Thank You! – and how to make Faux Enamel Dots for Card Embellishments

July 3, 2014July 2, 2014 / Jodi / 32 Comments

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Today is my 50th day blogging LifeinBetween.Me – and my 50th post!

What a joy it has been to receive messages and comments from folks I didn’t even know were reading this fun little project of mine…

People I know – and people I don’t – some who I haven’t talked to in a while – and some who are becoming new friends!

If I can make an impact in some small way, then it is a success!

Today’s card is a thank you to all of you. This was a super easy and fun one to make that was inspired by one I saw on Pinterest by a StampinUp Design Artisan! – Becky Cowley.

The fun part about it was making the faux enamel dots. While I only needed a few, I thought it well worth making a bunch in an assortment of colors and sizes. I used a variety of punches (including the good ole’ StampinUp Owl Punch!), which has several different size circles.

After punching out the circles (and even a couple little hearts), I scattered them on wax paper and put a “glob” (such a technical term) of StampinUp’s Crystal Effects on each. Then you just let them dry to a shiny, glossy, bright and fun embellishment for future cards.

Wishing you a shiny, bright and fun day.

at LifeinBetween.

Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi

Making Bagna Cauda with Oh Rob

July 2, 2014June 30, 2014 / Jodi / 7 Comments

Sharing a Communal Pot of Warm Bagna Cauda, Crispy Vegetables and Homemade Chewy, Crusty, Ciabattaa with family and friends

Oh the fun we had this past weekend with family and friends; and as promised, I wanted to share a special treat with you today.

My buddy, “Oh Rob,” as I affectionately refer to him, was in the house, and we made some Bagna Cauda to take to a picnic.

I asked if I could photograph him making it to share on my blog, and in true Oh Rob fashion, he graciously obliged.

Some of you might ask – “What the heck is Bagna Cauda?”

Others might say – “Ooooohhhh how I love that stuff!!!!”

Now don’t be scared off by the <ahem> low-calorie, low-cholesterol, low sodium ingredients…

You balance that by eating it with crisp, crunchy, healthy, fresh vegetables….

…..or crusty loaves of chewy bread (like the homemade Ciabatta we had!).

Now – Oh Rob is Italian – and oh how he loves being Italian! So you guessed it, Bagna Cauda is an Italian recipe.

Bagna Cauda is a warm dip served and eaten similar to fondue. It is made with garlic, olive oil, butter, anchovies, and Rob’s “secret” ingredient” (making this recipe a silver medal winner in a local bagna cauda competition!).

Bagna Cauda is best served in a large pan in the center of the table for communal sharing.

Are you ready?

To get in the mood, Rob first meticulously secures his Ivy Newsboy cap atop his head and spritzes himself with a bit of romantic, manly scented cologne.

He then chooses his favorite Italian music selection from his iPhone…

and pours a robust glass of dry red wine.

The mood is set. Can you feel it?

Now Rob begins the chopping of fresh garlic….

Trying every sharp knife and the good old Pampered Chef Food Chopper, Oh Rob finely chops the garlic, and adds it to his electric skillet that has been coated with a thin layer of olive oil.

After sautéing the garlic for a few minutes in the olive oil,

It is time to test the anchovy filets.

Per Chef Oh Rob, Bagna Cauda cannot be made without first sampling an anchovy filet on a cracker…

Oh Delizioso! We sampled on a sea salt flatbread cracker.

After passing our taste test, Oh Rob added two cans of anchovy filets with the olive oil they are packed in, smashing them and integrating and infusing them into the olive oil and garlic.

Per Oh Rob – “Roland” is the best. Around here, these cans sell for about $7.95 a can. And he gets them at our local Italian Store, Labriolas.

Next we add a……. yep – I have to admit – a pound of butter.

As Oh Rob adds the butter, he repeats the words of his wise Momma over and over – “Do NOT burn the butter Bobby. Do NOT burn the butter!”

Then it is time to add the Brugnoli family secret ingredient that Oh Rob gave me special permission to share.

2 – 3 heaping spoonfuls of sour cream get whisked in to finish this delicacy off.

Time to chop the veggies.

Notice our special helper and floor cleaner-upper, Mikey, is standing guard ready to help while Oh Rob cuts up crunchy stalks of celery to make great scoopers of Bagna Cauda,

And then some sweet red and orange and yellow peppers,

and chunks of cabbage.

Any firm, crisp vegetable you love tastes delicious dipped in bagna cauda.

And oh how wonderful it was communally sharing all this deliciousness with friends while sipping sangria.

Thanks for sharing Oh Rob, and thanks for a fun picnic Gary and Cindy. Great to see you Kathleen and Jack, and so glad to finally meet you Sally!

Mangia bevi e sii felice!

