Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit...

Sorry, I could not resist.

Anyway. Beans are a much loved dish around these parts. There are so many reasons to love beans, not the least of which, they are delicious. Also, cheap, healthy and enjoyed by my whole family. See, I told you they were magical.

I usually make a pot of beans a week. That will last us at least 3 dinners and maybe a lunch too. I used to make a huge pot and freeze most of them, but now I just make a cup and a half, or 2 cups and we reheat from the fridge until they are gone. Then, I make another batch. It works best that way for me, but these beans do freeze really well.

Here's what you do:

First, soak the beans.

I use pinto, but black beans are tasty too and I cook them the same way.

You can do an overnight soak, or a quick soak method, which is described here.

After soaking, I drain beans and set aside. In a heavy bottomed pot, I saute one medium onion and two cloves of garlic. I use olive oil.

When the onion and garlic are soft, I add 2 tablespoons of cumin. You can add more or less according to taste.

Then I add the drained beans into the pot and give everything a good stir.

Next, I add a enough chicken broth to cover the beans. You can use vegetable broth too. I just think a broth of some kind adds a lot more flavor than plain water.

Bring the whole thing to a boil, then turn it down and cook at a very low simmer until soft.

That usually takes at least 4 hours, but I like my beans really soft, so I cook mine for 5, or even 6. Just make sure you keep adding liquid to the beans as they cook down. I keep them covered with liquid the whole time. I use water after the initial addition of broth. If you can't attend to the beans the whole day, put them in the crock pot and cook them the whole day. This will take longer, but is super easy.

When they are done, season with salt and pepper and serve them up for dinner.

Yum!

I like to eat them like this, with the broth. It is just like a bowl of bean soup. They are so good, they don't even need anything added.

But, you can add cheese, tomatoes, salsa, avocado, and even crumbled up chips. It makes a delicious dinner or lunch.

Of course, my kids like them smashed a bit, and rolled into a tortilla with cheese. You don't have to refry these for burritos. I leave them whole, ranchero style, but like I said, the kiddos like a smoother texture. Either way, they are delicious.

If you have never made your own beans, I urge you to try. That brown paste that comes from a can? It isn't beans. It is gross and I am not even going to say what it reminds me of.

Instead, I am going to tell you to cook up a pot of beans this weekend. You'll be glad you did. I promise.

Oh yeah, and they're good for your heart, too.

Happy weekend!

In My Mailbox! Red Saltwater Sandals and Apple Butter

Don't you love getting mail? I mean real mail, not catalogues, or even magazines, but real mail. I do. One of my favorite things about going to summer camp was getting mail from my new friends after camp was over. I stalked the mail man all summer long.

I like getting packages too. It is so fun to see that box waiting for you with some new treat waiting inside.

This week I got 2 lovely packages in the mail. 2!

The first one was from a blog giveaway I won. How much fun! I don't often win contests and so it was a real surprise. The blog is Small Measure, written by Ashley English. I really enjoy her blog. It is about country living, raising chickens, growing food and most deliciously, about canning and preserving.

I won this.

And this morning, I cut into a fresh baked loaf of bread, spread on the cardamom apple butter and I tasted heaven. Smooth, sweet and with a touch of that cardamom, it is just right. I also ate some right off the spoon. It is good.

I emailed Ashley to thank her and ask/beg for the recipe. She sweetly replied she'd like to give it me, but must wait until the publication of her book. Publishing rights and other such legal matters. So I must wait until spring for the recipe.

I was planning on getting the book anyway, just for the cover art alone, but now I really, really want the book. I hope you get it too. It is good to support our friends who are following their passions. It is available on Amazon for pre-order.

Also, visit Ashley's blog. She will be doing more giveaways like the apple butter each month.

Next up: These little lovelies.

Red. Saltwater Sandals. Oh My.

When I showed them to Aaron, he said, "you want those?"

Heck yeah I do!

But I think these are kind of a love em or hate em item.

