Mimi's Monday Look at Pinterest

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I've been "pinning" alot lately and actually doing some of the pins as well.  I thought I'd share a bit how that's been working out for me....

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

TODAY

 
PLANS FOR THIS WEEKEND

Peace,

Goodness Bakes!

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After another couple of subzero mornings, it was time for our favorite morning (and evening....and lunchtime) dish (yes, once it's made, we enjoy it for any meal - it is THAT delish and THAT versatile...well, at least for us.  We're not picky).

I give you - JoAnn's Baked Oatmeal (now JoAnn will tell you that this is Mary Sue's Baked Oatmeal, but I got the recipe from JoAnn, so there you go).  This 9" X 13" pan of awesomeness will warm you up and fill you up anytime this winter (and next fall - yes, we do start early with this one - as soon as the apples are ready, hubby and soccer girl will start asking for it).

One of the great things about this dish is that, for the most part, it is quite healthy.  Yes, it does call for some brown sugar -- but, I think next time we make it, I'm going to try reducing the amount.  I'm pretty sure it would be just fine with half the amount or maybe even one quarter the amount (I'll let you know when I do -- or if you beat me to it, post a comment and fill us in on your results).

The other change (healthier, I think) we tried last night was with the milk and the oil.  We used unsweetened almond milk instead of regular milk (I hardly ever use regular milk anymore, but we have it on hand for hubby's cereal) :)  And the oil?  In the past, we have always gone with 1/2 canola and 1/2 olive.  This time we did 1/2 coconut oil (melted it in the microwave) and 1/2 olive oil.  I thought the whole dish would have a coconut "taste" to it (which we really didn't think we would mind) as it had a wonderful tropical aroma when everything was mixed.  However, the finished dish didn't have any trace of a coconut taste to me at all.  We are using the coconut oil here and there, and this seemed like a good place to substitute it - it worked!

Other tips for "Baked Oatmeal":
* Night before prep dry ingredients, wet ingredients (refrigerate), and chopped fruit/nuts except apple (wait til morning to chop apple to prevent turning brown).
* An easy way to do the applesauce is if you have snack packs - they are 1/2 c. each
* Might be interesting/healthy to try this with egg whites/egg substitutes, too.
* I've been told this can be made with Splenda instead of the brown sugar.  Again, we will probably just try reducing the brown sugar first.  Then we may try adding Truvia (Splenda is still a no-no for me with migraines). :/

Finally, here's "JoAnn's Baked Oatmeal"!  Enjoy  :)

3/4 c. brown sugar
1 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
3 1/2 c. old-fashioned oats  (real oats, not quick-cooking)

2 c. milk
1/2 c. oil (can use all olive oil, all canola, or 1/2 & 1/2)
2 eggs beaten
1/2 c. applesauce
1 t. vanilla

1 fresh apple chopped
1/4 c. dried fruit (cranberries, etc.)
1/2 c. ch. nuts (pecans, walnuts, etc.)

Preheat oven to 375 (350 for glass pan). Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and stir well. Add fruit and nuts. Pour into greased 9 X 13 inch pan. Bake 25 minutes.   Cool a little before eating.  Cover and refrigerate the rest.  Reheat portions in microwave.

What's in YOUR Freezer?

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Yes, this is a picture of my freezer.  Believe it or not, I have a "working knowledge" of what's in there.  So I was prepared for hubby's question last weekend - "Hon, why do you have a shirt in the freezer?"

"It's not a shirt.  It's my sweater."

"Oh, ok, so why do you have your sweater in the freezer?"

I went on to remind him of how when I bought this new cashmere sweater (my first and only cashmere - at a great sale price, of course), the sales clerk had told "soccer daughter" (who being with me had also jumped in on the deal) and myself about a "tip" she had heard from a woman buying another sweater earlier that week.

The woman had explained that she always stores her cashmere sweaters in the freezer.  She folds them, places them in zip-lock bags, and puts them in the freezer until she needs them.  When she wants to wear one, she removes it from the freezer and the bag, unfolds it, laying it out on her bed while she showers.  By the time she's ready for the sweater, it is ready for her - looking fresh as the day she bought it.  The woman claimed that this method keeps away moths, keeps the sweater fresh, crisp, and cleaner between dry cleaning.

