two teeth lost this week!

making hand-dipped candles at the Historic Heyward House

http://heywardhouse.org/ 

 

today's random happenings...

Little Angel saying goodbye to her old bike; donated to our beloved Litter Box:

Fairy Girl playing with unicorns on the floor at Michael's....someday I will miss this!

my favorite bush is in bloom!

TBT: in honor of my beloved Brother in Law

Hold Me in Your Healing Wings (etsy custom request)

https://www.etsy.com/shop/DFInspirations

the angels are bowling...

The other night we had a Cool storm roll in... Love the rumbling in the distance...sounds like the Lowcountry is mountainous

Reminds me of my grandma always telling me that the angels are bowling (come from a bowling family;). My dad bought these sweet bowling angels for my grandma when he was a boy. 

beautiful night to watch the sunset and dolphins

big day for our little girl!

Etsy custom order headed to Honolulu! (see link below if you are interested in a five wrap custom)

https://www.etsy.com/listing/119010430/create-it-your-way-custom-request-for-a?ref=shop_home_active_5

love delivery day!

Organizing the loot to be delivered....round about caddies and large utility totes were very popular on this party! I love both of those items and have so many uses for both!

things that make me smile:)

 

Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich [Pin on Pinterest] Chickpeas are just about the most versatile bean I've ever come across. They pair well with so many flavors making them the ultimate bean in my book. No wonder they are loved by so many! They may not have as much protein or fiber as black beans and cannellini beans, but chickpeas come in close enough with 15 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber per 1 cup. They are a nutrient dense food with good carbohydrates the body needs and are low in fat with only 4 grams of fat per 1 cup. And the other beans are not nearly as versatile as the chickpea. You can make savory chickpea pancakes with the flour, add them to ratatouille, stews, salads, make hummus, falafels, roast them as a snack and the list goes on and on. They are the greatest bean ever and I can't wait to put them into new recipes here in the future. I have lots of ideas for these little guys! Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich [Pin on Pinterest] And we'll start by adding this super awesome Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich to the collection. If you didn't already know, chickpeas make for great sandwich fillers too! Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich [Pin on Pinterest] You may already be familiar with my 'Chickpea of the Sea' Salad and my other classic Mashed Chickpea Salad. This one is just as delicious but with a sweet flair that I just know you'll fall in love with! I assure you that this will hit the spot and satisfy your craving for a chunky, sweet, peppery, crunchy style sandwich. Full of texture and flavor this has become my new favorite. It's a hearty salad that will comfort you and leave you feeling completely satisfied. This can be served as a traditional or open faced sandwich. Or simply serve on a bed of lettuce and skip the bread. You may even find that you love the salad all by itself without any accompaniment! I can easily eat this straight from the bowl all day long. :) Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich [Pin on Pinterest] Slice your celery, feel free to add in some celery leaves if you can. For the scallions, when slicing use both the green and white parts. Roughly chop your walnuts. When buying cranberries, use organic whenever possible (I like the ones from Trader Joe's, they're so brightly colored too!). You can also use fresh chopped cranberries! Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich [Pin on Pinterest] Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich Roughly mash your chickpeas. I decided to double this batch using 3 cups of chickpeas instead of 1 1/2 so you'll have plenty of leftovers. And you'll be glad you have them! Add in the remaining ingredients and mix. About as simple as it gets, which is why I love chickpea salads! Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich There you have it...serve on your favorite bread. I have it paired here with a fruit, nut and seed loaf. Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich Ingredients 3 cups cooked or 2 cans (15oz) garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed 1 cup celery, diced 1/2 cup organic dried cranberries (chopped fresh would be great too) 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped 1/2 cup scallions (green onions), thinly sliced, white & green parts mineral salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste (I used about 1/2 teaspoon each) Dressing 6 tablespoons (1/3 cup) tahini or vegan mayo 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) champagne, white wine or cider vinegar (I used Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar) 2 tablespoons water (only needed if using tahini) 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup To serve leafy lettuce of choice bread of choice Start by mixing your dressing. In a small bowl combine tahini/mayo, vinegar, water and maple syrup. Set aside so the flavors come together. This can be made a day or two ahead and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. Add a tad more water, or vinegar if your a vinegar lover, to thin out dressing as desired. If using vegan mayo, you may like to add 2 more tablespoons. In a medium to large bowl, add your garbanzo beans and roughly mash with a strong fork or potato masher. Add in celery, cranberries, nuts, scallions, salt, pepper and dressing, mix well. Serve at room temp or let chill in the refrigerator for an hour before serving. Serve on your favorite bread as a closed or open faced sandwich, or on a bed of leafy greens. You may even opt to simply enjoy the salad as is. Serves 6 - 8. Notes: Add extra of anything you like, and vice versa if your not keen on an ingredient use less or omit! One particular ingredient may be the vinegar. I'm not much of a vinegar fan but I loved the orange muscat champagne vineagar and found I used quite a bit and loved it! Change up the walnuts, using pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds, etc. If using sunflower seeds, use half the amount called for. For the dressing, I have only made this using tahini since I do not use any kind of store bought vegan mayos. If using vegan mayo, adjust accordingly adding more mayo as needed, maybe 1/2 cup instead of 1/3. I do recommend trying this reicpe with tahini...it is seriously so good that you would never know and it is much better/cleaner for you than the store bought mayos! Enjoy!

