Are you in North Carolina and want to see Shore Debris in person? My jewelry is available at this Sanford location:

Divine Designs by Nancy, 92 Amarillo Ln

You can also find my jewelry in this Southwest Florida gallery:

Elizabet Bryant Art Gallery, 200 West Dearborn Street, Englewood, FL 34223

Saturday, July 30, 2011

My New Favorite Pancakes

I've had a recipe from Fitness Magazine since May that I've been dying to try. Now the name was not so good - they were called "Banana-Nut Protein Pancakes." That doesn't exactly sound delicious, and it totally turned my husband off from even trying them.


Thanks to his job, he's out of town, and I decided to try them on my own!

Recipe:

In blender, combine 1 banana, 1/4 cup rolled oats, 2 tablespoons low-fat cottage cheese, 2 egg whites and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; Blend until smooth. Stir in 2 teaspoons chopped walnuts. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and coat with non-stick cooking spray. Pour batter into skillet to make two 4-inch pancakes; cook 3 minutes on each side. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons maple syrup.



It was like eating banana nut bread for breakfast! That's exactly what they tasted like. I actually doubled the recipe so that I could have leftovers for the following morning (cooked them all up at once), but I ended up with five 5-inch pancakes total.


I almost balked when I saw the recipe calling for only 2 teaspoons of Maple Syrup. Surprisingly, the pancakes are so dense, they do not soak up the syrup at all, and 2 teaspoons is really enough.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Back in the garden

I've had some great harvests recently. Not near enough to feed the neighbors or give away food, but making me think of interesting things for dinner. I think I just got my last 1/2 cup of blueberries but this looks to be my first of many zucchinis!Vicky's harvest from her backyard garden The entire garden is going pretty well - I've got corn, green beans, butternut squash, cantaloupe, bell peppers, watermelon, okra, tomatoes... I think that's all. This picture doesn't do it justice, but it looks good in person.

Vicky's entire veggie garden What I am most impressed with though is the corn! I've been trying to grow corn for the last three years and have never gotten a plant taller than 10 inches before it keels over on me. This year, I can even see my very first ear of corn starting.

The ear has started on the corn! Can't wait till he's ready to pick!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Slow Going...

I love wire wrapping... I live for wire wrapping... my old part-time job involved intensive computer sessions for 4-5 hours a day... suddenly my body said, "No" to all of the repetitive motion and I developed a very large and very painful ganglion cyst.Vicky's Bandage on Right Wrist Even 3 weeks off with no jewelry making and no typing did not calm it... nor did it go away when my chiropractor hit it (literally attempting the whacking with a bible theory).

So this week a surgeon removed it. I can hold pliers in my left hand still but have no leverage when playing with wire. I guess my end of the summer will be a full out sprint in jewelry making as I try to make up for so much time off :)

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Vacations...

I have been on vacation for the first half of this month... I've been lucky that my job ended at the same time the rest of my extended family was also taking time off so I could visit with them.

I had no idea how much I needed a vacation until I returned. I have read a total of 4 books in the last 2.5 weeks and in turn realized it has been more than a year since I read my last book.

4 books that Vicky has recently read:  A Crazy Little Thing Called Death by Nancy Martin, Sacred Stone by Clive Cussler, Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell, and What Came Before He Shot Her by Elizabeth George Now I wasn't reading anything remotely intellectual, but I do love a complete fictional retreat. This summer I'm going to make sure I get back into my reading habit again.