During the hoildays I always go on a craft binge. My mind starts spinning with all the goodies I can personalize and create for my loved ones. The holidays seem to sap my time away, so this year I’ve decided to start earlier and try to give at least one handmade item to each person on my list. I try to stock pile goodies throughout the year that our vendors sell or that I find in my travels that are handmade or vintage. It saves $’s and makes for a unique gift.
With that said, if I can’t make it handmade, then I want to at least try to buy it handmade. I absolutely love etsy.com. It is so inspiring. I love to check out their daily showcase. Since I don’t drink coffee in the morning, I use their site to wake up my creative energy!
Any projects you’re working on for under the tree, I’d love to hear about it.
To do list:
1. Make Chicago Diner Seitan (Gluten Meat Substitute)
2. Finish Christmas Gift for — —-.
3. A ton of stuff to get done for the magazine
4. A thousand things that have slipped my mind at the moment …
One of my all time favorite cookbooks comes from one of my all time favorite restaurants. The Chicago Diner is tucked away on one of Chicago’s busy streets. Being a country girl, I white-knuckled my first ride into that city. However, it has won me over! There is nothing like eating a piece of one of the many desserts that The Chicago Diner is famous for while listening to the never-ending echos of horns honking and enjoying a rooftop view of the city skyline at night.
The diner proudly boasts being, “Meat Free Since 1983″ and with their mouth-watering menu, who cares if meat isn’t included! For those of us who can only stand the city for a weekend the wonderful founder of the diner has graciously printed a cookbook to satisfy our cravings. The Cocoa Mousse cake is to die for and they’ve shared their secrets in the cookbook… no hidden ingredients! I also love their seitan. Yum! Their reuben sandwich is one of my favorites.
The Chicago Diner Cookbook by Chef Jo A. Kaucher is a must have for vegans and those transitioning into a more vegetarian lifestyle! Check out their website: http://www.veggiediner.com and be tempted!
So, now that my mouth is watering… maybe I should run and grab those cocoa mousse cupcakes out of the freezer?
Over the weekend we went to one of my favorite corners of the country, The Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, Arkansas. It’s a hidden treasure trove of ozark folk art. I always bring something home with me. This time it was a lovely painting and some hand-carved candles. My most unique find, a cigar box fiddle. It actually sounds really good.
Live music fills the Ozark hills.
In the summer months it seems like the whole town turns out for bluegrass and gospel music on the square. It’s like stepping back in time, fire flies flitting through the air, an ice cream stand with neon flickering lights and lots of good old fashion music.
While sorting through my stash of goodies I found my beautiful osage orange dyed silk scarf from Ask Apparel. We were delighted to have them join us as a vendor last May at our Spring Planting Festival. I love their products. All natural, handmade and stylish! Check out their site for some groovy threads!
Ask Apparel
Naturally dyed organic apparel. Ask the right questions, wear the right answers. http://www.askapparel.com
There is nothing like a good old fashion cake of soap to wash away the busy day. I’ve been busy at work whipping up some new batches for our store in Petaluma, CA, as well as my apothecary here at the farm. It’s been lots of fun, albeit there have been several days where I could fall over for the strong peppermint oil aromatherapy. But hey, I was feelin’ good so no argument here!
It seems like every day through the late spring into fall Jere takes a trip to the garden for a photo shoot with a new veggie variety. This week we took photos of radishes, parsnips and some new-to-me root veggies called Scorzonera. I’ve read online they taste like oysters. Hmm, this could be interesting! We’re busy at work on the 2010 catalog. It’s a crazy time of year and I never know what the next day holds, but it’s always an adventure.
I look forward to sharing with you about heirloom living for today. Whether its cooking something from the garden, trying a new vegan recipe, saving seed, or spinning wool… there is always something to do around our farm! I hope you’ll come back often and share with me as well!
