hump day nuggets: little bits of the season in photos and words about the last week
From the moment fall begins exhaling deep-hued leaves, we eat soup more than we don’t. Before I can even think about what to have for dinner I have chopped an onion and tossed it into hot olive oil at the bottom of a pot.
I love soup in all it’s wonderful brothy, stewy, chunky, smooth variations. Trouble is I am married to a man who enjoys dinners that are served on a plate and involve cutting and using a fork. To him, soup is the prologue, not the climax.
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I have tried for 13 years to change his mind. And he’s tried for 13 years to tell me his mind isn’t changing. Our compromise is that a thick, nook-and-crany loaf always accompanies our soup and he smiles while gratefully eating the spoon-only meal I prepare. Also, he is a wonderful cook and never (like literally never, not even one time EVER) makes soup.
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| Ruby is signing like crazy! It is such a relief to know what she needs. Here, she is signing ‘more.’ See, she loves my soup. |
I worked one college summer at a health food store and I made the daily soups. I think that’s where my soup obsession began. See I was the $8/hour employee but the owner was gone a lot (and that’s being generous) so I opened and closed the store, made the food, placed orders. It was such fun and I learned that a great soup can be made out of anything. Oh how I loved the challenge of a wilted bunch of spinach and sorry pile of ginger. I swooned over taking a neglected pantry and cooking up a mouth-watering meal.
So, yes, I love soup but I wish I wasn’t so predictable with my cool weather menu. BUT soup is just such a *perfect* way to use all the food we grew this summer. And, one ingredient can inspire the greatest soup. Thai chicken with rice or beet carrot or squash sage….ah, like I was saying…
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| Mom, stop talking about soup. |
– are easy
– use food we grew and preserved last summer
– every single person in my family will eat without grimacing
SO, after some trials and errors we have several new-to-us delicious meals that meet the above criteria. I’ll share them little by little with you all, starting with one recipe this week. And, I would love to hear any recipes you have in your favorites file!
:: Every once in a while I am struck by a moment that I know will be one of those snippets I remember with warm, fuzzy nostalgia. Often, these moments occur as I am feeling depleted and hurried and then I realize my zipper has been down for five hours of errand-running. I am madly chopping and then I stop and look up to see one of those moments.
So the twitchiness melts and I watch my girls. Sisters. And then they catch my smiling eye and come screaming in the kitchen to help.
:: Yam and Black Bean Burritos :: serves four
I posted a what are you having for dinner? inquiry on my facebook page a bit ago and someone mentioned yam and black bean burritos. I seriously couldn’t stop thinking about this brilliant flavor combination. We had an ok, could be better experience last week and, then!! Then I perfected the wrapped deliciousness.
– olive oil
– two cups black beans (Whenever I take the time to make beans, I am BLOWN AWAY at the flavor difference.)
– two yams, chunked
– one onion, chopped
– 1/4-1/2 cup water
– six cloves garlic, minced
– 1 tbsp whole cumin
– salt
– cilantro, chopped
– plain yogurt (whole milk really is the best)
– purple cabbage, shredded
– flour tortillas
Make beans or open a can. Add a bit of oil to a skillet with the cumin. Heat on high until fragrant, about three minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add onions. Cook until onions are transparent, about five minutes. Add yams and garlic. Add 1/4 cup of water, reduce heat and cook, covered, for 15 minutes or so, stirring often. You may have to add a bit more water to keep it steamy in there. Let it get gooey and caramely. Turn the burner off and let it sit while you put your kids to bed, even better. Add salt. Heat tortillas and layer this way: beans, yams, cabbage, cilantro, yogurt. The whole fam loves it.
:: Ruby yells all day long. Like, piercing screams. Sister likes her voice but Margot and mama are not so smitten. I call her my little pterodactyl.
:: Margot painted my toenails. Which it totally great with me. In fact, probs the only way I feel normal with paint on my toes is if they look like this. I am just not a colored toenail girl.
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tartress, Anna Visscher
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:: I adore our new sponsor, tart! Owned and operated by the tartress, Anna Visscher, tart is a boutique featuring handmade jewelry, clothing, accessories, art, pottery…tons of wonderful stuff, definitely something for every person on your holiday shopping list.
Speaking of holiday shopping, a few years back my family decided to give the gift of handmade for holidays. It’s great fun to either make gifts or hunt for the perfect, handmade object to give. The smokin’ hot tartress featured to the left makes it easy to directly support artists. Yay, tart!
The boutique is located in Bozeman, Montana and, lucky for you, online!
