My Little Orange Kitchen

Insalata Caprese

This is my twist on the simple Italian classic of fresh mozzarella, basil, tomatoes, olive oil and salt and pepper.  I add sunflower sprouts, green onions, some absolutely glorious apricot slices and drizzle the whole deal with Persian lime infused olive oil and white balsamic vinegar. I keep the ingredients separate on the plate because, well, it just looks so pretty.

Working, cutting, folding, working, cutting, folding...I'm going to post a picture with 40 new wallets tomorrow night. There...now it's been made public so I have to.

Headed Toward The Weekend

Friday is here, but it doesn't feel like an introduction to the weekend.  I have a weekend of wallet making ahead of me, though you can bet I'll be at the Farmer's Market bright and early tomorrow. I've got a hot date with a gang of fresh strawberries.  I plan to seduce them right out of the market and into my freezer.  

I'm taking part of today off and in honor of it feeling like a Saturday morning (to me), I made some organic blueberry muffins. I used Ina Garten's recipe, but with all due respect to a culinary hero, I had to make a few changes...I like a not so sweet muffin and I had a lot of blueberries to use.

Blueberry Muffins (Slightly Adapted From Ina Garten's Recipe):

1 1/2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature  (no warmer)
1 tspn pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tspns baking powder
1/2 tspn baking soda
1/2 tspn sea salt
1/4 tspn nutmeg (nutmeg goes in almost everything here from bechamel to muffins)
1 pint fresh blueberries (I use more, but you might not want yours as blueberry-ey as mine)

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add eggs while mixing vigorously, stir in vanilla, milk, sour cream...let sit for 10 minutes and stir again (this gets the sugar melting and your muffins brown better on the top.  I discovered this all on my own...it's a Little Orange Kitchen Tip). Add all remaining ingredients (except blueberries), mix until all flour is absorbed...a gentle mix..not hard.

Then fold in blueberries slowly and soft as a whisper...spoon batter into greased muffin tins (18 muffins total)...it's OK to fill to top of cup. Dot some extra blueberries on the top if you have them. 

Bake until golden (about 20-25 minutes)...can also be baked in a loaf pan, but takes about 40 minutes. Turn out of pan and cool on a wire rack. If you dotted some blueberries on top, remove your muffins carefully or those hot blueberries will pop and leave your muffin tops with deep purple starbursts (which isn't so bad!).     

Tip: If you have the experience of your blueberries always sinking to the bottom of your muffins, this means your batter is too thin. Muffin batter has to be thick and hold its shape. This is another reason not to take any shortcuts and soften your butter in the microwave. Room temperature is a must. Anything warmer leads to a thinner batter.     

Enjoy!

There's a time and a place for everything and when making cupcakes I like to use paper liners because there's something about a cupcake that's individual. Peeling away the paper is part of the ritual, however, when it comes to muffins, no papers allowed.

To me, a muffin is a community experience and I like seeing them all together with no paper walls to serve as dividers. It's easy just to reach in the basket and break one in half and everyone can just reach for a warm one and instantly take a bite. Even a five second delay when eating a muffin is lost time. 

Plus, you save the papers and can feel environmentally superior or you can make cupcakes right away!

Happy Friday!

What Abundance & Prosperity Mean To Me

Yesterday, in spite of the pouring rain, high winds and breaking down my display at The Farmer's Market, only to set it up again on a last minute hunch, I ended up having a nice night with good (if not spectacular) sales. Especially considering the first half of the market was a rainy mess...the sun was never more welcome.

I'm so glad I decided to set everything up again. Plus, my friend Jill stopped by to say hi and ended up staying until closing and perhaps this was why my booth was super busy with wallet fans.

I'm finally at the stage where I see light in the tunnel as far as initial expenses and investments in paper and tools. I've begun to pay us back for some extremely large business related purchases to prepare me for Art Street and the holidays. This feels good, because even with preparing for upcoming shows, I should be able to use the modest surplus in my business account to pay for any supplies and displays needed from this point forward. Using credit cards or our money to get started seems to be over. I'm not truly at the "paying myself" stage, though it's been less than a year since I first put up a shingle on Etsy and started doing shows, so that time will come.  I say "more of this please" with every sale, no matter the size.

I felt good as I realized where I am with the business and decided to change my cash box a bit. I always keep a list of prices with tax included (just to make busy times easier) and of course have my red envelope and a piece of citrine handy in the box at all times. Citrine is a stone of prosperity and great to have in your cash box, register or even taped to the side of your phone if you happen to conduct business that way.

Instead of hoping for just for prosperity and abundance, I decided to name what those words mean to me. I closed my eyes and meditated on it and this is what I came up with:

What Abundance & Prosperity

Mean To Me:

 

Hardwood floors, clear and open space, nice windows with sun streaming in, but diffused by sheer curtains, music playing throughout home, no debt, hydrated body, nice well-fitting clothes that feel good on my skin, freedom to make choices, sleeping in, quality dinners in restaurants that cook food grown with love, clear skin, a daily yoga or meditation practice, a room dedicated solely to my art and writing work, travel, nice luggage and purses, freedom in my body, trips to salons and spas to tend my body,  time to make gifts for friends and family, joyful celebrations, a savings account, trust in life and myself.

