Bird Feed: Garlic Hummus w/ Chips (Part 2)

While a Wyoming Farmers Market might not have all of the lush produce you might expect at, say, a market in the NW, what we lack in frost-free days we make up in creativity! At a market earlier this month, we had a new vendor sign on to our market here in town - selling homemade, warm & freshly made corn tortillas!

By the end of the next week, I had a few leftover and decided that they would be perfect as homemade tortilla chips with the garlic hummus - CLICK HERE FOR THE HUMMUS POST. I had planned on making crackers, but this sounded so much better! And by making the chips spicy as opposed to the hummus, you can be sure not to exclude anyone with a sensitive palate from enjoying your chickpea puree.

Start by cutting your tortillas into triangles. The smaller corn tortillas work well for making chips because you can cut them into quarters and end up with the right size. Spread the tortilla triangles evenly and in one layer on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Using a can of spray olive oil (or a spritzer), coat the tops of the tortilla pieces so that they appear moist but not drenched. Sprinkle your preferred spices on top - here's the mix I used:

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp of ground sea salt

dash of garlic powder

I also squirted some lime juice on top on the tortilla pieces before putting the tray in the oven. Highly recommended! I based my chips on THESE from Allrecipes.

Bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes, rotate, and bake for another 8-10 minutes or until slightly crispy...

...and there you have it!

Garlic Hummus & Spiced Tortilla Chips

Good Read: "Why DIY is Good For You"

If you've got a project or two lined up for the long weekend, or are considering it, you might want to check out this really great article over on THP by Mark Fauenfelder, editor-in-chief of the magazine Make.

Entitled "The Courage to Screw Up: Why DIY is Good For You," Fauenfelder explores his personal journey of becoming a DIYer and offers up what he considers to be 5 benefits of DIY:

1. A deeper connection to the things that keep us alive and well.
2. An appreciation for the things you have and the systems that make it possible.
3. An opportunity to use your hands and your brain.
4. A connection to other people.
5. A path to freedom.   

I'm also a fan of DIY because it's not only frugal but also because a lot of things we consider DIY these days involve skills that I think everyone should learn: sewing, basic construction, canning, etc. 

What do you think? What kind of benefit do you get from crafty/DIY projects? I've learned over the last year or so (since I started blogging) that screwing up is a natural part of DIY. It's certainly not fun, but I can tell you that I have definitely figured out the WRONG way to make marshmallows. That's a skill to last a lifetime :)

Happy Weekend!

Sweetie Pie Deal: FREE "Campfire Jams" Album

Since I'm on a camping kick today, I thought I might as well share this Sweetie Pie Deal with you, too! In honor of the upcoming 2010 Bonnaroo music festival, SPIN magazine is offering a free download of songs from their top band picks. The album, entitled "Campfire Jams," is available for download after submitting an e-mail address where the download link is to be sent.

From SPIN:

June 10-13 brings us Bonnaroo, the annual celebration of music in the Tennessee countryside, attended by some 80,000 fans. To get you psyched for the festival (even if you're not going), we've posted a free downloadable album of songs by 16 must-hear bands picked by the editors of SPIN. 

SPIN Presents Campfire Jams features tracks from Bonnaroo performers like Kings of Leon, the National, Phoenix, the Gaslight Anthem, Mumford & Sons, Tinariwen, and many more. 

Download your free copy here.

What you'll hear on the album:

1. The Gaslight Anthem, "American Slang"
2. The National, "Bloodbuzz Ohio"
3. Manchester Orchestra, "Shake It Out"
4. Kings of Leon, "Cold Desert"
5. Local Natives, "World News"
6. Blitzen Trapper, "Heaven and Earth"
7. Phoenix, "1901 (Live in Sydney)"
8. Samantha Crain, "Lions"
9. Bomba Estereo, "Fuego"
10. Tinariwen, "Lulla"
11. Mumford & Sons, "White Blank Page (Live)"
12. Jamey Johnson, "Place Out on the Ocean"
13. The Young Veins, "Change"
14. Dawes, "When My Time Comes"
15. Gossip, "Are You That Somebody (Live Aaliyah Cover)"
16. Chromeo, "Night By Night" 

Happy Listening! 

Say What? "Glamping"

Glamorous + Camping = Glamping

I didn't even know such a term existed until I say this post over on One Pretty Thing: OPT's Glamping Roundup

Just about the best thing ever! Now that I've heard about it, of course, glamping is showing up EVERYWHERE. When I was poking around some sites for the San Juan Islands Nesting post, I even stumbled upon AMAZING glamping vacations.

