Black & White

The simplicity of black and white and the power of color work for me over and over again. It's all about the juxtaposition of these elements and how they move together. I consider most of my black wardrobe as a background awaiting the splash of color to happen. A scarf, bright lips or bold jewelry seem to look better on black. Here, I simply love the way the color of one word can make the entire page feel like something extra special. Typography and color change everything. Where's your color hiding?

Thaw

No more socks or slippers 

against a cold wooden floor, 

or lost under the bed.

Bare. Ready. 

Toe, heel, ball, arch. Planted.

Limbs energize.

A connection unbroken. 

The familiar healing.

Waiting for me,

to grow with it.

Warm-up with Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

1 tsp or more olive oil

1 medium onion diced 

6 cloves garlic, pressed

2 large jalapenos, seeds removed, minced

1/2 tsp or to taste, coarse sea salt

1- 28 oz can Muir Glen crushed fire roasted tomatoes (*must*)

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground oregano

1/4 tsp allspice

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice

12 cups chicken stock**

meat from one chicken (optional)

freshly chopped cilantro (garnish)

Heat oil in heavy 5+ quart pan. Add onions, garlic and jalapenos. Saute for 10 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add tomatoes, seasonings and salt. Simmer until all ingredients blend together, approximately 20 minutes. Add shredded meat from one chicken, followed by citrus juice and simmer for 5-10 minutes longer. Rest soup on low heat for about 15 minutes to blend flavors, no simmering. 

Serve over baked corn tortilla strips (optional) and add cilantro garnish (recommended). This soup isn't thick, but definitely has a lot of body to it.

** Chicken Broth. This soup is excellent with homemade broth. To accompany flavors for this soup I used water, one fresh chicken, carrots, onion, celery, bay leaves (2), TBS oregano, sea salt. (remove veggies and bay leaves from broth when done - for flavoring only)

Solo Valentine for Dear Teacher

Hand cut card in cellphone sleeve with 

torn tissue, button fixtures & silky floral ric-rac.

I love

this creative process and how it literally pours forth.

This Valentine's day I produced only one beauty.

Yet no love was lost on the purchased versions. 

Instead, those find me and turn into a year long collection - 

just waiting for the next Valentine's Day.

Hello Valentine's Day!

I'm ready to have a great day and you're not even here yet. What a fun weekend I've had buying little presents for my family and actually having a real date with my husband. We had a lovely meal and then ended up in the bookstore. Romantic? Well, if you consider the bookstore is the location of our first time going out with each other, I would say "YES". Sometimes just getting to be yourself in a time frame that is unrushed and in a mutually inspiring setting, without being right next to each other is romantic.

Tonight I made a delicious homemade caesar salad dressing tossed with romaine, of course. I tried a new flourless and almost butterless chocolate souffle recipe, which was too large of a serving much for me - never thought I'd say that! I only had three ramekins, but the recipe called for four. Next time I'd like to add a little vanilla and heap them with whipped cream or fresh sliced strawberries. I also served broiled grass fed beef steaks with roasted garlic. Wow.

A surprise treat bag is waiting for "J" on the front door. He'll see it as he heads out the door early in the a.m. Yes, a romantic card, chocolate, Caribou coffee gift card, a bag of trail mix and some bath salts ... sure thing, it's all packed with a big kiss.

I'm off to wrap some presents for "E" on my very clean and organized art table and I am so excited. I love to wrap.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

Red Lentil Soup Sarah Style

Warm your heart. Feed your soul. Eat with great delight. Feel the difference. Support local tended foods and use organic when possible.

5-6 fat carrots

4-leafy thick celery stalks

1-cup dried red lentils

1-bulb roasted garlic

4-cups chicken stock or H2O
1-28 oz can Muir Glen organic
 fire roasted tomatoes
1-onion

1-2 bay leaves 

salt

fresh cilantro

olive oil

roast garlic, it really brings out the flavor and is much deeper tasting in this delicate yet hearty winter soup. set garlic on baking dish. roast at 425 degrees until tender - 15 minutes or so. cool slightly. chop. save. 

in a Dutch oven saute 1/2 - 1 onion in olive oil or other healthy oil. add carrots and celery when onion softens. drop in 1-2 bay leaves. lightly steam veggies as they saute, by placing lid on Dutch oven. as veggies begin to turn bright orange and green, add in the dried lentils. let them get nice and hot, stirring them around in the pan. hot lentils soak up the liquid well and cook faster - taste better. 

pour 4 cups of water or 4 cups organic chicken stock over the veggie/legume mixture. re-place lid. cook longer until lentils start to soften. at this point open one can of (Muir Glen) fire roasted crushed tomatoes - time to add the garlic.

let everything simmer until the lentils soften and tomatoes blend in - approx 25- 30 minutes. add sea salt to taste. if soup gets thicker than you like, add a little more water or chicken stock, but not too much. expect a thicker consistency due to lentils. serve with fresh chopped cilantro. 

Marketing It to Mill City Museum Farmer's Market

This morning's trip to the Mill City Farmer's Market was so much fun! I've been wanting to go for weeks and we finally made it, thanks to great weather and a little marketing, or what I like to call creative parenting. So, it's hard to go anywhere on Saturday or Sunday because E has such a fun time in our yard. He cannot think of anywhere he likes better! (Really!) I know that's awesome and ideal, but sometimes his parents have fun things they want to do too. "Hey, want to go down by the Mississppi River tomorrow and dig for fossils in the limestone!" Fortunately the river is right across the street from the market.

Here's the awesome fossil E managed to chip out of a big old rock. Yes, he did actually bring a backpack full of paleontologist tools. We trekked down a big hill to get here with my basket of veggies in tow.

The root veggies were plentiful. Lots of organic and naturally grown choices. It was a good work out to lug the basket full of local goods, and of course I fell in love ...

with this felted shoulder bag. It was the perfect way to squeeze more in, for a total pack mule experience up and down the hill and for a long walk. A couple of bakery items, a pound of coffee and the t-shirt that was making me too hot fit well. The eventual empty water container lightened the load too.

As I write, I am snacking on sweet carrots, radishes, yellow pepper, honeycrisp apples and finally a rhubarb bar. The guys are taking turns wrangling leaves around the front yard with the leaf blower! ... and I'm thinking of fall soup for supper ...  better get outside and make some vitamin D.

Going Green!

Lackluster garden radishes? Eat them and save the greens. This morning's green drink was pretty tasty.

Juice the following organic ingredients.

2 - big handfulls of washed radish greens

1 - small granny smith apple

2 - carrots

Bemidji Quacks

The farm supply store had baby chickens, ducks and turkeys that were ordered ahead of time and awaiting pick up. Eli stuck the lens right inside of this box. Baby ducks.

Bemidji "Birthdays" Road Trip #3

This year we spent some time in downtown.