The great news is that I already have many of these things in my possession (including hardwood floors and a room dedicated to my work), and while some of them only appear rather intermittently (hydrated body, clear skin, daily yoga and meditation, trust in myself), they don't require money to bring back to my life. The things that haven't arrived yet, soon will. 

I felt good as I realized my list didn't talk about new cars and million dollar checks (though I'm not turning anything down!) and instead got to the core of the essence of things I need.

I taped the chart into my cashbox this morning and read the affirmation I printed at the bottom aloud. It made me cry because it's a simple task...to feel deserving of good things and good feelings, but it's always been a challenge for me to believe this (intellectually, no problem...to the core of my being...big problem). But, I'm rooting hard for myself and guess what Kitchenettes?

I'm rooting hard for you too.

You deserve to live an abundant and prosperous life.  You deserve to feel good about your life and work and to accept the goodness that comes your way.

Wares...

Just a few of the offerings I'm taking to the market today.  I am seriously in mad crush with the vintage typewriter pattern.

I hope to get more berries tonight. I canned more jam last weekend...low sugar strawberry and extra-limey strawberry lime. Now I'm done (until the sour cherries are ready).  I'm also picking up beans and blueberries to freeze for next winter. I'm really going all "pioneer" over here.

Liz over at Primo Originals is doing a give-away...she's a local artist and I just love her work.

Take care all! 

Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist

Love

' "True love allows you to fulfill your Personal Legend, and reach into the Soul of the World!"

Many of you readers have heard me say (OK, you haven't heard me, but I feel like I talk it instead of write it, so let's pretend you did) that Mark and I are very different people and yet we manage to make it work.

It isn't always easy because I'm a feelings on the outside kind of person and he's a feelings on the inside person....more so than the way some think this to be true of men and women in general.

Sometimes it's hard being married to a good friend who you want to be happy, but who won't admit to having any big dreams and who takes a very practical approach to life. Mark has said more than once that my dreams are enough for both of us, but I like the idea of a couple having shared dreams. It's hard for me to grasp that he's content to have a few private dreams, but doesn't feel the need to chase them the way I do mine.

It's truly a lesson...and one that I keep having to relearn as I try to encourage him when he doesn't want or need any encouraging.

The other day I was working at my cutting table when Mark slipped into my office and started messing around on my computer, I looked up annoyed. "What's the deal? Why are you on my computer?"

Mark asked me if I'd read The Alchemist. I was SUPER IRRITATED. I can't stand interruptions when I'm working and said, "Yeah, probably. How long are you going to be?" He said he was downloading a free audio book and that he thought I'd like it.  This took my level of irritation down a notch because I like listening to audio books while I cut and fold paper for wallets, but I was still crabby. I ignored him while he downloaded the book and then as he left my office, I DID have the good grace to call out a thank you.

Today, I began to listen while I was working.  In five minutes I was hooked.

How could I not have read or listened to this fable about following your dreams before?  It's narrated by Jeremy Irons and as far as I'm concerned, it ranks right up there with Chocolat.  And that, my friends, is a bold statement.     

The story is good, the message is even better. It's a search for treasure, a spiritual quest, understanding what love is and how if just one of us strives to live up to our full potential all of us benefit.  There's a wise old king, a shop with not so sparkly crystal glasses, thieves, a gypsy, dreams, talking elements, treasure,  love, an emerald tablet and of course...The Alchemist.

If you do a quick Internet search you'll find numerous reviews, so I'm not giving a full critique here...It's been published in 56 languages, sold more than 65 million copies and should be required reading for all of us. 

I love books with messages and you know how much I love fairy tale symbolism. I can spend hours and hours reading and researching a single fairy tale and all of the versions from different cultures. Listening to this was fun because I was constantly shouting out in agreement or laughing when I "got the message".  To be clear, the message isn't so thinly veiled in the story, but it is when it's applied to your own life.

The main message is that we must have the courage to follow our dreams or create our own personal legends...and there is one section that made me laugh about how I don't understand Mark's lack of a dream quest...and of how arrogant it is of me to think he needs one similar to mine. Married people might need some common goals, but they don't have to have shared dreams (though it can be nice).

We don't have kids and I always try to get our friends with children to see how hard it is to keep working through a relationship when there are no children. We work though it because we, as adults, want to...not because we feel we have to in order to remain a family. And for me this says a lot because I'm the most ambivalent about marriage person I know, but...if it weren't Mark, I wouldn't have married anyone.      

I ask many married friends who imply that a marriage with kids is harder how many times they thought they'd be out the door if it weren't for the kids. This is a real eye-opener for some of them.  I know that kids can add to the challenges (and rewards) of a marriage, but I sure get sick of even close friends who act as if Mark and I have it on easy street because it's just us. 

We've been a couple for sixteen years and it isn't easy. Not because of high drama and soap opera scenarios, but because well, remember, I'm the most ambivalent about marriage person you know...sharing a life is hard and scary for me. Yet, we work hard on this marriage. 

