Not what I grew up on

If you would have said the word “hummus” to me when I was growing
up I would have said……”huh?”
I grew up having snacks like

 





I don’t have a weakness for Dorito’s any more, but if you were to sit a
sack of chips and French onion dip in front of me….I’m sure I’d cave!
Then there are the “no bake cookies” that I still love…..growing up
we called them “spoon cookies” because we rarely waited for them to
set up and get hard enough to pick up! I still love those as well.
Hummus is something that I had never heard of, but now that I’ve discovered it,
I love it!

Here is a great recipe that I found at Nomniovorous.
Horrible Daughter Hummus
Ingredients

• 2 cans (28 oz) chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup lemon juice & pulp (2 lemons worth)
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions

1. Place the garlic into the food processor and pulse until chopped. Add the lemon juice and pulp, tahini and olive oil. Combine until smooth and creamy, about 15 seconds. Add the chickpeas and let the machine run for 30-45 seconds.
2. Add the water to the food processor and from here, let your machine run for at least 60 seconds, up to three minutes. The longer it runs, the creamier and more luscious your final product will be.
3. At the end, add the salt and pepper, stir and taste.* Refrigerate for 2 hours (or overnight) for best flavor.**
4. Top with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and paprika and a generous pour of olive oil.

This makes 32  1/4 cup servings.
I like to eat mine with pita chips, but you could “health it up” and dip veggies in it!
I didn’t realize how many people are watching their calories
and carbs and sugar and such, so I found a website that calculates that for you and here
are the results. The website is CalorieCount.
The recipe had a nutritional grade of an A-
1/4 cup has 126 calories
Total fat 5.1 grams
Saturated fat 0.7 grams
Cholesterol 0
sodium 44mg
total carbs 15.7 grams
dietary fiber 4.6 grams
sugars 2.7 grams
protein 5.2 grams

Good points

• No cholesterol
• Low in sodium
• High in dietary fiber
• High in manganese
• High in thiamin

Read more: http://caloriecount.about.com/hummus-recipe-r710349#ixzz1SNhtAmQB

Another reason I’m sharing this recipe…..I’m using it again in a seven layer Greek dip!

284 Miles…..

…..from Memphis!

That’s how far away from Memphis Sheryl Crow was last night.

(She grew up in Kennett, Missouri which is about 100 miles from Memphis)

Performing here in Springfield, Missouri.

To be honest, I know her “popular” songs and I love them, but I had

no idea what a great songwriter and singer she really was until

last night.

Consider me a fan!

I never knew she could play so many instruments and that she had

written so many of her songs……a really incredible artist!

 

Periodical cicadas

Yes, you know it’s slow in my blogging world when I start

blogging about insects!

Last night when we walked the dogs, the cicadas were incredibly

loud.

 

Click on the video to hear them….

Wow!  This is one of the “sounds of summer” that I just love!

Well, I got to wondering if there were cicadas all over the US or just in certain

areas.  From what I can tell, they are all over…….

however, this is the year of the periodical cicadas……you know, the cicadas who

read magazines…..just joking.

No really, these cicadas are in the areas highlighted on the map above and these

cicadas only appear every 13-17 years. Numbers range from tens of thousands to more than one million per acre.

Perhaps that is why they are so loud!

Loud and melodic…..love their music….not so fond of their looks!

A bit more of their music…..I won’t be posting pictures, as pictures of bugs just

freak me out!

Sweet Story

I saw this, this morning on Pinterest and thought
it was worth sharing……..

Source: her0inchic.tumblr.com via Heather Joy on Pinterest

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:
Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.

I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.
Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office.
A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.
Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, ‘To Meredith’ in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, ‘When a Pet Dies.’
Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,

Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.

Abbey isn’t sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog.
Since we don’t need our bodies in heaven, I don’t have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.

I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I’m easy to find, I am wherever there is love.
Love,
God…

I’ve found my thrill…..

…..in a blueberry chill!


