Recent Posts
I met with my image consultant. I love having someone to talk about fashion with and to get an honest opinion from. My husband and kids have a very short attention span when I start talking about clothes and it is fun to have someone in my life who has the same passion for fashion–for me it is wearable art. We went through my closet again. I got rid of a few things I have been holding onto (including a bunch of purses), I took some things to get altered and repaired, and made a list of things I need to look for. I’ll post my list at the bottom. Top of the list was the black flats–see the ones I bought pictured above. Here’s what I think is in this season if you are a 40-something year old work-at home professional with a moderate budget: Color is in. Orange, blue, gold, red. Lots of color! Brown is very difficult to find in stores this season. I bought a new brown blouse and pants as a shell because it looks so great with all the other colors that are in right now. I had to really hunt to find brown. Patterns are in. It is my guess that they will only be in for a couple of years so I think buying these at a lower price makes sense. JC Penney had a bunch for $20. Colored tights and block print sweaters are in. Again, this is the end of the 1st year of these block prints and I think they will look dated in a couple of years so shop carefully. My image consultant continues to want me to have colored jeans but I keep avoiding them. Upcoming: Checks showed up on the runway this fall so look for checks to be coming out everywhere in the next couple of years. Buy yours early to be ahead of the trends. Here’s my list: Black boots Purse Insert Black evening bag with silver clasp Patterned shirt to...
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Buying things over the years… All of us buy a variety of things over the years. My customer experience ranges from wild joy at what I have bought to complete disappointment. These items are the ones I love so much I feel like I have a relationship with them. They make my life better in a long term relationship, and I grow more and more fond of them every day. I hope you will share some of the things in your life you love. 1. Vitamix Blender We bought our Vitamix a few years ago when I decided our family should try eating “raw” for a month. My previous blender lasted about 20 days and then was done. I really wanted a Vitamix. I had seen one in my 20’s and knew I wanted it. When the old blender broke, I looked at Mel and said, “What will I do?” and he said, “We better go buy you a Vitamix today.” Vitamixes are fairly expensive and he got some real points for understanding how important it was for me. We found one, bought it and I have been infatuated ever since with both Mel and the blender! Mel is fond of saying, “We are part of the Vitamix family.” It came with a video and that is how they talk about their customers. Hokey as it is, I really like being part of the Vitamix Family! 2. Kindle I have a Paperwhite Kindle and although I am not absolutely sure it is the best possible e-reader, I love it so much. I love that it clears my house of the clutter from my voracious reading. 3. The Art Quilt that hangs on the wall and says “YES!” My friend Catherine Schuler made it and I bought it as she was hanging her art show. I look at it from my desk and it reminds me how I want to live my life. 4. Cutco Knives I got these when the boys were little. They were pricey...
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These DIY “sun”dried tomatoes were easier than I expected and more delicious! My “sun” dried tomatoes are made in the oven. Since they take such a long time in the oven, I recommend you fill the oven with as many cookie sheets full of them as possible. My oven has 3 racks, so I do 3 sheets at a time. I tried both the convection oven and the regular oven as well as a dehydrator. I preferred the convection oven over both the regular oven and the dehydrator but use what you have, they will still be great. I tried this with both beefsteak and roma tomatoes. The roma tomatoes were substantially better than the beefsteak tomatoes from a cooking perspective and were what I was expecting to like best. The beefsteak tomatoes had an unexpected sweetness and could almost be eaten as dried fruit. I am looking forward to using them for some creative cooking! They are delicious. From a time perspective the beefsteak tomatoes take hours more. When I removed the roma tomatoes from the oven, I put the beefsteak tomatoes in the dehydrator for another 16 hours. 20 Roma Tomatoes per cookie sheet or jelly roll pan Parchment Slice the tomatoes longways and place cut-side up on parchment on a cookie sheet. Cook on your oven’s lowest temperature overnight. I removed the stems from the tomatoes but didn’t cut out the stem core. Cooking time at 170 degrees was about 16 hours on the oven setting. About 14 hours on the convection setting. After cooling, I used ziplock bags to store them. I cut the used parchment to create layers of them so I can grab a couple of tomatoes at a time from the...
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I first tried this side dish at a little restaurant in Albuquerque in the late 80’s. I am not sure whether it is a regional dish or if it was unique to this restaurant, but I experimented and came up with my own version. It’s a summer favorite in my family, served with beans and a main dish like tacos or enchiladas, or with potatoes and a green salad. We receive weekly delivery of an organic food box from a local farm and, with the exception of the green chile, we usually have most of these ingredients in our weekly box. I’m a bit of a chile fanatic, so I bring back a stash of Frozen Green Chile from New Mexico when I return from a trip south. For those who are less likely to travel internationally for their chile consumption, “Old El Paso” brand canned green chile is fairly easy to find in the Mexican foods section of any Canadian or US grocery store, and works well in this delicious dish. For those who prefer their food cranked down on spicy scale, use mild green chiles. If it is still a bit spicy for your taste, add sour cream and extra cheese. 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 garlic cloves crushed 1/2 medium onion chopped 3 zucchinis 1 cup corn 1/2 cup fresh roasted chopped green chiles (Anaheim peppers) or 2-3 small cans chopped green chile 3/4 cup cheddar cheese (optional) Salt to taste In a skillet, heat olive oil to medium. Sauté onion and garlic until clear. Add zucchini. Cook until the zucchini is firm but cooked through. Add corn and green chiles. Salt to taste. Top with cheddar cheese and allow it to melt in the pan....
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