They are salt water sandals, the kind little kids wear. They are fire engine red. They are a statement.

Yep. I love them.

The sandals are a belated birthday gift from my mother-in-law. I have been wanting them for almost 3 years now. Don't ask me why it took me so long to get some. I just kept forgetting I wanted them. Then my friend, Alicia, who is so stylish and put together you can't help being a little jealous, would walk in with her navy blue ones, and I'd think, "dang! I want some of those."

We both saw them ages ago in Blueprint magazine. (another great magazine gone) She actually ordered herself some right then and there. And now I have mine.

I think I want yellow next.

My philosophy is, if you really like something, you should own it in several colors, or every color if you and your pocketbook are so inclined. At $30 a pair, you might just be able to own them in all your favorite colors!

Come spring, Lilly will have a pair, and the boys. Except Aaron. He, apparently, is not a fan. Usually Aaron has much better fashion sense than me. Actually I have no fashion sense at all. But there are times when I step out on my own. I might look back in 10 years and wonder what in the world I was thinking, but for now, I am smitten.

I'm off to enjoy an afternoon snack of apple butter and toast. Check in tomorrow for my pinto bean recipe. I have food on the brain.

Wednesday's Happy As a King List

The World is so full of a number of things,

I'm sure we should all be happy as kings.

Robert Louis Stevenson

This is one of my favorite poems. It is so short, but really, quite profound. We live in such an amazing place. How often do we let the day go by and we never stopped to notice the many wonderful things, the simple, everyday things that make up our world? I know I take a lot for granted. In the spirit of this poem, here are a few of the things making me, happy as a king.

Acorns

Pumpkins that come in every shape, size and color

and the people who care enough to plant 22 different varieties

Sunflowers

Little hands, holding little pumpkins

Check back here, every Wednesday, for the things that made it to my list for the week. Just stopping to look and marvel, to say thank you, for these little things makes a difference in my day.

Join me, won't you?

What's on your list?

How To: Make a Scuba DIver, Sea Lion and an Octopus Costume

All right, here is the info on how to make these costumes, just in case there is ever the need for an octopus costume in your future. Technical writing is not my strong point, I find it rather boring, so I will do my best.

First the scuba diver. I cannot take credit for the idea. I had saved the picture from a magazine. You can find the website here, with instructions and a materials list. They also had a lot of other great costumes.

I'll share my modifications.

Here are most of the materials I used. They called for silver sponges, but since the store I was at didn't have any, I just got regular ones and spray painted them.

I also used a wide band of elastic for the belt and thin elastic for the straps which held on the scuba tank. I used a small strip of Velcro to attach both ends of the belt together. Lastly, I used reflective tape around the scuba tank and on the belt. I thought it looked better than the plain black they recommended.

After I spray painted the 2 liter soda bottle and the sponges, I used the hot glue gun to attach the sponges to the belt. That was a lot easier than the way the directions say to do it. I also hot glued the reflective tape to the bottle and the belt.

Close up of the belt.

To make the straps for the tank, I just cut 2 strips of elastic and hot glued them to the tank, backpack style.

The rest of the costume was just black leggings, a black, hooded sweatshirt, safety goggles, and the tube from an old pump we had. It was all stuff we had, except for the leggings.

James loves his costume and wants to wear it constantly. I think that is the best vote on its success, don't you?

The octopus costume was the easiest. It was a quick costume to make. After searching online a bit, I decided this was the best design. You can find the directions and materials list here.

The hardest part was finding a plain, hooded sweatshirt that wasn't $25 dollars. In the end, I used a garage sale sweatshirt that had writing on it. I just turned it inside out. I also had to cut off the pocket and cut the sleeves shorter because the sweatshirt needs to be a couple sizes too big.

After I cut the bottom of the sweatshirt into strips, I used fabric glue to attach the sides of each "tentacle" together, making 6 all together. The sleeves made the other two. The directions suggest duct tape for this, but I found fabric glue to be easier.

