Change Your Life in Five Minutes - Part One

Even though I wasn't feeling too great yesterday, I did something for myself that I said I was going to do - open my new Etsy store - Old Ordinary. Even though I only have one lonely item listed so far, I am quite ecstatic about it!

Which brings me to Part One in a series I'm writing - Change Your Life in Five Minutes - DO WHAT YOU SAY YOU ARE GOInG TO DO! Do you remember when you were a kid and an adult promised you something and didn't carry through (p.s. - my parents never, ever did this to us!) Do you remember how you felt after that? Sad and disappointed. One of the most important things to remember in this practice is to not say it if it is impossible to do - please do not make empty promises.

I've made a promise to myself to do what I say I'm going to do every single day - whether it be something simple like writing an email to a client or friend that you might be putting off or starting to clean the garage - or taking some cookies over to a new neighbor.

This series is about starting small and just taking five minutes a day to change your life - in a very good way

Peace & Love

My New Etsy Store!!!!

Tomorrow I am finally, finally launching my new Etsy store called Old Ordinary. Here is a little preview of one of my first items that I'm listing. It is my "Appeal to Heaven" Box. I designed them and painted them myself using some historic pigments that Rufus Porter would have used and filled with fragrant cedar tips. He is one of my all-time idols. Can't wait!

Sparkled Vegan Ginger Cookies

This is my new most requested recipe. We first tried these when some of the family decided to go vegan for a month in January for political and health reasons. Actually, the first time I made these was for Skip Shea and his crew for his short film reading. I completely overbaked (but didn't burn) them - they looked great, but were hard as rocks. Everyone lied and said that they were great (thanks for that!) I've adapted this recipe from the dazzling Vegan with a Vengeance by the fabulous Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Make sure that you make lots to share!

Sparkled Ginger Cookies

makes 2 dozen cookies

4 Tablespoons turbinado or demerrara sugar (regular sugar will work, but they won't be as sparkly or good

1 Cup all-purpose flour

1 Cup whole wheat flour

1 Teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 Teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 Teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 Cup canola oil

1/2 Cup applesauce

1/4 Cup molasses

1/4 Cup soy milk

1 Cup sugar

1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease two cookie sheets. Place the turbinado sugar in a small bowl.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and spices. In a separate large mixing bowl, mix together the oil, molasses, soy milk, sugar, applesauce and vanilla. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and combine well. Roll into 1-inch flat balls, flatten into a 1 1/2 inch diameter disc, press the cookie tops into the turbinado sugar and place one inch apart sugar side up on a prepared cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, let cool on cookie sheets for 3 to 5 minutes, transfer to cooling rack.

Enjoy!!!!

More Fake Food and Yogurt Bread

I really love to bake bread - mostly because I love to eat it! This recipe makes a LOT of bread (approximately six loaves) and is wonderful for gifting. Speaking of gifting, check out the fabric pears that my my just made. They are wonderful - I really love them. My parents also brought over some homemade strawberry rhubarb jelly (which prompted me to make this bread) and a beautiful bouquet of flowers. I hope to get her recipe for the jelly and try to make it one day. Here is the recipe for the lowfat yogurt bread. It is from a cute little book called "homemade" by Judith Choate. Oh - the book was a recent gift from my mom, too!

Lowfat Yogurt Bread

Rising Time: 1 1/2 hours

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees

12 cups white bread flour (regular white flour will also do)

2 cups white wheat flour (or regular wheat flour)

1 cup coarsely ground yellow cornmeal

3 packages of yeast (or 7 1/2 tsp.)

3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon sea salt (I totally left this out and the bread came out delicious)

2 1/2 cups nonfat milk

2 cups nonfat plain yogurt

Combine the flours, cornmeal, yeast, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Heat the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When just hot, remove from the heat and whisk in the yogurt (make sure that this mixture is not hot, just super warm).

Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, pour the warm milk mixture over the dry ingredients and begin blending. When the dough gets too heavy to mix with the spoon, scrape it onto a lightly floured surface and begin kneading. Knead for about 12 minutes, or until the dough is well blended but still a bit tacky. This will not be a smooth, shiny bread dough. Scrape the dough into a large buttered bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and set aside in a warm spot to rise about 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Uncover the dough and again place it on a lightly floured surface. Punch it down to release all of the air and knead for about 4 minutes.

Divide the dough into at least 6 equal pieces. Form each piece into a loaf shape and place into loaf pans, or, alternatively, form into a free form round shape and place onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and place on wire racks to cool before serving or storing.

ENJOY!!!!

If you think that this recipe is too much trouble, stay tuned for my post soon featuring no-knead dough.

Story of a Doll

This is the story of an angel doll. About a year ago, I bought a pattern from Annie at Chickadee Primitives called Sweet Seraphim Angel. I put the pattern away and forgot about it. A few days before Mothers Day, a little angel voice was calling me from the attic - somehow I found the pattern in all of my craft supplies and unearthed my sewing machine.