The Alchemist helped me realize that it isn't up to me to push my dreams on Mark...and yet, I can still encourage. Just as he (as he has over and over) encouraged my interests...like finding a download that he thought would be right up my alley and putting it on my computer even as I was being rude and less than pleasant. This isn't the first time he's found the perfect thing for me to read, listen to or even fall asleep by...My rain chime box was a gift because he knows I love the sound of raindrops at night even though he doesn't like chime-ey noises.  And now, a few years later, with my new hearing aids, I can finally hear them they way they are meant to be heard.  Ping...ping...ping!

Thank you Mark...I appreciate being in your thoughts...and especially when your thoughts manifest as tools for me to use to immerse myself in my dreams.

All of you should know that at itunes you can download the entire book for .95 cents (it's over four hours long) and I so hope you do. I can't imagine not hearing it in Jeremy Iron's deep and soothing voice...and will listen over and over.

Sunday Summer Lunch

I love crepes...made most ways.  I even got used to savory dinner crepes once the shock of the missing whipped cream wore off. I love them with beef bourguignon or as a house for béchamel sauce with crumbled Italian sausage and spinach. Today we had them with organic plain yogurt, strawberry jam and strawberries.

The sign of a good crepe is one that isn't browned at all, but I always brown mine a bit because carmelization enhances flavor (in my opinion). Kind of like how toast tastes different than bread.  Though the center should never be brown or you lose that tiny little stretch in your crepe...not rubbery, just a little give. 

Here is my recipe..adapted from The Ovens Of Brittany Cookbook. I'm so glad I found this cookbook while thrifting..After almost 30 years The Ovens closed (it was one of my favorite places in Madison for cookies and chicken salad). Julia also has a great recipe that my mother uses to make dessert crepes for our Christmas celebrations (she even makes her own almond filling).

Crepes:

• 6 eggs
• 1/3 white flour
• 1/4 cup wheat flour (note, I always use all wheat flour, but ran out today, so I used all white and had to add an additional quarter cup to get the right consistency)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/4 tspn nutmeg
• 1/2 tspn salt
• 1/4 tspn vanilla (omit if making savory crepes)
• 1 cup of water

Beat eggs, add flour (use a whisk), then add remaining ingredients. Batter will be very thin...very thin. If it's lumpy, you can strain it, but lumps usually disapear in a few minutes. Prepare your pan (frying pan with low edges) over medium heat with a little oil or butter. Pour a small circle of batter and let it spread into a circle...the thinner the crepe the better.

Cook for just a few minutes or until the edges curl up and look papery...flip...cook for just a few more seconds. Turn onto plate...repeat, but stir batter before pouring a new one. They can be eaten right away or refrigerated, plain or with any topping...many people love sugar and butter with fruit or with a tiny bit of lemon zest..and you Nutella lovers will be in ecstasy after your first Nutella crepe. 

Said to make 24 .... I find it makes about 12 thicker crepes or 18 thin ones. Double it if you need to feed hungry adults.

On a side note...Swedish egg pancakes are really our true family tradtion. My grandpa Arnold was quite a cook and his pancakes were a real treat...the funny part is that he served them with syrup and alongside plain good quality hot dogs (is that an oxymoron?) with no bun or condiments. There was something about the combination we all loved. He could make anything taste good.

Off to work...but, first, my littlest nephew discovered Uncle Mark's toys. Good grief.

    

The Perfect Crime...

I don't know why I had to title this post "The Perfect Crime", but when I saw the strawberries I picked up at Farmer's Market this morning cleaned and all waiting patiently in their vintage bowl of a home to be transformed into more jam, I said it in my head. I say that all the time (Mark does too) when something good happens...we say it in a real sinister tone...like we're getting away with something.

Tonight's all local dinner was: meatloaf made with beef from Seifarm Grassfed Beef (they are a really nice couple), sweet baby carrot medallions (scrubbed, but not peeled), fork mashed new red potatoes and sunflower sprouts...all of it was locally grown or raised...including the egg for the meatloaf!

When I posted about Schoolhouse Gems a few weeks ago, I didn't realize these nice people have a website...They were at the Saturday market this morning and for some odd reason I felt compelled to purchase one of their gemstone grab bags...I have so many stones that I rarely buy new ones, but something told me I had to buy one and it was a fierce urge. I'm glad I did...isn't this amazing? Only $2.00 for all of this earth heart richness. Stop by and get a grab bag if you're local...you won't be disappointed.

That's all for now...I've been up for over 24 hours and need to hit the sack...but, not without reminding you that Dyan is celebrating her 100th psot anniversary with a give-away! Go visit her and leave a comment and a nice gift could be yours...plus, her blog is always a nice read.

Sweet Dreams everyone...      

Jam Session

I got in on the latest blog post craze and made some strawberry jam. It was my first time with strawberries, so I decided to keep it simple and used pectin. I followed the directions on the back of the box and it came out just perfect.  I love seeing the ruby jars lined up on my bookshelf.

What? Your bookshelf?

Yes, until I can find some space to stash holiday gifts, I decided to put my jam in the book room. I want to keep the jars separate from the kitchen until I make labels for gift-giving. I plan to make pectin-less jam this Saturday and then some sour cherry later in the season.  Bitter Betty has a good post up about trying to get things done piecemeal so you don't wind up with the handmade holiday from hell in December. I'm taking the Handmade Pledge for the 2008 holiday season and like the idea of using each month to make a bunch of one thing. This month jam, next month earrings for the women, then passport holders for everyone and potholders the next. So, if you're an off-blog friend reading this, well, I just ruined it for you. Don't worry, I always like to hold back some surprises!

