Paper Pie

Carrot Tomato Soup

The weather around here has not shifted - not even a little bit. Summer is NOT over, I am sure of that. But the light has shifted in the way it does by late August. It's just enough for the mind to wander to things like wool and apples and soup! My favorite pot (my very best friend in the kitchen, no doubt) is now atop the stove and likely will remain there for a very long time.

 

I recently enjoyed a Carrot-Tomato Soup that I can confidently call my favorite. My babes declared a very strong dislike for Mama's favorite soup. I know! So sad! They were quite polite about it, but it was just a no go. They really didn't like it. Maybe next time I'll go heavier on the carrots (and more cream. How can you go wrong with cream?)

Carrot-Tomato Soup

 

2 TBSP butter

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 lbs tomatoes, peeled* and sliced in half

3/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

(optional fresh sprigs of thyme, oregano)

1 medium sized yellow onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

5 medium carrots, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock

1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

3/4 cup heavy cream

 

Place sliced tomatoes on a baking sheet. Cover with most of the olive oil (reserving 2 TBSP or so), and the salt and pepper. If you'd like a little more flavor, I sometimes add a fresh sprig or two of oregano or thyme atop the tomatoes.) Place in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes to roast.

 

Halfway through the roasting, melt the butter and remaining olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic and cook unt the vegetables begin to get soft (15 minutes or so.) When the tomatoes are done, add those to the pot (removing the sprigs of herbs), along with the stock. Simmer on low until the vegetables are all tender (another 15 minutes or so.)

 

Purée the soup (I use an immersion blender. A regular blender would work just fine, doing it in batches.)

 

Stop here and see below if you'd like to freeze some of the soup for later!**

 

Return the soup to the pot and onto the stove. Heat slowly. Add the chopped basil and heavy cream.

 

Enjoy!

 

Notes:

*To peel the tomatoes, heat a sauce pan full of water and bring to a boil. Place tomatoes in for a minute. Remove and let cool. The skins will peel off easier after that.

 

**Because I love the basil and cream to be fresh when I serve this, at this point, I try to estimate how much I'll use for dinner now and how much I'd like to freeze for later. Usually, with this recipe, I freeze a one quart mason jar, filling it to within an inch from the top to allow for expansion room when it freezes. It makes a perfect lunch or light dinner size for us, especially when served with some crusty breadand sharp cheddar cheese for sandwich dipping!

Making Sauce

(Many thanks to my fabulous photographers, Rylie and Ryan, for some of these shots!)

Isn't it wild that you can take a tiny start of a tomato plant, put it in the ground, water it and feed it and in a few short months it will yield an incredible amount of fruit? So much so that even if you ate salad everyday there would still be many many leftover. When our first tomato ripened back in June, the kids were so excited that Rylie picked it off the plant and ate the whole thing on the spot like an apple. Since then, the tomatoes have been rolling in daily, and her zeal has significantly waned. She is now exclusively eating the super sweet lemon cherry tomatoes, and passing on the larger, and admittedly less tasty, beefsteak tomatoes. I've been enjoying eating a tomato by itself here and there, especially the very flavorful and superbly sweet orange Kellogg Breakfast Heirloom. Our plants have grown so big and have yielded so much fruit. Ah...it makes me so very happy.

A sort of funny little side note. I had purchased 5 tomato starts at the beginning of the season, and 3 more last month. A few of the first 5 plants that went into the bed, really shot up and grew so quickly. They were as high as the garage! I had definitely not had tomatoes grow that tall before, I was also hesitant to prune them much, as my preservation instincts were keen, and I really wanted to let nature do its thing. The spot where the tomato bed lives is in the narrow passage between the back of the garage and the fence that runs along our property line. In this spot the air flow is a little less than say in the big open backyard. The limited air flow, the fast growing and bushy leafiness of the plants, and on very busy days it would be dusk before I got out to water the garden and so the soil would remain wet over the cool nights - wound up producing a bit of mildew on the leaves of one plant. Which, if you know anything about growing tomatoes, quickly spread through the whole plant and all the other neighboring plants. Oh, foolishness! I'll just have to chalk that up to learning. It's humbling, this gardening gig. Luckily, after a thorough pruning, some the leaves and all of the fruit have survived and we've still been able to enjoy a hearty harvest this year.

For the suace, in the past I've followed the recipe from the book, Canning for a New Generation, which is great and mostly all tomato, this time I used this recipe because it included lots of enticing herbs that I also had growing in the garden. It went well - I've made two batches of it now and have plenty of tomatoes left for harvesting more (even while leaving plenty to use for eating sun-warmed right of the plant.) So far, I've been freezing the quarts, but if I make much more I will be canning them to preserve the goodness for days that feel decidedly less fruitful.

And what will we make with the rest of those tomatoes? So far we've been enjoying it quite simply with pasta. I'm pretty excited about canning tomato paste, homemade salsa, and pizza sauce, and oh my the possibilities are endless, aren't they? Just from one little seed in the ground.

Bloom Where You Are Planted

Gratitude. It's a loaded word, isn't it? There is an inherent guilt feeling that comes along with gratitude. Reminding oneself to be grateful for what is right in life instead of focusing on what is wrong, implies that our focus is flawed to begin with. However, the powerful messages from the dominant culture and other external sources can not be brushed aside. It's not popular to be satisfied and still, and a contented state of mind certainly doesn't drive our consumer economy. Considering how we are bombarded with these messages multiple times each and every day, it is no wonder that my past relationship with gratitude has been superficial at best. But I can feel change and transformation afoot in regards to being grateful. Real, deep perspective shifting change. And I am...well...so grateful!

Our 2 bedroom, 1000 square foot apartment in the middle of a dense urban center is never where I imagined my 40 year old self living and raising our family. But alas, here we are. The truth is, it's not a black and white issue, and I think that is why we have chosen to stay in this unlikely spot for the last few years and certainly for the immediate future. There are many factors at play that we've considered when making this decision, and I'd say the most prominent being the freedom it affords us, because quite frankly our long term dreams vacillate between two very polar extremes. On the one hand we would like to dig in to a large piece of land, 10 acres or so and make it our own, homesteading for the rest of our days. On the other hand, we would like to buy the perfect van and travel the world full time and long term. I know. We dream big and in different directions. In the meantime, we are living nothing like those 2 dreams, and I've learned to love, enjoy and accept where we are right now. I think the key to moving toward those goals, is to gradually move away from and resist fear, and allow ourselves to open more and more in the direction of love and joy. This is easier said than done and much like the sentiment of gratitude, quite loaded talk, but what does it really mean? You can't flip a switch and step into a life you love with all of the perfect circumstances as you've envisioned. You can however begin to examine the thought patterns, feelings and emotions that are making up each and every moment right now. What begins to happen is a gradual and subtle shift that can help us see things differently and can afford us the insight to make real and lasting changes in our lives.

I think what I am trying to say can be illustrated well with the example of our current living situation.
Is it small? Yes.
Is it too small for a family of four? Yes, definitely for some.
Is it in the middle of a polluted, over populated city? Yes.
Is a major urban area the best place to raise children. Depends who you ask.
When we leave our house, do we have to factor in extra time for gridlock and traffic jams?
Most of the time, yes.

Looking at our life and our city in this way yields a pretty bleak and hopeless feeling. But what if I think about what is good here, and what keeps us in this spot and not running for the hills.

Is the economy and job market robust, affording us the freedom and flexibility to eat organic high quality foods that nourish our bodies and to pursue the activities that we all enjoy the most and the time to pursue them together? Yes.
Do we have ample grass in the front and back of our home for our kiddos to run around outside under their own discretion? Yes.
Do we live in a climate of year round sunshine and mild temperatures? Yes.
Do we have breathtaking and abundant nature just miles away? Yes.
Do we have well established and strong connections with not only our landlord (whom does not raise our rent) but also our neighborhood and the community at large? Yes.
Do we live on a quiet street that feels almost (almost) peaceful, while at the same time being right in the heart of a world class city and all of the amenities that such a city affords?
The answer is a most definitive yes.

When I choose to see our lives and opportunities through these glasses, I start down the narrative of "why ever leave?" And I think for us, really right now we would like a place of our own. A place that we can call home and do with whatever we want. And that dream gets vey tricky in this real estate market very quick. And thus, confusion.

Every person is a unique expression of life, with individual needs, desires, perspective. Every person's journey will be different, but I think a common goal that we all may be trying to attain is authenticity - living a truer, deeper and more meaningful life. Part of that journey for me has been recognizing that it is not what a situation looks like, whether it be your home, your personal style, or even your relationships, but it is the way these things feel. This has been quite a shift for me considering I'm a designer and visual person by trade. But I think the real essence is more along the lines of being ok with where you are in a given moment. Realizing all is as it should be and everything is going to be all right. There is a lot to be scared about right now, but I resist that darkness, I resist it over and over, moment by moment.