They also suggested round, white stickers for the suctions cups, (the kind found in an office supply store, but I didn't think those would stay on. Instead, I cut circles from white felt and used that trusty fabric glue to attach them.

You can see here that I also used white felt and black felt to make the eyes. I added blue rick rack to the front just for decoration and Lilly wore a pair of striped leggings. In all, the costume probably too under an hour to make.

And then, the sea lion. This costume was not easy. There was not a single sample online, or anywhere else that I could find. I had a general idea of what I wanted, and figured I'd use brown felt and a brown, hooded sweatshirt to achieve the look.

Problem. A brown hooded sweatshirt was impossible to find. I looked everywhere. EVERYWHERE. In stores, online, thrift stores, asked around. In the end, the only one I found was $27 dollars and they couldn't guarantee getting it to me on time. Sooo, I improvised.

Brown beanie--$1.

We gave him a black nose and whiskers like a little sea lion.

At first, I thought of attaching flippers cut from felt to his sleeves, but you really could not tell what they were. So Aaron helped me come up with this poncho like design. You still can't really tell what it is supposed to be, but....oh well.

For his bottom flippers, I made a kind of mermaid tail design. I just made a front and back and fabric glued them to some brown leggings. Normally I would have sewed it on, but that would have entailed asking Aaron to climb around in the garage and find the box that it is still packed in. It wasn't the right time for that.

I think if I was a more talented seamstress, I would have made a whole suit with a stuffed tail and flippers. I would have made a hat that allowed just his little face to peek out. But I'm not that good.

And William like it. He was happy, and that makes me happy.

By the time we were done making costumes, the boys had already picked out costumes for the next 3 Halloweens. I guess I should get started.

I Like Homemade Costumes

I love homemade Halloween costumes. I do. I love the look of them. The clever use of one thing as something else. The costumes you can't find in a store. Making them. Wearing them. And now, making them for my kids.

It started with this guy: the scuba diver

Then William said, "I want to be a sea lion." He loves sea lions.

And they both said Lilly could be a pink octopus. So she was.

And here they all are. 3 costumes, all homemade and handmade. Using garage sale sweatshirts, fabric glue, silver spray pint, a glue gun, lots of brown felt, sponges, and 3 pairs of girls leggings.

Tomorrow I'll show you how I made them. You never know, next year your son might want to be a sea lion. And let me tell you, there are no sea lion costumes to be found, even on the world wide web.

But now there is.

Sorry for the poor picture quality. We were on our way to a party and the kids were raring to go. Not raring to stand still for photos. The good thing about a pre-Halloween event is that it gives you time to discover the costumes possible flaws or malfunctions and fix them. For example, William's upper flippers kept turning around and then he just looked like a brown angel. With whiskers. Oh well.

I'll have better pics on Halloween.

On a side note, I have been finding that creativity begets creativity. Good ideas beget more good ideas. I am full of good ideas right now. If only it wouldn't take me so long to complete them. But that's another post all together.

One of my ideas involves my vintage book collection and some Mod Podge. I can not wait to get started. In the meantime, check out Mod Podge Rocks to enter Amy's Mod Podge giveaway. Who knows? It might inspire you to get going on a Mod Podge project of your own.

Happy Monday to you!

Off For a Bit

I'll be gone for a few days. The kids and I are going to spend a couple days with my Mom and Dad. I had high hopes for a fall visit to a pretty pumpkin patch, (the one here is fun, but not pretty) a hike by the river to look for fall foliage (yes, there is some to be had here in Southern California) and some good autumnal time spent in the countryside.

It's going to be close to 90 degrees.

That just doesn't seem fallish.

But I will be back here on Monday with some Halloween costume pictures. We have a party to attend on Sunday. The glue gun and the spray paint have been busy, let me tell you.

Here's to an early start for your weekend. I hope you are enjoying fall--no matter the weather.