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| you could win me! |
tart is offering dig readers a few fabulous opportunities:
* A CHANCE TO WIN! Visit the site, pick out your favorite item and leave a comment telling us about it for a chance to win the Drop Dirt Gorgeous Necklace, made in Bozeman by tartist Melissa Steinhauer, using real Montana Dirt as a pigment! You know I love dirt and here’s a chance to wear dirt around your neck! LOVE it. (Comments will close on 11/21 and winner will be announced at the bottom of this post.)
* FREE SHIPPING! Mention ‘dig this’ and get free shipping through the end of November OR if you happen by the boutique in Bozeman, mention ‘dig this’ to get $5 off your purchase of $25 or more.
Thank you, tart!
:: A group of us mamas have this Thursday night happy hour thing happening. Last week it was at my house. Four mamas and eight daughters. I am still discovering purses full of play dough and baby doll shoes around my house.
:: Rhubarb playing peek-a-boo. She doesn’t quite get that the peeking and booing happens because of hands over eyes. When prompted, she just sweeps her hands up to her head and then giggles uncontrollably.
:: Walked into the studio to snag my fam and this is what I saw:
:: A recent conversation:
“Mama, I want to watch a movie.”
“Margot, it’s not even seven o’clock. How bout we have breakfast and go to the library…”
“MAMA. I want to watch a movie. And drink juice.”
“Bug, let me make some coffee and then we can…”
“This is MY life.”
I laughed so hard. I asked where she heard that and she told me that she heard it from herself.
:: We did make it to the library.
:: I really can’t get enough of the girls playing together. Although I’ll be excited when Ruby can fend off Margot’s steamrolling, dragging and tickling.
:: My little creative soul can often be found at her art table.
:: Next nuggets, she’ll be one.
Happy Birthday Ruby! Love your shit kickers. Margot – you’re a force of nature that cracks us up. Love your style. Love your comments. Sending me to a store like Tart and asking to pick 1 thing is quite impossible. I will go with the get hammered belt buckle. Love, love, love upcycled jewelry. Now I gotta go back to the comment from Melinda and check out her 3 different soups! Love soups. Made a hell of a lot of squash-based ones so far. Yum. Have a great week. -Jennifer
89 Comments
Yay! its wednesday and nuggets are here.
Happy Birthday to Ruby!
You have the best sponsors… thanks for introducing me to Tart. I too love a handmade holiday gift exchange… and so many wonderful things to choose from. My favorite = the hippopatamus rollerskatius print.
cheers!
Tart is one of the most awesome-ist shops out there! Anna is fantastic! Can’t say enough about the lady!
My favs of favs on Tart’s website – well first it’s hard to choose 1 thing, but if I have to, I’m quite smitten by Creativity cards, especially the I (blank) you postcard. I love anything that Annie Bailey does, Rogue Beet, and pretty much all the artists.
Too much to choose from…I love the flower headbands for kids. So cute!
Great nuggets !!!
LOVE that photo of Margot painting your toes – why do we all – and we ALL do it – stick our tongues out when we are concentrating at a task at hand? Maybe ask Margot – she’ll know I’m sure !
Similar food stories in our house at the mo, only away from soups for cold weather and into salads for spring/summer. It was “suggested” this week that I could possibly glance thru the recipe books to come up with a new one!
Have a great week, Dee 🙂
first, it’s a bit of a mean trick to make us try and pick one favorite thing! but that necklace is so beautiful and lord knows i’d love to carry a little bit of montana so close to my heart everywhere i go so let me just say…the bullet earrings are awesome, i love the clever cards, and all the recycled materials used through out the store! and all those snazzy montana tee’s must’ve been made by one cool cat. but, in the name of practicality, since i’m expecting my very first “wee one” in april, i’m going to say those beautiful diaper changing pads would be most well used and appreciated in this home coming up soon, i imagine.
one last thing… upon first glance of the pic of andy and margot in the studio, i thought his painting was actually a window. his ability to paint light and life is AMAZING. but you already know that:)
oh yay, thanks for the recipe because my man just announced to me (after i’d made a killer butternut squash soup) that he was “over” said squash.
a lotta soup around here these days, too . . . it’s just so easy! wow, now i feel like margot should tell me to stop talking about soup!
love all the photos of your girls! and i will have to check out the online boutique–i think it’s the only way i’ll be doing my shopping this year.
xo
Just a warning, this comment could be long!
1. I love how you add the little ‘extra’ to take your photography from good to great. For example, I love the chopped sweet potato in the foreground of your girls hugging. It tells the story and paints the whole scene to the viewer. And how did you get that fantastic picture of margot painting your toes? Either you’re super flexible or very creative with putting the camera on the ground and pushing the shutter button, hoping for the best. Some of my fav shots come from those experiments.
