Notes from the Patch

It's Cinco de Mayo weekend and we're having a Fiesta!

I just cooked fifteen pounds of taco meat, grated eight pounds of cheese, made two gallons of salsa and

my

feet

are

killing

me! (not to mention my fingers are burning from the jalapenos and my kitchen is a mess)!

Before I head off to bed I wanted to remind those of you within driving distance to join us for The Heart of the Valley Shop Hop this weekend.

The store is ready

the margaritas are chill'n

and some lucky customer will win this

Now if you'll excuse me I need to get some rest because tomorrow we're going to

PARTY! 

Encourage one another,

Non stop fun

The countdown has begun. It's just a little more than a month until Bill and I fly away to our favorite spot on earth - Paris! This year we're throwing in Spain and Belgium for good measure. If it were up to me I'd be totally content with Paris, but the world is full of so many fascinating places we have never visited and as long as I have at least a few days in the city of love and light, I'm happy.

Before we go I have just a few things to tend to. Like our visit this weekend from Barri Sue from Bareroots and her fabulous workshop here on Saturday (we have a few spots still available if you'd like to come), the big Heart of the Valley Shop Hop on May 4, 5 & 6 and a quick trip to Kansas City for Quilt Market. Yikes. Just typing that last sentence gives me palpitations! Once we finally board the plane and fly away I have a hunch that I'll have absolutely no problem kicking back and relaxing.

This year our shop hop is over Cinco de Mayo weekend so of course we're planning a big fiesta! Every good party starts with a theme and this one was a no brainer for us. From our Mexican inspired quilt

 

to our goody bags

to our decorations

and refreshments.

The prizes are bigger and better this year. With just nine shops participating there is no excuse not to visit and party with each of the fabulous shops for a chance to win nearly $2500 in gift certificates and exciting gift baskets. We're even giving a prize to everyone who fills their passport by visiting each of the nine shops!

I wanted to show you these.

As I was sitting

and sewing all of these

paper doilies to string together for the big fiesta I got to thinking that they might make fun

place mats to coordinate with the kits for Barri Sue's workshop.

So we whipped up a few rectangular versions while we were at it. 

That's the cool part of creativity. You just let your imagination wander as it takes you to all kinds of fun unexpected new places.

Now if you'll excuse me I have a wardrobe to coordinate, goody bags to stuff and pinatas to hang.

Encourage one another,

 

 

 

A day of good shopping and a dinner full of surprises

Bill and I flew into Vegas Tuesday morning to attend a textile show. 

It's a small show that's seen better days, but some of us believe in her and are doing our best to revive her.

Fortunately some very cool companies believe in the old gal too.

I come to support my friends who rep for some amazing fabric companies and because I always find something unexpected. I come to find that unusual something that makes the whole trip worthwhile.

And you know what? I'm never disappointed!

Bill and I celebrated a day of great shopping with a lovely dinner at Bouchon in the Venetian Hotel. The hostess greeted us with a smile and wished me a happy birthday. (It was not my birthday - this caper clearly had Bill's name written all over it).

Our waiter Adolpho had a rather heavy accent and as he recited the evening appetizer specials he suggested the port cheese as a nice complement to our wine. Since I've been eating mostly vegetarian lately I told him the special sounded perfect.

As we waited for our cheese to arrive I noticed the black board behind us with "pork cheeks" listed as an appetizer.

I told Bill that I thought it strange that our waiter hadn't told us about this particular appetizer.

Then Aldopho returned with this

Not port cheese but pork cheeks!

They were surprisingly delicious.

After dinner Adolpho asked us if we'd like dessert. When I declined he asked if I were to want dessert, would I want chocolate or caramel?

Apparently if you tell them you're celebrating a special occasion, dessert is on the house.

Tonight as we made reservations at Tao the woman asked us if we were celebrating a special occasion.

I took one look and Bill and emphatically replied, NO!

Encourage one another,

 

Almond Milk Revisited

Hold on. It's not what it looks like...

No we haven't driven Becky to drink. She's just emptying her cute French lemonade bottle for my next batch of almond milk. (I have a feeling I'll be in trouble for this one).

I wanted to give you an update on my second batch of almond milk since it turned out so much better.

The trick was a nut bag.

 

You can google it and find lots on line for cheep. Word of warning though. It's nut bag, not sack. Google nut sack and you get something entirely different! 

I added more water to my almonds and poured the whole blender full into the sack and squeezed the milk out in minutes.No laboriously pushing it through the strainer then cheesecloth. The whole batch was done in about fifteen minutes!

Who new a nut bag could be so life changing?!