Around Home: Nature Table

A while back, I posted about this wall unit, our new to us find from Amsterdam Modern. The longer it is in our house, the more I love it. Let me tell you why.

I have shelf space! I have room to display stuff! Its' revolutionary I tell you.

For 8 years we lived in a 600 square foot beach cottage. It was probably the servant's quarters for the mansions on the next block. We had very little extra space there for anything. And since the house was so tiny, we had to carefully edit anything we had out because otherwise everything felt cluttered.

But now, I have room for a nature table.

I have wanted one of these for a long while and finally have the space to do it.

Here are some of the things we have on our nature table:

Treasures from the sea: a feather, sand dollars, a favorite rock and a crab shell.

A collection of favorite rocks from beaches we've visited on our honeymoon, from Italy, Cambria, Carlsbad and many more. There is also a bone the boys found on Skeleton Beach.

From the woods: berries, seed balls form a sycamore tree, a tiny pine cone, a beautiful green beetle, a chestnut and a fall leaf.

A bowl of pine cones that we are adding to.

We go on a nature walk each week with out home school group and I ask the boys to find something to draw in their nature notebook and something to bring home for our nature table. They like the hunt. They like to stop and look at the things on our table. The best part of our table is all the memories attached to it: the bottle of sand, the rock with 2 holes, the piece of driftwood; they are stories from our time spent together out in the beauty of creation.

It brings the outside world in.

I like that.

Our wall unit isn't all about nature. You can see we have some of our favorite, vintage Fisher Price toys on display, some of my pottery collection, my cherished Charlie Harper Biology book and other things too. There are also empty shelves, because we are letting the shelves get slowly, as we find treasures that mean something to us.

From nature or the flea market, it is always fun to find a treasure.

Finds: More Used Books and 2 Great Websites!

Hi, I'm back for my Monday post. But instead of Monday morning, it is Monday night. I had an allergy attack last night. I usually just suffer through them, but it was so bad I had to take something. I think in my snot induced stupor, I took a night time pill rather than a day time one. For me, that is equivalent to taking a sleeping pill or 2.

Anyway, I was writing my post for Lilly and the Brothers, and was having a hard time thinking. By the time I got to writing here, I felt like Captain Kirk: "must...write...blog....post...must...fold....laundry......must...do...dishes...must...sleep."

I slept.

Now I am here, better late than never. However, I warn you, further posts will be sporadic this week. I have Halloween costumes to make. 3 of them. Cause I am one of those kind of moms. (Insane? Glutton for punishment? Likes to make costumes for her kids when they would be just as happy with a plastic one from Target? Yep. That's me.) But do check in. I promise I will find some time to fit in a post or 2 between gluing felt to sweatshirts and spray painting 2 liter soda bottles.

The finds:

I made it to another used book sale this weekend. I didn't even know about it, but one of my blogging buddies (thanks Andrea) alerted me. While it wasn't nearly as fantastic as my last used book sale, I did manage to find some treasures.

I am slowly building a school library for us. I have a lot (a LOT) of books to begin with, but many are for older readers. So using this as one of my guides, I am gathering the books that will be our literature curriculum for the next few years. It is an ambitious reading list. It makes me excited. OK giddy.

Pinocchio, Robin Hood (unabridged) Rudyard Kipling, these are on the reading list for next year! So glad I found them for a quarter.

This is because I can't resist vintage graphics. Especially when they cost me a dime. Isn't that what a phone call used to cost?

And really, who can resist a cowboy book? Especially when it has a list of "rodeo words"! I love it.

I have found that used book sales make me a little crazy. My heart starts beating rapidly the moment I walk in the door and see all the books. My mouth gets dry. I sweat. If I have to, I am ready to push people out of my way to get at a good book.

I have to get my fix.

There could be worse things.

Another find:

Yellow Owl Workshop

I first saw their goods while I was wandering through San Luis Obispo a few weeks past. I immediately fell in love and vowed to buy something soon. Then I saw this photo on another website I love: The Bright Side Project.