2. Soup is my absolute favorite and turning a wilting, sort of sad looking fridge into a warm meal is so satisfying. My favorite soup to make it Thom ka gai, the coconut milk chicken and lime soup you get at thai restaurants. so easy and it will impress all who eat it:
Canola oil, shallots, lemon grass, coconut milk, chicken, one or two little jars or red curry paste, mushrooms, tomatoes, chicken broth, fish sauce, lime, cilantro.
Super easy: heat up canola oil and add three stalks of lemon grass, chopped. Add a tablespoon or so of cilantro, three chopped shallots, tablespoon of fish sauce. Saute for a few minutes, then add about one container of chicken broth. After a few minutes of letting the broth soak up the flavor, 10 minutes or so, strain out all the pieces and continue cooking the soup with just the broth.
Now, add cans of coconut milk, more cilantro, more chicken broth, more lime, fish sauce, and as much red curry past as you’d like. I use two little jars. Add red pepper flakes to taste. Add cubed tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, and chicken. The way to prepare the chicken is to slice and boil it so it gets nice and dry.
You’ll have the most fragrant, tangy, creamy thai soup. SOOOOO good and so easy!!
Let me know if you try it out and what you think!
xoxo
melina
http://www.thewildercoast.com
I do also LOVE soup. We are having french onion soup tonight with bread.
I LOVE the reworked vintage necklace….SO fabulous!!
Nici,
I’ve been reading (and loving) your blog for a couple of years now, and just wanted to pipe in with a recipe idea for you. I’m also a big fan of soup, and cook it all the time. Seriously, you can throw whatever is in the fridge into a pot and half an hour later….delicious soup! Plus it gets BETTER as leftovers, and freezes beautifully. I could go on and on, but I know I’m preaching to the choir here.
Anyway, I recently came up with an alternative to the default soup setting, but one that is nicely customizable. My CSA share inspires all kinds of kitchen creativity, and in the process of figuring out what to do with celeriac, carrots, potatoes and green tomatoes, I discovered that potatoes au gratin and mac & cheese are basically the same recipe with different starches. And so it occurred to me that my root veggies could be diced, sauteed until soft, and then covered with garlicky cheese sauce and breadcrumbs and baked until brown and bubbly. It turned out delish. The green tomatoes added a nice tangy counterpoint to the sweetness and starchiness of the roots. I might have to try it with parsnips next time. I’m curious to see if sauteed kale or collards might be a good addition. If you already have a favorite cheesy mac or scalloped potatoes recipe, give this idea a try. Or if you’d like, I’d be happy to write out a full recipe for you. Just let me know.
Good luck feeding that beautiful family of yours! And thanks for sharing your blog with all of us. Having grown up in Montana, I get nostalgic every time I read it.
-Courtney
cskybak at hotmail dot com
Margot..oh, my! I can’t even stand the cuteness and sass. “It’s MY life!” You know, she really could be the next Gwen Steffani. 🙂
I so wish I could make a meal that everyone in my house would eat for dinner. Theo has just entered the phase of..”I can’t eat that. It has spices on it.” Ey. I did just find a great chicken recipe. I’ll put in on my blog one of these days.
just sat down with a coffee to read your blog before I begin Thursday for real – Thurs am here in Australia 🙂
I love so many of the earrings!!! I can’t even choose a favorite. RogueBeet (?) makes some really cute ones! The necklaces like the one you are giving away are also super cute!
I love reading your blog as our girls are the exact same age and your daily routine and life seems to parallel mine so closely. My littlest one will be one on Saturday, Happy Birthday to our babies!
I can’t get enough of my son and daughter playing together either! And when they laugh… it melts me into this giant puddle! I just don’t think that there’s anything better than that.
I literally laughed out loud at the picture of margot cutting paper into tiny bits. My daughter Abby will be 3 in Dec and she spent most of the afternoon at her craft table doing the same thing today!
Thank you for sharing pictures of your day with us!
Did you see the turquoise blue hat by SuperJennyLove? So sweet, sharp, fresh, friendly and flirty it makes me want to pull it on my head and blow a kiss to the sky. Annie the queen Tartress is a precious gift herself.
Precious.
Thanks for blogging! I enjoy your writing & your perspective on life. I enjoyed browsing Tart’s website. I can’t decide if I love the Recycled Silver Dragonfly Necklace or the Long Seaglass Trade Bead Necklace more. I’ve passed along the website to my husband for Christmas ideas. I hope he gets the hint.
Nici – have been following Dig for a few months now. Inspiring. Truly. I have a little off-topic question. Starting a vegetable garden in the spring… what books do you recommend for getting started? We’ve been trying to get around our town ordinances for the past year in order to raise chickens. Joel Salatin (currently reading one of his books)says to just give eggs to neighbors in order to buy their silence – I can dig it. Have only grown potted veggies, so the garden will be a new venture.
Oh, and we make Black Beans and Quinoa ALL the time. My boys (3 and 1) love it. The best with a runny fried egg on top. Simple ingredients – Onion, Red Pepper, Quinoa, Black Beans, Cumin, Chili Powder, Cilantro.
First things first – I love the coin purses on the Tart website. I recently started working part-time as a waitress to earn a bit of extra flow for Christmas, and I’m responsible to bring my own “float” (aka change) for the customers. I’m currently using a tiny makeup pouch… but an actual change purse would be way more practical.
I am SO GLAD that my 9-month old isn’t the only baby that shrieks all day long. She’s been doing it for the past few weeks and people seriously don’t understand when I say she shrieks all day long… they think she just babbles loudly. I’m telling you, it’s not babbling. It’s a shrill, ear-piercing, mind-blowing, ridiculously annoying, makes even Mama want to cover her ears SHRIEKING. I feel a little more comfortable with this phase now that I know she’s not alone in the world in her attempts for attention and communication.
I love the dirt dot ring! What an awesome site. 🙂 I love that conversation with Margot – adorable!
Oh soup! Soup and crusty bread! I could eat it all. winter. long. I most especially love potato leek and lentil with carrots, marjoram and spinach.
I too had a daughter who loved to shriek. Her favorite was while in the backpack, she’d dig her little toes into my hips, stretch as far up as she could, and crow at top volume. The more people around to notice, the better. That same year, the year prior to her first birthday, I braided all my very long hair in basically Nubian braids. She steered my by my hair, and braids were a lot less painful to be steered by. Ummm… she’s 20, and she’s still crazy loud.
Margot freakin’ kills me with her ‘tude. What a hoot!
Love the tart site. I’m not a necklacey person, but man I love those repurposed earrings that are sunflowers! Because I LOVE sunflowers with ridiculous abandon. Also, love the English Garden collapsible hula hoop. Gorgeous!
Happy Birthday Ruby! Love your shit kickers.
Margot – you’re a force of nature that cracks us up. Love your style. Love your comments.
Sending me to a store like Tart and asking to pick 1 thing is quite impossible. I will go with the get hammered belt buckle. Love, love, love upcycled jewelry.
Now I gotta go back to the comment from Melinda and check out her 3 different soups! Love soups. Made a hell of a lot of squash-based ones so far. Yum.
Have a great week.
-Jennifer
Soup is one of my favorite winter meals as well… or maybe it’s just my perfect excuse to indulge my weakness & eat too much yummy, crusty bread?!
Your girls are so adorable I think I just might burst… love seeing the sister-bond in action.
Tart is wonderful… hard to pick a favorite but I do love the “Three in a Row Sterling Silver Necklace”… makes me think of my three guys, one big & two littles. (That is my second favorite of course… my first being those fabulous Montana t-shirts!)
Will send you an email with my go-to vege pastina soup… you can make it more “meal” like by using less broth or more soupy with more liquid… a great make-ahead, add whatever you’ve got kind of meal.
Happy nuggets…
xo
Kate
Ok, first of all – hammered star earings… drool. Also, three ring hammered silver necklace… double drool. WOW! there are some seriously talented people out there! You being one of them, which is why I need to hear more about this spinach and ginger turning into some sort of delicious soup!! So, what do you have in the great book of fabulous soups thats close to some sort of Tortilla Soup??? I just got back from Mexico and am now dreaming about it in all its chippy, avocado-y yumminess!! Just thought I would check, since it was just last night I had a dream about soup and today you blog about soup! Coincidence??!!
Don’t stop – Don’t stop the soup.
Just got home and so looked forward to my HND FIX! :)!
Congrats on TART! Love the Folk Dog Holiday Cards – Rudolf! Remembering when I used to call Woofer RUDOG at Christmastime!
more later * a recipe!
xo
omg, the soup, that is SO me and my husband. I make soup all of the time, all year round. As long as we have bread too he’s happy…too funny.
I am struck by sisters moments more and more lately. My Vivian is 15 months and ever since she’s turned 1 their closeness grows each day because they play more and more together. She started walking a couple of weeks after she turned 1 and Lily said to her not too long after, thanks for starting to walk Vivian. Dear lord I can hardly stand it. 🙂
My Vivi is a shrieker too!
From Tart my fav thing is the clean shot bullet earrings! I love when I have accessories that stand out to wear with my everyday boring “mommy getup”. As I take my girls to the store or library I love when folks can’t stop looking, like, is she really wearing that? Hell yeah I am, that’s how I roll haha.
Cute peekaboo pics! Great Sponsor – Definitely, my fave is the Recycled Glass Bottle Necklace – Seaglass!
