Reality

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Abstract in Blues Purple & Gold 10×16 300 lb Arches Cold Press

“Reality is what we take to be true.
What we take to be true is what we believe.
What we believe is based upon our perceptions.
What we perceive depends on what we look for.
What we look for depends on what we think.
What we think depends on what we perceive.
What we perceive determines what we believe.
What we believe determines what we take to be true.
What we take to be true is our reality.”

– David Bohm

Abstract Watercolor done playing with products:  BRUSHO Watercolor Crystals in Turquoise, Ultramarine Blue and Purple, Dr. Ph. Martin’s Iridescent Copper Plate Gold, Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleedproof White,  Winsor & Newton Iridescent Medium, Salt, & Saran Wrap.

The Ultimate Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookie & That Something about Baking

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The Ultimate Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookie

The Ultimate Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookie

A few months ago, I recall my youngest son, watching me mix together a batch of cookie dough, asking, “Do you actually enjoy doing that?  Seems like a lot of work!”

I thought about it.

It is a bit tedious.

It makes a mess in the kitchen.

I could be binge-watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix or painting or exercising or reading or so many other things.

But…

There’s something about baking…

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There’s something about using Grandma’s old tin measuring cup and reminiscing about childhood summers.

There’s something about the way the house smells like home when you bake.

There’s something about the smiles you know will emerge when hubby sees stacks of cookies cooling on racks when he comes home or comes in from out of the cold.

There’s something about making goody packages to send home with your kids (even though they are grown and on their own and perfectly capable of making themselves).

There’s something about taking a special treat into the office for a long day of meetings and seeing your co-workers’ faces light up.

There’s something about taking a plate of cookies to the Thursday night gang at John’s Bar and watching your buddy eat one cookie before his dinner and two after.

There’s something about trading a cookie or piece of cake with Cliff the mailman when he delivers a package and handful of mail right to the kitchen door (with a treat always in hand for your furry kid).

There’s something about your kids’ friends saying “You make the BEST cookies Mom M!”

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So you see – baking is more than the chore of mixing butter and sugar and flour.  It’s about creating happiness.

When I read a recent blog post by one of my very favorite blog writers, Pam at Catching My Drift, I knew I HAD to try her cookie recipe.  Pam is not a food blogger, but a storyteller – a GREAT storyteller I might add.  And the story she wove about her persistent and passionate quest to recreate her ultimate cookie painted a picture of the most heavenly bite on earth.  Pam tells the story of  how she loves sitting in the Starbucks snack bar of her local Barnes & Noble noshing on the most amazing Reese’s peanut butter cookie while sipping dark Italian roast and paging through glossy magazines.  You must read about her 35-year quest to recreate this cookie and the surprising place she found the recipe.

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Well, dear Pam, we were certainly not disappointed in this Ultimate Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookie!  It is indeed the ultimate.  It is a new favorite of hubby’s.  And it will now be a staple in my cookie recipe collection!  They are super crispy on the outside edges and tender and  soft on the inside.  The perfect combination of texture and flavor.

Here is the recipe as shared by Pam (which of course I doubled – because I knew I had to share)!

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup margarine (I used butter)
  • 1 cup peanut butter (I used Jiff Creamy)
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • Candy or chocolate of your choice to mix in (I used 4-6 Reese’s peanut butter cups, chopped, and 1/2 cup chopped Hershey’s Kisses.)
  • Sugar for dipping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat first six ingredients until fluffy.  Add next four ingredients.  Blend well.  Fold in chopped candy.  Shape into 1 1/2 – 2 inch balls.  Roll in sugar.  Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.  Flatten with sugared bottom of glass.  Bake 12-15 minutes or until browned on the edges and beginning to crinkle.  Remove from oven, and cool completely on wire cooling rack.  

Enjoy immensely!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

It only takes a spark

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Comfort Candle Bereavement Gift

It only takes a spark
to get a fire going.

Create a spark today.
Be the spark today.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

(PS – thank you JH for the beautiful comfort candle bereavement gift – it touched my heart – you lit a spark)

Making More Art

Blue Eyed Yellow Cat Face Close Up Watercolor - 7.5 x 9.5

Blue Eyed Yellow Cat Face Close Up Watercolor – 7.5 x 9.5

“Don’t think about making art, just get it done.
Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.”