Our sales clerk was careful to say that the store (you can see the label in the picture above - as I said, it was a BIG sale!!) wasn't endorsing the method, but that it was an interesting idea.  Never having owned a cashmere sweater before this one, I'm giving the method a try - as long as there is room in the freezer, that is. ;)  I'll keep you posted -- if you've had success (or failures) with this idea, let me know!

Friday Feature - Me!

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Still waiting on some more artisans/bloggers who might like a spot here -- if you're interested, just follow this blog as a GFC (right hand column) and I'll be in touch.  Also, if you know of anyone who might like the opportunity to have their work or blog "highlighted," be sure to pass this information on.  Meanwhile, today's feature is me!

Explain the story behind your store or trade name.

My shop names are SignatureSterling.  That came from my own leanings toward sterling silver jewelry, and because of that, when I first began my journey in designing and creating jewelry, a dedication to the quality of working with sterling.  The "signature" part grew out of my first pieces generally being more custom in nature - the "Scarlet and Gray" series for Buckeye fans, the "Heirlooms to Order" series ("Mama's Gems," "Morgan's Heirloom," Grandma's Gems"), the "Hope Bracelet") and also stressed my intention for my jewelry to be unique - but "for everyday...for every occasion."

Explain how and why, if applicable, your work has changed in the last 5 years.

I think my earlier work was "safe," more traditional - not that there's anything wrong with classic - there's still room in my shop for that.  But, I believe I've moved into more playful, perhaps even more "signature" designs over the last few years.  I've signed up for some online classes in wire-working and am looking forward to learning more about that area.

What and/or who influences your work?  What and/or who motivates you in your work?  How do you find your muse?

My early influences and motivation came from some extremely talented artisans who were team members with me on Etsy - Vicki Potter of OrionDesigns, Donna Mayer of  Ctbydonna, Robin of BeadNestDesigns, Lee of FivetonineDesign, Ainse of Beajoux, Brenda Smith of  Brenda's Jewellry Box, Patty Woodland of BrokenTeepeeDesigns, Kristy of ShinyAdornments, and Marcy Lamberson of StudioMarcy.  Some of us even met almost weekly at one point for an online chat with the purpose of focusing on our work but usually sharing our lives with each other over virtual and real glasses of wine.  I will always cherish those conversations and those ladies - they helped to really guide and motivate me.

Finding my muse can sometimes be a struggle - she likes to go into hiding (or rather I let myself get distracted and let her run off somewhere).  But I can usually draw her back if I just make myself take the time to "play with the beads" as I call it -- that was my first initial thrill when I made my first pair of earrings with a dear friend at a bead shop in Toronto almost seven years ago - "playing with the beads," all the colors, the textures, the patterns - it was like I was a kid again.  I was never an artist when it came to drawing, but with the beads, I feel like I've got a chance to let the artist inside me come out.

 What do you enjoy most about your work?

Well, besides the "playing with the beads" part, lol - I really enjoy my repeat customers - knowing that they've connected with my work in a way that brings them back again.

What is your favorite piece in your shop right now?  Why?

Since I'm doing this feature on myself, I'm going to cheat and pick 2 - one from each shop. :)

First, from the Artfire shop -- "Diving In"  Earrings   I love the teal blue color with just a hint of that green that is "in" this season.  Perfect for this spring and summer.

 

 And from the Etsy shop --  "Night and Day" Earrings   Showing there is still room for the classic in my shops, I love the look of snowflake obsidian rounds here.

You can find me on:

Artfire at SignatureSterling
Etsy at SignatureSterling
Email at signaturesterling@gmail.com
Facebook at www.facebook.com/SignatureSterling
Pinterest at Mimi3Smiles
Twitter at Mimi_Three

And the Winner Is...

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It was a weekend of new recipes at the SignatureSterling household, along with the Oscars celebration.

I told you Friday we were looking forward to trying out a new margarita recipe as a tribute to "National Margarita Day" (hubby pointed out to me that yesterday was "National Tortilla Chip Day" - hmm, maybe someone should have coordinated those two?).  I probably should mention that the drink of choice for us is usually wine except when we are at our favorite local Mexican restaurant - then hubby becomes the Dos Equis man and I have my Corona Light.  Once in a while, I'll have a 'rita, but I usually pass as I don't like the mixer used.

So, hubby arrived home with the needed ingredients and pulling out a large bottle of Jose Cuervo Gold, asked, "Will this be enough?" 

"Uhm, yes, that should be plenty."

