Thanks and Gratitude

A simple prayer of gratitude for the Thanksgiving Day feast:

This food is the product of the earth, the sun and hard work. May I live my life in such a way as to be worthy of it.

Love to all my friends and family.

Care Package #3: Fudge

I have been wanting to try to make fudge for a while. Since the chocolate that I sent in Brian's first care package didn't melt in transit, I figured it would be best to send fudge in the winter (when the high temperatures in Iraq are in the 90s instead of the 140s). I found this recipe in the Hershey cookbook, but will try Mom's recipe in a few weeks to see which I like best.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Fudge
1 C each peanut butter chips and chocolate chips
2.25 C sugar
7 oz jar marshmallow creme
.75 C evaporated milk
.25 C butter
1 tsp vanilla

Place the chocolate and peanut butter chips in separate bowls and set aside. Grease or line an 8 inch square pan with wax paper and set aside. Combine sugar, marshmallow creme, butter and evaporated milk in 3qt pan. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until it boils, then continue cooking and stirring for 5 mins.
Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Stir half the mixture into peanut butter chips, mix until melted and pour into pan. Repeat with chocolate chips. Let cool and cut into 1 inch squares.

In an effort to really preserve the fudge and keep it from melting all together, I wrapped each 1 inch square in wax paper before vacuum sealing it. I got rave reviews from my family and co-workers on the finished product and think that I'll be playing around with other fudge variations.

Care Package #2: Thanksgiving

I will be the first to admit: I went a little overboard on this package. I wanted to include every component of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but obviously had to get a little creative with some items (in parenthesis is what the item is supposed to represent, in case it was a stretch).

The store-bought items include: turkey jerky and sausage, cheese and crackers, Stove Top stuffing mix, Snapea Crisps (peas), Craisins (cranberry sauce), Pringles (mashed potatoes), and pudding snack packs.



The homemade goodies included: sweet potato chips, corn muffins, applesauce (for apple pie, which would not have survived the trip), and pumpkin spice bread (pumpkin pie). I had a great time making these yummies, and I hope they keep better than the pretzels did last week!



Sweet Potato Chips

This was really simple, but I need to check the temperature on my oven: the chips cooked a lot faster than the recipe said they would, and several ended up a charred mess.



Slice the sweet potatoes (I used a cheese slicer, but a mandoline would probably have worked better). In a bowl, toss the slices with olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary or thyme. Place in a single layer on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes at 350° (I think I'll try it again at 250° to see if I can prevent them from burning). Let cool.


Cheater Pumpkin Spice Bread
I got this idea from a co-worker, and it’s an easy way to get a yummy, moist quick-bread loaf.
1 Can Pumpkin (not pie filling)
1 Box Spice Cake mix (you can also use yellow or chocolate cake for a yummy variation)
2 TBS water

Pre-heat oven to 350° and grease a bread loaf pan. Empty pumpkin into a medium mixing bowl and stir in 2 TBS water. Add cake mix and stir just enough to thoroughly combine. Pour mixture into loaf pan and bake 20 – 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Moosewood Corn Bread
1 C cornmeal
1C flour
2 tsp baking powder
.5 tsp baking soda
.25 tsp salt
1 C buttermilk or yogurt
1 egg
3 TBS sugar or honey
3 TBS melted butter

Pre-heat oven to 350° and grease an 8-inch square pan with butter. Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine the wet ingredients (including sugar or honey) separately. Stir the wet mixture into the dry, mixing just enough to thoroughly combine. Spread into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until the center is firm to the touch.

Applesauce is so stupidly easy to make!

Wash and cut apples into small chunks. Coat the bottom of a large pot with a little canola oil. Add a splash of water and heat apples, stirring regularly, until soft. Process cooked apples through a food mill and return to the stovetop. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar (to help preserve). If you want, season to taste with sugar and cinnamon, but I usually leave these out. Then, follow proper canning proceedures.

Now that I know how easy this is, I refuse to buy applesauce. Of course, it's a lot more fun if you can go out and pick the apples yourself!

Random Mid-November Updates

So what do you do when you realize that there is a new yarn shop in town that you're dying to visit but you already have an insane stash of yarn?


First, frantically start planning quick, simple projects that will eat up huge chunks of the stash. Current ideas include very long striped scarves and simple shrugs.


