"Cheater" Rosemary and Cheddar Biscuits

Cooking is one of my favorite things to do. I relish time in the kitchen. Oh, the satisfaction of donning an apron, and creating healthy food. However, there are days that the sun is setting and you realize, "Dang! We still need to have dinner." Sound familiar? Today is one of those days. Lucky for me I had prepared our Chicken and Noodle soup earlier. But there is no way I am going to get the roll recipe done I wanted to do. So, what do we busy woman/Moms do? We improvise.
Hence, the "Cheater Rosemary and Cheddar Biscuits."

I just used regular old refrigerated biscuits. Basted them with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, sprinkled them with Rosemary, a bit of Italian seasoning, and cheese. Voila! They are actually quite tasty. Using my heart-shaped cake pan I thought it may send a subliminal message to my family that I still love them, even if I am running around like a mad woman! 

A Treasure passed down.

Creative minds are always turning. I am constantly looking, dreaming and thinking about my next project. This time I did not have to look to far. I am blessed to have come from a long line of creative people. The woman in my family have been musicians, bakers, gardeners, artists, photographers you name it! But the person that I credit the most in my creative "upbringing" was my Grandmother, Phyllis. She saw the potential in me, and she cultivated it. My Grandmother, "Gram" as I called her, always had things on hand for me to work with. She belonged to a Garden Club. She taught me how to floral arrange, make bows and garden. When I wanted to learn to sew, she pulled out her ancient black 1950's sewing machine. She would supply me with clay, to sculpt, paper, crayons and actively participated with me when I would draw. Gram even taught me how to bake. Every year from the time I was five years old, we would make cut-out cookies for Christmas. But there was one thing that my Grandmother did that was outstanding, she was a China Painter.

Gram!

She was self-taught and her work graces the walls and shelves in most of our families homes. When I was eight years old, Gram let me paint my first piece. It was a trivet with a Rabbit on it. I did not further my "formal" instruction after that. China painting is time consuming, and being a young girl, I was to busy off doing other things. However, I observed and helped. I helped load the kiln, helped mix paint, and just sat and watched. I can smell the paint now just thinking about it. When I was older we planned on my continuing my instruction, but then I became pregnant with my first child and life as parent was my priority.

Unfortunately, we lost Gram almost five years ago. October is her birthday month, so naturally my memories are flooded with her at this time of the year. As I was thinking of her, I began wondering what happened with all her china painting items. A quick phone call to my mother I found out that all her things were stored at my parent's house and that Mom could just not get rid of them. I quickly grabbed my keys and headed over there. There in large box was everything! The kiln was still there too. It was as if it was waiting for me. 

It may sound silly, but I believe there was a reason that Gram's china items never were sold. I think that I am suppose to continue in Gram's footsteps, to continue this lost art. It is my sincere hope that I will make her proud, and that she is with me on this new journey. Thank you Gram for leaving me this treasure. 

Study book, paint palette, tools, and a plate of violets painted by Gram.

Sweet Gum Trees: Can't Beat them? Embrace them!

 The Sweet Gum tree. Official name Liquidambar Styraciflua. These are the trees that line our street. To be honest, I never knew what they were until we moved into our home. We quickly became educated. Our first lesson was dealing with the spherical, spiked seed pods. There is an ever abundant supply of seed pods. They vary from the green new pods to brown dead ones. Here is the problem. They are a mess! They litter our street and yards in full force. There is never a time when the pods are not around. We are plagued. Not only are they messy, they are a hazard.  I can guarantee that everyone on our block at one time has slipped and fallen when walking on these. I have a scar on my knee as proof. When new people come over, we always tell them to watch out for the "Evil Spiky Balls." Maybe I should make signs warning others of the dangers?

Sweet Gum seed pods. New and old.

My negative attitude soften a bit, when someone told me that these pods are used in crafts.  I became intrigued. This was my second lesson. The craft world uses these pods in many ways. I have seen wreaths, pumpkins, ornaments made from these pods. Did you know that people actually sell them? Wow, maybe I have a gold mind in my front yard.

My Fall center piece. Sweet gum pods, willow branches and Eucalyptus

 My third lesson. I found out that these trees have a long history in Herbal medicine. The oldest record of these trees dates back 55 million years ago. Many cultures have utilized the trees in medicinal practices. The sap and bark is traditionally used. They are used as incense, sleep aids,  treating ailments from skin disorders, Ringworm,and when taken internally to help with coughs, and colds. The Sweet gum sap or resin has been used in the Southern states as a chewing gum.

My fourth lesson and last is that the pods have use in the garden. The pods provide a natural slug deterrent. Placing the pods around the base of your plants inhibits the slug's access. I have also layered the pods in my flower beds to stop feral cats from using them as a free litter box.

