It rained...so I made soup.

Rainy day comfort food?  Gotcha covered. 

Classic Tomato Soup

(Adapted from a recipe found in Everyday Food)

1/2 stick of butter

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

salt & pepper

1/4 Cup flour

3 Tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp dried basil

2 cans chicken broth

2 28 oz cans of whole peeled tomatoes

In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat; add oil, garlic and onion, season with salt and pepper.

Cook about 5 minutes.  Stir in flour and tomato paste, cook 1 minute.

Add basil, broth and tomatoes, breaking them up with your fingers.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.

If you have an immersion blender, puree the soup in the pot leaving some chunks.

If you don't have an immersion blender, get one, they're handy.

                              In the meantime, you can use a regular blender, working in batches.
                                  Season with salt & pepper.  Like everything else, I like to top it with some cheddar. 

The Art of Trading Goods and Services (or Look at All the Cool Stuff I Got!)

   I've found myself trading a lot lately with fellow sellers, crafters and artists on etsy.com.  It's a great way to get some of the things you'd like even when you don't have the spending cash.  It supports other sellers.  It moves inventory.  It makes new friends and connections.  It's fun.  I've traded for art, jewelry, clothes, even ad space!

How do you approach a seller if you'd like to get a deal cookin'?  Normally the rejection-fearing shy type, this was difficult for me at first.  I received a few nicely worded requests, like this short and sweet~ "Adorable! Do you accept trades? If so please have a look at my shop.  :) Thanks!"  So when writing, I use something similar, and try to think- The worst they could do is say no.   Or ignore you.  Or e-yell at you.  Either way, you're still relatively unharmed.

Approached by a shopkeep and nothing is quite your style?  Think of upcoming birthdays and other gifties.  Otherwise, a polite "Sorry, I'm not taking trades at the moment, but I've hearted your shop for the future" will do. 

I've only had one bad experience, it was a personal e-mail trade, and I got suckered.  It's safest to reserve or make a custom etsy listing, so the rules apply as if it were a regular purchase.  Plus, you get to leave feedback!

Amazing Original Drawing by Poppy Fields
Kick Ass FrankenElvis by MissLuckyHellcat
Cute Custom Bow Hat by Apricotbabybaby
More awesome traders~
chechecouture
 prinsessan
bamboobettie
pinguim
edinburghvintage

Recipe Time! mmmm... Posole

My Mother is an awesome cook. Within the last few years, I found out that some of the things she taught me stuck and now I LOVE cooking. Even more than that, I LOVE eating. I thought I'd start sharing a few of my favorite recipes.
Please keep in mind that I've had no real training, and that there will be a lot of meat involved. I try to cook light most of the time, (since this new found love, my husband and I had both gained a combined 75 lbs. *but since lost it!*) but often, the flavor I'm after is in the bad stuff.
I don't want to horrify any Vegans or Diabetics, but my style is far more like Paula Deen than Cooking Light magazine. I use fresh ingredients when possible, but money is tight, so I end up using a lot of canned or dried ingredients as well.
Intro out of the way, here's my first recipe posting...

POSOLE~

1-2 Lbs Pork butt or rib meat
2-4 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 28 oz Can Hominy
1 Cube Chicken bullion
1 Cube Beef bullion
2 C Water
15 1/2 oz Can Diced Tomatoes with Jalapenos
1 C Chopped Onion
1 or 2 4 oz Can(s) Diced Green Chilies
Tapatio (to taste)
Lime Wedges
Cilantro
Sour Cream
Flour Tortillas

Cut pork into cubes, cover with spices and brown in oil in a soup or stock pot. Remove meat from pan.
To the same pan, add a little more oil, garlic and onion and lightly saute.
Add the browned meat, hominy, bullion and water. Cook on medium heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Blend the tomatoes and green chilies. Add tomato chili mixture to pot and cook for 30 minutes more.
Serve with warmed flour tortillas, lime wedge, sour cream and fresh cilantro.
Eat!

Please share your results if you use this recipe and lemme know what you think!

Pick up a Custom Tattooed Mermaid for a Good Cause

I've donated two of my custom mermaids to try and help benefit my darling nephew Presley's elementary school.

Check 'em out at biddingforgood, winning bidder picks the colors and details. Bidding starts at $20, and they make great gifts.

Do it for the children, oh won't someone please think of the children?!

Win A Pair of my Custom Seahorses from Cafe Handmade

I'm proud to be sponsoring this week's giveaway on Cafe Handmade. Win a custom made seahorse and bubble wall hanging set. Available in countless color combos, with pearl, gloss or matte finishes. Winner's choice!
Cafe Handmade is an awesome virtual craft show that features artists and crafty types and spotlights their goods and stories. They even have a social networking site where people livin' the handmade life can get together, check out each other's work, and share ideas.

Enter to win at http://cafehandmade.com/

More Rich, Satisfying Tobacco Flavor with Vaughn Monroe

Done and done. :) You can find him at http://www.tohellinahandbag.etsy.com/

Smoking Is Fun and Flavorful with Vaughn Monroe

I am deeply in love with vintage advertisements. I have stack after stack of old magazines that I thumb through whenever I have a spare moment and ooh and ahh at the way ads used to look, all the "new" products, inventions, and what's changed in the world since.

For example, a cigarette ad with 9 out of 10 doctors choosing to smoke Camels. It's just unbelievable today.

Flipping through a Coronet mini mag from February, 1953, I found another great Camel ad featuring Vaughn Monroe, popular band leader.

"I've given Camels the test of time", says Vaughn. "I've smoked Camels for years and they've never stopped giving me pleasure. They're mild and rich tasting-pack after pack!"

Ugh, the thought of smoking one cigarette makes me wanna wretch, let alone "PACK AFTER PACK".

Anyhoo, the colors, the old mic, the suit, hair and smile all drew me to this ad, and I started wondering, who is this Vaughn Monroe fellow, and did he eventually bite the big one from Lung Cancer?

Well, as much as I wanted the delicious, smooth, rich tasting irony, the answer is no -but- I guess we know why they gave him such creepy nicknames as "'ol leather tonsils", and "leather lungs".

That's it, I'm framing it.