Eat Drink and Be Merry!

at Life In Between.

Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi

Heirlooms & Sweet Memories

July 1, 2014June 30, 2014 / Jodi / 1 Comment

I was quite honored when my dear cousin, Joyce blessed me with the gift of her beautiful heirloom quality, hand-carved Noah’s Ark set.

I placed it on top of an antique bookcase we use as a “china” cabinet that Marty actually found in an old barn, and we had refurbished.

The cabinet is filled with Pfaltzgraff dishes passed down from Joyce and Rob, Aunt Francie’s heirloom cow creamer, Marty’s mom’s favorite sterling silver sugar dish (that she always served butter mints in for “company” dinner parties), and lots of other things we have accumulated and cherished through the years.

na4 It seemed the perfect spot to share space with so many of the other mementos we have of beautiful memories of times spent with some of our favorite people 🙂

Dan Gregan is the amazing artist that handcrafted this set. His website, Dagwood Carving, shows that he now has over 80 pairs of animals created to accompany his arks!

I love how well it goes in my dining room, which is my most “antique” or “primitive” rooms in the house combining an eclectic mix of Noah’s ark, chickens, antique sewing machines as buffets, and a special dry sink cabinet made by Uncle Carl – Joyce’s dad.

To me, decorating a home is about special, meaningful things that you love or are from people you love – not about a particular style or designer or “look.” I feel love when I look around my dining room…

Heirlooms…

and sweet memories…

at Life in Between.

Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi

PS – look for a special blog post tomorrow when “Oh Rob” (Joyce’s other half) was in the house cooking this past weekend! Oh what fun we all had! And we’re going to teach you how to make BAGNA CAUDA as only Oh Rob can do! Here’s a sneak peak of Oh Rob in action…

Rhubarb Custard Pie (& Secrets to Successful Pie Crust)

June 30, 2014June 29, 2014 / Jodi / 20 Comments

Rhubarb Custard Pie is not a common one in circles I’m in, but this was a favorite of Marty’s family, and has become a favorite of ours too.

The recipe is Marty’s mom’s. She taught me how to make it – and how to make a simple, but tender and flaky pie crust.

Rhubarb Custard Pie was always one of Pap’s (and IS Nick’s) favorite pie I make. For Marty, it is not complete without a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Many folks I know like to mix rhubarb with something else sweet, like strawberries.

Not here… sliced chunks of the tart, crimson, tangy rhubarb stalks

are a perfect contrast to the creamy, sweet, simple custard to make this a dynamite summertime pie.

We took it to a picnic this weekend, but of course I had to make one for home too.

Here is my recipe in its original form passed on and lovingly stained from my mother-in-law, who taught me so much about baking and cooking and canning… and how sometimes good things are messy. 🙂

The recipe is short and sweet.

I think it takes me longer to clean up than it does to make it.

You may notice the recipe does not include how to make the pie crust, so here is our “secret family recipe.”

Note that I was making 6 crusts in these photos (for 3 pies), but my recipe will be for one crust. You simply double or triple or quadruple, etc. as necessary.

For 1 pie crust, mix 1 cup flour, a heaping 1/3 cup Crisco shortening, and a dash of salt in a bowl blending with a pastry blender till crumbly.

Add enough cold water to just moisten and be able to form a ball (about 1/3 cup)

and put on a floured surface to roll out.Important: Do not overwork the dough. This is NOT bread dough. It shouldn’t be “kneaded.” The more you work it, the tougher it will become. The less you play with it, the more tender and flaky it will be.

If you are doing more than one crust, simply divide the dough into that number of balls and set aside all but one to roll out.

I like to use a heavy marble rolling pin to gently roll out the pie dough – working it as little as possible and turning over a few times to keep from sticking to the rolling pin and surface.

Lift it from the surface to your pie pan (I prefer baking stones) by folding it in quarters, placing in the pan,

then unfolding and pinching edges

and add filling.

For Rhubarb Custard Pie, I like to make a lattice crust, so simply roll out another ball of dough and cut into 8 strips.

Place 4 on the pie in one direction, then weave by lifting two alternating and place one the opposite direction, then lifting the other two, and repeating.

A finishing touch is to brush with some cream (or melted butter)

and sprinkle with sugar.

Lastly, cover the edges of the pie with strips of aluminum foil to prevent the edges from getting overbaked or burnt.

Bake and enjoy!

And with those leftover scraps of dough, Marty always loves with I brush them with a little cream or melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and bake into yummy cinnamon stick treats.

Hope you and yours will enjoy this pie as much as we do!

Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi

Hugs

June 29, 2014June 26, 2014 / Jodi / 6 Comments

Isn’t this a great philosophy?