Now, I don't think that I have sewed for 10 years, but ever since I moved to my new home, I have been thinking about it a lot. I decided to sew the Sweet Seraphim Angel for my mommy for Mother's Day. I rooted around until I finally found some muslin, a bit of stuffing, some dress fabric and the proper paints.

Ok, I didn't have too much time - I had to do my legal work... By some miracle, my machine worked perfectly and was actually threaded (I have a fear of threading my machine. It usually takes me about an hour because I have no idea what I was doing).

I could not find any fabric scissors to cut out the dolly pieces. I tried to hack out the pieces with some dull paper scissors, but it just wasn't working. I then remembered that my daughter, Molli, had some little sharp hair cutting scissors in her bathroom. They did the trick, thank goodness.

By some miracle, I remembered how to sew! Annie's pattern was so well written and easy to follow. I might add that I cannot stand patterns or directions of any kind and usually make up my own. I had a bit of a hard time turning the limbs of the angel, only because I sewed them a little too far in, but I finally managed. They ripped a little on both of the hands. Oh, well. When I sewed the little legs on, I had a hard time sewing through all of the layers - one of the legs just got pinned on (it's ok - the dress covers it!)

I loved painting the angel dolly and following Annie's special instructions - I especially liked the part where I rolled her around in spices and sanded her.

I got to the part where the dolly takes a nap in the oven to dry and had to go back to my day job. After work, my son was wondering what was in the oven - there was a small brown person laying in there. She looked pitiful, but smelled really good.

Here is my favorite part of Annie's instructions - "Give her a kiss on the forehead and fetch her wings." Isn't that sweet?

It was now time to sew the wings. That was going fine until my machine ran out of thread!!! It was getting late, so I left out part of the rows of stitching on the wings. I think it looks ok.

Now the dress. I skipped the petticoat (it would have made the angel's dress look nicer, though). Ok, so now my machine is out of thread - I handstitched the dress which worked out well, but then I had to put a drawstring in the waistband. Annie says to use a doll jointing needle (what is that?) I then frantically searched for a safety pin - I know how to put in a drawstring with that. After I wasted about 20 minutes looking, I decided to tie a nail onto a piece of string and pull it through. It was difficult and idiotic, but it somehow worked.

I have to say, the angel dolly came out pretty good, in a very primitive and rustic kind of way. I can't wait to sew some more (preferably not before and after work and I hope to be more organized next time). I can't say enough about the pattern I used. It was the most thorough and well-written pattern I have ever seen. I hope that Annie keeps making more patterns. I will be buying more. Thanks, Annie!

Oh, and I gave the angel dolly to my mom for Mother's Day. I think she liked it. Can someone please come over and help me thread my sewing machine?

SomeBunny Loves Me!

Last night, my dad came bearing some early Easter cheer! I just love the wooden bunny - it goes so nicely in our kitchen. Also, can you believe this basket of beautiful handmade folk art Easter eggs my mom just made us? I can't even imagine how one makes something like that. They are all hand stitched in beautiful warm golds and browns - they are so perfect for our kitchen, also, but will not be stashed away after Easter! Thanks, Mom and Dad! We love you so much!

Vegetarian Baked Potato Skin Party

Long ago when I was a waitress, I served hundreds of platters of artery-clogging, greasy fried potato skins. Last Sunday night we made a much healthier version - they turned out really good and are quick and easy to make. Not to get all Rachael Ray on you (eww - I just thought of her annoying voice and stupid Rachael Rayisms), but they can be made in 30 minutes or less. If you want, you can even make them in the morning before work and heat everything up later for dinner.

Spring is coming, I promise!

Baked Potato Skins

Serves 5 as a main dinner course

10 Big Russet or other Baking Potatoes

Assorted toppings, including but not limited to:

Sour Cream (No Fat is Nice)
Green Onions, Sliced
Crumbled and Cooked Veggie Bacon
Chopped Black Olives
Salsa
Chopped and Cooked Brocolli
Shredded Cheese
Low Fat Cheese Sauce (Recipe to Follow)

Preheat Oven to 425 degrees. Bake Potatoes for one hour, then turn the oven up to 475 degrees. After Potatoes cool, cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides, leaving 1/4" of the potato in the shell all around (save the potatoey goodness for another use). Place potato shells on baking sheet with a bit of olive oil, coconut oil and or cooking spray. After 10 minutes, turn the potatoes over and cook for an additional 10 minutes or so, making sure they don't burn.

Yeah! Have a potato skin party!

Lowfat Cheese Sauce

2 cups Soy Milk (or Skim Milk)
1/4 - 1/2 Cup Nutritional Yeast (Optional)
2 tsp. Cornstarch
2 cups shredded or grated lowfat Cheese

In a microwavable bowl, heat milk for two minutes on high in the microwave. Remove bowl and add all ingredients except cornstarch. Microwave for two minutes longer. Remove bowl from microwave, stir and scoop out 2 Tablespoons or so of the mixture - put into a small bowl. Add the cornstarch to the small bowl, stir until smooth and add contents of the small bowl to cheese sauce mixture. Microwave for two minutes, stir and test if cheese sauce is hot enough. Microwave in two minute intervals until done.

Have fun!