So many amazing things over at Tart! I love all of the earrings, but my favorite is the Tiny Hammered Rings. Love them! Definitely will try the burrito recipe as well!
very cool. just found your site. i love the chicken feed bags that kate makes for tart!
celdridge99 at yahoo
Oh girl, you had me at soup. I eat soup for lunch at work, oh, maybe 3 days a week out of the 5. Today was White Bean and Spinach. And then I also make soup at home, yesterday was Asparagus/Potato and the day before Savory Squash, YUM!
Love the recipe for yam/black beans…will have to replicate that. Trying to eat more veggie meals, for health and environment reasons, although tonight was canned wild salmon with avocado (mixed together, tuna-sandwich style, but no mayo.)
Will look forward to see the recipes you come up with!
Oh girl, you had me at soup. I eat soup for lunch at work, oh, maybe 3 days a week out of the 5. Today was White Bean and Spinach. And then I also make soup at home, yesterday was Asparagus/Potato and the day before Savory Squash, YUM!
Love the recipe for yam/black beans…will have to replicate that. Trying to eat more veggie meals, for health and environment reasons, although tonight was canned wild salmon with avocado (mixed together, tuna-sandwich style, but no mayo.)
Will look forward to see the recipes you come up with!
Oh girl, you had me at soup. I eat soup for lunch at work, oh, maybe 3 days a week out of the 5. Today was White Bean and Spinach. And then I also make soup at home, yesterday was Asparagus/Potato and the day before Savory Squash, YUM!
Love the recipe for yam/black beans…will have to replicate that. Trying to eat more veggie meals, for health and environment reasons, although tonight was canned wild salmon with avocado (mixed together, tuna-sandwich style, but no mayo.)
Will look forward to see the recipes you come up with!
Oh girl, you had me at soup. I eat soup for lunch at work, oh, maybe 3 days a week out of the 5. Today was White Bean and Spinach. And then I also make soup at home, yesterday was Asparagus/Potato and the day before Savory Squash, YUM!
Love the recipe for yam/black beans…will have to replicate that. Trying to eat more veggie meals, for health and environment reasons, although tonight was canned wild salmon with avocado (mixed together, tuna-sandwich style, but no mayo.)
Will look forward to see the recipes you come up with!
Oh girl, you had me at soup. I eat soup for lunch at work, oh, maybe 3 days a week out of the 5. Today was White Bean and Spinach. And then I also make soup at home, yesterday was Asparagus/Potato and the day before Savory Squash, YUM!
Love the recipe for yam/black beans…will have to replicate that. Trying to eat more veggie meals, for health and environment reasons, although tonight was canned wild salmon with avocado (mixed together, tuna-sandwich style, but no mayo.)
Will look forward to see the recipes you come up with!
Can’t wait to try the recipe. Love Rhubarb’s boots. And your wee one must make the same sounds my Liv makes; we also call her our pterodactyl! How do we even know what a pterodactyl sounds like? Funny!
Would love if you wanted to share your beet-carrot soup recipe! Sounds delish.
I love your blog, but I think this is the first time I’ve left a comment. I can’t remember how I stumbled on it several months ago, but someday soon, I will send a more personal note to tell you how it warms my heart to follow along with these snippets of your life. Thanks.
Short and sweet, I love all the pretty things at tart including Anna. Favorite of the day are the beautiful bracelets – one of a kind. Angie
Loved today’s nuggets!
I must say, I absolutely love the grain elevator greeting card! It reminds me of growing up in rural Montana. My husband and I were just discussing yesterday how strange it is that our new daughter Wren is not a Montana native. She will speak of Colorado with the fondness and defensiveness we speak of Montana. I would proudly wear Montana dirt around my neck and remind my daughter just how great I had it as a kiddo. Thank you for always reminding me how fabulous family, Missoula and Montana are!
These are priceless gems you are quoting from Margot Bea. Margot helping Rubes up on the horse is scary/sweet. Pink headband, pink hollywoods, yellow rain coat and green froggy boots could be one of my favorites. Can’t believe Rubes will be one on Tuesday. Has she said what she wants for a present? Its my life and I heard it from myself, damn she could do standup. xoxo
Love the blog…as usual. I could go for a good soupy meal right about now, no snow yet, but winter has definitely arrived in SD. Tart=love! What a cool website – I especially love the Recycled Glass Bottle Necklaces from ScraP…so cool! HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUBY! Goes so fast doesn’t it?!?
Loved this post! Your life is so colorful and you do such a lovely job capturing the beauty of “authenticity.”
Happy birthday to Ruby — what a doll!