I’ve been trying it out – and I like it! 🙂

Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi

Birds in our Backyard – Better than Bravo TV

June 28, 2014June 26, 2014 / Jodi / 3 Comments

Birds have to eat – even when it is pouring down rain.

But really, Buddy – couldn’t you have waited a little bit longer for this torrential stuff to stop – eh?!

Look how SOAKED this poor little guy is?
———-

I’m thinking it is a true sign of – ahem – middle age – err – approaching senior when you start loving to watch birds…. Please prove me wrong friends, and say it isn’t so!

When Marty first started putting up birdfeeders and watching birds and getting bird books and binoculars and telescopes and citing them by name (we think this is a rose-breasted grosbeak, but correct me if I’m wrong), I laughed.

(Just like when he started listening to country music years ago, and I poo pooed it, until one day I realized I was singing along too!) OY VEY!

But Dangit – I gotta say – I’m into this bird watching stuff now too!

Our back deck looks out into the woods, and it is practically a bird sanctuary.

To just listen to them singing all day is quite amazing, but to see them flying around, feeding, sometimes fighting over the feeders, bringing their families in – wow – it’s quite mesmerizing. (Sure beats the multitude of episodes of Housewives and Kardashians, which I have finally and completely tired of!)

Look at this cute little one waiting it’s turn.

Yep – I’ve become a bird watcher…

I’ve yet to capture my favorite pair of yellow finches. I think I get so fascinated watching them, I forget to grab my camera.

I also want to capture some of the other woodpeckers (several varieties hanging out here) and the beautiful orange bellied orioles and vibrant red cardinals, but have not been successful yet.

Even Mikey likes to watch them…

And they tolerate him 🙂

Yep – bird watching in our backyard is better than Bravo – any day – rain or shine….

at Life In Between.

Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi

Hello Friday!

June 27, 2014June 26, 2014 / Jodi / 5 Comments

I’ve always loved bright orange poppies.

It’s so sad that they are only around for about two weeks of the whole entire year, but boy they sure do make their statement when they are here.

Though they are done for the year, I was inspired by a great stamper (and friend) who made a beautiful card recently using the SU Pleasant Poppies stamp – Cindy Brumbaugh at CindyLeeBeeDesigns.

For this card, I also used a fun watercolor and sea salt technique I learned from Patty Bennett (and her dad 🙂 ).

I finished it with one of my favorite new sentiment stamp sets – SU Hi There – for a cheery Hello.

Hello Friday!

Glad you are here, because you are bringing with you some of our favorite peeps to spend some time with us.

Your room is ready, Joyce and Rob.

See you soon Gary and Cindy and Jack and Kathleen!

Happy weekend all!

Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi

Happy Graduation and Best Wishes Jules!

June 26, 2014June 25, 2014 / Jodi / 3 Comments

SU @SoSocial, Owl Punch, En Francais

So Jules – This one is for you!

Just a few important things I want to tell you:

Happy Graduation! (this card is on it’s way to you – note the Case Western Color theme… 🙂 )

Congrats on the new job! (don’t eat too much SPAM!)

Best wishes on your move! (can’t wait to see how you Julieize your new pad!)

Wishing you much success and happiness. (because you deserve it, and I know you will spread joy and fun wherever you go!)

And always remember how much I love ya! (that goes without saying – but I never want to stop telling those I love! ❤ )

Ya know – I have known you from the day you were born, and I have loved you that long too! You are like a daughter to me, and I just want you to know how proud I am of the amazing young lady you’ve become.

From fond memories of the past…

with all the craziness you put up with from your Mom and me and this whole gang of houligans…

and to wine glasses bigger than you….

and paint chip walls and college visits…

It’s been great.
It’s been fun.

It’s #kindofabigdeal !

Love ya Julie Henderson!

Cheers and Hugs,

Momma 2 – Jodi

Crock Pot Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Wraps with Pineapple Slaw

June 25, 2014June 25, 2014 / Jodi / 5 Comments

One day last week, I was surprised to get an email from Nick sending me a link to a recipe he saw on Host the Toast’s Blog for Crock Pot Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Tacos with Pineapple Slaw. (Who knew he read recipe blogs?!?)

Anyway – he somehow charmingly hinted that it would make a great dinner sometime.

Well – woohoo! Looked YUMMY to me, and I am always up for a new recipe.

I was excited that he wanted me to try something new and different.

So last night I made these yummy wraps (our version of the taco) – because – hey – Nick loves any meal that can be wrapped in a flour tortilla and eaten with one hand.

And we both love anything zipped up with spicy Sriracha sauce. (In this case both the chicken and the slaw!)

For those unfamiliar with Sriracha – a little goes a long way – so BEWARE faint of spicy taste bud fans – and use sparingly if you are a bit wimpy about zippiness.

