Month: November 2016

The eARTh without ART is just…. “eh”

/ Jodi / 46 Comments
Acrylic Abstract Painting 16x20 Jodi McKinney

Acrylic Abstract Painting 16×20 Jodi McKinney

On a recent evening out with friends, we passed a little ‘hole-in-the-wall’ diner in the Bloomfield section of Pittsburgh that had a sign above it saying, “The earth without art is just ‘eh’.”  It caught our attention, and it has been in my mind ever since.

This crazy acrylic painting evolved over the course of several days.  While far from fine art, it was a fun, creative experiment.

It started out being blue and brown and white to match a recent bedroom redo.

The next day it became an ocean and sky scene… then back to an abstract the following day with drips of gold.

Around the fourth day, I decided it needed some red.  The red was too bold, so I added white to tone it down and “pink” it up a bit.

And on and on it went until I splattered white and tar gel with a toothbrush on and decided it was time to quit.

It has all kinds of crazy things going on over many layers, but there is something about it in the end that I kinda like.

Maybe because it reminds me that….
the earth without art is just “eh!”

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

Sticks and Stones

/ Jodi / 43 Comments

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Sticks and Stones…
can break our bones.
But bones can heal.

Words…
can harm us deeply.
And they can be hard to heal from.

As I looked at this photo I took last week
of a charming old building made of stone
and covered with twisted, tangled sticks,

it reminded me of the old childhood adage
“Sticks and stones may break my bones,
but words will never hurt me.”

And I realized how absurd that is…

I have suffered through
my share of broken bones in my life,
but they have healed.

There are words, however,
that have been spoken
that have changed my life forever.

Choose your words carefully…
Consider their power.
Words can seriously hurt.

But also know
words have the power
to love and heal.

They have the power
to build up
rather than tear down.

They have the power
to create positive change
now and forever.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Let’s Teach our Children

/ Jodi / 62 Comments

clara-10-days-old-2
Let’s teach our children…

to be kind to those who are not kind.
They need love the most.

to offer help to those who struggle.
It is in giving that we receive the most.

to be a friend to the lonely.
They are often the best friends.

to sit with those sitting alone.
They have much to share.

to look for the good in others.
That is when we learn the most about ourselves.

These are the ways we can teach our children
to change the world.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

Best Ever Pecan Pie

/ Jodi / 31 Comments

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If you have it with coffee, it counts as breakfast.
Right??
Confession – I ate a slice of pecan pie for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving.

There.
It’s out!

And O M G – was it delicious!

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I made this pecan pie for Thanksgiving, and I have to admit,  I was too full of turkey and stuffing and much too busy holding my new granddaughter to even give a second thought to dessert that day.

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But the next morning (while decorating for Christmas 😉  ), I decided to have my piece.

This recipe is simply divine.  If you’ve never tried making a pecan pie, you really should try this.  You won’t be sorry!  MMM MMM Good!

Best Ever Pecan Pie

Ingredients:pecan-pie-2

Pie Crust:

  • 1 cup flour
  • Heaping 1/3 cup Crisco shortening
  • Dash of Salt
  • 1/3-1/2 cup cold water

Filling:

  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 1/2 cups light corn syrup
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 cups whole pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Prepare pie crust by blending flour, shortening and salt with pastry blender until fine crumbs form.  Add cold water and mix just until dough comes together and can be formed into a ball.  Do not overwork dough – this makes it tough.  Place ball on floured surface and roll out to fit into 9″ pie plate.  Fold dough in half and then in quarters.  Life and unfold in pie plate.  Pinch edges to flute.

Prepare filling by boiling brown sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan for 2-3 mins.  Set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, beat eggs lightly.  Slowly pour the syrup mixture into the eggs, stirring constantly.  Stir in butter, vanilla and pecans, and pour into crust.

Bake for approximately 50-60 minutes or until set.  Cool completely.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

 

 

Thankful – Grateful – Blessed

/ Jodi / 26 Comments

thankful-grateful-blessed-thanksgiving-card-stampinup

Thankful thoughts,
Grateful glow,
Blessed beyond belief.

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

*Thanks Stacey Ailes of Studio Designers for hosting the StampinUp card-making class where I made this Thanksgiving card.  It was so fun to create this and a few other fun projects a couple of weeks ago with friends and my daughter-in-law.  And hopefully this card made it to its intended recipients today in time to show my thankfulness, gratitude, and blessings.

Pappardelle with Beef Ragu

/ Jodi / 30 Comments

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We had our first snow of the season here in Mars yesterday.

Not only did it snow, but it snowed ALL day!

After a 73 degree F day on Friday, it was quite a shock, but also such a glorious treat for a lazy Sunday to build a fire in the morning and burn it all day long while cooking and watching football and reading and resting.

After a very busy and exciting week, it was nice.  It was also the first day I didn’t see my new granddaughter since she was born, so I am thankful for text messages and IM pictures and so proud of her Mom and Dad for the amazing job they are doing.  They are naturals, and my heart is so very full.

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My belly is full too….. after making and feasting on this amazing recipe I tweaked a bit from Jamie Oliver’s recipe.

What a perfect dish to cook for hours on a cold day teasing our noses with the amazing aroma and warming the house with the oven on for hours.  Jamie Oliver does his in a pressure cooker.  You could also do this in the crockpot.  But we were home all day, and I was perfectly content to have the oven on.

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I swear I am a “wannabe” Italian!  I adore Italian food.  In Italian cuisine, ragu is a meat-based sauce that is commonly served with pasta.  Pappardelle are large, broad, flat pasta noodles that originate from the Tuscany region and are similar to wide fettuccine. The name derives from the verb “pappare,” which means to gobble up.

Isn’t Papparedelle so much more fun to say than wide noodles?  And doesn’t it sound so much more delicious?!

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Hubby said I could definitely make this for company!  It is so full of flavor!  I could just lick the sauce from a spoon!  And then…… when you top it with a tiny bit of finely grated orange zest and rosemary…. the flavors just BURST with freshness too.  The balance between tender slow cooking with deep, layered flavors and fresh, bright citrus – even though just a tiny bit – is simply amazing!

Here is the recipe as I slightly tweaked from Jamie Oliver’s recipe shared in The New York Times.  Hope you will give it a try.

Pappardelle with Beef Ragu

Ingredients:beef-ragu-with-pappardelle-2

  • 2 lbs boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 2-inch cubes
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus 1 Tbsp finely chopped leaves for garnish
  • 2 sprigs fresh sage
  • 1 medium sweet onion, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
  • 3-4 celery stalks, thickly sliced
  • 1/2 cup sliced sweet red and yellow peppers (optional)
  • 2 cups dry red wine
  • 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 pound pappardelle
  • 4 Tbsp butter
  • 1 Tbsp finely grated orange zest
  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in dutch oven on stove top over medium-high heat.  Add beef cubes, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir until beef is well browned on all sides, about 5 mins.  Add rosemary and sage sprigs, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and sweet peppers. Continue cooking until vegetables are softened, about 5 more mins.

Add wine and continue to simmer until liquid has reduced by approximately half, about 15 minutes. Add tomatoes.  Secure lid and place in oven for 3 1/2 hours.

Cook pappardelle in boiling salted water for 6-7 minutes until al dente.   Drain and rinse in cold water.  Return pasta to pot.  Add butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.   Mix gently, cover with lid, and let butter melt.

Remove beef ragu from oven.  Discard herb stems and coarsely shred beef with two forks.

To serve, place pappardelle in shallow bowl, top with beef ragu, sprinkle with orange zest, finely minced rosemary and some more freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi