Your Aura is Blue
Spiritual and calm, you tend to live a quiet but enriching life. You are very giving of yourself. And it's hard for you to let go of relationships. The purpose of your life: showing love to other people Famous blues include: Angelina Jolie, the Dali Lama, Oprah Careers for you to try: Psychic, Peace Corps Volunteer, Counselor

About Me

My photo
This blog started out as a way for me to display and sell my handmade jewelry creations. I have set up shop on Etsy.com, where my shop name is "Dreamin of Beadin". The link to my Etsy store is located on the right hand side of this page. Please check me out!! If jewelry's not your thing, then check out the site anyway ~ there are plenty of talented artists selling lots of cool things there. For your reading pleasure, this blog will serve as a sneak peek into what's going on "behind the scenes" in my world. I love to cook, so there will be plenty of recipes, as well as product reviews and the occasional product giveaway (woo hoo!) I also love to take pictures of anything and everything, and I just bought a new camera, so there will be plenty of photos. And I like wine too, so things could get pretty interesting . . . Thank you for your support of me, Etsy and "all things handmade" :)

4.13.2008

Tasty Chicken

Grilling season is in full swing at our house. We enjoy cooking on our outdoor gas grill. As soon as the Spring thaw begins, you will find us outside cooking on most nights ~ if the smell doesn't lead you to our place first.
This past Christmas, my husband Tony received an interesting and useful gift ~ a cookbook entitled "101 Things To Do With a BBQ". I'm the cookbook collector in the house, but I thought it was pretty cool that he received one of his very own. His skills in the kitchen are improving, I must say. However he prefers his manly Charbroiler to the gas range in our home.
This cookbook is perfect for him in that it is small, spiral bound, and only 126 pages. All of the recipes require just a few ingredients (I'll say less than 10), and they are items you probably stock in your pantry to begin with. The recipes range from appetizers to desserts, as well as marinades and rubs. Just about everything in it sounds very appetizing.
Yesterday we tried a recipe called "Tap's Succulent Chicken". Talk about yummy! It calls for chicken thighs, which is a little different for us because I usually buy breasts or wings (for Tony). I know many people are funny about eating chicken on the bone, so I'm sure breasts could be used instead. Let me tell you, this chicken was fall off the bone good! So moist and tender and full of flavor. We will be making this recipe again. As you can see from the above picture, it even looks delicioso!
Tap's Succulent Chicken
3/4 c. Soy Sauce
1 1/2 c. Water
3/4 c. Brown Sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Minced Garlic (We are Garlic lovers so I used more!)
3 tsp. Lemon Juice (I had none so I used Vinegar instead)
1 tsp. Finely Minced Ginger
3 to 4 Chopped Green Onions
8 to 10 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs (mine had the bone in)
Mix all ingredients together and marinate in a large covered bowl or zipper-lock plastic bag overnight. Preheat grill to low heat. Grill chicken, turning every 4-5 minutes, until done. To check doneness, squeeze chicken to see if juices run clear. If you aren't satisfied, cut open to check. Makes 3-5 servings.

4.12.2008

My Brand New Bag

I love bags, and Etsy is full of shops who carry some fabulous bags, purses, totes, etc. It takes a lot of impulse control to keep from buying them all!
The approaching warm weather means many trips to Eastern Market are soon to come. I was thinking it would be nice to have something casual and comfortable to carry with me. A purse just seems too . . . restrictive. So, I did some shopping and found this wonderful Market tote from Marionberry Cottage. It is made from a vintage 1950's tablecloth ~ ya gotta love that! I love the print and I think it will look so great on my arm this Spring and Summer. The size is perfect for me, too. The shop specializes in the Cottage style, with floral prints being a big theme. I was lucky to snatch this tote up while it was on sale, but even so, the prices are very reasonable.

4.04.2008

New Etsy Seller - Check her out!!

I want to take a second to promote a new seller to Etsy who has just opened shop. The shop is jaC jewelry and it is operated by a super sweet lady named Janna who resides in North Carolina. I had the pleasure of meeting Janna when she contacted me after seeing the link to my shop on Jewelweaver's website. We both adore JW, and ironically, we both have a bead/jewelry obsession (surprise!). Janna's creations are absolutely gorgeous and her shop is a "must see". She favors pearls and natural gemstones ~ but like me, she's probably never met a bead she didn't love. She has a knack for matching different stones up beautifully. Bridal jewelry is her speciality. Aside from beading she "dabbles" in oil painting, paper crafts and wedding favors. You can read more about her on her website.
I am so honored to have had the pleasure of being introduced to this artist. It is yet another reason why I love the sense of community on Etsy!