Last time I posted about popsicles HERE I got this…..
“My mouth is watering! These sound heavenly! How many hours would I have to walk to counter-act these again? LOL!
I guess I better not make them...... sigh.....”
Soooo, for those of you who are watching your calories, I bring you this……
The Blueberry Popsicle

Chock full of anti-oxidant goodness,
fresh fruit,
and a little protein to boot!



Blueberry Popsicles
(makes 8 popsicles, approximately 46 calories per pop)
Ingredients:
1 pint fresh blueberries (substitute frozen if you’d like, just thaw them first)
1 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
1 cup organic blueberry pomegranate juice
Dash of cinnamon
Directions:
Put all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth
add a dash of cinnamon if you’d like.
Pour into popsicle molds or Dixie cups and freeze for 3 hours.
Enjoy!
I’m still eating a popsicle a day this summer!

Dyeing, Hooky and Proddy

Ran across these videos this morning…..

Perusing

I saw this as I was flipping through an art
magazine last night at Barnes and Noble…..

…..from the size of the picture I was looking at,
I thought that part of this was rug hooked.
However, once I got home and googled the
artist, Troy Emery, I found that it is made of pom
poms…..still…..fascinating!

Troy Emery is an artist who lives and works in Melbourne, Australia. He graduated from a Bachelor of Fine Art (hons) at the Hobart School of Art, University of Tasmania in 2005. Troy completed a Masters of Fine Art at Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney in 2010.
Emery’s art practice is an ongoing project of producing a series of artworks that investigate decoration and the animal form and the aesthetics of craft associated with natural history. In his sculpture practice, taxidermy foam bodies are covered in bright polyester pompoms and craft textiles such as tassle fringing. The artworks, non-descript predator animals with their playfully colourful pelts, become hyper exotic specimens in a menagerie of art / animal objects.
*****
Do you do that…..peruse magazines and jot down people
or sites that you want to go visit on the web?
Here is my list from last night…..hopefully I hit a few
homeruns!

The Selby
The Selby offers an insider’s view of creative individuals in their personal spaces with an artist's eye for detail.




Christopher Langstroth
"This year, I have been concentrating, increasingly, on ways of representing the human figure (in whole or part).
I enjoy the physicality of thick paint and use knives to smear on one wet layer over another or to excavate through existing layers.
Although I strive for a certain ‘visual plausibility’ in my work, representational accuracy is not my prime objective.
The most enigmatic and interesting qualities particular to painting, have to do with the transformation of pigment in paste to an image on canvas.
I am, therefore seeking to retain some visual evidence of the process used in making the image as a subtext for reading or interpreting it.
In each painting , I’m searching for the most compelling combination of imagery and abstract paint quality." Chris Langstroth.




Susan Wallis
I fell in love with the ancient medium of encaustic painting in 2002. Previously an acrylic painter I was very unhappy with the flatness of the medium. I loved the depth and colour of oil, but found the messiness and long drying time cumbersome. The encaustic medium became the perfect solution to my creative dilemma. Wax and oil mixed together provide me with the vibrancy of colour inherent of oil, unbelievable texture, combined with the quickness of drying that suits my impatient temperament. Once the wax cools, the medium is dry to touch within seconds.
Currently my muse is the Canadian landscape. The vast fields, forests and lakescapes of Canada provide endless inspiration. Although traditional in subject manner my approach is that of simplicity. I believe strongly that a painting should depict the act of seeing, not the object seen. I offer through my paintings an atmospheric suggestion of possibility or the probability of the moment. It is what I don’t depict, the parts I leave out that is sometimes the most important element of my work. These ‘openings’ invite the viewer to participate by joining the colours and images with their own imagination.
I often paint from memory, as the restrictions of the medium do not allow for plein air painting. Imprinted in my memory are the changing colours of the seasons, the glistening of the sun on the lake’s surface, the starkness of the birch tree’s bark. I have an acute visual memory for colours and their combinations, which I feel is the key to my work.
Susan Wallis

Crack

I swear…..these potatoes are to me like crack is
to an addict! 
I found the original recipe on Pioneer Woman Cooks and
have adapted it to make it even easier….. I call them
“Crack Potatoes”
Ingredients
12 new potatoes
olive oil
salt
pepper
any other dried or fresh herb you desire
Directions
Preheat oven to 450.
Take your potatoes and pierce them in several spots
with the tines of a fork.

