fannie & millie .: handcrafted goodness

Yes, I’ve been absent again. Between busy things in my life, and the tragedies in the news, I just haven’t felt much like prattling on. I sometimes just need to take a little time to absorb news and changes and other various events and plot turns.

Personally, I’ve been busiest with this project:

Oops! We inadvertently bought a new house. Well, as the house was built in 1926, it’s an old house, but new to us. That’s just the way we like it.

I stumbled across the online listing for this house, Chris and I drove by it the next day on our way home from the dentist, we called the listing agent while parked in front of the house, she got us in immediately (the owner was home and let us in), we looked around, drove home, called our realtor, and made an offer that night…whew! We hadn’t looked at any other houses, just happened to see this one and thought it would work beautifully for us. Since then, I’ve been busy with inspections, offers and counter offers, and looking at other houses just to be sure. It’s been a whirlwind. Now we just have to get ready to host Thanksgiving, paint the interior of the new house and move in December… oh, and celebrate the holidays. I swore I’d never move in the middle of December after we did it 4 years ago! What is that expression, “never say never?” ha!

I’m not really complaining (okay - maybe a little…); I’m truly thrilled and feel blessed.  All I can say is, the universe certainly works in mysterious (& fast!) ways.

roasted tomato & garlic soup

I was asked to share this recipe. I don’t use one, so I’m just going to give a step-by-step explanation. It’s super easy, and tastes like end-of-summer tomato heaven.

ingredients:

• tomatoes - lots - cut into big chunks
• garlic - as much as you want - peeled
• extra virgin olive oil
• onions - peeled and diced
• vegetable broth - if I don’t have homemade, I use “Better Than Bouillon” - caution - it has a tiny bit of partially hydrogenated soybean oil. As a rule, we don’t eat hydrogenated oil, but I make an exception for this product. It’s good and a little goes a long way.
• water
• rosemary
• basil
• sea salt
• fresh ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Place tomatoes and garlic in a large roasting pan with high sides - I use a jumbo lasagna pan. drizzle a generous amount of the olive oil on top and then sprinkle with sea salt. Stir everything thoroughly and place in the oven.
3. Check and stir occasionally. Remove pan when tomatoes are very soft - about 40 minutes to 1hour. If you’re lucky, there will be a little charring at the edges. The charring adds to the roasted flavor of the tomatoes.
4. Meanwhile (I do this when the tomatoes are nearly done), use a big stockpot to sauté the diced onions in a bit of the olive oil. A touch of sea salt may also be added here; just be miserly with the salt at this point. Sometimes broth is salty and you don’t want to overpower the sweetness of the tomatoes.
5. Transfer the tomatoes to the stockpot of onions and stir. transfer the stockpot ingredients to a blender or food processor and puree with the pulse feature until you have a rough puree - I like this soup very rustic and not too smooth. Return to the pot. Alternatively, use a stick blender in the stockpot to puree the tomatoes and onions; this is my favorite method as it’s neat and cuts down on things to wash. Unfortunately, my stick blender is broken.
6. Look at the soup and add water if needed.
7. Taste the soup and add the following ingredients to taste: vegetable stock (use just enough for richness - be careful not to use enough to make the soup taste of mixed vegetables - the tomatoes are the star - I only used a couple of teaspoons for about 5 quarts of soup) sea salt, black pepper and herbs - basil and rosemary. If using fresh herbs, add them when you are ready to serve. I used dry, so I added them at this point. I used a very generous amount of basil and a very small, supporting amount of rosemary. Feel free to add whatever you like.
8. Let the soup simmer for at least 10 minutes before serving - longer is better, but we get impatient. If you have extraordinary willpower, put the soup away at this point and eat it tomorrow.  It’s even better the next day.

I like to serve this with some rustic whole grain bread and a nice cheese.

If you don’t care for the seeds and skin, you may use a food mill instead of a blender. I like the seeds and skin, so I leave them; but if you use the food mill, you can add cream to the soup just before serving (don’t let it boil) for a yummy cream of tomato soup.

enjoy! Let me know if anything isn’t clear.

Plastic is everywhere. It’s in our clothes and in our cars. Our homes are filled with it. So much of what we buy is packaged in it. Cups, toys, DVD’s, silverware, sandwich bags - the stuff is everywhere.

All of this plastic has a tremendous impact on the environment – both when it’s made and when it’s disposed of. Today Americans generate 10.5 million tons of plastic waste every year, but we recycle less than 2%. And because plastic decomposes very slowly, nearly every single piece of plastic ever made is still in existence and it will be for thousands of years!

Plastic also has a tremendous negative impact on our health. My wonderful friend, graygoosie, is justifiably concerned about the xenoestrogens in plastic. Here’s what she’s doing about eliminating them from her life:

If you want to learn a little more about what xenoestrogens might be doing to your health, check out some of the following articles:

• Xenoestrogens cause Endometriosis
• Xenoestrogens Exacerbate Menstrual Migraines
• Xenoestrogens and Women’s Health
• Naked Truth: Xenoestrogens
• Estrogen levels and menopause
• Xenoestrogens and Breast Cancer: Nowhere to Run
• Xenoestrogens Cause PMS

I do not endorse any of the above articles, I’m presenting them to you as food for thought. I have; however, read the article quoted and linked below, and consider it recommended reading for everyone:

“A vast swath of the Pacific, twice the size of Texas, is full of a plastic stew that is entering the food chain. Scientists say these toxins are causing obesity, infertility…and worse.”

