exhale

Like so many of us, I have spent hours this week reflecting on the past 360+ days---and how far I've come (and gone) since this time last year. Four addresses, three continents all have been my home at one point in 2011. Is it any wonder that my most of my well-intentioned plans for the new year never saw the light of day.

But what I did see! And the places I have been. The people, the smells, the changing skies and rhythms of daily life I could have never imagined as I sat curled up on the end of our sofa last December, pen in hand, charting the course for the new year.

Because just halfway through January, a job offer came along that was the right one for me and my family. It took us from our quiet routine in the Spanish mountain village we called our home for almost ten years to the austere Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to the insane bustle of Mumbai, India, to our final resting spot not ten miles from where I grew up.

Because of the timing and logistics, my family spent most of 2011 apart, something we never intend to do again but understood would be necessary and thus soldiered through, grateful to the wonders of Skype, which allowed us a glimpse into each other's world daily.

For the last month, however, we have all be together under the same roof---my only wish for this holiday season. Although I find our home in an area strangely familiar (even 25 years after leaving for university and the Big City), it is new to the rest of us, and it is wonderful rediscovering places through their eyes.

And despite the fact that the majority of our worldly possessions are on a container ship somewhere near the Panama Canal instead of the Port of Philadelphia, where they should be, I, for the first time in many months, am able to exhale. To feel the weight of our one pooch against my hip as he sleeps beside me. To look across the room and watch my husband's chest rise and fall as he too enjoys an afternoon siesta. To watch the kitty leap from one window sill to another as he explores his new world. To watch my favorite girl skip through the crisp fallen leaves just as she did as a young pup back when it was only the two of us in the City.

I have many wishes and aspirations for 2012, and am looking forward to putting the ideas and plans I had for last year into place in the coming months. In particular, I am excited to return to this blog, to writing, to sharing our lives and our journey as we begin to spread our roots in a new soil.

Rachel will be back making in 2012; please stop back when you can, OK?

 Best wishes to you for a peaceful & prosperous new year!!

the news

So I got the job offer. Which means I only have a few more weeks of this guy sitting on my lap at the office. The upside---I get to go to India for four months. And I know he'll be keeping my desk chair warm until I return.

week in review

Wow, things are a little crazy here at the moment, which is why the photo I've added here from yesterday's Rachel's 365 Project is of pins and needles. But I'll explain more about that further on. :-)

This past week has been very productive on many fronts. Work-wise, I started the new editing project, but chapter files are slow coming from the client. This is slightly irritating because I'll only have more pressure once they do arrive to make the deadline in a few weeks. Fingers crossed a whole heap of manuscript lands on my desk tomorrow!

I continue to make good progress with James' sweater, too. The front is almost finished now, too, so I still have almost two weeks before his birthday to finish the sleeves AND piece it together (never one of my favorite parts of the process, I confess).

Also on the knitting front, I also signed up for a 2011 project that popped up on Facebook. A friend posted "I promise to send something homemade to the first 5 friends to leave a comment here. In turn, you must post this and send something homemade to the first 5 peeps who comment on your post. *the rules: all gifts must be personally handmade by the giver and delivered sometime in 2011*" I signed up right away because I thought it was a great way to connect---for real---with a few people I mostly engage with only on the Internetwebtube.

Hope you enjoyed the soup recipes! I know we sure did, although we are taking a soup break today as the husband just baked up a delicious-smelling spinach quiche. :-) My review of the tempeh soysage that I was planning to make last Sunday---two enthusiastic thumbs up. I followed the recipe with just a couple small additions of garlic powder and brewers' yeast, and made a total of 10 patties, a bunch of which I froze for later.

Happy to report I've still not missed a day of Rachel's 365 Project, woohoo! Well, "woohoo" until the little counter on the official 365 Project page tell me I've completed 4% of the 365 days. But it's been great fun playing with the camera again. My favorite photo from the past week is this blurry one of the cyclamen James has been loving back to health. I'm not sure if I prefer the blurry photos because of their abstract qualities or my own crap vision, but I found this one rather sweet.