Chickpeas are just about the most versatile bean I've ever come across. They pair well with so many flavors making them the ultimate bean in my book. No wonder they are loved by so many! They may not have as much protein or fiber as black beans and cannellini beans, but chickpeas come in close enough with 15 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber per 1 cup. They are a nutrient dense food with good carbohydrates the body needs and are low in fat with only 4 grams of fat per 1 cup. And the other beans are not nearly as versatile as the chickpea. You can make savory chickpea pancakes with the flour, add them to ratatouille, stews, salads, make hummus, falafels, roast them as a snack and the list goes on and on. They are the greatest bean ever and I can't wait to put them into new recipes here in the future. I have lots of ideas for these little guys!

And we'll start by adding this super awesome Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich to the collection. If you didn't already know, chickpeas make for great sandwich fillers too!

You may already be familiar with my 'Chickpea of the Sea' Salad and my other classic Mashed Chickpea Salad. This one is just as delicious but with a sweet flair that I just know you'll fall in love with! I assure you that this will hit the spot and satisfy your craving for a chunky, sweet, peppery, crunchy style sandwich. Full of texture and flavor this has become my new favorite. It's a hearty salad that will comfort you and leave you feeling completely satisfied. This can be served as a traditional or open faced sandwich. Or simply serve on a bed of lettuce and skip the bread. You may even find that you love the salad all by itself without any accompaniment! I can easily eat this straight from the bowl all day long. :)

Slice your celery, feel free to add in some celery leaves if you can. For the scallions, when slicing use both the green and white parts. Roughly chop your walnuts. When buying cranberries, use organic whenever possible (I like the ones from Trader Joe's, they're so brightly colored too!). You can also use fresh chopped cranberries!

Roughly mash your chickpeas. I decided to double this batch using 3 cups of chickpeas instead of 1 1/2 so you'll have plenty of leftovers. And you'll be glad you have them! Add in the remaining ingredients and mix. About as simple as it gets, which is why I love chickpea salads!

There you have it...serve on your favorite bread. I have it paired here with a fruit, nut and seed loaf.

Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked or 2 cans (15oz) garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
• 1 cup celery, diced 
• 1/2 cup organic dried cranberries (chopped fresh would be great too)
• 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup scallions (green onions), thinly sliced, white & green parts
• mineral salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste (I used about 1/2 teaspoon each)

Dressing

• 6 tablespoons (1/3 cup) tahini or vegan mayo
• 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) champagne, white wine or cider vinegar (I used Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar)
• 2 tablespoons water (only needed if using tahini)
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup

To serve

• leafy lettuce of choice
• bread of choice

Start by mixing your dressing. In a small bowl combine tahini/mayo, vinegar, water and maple syrup. Set aside so the flavors come together. This can be made a day or two ahead and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. Add a tad more water, or vinegar if your a vinegar lover, to thin out dressing as desired. If using vegan mayo, you may like to add 2 more tablespoons.In a medium to large bowl, add your garbanzo beans and roughly mash with a strong fork or potato masher. Add in celery, cranberries, nuts, scallions, salt, pepper and dressing, mix well. Serve at room temp or let chill in the refrigerator for an hour before serving.
Serve on your favorite bread as a closed or open faced sandwich, or on a bed of leafy greens. You may even opt to simply enjoy the salad as is.
Serves 6 - 8.
Notes:
Add extra of anything you like, and vice versa if your not keen on an ingredient use less or omit! One particular ingredient may be the vinegar. I'm not much of a vinegar fan but I loved the orange muscat champagne vineagar and found I used quite a bit and loved it!
Change up the walnuts, using pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds, etc. If using sunflower seeds, use half the amount called for.
For the dressing, I have only made this using tahini since I do not use any kind of store bought vegan mayos. If using vegan mayo, adjust accordingly adding more mayo as needed, maybe 1/2 cup instead of 1/3. I do recommend trying this reicpe with tahini...it is seriously so good that you would never know and it is much better/cleaner for you than the store bought mayos!

Enjoy!

http://thesimpleveganista.blogspot.com/2013/11/cranberry-walnut-chickpea-salad-sandwich.html

homemade mozzarella

The Best Party Trick Ever: How to Make Thirty Minute Mozzarella 

http://farmersmarkets.streamshare.com/posts/10807

The following is a guest post from Andrew Wilder of Eating Rules. Welcome, Andrew!
A couple of years ago at a Fourth of July party, I pulled off one of my best party tricks ever.
Showing up with a gallon of milk in hand, I asked my friends if I could borrow their kitchen. Spying the other items in my bag — a bunch of fresh basil and cherry tomatoes — they knew I had something good in store. They eagerly let me take over.
Half an hour later, I emerged victorious from the kitchen with a platter of fresh caprese, made with still-warm mozzarella.
I’ve been using this “30-minute Mozzarella” recipe, from Ricki Carroll’s book, Home Cheese Making, for a few years now.  I’ll admit, it comes out slightly different each time (the type of milk, how quickly you heat it, and how much you stretch it will affect both the flavor and texture), but it’s always been a big hit.

