Dogwood Tree Blossom, Day Dreaming in Monochrome, Mars, PA
Dreaming of
far away places
that are soft
and light
and free.
Maybe I’ll go there.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Daydreaming
Year: 2016
Weeds are Flowers too… Once you get to know Them
Up Close & Personal with Flowers/Weeds in My Lawn, Mars, PA
“Weeds are flowers too…
Once you get to know them.”
— A. A. Milne, Author of Winnie the Pooh
May you see flowers in all of your “weeds.”
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Earth
Peanuts are not just “For the Birds” – A Charlie Guest Post
My mom heard that birds love peanuts.
and BOY am I glad she heard that!!!
When she puts some out on the deck railing…
for the birds…
I slither out when she’s not looking
and nibble my way along the deck railing.
She doesn’t know any different.
She thinks the birds ate them.
Please don’t tell her – let’s let this be our little secret.
Peanuts are not just “for the birds!”
Woofs & Wags,
Charlie
Happy Tulips in a Jar
This past weekend, I found a little time to splash in some paint, and I recreated an original watercolor of tulips in a jar. Tulips lend so well to impressionistic, loose painting. I adore tulips, and I adore painting this way.
I say “re-created,” because I recently sold a similar original painting in our Etsy Shop.
The funny thing was… when I painted it, I sort of liked it, but was hesitant to share it. I had it tucked away for a few weeks. Then last week, the little cash register dinged on my phone alerting me it had sold. When I dug it out to ship, I looked at it again and really liked it. I remembered how much fun I had painting it, and I longed to do it again.
So this is the latest version. It is its own original. The painting is 9×12, and I stuck a little white mat around it just to see what it would look like.
I kinda like it, and it’s kinda fun to say that. 🙂
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
This painting is now available at McKinneyx2Designs
Nick’s Chopped Chicken & Veggie Wraps
This past Sunday, my son Nick took over the kitchen for dinner and made us his amazing Chopped Chicken & Veggie Wraps.
Nick likes anything chicken and anything that can be wrapped up in a tortilla and eaten by hand.
This recipe requires a bit of chopping ahead of time, but throws together quick and easy and tastes so delish!
Starting with marinated grilled skinless, boneless chicken breasts and adding your favorite veggies makes for a healthy, quick, and oh so yummy dinner or lunch or anything in between!
The secret is in the double chopping. Once you pile all the chopped ingredients together, you chop again.
And the thing that really kicks this wrap up for me is the Peach Mango Salsa! OOOOO LAA LAA!
Throw in anything you like, but here is how Nick made these for us.
Nick's Chopped Chicken & Veggie Wraps
Ingredients:
- I lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts and/or thighs
- 1/2 bottle Wishbone Italian Dressing (or your favorite marinade)
- 1/2 lb bacon, crisped and chopped (option – but oh so yummy!)
- Lettuce, chopped
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1/2 seedless English cucumber
- 1/2 chopped sweet red pepper
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped hamburger dill pickles
- 1/4 cup chopped pickled jalapeno slices
- 1/4 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts (or banana peppers)
- 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or your favorite)
- 1/3 cup Herr’s Peach Mango Salsa
- 4-6 Large Burrito-Sized Flour Tortillas
Directions:
Marinade chicken in Italian salad dressing for approximately 24 hours in Ziploc bag in refrigerator. When ready to eat, grill chicken and chop. Chop all veggies and ingredients you plan to use.
To assemble, heat flour tortilla in microwave for 20 seconds to make more pliable for wrapping and prevent cracking. Heat George Foreman Grill or Grill Pan.
Place all ingredients together for each wrap, top with a heaping spoon of salsa, and re-chop all together. Mound in center of warmed tortilla and wrap tightly.
Place on grill to heat, crisp, and seal.
Hope you enjoy!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Bleeding Heart
Once upon a time
a little girl was born
to the best Grandma
in the entire universe.
As time passed,
the little girl grew,
but her admiration
for the best Grandma
in the entire universe
never waned.
The grandma knew
she wouldn’t be able
to stay forever
and share her love
with the little girl
who became a woman, a wife, and a mother
who she still so greatly adored.
So she gave the woman
a plant to remember
her everywhere she would go
wherever she went
for as long as she lived.
And every May
the little girl
who is now
soon be a Grandma herself
remembers the love
from her special Grandma.
The gift of life
The gift of love
the gift from the heart
A bleeding heart.
A heart that knows
A heart that understands
A heart that consoles
a little girl, a grand-daughter,
a mother, a soon-to-be grandmother.