I took the photos above this past weekend from my front doorstep. My front doorstep, where the view consists of street lamps, power lines and a multiplex across the street just a stone's throw away. My front doorstep, where the weather is fair and we play outside during all 4 seasons of the year. My front doorstep where the birds and squirrels are aplenty and delight us with their beautiful music all day long. My front doorstep, where the sky is fuschia pink with the West Coast sunset. My front doorstep, where, in that moment, I was so glad to call home.

The secret to having it all is knowing you already do.

January Ramblings

The weather has been downright blustery here the last few days. The wind is whiping through our little valley of a neighborhood and rushing past the leaves that are still clinging to trees. The weatherman says the highs will be in the 50s for as far as the forecast will predict and at night the temps have been dipping into the 30s. Despite the chilly air, the sun has been blazing clean, clear, bright light. It's as if the wind comes in and moves all of the dirt and smog out of the way and then the rain follows up by giving the whole city a good wash. When I dare to get out of the house and run errands, it's as if all of Los Angeles is brand new: "How long has that majestic snow-capped mountain been there?" Rylie and I were driving through the neighborhood the other day and the giant hill was so vibrant green and looming crystal clear that Rylie shouted, "Look at that mountain, right there!" Each evening, I run out into the frigid wind, slipper footed with my camera in hand to try and capture the way the sky feels. Rylie follows behind in shirts too thin for the cold and we scurry back inside after a few snaps. The shots above have not been doctored at all, the sky really has looked just like this the last few evenings. I can't wait until tonight. 

This really is my favorite time of year weatherwise in LA. Midwinter feels very much like early fall in the Midwest, maybe that's why. The leaves are swirling, all the people and doggies on the sidewalk are bundled, and the days are short allowing plenty of long nights for sitting on the couch watching Downton Abbey and knitting socks. Speaking of which, I made a winter morning drive over to my new favorite yarn shop today and picked up some sock yarn to try my hand at these Turkish Bedsocks. I bought shi bui staccato fingering weight in the jackie colorway because it matches my new bedroom set which is made with a brown grey wood matched with yellow striped sheets. In my book, it's pretty important that your bedsocks match your bed. While I was at said yarn shop, I ran into this MadelineTosh sock yarn in the turtle colorway and even though I have never knitted a pair of adult sized socks, I thought I'd buy enough yarn to knit 2 pair! There is no way I could pass it up though. I tell you what, MadelineTosh yarn is beautiful. The colors, my goodness! They've got my number for sure! But I don't think I will be using it for socks, I am pretty sure that the minute I finish my bedsocks I will be jumping straight to this jacket for Rylie. But we'll see, I've been known to change my mind.

As I've mentioned a bit here and there we are in the midst of a pretty major redecorating and reorganizing project. We have a garage sale scheduled next weekend so we've been purging from all corners of our house and focusing on getting our spaces to fit our needs more efficiently. It's amazing how fast stuff accrues when you have a little one. It feels wonderful to lighten up like this even if it usually involves a lot of swearing, shaking of heads, and fantasies of becoming tidy neat freaks. Yeah right, who are we kidding?

Oh December

This time of year seems to sneak right up, doesn't it? I was quite ahead of the game a few months back and started working on gifts and projects, plans and ideas and that energy has slowed a bit in the past few weeks. But here we are, December 3 and it feels like a whole lot needs to be pulled together, this week especially. I did get the advent calendar done, albeit on December 1st! We are doing activities this year instead of gifts. You may remember our bonanza from last year. The weather is finally (and beautifully) cooperating with my cozy, staying snug-in state of mind. After a long (and I mean at least 3 months) string of 90 degree heat, our rainy season has finally kicked in and I have been hearing the smack-a-pat-pat of the water dripping from the gutter on the roof the last few days - all weekend really. It has been wonderful weather to make comfortable meals like chicken stew and drink a mug of hot cooca. Rylie, busy as she is, will stop right in her tracks when she hears the rain and declare "What's that? It's rain, mama?" Despite the weather sending me obvious cues to stay put right on the couch with the above mentioned mug of cocoa, cheesy Christmas movie, and my knitting, we did venture out and pick up our tree yesterday. We are trying new lights this year, they are old fashioned with really huge bulbs. They look great but the tree is BRIGHT, brighter than I am used to but I think I like it - so far.

Speaking of knitting, I have something very exciting to show you, maybe later this week? Here's a hint to hold you over. I got a text of the best kind from my dear friend Jill on Saturday night:

You must go to council thrift on Pico at La Cienega - some yarn shop gave them huge boxes of yarns, really expensive, good quality stuff. They have more in the back, ask to see it! $1 a skein for stuff like Noro, Debbie Bliss and Blue Sky Alpaca.