Put them in the microwave and cook for 6 minutes.
Check on the potatoes after they have cooked and see
if you can easily squash them between your fingers….use
a hot pad, so you don’t burn yourself.  If they don’t “give”, microwave
a minute or two longer and retest.
Once potatoes are cooked, drizzle a little olive oil on a cookie sheet.

Now place your potatoes on the cookie sheet and mash them with a potato
masher, or a glass or a big fork….use what you have.

Once they are mashed, brush them generously with olive oil and sprinkle with
salt (I prefer that chunky Kosher salt) , pepper and herbs.
Pop them in the oven for about 25 –30 minutes.
Remove when they are browned.
Enjoy!

Here they are before going into the oven…

Now, new potatoes with soft skins are really the best,
but tonight I had a bag of russet potatoes that were
on their last legs, so I microwaved them and then cut
them in half and then mashed them….they were still DELISH!
Don’t get hung up on the kind of potatoes you have in your pantry….
just try it with what you have. 
Hmmmm, these might be good with sweet potatoes too….then maybe
sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar if you’re a sweet person
or a little cinnamon and cayenne pepper if you’re a spicy person.
Okay, that is on my list of variations to try with this recipe.
Here they are out of the oven….

I like to drag mine through a little ketchup, but you might
like yours plain or with sour cream and chives or
maybe even put a little cheese on them a minute before you take
them out of the oven……
watch out….they are addicting!

Goals

Trying to eat a popsicle every single day this summer……

I know it’s a tough goal…..but I think I’m up to it!

What are your goals for the summer?!

Feels like a Monday

Monday on Tuesday…..
trying to get myself psyched to go back to work
after 10 days off…..

Happy 4th of July

Whether you’re on the road….

Or staying at home….

Whether it’s raining…..

Or shining….

Whether you’re with lots of people…..

Or on your own….

Whether you’re in the country…..

Or in the city….

Celebrate Freedom!

Stormy has a home!

YAY! This makes me smile!

I check every day on the dogs who are featured

on my blog sidebar…..I’ve been rooting for this girl,

since she looks so much like my Cleopatra!

 

Best wishes to you Stormy!

Carpet Tacking Strip

Ah, the carpet tacking strip question/statement…….

Yes, the archival framer and I talked about this quite a bit……

He was horrified to learn that this is such a common method of

hanging rugs….

The carpet tacking strips will play h*ll with your rugs over the long term…

The nails are not galvanized and will rust….

Plus the sharp nails and nail edges cut at the fibers of the rug…..

The wood is not sealed and the acids from the wood will also eat away at the wool fibers…..

Kind of reminds me of this……

 

Have I hung rugs using carpet tack strip…….yes

Do I have any rugs currently hung using carpet tack strip…..yes

Am I searching for a better method…..yes

So what started all of this experimentation?

I wanted a way to hang my rugs with just a few nails in the wall,

where I could take the rugs down and they would also be suitable

for hanging in gallery showings.

 

I’ve only done two showings and once the rugs are there it is a

nightmare to figure out how to hang the rugs.

Galleries don’t exactly want you nailing carpet tacking strips to their walls.

He (the framer) had me use the thicker wood strips to keep the rug from hanging flush

to the wall (I requested a method where the rugs would hang flush to the wall)…..when it

hangs flush, it easily traps moisture, which can also be damaging to the rug AND the wall….

in the form of moisture and mold.  When the rug is hung a bit away from the wall it lets air

circulate around the front and the back of the rug.

For most rugs, you would probably not need the wood along the bottom

of the rug as well, however, for these particular rugs…..they had lots of

embellishing which needed to be weighted at the bottom to have the rugs

hang correctly.

In the future we will also be experimenting with Velcro and perhaps an innovate

way to hang smaller rugs with galvanized or stainless steel wire…..I’ll let you know

how these come along as I work on them.

We put so much time and effort into our rugs….I think it’s time we start thinking more

about how we hang them as well.