Disclaimer: To those of you who commented on my clean fridge...really, it's tiny and there are times I can't even stand to open it because of the mess...but, since the rest of our place is a disaster, I've felt some sort of order is being maintained by keeping the fridge decent.

I'll leave you with a mini jam session from one of my all-time favorite movies...the music, the clothes (the undergarments especially)...and the love story...it's a real treat.

Something To Ponder

This is the way my fridge looks through most of the summer...locally grown strawberries (I'm making jam tomorrow), kohlrabi, peas, cilantro, white onions, green onions and lots of greens. You'll notice Mark's ever present Coke, my non-local watermelon, corn and a leftover slice of pizza, but all and all, it isn't so bad. I try to use glass instead of plastic to store everything, but I'm kind of at a loss when it comes to using cling wrap.  I do use it, but perhaps eventually it'll be banned from the house for good.  The eggs in the Styrofoam container were a last minute pick-up...but, come to think of it, I haven't seen cardboard crated eggs in awhile.

Farmer's Market was nice tonight...mom came and hung out with me for a few hours and sales were great, but I want to write tonight about something I find disturbing. 

I mentioned in a recent post that I'm not sure how I ended up in the good graces of a vegetable vendor at the market who heaps mounds of free produce on me...I do buy from her, but she gives me bags of free stuff and won't take any money for it. I was joking when I said I was in her good graces, but it reminded me of something and perhaps it's just good karma.  A couple of weeks ago I read an article on Yahoo that made my blood boil. I've since searched for it with no luck, including tonight...which is why I'm up posting after midnight. 

The article was about saving money when you're grocery shopping by frequenting farmer's markets. Hmm...so far so good, nothing wrong with that right? I read a little further and the author actually suggested taking advantage of the farmers by shopping at the end of the day in the hopes that they discount everything and even went as far as to suggest you haggle over the price. The author seemed to imply that a farmer's market is like heading down to Mexico and that haggling and cutting deals is OK.

This disgusts me. Yes, it's true you can sometimes save money by shopping at the market's end, but it's important to remember...farmer's are discounting because they know the freshly picked food won't keep until the next market, and usually these discounts mean taking losses.  I'm all for saving money, but this is a strategy I don't like. I hope if it's yours, you at least frequent the farmer's stall and pay the full price (usually reasonable) once in awhile.  I'm not saying you should feel bad if you happen get to the market late and scoop up discounted items because I'm sure the sales are still appreciated, but I think the article was glib and totally overlooked the farmer's perspective.

The second part really steamed me up in a big way.

Local farmer's are business people who work damn hard to get that huge $1.00 bunch of green onions from the seed, to the ground, past the weather and insects, cleaned off, loaded into a truck that had to be gassed up and to a market where they have to load and unload tables, tents and many pounds of produce...the article suggests we put the squeeze on them to get a quarter knocked off the price? FOR SHAME! 

Small farms are at the mercy of everything from the weather to the price of gas...should they really be at our mercy too? Does anyone ever think they can just walk up to the produce manager at Copps or Safeway or Piggly Wiggly and start negotiating? Again, if the farmer offers you a discount or throws in a free pint of berries after you've made your purchases, it's a different story, but to treat the market as a place you can wheel and deal? No way!

There may be some who protest that they're  truly hurting for cash and need to take any chance they can get to buy discounted fresh produce...OK, if you are truly hurting ...you have an exemption, but let's also keep in mind that many farmers drop off unsold produce at local shelters...so if you're not hurting and just thrilled to save or get a bargain...then please start bargaining at Wal-Mart, I'm sure they'd be very receptive over there.

Anyway...I read the article and made a note to post on this blog...I have a million notes in my head about posts I want to write...as you can imagine. I didn't even make the connection that it was the very next farmer's market when the woman heaped extra goods upon me...I protested, she was adamant...scary adamant. Then she did it again the following week. Suddenly it occurred to me that I still hadn't written the post...but that the timing was interesting.  Maybe her generosity was good karma because on some level she knew I was a supporter...

Well, tonight...I went to the booth and bought from her pre-teen daughter.  The mother's English is limited, but she can still be scary adamant....she said something to her daughter and her daughter heaped extra lettuce upon me. Then I noticed they had shelled sugar snap peas for $3.00 per pound. I wanted to cry.

Have you ever shelled sugar snap peas? They usually only have about 6-8 peas in a pod...shelling them is time consuming.  I scooped them up, handed the daughter my money and said softly to her..."Jeez, these take so much time, it's a lot of work."  The daughter, who hasn't been sold on me as she's watched her mother heap loads of free produce upon me, said something to the mother, and the next thing you know...a huge bag of lettuce gets thrust into my already overflowing bags. 