– Andy Warhol

Just making more art!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Watercolors:  Quinacridone Gold, Cerelean Blue, Opera Rose, Paynes Gray

Oodles of Zoodles

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Oodles of Zoodles.

Has anyone else joined the zoodle craze?

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Low carb, low calorie, gluten free, grain free, wheat free, healthy, nutritious, unprocessed, vegetarian, cheap and and easy ZOODLES!

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Zoodles are zucchini noodles.  Or better put, vegetable noodles made from spiral cut zucchini.  They can be used in so many ways!

I recently purchased a SpiralLife Vegetable Slicer, and couldn’t wait to give it a try.  Super inexpensive at $14.99 on Amazon, it was easy to use, easy to clean, and easy on the wallet.

I made my zoodles to accompany a light dinner of Lemon Butter Chicken this week, and we loved them.

I simply sauteed them ever so briefly in olive oil with salt and pepper and a couple cloves of minced garlic.  After about two minutes, I added a handful of halved grape tomatoes and a generous grating of fresh Parmigiano reggiano cheese.  After sauteeing another two minutes, my zoodles were ready to serve and eat.  Yum!

How are you making your zoodles?

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

That Cold, Cold Day

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“The sun did not shine.
It was too wet to play.
So we sat in the house
All that cold, cold, wet day.”

― Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat

For those of you dealing with this cold, cold weather, stay warm and dry.
Wishing you a Dr. Seuss kind of day.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Crockpot Cuban Shredded Beef

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It was so cold this past Sunday and hunkering in was the order of the day.  While watching football playoffs (our Pittsburgh Steelers won!), I wanted a no fuss, but warm and comforting dinner to eat afterwards.

Beef chuck roasts are so versatile and cook so tender and juicy in the crockpot.  I make them a variety of ways, but wanted to try something new and different, and this Cuban Shredded Beef was just the ticket!  So yummy over a bed of rice with beans!  We’ll surely be eating them wrapped in tortillas this week too.

A tiny bit of a spicy kick and tons and tons of flavor make this easy recipe a new winner in my book.  And if you can’t get warmed up on the outside, this one will warm you up from the inside out!

I adapted this recipe slightly from Little Spice Jar.

Crockpot Cuban Shredded Beef

Ingredientscrockpot-cuban-shredded-beef

  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 3 1/2 lbs. beef chuck roast
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. oil
  • 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup diced sweet bell peppers
  • 1 large sweet onion, sliced
  • 2 4-oz. cans chopped green chilies
  • 2 Tbsp. dried oregano
  • 1 Tbsp. salt
  • 2  Tbsp. ground cumin
  • 2 Tbsp. white vinegar
  • 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 lime

Directions:

Make 3 deep “x” cuts into the chuck roast. Insert 3 whole garlic cloves into the cuts. Season both sides of the meat with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the chuck roast and fry on each side for 5 minutes to sear.  Don’t cover the pan as the meat will end up steaming rather than searing.

Chop the remaining 3 cloves of garlic, and add to crockpot along with all the remaining ingredients except for the lime. Cover and let cook on the low setting for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. When the beef falls apart easily when pulled with two forks, it’s done. Shred the beef with the forks and stir.

Serve over a bed of rice with beans on the side topped with additional cilantro and a few lime wedges. You can also use the shredded beef for burritos, quesadillas or tacos.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Cozy

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Cozy

Warm, crackling fire,
Soft blanket,
Brand-new fuzzy socks,
A favorite sweatshirt inside-out.

Broken-in space on the couch,
Smooshed pillows,
A furry four-legged friend,
A long-time love.

Dark red wine,
Creamy Godiva chocolate truffles,
Football playoffs,
Tender beef simmering in the crock pot.

Cold January Sundays
can be so cozy.
Cold January Sundays
can be the best.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

A little birdie told me…

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Goldfinch – Winter – Mars, PA 01-06-17

A little birdie told me…

When you love what you have,
you have everything you need.

 
(Oh to be so pretty AND so smart!!  😉)

(author unknown)

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

The Little Things

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Enjoy the little things in life.

One day you will look back
and realize

they were the big things.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi