DIY - Almond Milk and more

Roasted Chicken
Chicken Stock
Aioli
Almond milk
Ketchup with no sugar

What do these items have in common?
I make them. Especially now, during the Whole 30.

Day 22. According to The Whole 30 habit research, after 66 days this will become a habit. 66 days.

I am committed to the Whole 30 as an elimination diet because I would like to know, once and for all, what, if any, and of course there are many, foods or beverages I ingest that cause or aggravate inflammation.

I have paid lip service to being gluten free for several years, falling off that wagon regularly with some flimsy excuse or other. “I had to make bread for so and so.” “Whosiwhatzit served me a flour tortilla and of course, I had to eat it.” You know. I even heard myself say, “I will just be good. I don’t want any food to become the enemy.”

Right.

I won’t go into the Whole 30 (visit their website, buy the books) but when I checked it out, I knew it was for me. A little heavy on meat for the 30 days, and I don’t care what they say, drinking coffee black IS hard, no not hard like birthing a baby, but the program made sense.

So far? Shortest version is, chronic pain is reduced substantially, I am sleeping better, my heart does not pound at night, I do not need the pillow between my legs at night to relive the pain in my back.

Enough said about all that.

Today’s Added Value: Almond Milk

Almond Milk is so easy, it’s ridiculous. Don’t buy almond milk, and if you do, read the labels. Almonds are often not even a primary ingredient.

Pour two cups raw, whole organic almonds into a bowl and cover them with filtered water. Cover the bowl with cheesecloth and let stand at room temperature overnight. Drain and rinse the almonds and in batches, run them through the blender with equal amounts of water. The less water you use, the richer the milk. Pour the batches into a nut milk bag (available at most organic markets) and squeeze like you’re building your pecs.

Really. Too easy for words.

Almond milk keeps about four days.

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A Lampshade

In the back of a studio closet lives a large, trendy shopping bag of elegant, mostly never-worn clothes, passed on to me by a friend for quilting. The bag pulses with treasures: embroidered silks and shimmery jackets, voluminous wrap around silk pants that unfold to four yards of fluttering fabric.

The muse took me to the closet. La Muse loves closets. There are so many boxes to stir up in there. I was writing a post about making ketchup without sugar and she grabbed me by the collar and reminded me of a lampshade frame in that same closet, just calling out for a makeover. Why then? I don’t know.

My eyes lit on a blouse of blue/purple/red shantung silk embroidered around the neck and down the front with flowers and tiny sequins.









Before I knew it, the silk was ironed, the panel templates were made and my scissors were gliding through the fabric just as if I knew what I was doing. 12 panel strips cut and glued onto the wire frame and grosgrain ribbon hides the seams.



Next step is to let La Muse tell me where and how to apply the embroidery pieces. Stay tuned.

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Valentine Greetings

Little is known of the early Saints Valentine (I hear there were at least eleven), but some 18th century historians believed Valentines Day was invented by the holy Christian fathers to supersede yet another pagan holiday, Lupercalia, which, on the Ides of February, purified the city and its people of evil by sacrificing a goat or dog, among other unsavory rituals. One article reports a certain Valentine to have burned at the stake on February 14th. Nice. Others say Geoffrey Chaucer thought up Valentines Day in the 1300s for his book, Parlement of Foules, making the feast day of February 14 special for lovers.

Whatever. I have been hand-making Valentine cards since the third grade, when I could fit all materials, including small blunt plastic scissors, into a shoe box with my paper dolls.

Wow. Studio in a Shoebox! In the third grade! Maybe that was the real beginning.
Since a small child, hearts and echinacea flowers have been my symbols. I have doodled the echinacea during arithmetic class, Geometry, in meetings, while on the phone. I test new pads of drawing paper by drawing this echinacea on the first page.

But hearts… hearts symbolize everything important to me: that relationships are everything, that God is Love and versa visa,* that communicating love enhances all relationships thereby making the world a better place.

My creative communications heroine is Alyson Kuhn of Carmel, San Francisco and the globe, who travels about her world sharing with others the art of communication. By mail. Snail Mail. You know, with paper and everything. Paper, pens, related stamps, little surprises inside, and sentiments straight from the heart.

Which takes us back to Valentines and greeting cards in general. Valentines, Thank you notes, condolences, love notes, get well cards.

Create Your Love Note Kit

In my 2018 GB’s Love Note kit, situated on the counter for easy access. This kit does not fit into a shoebox.

Envelope template and many 4x6 envelopes cut from colorful magazines, gift papers and sheet music (Use label for address.)

Scissors (sharper)
Double Stick and Magic Tape
construction paper
heart-shaped patterns
magazine cut outs
Hot Glue Sticks and Glue Gun
Gold leaf
40 Rubber Stamps & stamp pads

Card stock in colors and high quality papers for the cards, cut to 4x6 and fold-able 8x6
Handy paper cutter for above
Bone folders
Pens
Tiny photos, cards and items to slip into envelopes
Postage
Extra stamps of relevant sameness (old postage, etc.)
labels

The Love Note kit provides opportunity for a quick response to someone grieving, a love note to a far away beau, an acknowledgment of a sibling’s birthday. The kit is about giving a moment to create something tangible that someone else will receive in the mail and hold in their hand. Anyone can send a thank you email. By taking the time to make a little perfect thing for whatever occasion, I feel like I am sending that person a hug, that it means something, that for a moment, when the envelope is opened, love pours into the hands of the receiver.




