Some yummy soup

Since it's asparagus season and both my honey and I love asparagus, I thought I would try a recipe for Asparagus rice soup. It was absolutely delicious, and got even more tasty the day after making it. So I thought I'd share the recipe with you. It's from Country Living Magazine:

Asparagus-and-Rice Soup

Ingredients

U.S.

Metric

Conversion chart

• 4 clove(s) garlic, crushed and peeled
• 1/3 cup(s) extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cup(s) russet potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 3 cup(s) leeks, chopped, 1/4 inch of white and all green parts
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon(s) coarse sea salt or kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 1/2 pound(s) fresh asparagus, cut into 1/3-inch chunks, plus more spears for garnish
• 1 cup(s) Arborio rice
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup(s) grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more to taste
  
  
  
  
  Directions
• Sauté garlic with 1/3 cup olive oil in a heavy-bottomed, 6-quart pot over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until crusty but not browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add leeks and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add 5 quarts water, bay leaves, and 1 tablespoon salt. Stir well, scraping potatoes from pot bottom. Cover, bring to a boil, and add cut asparagus. Lower heat to vigorous simmer and cook, uncovered, about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, until reduced by a third.
• Add rice, bring to a boil, and cook 10 minutes. Remove from heat and season with pepper and more salt to taste. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 cup grated cheese. If desired, steam remaining asparagus and garnish. Serve hot. 

Visiting with old friends

This afternoon I had the good fortune to visit with one of my college suite mates and her husband. They are out from Rochester, NY visiting family here in Phoenix. I haven't seen her in over 20 years! We spent time catching up, talking about family, marriages, work, and life in general. It was a lovely visit and I'm so glad we were able to connect. It doesn't seem possible all that time has passed! She looked essentially the same as she did the last time we saw one another (when we were a lot younger!). I drove home with a smile on my face and memories of our college days roaming around my head.

Today reminded me about the importance of connection. To see an old friend after all these years is gift.  As I get older I am reminded more and more about the preciousness of relationship, and of our own lives. I try not to take it for granted, and am thankful for each day I have on this beautiful, chaotic, changing planet of ours.

In other news, I have been really cranking out the jewelry the last couple of days. Working hard on the summer collection; a marriage of chunky semi-precious stones, a mix of chains, and just enough sparkle to make it interesting. I will post photos once I take them. Right now I'm on a roll and it's all about production. So until then I will leave you with a couple of photos:

A basket of yarny goodness in the studio

A little corner of my studio

Some fantastic vintage fabric that I scored at a garage sale for 10 cents.

Enjoy the rest of your Thursday!

A little of this and that

I'm sharing a little of this and that today:

A new necklace for Camp Hollyhock in Portland, OR:

A visit from one of my kitties while I worked:

The Buddha in my garden:

And the new painting in progress that I started on Friday:

Happy Monday, everyone!

Busy day today!

Well, it's just about quittin' time for me. I spent the morning doing some art business, then the afternoon listing jewelry on etsy. Here are some new pieces that are available:

New painting

I'm working on a few new pieces for an art opening I have at the beginning of May. Here is one of them, called "Namaste". It was not an easy painting, I struggled with it. Couldn't get it to look the way I wanted, so I just started drawing all over it. I'm pretty happy with it now...

The part that looks yellow over the flower is actually more a mellow lime green.

A new start

 After almost a year of no blogging, I am finally ready to begin again. New haircut, new life, new adventures to share.

I'm finally settling back in to life in Tempe, AZ. Lots of sun and beautiful days have been a treat. I've also begun to work in earnest on my dream of being a full-time jewelry and accessory designer, and artist. My partner has given me a wonderful gift; the gift of time to make my dreams come true. This is the first time in my adult life that I have the opportunity to focus full time on my art. I still can't quite believe it!

I also got my first smartphone and have been enjoying Instagram and all the other goodies that my phone has. It is already proving invaluable to my work.

So look forward to frequent posts sharing my new work and life in general. Cheers!

Crafty Underdog this weekend!

I have been busy preparing for this weekend's Crafty Underdog show here in Portland. If you're local, drop by and see me and all the other super talented crafters and artists...