With all these wonderful uses, I no longer have such a negative attitude about the Sweet Gum. I have embraced them as one of my favorite trees. However, I may need a little reminder when I am out cleaning up their mess.

Sweet Gum leaf.

Native Roots

Native Americans are not all living on Reservations in the west. They are alive and well and just might be your neighbors. How do I know this? Because my husband and I have Native heritage. Let me first start off by clearing up some misconceptions. Not all Native Americans have dark skin. Not all have big noses and the high cheek bones. Yes, many tribes have those distinguishing features and skin coloring that fit in the stereotype, but many do not. Why? Because of a few factors. The first would be because of geography. Those Natives living in open plains or deserts have darker skin tones simply because they live in area that do not have much coverage from the sun. Whereas, the Woodland tribes lived in areas that were dense and shaded. The biggest factor is due to Native Americans marrying and having children with other cultures. Or what we call assimilating. In these instances the "blood quantum" (a term the government uses to measure just how "native" you are) has been reduced or cancelled out by the other ethnic blood. That is my family's reason. For me, my own personal heritage goes back to my 5th Great Grandmother, Manga. She was a full-blood Ottawa Native woman. However her husband was a French man. As my direct line from this woman came down through the years, there was no more Native American lineage added that we know of. So for blood quantum purposes, I would not be considered Native by government standards. My husband's Native blood is closer in his lineage. He is Cherokee and Choctaw, and is about 1/4 give or take. (I know ridiculous, it is not like you have to prove how much German, Irish, or English you are.)

My 3rd Great Grandmother. Julia Rumery Thayer. 1/4 Ottawa.

That brings up another issue, the "That we KNOW of." Native Americans did not always claim their heritage. Did you know that at one time it was considered better to be African American than Native American? So many Natives claimed themselves "white", Black Dutch, Black Irish, or African American on government records such as the census. There was also the government's way of "assimilating." There are so many stories of Native children being removed from their tribes and put into schools where they were told to forget their Native ways and become "white." But they did not forget. I was told by a wise Elder, "that if you have one drop of Native blood in you, than you are Native." It is more than blood lineage, you must live it.


Regardless of all of this. We are here. As a family we have brought the ways of the Anishinabe (the Original People) back into the light, we honor are ancestors. We are teaching our children the traditions of the old ways, we are teaching them to live in harmony with the Earth, to love those around us. To be better.

Brian dancing in the circle with Lavinia in 2009.

My husband Brian in his traditional Southeastern style regalia.

Brian in Traditional Men's Dance Regalia.

My favorite Breakfast

 Breakfast is the most important meal of the Day! I try to eat clean and as natural as possible. Organic is the best. Because I have what I call a "Wacky Pancreas" I suffer from Insulin Resistance. So for me Protein is my friend! What better protein in the morning than an egg. This is my favorite fun breakfast. I used Red sweet peppers as an egg mold, added fresh tomatoes and basil from my organic garden. To top it off, I made a Pumpkin Pie Smoothie to go with it. Gotta eat that "rainbow" of fruits and veggies a day. Usually I overload the veggies in the morning for a great start.
Here my recipe:

     Eggs with Pepper molds

-Peppers, your choice of green, red or yellow.
-Eggs
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-Salt & Pepper, or other spices. I love adding onion powder, and garlic to eggs.

Directions:

Add about a Tablespoon of Olive Oil to your fry pan, You can use a non-stick spray, but I love the taste and enjoy the benefits of using Olive Oil. Clean and slice your peppers about one inch or so from the bottom. Use slices that give you the most area for the egg. Add your pepper to the pan. Cook about two minutes. Crack your egg into the pepper mold. Cook the egg for a minute, and then carefully flip the whole egg and pepper mold over. Continue to cook your egg. Depending on how you like your eggs cooked. Once done, transfer the eggs to a plate, add diced or chopped tomatoes and basil or your favorite toppings.

Power Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

It is that time of year again. Pumpkins and Squash, Oh My! I use this as a great power drink as an add on or just as a snack.

Blender
1 cup of pumpkin
Pumpkin pie spice, add to taste
1 cup of plain yogurt
1/2 of a Banana
2 Tbls. of Ground flax seed
Non-fat skim milk


Directions:

Add all the ingredients into the blender. I am a "by taste"girl, so I adjust the spices to what I like. I love Cinnamon so I tend to put a bit more in. Plus Cinnamon is great for controlling blood sugar from highs and lows. Blend all together. I add a bit of milk to not make the smoothie so thick.

The Ladies of the Yard

The coop with its storm door.

" Chickens? You have Chickens? Wait, can you have Chickens in the city?" For those of us urban chicken owners, I can guarantee that you have had these questions asked of you. My answer is "Absolutely! How lucky am I!"

