potato. Well, that and curry. A different spin on the fall soup flavors.

Soup Stock:

I like to save all of my veggie scraps when cooking, seal them in a freezer bag and stuff them in the freezer until the gallon bag is full, and stick that with a chicken carcass, or just on their own, and cover with water, salt & pepper corns and boil down and strain off after about 2 hours. Makes great soup stocks. Just make sure to stay away from cruciferous veggies, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, etc.
Take all the veggies you are peeling for this soup and add to the stock. If you don't have stock from scratch, you can use box stock, just know it's not going to taste as god as your own.

Soup:
4 medium sized sweet potatos peeled and cubed
4 medium sized carrots peeled and cubed
1 large sweet onion
3/4 c celery diced
2 c butternut squash, 1 small squash seeded, roasted, peeled
1 1/2 tbs. sweet yellow curry powder
1/2 tbs. curry paste red spicy
2 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cardamom, ground
2 tbs salt
1/2 tsp pepper, black
2 tsp rice wine vinegar

Cook all the above ingredients above in the preprepared broth, until tender, take an immersion blender to it and PUREE!!

Serve over cooked brown rice with roasted pumpkin seeds and scallions.

inspiration that comes with cocktails

or a lack there of. These were found cocktail sticks that were in an appetizer I had last week. I save the strangest things. Beautiful tho. Silver, glass bead, painted bamboo cocktail stick.

Starting Over

I am picking today to get started on this again. Too much loss in the past few months to focus, so I took a few days to review and revise life goals and priorities. Took some time off and away for me. I needed it. So, let's start with the basics, with a fall twist.

Pumpkin Pancakes:
1 box Trader Joe's Pumpkin Muffin Mix ( muffin mix makes great pancake mix!)
2 eggs ( well 3, if you intend on letting them run a-muck and rolling off the counter to their death)
1 c milk, no water as the box reads, this is breakfast after all.
1/4 olive oil / butter melted
1 tbs butter for cooking
1/2 c chopped pecans for sprinkling
maple syrup for topping

mix, pour, fry, flip, serve.

spiced fried apples:
2 apples cored and sliced
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp ginger
1 tbs butter for frying

sauté until tender, serve hot

Enjoy with a luke warm leftover cup of coffee from the day before and the love of your life smiling and commenting that these aren't too bad. After all, you are doing this study to make some freaking awesome pancakes, and because you suck at making them in the first place. Love life every day and smile, for it's likely to be your last.

traveling treats

Finding myself on the road with little on me I am improvising with this little piece that I found in my purse. It's from an ace bandage, which Spencer will laugh when reading this, since we spent a good 5 min looking for this stupid thing one evening. Add it to a top, instant pin! Cheating? Nooooo, just improvising in the moment.