Sunflower Watercolor 11×14 140 lb cold press 012018
A Watercolor Sunflower – Painting Warmth.
I found a little time this busy weekend
to escape to my art room
and splash a little paint…
to create some warmth
amidst the bitter chill
that is our weather right now…
inspired by my birthday bouquet
and the need to
create art.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
This watercolor painting – original, prints, and cards – is available at McKinneyX2Designs ETSY Shop
Wisdom from a Snowman.
It’s okay to be a little bottom heavy.
Don’t get too much sun.
Everyone nose carrots are good for you.
Be a jolly happy soul.
It takes a few extra rolls to make a good midsection.
It’s fun to hang out in the front yard.
Remember, we are all a little bit flaky.
White is always appropriate.
Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize!
(author unknown)
The Christmas decorations are down, but my snowies stay out until Spring. It has been so cold here lately, I thought it would be fun to share this wisdom from a snowman/person (aka snowies).
If you are somewhere cold, may you find warmth.
Wishing you comfort and contentment.
Happy Sunday!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Hearty Beef Barley Stoup and Homemade Beef Broth.
Stoup… Yep… That is not a typo.
This “soup” recipe is so hearty, you might almost consider it a stew, so my clever blogging friend Kathryn at Another Foodie Blogger, aptly named this recipe Stoup.
I was dying to try this recipe, as I am a huge fan of soups, and a huge fan of barley. (Grandma used to make a Beef Barley Soup, and I haven’t had it in years!)
Hubby is not much of a soup lover, but when I read Kathryn’s recipe and saw how hearty it was, I thought I might be able to get away with this one.
And did I ever! Hubby actually ate it with a fork and happily ate leftovers the following night.
This is one of the best new recipes I have tried in a long time! If all of Kathryn’s recipes are this amazing, I will be excited to try more.
This stoup literally tantalizes your taste buds with it’s bounty of complex textures and flavors, and I think what really took it over the top was the fact that I made homemade beef broth for it (not canned beef broth or water and bouillon cubes). I made the broth from scratch with beef bones ROASTED in the oven first with vegetables and then simmered for hours until it became a rich, dark brown pot of goodness. I found the recipe at Taste of Home and will share below.
This recipe is not hard, but it takes time. It is great for the type of weather we are experiencing in our part of the world right now… very cold and snowy. It’s a recipe for when you have time to roast and simmer all day while you are home. A recipe for when you are in the mood for chopping and dicing and then just totally curling up under a blanket by a fire with a crusty piece of bread to dunk in it and sop it up with.
I tweaked up Kathryn’s recipe just a bit. She added mushrooms. For those that like, please do add. Mushrooms are one thing I just can’t eat. Hubby on the other hand would have loved, but I just can’t put them in my mouth. I added a bit more beef and veggies to make it even thicker. And Barley is such a wonderful healthy grain.
I do hope you try this when you have time, and I hope you will visit Kathryn’s blog (or her Austin Street Taco Food Truck if you are anywhere near Bend, Oregon in the summertime) to check out some of her recipes. She has become a great blogging friend.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. high-quality beef roast, cut into 1 inch pieces
Salt and pepper, for seasoning meat
Flour, for dusting meat
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped sweet onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 14.5-ounce can diced or stewed tomatoes
4 cups homemade beef broth (recipe follows)
1 bay leaf
3 small sprigs thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Season cubed meat with salt and pepper, then toss with some flour to dust it. In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add beef to pot, and sear cubes on all sides until browned. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
Add onion, carrots, and celery to pot that you seared meat in, and cook 8-10 minutes to allow veggies to wilt and brown slightly. Add garlic and tomato paste in the last minute of cooking.
Pour in the red wine, and deglaze the pot by scraping up the browned bits. Add tomatoes, beef broth, bay leaf and thyme. Stir well to combine. Add the meat, including any accumulated juices in the bowl.
Bring to a boil, then stir in the barley. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 45-60 minutes or until the barley is cooked. Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs and taste for additional salt and pepper.
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
4 lbs meaty beef bones (beef shanks or short ribs)
3-4 large carrots, cut into chunks
3-4 ribs of celery with green leafy tops, cut into chunks
2 large onions, quartered
1/2 cup warm water
3 bay leaves
3-4 large garlic cloves
1 tsp coarse black pepper or peppercorns
3-4 sprigs fresh parsley or 1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1 beef bouillon cube
1 tsp salt
12 cups cold water
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a large dutch oven, roast soup bones, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Add carrots, celery, and onions, and roast an additional 30 minutes.
Remove from oven, and add warm water, stirring to loosen browned bits. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, and slowly boil for 30 minutes. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered 4-5 hours. Skim any foam that forms.
Remove bones (and send for Charlie!). Strain broth through a colander, discarding solids. If time allows, refrigerate to allow removing fat that forms on top. Otherwise skim as best possible from top.
Broth can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for 4-6 months.
If you want a super easy, homemade crusty rustic bread to go with it, try this recipe.
Stay warm, and enjoy this hearty and healthy meal.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Red Male Cardinal – Backyard, Mars, PA – taken through glass window – January, 2018
A Bright Spot in the Storm.
