Dyeing with Onion Skins

Posted on October 11, 2017 by Deborah

I have done this dye job once before, but didn’t document it very well so figured I would have a virtual record of it this go round.

Dyeing fibres with onion skins is amazingly simple. You don’t need any mordants (Che icals that affix the dye particles to the fibres) and you can use your regular kitchen utensils (but, if you are going to use other plant based dyes or chemical dyes, you must have a separate set of utensils so as not to contaminate and possibly make yourself very ill!) and it’s one of the few plant based dyes … Read more...

September KAL (Knit Along)

Posted on October 2, 2017 by Deborah

For those knitters and fibre enthusiasts out there, you know the feeling of completing a KAL with a great bunch of like minded folk. For those that aren’t into fibre-arts, you are missing out!

For the month of September, I signed up to knit a shawl for a KAL group on Ravelry, which by the way, if you are not a part of and you are a fibre geek, then I suggest you head over pronto to sign up (its free) and you will then have access to oodles of patterns from mitts to socks to hats to sweaters … Read more...

Tomato & Avocado Salad

Posted on September 29, 2017 by Deborah

I had a pretty good garden crop this year, especially the tomatoes. A bumper crop of the luscious round globes had me eating them in a variety of ways, especially with the extended summer heat of September. The thought of having to prepare and cook a hot meal on days where the mercury climbed above 30C had me melting into a puddle. Salads became a staple for lunches and dinners.

A favourite is this super simple and super tasty tomato and avocado salad. With so few ingredients, you are done in a snap!

Ingredients
4 Garden Fresh Tomatoes (for a … Read more...

Welcome back!

Posted on September 28, 2017 by Deborah

Not just to me, but to my loyal readers and I hope some new ones as well. After fighting with an apparent “push” by Facebook that has derailed my newsfeed (and with no fix, reason, explanation, or CARE from FB), I will no longer be using that site.

Instead, I have invited new and old friends to receiving updates either via subscribing to the email list (select “Subscribe” from the main page, or by selecting the RSS feed option at the bottom-right hand side of the main page labeled “Entries RSS”.

I have a load of new ideas for the … Read more...

Lightened Up Egg Salad

Posted on August 4, 2017 by Deborah

I love eggs. One of Nature’s wonders of the food world. I would love to eat them everyday, but my family history is peppered with heart health issues so I only indulge when I really, really, really have a craving for them.

Yesterday was one of those days. I came back from a bike ride and while cooling down from the physical exertion, I started having a hankering for egg salad for lunch. Not keeping any mayo in the house (high in fat and calories) I Googled whether or not I could sub fat free Greek yogurt for the mayo … Read more...

CopyCat Deep Dish Shroom Pizza

Posted on July 20, 2017 by Deborah

This is 2 years in the making. Well, technically dreaming of making it over the last 2 years, but the other day I finally had an epiphany about the mushrooms in this pizza.

Hubs is back working in NY state temporarily on a special project and pretty much the first thing I asked was if Uno’s Shroom Pizza is still on the menu. Sadly no, they pulled it off again. I can see why because of the amount of cheese used as well as the time it takes to make this pizza, or more importantly, the time necessary for marinating … Read more...

Fuerig The Baby Alpaca

Posted on June 18, 2017 by Deborah

I really wish I could have met Fuerig in person. With his glossy black locks and cool demeanor, I could envision him strutting around the paddock like a camelid version of Fabio, beckoning to the ladies housed in the next pasture over with a “hello gorgeous, come here often?” line.

Since the owner sold him for breeding stock before I arrived at the ranch, the next best thing was to acquire 2 of his fleeces. The first fleece being his “cria” fleece (cria is what a baby alpaca is called) with a 4 1/2″ long staple length and slight crimp, … Read more...

Squash & Black Bean Quesadilla

Posted on June 14, 2017 by Deborah

Tonight’s dinner was a snap, especially when you already have 2 of the star ingredients cooked and on hand. In this case, it was the squash and beans. I am a bean snob, I prefer to rehydrate and cook my own vs canned beans, something about starting out from scratch that has always appealed to me, in whatever I do.

Anyway, back to quesadillas! and yes, another (say it with emphasis now)… a-nother!Mexican flavor inspired recipe. I had already made the beans for another batch of my black bean and wild/brown rice enchiladas and the squash was leftover … Read more...

Duvet Cover Wrestling

Posted on May 18, 2017 by Deborah

I am sure I am not the only one that hates wrestling a duvet into its over-sized pillow case periodically. Been doing it for years and always procrastinate about washing the cover just to avoid the impending wrestling match.

As I was mentally getting psyched up for the task I had a brain wave, a storm surge, an epiphany….whatever you call it, this GREAT idea popped into my head.

CLOTHESPINS!

Why don’t I insert the duvet up to the top corners of the cover and using clothespins, pin them together to hold, then travel along the length of the top … Read more...

First Garden Produce Of 2017

Posted on May 17, 2017 by Deborah

Radishes are always fast producers as they prefer the early, cooler Spring days to germinate and grow. I pulled these beauties out this morning and after a dip in a bucket of water to get the dirt off, I squirreled them off to the kitchen for further washing and get them tucked into the fridge.

If left too long in the ground and once Mother Nature heats up, radishes will bolt (go into flowering mode) and the root will then get woody. So best to harvest these ruby gems as soon as you see a large portion of the root