new perspective

I've been doing a lot of hiking... not so much blogging.

They say life can pass you by if you're not careful. Luckily, I've been living a very full life these days, but my blogging and etsy online life has suffered. I haven't been very active in any of my etsy groups, and I'm finding that I'm getting stressed out about my flagging online participation. Isn't that odd? One would think, "Yay! I'm living a full life and I don't have time to read and comment on dozens of websites!" But the reality is that I feel terrible. Like I'm letting down the online community, even though I'm just this one tiny little shop, with one tiny little blog.

Maybe I feel burnt out because I just recently carved so many lino designs for my portfolio. I'm not quite sure. All I know is when I feel that something is expected of me, it takes all the joy and impromptu-ness out of it. My muse doesn't like to be forced. She likes to slip in quietly and surprise me. That's when I create.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm not in a place where I want to quit ennaneve, not at all, but I'm in a place where I'm feeling overwhelmed by expectations... most of them my own.

pumpkin cookies

These cake-like cookies are a sweet Autumn treat!

My mom used to make these for us every Fall, and I absolutely loved them! She would shape them into little pumpkins and let us decorate them with frosting, M&Ms and chocolate chips to create our own personal Jack-O-Lanterns. I left off the frosting this year to cut back on excess sugar, but the cookies are just as delicious! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 cup oats

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup butter (or margarine)

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips

2 cups canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease two cookie sheets.
• Mix together the flour, oats, baking soda and cinnamon and set aside.
• Next, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar with a mixer.
• Add the egg and vanilla extract and continue to mix well.
• Alternately add one cup of the flour mixture and one cup of the canned pumpkin until all ingredients are well incorporated.
• Stir in chocolate chips.
• Use 1/4 cup per cookie and shape into little pumpkins (optional).
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until they no longer look wet.

candlelight

Another one of my favorite things...

Life is full of simple pleasures. The trick is to find pleasure in the simple things. One of my favorite simple pleasures is candlelight. Every night I light candles, even if it's just a few by my bed while I read. But normally, I'll light candles all over my little studio apartment and see it come to life in the warm, flickering glow of candles.

My oldest sister, Emily, once said, "Candles are a warm presence when there's no one else around." That's how I feel; they add a bit of life to a still night, a bit of warmth to a chilly room and a bit of happiness into my quiet life.

caramel apples

A yummy way to welcome Fall!

The other day, I was in a lovely little market where they were selling caramel apples... for $13.50 a piece! Now, I love apples, and I love caramel, but I'm not about to pay that much for something I can make at home for one tenth of the price. So I didn't. I went home and made my own.

I made four scrumptious flavors: caramel, peanut butter caramel, chocolate peanut butter caramel and caramel gingersnap. Although it was a messy endeavor, it cost less to make ten of my own than to buy one from that market! I've given them as gifts, shared with coworkers and eaten quite a few myself. (Now my pants feel a little snug... so maybe it's time for a crisp walk in the Autumn leaves!)

Next up on my Fall festivities... pumpkin carving!

creamy butternut squash soup

Creamy & Delish!

Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped onion

6 Tbsp butter

6 cups (1 large) butternut squash

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 (8 oz) pkg light cream cheese

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp coriander

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cover a cookie sheet with lightly greased aluminum foil.
• Slice squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Place squash sliced-side down and bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven.
• Allow squash to cool completely, then peel off skin and chop into cubes.
• Saute butter and onion in large sauce pan until onion is tender and transparent.
• Add squash, broth, cumin, pepper and coriander. Bring to a brief boil, stirring occasionally.
• In a food processor or blender, puree squash mixture and cream cheese in batches until smooth.

- - -

I'm not a huge fan of sweet butternut squash soup, so I love this creamy take on one of my Fall favorites. If you're looking for a good starter to a nice meal, or a comforting lunch on a chilly day, this soup is sure to please!

herbs

Another attempt at a green thumb...

Since my last post was on spices, it seems only fitting to throw in a little shout-out to herbs as well. Like most people in this economy, I've looked for ways to trim that fat, while still enjoying life. Spending $3 and up on herbs in the grocery store that I'd only use once or twice was a luxury that was no longer in the budget.

At first I tried to grow herbs from seeds (shown) and they sprouted up nicely, but alas my brown thumb killed them before they were really able to yield anything substantial. So a few weeks ago I checked out the greenery shed at my local Farmers Market and found - hallelujah chorus - full grown plants for fifty cents each! Yes, you read right. Fifty cents.

For weeks now I've been able to enjoy sweet basil, lemon verbena, mint and rosemary for a grand total of $2. It's the little things...

spicy

Spices add a little zing to everything!

Living in a tiny space requires a lot more creativity than I first imagined. I have to literally use every nook and cranny to store, hide or display necessary household items without it being cluttered, inconvenient or messy. It's quite a job, but I really enjoy doing it.

To save some of my very limited cabinet space, I picked up some magnetic spice jars to stick on the side of my fridge. Using some white labels and my typewriter, I added a little vintage-inspired charm to these otherwise bland jars.

Not only are they useful and easily at hand when I need them, they look really cool on the side of my fridge!