Homemade Mozzarella Tips & Tricks

1. This is a great recipe to make with kids. They’ll be completely mesmerized watching the milk curdle and turn into cheese — and it happens quickly enough to hold their attention. The last few steps can get pretty hot, so please do be careful when making this with children.
2. Do not use “Ultra-Pasteurized” milk for this recipe — it won’t curdle properly.  If it says just “Pasteurized” on the container, you’re probably fine.  Of course, you can also use raw milk instead, if that’s your thing (I’m not going to get into the pros and cons of raw vs. pasteurized milk — just remember that Ultra-Pasteurized is a dealbreaker.)
3. Depending on the fat percentage of your milk, you’ll get a very different cheese at the end.  Whole milk produces a very rich, soft mozzarella, whereas 1% will make a harder, more string-cheese-like cheese. Fat free can get a bit too rubbery, so I don’t recommend it. I usually use 2%, which is what’s shown in the pictures here.
I’ve also made this recipe with goat’s milk, and it should work fine with sheep’s milk as well.
4. This recipe is a “shortcut” to mozzarella, since it uses a microwave to speed things along.  If you don’t have a microwave, you can use a pot of very hot water and float a bowl in it instead. The goal is to get the curds hot so that they melt together and become stretchy like taffy.  Also, the curds will get quite hot — it’s really helpful to have a pair of clean kitchen gloves to protect your hands.
Thanks go to my friend Sarah, who eagerly offered to model for the photos in exchange for some fresh mozzarella.
All photos by Andrew Wilder

Recipe: Thirty Minute Mozzarella

You can probably find citric acid at a good grocery store, but rennet is harder to come by.  You can order it online at several retailers; I’ve purchased it from New England Cheesemaking Supply and Grape and Granary.
You can also just get one of Ricki’s Mozzarella and Ricotta Cheese Making Kit, which have everything you need, including a dairy thermometer.
I prefer to use liquid vegetarian rennet, which New England Cheesemaking Supply sells at double-strength, so I use 1/8 tsp. for this recipe.
Ingredients

• 1 gallon Milk, not ultra-pasteurized
• 1 1/2 tsp. Citric Acid powder, dissolved in 1/4 cup room-temperature water
• 1/4 tsp. Liquid Rennet or 1/2 tablet Rennet, dissolved in 1/4 cup room-temperature water
• 1 tsp. Cheese (Flake) Salt or Kosher Salt

Instructions
1. Pour the milk in to a large pot.  On medium-low, heat slowly to 55 degrees Fahrenheit.  Stir slowly and continuously to keep from scalding.
2. Once the milk reaches 55 degrees, pour in the citric acid mixture and stir well. Keep heating.
3.  When the milk hits 88 degrees, add the rennet mixture and stir well.  Right around this time the milk will start to thicken, and you’ll see little white flecks stick to your spoon as it starts curdling.

4. Once the milk is in the 90-degree range, it should be noticeably curdled.  Stir very gently at this point, if at all — you want to encourage the curds to knit together.
5. Between 95 and 105 degrees, the curds will be quite thick. Turn off the heat once they start separating from the sides of the pot, and there’s a very clear distinction between the curds (white clumps) and whey (yellow liquid).

6. Let the curds rest for 5 minutes.
7. With a perforated or slotted spoon, ladle the curds into a bowl.  The curds will continue expelling whey once they’re in the bowl, which is fine.  Once you have pulled most of the curds out of the pot (some little bits will probably still be floating about), pour any excess whey back in the pot.

8. Using a microwave, heat the curds for 60 seconds.  Drain off any excess whey, then fold the curds over once, then once again.  This is to distribute the heat evenly.
9. Microwave again for about 30-40 seconds, depending on the strength of your microwave.  Pour off the whey.
10. Sprinkle the salt onto the cheese, and then fold the curds over twice again.  Put them back into the microwave for another 30-40 seconds.  Pour of any excess whey.

11. At this point, the cheese should be very hot, and look like melted mozzarella!
12.  Stretch the cheese, and then fold it back on itself. If it tears when you try to stretch it, the cheese is not hot enough; just repeat the microwaving process. Stretch it again once or twice. If you want a more string-cheese like cheese, do it a few more times.
13. You can then twist or braid the cheese, or tear off pieces and roll them into small balls.  If you’re going to refrigerate the cheese for later, drop it in a bowl of ice water to get the temperature down quickly. Otherwise, just dig in while it’s still warm!
Editor’s note: Don’t toss that whey! You can use it in pancakes or crepes.

What do you say, are you up for a ‘cheesy’ party trick?