Mexican Black Bean Soup with Chipotle and Sausage

It is cold and damp outside, fall has come and it is here too stay. Leaves falling everywhere, and the winter storm damage of last year is still being repaired, here.

It was a busy summer for me, soaking up all the rays of sunshine I could find, doing my storm claim, getting quotes and contractors and finally the work has begun. The house got painted, the garage doors were replaced, the back door is almost finished...the electric box still needs to be repaired. Broken tree limbs were cut down and made into firewood for what I believe will be another record cold winter with lots more snow.

So....today, I started my first pot of homemade soup. I try to make 3 or 4 for the winter months storing the extra in smaller containers in my freezer. Today's soup is my version of Mexican Black Been soup. Here is the general recipe...feel free to add in other things which will interest your tastebuds.

1. one bag of dried black beans soaked overnight in six cups of water, bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours with one large dried chipotle pepper,seeds removed. Drain.

2. one large onion and 3 cloves of garlic and half of a large carrot, chopped...and sauteed in olive oil, until lightly browned. Remove and put aside.

3. brown 1-1/2 lbs of sausage lightly in olive oil. use any combination or all, smoke sausage, andouli, chiorizio.... set aside.

4. when bean are cooked......drain taking the dried pepper and cutting it. put drained beans, pepper onions, garlic, carrot mix in large stock pot, with the cooked sausages. Add 64ozs. of chicken stock plus 2 tbsp of tomato paste. Bring to a boil...and then simmer. Add the following spices to taste:1 tsp cumin, 1tsp mexican oregano, 2 tbsp cilantro, 2 tbsp lime juice, sea salt and ground black pepper. And if you like very spicy a chopped jalepeno or two. Simmer for an hour or two...

5. Let soup cool. Remove sausages and cut into bite sized pieces....put aside. Puree beans and soup broth in a food processor. Put puree back into pot, and add sausage pieces, Stir til blended.

6. Serve soup with garnish of chopped tomatoes, chopped onions, chopped jalepenos and sour cream....YUMMMMMMMMM.

Hope you enjoy........

Smiles to you all,
DC

keirsey temperament sorter

check out this site.........

here are my results.....which were not a surprise.......

Custom Keirsey Temperament Report for: deborah

Your Keirsey Temperament Sorter Results indicates that your personality type is that of the

Artisans are the temperament with a natural ability to excel in any of the arts, not only the fine arts such as painting and sculpting, or the performing arts such as music, theater, and dance, but also the athletic, military, political, mechanical, and industrial arts, as well as the "art of the deal" in business.

Artisans are most at home in the real world of solid objects that can be made and manipulated, and of real-life events that can be experienced in the here and now. Artisans have exceptionally keen senses, and love working with their hands. They seem right at home with tools, instruments, and vehicles of all kinds, and their actions are usually aimed at getting them where they want to go, and as quickly as possible. Thus Artisans will strike off boldly down roads that others might consider risky or impossible, doing whatever it takes, rules or no rules, to accomplish their goals. This devil-may-care attitude also gives the Artisans a winning way with people, and they are often irresistibly charming with family, friends, and co-workers.

Artisans want to be where the action is; they seek out adventure and show a constant hunger for pleasure and stimulation. They believe that variety is the spice of life, and that doing things that aren't fun or exciting is a waste of time. Artisans are impulsive, adaptable, competitive, and believe the next throw of the dice will be the lucky one. They can also be generous to a fault, always ready to share with their friends from the bounty of life. Above all, Artisans need to be free to do what they wish, when they wish. They resist being tied or bound or confined or obligated; they would rather not wait, or save, or store, or live for tomorrow. In the Artisan view, today must be enjoyed, for tomorrow may never come.

There are many Artisans, perhaps 30 to 35 percent of the population, which is good, because they create much of the beauty, grace, fun, and excitement the rest of us enjoy in life.

Artisans at Work
Artisans seek to make an impact upon the organizations where they work and upon society at large. Their alertness to current realities, the joy they take in variation, and their tendency to follow their instincts to 'what works' make them good troubleshooters and negotiators, talented performers and craftspeople and excellent leaders in all kinds of emergencies and chaotic situations.

Your heightened aesthetic sense can lead you to craft and perfect whatever work you take on. As a result, in your ideal job you would likely have the freedom to gather observations, collections of facts, and sets of skills in order to do your work. You can be thrilled when you slip through a window of strategic opportunity that colleagues or the competition haven’t yet seen.

7 free baby knitting patterns.........

from knitting daily..........

go there, here is what there is:

1 Vine Lace Baby Hat by Sandi Wiseheart

2 Baby’s First Sock by Ann Budd

3 Knitted Cuddlies by Louisa Harding

4 Star Light, Star Bright Baby Blanket by Anna Dillenberg Rachap

5 Barnyard Booties by Sue Flanders  ( love these booties!!!)

6 Origami Baby Kimono by Bonnie Franz

7 Cabled Raglan Baby Sweater by Rebecca Daniels

It does not get better than this......

Wishing you a great day......
Smiles to YOU,
DC

april is almost gone..........and

I have spent most of this month spring cleaning.......or meditating or planning.........and throwing away mounds of papers.......about 43 bags full.  I decided to take time off from managing the estate, it was really
burning me out.  I am just starting to feel back to my old self, after a month and a half break.

