Shadow Dancing

Greetings from the icy tundra. Winter seems to be dragging on and on for many of us. It might not seem like it, but spring really is just around the corner:

"Winter's cold spring erases

And the calm away by the storm is chasin

Everything good needs replacing"

~Dave Matthews Band

My Favorite Hearty Vegetable Soup

This is my favorite vegetable soup. It's great for spring, fall or winter. I love it with a slice of crusty bread with olive oil and fresh cracked black pepper and a glass of wine. Simple but elegant meal.

 Wash 1/2 cup uncooked barley and put in a large soup pot. 

Add 8-10 cups pure water, 1 tsp crumbled bay leaf (2-3 whole), 1 tsp salt, 1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil.

Bring the pot to a boil. 

Add 2 chopped carrots, 2 stalks of finely chopped celery, 1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley, 2 Tbsp chopped onion, 1 clove garlic, 3 cups chopped potatoes and/or turnips.

Let the soup cook covered over medium heat for 50 minutes. Stir in 1 small bunch of chopped fresh spinach, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, freshly ground black pepper to taste.

I substituted kale for the spinach and it worked really well. I just added it with the rest of the vegetables. A wonderful, nutritious, fulfilling soup.

Enjoy!

Adapted from Ayurvedic Cooking for Westerners, by Amadea Morningstar

Food Inspiration

In the middle of all of the gray, dreary and cold weather, I'm feeling a little, well, gray myself. Right about now, the lack of color  is making me wish I could just hibernate until the end of winter and the sun starts to make the flowers bloom again. So, I went looking to find something inspiring...and warm. Look what I found:

Courtesy of Smitten Kitchen

Spicy Soba Noodles with Shiitakes from  Smitten Kitchen. Soba noodles, cabbage, shiitake, edamame and chili paste. Spicy sounds like just the ticket to me to warm both body and soul.

And how about this hot chocolate recipe from Seven Spoons.

I absolutely love chocolate and cinnamon together. And the espresso powder adds another kick. Another thing I like about this recipe is the fact that you can tweak it to your liking.

What comfort foods inspire you?

Winter Wonderland

"Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true."
~Alfred Lord Tennyson

Happy New Year!

Let It Snow...

“Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand-and melting like a snowflake...” 

Francis Bacon Sr.

I posted this picture on Mortal Muses: 9 Muses Musing. Check out some other interpretations, lots of cool pics there!

 

 Merry Christmas,

 

Season's Greetings

I am loving Kim Klassen's Skinny Mini Photoshop class! 

And I am so thankful all that the season reminds me of. My family, my friends old and new, all of the good things in my life as well as the challenges that bring me new skills and new strength. 

Wishing you all the very best this season.

Winter Frost

Here's a photo I did for Kim Klassen's Skinny Mini e-course for photoshop. 

Branches

"Nature has no mercy at all. Nature says, 'I'm going to snow. If you have on a bikini and no snowshoes, that's tough. I'm going to snow anyway.'"

~Maya Angelo

I submitted this photo to Echo. This week's prompt is branches.

Winter Moments

"My daily routines are transactional. Everything that happens in my day is a transaction between the external world and my internal world. Everything is raw material. Everything is relevant. Every thing is usable. Everything feeds into my creativity."

~Twyla Tharp, The Creative Habit

Winter

Ahhh! It's happy surprise to wake up to freshly fallen snow early in the morning when no one else is up yet and everything is so quiet. It's nice to watch the snow fall when I can be inside, cozy and warm, drinking a cup of tea by the fireplace.

Winter is time to go inward and work on creative projects inside. I've recently taken up knitting. Knitting, as it has turned out, is a very relaxing and fulfilling way for me to use my creative energy. It's a perfect winter activity. I love to create warm, beautiful things...like this adorable little hat in a beautiful burgundy color that I knitted for my daughter.

And now...to paint my bedroom!