Happy Leap Day!

Enjoy your day!, a photo by whirlwendy on Flickr.

February 29 is a date that usually occurs every four years, and is called leap day. This day is added to the calendar in leap years as a corrective measure, because the earth does not orbit around the sun in precisely 365 days. { via wikipedia

Good Korma

Good Korma, a photo by whirlwendy on Flickr.

It's true, I have a thing for spicy food. And lately I've dusted off my slow cooker to make some stellar Winter soups. Craving more texture+spice, I decided to recreate one of my favorite Indian dishes ~Korma~ as a one pot slow cooked meal. It worked!! Are you ready for the goods? Into the cauldron went...

1 pound boneless skinless chicken { cut into one inch cubes ~ breast or thigh or both
1 huge russet potato { cut into half inch cubes
1 small red onion { chopped
1 sweet yellow onion { coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves { minced ~ psst, i tend to go heavy on garlic to keep the vamps at bay
1 huge chunk of ginger about the size of a thumb { minced ~ i'm a bit crazed on ginger too
1 (14.5 oz) can of stewed tomatoes
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon garam masala { i used my own mix, but you can get this at most groceries
1 tablespoon curry { i used madras
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon crushed cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 healthy grinding of pepper
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup or so of chicken broth { optional, could just add water but I had some on hand
3 carrots { peeled and sliced into quarter inch slices ~ added these at halfway point
1 good handful of cherry sized tomatoes { sliced in half ~ added these at halfway point
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt { at at end before serving

cover + cook on high about 4 hours or on low about 6 to 8 hours ~ enjoy.

/newbie chef extraordinaire, wz

Season's Greetings ❤

A Stack of My Holiday Postcards (Front), a photo by whirlwendy on Flickr.

Tried to make my cards simpler to produce this year. Decided to make postcards. All was good until I realized the die-cut heart, that relates to the message on the front and back, could not be punched. Tore apart my favorite heart hand puncher to try to hammer out of paper instead with no avail. After running around town looking for a solution this morning, the best was to die-cut two 1/8 inch holes then hand cut a V. Sending extra ❤ out to everyone this year!!!

Spiced Apple Whirlscarf

colors . . . remind me of an autumn barrel of apples before becoming spiced cider . . .
candy apple reds mixed with cinnamon browns and bright granny smith apple greens.

This one-of-a-kind scarf was handspun on my wheel, plied with complimentary thread,
then freeform knit by hand. Made from a wonderful corriedale blend wool, kettle
dyed by neauveau.

 The cozy petal-like form connects to wrap interestingly around for a cozy fit and look.

 - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 length = 40 inches / 102 cm.
 width = 5 inches / 10 cm.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -

  Go ahead, spice things up!

Boo! ... I mean, Hoorah!

Gorgeous glow, a photo by whirlwendy on Flickr.

Hoorah for October + all the gorgeousness it brings! Get out there and enjoy the day.

For My ❤ LOVE of Color ::

One of my favorite artists, Lisa Hannigan, debuts her new album Passenger today.

Birds of a Feather

colors . . . remind me of a crest/fringe/plume of shiny feathers . . . blues, purples, white, black and brown.

These one-of-a kind little bowls hope to make you happy by catching your goodies inside for safe keeping.

And they also nest nicely together ~ as birds of a feather flock together.

It was hand spun, knit, fulled then finished with care by me, Wendy. Made from wonderful hand painted Rambouillet wool yarn in a gorgeous colorway named Pigeon by fellow Fiberista, Cloudlover.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Plume = 5 x 5.5 inches wide + 3 inches tall.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Take flight for the Winter and enjoy!