"Because there was a smaller bottle, but I didn't know how much we would need."

And then he added,  "And I bought limes."  I didn't say anything, but thought to myself, hmm, didn't put limes on the list - not in the recipe....he must have read my mind - he's good at that - because he answered my silence:

"For the tequila shots. Don't we need limes? You know, shot, slam, lime?"

"We're making margaritas, not doing shots.  I'm not doing shots!"

Here's the recipe we used for the dreamy, creamy "Caribbean Dreamsicle Margaritas" -- soooo good!

And a few pics of the drink in process. So easy! 

The finished product.....oh, and those limes? They're still in the fridge.

Last night, for the Oscars, I planned a special menu based around the Best Picture nominations - it was fun coming up with the menu, finding the recipes - and then putting it all together.  Note - next time, a.  we need to invite someone over to help eat the appetizers (looks like we'll be eating "Crabby Snacks" for about a week) b. should probably remember that hubby has never been a night owl so while we had best intentions of enjoying a late night dessert of his beautiful cake and some cafe au lait, he gave up on the show around 10 when we were both still full from dinner. :)  Confession - I did have a piece of the cake and it was delish!

OSCAR NIGHT MENU

Wine (California - Hollywood) 

Handcraft Cabernet Sauvignon

Appetizer (Silver Linings Playbook)

Crabby Snacks

Entree (Life of Pi)

Shrimp with Shallot-Tarragon Sauce on Wilted Spinach

Side (Argo, Zero Dark Thirty)

Couscous with Cinnamon and Golden Raisins

Bread (Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained)

Cheddar Dill Biscuits

Dessert (Lincoln)

 Apple Spice Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze*

After Dinner Drink (Amour, Les Miserables)

Cafe au Lait **

*Hubby made this beautiful and delicious cake - and, the selection is based on a recommendation from Epicurious.com that President Lincoln liked apples.  So, there you go.

**No picture for this, alas, due to a. hubby already calling it a night and b. me already having every pan and dish loaded in the dishwasher.  Enough.  You get the idea.

And the winner is....well, Ben Affleck, of course - so worth staying up late to see that win! Loved Argo and while I don't understand his omission from the Best Director category, I think the Best Picture win more than makes up for it AND his thank-you speech was the best ever. Gotta love Ben :)

Now, Where Were We?

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Need to follow-up on a couple of things....first, whatever happened to that promise I made to keep you posted on my project to get my filing organized?  Remember this?

 

Yeah, me too! But, I'm happy to report that I did follow through - all of the above has been sorted, trashed as needed, filed appropriately, and now for the big reveal:  

Have to say I'm pretty proud of myself and it has been done for a couple of weeks now (no, it did not take just a day or two as maybe suggested by the original link in the post - in fact, I did go back to my traditional sort, stack, file approach - seems to work best for me when I get myself in a big mess like this).  But, the goal now is to keep this clear -- motivation is that we'll be ready for grandkiddos to visit at any given time.  ;)

Second, I totally failed at pulling off that Valentine's menu on February 14th - and now I know it's a very good thing that I didn't attempt it.  If I had, we never would have made the concert that night or I would have been very frustrated at leaving a half-prepared meal and kitchen in chaos behind.  I know this because I did prepare the dinner, with the help of my talented sous chef/Valentine/hubby this week, when we didn't have any time constraints.  Good thing!  Apparently the recipe tags "quick & easy" only apply if you are preparing ONE recipe at a time - not three....

But I promised pictures so here they are.  First ~ the Beef Tenderloin with Morels and Tarragon Marsala Sauce  and Tomato Bread Salad with Herbs.






Now the dessert, Coffee Souffles with Mocha Sauce...first, let me say, I really wish I had taken a picture when I had taken these out of the oven - they were gorgeous - I've never made a souffle-anything before so I was very skeptical, but they were beautiful - really, they were!  But, now I know why the recipe says "serve immediately."  Yeah....

But, the mocha sauce was delish and covered a multitude of souffle sins - so hubby and I decided it was still very light and luscious.

All in all, a great dinner - "easy" maybe, but not quick and definitely messy.  Very thankful for my sous chef who volunteered for clean-up while I enjoyed a second glass of pinot noir and put my feet up.