According to Glamping Girl:

Glamping truly originated in the early 1900’s, with the popularization of the safari, The word safari is an Arabic verb meaning “to make a journey” and an entire industry was created to cater to the needs of the demanding European and American travelers, looking to bag a trophy and experience adventure in the wilds of Africa. Naturally, the wealthy travelers weren’t eager to part with the creature comforts of home, and instead stayed in luxurious canvas tent lodgings. These tents were fully furnished with beds, luxurious bedding, Persian rugs, antiques and fully staffed with chefs, guides, porters and butlers. 

A new trend of glamping has emerged with luxury camping resorts, safari camps, eco-resorts and campgrounds offering every amenity imaginable, from 5 star dining to spas. Manufacturers are catching on, offering designer gadgets and gear to bring style to the wilderness. Regardless of budget, you can enjoy the great outdoors without sacrificing luxury.

 

Since OPT has an amazing collection of Glamping resources compiled and ready for you in the roundup, I won't relist here. But I do want to know what YOU think about this glamping business? Had you heard of it before in these terms?

After many seasons working as a wilderness canoe guide with mud up to my eyeballs, taking baths in the lake, and cooking spaghetti with MREs, I admit that I'm a little resistant to the notion of glamping - until I see photos of some spectacular tents with REAL BEDS.... Maybe glamping can be a nice addition to the more rugged adventures in our trip calendar!

image from living.com

Find a Glamping Trip with Go Glamping

Learn More About Modern Glamping & Trips with Glamping Girl

I think it's safe to say that you're going to see a lot more "glamping" ideas around here - especially as summertime means car camping, hiking, backpacking, and canoe trips!

Bird Feed: Garlic Hummus w/ Chips (Part 1)

My first encounter with hummus didn't happen until my freshman year in university. As you might imagine, pureed chickpeas really aren't a specialty in Texas - so you can only imagine my hesitancy when I was introduced to it the first time on a kayaking trip down the Rideau Canal with an outdoor club. It was a little chunky, and I admit that I wasn't convinced.

Jump ahead a few years to when I finally was adult enough to own a nice food processor... hummus got a WHOLE lot better! You see, making hummus with a potato masher as a lowly college student just didn't have quite the same effect as a smooth, creamy hummus loaded with flavor. Shocking, I know.

And so I share with you a wonderfully smooth hummus recipe that will win you over without any hesitation. Delicious and flexible, hummus is a great food to experiment with in terms of flavor - from roasted red pepper and garlic to curry flavored and spicy jalapeno.

For basic hummus you'll need:

3-5 garlic cloves, minced (I always add more garlic!)

2 cans of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup tahini (check out the natural foods aisle)
1/8 tsp cumin

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

1/3 tsp paprika

Try adding some chile powder for a little kick!

I couldn't recommend enough a good food processor for hummus. A blender will do the trick in most cases, but you still might end up with the occassional chick pea clump.

Rinsed & drained!

All mixed together... press the button... and...

Voila! A healthy snack with vegetables, on sandwiches, with crackers, and more! Sprinkle the paprika on top for a little color and something special.

Stick around for tomorrow's Part 2 - making homemade tortilla chips for your hummus from corn tortillas...

Etsy Episode: Pie-Frickin-Tastic

This week's Etsy Episode is getting paired with Lofty Thoughts - and it's all about pie! Hold on to your double crusts... and away we go!

When you die, if you get a choice between going to regular heaven or pie heaven, choose pie heaven. It might be a trick, but if it's not, mmmmmmmm, boy. (Jack Handy)

Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest 

carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie. (Jim Davis)

A boy doesn't have to go to war to be a hero; he can say he doesn't like pie when he sees there isn't enough to go around. (Edgar Watson)

But I, when I undress me
Each night, upon my knees
Will ask the Lord to bless me
With apple-pie and cheese.

(Eugene Field)

Good apple pies are a considerable 

part of our domestic happiness. (Jane Austen)

I don't think a really good pie can be made without a dozen or so children peeking over your shoulder as you stoop to look in at it every little while. (John Gould)

Men may come and men may go.....

but Pie goes on for ever. (George Augustus Sala)

 Click on the links below to visit each Etsy shop! 

Full Apron in Fruit Pies Print from spicerakdesigns

Keep Calm And Eat Apple Pie 8.5x11 from posterville

Pumpkin Pie With Whipped Cream Earrings from pearberry

Chocolate Pie Card from OrangeTwist

" fattening up" print from doodleandhoob

MMM PIE Vinyl wall Decal/Art from DigitalInkva

Sweetie Pie Screen Printed Card from pumpkinandhoneybunny

Pie Lover necklace from muchlove

"Have some pie" print from smilesandsquiggles

Blueberry Estate earrings from fitzysparrow

Happy Little Baker Personalized Stationery Set from emilyanndesigns

Pecan Pie Candle from gelDlights

Baked with Love Pie Hand Carved Rubber Stamp from cupcaketree

blueberry pie please ring from theplaythings

The Return of Pie!