Need we really look
any further
than out the window
amidst a storm
when searching
for a bright spot?
Nature’s examples
teach us
there is always a bright spot
amidst a storm.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Bright red male cardinals fill my backyard in the winter and seem even more vibrant when the snow is swirling and blowing and the tree branches are bare. Such a bright spot in my day.
Grandma’s Old-Fashioned Poppy Seed Cake.
One of the things I love to do around my birthday is bake Grandma’s Old-Fashioned Poppy Seed Cake.
Having a birthday so close after Christmas, when everyone is really “over” sweets, Grandma made this simple cake for my birthday every year for as long as I can remember until she passed away.
May sound kind of strange that I like to bake my own cake these days, but I really do. For me, it’s more than baking. It’s reminiscing. It’s sweet, loving memories. It’s kind of a tribute to my Stella Star.
I use Grandma’s old tin measuring cup as I measure out the flour and sugar. I grease and flour the pan – a square tube pan – because that is the way Grandma did it. I crack eggs and stir and think of conversations Grandma and I had in the kitchen while she cooked and baked. I put it in the oven and wait for the smell…. That smell that takes me right there to her kitchen. Right back to that feeling of comfort and peace and unconditional love.
So yep – baking my cake gives me almost as much joy as eating it!
I love the way the outside is crisp and crunchy, and the inside is tender and moist and just a little sweet, but packed full of flavor.
This is a very basic cake. A cake likely made in times when ingredients were simple, money was tight, and everything was made from scratch with love. And I love it!
Do you have a recipe like this that is just as much of a memory as it is something to eat? Something that is a ritual of love?
Here is our recipe:
When cool, sprinkle generously with sifted powdered sugar.
Be a Sunflower.
Be a sunflower
on a cold winter day…
A burst of sunlight
when the clouds are heavy and gray.
Grow in places
people never thought possible.
Have a sturdy stalk and soft petals…
be wild and unstoppable.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
This little poem was inspired by a birthday bouquet of flowers from hubby. As I gazed at them sitting bright and beautiful on the kitchen table despite the bitter cold and gray just inches away through the window, I realized we can all be bright and sturdy and soft and wild and unstoppable no matter what we or others think is or is not possible. So let’s be a sunflower today.
Un…. A Charlie Guest Post.
Un – decorated from the holidays.
Un – happy that parties are over.
Un – thinkable that there will be no snack spreads to snitch from.
Un – realistic that Mom thinks we need to go on diets.
Un – thinkable that there are still hours until dinner time.
Un – imaginably cold outside – so no walks again today.
Un – believable that mom has to go back to work already.
Un – able to stay awake.
Un – der the covers I go.
Un – derstand…. It’s a dog’s life.
Woofs & Wags,
Charlie
Charlie is an adopted dog with brown eyes and a white-tipped tail who brings joy and laughter to his family and friends. Charlie is a gifted writer, raving food critic, cat, chipmunk, and donut lover, and exceptionally photogenic model. Some of his best friends are Mike the UPS Man, Cliff the Mailman, and ANYONE who delivers pizza to the house. If you would like to read more guest posts by Charlie, simply type “Charlie” into the Search box at the top right hand corner of this link: thecreativelifeinbetween.com. If you would enjoy a companion like Charlie, please consider pet adoption.
Shine Bright.
May your cup be full,
and your heart be warm.
May the light outshine the darkness,
and your soul shine brightly.
May the new year bring simple pleasures
that make up a year of cherished moments.
Happy New Year 2018!
May it be a good one.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
2017 was a pretty awesome year! I encourage you to think of seven things you learned or loved in 2017. I am sure there are many more than you realize.
Out of the 365 days…
or perhaps the 8, 760 hours….
maybe even the 525,600 minutes….
How do you measure a year?
I measure it in love.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Perfect Prime Rib Roast.
On Christmas Eve this year, we decided on a Simple Surf and Turf Dinner menu to have with the family. The Surf was Bacon Wrapped Scallops. The Turf was Prime Rib. Both were prepared simply, and turned out delish! Baked potatoes, Roasted Brussels Sprouts and a Salad of romaine lettuce, apples, dried cranberries and walnuts accompanied the entrees.
I managed to quickly snap this iPhone photo of Hubby cutting the prime rib. Not the best photo, but this recipe I found and slightly modified is such a keeper, I had to share! The roasted vegetables not only help to make the perfect base for the au jus, they also taste great too as an extra veggie.
Whenever you want a simple, but elegant entree, this is a winner you will want to try.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Rub roast with horseradish and mustard.
Combine salt, pepper thyme and garlic powder, and sprinkle over roast.
Place celery, carrot, and onion chunks in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Place roast on top of vegetables.
Roast for 30 mins. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and roast until meat is 135 degrees F.
Remove from oven, cover with foil, and allow to rest for 30 mins.
Make au jus sauce by placing pan drippings in roasting pan (veggies removed and reserved to serve) over a burner set to medium. Stir in beef bouillon and water. Bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water, and whisk into sauce. Allow sauce to thicken slightly, and serve with roast.
Enjoy!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 