I bought these bottle and mercury glass ornaments at Create and Barrel the day after Christmas. I have been waiting for these hearty ornaments to go on sale because they are prefect for decorating an outdoor tree and you need a lot of them to make a statement. I tied a red ribbon to the acacia tree in front and poked the hangers through the ribbon. The morning sun catches them and makes me happy.

This is the time of year I get ready for next Christmas. With everything on sale, I stock up and keep decorating for the next two weeks. Then, when December comes next year I know exactly what to do and decorating takes a fraction of the time. I even take a picture of my favorite ideas and store a print-out in the boxes of holiday decorations.

I hope you have been enjoying this special time of year. My family had a wonderful Christmas and we are looking forward to a great 2012. I hope you are too!

oxoSarah

Happy Halloween!

I whipped up a curried sweet potato soup this morning in between getting ready for work. I decided to go as Medusa since I love Greek Mythology, so here I am stirring my cauldron with “snakes” in my hair.

I made this soup for my neighbor who just got out of the hospital after emergency surgery. I omitted the curry flavors in case she prefers not to have the extra flavor. This is still a great soup without the curry, but if your a fan of Indian spice combinations, go for it!

Here’s the recipe:

Simple Curried* Sweet Potato Soup
1-1/2T Olive oil
1-2/3C chopped onion
1 large clove garlic
1T fresh ginger
1t cumin*
1/2t ground coriander*
1/4t cardamom*
1/4t tumeric*
1/8t hot pepper flakes*
2-1/2lbs sweet potatoes
6C. low sodium chicken or veggie stock
salt pepper to taste
(*curry spices may be omitted if you prefer)

Brown onions and garlic, About 7 minutes, in a Dutch oven or soup pot. Add ginger and curry spices, then stock. Peel and cut potatoes and cook until very soft or roast potatoes on grill for smokey flavor, then peel and add to soup. Puree with immersion bender and add salt and pepper to taste.

The key is an immersion blender. Transferring this hot meal to a regular blender is no fun at all.

Today is the first day of the Holidays ~ Enjoy!

Have you noticed that after a while a terra cotta planter will disintegrate before your eyes? I have lost many a favored pot to the ravages of water and minerals leaching through the walls of the vessel. To prevent this from happening, coat the inside with elastometric roof coating (found at Ace Hardware)~it creates a barrier between the wet soil and the porous terra cotta. A gallon is quite expensive (about $100), but it will last for a long time if all you’re doing is coating pots. It is worth the investment.

We have a wonderful garden and sometimes it grows faster than we expect. One day we think we have it all under control~the next there are dozens of veggie varieties ready to pick.

I quickly gather our bounty and start canning. For this label (pictured) I used the Cricut Expression and the Preserves cartridge.

These make great gifts and the savory ones are especially appreciated during the sweet-sweet Holidays. You needn’t have a garden to make great foodie gifts…Buy local, organic veggies and can for yourself or for gifts. You’ll be a star among your friends and family. Those of you in the cold parts of the country better get on it…soon your local farms will be shuttered for the winter.

Speaking of the Holidays~October is just around the corner and that means Halloween is almost here! I’ll be spending the entire month~starting October First~making fun stuff for my favorite Holiday. Tune in for great ideas leading up to a stellar party!

It took a long time to get these babies to grow, but am I glad I planted them. I pulled up this bunch to throw into the mix for dinner and they were superb! I know carrots are good for you and me, but I wanted to share a bit of knowledge from the smart guys over at Organic Facts. The health benefits of carrots include reduced cholesterol, prevention from heart attacks, warding off certain cancers and many others. Whew! I feel better already. So~get out there and get you some carrots!

If you want to read all the good stuff, go to Organic Facts page on carrots, here >>