So anyway, before I go, let me explain a little about the pins and needles reference. Back on day 1 here I mentioned I worked from home, which I love, but was also considering a career switch. A career switch for far too many reasons to go into now. That said, for me to give up something I love, it had to be something pretty special. All I'll say for now is this---about seven weeks ago I applied for a pretty special job that would both take me really far from home for a little while but ultimately would allow us to move much closer to friends and family. Two weeks after the interview, I had another telephone discussion about the position, as well as a couple follow-up e-mails. Then nothing. For a month. Thursday I gave up hope and deleted the interviewers' addresses from my contact lists because I hated seeing them every time I checked my messages. Friday night as I was shutting down my computer before going to bed, I noticed an e-mail just came in from the boss---would I be available for a phone call Monday morning? "Of course," I sent back. Which is why I've been fretting and fretting about fretting for much of the past forty-eight hours. If I do get this job offer, the next few months are going to be CRAZY, in a good, adventurous, scary profound kind of way, followed by a nutty transatlantic move before finally settling down not an hour from where I grew up. See now why the pins and needles? One phone call tomorrow can change everything.

I'll see you back here tomorrow with the lowdown. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!!

lentil soup

And to wrap up soup week, here is one of my absolute favorites, lentil soup. :-)

Here's what you need:

2 Tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped into little cubes (for some reason I think they taste better that way)
1 potato, chopped into little cubes (same reason as above)
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 cup lentils (pardina, the little brown ones)
3 Tsp, red wine vinegar
6 cups, veggie stock (or chicken, if you prefer)
2 cups, spinach, chopped
Pepper
Heat the oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven, and when medium hot, add the onion, carrot, potato, and celery, sauteing for about 7 minutes, until tender. Add the vinegar to the pan, using a wooden scraper to loosen any brown bits from the bottom. Then add the broth and lentils, bringing to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for about 40 minutes. Stir in the chopped spinach, and continue simmering until the leaves have wilted. Finally, a few twists of the pepper mill will finish the soup perfectly. Serve with cornbread.

Happy Friday---TGIF, TGIF!!!

vegetarian chili

Ok, ok, so chili is not really a soup, but it falls under the soup/stew/stoup category, sort of. We've had a chilly week, so the timing seemed right anyway. :-) We are a mix of meat eaters and vegetarians here, and this is one meal everyone enjoys.

Here is what you need:

Olive oil, 2 T
Garlic, 6 cloves, minced
Onion, 1 medium, chopped
Tomatoes, 3 medium, chopped
Red bell pepper, 1, chopped
Green Italian pepper, 3, chopped
Kidney beans
Garbanzo beans
Faux ground meat (I used Quorn-brand mince)
Pureed tomatoes
Tomato paste, 1 T
Corn (frozen or canned)
Cumin, 1 T
Red chili peppers, 3, small
Fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, chopped onion, for garnish

Like I've said before I use dried beans, but canned work just as well. If you use dried beans, don't forget to soak them overnight and cook until soft ahead of time. :-) I used one 16-oz. jar of pureed tomatoes that we canned ourselves; obviously, store-bought is also fine. We grow many varieties of chili peppers each year for our cooking; if you are not sure what Scoville level you can tolerate, you may want to skip the fresh chilis and play safe using basic chili powder.

Saute the chopped vegetables and faux ground meat in the olive oil until onions and peppers are soft. Add the remaining ingredients (save the garnishes) and simmer for 40 minutes. While cooking if you find the chili too thick or thin, add a little water or corn flour, respectively. Enjoy!

tomato soup therapy

What chicken soup does to ease the common cold, I think a bowl of tomato soup, along with a grilled cheddar sandwich of course, does the same to comfort an overworked and harried woman when she finally gets a moment to sit and relax.

Which is why there is a pot of this tomato and bread soup simmering on the stove top in the kitchen for Soup Week. The afternoon skies are cloud-filled and gray, and a dose of tomato soup therapy will provide the color and warmth of spirit needed on an otherwise dreary day.

A personal suggestion: a dollop of crème fraîche on the tomato soup = divine. :-D


Painting is Campbell's Soup Can by Andy Warhol.

peasant food: white bean soup

Peasant food maybe, but also incredibly tasty and satisfying. :-) I owe much to the Spanish woman I lived with years ago while attending university in Seville. She was a single mom with three kids and not a lot of money. In the late 1980s there was no such thing as convenience food in Spain. All the meals were prepared from scratch. Because Pastora was a busy woman, many of the dishes she prepared were quite simple but all were delicious.