And thanks for the intro to Tart — beautiful stuff! I love the Dino belt buckle and the Large Woven Gold Hoops…
I also have a man who is not the worlds’ biggest soup fan. Nevertheless, I made a killer squash soup this week: butternut and spaghetti squash mixed with garlic, onion, cumin, a splash of milk and some caldo de tomate. I used my immersion blender (love that thing). It had a great texture and flavor. I served it with queso fresco and chipotle quesadillas. Because I live 5 minutes from Mexico, I have access to a whole host of flavors I am getting to try. Love the sound of those burritos!!
Janna
ps. Yesterday, I was making pies and couldn’t stop thinking about Aunt Stevie and my Gram singing, “Can she bake a cherry pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy.” So thankful for their influence in my life!
jb
Wow…I have to pick just one? I would say the Recycled Silver Dragonfly Necklace. I never buy things for myself but definitely
will tell the hubs about this one. The headbands are super cute too!
Love TART!
Thanx for the intro!
That “drop dirt gorgeous” stuff is bomb! And I do love your “montana” shirts! ANd, well, everything! A new on on my faves list for sure
Here’s my favorite recipe, it’s not soup so it requires a fork
http://martismoments.blogspot.com/2010/09/im-having-affair.html
we’ve made our own adjustments to it over the years for example we add some rotel or peppers to give it some spice
I love the birds!!!!!! Anything bird I adore (vintage prints, mugs, plates, live fowl….), I think of air and song and freedom and quirkiness. I have been forbidden to add to our flock of birds (ducks, chickens), so I will add birds by going right away and purchasing prints!
I’m in the same camp–a soup lover married to someone who just likes soup. I could have it three times a week in the winter!
Thanks for the burrito recipe–one of our local food trucks, The Chef Shack, makes a taco with much of the same stuff, and now we can make burritos! For a side, a super easy salad is julienned jicama, carrot, olive oil and lemon juice. Super easy and a great contrast to the other flavors.
Oh and I forgot to mention my favorite item from tart…the “technicolor swirl” collapsible hula hoop…a collapsible hula hoop that doesn’t break! GENIUS!
I love the Button Pearl and Silver Earrings by Astea Jewelry.
we love soup. I’ve never really made black beans, but I love them out of the can, so maybe I should try them?? 🙂
,,,i always look forward to my “nuggets”,,,could margot and ruby be more adorable?,,,i just grin from ear to ear when i view your photos, they are precious!,,,love that margot is so “bright” her vocabulary is way ahead of her years, how can you not relish (and grin) in those interesting conversations that she has with you,,,the photo of her hoisting her baby sister up on the rocking horse is “priceless”,,,love that you keep your nuggets so organic and raw,,,your blog provides the reader with a “glimpse” of your life without any editing, it’s authentic,,,i get excited when you share recipes and then i try them and they turn out really yummy,,,margot polishing your “tootsies” is charming and her expressing her creativity along side her father is a perfect photo for margot to give to her father for father’s day!,,,i discovered your blog by way of another blog and i’m so happy i did,,,thank you, thank you, thank you for being such an inspiration even to this gal who is not a mama, not married but has an appreciation for women who adore their families, their environment, their careers, their gardens, cooking, creating and being true to one’s self,,,do your ears ring during the day?,,,i’m always talking about “diggy” who made my favorite t-shirt, who makes her children’s dreams come true by designing their halloween costumes, who gardens like no one else i know (outside of my parents) who has a really cool husband, cool house that is peppered with toys, blankets, crayons and such, who believes that libraries, parks and museums are better ways to entertain her children then allowing television to entertain them,,,you’re just good nici and if i was a mother i would want to emulate the wholesome ways you parent your children,,,i know this comment is much too wordy as i typically try to “net it out” in fewer words but i couldn’t contain my praises for a woman who i wish were my neighbor, my friend,,,
oh, and I loved “this is my life” and that she heard it from herself. what a great role model you must be!
So hard to pick a favorite! I love tart, and I love the flower bud recycled silver earrings! Fabulous 🙂
Two things…
One: when I first read this, I thought you said YARN and black bean burrito. The funny part is that for a second I thought to myself, “hmmmm, I wonder how you make that”. And not in a weird way-in more of a, that sounds interesting and kind of good, sort of way. Jeez, I need a nap!
Two: that picture of Margo helping Ruby onto the rocking horse made me cry. Cutest thing ever!!!
Oh, and I guess there’s really three things. I LOVE the Drop Dirt Necklace. That website is fantastic and I think it’s awesome that hoola hoops are featured, but now I have a serious crush on the whole Drop Dirt line.
Thank you for such a great giveaway!
Without a doubt…the red earrings with white flowers in your picture collage. I don’t see them on the website but I shall continue to check back.
