Sunday Happy

Yes I am alive as some of you have asked. And I swear I am not being lazy,I have just been super ass busy because you know life and all that.

So what have I been up to? Just a whole lot of clay business. Right after the crazy holiday rush in December I kinda crashed a little for a week or so and then signed up for another market that was just last week. If you do any type of ceramics, especially selling of ceramics, you know that a few weeks is not a whole lot of time to get a bunch of shit made so that is what I have been doing. Making shit. HA!

And ok, I did do some other stuff. There was more birthdays celebrated (the mr turned the big 40!), tattoos were gotten (by me and the mr.), family gatherings, sledding and snow ball fights with the littles. (Side note. They are not so little anymore. Judah is now officially taller then me and the mr. is teaching Miley to drive. Coco is Coco and has always been an old man, and So, well she started a book club at school and is bacsilly a cooler, younger version of me so yeah, they are all getting old and I can’t even.), the holiday madness of markets. It was a lot. Other than that, not to much else. I am still running through the woods every day and we go hiking or snowshoeing as much as we can. Has the winter weather been great for outdoor winter fun? Not really. It’s been way to freaking warm and there definitely has not been enough snow but what can I do besides bitch about it? Move to Alaska, that is what.

So yeah, hopefully now that this last market is behind me (it was a couple nights ago) I can slow down this week and gather my bearing before the madness of the spring and summer markets really hit. I am trying to be proactive and do more life planning, like garden planning stuff (is it really that time?) and have more pots made so I am not rushing like a mad lady in between markets. We will see how well I do, but first things first. Start the god damn taxes. Every freaking year.

Here are a few internet links from the week. And I don’t have many pictures that are not pots and you can just see those on my instagram (@stemandnode). I’l be better next week, maybe. And hopefully I’ll post a new recipe because I have been making some A+ shit. (SO much soup. Duh.)

-Take your date to the grocery store. This is 100% a great idea. The mr and I LOVE a new grocery store experience. Especially while traveling in other countries. Highly recommend.

-A Gua Sha Technique For Easing Jaw Tension In A Minute Or Less. Has anyone had luck with this? I need to do something because I am constantly clenching my teeth and my TMJ is killing me.

-A bit of a hoarder’: woodpeckers stash 700lbs of nuts in California home. That is a lot of nuts.

-Is Bathroom Carpet Due for a Comeback? Fuck no.

-C

Sunday Happy

Ok so it’s been a couple weeks and WHOA has it been a couple weeks. There was Thanksgiving, which was chill. We had the littles over, made snowflakes, and did a dinner. The mr got a rotisserie chicken, I made bread and potatoes, and the boys wrote dirty works with fridge magnets all night. Duh.

After that it has just been a blur. Markets started up and I am basically either living in my studio or the commuity studio loading and unloading kilns (I am in charge of the whole community studio firing schedule right now which is basically me saying over and over “Yeah dude I get it, it is close to christmas and you want your piece fired but you need to get off my balls!” ) or I am at a market. I and freaking tired as all hell and it is kinda crazy town in my head right now. Two more weeks of this and then I am going to crash. Until then…

Even though I am all out we did go chop our tree down last week. We hiked into the forest with a saw and came out a good time later with the cutest, tall but skinny and slightly bare on the back, tree. It is perfectly imperfect and fits perfectly in the living room. I didn’t even have to move a single piece of furniture!!! And now the lights are on the tree and the lights are up on the house ( I think I threw those up on thanksgiving?), the Christmas music has commenced, and I am drinking all the holiday peppermint tea I can. Living it up!

So yeah, basically that is it. Well that and all the birthdays. Shannon, Erin, Justin. Then So beans last night (the big 10!) and next is the mr’s. This one is a big one too, 40, and not going to lie, I am sick of hearing about it. HA! But that is not for a few more days so until then I will just be hiding away in the basement covered in clay like a little troll.

December is wild right?

A few links.

-End of year NPR Book list. This is the only end of year list I like.

-This a a pretty wild green house. I’m into it. A Kinetic Glass Greenhouse Blossoms into a Massive Open-Air Terrarium

-When should you put up Christmas lights? A new survey illuminates an evergreen debate. I say whenever the heck you want. In this house it s the week after Thanksgiving but I also have lights around the windows in the kitchen all year long because really, they are just nice to use as lighting.

-But do we want the kids to eat them? This Designer Created Kid-Safe, Edible Crayons Out of Vegetables

-Big windows ans a shit ton of boo. I am here for this A Frame Cabin.

And some pictures of the past couple weeks.

Monday Happy

The days are short, it’s been cold and we got a good little dump of snow that has stuck around a bit. This is when I thrive in life. Seriously though, the morning it snowed I felt the happiest, most grounded in life that I have felt in a while. I was so excited that I ran a few extra miles on my run just to be out in the snow. It was super fantastic and I don’t want to hear anyone bitching about winter right now, mainly cause I don’t want to hear anyone bitch about anything period. HA!

So it’s Monday and not Sunday but we are ok here, just kinda super busy. Sure I have spent more time in the studio then not and I am wildly stressed but really it is all good and I actually love it. (Not that I am not looking forward to a few weeks off once all the markets are over). Besides that we had the family Thanksgiving over the weekend so 25ish people packed into the house. It was everyone eating food all over, talking to my face while I was maneuvering hot dishes, small children running around, everyone asking all the question about the dikon radishes, and talk about Christmas… Whoa was that great but all a bit much. I love my family and love that we do the holidays here at my house but man are those butt holes messy! I spent half of my day yesterday wiping, vacuuming, moping and re-vacuuming every surface in the house. It was nasty, especially the bathroom. I think sometimes people forget that pee goes INTO the toilet and not all over it.

