ornaments January 7, 2008

Anthropologie has a sale on their ornaments. I used a few that I bought full-prize b4 Christmas as a pattern model to make my own. Now you can buy them for 75 % off and use them for patterns for next years felt tree. Several of them are not even Christmas specific–like the peacock: 

and the windmill:

 

I also picked up Creative Visualization, on sale. A GREAT book. 

cookin(g) January 7, 2008

My resolution is to make one meal from a new recipe every week. I started today with vegetarian pea soup. The recipe was taken from Laurel’s Kitchen and from How to Cook Everything (I used parts from both). It was good! It was more like stew once I put the barley in-I actually used Trader Joe’s Harvest Grain Blend, which includes couscous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans, and red quinoa. I like soups that are filling though, so am very happy with the consistency.  My recipe:

• fry onion
• add 2 cups split peas, and
• 6 cups chicken broth, and
• a bay leaf 
• cook till peas are soft-an hour or so
• then in food processor blend 1/2 or so of the peas
• add diced potato
• one carrot, and
• basil and thyme (1/2 tsp each)  
• simmer for another 1/2 hour or so 
• meanwhile, cook the harvest grains blend as directed but don’t cook completely
• Dump into soup
• Cook for another five minutes or so (add water if you want to change the consistency) 
• If you use low sodium chicken broth, add salt.  

 We’ll see if I can keep it up……the resolution that is. 

• Speaking of Trader Joe’s, this site: http://www.traderjoesfan.com has recipes from TJ products, and rates products, etc..kind of cool