I love the button bracelets. And the Drop Dirt line. And the Browny Pink headband, and… so many, I decided to sign up for the tartletter.
I spotted your items on their site to Dig!
Those sibling moments are THE BEST.
I so need the nuggets to put me back on track after what seems like the neverending week. I just can never get over Margot’s fashion sense. She is a total rockstar and I love the pic of all the girls in her room and that more than one has the same ‘hairdo’. 🙂
And I am now officially in love w/your newest sponser. Tart has made my Christmas shopping THAT much easier. My fave actually happens to be the whole collection of Drop Dirt things!!
*Can’t believe Rubs is gonna be ONE!
Tart’s site is awesome! Love all the unique items! I’d totally rock a pair of those silver dragonfly earrings. Simple and pretty!
And Margot?! She cracks me up! Ah, little girls and their opnions…
Have a great week out there in Montana!
We also can’t get enough of soups lately around our house! We have recently moved and started our own farm (in Ontario, Canada) and I have been obsessively planning out my garden for next summer with many future soup ingredients in mind!! I am hoping to get our seeds from High Mowing as well 🙂
My favourite is a blended potato leek soup with lots of arugula added in after the rest is blended – so good!
Check out our blog if you’d like – http://www.sheepdairy.blogspot.com – still in its beginning stages!
The picture of Margot lifting Ruby brought tears to my eyes. My boys are 2 and 5 months and I CAN’T WAIT until they start playing together (without my constant chorus of “be gentle…he’s just a baby”)
As for Tart – love those One of a kind button bracelets.
Happy birthday one is an awesome birthday!
And I simply must win that necklace because I am a soil scientist and “dirt” is my business. Well in more ways than one. I have two boys and a chocolate lab who make dirt my business. Oh and what, pray tell, is the difference. Soil is what we grow our food in and dirt is what you sweep up off of your kitchen floor. That from my soil morphology professor. So if you talk to the artist maybe mention to her that soil rather than dirt is a nicer term to apply to her sweet design. But if not dirt is cool too.
I love the domino pendent. Necklaces are harder to lose for me than earrings! I also love the “It’s MY life.’ I sure hope you are keeping a journal that Margot can see when she gets older. Hysterical!
My mom never made soup growing up. I thought it was only something that came from a can. I have tried to make it in my adult life and you have inspired me (once again!) to make some bean soup today for the in-laws.
Donna
one of the first things i notice in her shop was the baby beanie hats with the flower and the state t-shirts–I was just thinking how I’d like to see a state t-shirt for NC and how next babyshower that would be the perfect gift for a new little tarheel. Then of course I felt ridiculous because I realized those were yours.
So in an attempt to branch out, I also like this necklace: http://www.tartique.com/Green_Recycled_Glass_Cluster_Necklace_by_ScraP
and these “tag you’re it” cards http://www.tartique.com/Tag_You%27re_It_Greeting_Card_by_Creativity
Also, I love the belts and wonder if Cindy Larson ever makes dog collars.
Happy a bit early birthday to Ruby! And blessings and creative inspiration always to your whole family!
That burrito recipe sounds SO good. Too bad I am the only one in my house who would try it. Picky boys!
Yay for peek-a-boo. I miss those days.
xo
Kris
My husband is the same way about soup. I was craving soup after I read your post yesterday. Much to my surprise shortly after, my husband called and said, “Can we just have soup for dinner?” “YES!You read my mind.”
Have you tried Twelve Months of Monastery Soups? http://www.amazon.com/Twelve-Months-Monastery-Victor-DAvila-Latourrette/dp/0767901800/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1290232656&sr=8-1
So so good. Their potato artichoke soup? OMG.
Also, I made this one this week and loved it:
http://www.russell-life.com/2008/12/dinner-tonight-5/
Love your blog, you make me want to move to Montana 🙂
I absolutely love the recycled bottle necklace in seaglass. The color is so beautiful and calming. I also think it would make an excellent nursing necklace for my son when he arrives in March!
Also, happy birthday, Ruby!
Me too… I love love love soup. Whenever I get the chance to go out to eat, I usually ask what kind of soup they have. I made a kickass soup last winter with herbs and chicken and vegetables and a whole bunch of good stuff… it rocked!
I love Margot’s colorful sweater and hat in the first picture! Beautiful! And… love her rainbow shirt that I’m betting you created… It’s awesome!
I love the pic of Margot painting your toenails… she is focusing very hard… you can see it! So cute!
I also love the pic of Margot and her Dad creating in your studio! So cool!
And Tart is wonderful! I can’t pick just one favorite….
Much Love, Val-Marie 🙂
There is something about this wintery weather that makes me hungry for soup! I just made a really rich chicken noodle soup with bones and meat saved up in the freezer waiting for me to feel like making soup.
