Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Warm weather & a winner!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day!  The winner of those cute Owl Earrings from my last post is Cynthia Gaarder!!!  Congratulations, Cynthia!!  I'm sending you an email, so I can get your mailing address!
 The snow is all melting away and I'm hoping to see some signs of Spring this week!!  Yay!

love and peace always ~ Kathy

"Anyone who says you can't see a thought simply doesn't know art." ~ Wynetka ann Reynolds

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Snow Day Giveaway!

And here I was, thinking Winter was over!  Up to 12 inches of snow is predicted in my area today!  Brrrrr...at least it's warm and cozy in my house.  Wayne does a really awesome job of keeping the fire going.
   As of late, I've been addicted to "digital painting", thanks to this awesome workshop!  This is one of my first ones:
my sweet little Ozzy.  And, for those of you that may not know, he went blind last week...a side effect of his diabetes.  So sad for him, but he's way less upset about it than I am.  He never complains and seems just as happy as ever!
 Since it's been awhile, I decided to give a pair of these awesome "Night Owl" earrings away!!  All you have to do is comment on THIS blog post.  Lita will be picking a winner Monday [February 17th].  Good luck!!!

Stay warm and dry, wherever you are!  Happy Wednesday!

Don't forget!  You have until midnight Saturday [February 15th] to use coupon code VALENTINE2014 and receive 25% off of your entire purchase from my Etsy shop - my way of saying "thank you and Happy Valentine's Day"

Love and peace always ~ Kathy

"Like snowflakes, the human pattern is never cast twice.  We are uncommonly and marvelously intricate in thought and action." ~ Alice Childress 

Sunday, February 2, 2014

In Sickness & In Health...

Ugh!  I've been fighting the crud for 4 days now and there's no end in sight!  Every morning it seems like I wake up worse than I was the day before.  What started in my throat has moved into my head and chest.  But, on the bright side of things, all the snow has melted away and it is very pleasant and sunny outside.  So, I opened my windows and I can hear the birds singing...that, in itself, is making me feel better already!
After "starving" myself for two days, last night I decided to make a big pot of chicken & dumplings...so good!  Nothing better than a big bowl of comfort food to make you feel better...
...and, it did just that!  I think I'll have some more for lunch today!  If any of you are interested, I got the original recipe from Rachael Ray, but changed it just a tad:

Ingredients:
 2 pounds chicken breast tenders [hormone/antibiotic free]
1 tablespoon organic olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
2 tablespoons butter [organic un-salted]
2 medium organic russet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 medium organic carrots, peeled and diced
1 medium organic onion, chopped
1 rib organic celery, diced
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 tablespoons flour
1 quart low sodium organic chicken broth
1 8oz. box biscuit mix - I use Jiffy Buttermilk Biscuit Mix
1/2 cup warm water
Handful fresh organic flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 cup frozen organic green peas

Directions:
Cut chicken tenders into bite size pieces and set aside. Don't forget to wash your hands!!

Place a large pot on stove over medium high heat. Add oil, butter, vegetables and bay leaf and cook 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Season mixture with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Add flour to the pan and cook 2 minutes. Stir in broth and bring to a boil. Add chicken to the broth and stir.  Let this simmer while you prepare the dumplings.

Place biscuit mix in a bowl. Combine with 1/2 cup warm water and parsley.  Stir until it's well mixed and sticky. Drop tablespoonfuls of prepared mix into the pot, spacing dumplings evenly. Cover pot tightly and reduce heat to medium low. Steam dumplings 10 to 15 minutes. Remove cover and stir chicken and dumplings to thicken sauce a bit. Stir peas into the pan and cook for about 2 more minutes, then remove chicken and dumplings from heat and serve in shallow bowls.  You may want to add a little more salt and pepper.  I personally love more pepper!
Enjoy!!!  It will make you feel good, I promise!

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!!  love and peace always ~ Kathy

 "Don't let one cloud obliterate the whole sky." ~ Anais Nin