I'm a good receiver (Karen learned this!), but feel that perhaps because of the timing that I should get this post out, not because I want to seem all preachy, but because it's like keeping my end of the deal with the Universe who provided me with this produce angel.  Plus, last year I bought organic chicken breasts from a man at farmer's market who was selling them at $5.00 a pound...He charged me $12.00 for 3 pounds...I corrected him and handed him the $15.00. He was stunned, looked at his sign and realized that he'd been charging people the wrong price all morning and then told me that I was the first person to say anything. What's wrong with people? 

I know most of you are like-minded, but if you have any friends who aren't and who boast about getting cheap produce or getting a great deal because "hey, if the stupid old guy can't add then he deserves to be ripped off" then please give them a harsh talking to.

Sorry about the rant...and I'm not trying to be holier than thou...remember, I'm still paying mental penance for all of the shoplifting did as a teenager (they didn't call me "Fingers McCullough" for nothing) ...it's made me hyper sensitive to these things.

Sweet dreams Kitchenettes!

P.S. Hello Denise!              

Expect The Unexpected

I announced a few weeks ago that the wallets had found another home, but I haven't had a chance to give any details until now.

I opened my email one morning and was thrilled to see an unexpected message from Angela over at Petal Pusher on Webster Avenue inviting me to bring in some wallets to see if they'd be a match for the shop. 

I like Petal Pusher because while it's without a doubt the most eclectic floral shop in town it also hosts a wide range of both eco-friendly and locally made gifts.   

Petal Pusher is so much more than a flower shop, but I have to start somewhere, so it might as well be with the incredible blooms.  They offer fresh flowers for every occasion and the designers over there come up with the most gorgeous plump with color arrangements you can imagine...mango colored calla lilies, lavender hydrangeas combined with dainty white tulips and you already know that nothing can stop my heart faster than a rose in the deepest of apricot shades.

Except perhaps this:

Black Baccara roses...the darkest rose available. It starts off as a compact deep blackberry bloom and then opens to reveal its velvety garnet petals and center.  Baccara roses are said to have mystical properties and to enchant the receiver.  Not only does Petal Pusher offer these roses, but you can get them dotted with tiny rhinestones that twinkle and sparkle like dew drops...trust me, I'm not usually sold on embellished flowers, but the effect is beautiful and would be perfect for anyone who likes pretty things that sparkle.  The store motto is "Expect the Unexpected" and they don't disappoint.  

However, aside from the flowers and great service, Petal Pusher has achieved local fame and appreciation because they'll gift wrap any item no matter how small. My friend Ann purchased a bunch of gifts in the $5.00-$10.00 range one year and each one went into its own colorful bag lined with pretty tissue, tied off with bright ribbons and ready for giving. This kind of service is rare these days and women here in town appreciate it. Plus, everyone reuses their "Petal Pusher Bags".  We give them back and forth to one another all the time. 

They have great workspace for gift wrapping (the wallets were on the counter...waiting to be "set-out"). Angela wanted to clear it off a bit when she saw me with my ever present camera, but this is a workstation and I liked seeing it that way. Notice the Language Art above the counter    :
 
Here we have eco-friendly purses made from candy wrappers...I know, I wish I'd thought of the idea first too:

Locally made newspaper totes (by one of the staff)...so clever!

Look at these purses made from recycled paper fibers and organic cotton:

 

 

They also offer locally made jewelry...I love pink and brown:

My pictures don't do the jewelry selection justice. Much of it is made from natural gemstones and vintage beads. The selection always changes and is made by local artists, including Angela! 

An interesting tidbit for those of you interested in beads and glass drops is that prior to World War II, the Czechs were known for their innovative bead design, but since many of the beadmakers were Jewish, there was a period in the forties where bead production basically came to a halt as they began to lose their businesses one by one.  This makes Czech glass made prior to the war especially valuable because sadly, many of the most skilled bead makers were killed and it took awhile for a new generation to learn or for ones that escaped to reestablish their workshops.   

I love this vintage drop with its aurora borealis sheen. Swarovski and Christian Dior collaborated in the 50's to make the finish that most of us love to see on vintage pendants and chandelier drops.  Plus, I've always loved square facets.       

Here we have the cutest handmade baby hats in the world!  Mark is relieved this one doesn't fit me or else I'd wear it all the time:

Pretty cards:

 

This picture doesn't do her justice. She's kept in a small lighted alcove:

In addition to the glassware, garden art, stationary, gourmet dip mixes and condiments they also have little glass globes dangling in various places...

and ready to be turned into one of these:

I've purchased two as gifts so far and the recipients have been thrilled...now I want one for myself.  Angela does a great job preparing them or you can just purchase a globe and make one at home. They come with little holes on the back or glass loops on the top for hanging. I can't wait to get one for Mark to hang in his new place...when (ahem) he decides to bring more over there than work files, a case of Coke, two sheets and a single lonely garment bag. 

There's no way to list all of the pretty items in the shop and as usual, I have to apologize for my pictures...I really wish the jewelry photos had turned out better...but, look at the pretty ribbons in the floral section...

I think the wallets will do well in the shop. It's so nice how easy its been to get local stores stocked...the paper wallet stars must all be in alignment because so far, I haven't had to approach anyone...they've found me through fairs or word of mouth. This is great...who doesn't love being found? 

So, much thanks to Petal Pusher and the super friendly staff...especially Angela who is so generous with her compliments about my work and who also happens to make beautiful jewelry (and terrariums!) herself. 

