happy thanksgiving pumpkin pie

i made this pumpkin pie well before thanksgiving because i will be working (sigghhhh) thanksgiving night and also because its sooooo good. hope you can try it!


caramel pecan pumpkin pie
1 pie crust
2 beaten eggs
15 oz canned pumpkin (i used fresh)
1/4 c half and half
3/4 c sugar
1 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c chopped pecans
2 tbsp butter

stir together eggs, pumpkin and half and half. mix in sugar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. pour mixture into baked pie crust. bake for 25 minutes at 375. in small bowl stir brown sugar, pecans and slightly melted butter. pour mixture over pie and bake for another 20 minutes.

 

top tres tuesday || update crafting

before i get to my updates, i need to confess something... i've not been motivated to blog. it's like just one more chore that i have to get to. ugh. i'm hoping to be re inspired by the holiday season and the nice new camera i have my eye on.

i know i told you i would be updating you on a craft show i would be selling at, but maybe you can just look at abby's post about it instead? i 1) forgot to take pictures and 2) don't have the energy. it was a flop, but i'm still glad we did it. hopefully it will make us better for whenever we find another craft fair to be a part of.

soooooo back to top tres tuesday. i've been crafting as much as my schedule will allow right now. aka- not a lot.


numero uno- recycling coffee bags (i have friends from one village coffee. they let me have some of their coffee bags for my sewing ventures. i made this apron, which didn't turn out as nice as i would've liked but can't wait to try again.)

numero dos- yoga bags (these are two i just made spur of the moment. i thought about selling them at the craft fair, but didn't. they fit a little too snug around the mat.)

numero tres- bracelets (i made like a ton of these for the craft show. oh yea.... i sold ONE.)

 

someones birthday.....

 {happy birthday to my very very bestest friend}

*this was our very first photo together EVER. eating dal bhat in nepal.

ugh thats right... its W's birthday! last night we celebrated my husband's 31st birthday.

what were his birthday dinner wishes? to make something i have not even dared before... thai food. i tried to muster all my culinary courage and tackle this meal. here is how it went down.....

tom yum soup (changed slightly from thai table )

3 c water
1 c chicken broth
1 stem lemon grass
1 c shrimp
1 juice of lime
2 tbsp fish sauce
sprinkle of cilantro
1 to 3 chili peppers

bring water, chicken broth and sliced lemon grass to a boil. add shrimp, cilantro and diced peppers. divide lime juice and fish sauce in between the 2 bowls you plan on eating soup from. after shrimp has completely cooked, serve immediately.

red curry chicken (changed slightly from temple of thai )
1 lb chicken
2 c coconut milk (1 can)
3 tbsp red curry paste
1/2 c torn sweet thai basil
2 tbsp fish sauce
salt and pepper
sugar

pour 1 c of the coconut milk into wok, bring to boil. add red curry paste and chicken until meat is cooked thoroughly. add remaining coconut milk, basil, fish sauce, salt, pepper and sprinkle of sugar. serve over basmati rice.

sorry i forgot take pix of the actual meals.

don't throw it out

i really wanted to show you two yoga mat bags i made today. our camera battery charge has up and left us to some forgotten part of the house. i guess no pictures till then! i created the 2 bags because me and abby are planning to sell our goods at a craft show in lansdale. how excitinnnng! i'll let you have a peak of all the goodies i've made later.

i am reading a few new books. the first is 'don't throw it out: recycle, renew and reuse to make things last' by lori baird. i'm only a few chapters in but here are some ideas i thought i'd pass on from the first chapter:

- to resoften stale cookies, put a slice of white bread in the cookie jar
-if you've over salted a soup, add raw peeled potato to the soup and remove when finished
-bake stale crackers at 250 for a few mintues to make them crisp again
-if you are about to throw out the last bit of a bottle of wine, freeze it in a ice cube tray. use cubes whenever a recipe calls for wine.

and lastly please enjoy this song as much as me.  anyone want to join a traveling folk band with me?

quiche me

i love to make quiches. they are so easy and you can put anything in them. well ya know not everyyyyything, but just about.

here is my favorite.

1 pie crust
6 eggs
1/2 c milk
cooked and shredded turkey bacon (i use about 4 slices)
1/2 c crumbled goat cheese
3 slices of onion
salt, pepper, and garlic powder

bake pie crust at 350 for 15 minutes. mix eggs, milk, bacon, cheese and seasonings. pour into pie crust. bake for 20 minutes. saute onions.

once onions have browned and the quiche has started to firm up, sprinkle onions on top. continue to bake for 15 to 20 minutes. enjoy.

gift bags

i'm finally back to getting some sewing done!
here are a few things i've been working on to prepare for the holiday season....

this one i cannot really take credit for. i received a gift from my friend molly

that was wrapped the exact same way. i use this to wrap

up a gift card.

these i will use for smaller christmas presents.

if your name starts with 'k' and you are

expecting a christmas present from me,

just ignore this!

the fleece bag on the left has a beaded snowflake.

the bag on the right has been made from an old

dress shirt of bill's.

the unhealthy truth

i don't normally feel compelled by any books i read. i'm typically a fiction kinda girl.
'the unhealthy truth: how our food is making us sick- and what we can do about it' by robyn o'brein has changed me. forgive me if i get really overexcited and fired up when i talk about it, its hard not to.

you need to read this book if.....

a) you have any allergies, food sensitivities or food allergies
b) you have kids
c) you've thought about going organic but are unsure
d) you are interested in how our government controls our food

i read this book thinking i knew a lot to begin with. i watched food inc, big ideas for a small planet, i eat organic and i know why, i've read up on these issues. however this book went to a whole other scarier, deeper level. there is too much information to give you all the horrible details, but try try try to read it!

ok, off the soap box.
thanks for listening.

top tres tuesday || back

hi.
i'm back.
i've actually been back since thursday...i just haven't written.
sorry.

since it is tuesday.... here are the top tres highlights of my week long trip at work.

numero uno- sunset in turks and caicos

numero dos- sunrise in bahamas

 

numero tres- a week with friends, while getting paid

 

 

 i promise to try not to leave you all again for so long.