Fate.

Bright Side was featuring Yellow Owl's lovely trophy vase,

but what I really love are the stamp sets.

There is a winterscape too. And a sea scape. I love them. I really, really do. Go look.

Also, they have wonderful cards.

If you go right here to Bright Side, you have a chance to win the trophy vase.

Either way, just check out both of these sites and you'll be a winner!

Happy Monday to ya!

Fresh From the Oven--Homemade Bread

A couple of nights ago, I was working on the computer late at night and I heard a strange sound. It wasn't one I'd heard before. I sat very still and listened.

I couldn't figure it out.

After a minute I realized it was rain. I haven't heard the rain in this house. It sounds different in this house than it has in my other houses. I ran outside to put away the kids bikes and came in soaked and cold.

It rained for the next 2 days.

Around here rain in October is a big deal. Especially rain for more than 10 minutes. Our Octobers are usually pretty warm. This was a nice change. It was cold. It felt like fall. I wanted to get cozy.

It was time to make bread.

I love homemade bread. I love the smell of yeast. I love watching the bread rise and shaping it into loaves. I love the way the kids come into the kitchen just to smell the bread baking and the way Aaron takes a deep breath when he walks in the door and says, "it smells so good in here."

What I love the most is slicing into the loaf and spreading it with way too much butter, the steam still rising from it, and all of us eating 2 or 3 slices (OK, 4 or 5) before dinner because it is just so good.

Fresh from the oven bread--is there anything better?

Although I would love to experiment with lots of different recipes (I am dying to try my hand at brioche) at this point in my life, I need a fool proof, easy bread recipe. The one I use has no special ingredients, can be kneaded in my Kitchen Aid mixer and is an extremely uncomplicated recipe. When you have a 5, 3 and 1 year old helping you bake, it needs to be as uncomplicated as possible. This recipe is so easy that I make it once a week all winter long.

It has warmed up again. The rain is gone and it will be in the 80s this weekend. I think we'll go to the beach. But, I am glad it is going to be bread making weather again. I have missed it.

Homemade French Bread

Martha Stewart--The Martha Stewart Cookbook

(this recipe is a variation of Julia child's)

1 ounce fresh yeast or 2 packages of active dry yeast

2 and 3/4 cups of warm water

7 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour (I use 4 cups white, 3 cups whole wheat)

4 1/4 teaspoons salt (I use kosher salt. It makes a difference)

*I add 3-4 tablespoons of ground, flax seed meal to the flour. It is just a healthy add in that doesn't change the bread at all.

Proof the yeast in 1/4 cup of luke warm water.

Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl.

Add the remaining warm water and mix well.

Add the yeast mixture and blend well.

Turn onto a floured board and knead until smooth and elastic.

If you have a heavy duty mixer with a dough hook, this procedure will take only 4-5 minutes.

Put kneaded dough in a covered bowl and let it rise until doubled in bulk.

Punch dough down and let it rise until doubled in bulk again.

Punch down.

Turn onto floured board and shape as desired.

The dough can be shaped into rolls, or baguette shapes. I make a modified baguette shape. (The reason it is modified is because I have 2 little boys that love to roll and shape the dough and they aren't perfect at it yet. But they are getting better!)

If you'd like to see how to shape a baguette, go here. If making baguettes, you should have 6 loafs.

Once you've shaped your dough, place on a baking tray. ( I use a stone baking tray and I love the results) Let it rise, covered in plastic wrap, until doubled in size. Long loaves must be slashed along the top several times with a sharp knife or razor.

Preheat oven to 400.

Bake loaves for 20-25 minutes, spraying with water 3 or 4 times during baking. Loaves are done when they are golden brown and crispy.

Maybe you'll have time to make a batch of bread this weekend, whether it's 80 degrees where you live or 50. No matter what you do, I hope you have a splendid weekend. Make sure to indulge in some fresh baked goodies!