I hope you locals stop in and for those of you who are not local, isn't it time for a roadtrip? :) 

Petal Pusher
1303 South Webster
Green Bay, WI 54301 

P.S. My latest entry over at Creative Collectives is up!

Rubies Of The Field

I almost called this post "We Got The Beet", but I know there are so many variations in blogland on beety titles, that I skipped it...(but,of course, I couldn't skip mentioning it!).

Speaking of skipping...I can't believe a week has gone by since the last post. When I first started reading blogs, I was always annoyed when a blogger disappeared without any notice. I was all "Come on! Your public awaits and that includes me, so get to it, I have to see what you bought at the thrift shops in Astoria or wherever!" Now, I see it's easy to lose time.  Not that I have a public who awaits, BUT there are a few of you out there. :) I'm sorry...I do have a few posts planned for this week and of course want to get over to your blogs and into my email to respond to your comments.

OK...lots to tell, and also a recipe, so here's the long story made short:

• Always a bride, never a bachelorette. Mark still hasn't made the full transition to his new place and I'm getting antsy...sorry babe, but I was looking forward to hosting a Christmas in July bash sooner rather than later.
• These are the latest item in the studio...look for lots made from maps this week.
• Golf courses at midnight. My friend Kelly and I celebrated her birthday and part of it was spent sneaking on a golf course at midnight after a thunderstorm and walking on perfectly soft grass in bare feet. The best reflexology ever and we didn't get arrested! Score!  Really, I'll never forget it. Oh, and she also had us walking on a nature trail in the dark carrying sticks of sandalwood incense...heading back to the car and picking up the wisps of sandalwood we'd left behind was fairly incredible.
• The June Food Project was a flop. I didn't plan well and meals went haywire. Try and try again. Though eating local is going great.
• I have no idea what I did to earn the good favor of a vendor at Farmer's Market, but she heaps bags upon bags of produce on me and refuses to take any money.  This week she gave me four heads of root-on butter lettuce, three bunches of green onions, three bunches of radishes, kale, beets and cilantro!
• In other news, my father in-law celebrated a birthday and we survived an unusual display of his fury over being seated close to the kitchen of the first restaurant we went to. Notice I said the first restaurant. Yikes! He's never made a scene in public before, so we cut him lots of slack.  My brother and nephews are in town, my weight is up and I found some awesome paper to make wallets out of! Whew.

The Recipe:

OK. I love the idea of red velvet cake, but not the food coloring....in fact, I've always been appalled by it, especially when it bleeds onto the traditional white frosting.  A a few years ago when I was at the White Star Psychic Science Church, Reverend Mary Larson Taylor came in with a pretty heart shaped cake that was chocolate at first look, but kind of maroon at another. She explained it was a beet cake. A natural Red Velvet Cake? Be still my beeting heart. :)

I've been thinking of it for awhile and since I was recently gifted beets, I decided now was my chance. I did some Internet checking to see what recipes were out there because I needed to check my memory against them...Mary had told me, but I wanted to be sure.  I found lots, but none seemed right, so improvisation works wonders.

Here we go:

Preheat oven to 325.

• 2 cups pureed beets (cook as you want-either boil, steam, roast or microwave...I peeled and roasted mine in a pan with some water. Or just puree two standard sized cans of beets-I had to use one in combination with my roasted baby beets in the pic above)
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 sticks melted butter
• 1.5 cups plus 2 tbsps sifted flour
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp cream of tartar
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (do not use melted baking chocolate)
• 3 eggs

Combine sugar, eggs, water and cream of tartar...mix until smooth and creamy.

Combine rest of dry ingredients and slowly add them to wet ingredients...I used a food processor and the mix was so velvety smooth and rich that I was almost afraid to add the beets, it already seemed so perfect.

Add your pureed beets.

Mix gently until combined. Pour into prepared (in my case heavily buttered) pans (I used 2 nine inch rounds, but this would make a 13x9 or 24 cupcakes). 

Notice the pretty maroon shade of the batter.

    
Bake for 30 minutes (less or more depending on your pan)...Mine took about 25-30 minutes. I checked them a lot because I was afraid my improvising could result in a cake that never "set-up."

Remove from oven and cool.

I frosted one layer and gave the other away plain. I was out of cream cheese, so I just used confectioner's sugar, butter and milk. However, you could use any frosting or skip it all together.

If the next picture fails to turn you on, you must be a Taurus, like Mark. Taurus men and women are such sensualists that they think frosting ruins a good cake.

To be fair, the cake, when finished, was brown in natural light and only slightly maroon in bright light...but, let me tell you that this cake was the best cake ever! So moist and rich I almost fell on the floor twice!  Plus, it contains almost two pounds of beets and you'd never know it! 

It could be tweaked to get the sugar and butter content down and even though I used organic unbleached flour, wheat could work too. Intuition made me go with cocoa powder because it seemed like a better binding agent than melted chocolate, but who knows...just trust me...this was amazing.  I wish I had a better picture of the color, but you can see how that little crumb on the top in the frosting is maroon-ish. Though, no one will exclaim over how red it is...which was OK with me.  