I so enjoyed all the photos. And thank you for the information about tart! I will have to go visit the store next time I’m in Bozeman. (when the roads are clear.) I really loved the dirty domino necklace especially! But almost everything called out to me! So many beautiful things!
I love this site! I really loved the letter stamped ring but I gotta say I REALLY love the necklace that someone will be lucky to win! Thanks for introducing me to the site and i loved your last post too. Made me want to go make soup directly!
PS the picture of Margot in the studio by your husband was awesome.
There’s nothing better than soup on cool autumn day. My family loves it too. Thanks for introducing us to Tart. Love the ginger drop earrings. Love your depiction of your joyous life.
LOVE that necklace- it’s beautiful!! and seriously, the conversation with your Margot is cute, little people are the best form of entertainment there is.
Ruby sounds like she plays peek-a-boo like my almost-11-month-old….. 🙂
thank you thank you thank you for your yam burrito shout out. i used to love making those delish creations and somehow they vanished from my culinary repertoire in recent years. want to go make them. right now!
ps what about soup on brown rice. does that help? could sell it like a quasi curry?
I love Tart! Some of my favorite gifts to give are the happy purses from Poppy and the recycled glass necklaces by ScraP. For myself I’d love to add a must-wear-daily Yellow Studio necklace just like the one in your picture (so someone might have to tell my husband)!
I can’t tell if Margot was trying to put Ruby on the rocking horse or pulling her off of it. Either way, it’s adorable and freakin’ funny! Lovin’ Ruby’s cowgirl boots! Lovin’ Margot’s room. Lovin’ Margot’s humor early in the morning….oh yeah, and lovin’ that necklace! xoxo
Margot’s hat and cardigan in the first photo: who made it/where did you get it???
Thanks for introducing me to the TART store….such an amazing collection of goodies….my fave: the cosmetic bag by POPPY and the necklace up for grabs of course 🙂
Nici, as always….your nuggets post made me smile….so much! Margot is such a wise little soul….she cracks me up! Beautiful photos and a big CHEERS to soup I say!
A BIG Happy 1st Birthday to Ruby for her special upcoming day!
xo
As promised A recipe~ this is so yummy and can be made ahead ~ xoxo
CHICKEN AND WILD RICE CASSEROLE ~ Serves 6
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Chicken parts, or whole chicken to = about 4 lbs…..bone in
1 lg. onion, quartered
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
Kosher salt
_______________________
1 c. raw wild rice
1/4 lb. butter
1/4 c. flour
1 can (6 oz.) sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 c. light cream
1 sm. can pimento
1/2 medium onion ~chopped
chopped parsley
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
Place chicken in a large pot of water; add the quartered onion, carrot, celery add some Kosher salt. Simmer gently until done~ about 1 hour. Cook the wild rice according to package directions ~ set aside. When the chicken is done, remove it from the pot, reserving the broth. Let cool; remove meat from the bones, cut in bite-sized pieces. Cook the onion in the butter until tender, remove from stove; stir in flour. Drain the pimento & mushrooms, reserving the liquid. Add enough chicken broth to the mushroom/pimento liquid to make 1 1/2 cups. Gradually add to the flour-butter-onion ~ cook over medium heat until blended~ add the cream; cook, stirring until thick. Remove from burner; add rice, chicken, parsley, pimento, mushrooms, kosher salt & ground pepper ~ turn into buttered casserole dish. Bake in preheated oven or store in refrigerator until ready to cook.
Stir before baking. Place in oven, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes. I have topped crushed potato chips before baking too!
Bon Appetite! 🙂
Dude….soup rocks! And I live in a LA where weather below 65 degrees means it’s fireplace and Ugg time. I make spicy chicken tortilla soup with adobe chilies…yummy! I cut the heat with a dollop of sour cream and diced avocados on top.
I started Soup Sundays 3 years ago with my family. They had to learn to like soup….cause i loved to cook it!
Still doing it. Problem is, I NEVER cook with a recipe. So I never really ever cook the same soup twice! But I really love experimenting with different flavors, and stuff from our garden.
So far, only a couple of flops. Last week I had just too few items that were good to the palette. There was some ground sausage, lentils, spinach, spices, not enough colors, and not enough flavors….too much sausage.
My family labeled it “poop soup” cause that’s what it looked like. Needless to say, we had sandwhiches instead…..
Cool to see so many new recipes to try!
LOVED the pictures in this post!
Jen
This is my favorite soup (stew) recipe, also with sweet potatoes.
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/moroccan-chicken-stew-with-sweet-potatoes
Also, this site has some delicious soup recipes, and happens to have one up on their current post:http://bodyandsoulfood.blogspot.com/
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