Springtime and Works in Progress...

It is so nice to come home from my daily walks and see spring is here - even though I don't quite feel the temperature! These little daffodils are along the walkway from my driveway to front door. Inside my studio, I started a new pendant yesterday. Using a nutmeg shell my grandmother found on the beach in Naples, Florida, I've begun weaving a coiling a frame out of copper wire for a pendant. I can't wait to sit down and finish this today.
What are your new projects for this beautiful day?

Smoky Black Bean Soup with Chicken Sausage

I was reading my march issue of Fitness Magazine and found a recipe that sounded good for dinner last night. I of course don't do anything spicy, so used kielbasa instead of spicy chicken sausage and omitted the chili altogether. I also put 2 times as much in the blender because I was craving a really thick soup rather than the thinner version on the pretty magazine photo. Smoky Black Bean Soup with Chicken Sausage

1 tsp olive oil

3-oz precooked chicken sausage, thinly sliced

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregano

2 15-oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups chicken broth

1 canned chipolte chili in adobo sauce, minced

1/3 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp finely grated lime zest

4 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice

1/4 tsp honey

salt

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add sausage in a single layer; cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Turn and cook 1 minute more. Transfer to a plate lined with papertowels.

Add onion and bell pepper to pan; saute until soft, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic, cumin and oregano; saute 1 minute more. Stir in beans, broth, and chipolte; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine sour cream, lime zest, 1 tsp lime juice, and honey in small bowl.

Transfer 1 1/2 cups soup to blender and puree. Stir puree back into soup; add sausage. Stir in remaining lime juice and season with salt to taste. Serve and top with lime sour cream.

Website Outline

I've had "Update Website" on my active to-do list since last October; however, I have not had the time to actually do it (especially when I realized exactly how much re-vamping I am going to do).

This week I finally sat down, and although it is covered in scribbles, I have my 6 1/2 page outline ready to start typing into html. Making that outline has really brought the daunting task to a much more manageable level!

I hope to have it completely done and online by the end of March.

Green Treasury

This year, one of my goals is to create one treasury per month. I did last month's in pink, but this month I was feeling the green:

Using Those Boca Grande Shells

I mentioned shelling at Boca Grande last month. I've gone and used a couple of them in this new butterfly necklace:

I just love making butterflies out of coquina shells! I used 20 gauge wire to make the antennae. The cockle shell backing of the pendant is the same square shape that I found on the beach, but I did drill two holes in it to attach it to the chain.

Visiting Richardson's Rock Ranch (again...)

This week, my husband and I were in Oregon visiting family so I was able to stop by one of my favorite places for stones - Richardson's Rock Ranch. They're known for their thundereggs: but I really prefer all the things I can find the in the Rock Shop - like these polished amethyst pieces, crystal points,
the large stone hearts,
small jars of stone chips,
stone starfish,
and pieces of argonite.
I can't wait to begin playing with these!

Guilt-free Mini Cheesecakes

I pull recipes out of magazines all the time, but rarely get to try all the ones that I want. I already love the traditional version of this covered in cherry pie filling, but decided I'd try these "White Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes" recipe printed in the February 2011 copy of Fitness Magazine.

I found these mini cheesecakes to be delicious and you could definitely taste the white chocolate. Since I live in the middle of nowhere, some of the ingredients were unavailable. My local grocery store does not carry reduced fat vanilla wafers and the fat-free cream cheese was completely out of stock (and has been for more than 2 weeks). I only garnished mine with strawberries and chocolate flakes because the kiwis were hard as rocks, too.

Ingredients
12 reduced-fat vanilla wafers
8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
4 ounces fat-free cream cheese, softened
3 ounces white chocolate baking squares, melted and cooled
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg white, lightly beaten
Chocolate curls (optional)
Sliced strawberries (optional)
Sliced kiwifruit (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line a muffin pan with baking cups. Place one vanilla wafer on the bottom of each. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheeses with an electric mixer on medium speed 30 seconds. Beat in white chocolate, sugar, milk, and vanilla until well combined. Stir in egg white. Spoon mixture into muffin cups until each is about three-quarters full.

3. Bake about 20 minutes or until set, then set pan on a wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Remove cheesecakes from pan; cool on wire rack 1 hour. Cover and chill 3 to 24 hours.

4. Before serving, remove baking cups. If desired, garnish with chocolate curls, strawberries, and/or kiwifruit.