Seaside Chowder

1 med. onion
2 T. butter or olive oil
2 lg. carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, sliced
2 lg. potatoes, peeled, diced
1.5 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 T. flour
1 8 oz bottle clam juice
3 cups milk
1 lb. fresh mild fish (cod, halibut, etc..)

Saute onion in butter until golden, add carrots, celery, potatoes and seasonings.  Stir in flour.  Add clam juice, simmer for 30 minutes.  Add milk and fish, heat slowly until hot (about 20 minutes.) 

4 Servings

Serve with a crisp green salad and french bread and butter! 

And...Homemade Chocolate Pudding for dessert!  ;)
 

Mr. Tom Turkey

We had a visitor in our neighborhood this morning.  He was strutting his stuff strolling down the street going past our house and then he flew up onto our neighbor's roof.  Guess I must have startled him a little as he was running from me and my little camera.  He's a big one with not a care in the world...until Thanksgiving! 

Our first lamp creation.

Our first lamp from the antique lamp parts

Rainy Day

Made Homemade ice-cream today!  Chocolate Chip Ice-Cream, my favorite.

Tonight Jan and Gary are coming over for dessert and to play Rummikub.  Michael and I are hooked on this game and have been playing it every night.  He's only won one time out of I don't know how many games we've played.  Lots.  Poor Michael.  ;( 

Right now Michael is working on some lamps for our shop.   They are turning out soooo cool.

I'm going to figure out a way to organize the back bedroom into a paint studio.  My dilemma is to figure out a way for better lighting so that there are no shadows or glares on my canvas.  I'm thinking that I need to paint the walls a lighter color to start with.  More work than I want to do.  Michael thinks putting some florescent lighting will help.  Problem is, there is a lighted ceiling fan in there and I really don't want it to be ugly.

Perhaps I can look into a nice standing lamp or two that has the daylight type bulbs in them.  ??

Delicious

Note:  The chicken pot pie was delicious!  I used red onion but any kind of onion works.  The white wine made it that much more spectacular.  I got this recipe when I was laid up after surgery two years ago.  Did nothing but watch The Food Network and other t.v. shows.  Cannot remember which Food Network star did this recipe, I only jotted down the ingredients not the steps involved so I pretty much winged it using my notes.

All in all it turned out very good and I'll surely make it again.  Michael loved it and wanted to eat the second one, however, he must wait because that will be our dinner tomorrow night as well since it made four pot pies.

Chicken Pot Pie

Recently I bought four small white deep casserole dishes to make individual entrees such as chicken pot pie.  Tonight is the night that I'm using them for the first time.  Here's what I did for the two of us, note: makes four individual pot pies:

Make pastry for single crust pie, roll out and cut into strips.

Cut up 2 chicken breasts into bite sized chunks and browned in olive oil with seasoning, salt and pepper.

All of these cut into bite sized pieces and set aside in a bowl while chicken cooks:

A bunch of asparagus,  2 carrots, 1/2 chopped onion.  Have 1/2 10 ounce pkg. of frozen baby peas ready to grab from freezer.

Roux:

1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup milk
4 T. butter
1/4 cup flour

Melt butter in small pan whisk in flour.  Add liquid and stir to keep from forming lumps.

Add vegetables and peas to chicken.  Add white sauce.  Spoon evenly into oven proof ramekins.  Top with pastry strips crisscrossed over filling.  Pat a little butter or brush egg white on top of pastry.  Just a bit.

Bake 450 degree oven for 25 minutes.

I'll let you know how it turned out.  I'm serving it with a green salad and oranges tossed in.  It smells good and now it's ready.  Time to eat!!

Japan

My heart is burdened for the people of Japan and what they are going through.  I know many prayers are lifted up continually for them and this unspeakable disaster that continues to unfold day by day.  Tragic.     

Roger Bean Fine Art

Our dear friend, Roger Bean, has opened an Etsy shop:  Roger Bean Fine Art

Please feel free to visit his site and see the gorgeous paintings he creates.  Roger was born in Scotland and his family immigrated to the United States when he was just seven years old.  His father was an international business man and his mother was a homemaker.  Both parents were natural born painters as Roger and his younger brother are as well.  His brother works for Hallmark under a different name.

Roger joined the Navy upon graduation.  After six years or so he was honorably discharged and studied at Cal Poly to be an architect, where he met and became lifelong friends with one of the sons of a famous jelly and jam company (Roger does not want me name dropping.)  At one time, Roger owned three architect businesses, all the while pursuing his passion of painting.  He told me that he's been painting since he was ten years old, over sixty years!  Just wait until you see his beautiful work. 

Roger has been very busy for the past five or six years driving back and forth between Sacramento and the Mendocino Coast each weekend building his dream home.  By himself!  Here are some of the pictures of his home in progress.  He's a true craftsman, for not only is he building a home but a self efficient home that has wonderful and beautiful details such as real sea shells in the woodwork above the picture windows.  Fine quality hardwoods and stone are used.  He's utilized recycled materials whenever possible.

Where does he live while working on and building this dream home?  At the vacation home of the friend he met in college.  A generous offer indeed.

Roger Bean and his mermaid.  Isn't she gorgeous?

                                                                           
   

Roger is building his dream home.

Unique driftwood address sign

Sea Shell Detail

Gorgeous Fireplace Wood Burning Insert

Beautiful Wooden Front Door

What a warm welcome, no doorbell here.

One of his seascapes

For Jewels

Have about twelve new (old) jewelry boxes that I'm going to be refinishing within the next couple of weeks.  Always look forward to new projects to keep my days occupied.  These jewelry boxes are so much fun to redo.  It's wonderful to see something plain and drab transform into a thing of beauty for others to use and enjoy.  ;)

The Etagere Desk

Disney's Candy Cane Barber Pole

We're pleased to announce the newest barber pole now available in our shop; mikesbarberpoles.etsy.com.
Not this exact one, of course, because this one is being shipped tomorrow morning down to the L.A. area.  It's a beauty, for sure.  It would look pretty cool distressed and antiqued as well.   

Michael hand carved the 9 inch diameter wooden ball on top.  This pole is a hefty one.  Mike made it and I hand painted it, aren't we a team?  ;)