 
Tips:

You could mash your beets with a potato masher if you do not have a food processor, just add a little bit of water.

This cake is so moist that it does have a sticky top, so you could always dust it with confectioner's sugar before frosting if you want a flawless finish...I didn't.

I also wanted to make you all aware of an awesome project...Guerrilla Gardening. It started in the U.K. and is now happening in cities all over the world! 

Take back vacant and untended city land and make it beautiful...it's against the law in some areas and this is ridiculous. Imagine having to creep out at midnight and have a lookout while you quickly try to get flowers in the ground in front of a crack house in the hopes you don't get arrested!     

OK, most of it isn't that extreme and they've only been hassled by the police once.  This is a rather non-serious segment on it, but you get this gist and check out the site if you want to be inspired.

It's Underway!

Oh my...it's been a madhouse over here. I came home after spending much of the night with my friend Kelly celebrating her birthday to find that all the ladies in such a tizzy over this party that they could barely sleep. I finally got my vintage Little Lulu all tucked in, but she swears she won't sleep a wink!

I'll have to show you a little later from start to finish the absolute ransacking they did to my jewelry box...the bracelets became crowns and that's just for starters...more later and many pictures to come!.

Update...OK, things have finally settled down this afternoon and while the party is still in full swing, I'll catch you up on what's happened so far.

Last night the whole house was in a uproar...there was much infighting over who gets to wear what...and  mass insistence that my bracelets are crowns and my rings are bracelets...?

     Then there was at least thirty minutes of fretting over which scent to wear...I finally had to narrow it down to just three choices or the ladies never would have made up their minds and the party would have been long over by the time we they were ready!

Then of course...we had to draw straws to see who got to use the magic satchel (I WON!): 

Poor Mr. Morgan doesn't have much of a sense of style and though he did use my vintage twist on earring to adorn his tail feathers, he felt foolish and embarrassed. He knew good friend and confidant the dapper Mr. Floaty would be in attendance and he worried he'd look completely ridiculous by comparison. He threatened to boycott the entire affair:

  Fortunately we were able to convince him that sometimes, less is more and with his striking old world good looks that he needed very little adornment. He was happy and when Mr. Floaty showed up, we all agreed they looked very handsome together.

Then came the hard decision...how ever would all of us be able to squeeze through the tiny hole in the portal to get to the party?

I reminded everyone that with careful planning and an assortment of charms...anything is possible!

Everyone was so excited when we turned my favorite memento from my father...

into this fleet of ships ready to escort us through the portal...(and with some pretty handsome sailors too!):

But....not before we dolled up our lips with pretty pink sparkling gloss (Mr. Morgan declined).

Whoosh! And away we went...all the food was carefully transported too...We brought Jamaica flower water (whole hibiscus flowers) with lime and brown sugar, thick waffles, strawberries, lots of whipped cream, cookies, goji berries and white chocolate pretzels! YUM!

Such a pretty little sugar ladle!

We were shocked and appalled when Lulu was caught having a pre-party snack! Little Lulu! How could you? Have you no shame? Oh well, we can't blame her...it was way too tempting, so we took her picture...she was so happy, we couldn't be mad!

Well, we set off and spun through the portal to arrive at such magnificent sites as these... And we arrived not looking much worse for wear...Though Rosalie did lose a necklace, but picked up a nasturtium along the way...

Lulu sailed through the portal exit and landed on the business end of a crystal! Ouch...but as you can see, she was so happy to be at the party that she struck a pose and made the best of it!

Everything was just dandy...we enjoyed the cakes Vanessa made and didn't feel too out of place even though we were not as dressed up as most...but, we ran into a little snag later in the day.

You see, someone (Lulu denies it) brought along a vial of Green Fairy liquor. Uh-oh. Things got all topsy turvy and someone went head over heels while another certain someone lost her head!

Lulu was just plain silly and hurled the jade and silver teapot into the air...it landed in a pine tree and she was hysterical over the fact that it would now be a pine tea...

No one else thought it was funny, so she hurled it into a rose and called it a tea rose. Ouch! Don't encourage her. It's OK though, she really doesn't need encouragement...she's always happy to amuse herself and be her own best audience! 

Though, I have to admit I got a kick out of her when she put the copper fairy lampshade on her head!

Of course there are always little glitches in any good plan and we did have a bit of a snafu when we realized our sailors got carried away with Vanessa's mermaids and we were left without transportation home...we knew we could fly, but were unsure of the route...It's a good thing we brought along a special friend...you know what they say about elephants? They always remember!  Doesn't he look just dandy in his vintage trim cummerbund (isn't the correct spelling terrible-I much prefer cumberbund)? 

And as this guy began to lead the way, I grew a little concerned because he pulled out a map??? I thought they always remembered?

He assured me it was just for show, but he did pull it out several times on our journey. I won't complain, after all...he did get us safely home.

Well, except for one of us.

Mr. Floaty got into the Green Fairy liquor too. The results were disastrous. The golden feathers of some fancy bird caught his attention and they flew off (rather crookedly) together and missed the ride home.

Poor Mr. Morgan is feeling quite rejected and has retired to his nest for the remainder of the day (at least).   

Oh! We found a little wooden shoe in the portal that doesn't belong to us...do you know whose it might be?