It was Pastora who first introduced me to dried beans, now an important staple in our pantry. Not only are they incredibly nutritious, but dried beans are also superaffordable, too. I was craving a white bean soup, so last night before I went to bed, I measured out two cups of cannellini beans into a large glass bowl, covered with water, and went off to dreamland. In the morning, I drained and rinsed the beans and then boiled with water for just over an hour. Here's the complete ingredient list:

2 cups of dried white beans, soaked overnight, and cooked the next morning
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 T olive oil
1 large potato, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
8 cups veggie broth
1/3 cup tomato paste
3 bay leaves
Spinach, kale, or your favorite leafy green

Saute the garlic in the olive oil for a couple minutes until lightly golden. Add the potato and carrots; saute a couple minutes more. Next add the beans, broth, tomato paste, and bay leaves. Simmer for 40 minutes. Add several handfuls of chopped fresh spinach, and then cook for a few more minutes, until the greens wilt. Serve with fresh ground pepper, possibly a little grated cheese, and a healthy chuck of ciabatta bread. And give thanks to my old friend Pastora. :-)

carrot curry soup

To kick off Soup Week, I'm happy to share with you one of my favorites---carrot curry soup. It's not only really healthy but also superyummy, too. :-)
Here's what I use:

• Nine carrots, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• Olive oil, 2-3 T
• Onion, 1 medium-sized chopped
• Ginger, 1.5-inch piece finely chopped
• Garlic, 4 cloves finely chopped
• Veggie stock, 6 cups (use less if you prefer a thicker soup)
• Fennel seeds, 1 t
• Curry powder, 1-2 t OR I use 1/2 t each of cumin, turmeric, coriander powder, and asofetida
• Greek yogurt (or regular plain yogurt, sour cream, crème fraîche, etc.), 2 small individual containers
• Parsley, to garnish

First I sauteed the onion, garlic, ginger, and fennel seeds in the olive oil for about 10 minutes, medium heat, stirring frequently until the onion was translucent. Then I added the stock and carrots, brought to a boil, and simmered for 30-40 minutes, until the carrots were soft. After removing from the heat, I used a hand blender (if you don't have one of these, get one! Otherwise, use a regular blender) to cream until smooth, adding the curry spices and yogurt. Finish off with a bit of parsley---or a drizzle of fresh cream! Enjoy!!! :-)

week in review

I hope that this first full week of 2011 has treated you well. I confess by Friday I was quite tired and definitely ready for the weekend! :-)

Overall, though, I'm pleased with all I accomplished and the progress I made with my various projects. The sweater I am making for my husband's birthday---January 29th---is coming along. The back is done, and I have finished about one third of the front. This is the first sweater---or anything!---I've made for him, so I chose a supersimple pattern. It's free and you can get the pattern here. The yarn I'm using is Debbie Bliss cashmerino chunky in dark chocolate. I've never used this yarn before, and I love it so far. :-)

In my future project file, this week I've added this free download to print out and make a Moravian star. I went to university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, so I am very familiar with Moravian stars. Therefore, I happily jumped when I saw this posting. :-)

Let's see, in the kitchen I've been busy, too. I have some tempeh that I've been wanting to use, and this morning I found the perfect recipe to also satisfy a craving I've had of late. When I still ate meat, I used to say that I could become a vegetarian if it weren't for sausage. Alas, I became a vegetarian anyway, and yes I do miss an herbed patty with my eggs and pancakes. I have tried the commercially available veggie alternatives here, and they're ok, but I eat so little processed foods that when I do, I find them a bit salty. So when I finish this post, I'm heading straight to the kitchen to make these tempeh soysages. :-) I will post a review of how they turned out next week!

Also, January is National Soup Month, and in honor of my winter salad in a bowl, I am declaring this coming week Soup Week at Rachel Making Happy. I'll post a favorite soup recipe every day to help you celebrate this yummy holiday. :-)

My other creative project, which you can follow along at Rachel's 365 Project, is also going well so far. It seemed like I hardly took any pictures last year, so I thought signing for this challenge would be a good reason to dust off the old Canon. In my "Week in Review" posts, I'll be posting my favorite photo from the previous week. This is my selection for week #1:

I also took some well-focused shots of the same, but I liked this blurry one best. This could be why I'll never be a great photographer, but never mind. The subject, by the way, is a ceiling lamp we bought in Tangier eight years ago.