I'm just here to encourage you.

Now go out and milk some almonds.

Love you guys!

 

 

What they don't tell you about making almond milk

I've been reading a lot lately about how we should limit dairy and how good almond milk is for us. After being very disatisfied with the commercial brands available I thought I'd try making it from scratch.

Last week Jermaine from French Kissed did a beautiful blog post on making almond milk. That did it. I had to try it. She made it all look so elegant and easy.

As I washed and soaked my two cups of almonds I fantasized about sharing with my friends

bringing them bottles of pure homemade goodness.

After all, a batch lasts only a couple of days in the refrigerator and since I only use milk on my oatmeal I surely would have plenty to share.

Em...right.

Here's what they don't tell you:

1. Two cups of raw unsalted almonds in two and a half cups of purified water yields just two cups of almond milk. There is a whole lot of pulp that gets thrown away.

2. It is terribly slow going. I worked in small batches and it took me more than an hour to get just two cups.

3. It's a messy job.

4. Almond Milk is expensive to make.

Here's the process:

Once I soaked the nuts overnight I rinsed them and added four dates and two and a half cups of purified water to my blender and blended them well. Then, working in small batches, I pushed the nut mixture through a strainer, pushing out all of the liquid.

I poured the milk that filtered through the strainer into cheesecloth and strained it again

by squeezing the cheesecloth and letting the milk

SLOWLY collect in a cup.

If you're thinking of making almond milk for a family I'd consider getting a goat.

At this point in the process I was convinced his would be my first and last batch of almond milk.

But what I wasn't prepared for was the unbelievably wonderful favor and texture of homemade almond milk compared to what I had purchased in the grocery store. There is just a hint of sweetness from the dates and the consistency was perfect; thick and rich like cream and nothing like the nasty stuff I'd bought in the store.

Now that I've experienced homemade almond milk I will definitely make it again.

Costco has raw almonds in four pound bags for a little over $9.00 and Sunday I noticed they had Vitamix blenders for around $350. If you make a lot I figure you can get the price down to oh, say 30 bucks a quart. 

Here's the recipe just in case you want to try it:

2 cups raw almonds soaked overnight

2 1/2 cups filtered water (add more or less depending on how thick you like your milk)

4 dates optional (pits removed)

Rinse the soaked nuts well in a strainer. Place soaked nuts, dates and water in a good blender and blend on high until smooth. Strain as shown above. Enjoy!

PS: I just ordered a nut bag from Amazon. I'm hoping it will make the straining process quicker. Next time I'll add a bit more water which should help too.

Encourage one another,

 

Senate Navy Bean Soup

Friday I took a much needed day off and Bill and I headed to Ventura for a long weekend. I'd worked too many days in a row without a brake so I was looking forward to some me time.

 As you can see the wind was really kicking up so I figured it was the perfect day to stay inside for some cooking and crafting. We'll get to the crafting part later but here's one of recipes I cooked up.

As you can tell that recipe's been around awhile - since the 70's I think. It's from our local newspaper when newspapers were full of society news and recipes. This one has been a family favorite for all these years and now that I'm trying to eat less meat and more plant based foods it seemed perfect for a blustery day at the beach.

Here's what you'll need:

In addition to the Great Northern beans you'll need these...

1 whole large diced onion

1 peeled potato diced

2 stalks of celery diced

2 cloves garlic chopped

Meaty ham hock

Low sodium chicken broth

Start by rinsing a package of Great Northern beans and soaking them in a quart of water overnight.

Unfortunately I usually don't think about making bean soup until the day I want it so I just bring the beans to a boil in the morning, turn off the heat, cover them and let them sit until it's time to start cooking. They soften up nicely and there's no need to delay gratification.

Once the beans are soaked and have started to soften, drain them and measure the liquid. The original recipe calls for a total of two quarts of water, but I use one quart of water (all of the original cooking water plus enough to measure one quart) and one box of low sodium chicken broth. We just like the richness that the chicken stock adds and to tell you the truth, I doubt if chicken stock in a box had even been thought of back in the 70's!

Add the ham hock to the soaked beans, water and stock. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for two hours.

Add the vegetables and simmer one more hour until beans are soft and the vegetables are cooked. The potatoes will thicken the soup nicely. Remove the ham hock from the soup and chop the meat removing the bone and fat. Return meat to soup.

This time I was feeling especially adventuresome so I added a packet of chicken flavor boost.

It's certainly optional. I added lots of freshly ground pepper and just a little salt. Your seasonings will vary depending on whether or not you use stock and the flavor boost. Adjust seasonings to your taste and enjoy!