After a productive and shopping-filled weekend in Salt Lake, I've returned to a lovely spring snowstorm! As I unpack and reorganize, and I thought that I would let you know what's coming this week:

(1) Double whammy post of Etsy Episode + Lofty Thoughts.... Pie!

(2) Bird Feed: Spiced Garlic Hummus with Chips in 2 Parts

(3) Say What?! "Glamping"

(4) Bird Feed: Memorial Day Marshmallow Blowout

Hope you stick around! For now, I'm off to unpack mini bundt and loaf pans, a 25 bound bag of flour, new fabrics and ribbon, and all sorts of little goodies that I'm sure will be making an appearance around these parts. Bake to you soon!

National Bike to Work Day!

 Hooray! It's the best holiday on two wheels - 

National Bike to Work Day! 

I know it's lame, but even though I live a short 1.5 ride away from my office I won't be riding to work today as work is on the move to Salt Lake City. With 3 big summer events this summer - a Nature Camp for 50 kids, a fundraiser dinner for 300, and a community-wide picnic for 600 - we've got some shopping to do!

However - if you've got it in you, get on your bike (please tell me you have a basket on the front and a bell!) and ride into the sunset! 

Need a little inspiration? Check out this really neat design-your-own bike from Urban Outfitters:

Not sure you're up for it? Head over to the 
Huffington Post for 7 Tips for National Bike to Work Day:

Get the rest of the cycling scoop from

the League of American Bicyclists!

And with that, I'm hitting the pavement with 2 other gals from the office for 3 days of shop 'til you drop supplies gathering... complete with the assistance of a 28 foot trailer. From every craft store imaginable to Cabelas, IKEA, and the Dollar Store, we're bound for some serious spending and a whole heck of a lot of fun in the "big city." 

See you next week!

Oh, Facebook, You're So Crafty!

One of the reasons I love the blogging community so much is that folks are so willing to share what they know - recipes, crafts, tutorials, writing, ideas, inspiration, tips and tricks, advice, news, shopping, trends, and so on! When I think about all of the things I've learned to do from the comfort of my own home, I can't help but be grateful for all of the information you can find online these days.

In addition to blogging, I also think that social media and networking is an important component of sharing information and building a sense of community. In the spirit of sharing, I've compiled lists of crafty Facebook pages in Sewing, Knitting, Baking, DIY, Gardening, Homesteading, and Scrapbooking. I've attempted to limit pages that are strictly commercial - the business/brands that I have included intereact with their friends/fans beyond trying to sell products.

One of the more poignant quotes I've come across recently as I prep for a seminar I'm teaching on online resources for nonprofits is from Patricia Fripp:  

"Technology does not run an 

enterprise, relationships do." 

Go ahead and make some new online relationships - with other bloggers, Facebook members, or other forums and websites that interact with others of like minds and interests!

Submit your favorites and your own! 

What other categories would you include?

SEWING

Sewing

FB's Sewing Community Page

EXTREME Sewing

Vintage Sewing

Singer Sewing Machine

American Sewing Guild

Creative Sewing

Sewing Mamas

The Sewing Directory

Sew, Mama, Sew!

Sew News

Sew Beautiful Magazine

Sew 4 Home

KNITTING

Knitting

KNITTING

Vogue Knitting

Knitting Daily

Knitting

FB's Knitting Community Page

Creative Knitting Magazine

Knitting for Charity

Boye Knitting and Crochet

BAKING

My Baking Addiction

Baking

FB's Baking Community Page

Baking for Good

Baking Bites

Bake and Destroy

BAKING

Bake Club

Baking Bitches

Baking 101

DIY

DIY Network

The DIY Dish

DIY Life

DIY

DIY

DIY Dog Treats

GARDENING

Gardening

Gardening

Organic Gardening 101

Guerrilla Gardening

Organic Gardening

I'd Rather Be Gardening

Everything About Gardening

GuerrillaGardening.Org

Square Foot Gardening

Vegetable Gardening

Organic Gardening Magazine

National Home Gardening Club

FB's Gardening Community Page

Organic Gardening and Homesteadin

HOMESTEADING

HOMESTEADING

homesteading

Homesteading Today

Homesteading Families

Homesteading/Survivalism

Natural Homesteading

FB's Homesteading Community Page

SCRAPBOOKING

FB's Scrapbooking Community Page

Scrapbooking 

Scrapbooking.Com: Ideas & Supplies

Obsessed With Scrapbooking

I Love Scrapbooking!

Scrapbooking

Scrapbooking and Beyond Magazine

Scrapbooking for Less

New Read! DIY meets Frugal Living

I'm super psyched... my new book arrives today! 

As the summer quickly approaches - and work overflows into the evenings - I am always in need of quick meals that don't require an extra trip to the store. And so I made a little purchase over on Amazon...