With admiration
beyond compare,
with love and a bleeding heart
from one little girl, mother, grand-daughter, grandmother
to another.
I love you, Grandma
now and forever.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
(My Grandma gave me this Bleeding Heart plant before she passed away many years ago. I have moved it twice. Every Spring, I shed a tear of joy, of sorrow, of love, of loss when it blooms and reminds me of one of the greatest ladies , role models, “mothers,” I have ever known. I believe it to be the most beautiful flower on the entire planet.)
A Diaper Pizza Baby Shower Gift
Yesterday, I went to a baby shower for a sweet young lady who is expecting a baby girl in June.
I’ve made other diaper gifts before, but I’ve never tried a diaper pizza.
It was really quite easy and turned out cute. The theme was Winnie the Pooh, so I gathered every Pooh bear and friends onsie, rattle, teething ring, toy, bib, and pacifier I could find. I then took a dozen Size 1 diapers, gentle shaped them into triangles, wrapped them in a baby wash cloth and taped them on the bottom.
I then tied a different little gift on top of each “pizza slice” and put a little plush Tigger in the middle. I wrote a greeting on the inside of the top of the box, and attached a soft little book as the “card.”
It was a fun way to celebrate and welcome this new little one.
Thanks Luciano’s Brick Oven in Mars for the clean pizza box. (And thanks Chris for getting it for me!)
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Fresh Red Raspberry Chocolate Chunk Bread
I obviously cannot get enough of the red raspberry and semi-sweet chocolate combination as evidenced by today’s AMAZING recipe – Fresh Red Raspberry & Chocolate Chunk Bread.
You may recall my “almost-famous” Fresh Red Raspberry and Chocolate Chunk Cookies. If you haven’t tried these – you seriously do not know what you are missing.
I’ve also shared my recipe for Chocolate Chunk and Fresh Red Raspberry Muffins – TO DIE FOR! And the outrageously extraordinary Chocolate and Raspberry Custard in a Jar that I copy-catted from Firebird’s Wood Fired Grill Restaurant for my son, Nick’s birthday recently.
But I must say – this bread is rocking my world right now. I could not believe how awesome it turned out. It is pretty much just like the cookies, but in the form of bread (which means you can more easily justify eating it for breakfast – if not any other time of the day!)
I sliced the end off for the photo thinking I would take a little taste to make sure it is edible and then just toss that tough old crusty end to avoid the calories – but… I just couldn’t do it. Even the crusty end was delicious beyond words!
I’m telling you friends – you really want to try this one!
For yourself – for the people you love – and for those that you want to love you!
I can’t wait to hear what you think.
Get baking!
Fresh Red Raspberry Chocolate Chunk Bread
Ingredients:
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt (6 shakes!)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 large egg
3/4 cup buttermilk (to make easy buttermilk – mix 1 Tbsp vinegar with 1 cup milk and let set 5 min)
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups fresh red raspberries
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips (I used Nestle Chunks)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray one 9×5-inch loaf pan with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside.
In a large bowl, add flour, sugars, baking soda, salt, and whisk to combine; set aside.
In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt butter about 45 seconds on high power. To the butter, add the egg, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until just combined. Do not over mix or dough will be “tough.” It is ok if batter is lumpy.
In a medium bowl, add the raspberries and 2 tablespoons flour. Toss lightly to combine Coating the berries in flour helps to reduce their sinking while baking.
Add the raspberries to the batter and fold very lightly to combine. Gently fold in chocolate chunks.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for approximately 1 hour. You may want to cover halfway through with tented foil to prevent top from becoming too brown. I did.
Allow bread to cool in pan for about 15 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
*Original Recipe Found and Slightly Adapted from Averie Cooks
Enjoy!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Compassion
“Compassion” Original Watercolor – Jodi McKinney
Skip the religion and politics,
head straight to the compassion.
everything else is a distraction.
– talib kweli
A while back, I read this quote shared by Beth at I Didn’t Have My Glasses On ,
and it hit me like a brick!
Went straight to the heart, and stuck with me.
I recently did this little abstract watercolor.
To me, it resembles the world surrounded by a heart.
And I call it, “Compassion.”
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
The Rusty Old Bridge in Watercolor
The Rusty Old Bridge and Fisherman Original Watercolor, Pittsburgh, PA
I did another watercolor painting this past weekend of a photo I shared recently.
I am challenged with this big of a piece and so many details. The painting is 8 x 10, and I did it on Arches Hot Press, which I rather love for it’s fluidity. So fun to experiment with different types of paper.
I think the fisherman really stands out in the painting more so than in the photo.
It was a challenge. I completed it. I will continue trying!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 