Here's hoping your weekend is shocked full of everything delicious!

Encourage one another

Since I forgot my computer cord, today's post is brought to you by my iPad. Dang. Hate when that happens. So if this whole things looks a bit wonky, forgive me. The last time I tried this things went terribly wrong. If you missed it consider yourselves lucky.

Since I've been working the last couple of weeks without a day off I gave myself the day off. I'm such a thoughtful boss! Actually I'm just looking out for the happiness and well being of those around around me... if you know what I mean.

Our pirate flag is flying horizontal today - a good day for cooking and sewing - so that is exactly what I'll be doing! Navy bean soup and more valentines. Seriously. I'm obsessed. With the valentines, not the soup although it is one of our favorites.

Anyway, Bill's off to see if he can find me a computer cord. If he's successful I'll post some photos of today's goings on.

Happy Friday everyone!

Suzanne

Looks good enough to eat

I took my manicurist a big bouquet of greens this morning as a thank you for introducing me to the Glowing Green Smoothie.

That's about what we blend up for a three day smoothie supply. Parsley, romain, celery, spinach, kale, apples, pears, lemon and banana.

Yummy.

Encourage one another,

Random Ramblings

Phew. I'm back. (deep breath).

I love being busy but these last few weeks have been a little much even for me. I've missed you!

Let's catch up a bit shall we?

:: Some of the fun gifts I found at the LA Gift Show last week have started to arrive. I'll show you some here later. I love having more room in our bigger store to do more displays...one of my favorite jobs.

:: Speaking of displays...I never showed you this...

...it's the flannel dress that Beverly made for us. Sadly it doesn't look like we're having a winter this year. Yesterday it was seventy five degrees in LA when I was there for the Craft and Hobby Show. Crazy!

:: Several of you have been asking how I'm doing drinking the Glowing Green Smoothie so now that I've been drinking it for just over three weeks I thought it was time for a progress report.

First let me say that I started it in early January because after months of poor eating habits I was feeling tired and sluggish. I was no longer enjoying foods that I used to love and I was just feeling a need for a dietary change and a total detox. I drink 25 to 30 ounces every morning and although weight loss was not my primary motivation for starting the program I have lost about five pounds.  What's really weird is drinking the smoothie has totally taken away all cravings for caffeine and sweets and I feel a definite surge of energy after I finish my morning drink. I was a daily triple latte drinker for years and haven't wanted coffee since starting the program. I can't say that I've noticed an improvement in my hair, nails or skin  and certainly haven't had anyone tell me I look better, but I do feel better. Much, much better!

You know it's strange, but when you start your day off by getting 100% of your dietary fiber and daily requirements of fruits and vegetables you just want to continue to eat right throughout the day. I've even thought about starting an exercise program again. Just a thought at this point but who knows!

Will I continue? You bet. I really enjoy drinking that nasty looking green juice and love the boost of energy and sense of well being it gives me.

Do me a favor, will you? If you have tried the Glowing Green Smoothie (and I've heard from many of you that have) would you take a moment to comment to this blog post so others can read about your experience? Whatever your experience, I think sharing can help encourage others.

:: Bill and I met with our travel agent today to book plane fares for Europe at the end of May. We've been saving our air miles for two years and are really looking forward to getting to go again. Somebody pinch me! I'm one lucky and excited girl!

:: I've been putting the finishing touches on a email newsletter where we'll be announcing some fun special events and classes coming up at Strawberry Patches. If you'd like to stay up to date with what we're doing go here and sign up for the newsletter.

:: So are you all doing something special for Super Bowl? I hope to be sewing. I got another one of my crazy ideas that I want to try. If it turns out you know I'll be a sharing.

Until then...

Encourage one another,

Going green

Last week as I was having my nails done I asked my manicurist what she was doing to her skin. Her face was absolutely radiant and trust me, sitting two feet away from someone with one of those little lights illuminating every pore you just notice those things.

She reached down and from behind her station produced a tall glass of the most vile looking green sludge.

Green Smoothies. She said she had been drinking a detoxifying green smoothie once a day for the past three weeks or so.

I don't know what got into me, but Saturday I bought the book

all the stuff

and have had a green smoothie once a day ever since.

And you know what? They're not that bad.

You can get the recipe and view the ABC video here.

Cheers!

Encourage one another,

Monday mornings Bill and I get up early and always stop at Starbucks on our way back to Bakersfield. This morning as we pulled out of the driveway he asked me if I wanted coffee.

Of course, I replied. Why do you ask?

Just checking, Sometimes you just get kinda weird when it comes to what you eat and drink.

Silly man.