The chicken is so tender and juicy and spicy and sweet and yummy.

It could be eaten as is or on a bun or even over some steamed rice (I happened to make a yummy pan of Basmati Rice Pilaf as the “side” dish last night).

And the slaw – oh so yummy and bright and fresh – and such a perfect blend of crunchiness and sweet and zippy and tangy. Placed atop the BBQ chicken on a flour tortilla with a generous sprinkling of shredded cheddar cheese – Oh my!

I’m guessing some of the more unusual ingredients from the original recipe (like coconut milk and rice vinegar) can be omitted or substituted. (In fact, I did purchase the coconut milk – for the first time – but substituted red wine vinegar for the rice vinegar).

Be creative – don’t worry if you don’t have all the ingredients – mix and match – plug and play – substitute – omit – follow your own taste buds.

So…

Happy to report that Nick LOVED it…

I loved it…

Marty liked it – a lot – (can’t give it a “LOVE” though – he’s always been a little weird about fruit mixed with savory – whatever – be boring then)

Here is the recipe for how I made it.

Enjoy!

Chicken:
3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
1½ cups pineapple juice
½ cup honey BBQ Sauce
1/4 cup honey
⅓ cup soy sauce
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp ginger
2 Tbsp sriracha sauce (this stuff is POTENT – so only use 1 Tbsp if you’re a sissy!)

Flour tortillas
Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Pineapple Slaw:
½ small purple cabbage, sliced thin
¼ medium green cabbage, sliced thin
¼ fresh pineapple, cored and diced
½ small red or Vidalia onion, diced
3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup coconut milk
1 lime
1 Tbsp sriracha
1 tsp brown sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Whisk together pineapple juice, soy sauce, BBQ sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, and sriracha.
Place chicken breasts in crock pot and cover with the sauce mixture.
Cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Combine and toss all of the slaw ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

After the chicken is cooked for 7-8 hours in the crock pot, shred it with a fork and let it absorb the sauce for another 30 minutes or more.

To eat, place a serving of chicken on the flour tortilla, top with pineapple slaw and a generous sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese. Roll it up, and enjoy!

Cheers and Hugs and a zippy Aloha!

Jodi

Friends Found – Ain’t it Good to Know You’ve Got a Friend

June 24, 2014June 24, 2014 / Jodi / 5 Comments

As I was contemplating what I would share on my blog today, I was emailing with a dear friend.
Always the multi-tasker, I was doing three or four things at once, but got stuck on a thought she put in my head.

Friends Found

Do you ever think about all the ways people come into your life?
How you decide who will be your “friend?”
Is it a conscious decision?
Does it take consideration?
For some, it takes time…
it takes proof,
it takes evidence,

But for me…… (and as niave as it may sound)
You are my friend…
right away…
unless or until you prove otherwise.

I fall in love quickly.
(and not in an inappropriate way)
But I simply love people.
I love their differences, their uniqueness, their similiarities…
their stories, their history, their traditions…

I love it all –
and consider you my friend
unless you prove otherwise.

No “proving” of friendship with me.
Only proving you’re not… my friend – if that is to be.

Otherwise I’ll love ya.
Because what is life about if not for that?
Call me naïve
Call me gullible
Call me a dreamer…

Whatever

I’d rather love and lose
than never love at all.

and that reminds me…
like just about everything 🙂 …
of a song…

(and here is my favorite version of Carole King’s “You’ve Got A Friend” from Divas Live – which I had on CD years ago – and now must search for! – but practically wore out listening to – and shamefully sang out VERY loud to from my car many, many a times…)

You’ve Got a Friend:

You know…
I had a bit of a vagabond lifestyle growing up
with lots of change and many different homes and schools and situations…
but I don’t regret a minute of it – because it shaped me into what and who I am today.

And I think I am ok.

Life throws us a lot of curve balls,
but the fun part is figuring out how to hit them!
And though I started out with a bit of a rocky road,
I have found so many friends along the way that have more than made up for it!

Yep –
I’ve got a friend – in fact quite a few friends – and I am so grateful…
for
Friends Found
at Life in Between.

Thank you for being a friend. (teehee – another song!)

Cheers and Hugs,
Jodi

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the creative life in between

cherishing the moments and exploring my passion for creativity… through art, photography, food, and writing

Thank You! – and how to make Faux Enamel Dots for Card Embellishments

Making Bagna Cauda with Oh Rob

Heirlooms & Sweet Memories

Rhubarb Custard Pie (& Secrets to Successful Pie Crust)

Hugs

Birds in our Backyard – Better than Bravo TV

Hello Friday!

Happy Graduation and Best Wishes Jules!

Crock Pot Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Wraps with Pineapple Slaw

Friends Found – Ain’t it Good to Know You’ve Got a Friend

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