*Richard Farnsworth’s character Evo in the Movie Resurrection

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Chicken Stock

Good Soup begins with the stock, which really begins when you cook the chicken, and of course, it all begins before that on how the chicken was raised. So, good chicken stock begins with the chicken.
Find a good one. Organic. Raised on a happy farm. Perhaps the farmer sang it a lullaby before sending onto its maker and thence, my dinner table.

Then you roast the chicken.

Stock

Opening my freezer to see quart containers and iced cubes
of stock feels as good as a closet full of clothes, gas in the
car, a stacked cord of firewood.

Clear Chicken Stock

Makes four quarts
1 chicken, plucked and washed
2 carrots, cut in large chunks
3 celery stalks, cut in large chunks
2 large white onions, quartered
1 head of garlic, halved
1 each: rutabaga, parsnip, turnip, halved
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
3 quarts water

Brush and clean the vegetables and place in a large
stockpot over medium heat. Add about 4 quarts water.
Gently place whole chicken in the pot. Toss in the bay
leaves and salt and allow it to slowly come to a simmer.
Lower the heat to medium low and gently simmer for 1
hour, partially covered.

Carefully strain the stock through a fine sieve into
another pot to remove the vegetable solids. Use the
stock immediately or to store it, place the pot in a sink
full of ice water and stir to cool down the stock. Use the
chicken meat in a finished soup.

Cover and refrigerate for up to one week or freeze.


Dark Chicken Stock

1 chicken, cut in pieces
2 carrots, cut in large chunks
3 celery stalks, cut in large chunks
2 large white onions, quartered
1 head of garlic, halved
1 each rutabaga, parsnip, turnip, halved
Dried herbs
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
3 quarts water

Cover two baking trays with parchment. Place chicken
pieces on one, the vegetables on the other. Coat with olive
oil, salt and herbs. Roast in 350! oven for about an hour.
Remove from oven and cool to a handling point. Place
roasted chicken pieces and vegetables in a large stockpot
over medium heat. Add about 4 quarts water. Toss in
the bay leaves and salt and allow it to slowly come to a
simmer. Lower the heat to medium low and gently simmer
for 3 hours, partially covered. Be careful not to boil the
stock. This causes the protein bits to separate and cloud
an otherwise beautiful stock. Remove from heat and cool
slightly before the next step.

Carefully strain the stock through a fine sieve into another
pot to remove the solids. Use the stock immediately or to
store it, place the pot in a sink full of ice water and stir to
cool down the stock. Cover and refrigerate for up to one
week or freeze.

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HUGS

Hugs are wrist warmers. Each wrist warmer takes about an hour, depending upon the complexity of the design.

Hugs are simple knitted seven inch squares sewn together. I prefer a Merino Superfine or even Extra Superfine with size 7 needles.

 Here it is: you find your gauge for your needles and yarn and knit a square, with or without a ribbing or pattern. The simplest would be a garter stitch, knitting every row. My preference is a stockinette stitch (Knit a row, purl a row), which makes a smooth and comfortable fit. The edge does curl a bit unless you put in a ribbing, but I kind of like that hobo look.

After you’ve knitted the square, fold it over, right sides together, and sew up the edge, leaving a one and a half inch hole for the thumb about one inch from the top. Turn right side out. Ta. Da. My husband, David, enjoyed a thirty year career as an opera singer and, as a troubadour, has many stories of life on and off the stage. Stay with me, here. This IS about Hugs.

He tells of wearing heavy and padded costumes, some weighing fifteen pounds and the only way to stay cool (since one is often sewn into one’s costume) was to roll back sleeves and hold wrists under icy cold running water. I tried it. Makes sense. You cool the blood there at the wrist and you cool the body.

So,  in the reverse, if you warm the wrists…

Hence, My Hugs.

You’re welcome. Make some Hugs and give them away.

You’ve been Hugged. GB

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Warm Wild Rice Salad


My son, Michael's favorite
Warm Wild Rice Salad

3 cups cooked wild and brown rice blend,
cooled slightly (Lundberg preferred)
2 avocados, cut in bite sized pieces
1 cup fresh fennel bulb, diced
2 Tablespoons fennel seeds1 cup celery, dice
½ cup dried blueberries
¼ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
¼ cup chopped fresh chives
1 cup fresh or frozen corn, sautéed in ghee and cooled
salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve with Lemon-Lime Dressing at room temperature.

Lemon-Lime Dressing

1 Tablespoon olive oil
Agave or honey to taste
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
¼- ½ cup lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake well.

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Welcome

Welcome to Ginna Gordon 2018
the Diary of a Creative
300-500 Word Articles
Regarding Books, Ideas, Projects, Recipes, Quotes & Pix

My audience:
Boomers, authors, readers, crafters, cooks

My topics:
Books
Writing
GB’s Love Notes
Knitting
Crafts
Food/Recipes
Studios

My 2018 Goals:
Sharing ideas/recipes
Lucky Valley Press

I write about
• scaling down from an 800 square foot space to a basket of knitting and what that feels like after 50 years of large studio spaces wherever I have lived. I share the experience, physically, mentally and spiritually, and find out what other artists do at a certain age when it is no longer appropriate to spin in all directions creating in ten different mediums at once.
• being a writer, about re-writing when I thought the book was finished, about that process, which in the case of Humming, is months and months long: the fallow time of writing, when the characters are taking naps and your mind is filled with the many ways in which you could take the story instead of where you were going.
 • what it feels like to be doing the best work of my lifetime, about working with David, about creating in general, about being a creative, about being created.
• I’ll post recipes, knitting projects, stories, quotes, anecdotes about a client, book covers.
My blog wraps my creativity up in a package and shares it with the world.

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