The good news is……………..we have the power to create change. Here are some fairly simple (I’m all about the simple. If it’s too hard, who’s going to do it?) ways to use less plastic:

1. When buying groceries, look for products that aren’t packaged with plastic. Glass, metal and paper are all better for the environment and are more easily recycled.

2. Hit the grocery store with your own grocery sacks. There are so many reusable bag options today and several large grocery chains offer money back when you bring your own bags. My local Trader Joe’s rewards people who bring bags with a raffle ticket for a weekly $25.00 gift certificate drawing. Reusable grocery bags are easier to carry and you can pack more into them than in regular plastic bags.

3. Plastic bags don’t just come from the grocery store. Bring your own bags when shopping anywhere, or refuse a bag for smaller items that you can easily carry on your own.

4. Avoid buying disposable plastic water bottles. Instead, use your own water bottle and refill it. If you’re concerned about using Nalgenes or other reusable plastic bottles, opt for stainless steel or glass models.

5. Choose household items that aren’t made of plastic. Buy the wooden-handled mop and the metal bucket instead of their plastic counter-parts.

6. Plastic plates, cups and silverware are huge pollutants and wastes of energy. Get real ones! Bring the real ones camping, on picnics and to potlucks.

7. Think about the other plastic items you use daily. Pens, toothbrushes, combs and other implements come in earth-friendly forms. Next time you’re ready to toss one of these items, think about replacing it with an alternative version.

8. Go back to brown-bagging it. However, instead of using a tired paper sack, spice up your lunch break with a cool reusable tote or lunch box. Pack your sandwiches in wax paper or use reusable containers to store leftovers from home.

9. Replace your plastic food storage containers with stainless steel or glass.

I can’t say that I’m doing all of these things…yet. But I’m working on it step by step.

Do you have any tips, tricks, or suggestions for using less plastic?

Today is Ecological Debt Day. No, it’s not a day to celebrate. Ecological Debt Day marks the point at which humankind has consumed the total amount of new resources that the earth can produce in this calendar year. In other words, any resources used for the rest of the year put us into ecological debt. We are spending more than we make - always a bad idea…. I urge you to click on the above links to learn a little about global ecological overshoot.

some chalk graffiti I found while walking around my neighborhood this week:

Well…? I think it’s hard to answer. According to Wikipedia, the purpose of sustainable design is,

“to produce places, products and services in a way that reduces use of non-renewable resources, minimizes environmental impact, and relates people with the natural environment.”

Okay, so we have a purpose; but we still don’t have a definition of sustainable design. Unfortunately, I don’t have a concise definition, either. I’m writing this post in order to share a few of the “green” blogs I visit regularly. I don’t think any of them claim to have all the answers; I just think we’re all trying to figure out how to stop exceeding our ecological footprint one step at a time.

WorldChanging: Tools, Models and Ideas for Building a Bright Green Future

Inhabitat: future-forward design for the world you inhabit
Gristmill: The environmental news blog / Grist

Great Green Goods: Green Shopping for the Greater Good

TreeHugger

ecofabulous: sustainable. sexy. stuff

sustainablog

I had to write an artist’s bio today for something I can’t yet talk about. It was a seriously painful exercise. I decided that rather than pretentiously prattle on, I would share something that has had real meaning for me, so I wrote a bit about the following:

I’ve always made things - art, craft, life… whatever you want to call it, I consider it all my art. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line, I lost my confidence and stopped sharing my creativity with the world. I had a lot of judgment about whether anything I did was good enough, or original enough, or worthwhile in any sort of way. Despite the power of my inner critic, I still felt urgently compelled to do or make something - - - always. I felt that way for a very long period of my life. Luckily, I discovered a quote from a woman I have always admired. Here are the words that, quite literally, changed my life:

“There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium; and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, not how it compares with other expression. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.”

~ Martha Graham (American dancer, teacher and choreographer - a pioneer of modern dance 1884-1991)

Thank you, Ms. Graham.

Please click on this photo to visit the Museum of Contemporary Photography to learn more about the collaboration between Martha Graham and the very talented photographer, Barbara Morgan. These two women are responsible for some of the most breathtaking dance images ever made.

I’m back.

Summer is over, sadly enough, and I’m back at the rest of my life. Things got a little out of hand at the end there with too much riding in preparation for Cycle Oregon, root canals, family trips, and on & on with the excuses…The mini hiatus turned out to be a major break from blogging, etc., but I feel refreshed and inspired.

CycleOregon was fantastic fun, as alway. I posted lots and lots of photos and wrote the whole thing up on flickr. Please check it out if you’ve ever wondered what CycleOregon might be about. I took quite a few photos, but realize that the longest, hardest days are not documented as well as the shorter days.

The Livestrong Challenge was also a success. Thank you so much to everyone who donated! Our team raised $3,830.00  $3,930.00 for a very worthy cause. Tim Schauer was our amazing and motivated #1 fundraiser. He raised $2,065.00 $2,165.00 while selling his house, buying a house and moving! He’s an amazing guy and a great friend.

This was my fledgling year as team captain and I’m already making plans to do it bigger and better next year. I seriously want our team to raise at least $10,000.00 for the LAF.

Here are two photos from our wet, wonderful, hypothermia inducing day:

- we’re indoors in this second photo - the camera is just all steamed up :-0

Well, that sums it up. I’ll see you again soon - really!