Yup, that is about it. And it is Monday which means that I have less then a week to get all my pots finished, packed, and ready to go to market this weekend. I am gonna be wild and have already informed the mr to just let me be and maybe not get to close or else I might bite.

He can]t say I didn’t warn him.

A few links.

-People here live in complete darkness for 2.5 months. Here's how they do it. Could you do it? I so could.

-Snacking Is the Best Part of Thanksgiving. I agree, mostly because I only really get to snack during family Thanksgiving because I am in the kitchen making, serving, and cleaning all the food while everyone else is eating.

-Shannon was late to family Thanksgiving because she was getting her Christmas tree… Is it to early? Maybe. For me the tree is the best part of Christmas but I still wait until afterThanksgiving to get one but hey, you do you. Is It Too Early to Put Up Your Christmas Tree?

-So cool. Flickering fireflies pulse to a beat that mathematicians have long been seeking

And a few pictures.

Sunday Happy

First week into Daylight Savings and I got to tell you, I am so into it. I love when it gets dark out early. I love being able to see the sunrise when I got for runs in the morning. It works for me. What I do not love, better yet hate right now is how warm it has been. It is making me sad and cranky. Mind body and mind crave those crisp, cold, snow filled days where everything seems quiet and all the people are tucked away and the outside world seems to be all mine. I guess I am a true Ice Queen.

Besides shitty weather the past couple weeks things were good good. Lots of studio time. Lots. And a few nice hikes through the sticks. The mr, Judah, and I cleaned the yard and moved all the leaves to the garden beds. I made fire cider, the mr carved a many spoons. I picked up the first winter farm share, voted, watched the lunar eclipse and cleaned the car. Not like super exciting but exciting enough. That is my life. Ha!

Today the mr and I are going somewhere for a hike. Now that we aren’t camping every weekend we go for a good hike on Sundays instead. It is good to have something to look forward to. And if I have time I should probably go grocery shopping, I have a long list and a shit ton of bread I need to make…The family is descending on the house this weekend for our family Thanksgiving. 23-26 people. Yeah, I am in charge of all bread. We need lots of bread.

Oh and it’s Shannon’s birthday today so yeah, Happy Birthday!

A couple links from the internet.

- I use all my flours so fast that I just keep in in the pantry but this is good info. The Best Way to Store Flour Isn't What You Think.

-Christmas Weather Forecast (2022): Will It Be White, Or What? I sure hope this is wrong.

-Why Prehistoric Herders Didn’t Spit Out Their Watermelon Seeds. I don’t spit them out cause I like them plus they are super good for you.

-This is what’s happening to your brain in the middle of a conflict. I do not like conflict because most conflict could be solved if people just listened to everything I say. For real.

-The Age of Social Media Is Ending. Yeah, I kinda hope so.

Pictures from the weeks.

Socca Beet and Onion Casserole

Whoa has It been a while since I have posted a recipe. Not that I haven’t wanted to or that I haven’t been making food, I just have been busy A.F. And truthfully I am as busy as ever but I happen to have my phone next to me when I was making this little casserole dish thing that I have made a few times now and I think it well worth a share.

What is it you ask? It is a creamy but dense chickpea base covered in tender roasted beets and onions with a lemon tahini drizzle. It is simple to make, super delicious, and can be tweaked in a million different ways to your liking.

Is it a fantastic dish to serve at say a Thanksgiving? Well yes, yes it is. You can serve it as a side or even make it bigger and have it as a sort of main dish. It’s a good protein that is naturally gluten and grain free, vegan, and blah blah blah. What really matters here though is that it is damn tasty and also bonus, it is so siimple to make and can even be prepared a day in advance so no stress. We will take all the wins here.

-C

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Socca Beet and Onion Casserole

makes a 8x8 casserole

• 1 cup chickpea flour

• 2 cups boiling water

• 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste

• ground black pepper

• 2 teaspoons cumin (feel free to omit or use a different spice.Thyme or rosemary are equally delicious )

• 2 medium beets

• 1 large onion

• a lemon

• 1-2 tablespoons tahini

• teaspoon or so olive oil.

Note. This dish is excellent made and eaten right away but also gets even better (in my opinion) cooled and reheated. Also you can change up the veggie situation and use whatever ones you like.

Place chickpea flour in a bowl and slowly whisk in boil water with a fork so that there are no lumps. Mix in cumin and a teaspoon of salt and a pepper. Scoop batter into a lightly oiled 8X8 casserole dish (you can use a round cake tin or a cast iron skillet as well) and set aside to rest for a few.

Preheat oven to 400.

Grab beets and onion and slice in about 1/8 thick slices. Layer slices on top of chickpea mixture, making it look pretty if you feel like it. Once the veggies are layered, lightly drizzle the top with a teaspoon olive oil and sprinkle with a good pinch of salt and pepper.

When the oven is preheated, covered the baking dish and place in oven,. Bake covered for 1/2 hour then remove covering and bake for another 20-30 minutes or until the beets are nice and tender and a tester poked into the center of the dish comes out clean. Remove from oven,

Once it’s out of the oven grab a little bowl and add the juice of the lemon to the tahini and mix. Season with salt to you liking.

Now serve. Drizzle the top with the tahini mixture and cut yourself a big old piece. Yes drizzle extra tahini on top. Sure squeeze on more lemon. You do you.

Store leftovers in fridge. Reheat in hot oven for 10 minutes..It gets crispy!