Needless to say, you know where I'm going today right now!

While Dreaming . . .

. . . it is important to lay your head on something pretty and these embroidered pillowcases really fit the bill. I started them in a mad dash before last year's trip to the lake so that I could have a project to work on while sitting on the dock. I had grand plans of finishing them there, I brought both cases with me with outlines ready to go. That was a two-legged trip to see family in Michigan and Pennsylvania and included a 3 hour drive to Chicago to jump on a plane to Philadelphia and then a 3 hour car trip into the country on the other end. I thought surely with all of that driving time, airplane time, and summertime relaxing that I would have these babies done long before it was time to come home. However, that is not the way it happened. My baby turned one year old on that trip and kept me extra busy. It's funny how  consistently overambitious I am. Shoot for the stars, right?

Fast forward almost a year and I got these lovelies back out and worked on them every spare second I had until they were finished. Though, I did not get them done at the lake vacation, I did bring them on this trip and made lots of progress at night while Rylie was dreaming. I should mention that the pattern is from Alicia Paulson's lovely book. Embroidery is not an instant gratification pursuit. It is slow and quiet. There were many a time that I just wanted the pillowcases to be done already especially during the french knot marathons. But I kept at it, poking myself here and there. Now, when I see them on my bed, I am filled with pride and an unnatural amount of love for pillowcases. And, I'm not the only one.

The Casual Organizer: Covering Cubes

Somebody stop me! I've been indulging in some major Springtime spruce up over here and covering everything in the house with fabric. The arrival of spring coupled with the fact that I absolutely love looking at something new and fresh in a space - even if it is a fabric covered tissue box - has got me on a sewing rampage.




I whipped these up the last two nights. It was much easier the second time. The first one was a little short so I had to add the trim at the bottom for the proper hem. All in all this was so easy and I think it looks much better than the usual hokey Trader Joe's tissue packaging. That being said, it is custom fitted for this one box size, so hopefully they never change it up. Now, I can wipe my babe's nose or dry her tears and smile a little when I see the box (which is very important, ya know?)

I also recently picked up this rather banal, navy blue, cheapie microsuede ottoman at Target and made a bright and fun slip cover for it from some extra aqua corduroy I had on hand.

This was constructed in much the same way as the tissue boxes only larger. Getting the corners crisp and sharp was the hardest part. I've made stuff like this before, like the storage bins in my studio. Doing those 3D corners is a challenge and a great skill to learn that takes practice so I was pretty happy with the way these two projects turned out. It works well with the colors in the living room and the most unexpected part is that it has become an excellent storage space for my shoes which are usually errantly strewn about the house, no two alike within the same proximity. Now, they are all here, pairs and all, and I can easily find what I am loooking for and go. Rylie loves to open it and remove all of the shoes and get inside. I'm glad to offer her a new shape and space to explore. She is not the only one in love with the ottoman slip cover project.


Zipper found the upholstery to be quite comfy when I was measiuring and cutting. I tell ya, I turn my back for one second around here and this is what happens.

The Casual Organizer: Curtains, Pillows, Rugs

It has been nothing less than a sewing frenzy over here, friends. After living in this apartment for close to five years, and complaining about the mini blinds in the windows the entire time, I have put my fabric stash and sewing machine to good use these last few days. I used both this print and this print to make curtains for the living/dining areas. They both have a light, ecru background and lend both privacy and a soft filtered glow at the same time. I love spring here in LA mostly because the angle of the light is extraordinary. The way it shines on the verdant and lush landscape this time of year makes everything sparkle. This morning as I was waking up, the first rays of light started to make their way into the house and I had this overwhelming memory of Christmastime in Michigan. I couldn't shake it, nor identify what was making me feels this way. Then it hit me. The light colored curtains where causing the windows to glow white and it dawned on me that each winter of my childhood, when the North was covered in snow, all that would come through our windows back home was glorious, bright, white light. Isn't it wonderful the way something as simple as a few straight sttiches on a panel of fabric can transform a whole room? My mind immediately jumps to asking myself why on earth I did not do it sooner.
There are new curtians in the kitchen,

on the side door,

and in the studio! All of the panels are very straightforward with a five inch hem on the bottom and hung on $5 tension rods from Target. Remember these? In all of the curtian hubbub, they got moved to their new home in the bathroom where they are doing a nice job of  infusing a pretty boring and utilitarian space with a pop of color. And afer the curtains, I busied myself with making pillows. The two large scale prints are from Jessica Jones. It is an upholstery weight that I have had sitting around for quite some time and waiting for the perfect use. I am pretty sure that I found it. Sometimes it pays to procrastinate. I love the way the pillows tie in with the art above the couch in both color and theme.