A Recipe from Gigi

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Last week I was visiting with soccer girl (aka goalie daughter) who had come down with the flu - I was planning to meet Mom (aka Gigi) for a dinner out, but between S.G.'s doctor's visit, stopping by for some comfort food she could enjoy when I took her home, and filling her script for Tamiflu (and loading her up with a supply of kleenex, water, anti-viral goodies, and Cheez-its...yep, Cheez-its) - I found myself calling Mom around 7:15 pm to say, "Just leaving now," not exactly the best timing for a dinner out on a cold winter night when I still had a 30 minute drive to her house. 

I pulled into the driveway half an hour later, expecting to leave in a few minutes and head to one of the area restaurants open at that hour (and not looking forward to going out again).  But, when I walked into the house, the most amazing aroma told me I wasn't going anywhere! Mom had "whipped up" this incredible quiche in just the time I had called, and it was finishing off in the oven, giving us time to relax over glasses of chardonnay.  With the quiche, she served a wonderful green salad with feta cheese, clementines, dried cranberries, and sugared pecans.  Who needs to eat out when you've got a Mom who'll just "throw this together"?  Thanks, Gigi ;) (Note:  recipe calls for cream and whole milk - Mom used half & half and 2% milk. Tasted great)

SALMON QUICHE

One 9-inch baked pie crust

Filling:

2 tablespoons butter                                    3 eggs

1 shallot, finely chopped                             1/2 cup whole milk

4 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced          1/4 cup cream

4 ounces smoked salmon, chopped          1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or            1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

   1 teaspoon dried dillweed                        1/2 cup grated swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt the butter in a heavy medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the shallot and mushrooms.  Saute until mushrooms give off their liquid and it evaporates, about 5 to 8 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool.

Whisk the eggs, cream, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.  Stir in salmon, cheese and mushroom mixture.  Pour into crust.  Bake until top is set, about 20 to 25 minutes.  Cool slightly.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Makes 4 - 6 servings.

               

Greater Expectations...in Organization

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Yesterday, I attempted to gather all of our information for taxes and came up short on a couple of needed receipts....and looked guiltily at this....

As a Pin-a-holic, I feel like I should take full advantage of at least some of my activity on Pinterest so this morning I opened up my "Order and Organization" Board (interesting how my Pinterest "house" seems so much more together than my real house) and found a great link, "How to Simplify Your Filing System."  The system is based on David Allen's Getting Things Done, and while I have not read Allen's approach in its entirety, having reviewed the above link and a few others provided there, I do think it might work pretty well for me.

Leo Babauta, of the blog, zenhabits, explains,  

Why stacking doesn’t work: Because it just piles up and then the pile gets a little intimidating and then before you know it you’ve got a huge pile that you never want to go through. Then you can’t find anything when you need it, and now you no longer have a filing system.

Now Leo explains that when he did this with his home filing system it took him about an hour.  Let's just say I started today and got halfway through my files after 3 hours.  You see, hubby and I were married 2 1/2 years ago so right now we still have two filing cabinets...plus the pile on the bed. :)  This project may take me a little bit longer than Leo suggests. I'll keep you posted.

Pin-de-licious

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Do you "Pin"?  If not - just enjoy the picture... If so, do you pin selectively?  Yes?  You are going to have to explain how you do that - must be linked to my shopping addiction, I'm guessing?  I do not pin selectively.  Now I do not pin everything - there are no pins for wood pallets on my boards - I do understand my limitations and my interests.  There are no pins for weddings (I do still have three unwedded lovely adult children, but I'm thinking with each of them that the circumstances are that when and if a wedding arises, I may have little input - I'll just get to enjoy, not arrive with plenty of pins to share - and if that should change, well, I know I can pin in a hurry).  And there are very few sewing pins...well, sometimes, in a weak moment.

But cookies?  Oh, yes, the "Cookie Jar" board is quite full.  And hubby couldn't be happier.  You see, hubby is the head baker here (which means I couldn't be happier).  This past weekend we "looked" into the "Cookie Jar" to find a new recipe and decided to test out these - Bisquick Chocolate Chip Cookies.  When the first batch came out of the oven, hubby called from the kitchen, after sampling, "I am never making regular chocolate chip cookies again!"  I completely agree - they are beyond delicious.  Definitely a Pinterest success (and you know there are plenty of Pinterest-fails out there).  The picture above is from Plain Chicken's blog, the source of the recipe.  I'd show you a picture of one of our cookies, but our real cookie jar is empty.  Happy Monday!