The Piecemakers, quilting for a cause
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the founding of the Piecemakers quilt group. The group was formed in 1997 to help support the Akwesasne Freedom School located on the St. Regis Mohawk Reserve in Rooseveltown, New York. The Piecemakers quilt group is based out of New Paltz, New York, but has members from all around the world! The … Read more
Eating Simplicity
A few days ago I read a brief post on Offbeat Home (a fun, domestic-centered version of Offbeat Bride) entitled, “Don’t use January to beat yourself up.” Although the article itself didn’t exactly go into much detail about just how to avoid wallowing in the guilt of unkempt January resolutions, the sentiment struck me all … Read more
A need for knoephla
Knoephla soup. Do you know what it is? If you grew up in North Dakota, like I did, you probably have at least heard of it, if not eaten it. (It’s pronounced “neff-lah” by the way.) It’s a delicious soup from the Germans from Russia tradition. What? You’ve never heard of Germans from Russia? Here, … Read more
Seeds for the People: Hudson Valley Seed Library
I just ordered my 2012 flower and veg seeds from the Hudson Valley Seed Library, founded by the charming and über-talented duo that is partners Ken Greene and Doug Muller. You don’t have to live in the Hudson Valley to order from them. They serve all of New York and those parts of neighboring states … Read more
The Joys of Cabbage
No really. Have you ever had properly cooked green cabbage? Not red, not Savoy, not Napa. Good old-fashioned, turn-into-sauerkraut pale green cabbage. Not boiled to death or steamed. Cooked properly, so that the flavor is nutty and a bit sweet but green at the same time? And the texture is tender, but not mushy? You’ve … Read more
Opera for the People
Like so many people, I’d pooh-poohed opera, but then I realized, maybe it’s just because I hadn’t really paid attention to it. The only exposure to opera I’d had was to satires of it, such as the “Kill the Wabbit” Wagner Ring spoof sung by Elmer Fudd. The doorway in for me was a serenely … Read more
Winter Squashes – dinner, snack, dessert
The really cool thing about winter squashes is if you keep them dry and not too cold and not too hot, they keep for pretty much ever. I had three squashes that had been sitting on the kitchen counter forever: a spaghetti squash, a sugar pie pumpkin, and a butternut squash. I decided I wanted … Read more
Resolved: 2012
Oh New Year’s resolutions. Everyone makes them. Few people keep them all. I did see an interesting twist on resolutions yesterday – resolve to do more of the things that give you joy. Isn’t that wonderful? So here are mine, a combination of things that are good for me, things that I love to do, … Read more