Oh, and I have been wanting to share these with you for a while now. Several weeks ago we picked up three smaller rugs and layered them together to act as a larger rug in the living room. They are vintage handwoven textiles from Thailand and we picked them up at the Santa Monica Airport Flea Market. They move around a lot and Zipper ruffles them up a bit, but that is sort of the comfortable, less than perfect look we had in mind. I was going to stitch them together to make one larger rug, but I have decided that I like the flexibility that layering them affords. I have a feeling that a little further on down the road we may get a larger, more proper area rug and move these smaller ones throughout the house, or even hang them on the wall.

It feels wonderful to transform our space. At once, it is more comfortable, inviting, and reimagined - just in time for spring!

The Casual Organizer: Toy & Art Closet

Becoming a parent changes your life in tremendous and profound ways, and oddly enough we felt somewhat prepared for that shift. Not that we had any idea what it would feel like, or what our days would be like, but we were open and ready for anything. However, what we did not anticipate is just how much stuff comes into the home when you have a new baby. In the beginning, things are manageable, especially if you co-sleep and breastfeed as we do. But by this point, as we are nearing the 18 month mark, we are wondering just how many belongings can fit under one roof. After this past Christmas, a lot of our gifts sat on a bookshelf in our living room that I would pass by day after day wondering where it would all go. I knew it was time to get a system figured out (I secretly love this kind of organizing.) This is how our house looked as I was doing the figuring.

On days like this one, when all of the closets are spilling their guts and there is not a place to walk because of stuff overload, I realize it is time for a good purge. With some shuffling about which set off a chain reaction of other piles of stuff being shuffled about, we figured out the best place for all of the toys and art supplies was the closet in our living room. One of the best features of this apartment are the huge walk in closets in every room.


It was important to us to keep all of Rylie's toys visible and at her eye level so that she can easily see what is available to her. We keep a limited number of toys on these shelves at one time and we have a library of other toys that we rotate in on occasion to keep her interest. I also wanted to organize the growing art and craft collection which you can see in the bins on the top two shelves. But perhaps the best thing in this whole closet: open space. Bare shelves with air and room to grow. And when the toy situation becomes unruly, out of control and spilling all over as it inevitably will, we can either clean it out or simply close the door. Brilliant.





And how does Little Miss like it? Well, she just can't wait to show it off to everyone that comes over. Including her Grandma Scott that just flew in from North Carolina today!

The Casual Organizer: Rylie's Kitchen

I have been working on this little project for a while now. This sturdy, simple play kitchen was gifted to Rylie on her first birthday from Mama and Papa (although, we did not actually order it until November. She didn't seem to mind.) I have been collecting little bits here and there and she is officially well-equipped. She is most fond of her rolling pin and dinner bell.


I've been making some things for her too, like this apron. The pattern is written for a 3-5 year old so I sized it down, maybe a little too much because it fits Rylie perfectly right now but I think she will grow out of it soon. It was a quick project though, so I can easily make her a new one when the time comes. The fabric is called Out Of Doors and it is a part of my Domestic Bliss line. We have a new routine; I go over to where all of my aprons hang and put one on and tell Rylie to get her apron on it is tme to cook. She beams from ear to ear and runs to her apron, I slip it over her head and we get busy. I also stenciled her the litte green canvas grocery bag that she can take with us when we go to the market.

The kitchen was love at first sight for Rylie. This morning she was putting every single dish in the sink and once it was all full, she started throwing them on the floor. I saw her using her creamer to pour cream into the teapot the other day too, so cute. She also loves to climb all over it and her favorite thing really is to open the oven and to use it as a step to reach the top shelf.

While I was setting up her spot, I decided to organize our collection of favorite photos on the side panel of the refrigerator. There are pictures of all of Rylie's cousins, pictures of mama and papa, one of my favorites of my sister and I as little ones. I used clear contact paper to stick a square of the same fabric as the apron behind them. And what is a kitchen without some fanciful art? I grabbed the framed black and white silhouetted postcards at an estate sale years ago and the red and pink one is from last year's letterpress calendar.

This little spot was such a joy to put together for Rylie. I loved dreaming up how I could make it special for her. It is such a quality, durable item, we can hand it down to siblings and to future generations as well. I was thinking that Ryan and I should write a little message to her on the back - must remember to do that. It makes me smile when I think of all of the memories and hours of play that will happen in this little corner - right now, and for many years to come.