I have a ton of storm damage.....roof, back door, deck, fence, walkways, trees limbs to be removed.........and these contractors take forever getting back with the quotes.

My knitting group at bucks county knitters on ravelry, met for the first time at my home last saturday.......it was wonderful sitting outside and knitting.  We are going to do it again this Sunday.....hopefully, I will take

some pics to put up here.

I have been working on recreating the lettuce leaf scarf by lucy neatby........being too cheap to buy the pattern...I have come up with my own version using the photos as inspiration.  After ripping it out a few times, I think I have captured her basic concept, but you be the judge. I am using the leftovers from the skew sock, since I ripped out the heel up sock that was too tight.  Here is a pic for you of my progress to date. I cast on 20 stitches and am using size #2 US needles.

The bottom is composed of six short row sections beginning with 20 stitches and worked around  like half a pie.  Then I begin to go across on 40 stitches, doing a ten stitch short row to create the side ruffles.  Once I get further and know that I like it, I will post my recipe for this unvented scarf....tentatively named the savoy cabbage scarf. 

I also started on the drop 181 pattern.......I love how it is coming along. I am using stash yarn, filaturi di crosa....ganimede.  It is turning out great, almost done with the flounce.  It is 416 stitches for 6 inches.
Here is a pic of the finished pattern.

This is a free pattern and can be found here. Here is a pic of  my progress so far.

I am hoping that you are enjoying the wonderful spring weather........

SMILES TO YOU,
DC

Craft Couture? Wow!

Buy your very own fendi baguette and make it your own....
with creative needlepoint.  This interests me.  Price tag $995.

Here is what it comes with ( Neiman's description) :

Baguette Needlepoint Kit


Craft couture—this innovative kit has everything you need to make your mark on the signature Fendi baguette. Get silly, get serious, get crafting. The entire bag is your blank canvas.

•Natural fabric bag.

•Golden hardware.

•Adjustable, interchangeable top handles; one fabric and one leather.

•Flap top with magnetic zucca closure.

•Assorted multicolor thread, three design cards, five needles, and three thimbles.

•5"H x 10 1/2"W x 1 3/4"D.

•Made in Italy.

If anyone gets this kits, please link to my post.......as I would love to see how this turns out.

Neiman's promoting crafts, what's next a Neiman Marcus Yarn shop???? 

Other KNITTING news:

I like the idea of toe up socks, but, in looking for another pattern, I found that most toe up socks seem to have an issue with the heel .........in any case, I started a new pair last Monday evening,......Overlapping Leaves Toe Up Socks by Lynn Wiemelt.......with the leftover skew yarn  ...........and I love these socks, but after doing an inch of the leg......I am afraid to say, they will end up being frogged, because I am unable to get them on, because the leg is too narrow.....ARGGGGGGH!

I have frogged them back to the heel turn where I have 8 gusset sts on each side......and I am sitting here trying to develop a solution that will work, not really understanding toe up socks, quite yet.  My only experience to date, was a bit SKEWED........as in the Skew Socks, by Lana Holden...  ;-)

Currently, I am thinking of knitting the backs in plain stockinette st.......and leaving the extra stitches on the back till I get the sock over my instep.  I have high insteps......but, thin legs , ankles and heels.....so this does not quite make sense to me yet.

If anyone has any advice for me......other than knit cuff down socks......please, please......comment away.

I Was Feeling a Bit Mentally Skewed After..........

my latest debacle with guess who.......and happened upon the new Knitty pattern by Lana Holden.....called SKEW.

Without delay, I cast on.......with some sock yarn I had bought at a LYS sale........but did not like the look. We started a KAL on the Bucks County Knitters group on ravelry. Feel free to join us......

I went hunting into the stash room, when guess what I should find......my missing digital camera from almost a year ago......LOL!!! Now I have two cameras...UGGGH!!! In any case, I did not find a sock yarn that I wanted.....so went hunting in my bedroom and found some alpaca and silk singles perfect for this sock on my schacht spinning wheel.

I spent two days spinning the remaining roving, which I love. I began the Skew again......as soon as it was dry. I am happy with it so far. The directions are well written, it is fun to knit....and I am finished both socks. It is tough knitting with the #1 needles though, not sure I will venture this small again.......

The heel is a bit tight to get on, but feels fine once you are in them. Lana has offered several suggestions for modifications to her pattern....which you can read on her blog. My own suggestion is to go up a needle size if your sock is a bit too tight.....I wish I had knit them on 2's.

I was so excited about finishing my first toe up socks, I decided to cast on for the Overlapping Leaves Toe Up Sock Pattern, which is a free ravelry.com download.  I have read comments that the heel maybe an issue......will let you know as I progress.


Smiles to YOU,
DC

Get Your Fairy Name here.........

Your fairy is called Oak Elfglitter

She is a cheerful sprite.

She lives in forests of oak and lime trees.

She is only seen in the light of a shooting star.

She decorates herself with leaves and berries. She has delicate green wings like a cicada.

Get your free fairy name here!

Smiles to You........
DC