My other plans for the day are to give my office a bit of a reorg and tidy up---I always like to start a new editing project with a freshened workspace. :-) Also, I am also taking time this month to clean up my storage hard drives and my multiple backups, which have become unwieldy of late. It IS possible to have too many backup copies, trust me.

Off to make a cup of tea and get started on my soysages. Hope you are enjoying your Sunday = Funday wherever you are. And see you back tomorrow to talk soup! :-D

happy dose #1

I was feeling a bit stressed last evening, the uncertainty of our lives worrying me. But I woke up this morning to this video, which I found reassuring as the man featured, Ted Williams, has finally been given the break he deserves. Offers for major deals have been pouring in since this video was released. Bless him.

My e-mail inbox also held an offer from a client for a new book to edit, so I’m feeling pretty grateful myself. ☺

red pepper hummus

Here's a superquick, easy and delicious recipe---just the way I like it. :-)

Chickpeas
Garlic
Lemon juice
Tahini

Roasted red peppers

Olive oil

I always use dry beans, soak them overnight and then cook the next day, but you can always use canned or jarred (a 15-oz. can works here). Add the cooked beans to a large mixing bowl, along with 2 cloves garlic, juice from 1 lemon, 1/3 cup tahini, a drizzle of olive oil and two chopped roasted red peppers (again, from a jar is fine). Either mash with a potato masher or whip up with a snazzy hand blender---one of my favorite kitchen tools---and voilà! Delish!

projects past and future

One of my aims for the new year is to spend at least thirty minutes a day during some sort of hand work---knitting, sewing, etc. So yesterday in preparation I organized my supply cupboard and inventoried my yarn, much to the frustration of a certain kitty who wanted nothing more than to "help."

My current project is to finish a sweater for my husband before his birthday later this month. It seems over the years I've always been knitting gifts for others that I never got around to making anything for him. Time to right that wrong! :-)

But once that sweater is done, I am turning back to an old cross-stitch that I started last winter and never finished. The project was given to me when my grandmother died two years ago, and I have a feeling she had it for many years too, possibly from back when my great-grandmother embroidered this tea towel.

I think one of the reasons I find this work so rewarding is its connection to the past, to my past. But it's also satisfying to create something beautiful and functional that will keep my special people warm or brighten their day. Best of both worlds. :-)

greetings!

Greetings and bienvenidos to rachel making happy, my personal blog for documenting what I have designated the year of making.


You see, I had an epiphany earlier this month, as I begin to mentally review the past year, that I am happiest when I take the time to stretch my creative muscles, which for me can be knitting, cooking, sewing, writing, drawing, painting or taking pictures. It's what I love to do.


Yet sadly, the realities of this economic recession have kept me from spending much of my time the way I'd like to. That, plus the block I've had personally that finally---I am ever so grateful---has passed.


The past couple years have indeed been difficult, for so many of us. But enough is enough. The time has come for making ourselves happy. :-)


A few more bits about me:

*I am from the old school of blogging. That is, I am not here to promote anything or sell ads or give anything away. I blog simply as a journal of what I'm up to, as a record of the places I've been---physically, creatively, emotionally. Truth be known, that the Internet is used so much today as a promotion vehicle kind of makes me sick. I'm way more interested in the sharing of ideas, experiences, knowledge.

*I work from home, and I love that. Still, I am pondering a career switch that would change that.

*I am happily married to a great guy.

*We share our little home with two beautiful dogs and a handsome, albeit very naughty, kitty.

*I love to eat (but not meat) and I love to cook.

*I also love to make things.

*And spend a lot of time pondering and writing about life.

At the start of this new year, I see rachel making happy as my personal inspiration and score boards to make sure I uphold my personal creative commitments. Readers will find recipes, photos, design and craft ideas, poems, and other snippets that make me happy. Hope to see you here often, and feel free to leave a comment! :-)

Happy 2011!!!

Photo from Design*Sponge.