Make-A-Mix: Over 300 Easy Recipes for Every Meal of the Day

Here's the idea: "Make-A-Mix is really two cookbooks in one. The cookbook begins with 67 make-ahead shortcut mixes for everything from all-purpose cake mix to meatball mix. These can be made on a weekend—or whenever there’s free time—and used to speed food preparation on busy days."

While I found a lot of great books on OAMC (once a month cooking) and freeze-ahead dinners, I can't really take on those methods unless and until (1) I live near some sort of affordable bulk- or warehouse-type store and (2) we upgrade to a larger or extra freezer. For those of you like me, Make-A-Mix might be the right choice for you, too!

In addition, I'm hoping that the mixes also provide some inspiration for our camping menus for the summer. With hiking, backpacking, and a week-long canoe trip on the horizon, some easy to pack and carry mixes are always appreciated in the camp kitchen.

Fingers-crossed that the mail is on time and actually arrives today - you never know around these parts! 

Do you have any resources for make-ahead meals? How do you stay on top of homemade meals during busy times?

Bird Feed: Banana Crumb Muffins

In my ongoing quest to try to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into my daily menu, there have been a few casualties... namely bananas. But not to fear - Banana Crumb Muffins are here!

As I searched through recipes for sad bananas this weekend, I stumbled upon THIS RECIPE and knew I had a winner. And since I'm pretty sure that muffins are destined to be put in cute baskets and delivered to friends and neighbors, that's exactly what I did. Even though I felt a little like a Stepford wife, I wrapped up these little warm bits of deliciousness and set off down the street. 

If you're ever having a bad day, keep this in mind:

handing a basket of fresh baked muffins to someone is one of the best feelings in the world.

With modifications from the original, here's the recipe:

Muffins:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp each baking soda and baking powder**

1/2 tsp salt

3-4 medium ripe bananas, mashed with a fork

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp nutmeg

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup canola oil

Topping:

1/3 c brown sugar

2 tbsp flour

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp butter

** If at high altitude, half the amount of baking soda & powder.

Preheat the oven to 375 and either grease your muffin tin or line with papers. Mix together: flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In another bowl or in a stand mixer, combine: bananas, sugars, egg, vanilla and oil. Slowly add the flour mix until just combined. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Using 2 knives or a pastry cutter, cut in the cold butter until you get a lovely cornmeal texture. Sprinkle liberally over the muffins.

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the tin for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack.

Sounds to Start the Week: La Roux

I can't seem to get this song out of my head - probably because it plays non-stop on Sirius Radio! Despite being overplayed, this is the theme song for my week this week. 

It might be Monday, but I'm bulletproof!

Sweetie Pie Deal: Web Domains for 99 Cents!

Maybe you're ready to take the next step with your blog or Etsy shop?

Today's the day! GoDaddy.com is offering $0.99 domains:

Godaddy.com is offering a coupon for a one-year domain registration for 99 cents. Enter 99INDY in coupon field to show the discounted price. Additional 18-cent ICANN fee applies. Note: the deal is not valid on renewals.

You may also get a free matching .info domain (if available) for just the ICANN fee of 18 cents with the purchase of a .com domain

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE SITE

That's a pretty sweet deal, if you ask me!

Work Hard, Laugh Harder

As I am sure is true for most anyone that works for a nonprofit, there are days when you love it and days when you hate it. Luckily, even on those hardest days at least you know that you make a difference.

And then there are the days when you get to do something totally awesome - like installing motion-activated game cameras and sorting through thousands of once-in-a-lifetime shots of animals moving through one of the oldest and longest overland wildlife migrations in North America... 

Life is good in Wyoming.

Nifty Inspiration: DIY Outdoor Oven!

Just as I was finishing up the "Folk School & Fancy Free" post yesterday I came across an AWESOME how-to on Building Your Own Outdoor Cob Oven via the Huffington Post's new Food section.

Not only do I adore a DIY project that seems pretty straightforward, but I love it even more when it's relatively inexpensive!  

Check it out by clicking here.

How upset do you think our landlord would be to find one of these in the backyard? I mean, it's a bonus, right?  He he. Just another reason to take that Rustic Breads course up at the folk school :)

Sweetie Pie Deal: FREE Gardening Guide

It's that tasty time of year again - and Burpee Home Gardens is right there to help make this year's gardening season a yummy success! Go on your merry growing way with a FREE vegetable gardening guide delivered right to your door.

From the site:

If there's any rule of vegetable gardening (and there isn't, so relax), it's that it's more fun to grow things you and your family enjoy eating. So, to help you on your vegetable-growing journey, Burpee Home Gardens presents "Garden Fresh" – an insightful yet fun vegetable gardening guide that answers your questions on everything from what to grow, to how much and when. This companion offers ideas, inspirations, and the support you need to explore – and succeed at – the world of home vegetable gardening.

CLICK HERE to fill out a simple form and get your copy now!