Recovering Turkey-a-holic

I dont know about you, but I am so over turkey right now. We had so many left overs, sandwiches, soups, and stuffing...all equals many extra pounds! We had a great day cooking then playing in the leaves. A very memorable day with family. These turkey leg shots cracked me up I had to share! Send me your best turkey pics!!

Pumpkin Patch

"Only one more sleep" is what I heard this morning...Halloween is right around the corner and the kids are all jacked up...I haven't even got the candy out yet! We did visit the pumpkin patch yesterday. It was a gorgeous day. I just love pumpkins especially cooking with them. Today is cookie decorating and carving day, and a just a wee bit a football if we can squeeze it in! I will post our creations of our carving later, but for now I will leave you with the pumpkin patch. The kids are driving me crazy to go carve!

Interesting week....

I havent been on here in a while, due to some issues that have popped up into my life. What I considered a pothole  is now just a bump in the road. In fact a cross road that led me to think deeper about my small business. I love what I do and I am going to continue to post and create all of my designs. I had fear to post in the past due to another designer copying some of my line. I know that imitation is the biggest form of flattery but in this case it was down right unethical. I posted a note to my Facebook page airing my frustration on this matter never mentioning names and somehow she got wind of it and said I attacked her. She "deemed them as her own and thought I was malicious and uneducated" on her designs that she stole. She must have felt guilty for the exact duplication of a few of my pieces and has since removed them from her page. Hopefully she gets a creative bone and designs something that is original and stop making excuses that her "clients wanted my designs." She considers this her "hobby" not a business, so therefore it is okay to steal ideas and charge people for it. Anyways I am done with my venting...After all this is my blog and I can yap!

Onwards and upwards. I have a great show planned next weekend and am traveling 3 hours south to do it. I am tying it in with a nice visit to a wonderful friend of mine in Temecula! My dear friend Kari just had a beautiful baby girl and I can hardly wait to shnooozle her!

I am also creating new things and am serving up a little piece of delicious everyday...eye candy that is! Remember...YOU SAW IT HERE FIRST! LOL Happy Almost hump day!www.angelamartindesigns.com

Melissa's pumpkin soup

My dear cousin brought this to my attention because I have such a pumpkin obsession! I hear that is mighty good and worth a try so I will leave you with this recipe and I will try it tomorrow.


Spiced Pumpkin and Shrimp Soup

2 med onions
2 med carrots
1 tbsp fresh cilantro
½ tsp ground allspice
2 tsp fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1 – 14 oz can chicken broth (~2 cups)
1 – 15 oz can pumpkin (~ 2 cups)
1 cup milk
1 – 8 oz pkg frozen, peeled, cooked shrimp (~230 grams)
Plain yogourt or sour cream
Snipped fresh chives

In a large saucepan cook first 7 ingredients, covered, for about 10-12 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Stir a few times while cooking.

Transfer vegetable mixture to a blender or food processor. Add ½ cup of chicken broth. Cover and blend or process until nearly smooth.

In the same saucepan, combine the remaining 1 ¼ cups broth, the pumpkin, and milk. Stir in blended vegetable mixture and shrimp. Heat through. If desired, serve topped with plain yogourt, or sour cream, and chives.

From Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book


Enjoy!

Humbled and Happy...

As some of you know I had my first jewelry show here in Bakersfield, Ca, and I feel very humbled by all the wonderful comments, feedback and ladies that entered my home Friday night. I wasn't sure what to expect and I was also elated that my jewelry BFF Laura Grant has come to help me in the success of the show. I love creating new things and it was once a hobby now turned mini business. Even if business dies down I will always want to do jewelry. My mother gave me the gift of creativity an eye for color, detail and the compassion for others. Oh how I miss her.
This is a great picture of Laura and I. I met Laura almost a year ago and we have been cosmically bonded together ever since. We share many ideas on creating the perfect piece. I love our energies together! Laura will be traveling with me and braving the cold Alaska Winter to help me with 8 shows in 10 days! I am so grateful for the help and bonding experience we will have.

AND these ladies..they are my rock! My Gym girls, they keep me motivated, fit and always laughing. I love them too! Thank you for your support!

On another note I had some comments on wanting the pumpkin bread recipe:

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

Rated: Submitted By: Laurie Bennett Photo By: DetectiveL Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 50 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour 5 Minutes Servings: 24

"Spiced with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves, this bread improves with age, so plan to make it a day ahead if possible."

INGREDIENTS:

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree 4 eggs 1 cup vegetable oil 2/3 cup water 3 cups white sugar 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.
2.	In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
3.	Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2011 Allrecipes.com

Printed from Allrecipes.com 10/16/2011

This is taken from All Recipes.com. YUM YUM!

Coconut cake craving!

I was watching TV the other day...A very rare event during the week and saw an ad with coconut cake in it...I have been craving ever since. Ina Garten best known as the Barefoot Contessa has an amazing cake recipe for this. I started taking out the ingredients for the making a cake and was met with "awe Mom no chocolate?" and so I let them lick the batter bowl and made them believers that there are other goodies that taste great other than chocolate. Believe me I think that chocolate should be a food group, just had to fulfill my hankering...
Here it is the lovely desert that may be a new favorite in your house.

Coconut Cake

2006, Barefoot Contessa at Home, All Rights Reserved

Prep Time:

35 min

Inactive Prep Time:

30 min

Cook Time:

50 min

Level:

Intermediate

Serves:

10 to 12 servings

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup milk
• 4 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

For the frosting:

• 1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 6 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans, then line them parchment paper. Grease them again and dust lightly with flour.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. The mixture might look curdled; don't be concerned.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter in 3 parts, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the 4 ounces of coconut with a rubber spatula.

Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and smooth the top with a knife. Bake in the center of the oven for 45 to 55 minutes, until the tops are browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a baking rack to finish cooling.

For the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and almond extract on low speed. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until just smooth (don't whip!).

To assemble, place 1 layer on a flat serving plate, top side down, and spread with frosting. Place the second layer on top, top side up, and frost the top and sides. To decorate the cake, sprinkle the top with coconut and lightly press more coconut onto the sides. Serve at room temperature.

My life restored.

I have been officially dismissed from jury duty so I can get back to my regular routine. Don't you love a routine? I am a "wing it" girl I never used to plan, just did. Now that the kids are in school I have settled into a routine. I enjoy my first cup of coffee in the morning, go to the gym, then have a nice quiet shower at home after the sweat has left the building and the muscle aches set in. The other half of my day is dedicated to making jewelry and food planning. Two of my favorite hobbies. Who could be happier? I have no recipe today because I am running around with kid duties. What I do have to share is this "delicious" eye candy. I have been dabbling in PMC. PMC is precious metal clay. It is a wonderful medium to play and create ANYTHING! I have been using buttons and molds to create new pendants and earrings. My next challenge is going to be fingerprints on jewelry for my kids. A way to capture time on metal. So very excited. I will leave you with this visual of delicious eye candy, a sneek peak if you will on the new line developing.