Drop a line if you do. Oh, drop a line anyway because if you do, you just might win a special prize..truly special because there are no consolation prizes this time...but, the winner will be pleased as punch!

 

Hibiscus Flower Water With Brown Sugar & Lime:

2 oz whole hibiscus flowers (also called Jamaica in Mexican grocery stores)

1/2 cup (at least) brown sugar

Lime wedges

Boil a quart of water, take off of heat, add flowers, add sugar, stir, steep until cool, strain...pour into glasses with ice cubes and lime wedges and enjoy!  You can also use agave syrup and Rose's Lime or Pomegranate (Grenadine) syrup to make it even more sweet and delicious!

Such a nice thank you to Vanessa for extending such a nice invitation and inviting us to be a part of her 200th blog post celebration! You really know how to throw a party!

Just A Reminder!

This special person is hosting the party of all parties on her enchanted land on her blog this Saturday. I've never been to a blog party before, but when I saw Vanessa was hosting one, I quickly got my name on the list! If you have ever been over to her blog you'll know that she is quite the hostess and that her party is sure to be so "real" that you'll feel like you are in her backyard all dolled up and ready to partake!

Be sure to stop by....crashing is allowed! I'll have some fun things going on over here oops..I mean over there too!  Vanessa really goes all out...and with her love of Shirley Temples and Mascara, I feel like she is a kindred spirit!

Also, Mandy has her weekly tea review up!

Highlights From Last Week's Farmer's Market

I want to share a few things with you that I wasn't able to get post last week.

First, I was so happy to see that School House Gems (a nice bead and rock shop) has a booth. They used to have a shop in town, but closed, so seeing them at the market is nice. The prices are good and they have $2.00 stone grab bags for the kids!  I wish they could have called their rock shop...School House Rocks, but they couldn't...Does anyone remember "I'm just a bill, sitting here on Capital Hill"

Here are some of their wares:

  

I'll leave you with my favorite School House Rocks diddy!

Theories...

I placed cards from this deck in my cash box...they were chosen randomly when I asked for cards to help me at Farmer's Market.  I like the artwork and the affirmations.

I usually relate well with people, but I do find it a little challenging at the market...you just feel so vulnerable when you're standing there in front of things you make. I find I do the best when I'm just being myself and relaxed (no big surprise there).  I need to find something to do while I'm sitting though...something related to the things I'm selling because I've heard the biggest mistake a vendor can make is to read.

I guess it's a huge turn-off to people to pass a booth when the vendor is reading. I never do it, but in all honesty, I like going into a booth where the vendor is busy...it takes the pressure off me while I look...I hate hovering vendors.  What works best for me is to have a friend or my mom stop by...we chat and suddenly my booth fills up...lending credence to the "the vendor is busy, so I'll go look" theory.

We shall see...

In other news...Mark landed an ungodly good deal on a temporary apartment in Eau Claire! I won't have any pictures of his new digs until after July 1st, but it the leftover lease of four college girls and has four bedrooms...I've been assured that the girls have already vacated. :)

I'm looking forward to my time as a temporary bachelorette!

A Day Of Rest: Changes VERSUS Choices

 
Sunday. My lavender is opening.

It's so good to take a break. I've been so busy trying take care of a million things that I hardly slept at all last week. By the way, I'm mortified by all the typos in my last post..blame it on being up for over 48 hours!

Thistledown Greenhouse's Fairy Fest 2008 was a lot of fun. I officially have the baby bug after seeing all the little girls dressed in their fairy garb!!!!!!! .

Here they were joining in on the belly dancing (which was awesome by the way!):

I loved this one's outfit...the girl dared to be a little different. I love her expression:

Look at her topsy turvy green wings!
 
Then we had almost grown-up fairies:

I liked this group of girls because look at how different their fairy garb is...they're friends and from the pink vintage dress to the cotton piecework dress, it looks like none of them were afraid to be fairies on their own and very individual terms:

I have tons of pictures in my Flickr pool if you're interested.

Oh wait...one more favorite:

There were 25 vendor tents (not counting food), good music played for much of the day and I got a real kick out of the 90 little fairies running around on the scavenger hunt. I decided that next year whether I vend or not, I want to attend in dress. I didn't do much with my tent either, so in that case I felt bad, but all and all it was just a reminder that l get way too in my head about things and that I need to relax and have fun.

I used to attend more events like this and didn't realize until yesterday how much I miss it. I do believe in fairies you know, and sometimes I forget. Thank goodness this friend always is there to remind me...always. 

Plus, it made me resolve to get back into my belly dancing. I haven't in a long time, but always felt so good when I did. It's hard not to feel beautiful when you're moving in a such a sensual way...plus, it's good exercise and gets the three lower chakras moving.

I saw a lot of old friends and realized that no matter what...I'll always be Laura of Mico Femina and that this is a good thing...people mean it in such a complimentary way. I like knowing that people have such nice memories of it even if I'm on a different path now.

Hmm...path. What path am I on anyway. Odd, but I THINK I'm on some sort of creative path at this stage. I know that it was seven months ago that I quit my real job to pursue wallet making and things seem to be going well, but I certainly don't add much income to our household yet...Mark is our financial support an