There are many cities across the United States that allow chickens within the city limits. Did I perk your interest? Good! Let's continue...
 Each city has laws regarding owning chickens. I strongly encourage you to research the laws first. For example, where I live we are allowed up to six hens, no roosters. The living areas of the birds must be clean and not become a nuisance, and the basic needs are to be given.( i.e.food, water, shelter)  I recommend calling your own City government or Health Department for answers. The Internet has a ton of information! However, I spent a lot of time researching the Internet for our city, and there was conflicting information on our laws. I even read city laws, which can also be a bit confusing. So your best bet is to call City Hall.

So, why would I want chickens anyway? Well, for me the answer was simple. As a family, we strive to eat clean, organic food whenever possible. We also believe in being self-sufficient as much as possible. If we can take steps towards that direction, than we will make it happen.  Chickens could add to that journey. In order to reach that goal, I needed to become informed. I read everything I could on owning chickens. Spent hours reading informational pages, and books. Believe me if it was about chickens I soaked up the information like a sponge. My husband and children said I was becoming obsessed. No, I would reply "I was getting educated." However there was a problem. As I perused all the information, I began seeing statements like the following:

 "you will love them"

"they make the best pets!"

 "they are addicting, you can't just have one!" 

"I love my chickens!"

"Wait to you watch Chicken T.V!" 

WHAT? I want chickens for eggs, so we can be self-sustaining, I don't really want them as a pet. Do I really even like birds? What are these people talking about? So I dug a little deeper in my research, and began reading people's stories and blogs. I found that I could not get enough of these stories.  I believe my heart grew just like Dr. Seuss' character The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, after he realized what Christmas was really about. Next thing I knew I have a McMurray catalog on my desk with pictures of the breeds I had to have circled. I was ready!

.We decided to get day old chicks. But that did not happen. We found a woman, now a friend who lives not far from us. She and her daughters have an incredible farm. They love chickens and had some 6 week old chicks available for sale. We were a bit hesitant, I was afraid that they would be too old to bond with our family. But we decided this would be the best way to go. We loaded up the kids, who are now just as "obsessed" as I am about chickens, and drove out to the farm.

The kids were so excited when we told them they could each pick out a chick. Bless our friend's heart as she chased these chicks around in the pen for "the one" for each of the kids. We actually all picked out a chick. We ended up with five peeping babies in a large tote. Liam was the first to name his chicken. His pick was giving our friend a bit a fuss about being caught. She kept hopping and flapping her wings. He said "I am naming her Time, because time flies, get it? Time flies?" But he agreed that her name looked nicer spelled as "Thyme" she is a Barred Rock. Lavinia's pick is "Isabelle" a Maran/Australorp mix. Avin picked a New Hampshire Red, "Graciella." My pick was a Rhode Island Red, and her name is "Mrs. Babcock." Finally, we have "Luna." She is a mystery mix. We know that she is part Maran from her Dad, but she looks like she could be mixed with an Americana. She reminds us of a Barn owl in the face. We cannot wait to see what color egg she will produce.

Isabelle

We have had our girls for over a month now, and I can not imagine life with out chickens!  I totally  understand what everyone was saying. I am in love with my flock. They do make the best pets.  I want more, I have a wish list. And yes, "Chicken T.V" is my favorite show.

Isabelle's shimmer is gorgeous!

Thyme and Isabelle very curious of the camera. I am ready for my close up!

What's up chicken butt? Graciella's backside.

Graciella and Isabelle. Love Graciella's expression.

Mrs. Babcock

Luna's cool feathers

Luna in my hubby's arms falling asleep.

Gourds

Fall brings such a wonderful bounty. It is my favorite season. It is also the time when my bird house gourds have completely dried out. Gourds are such a cool art medium to use. I love to create with things that are as close as possible to nature. There are numerous things you can do with these gourds. My favorite is to make bowls and jewelry out of them. It is a task that can be a bit messy, but so fun. This year my children got into the spirit of gourd art. They have helped me clean and sand the pieces. I think they are just excited to be allowed to "break" something! 

 These are just a few samples of what I do with the gourds. These are mostly going to turn into pins. However, I can create pieces for pendants too. Ideas come to me as I shape the gourds, however, I can do custom pieces. Prices vary from $5 to $10. Custom pieces are priced accordingly. If you are interested in purchasing please email me at heddielynn@gmail.com.

My children, Liam 6, and Lavinia 8 not only had fun breaking and sanding the gourds, they wanted to create too. Lavinia did the upper right corner Christmas tree and the multicolored one on the far right. I love that one. Liam was more "inspired" and created the rest. My favorite of his is the bottom one with the green and red "dots. That is his Strawberry field. However he is pretty proud of the upper brown one, that is his Aardvark. I think we have budding artists on our hands.