Second, you use your new friend's novice-crafter status as a perfect excuse to visit aforementioned yarn shop, but pinkie swear not to buy anything! I absolutely LOVED walking into Unwind! It reminded me very much of KnitWits in Westerly, which I dearly miss. The layout and displays were tasteful and inspiring and the selections were just delicious.


Most exciting, and most dangerous, is the fact that Unwind carries both Galway and Cascade, two of my favorite wools! Must....ration.....purchases........





I am still trying to adjust to the fact that it is the middle of November and there are plants that not only still have green leaves, but are in fact blooming! There are several rose bushes that have new flowers on them as well as these beautiful azaleas. It just feels...wrong. How am I supposed to get into the holiday mood when it looks and feels like spring?



On a somewhat unrelated note, if I haven't mentioned it yet, I'll tell you now: I've started working out again. For the past three weeks I have been doing Windsor Pilates six days a week, and I'm loving it! I have so much more energy now and just feel better overall, physically and mentally. In order to accommodate a morning workout (which is easier to stick to, since I often have evening classes to teach), I've also been working on getting up a little earlier each day. Much to my surprise, I actually enjoy starting my morning walk before the sun is peeking out from behind the horizon, and getting to hear the birds waking up as Harley and I circle the park to warm up before hitting the mat.
I thought I would struggle with these adjustments, but that's not the case at all. And a pleasant, though completely unexpected, benefit has been a sense of gratitude that seems to break on me with the dawning sun and stay with me throughout my hectic days. I am starting to feel like life is not just richer, but also fuller, than I've ever known it to be. Who knew?

Care Package #1: Oktoberfest!

I've been waiting very impatiently to be able to write about the first care package I was able to send Brian. It was so much fun to put together, and I had to wait SOOOOO long to send it. But on Monday, November 9 I was finally able to ship out Brian's Oktoberfest-themed box, and it only took seven days to get to him! The fact that I actually thought I would be able to send him something in October speaks to my new-found optimism...

Since I am still learning how to seal and ship home baked goods so that they will arrive and be edible, I thought it wise to also include some more shelf-stable goodies as well.

World Market has a great selection of international food, so I grabbed:
Pumpernickel bread
Desiree wafer cookies
Ritter chocolates
Sausages (ok, these were actually from Wisconsin, but still, they're sausage)

And what October package would be complete without some Halloween candy corn! I also included a photo album (that had a picture of me in Germany from 2004) and my favorite movie from this year: The Watchmen.

As for baked goods, I tried my hand at making soft pretzels. I'm not sure if they are really of German origin, but when I was in Germany I had pretzels almost everyday and they were wunderbar! Here's the recipe, but be warned: they got a bit moldy before arriving in Iraq. I think if I baked them a bit longer they may have lasted... trial and error!


Soft Pretzels
From The Joy of Cooking
Combine in a mixing bowl:
1 C water (105 - 115°)
1 Package Active Dry yeast

When dissolved, add and beat at least 3 minutes:
1.5 C sifted all purpose flour
2 TBS soft butter
1 TBS sugar
.5 tsp salt

Stir in:
1.25 C sifted all purpose flour
And knead until the dough loses its stickiness. Let rise in a covered greased bowl until doubled in bulk. Punch down and divide into 12 pieces. With palms, roll pieces into 18-inch lengths about pencil thickness, tapering the ends slightly. Loop into a twisted pretzels shape and place on a greased baking sheet and let rise until almost doubled in bulk.

Pre-heat oven to 475°. Have ready a boiling solution of:
4 C water
5 tsp baking soda (do not use an aluminum pot for this)

With a slotted spoon, carefully lower the pretzels into the water for about 1 minute. Return them to the greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and bake until crispy and browned, about 12 minutes.

Operation Spoil Brian: Underway!

If you had asked me two months ago if I would ever be happy or excited to know that my boyfriend was at an Army base in Iraq, I would have given you a dirty look and an emphatic "No!" But after three weeks of him waiting around in Kuwait, and a week sleeping in an airport, I was excited and relieved to finally get word this weekend that he is settled in to his new base. Not only does it mean that he will be able to get into a routine that will hopefully make the next 11 months fly by, but it also means that I have an address where I can send goodies!

It has been over a month since Brian left Georgia, and I started assembling his first care package almost before he left. Well, I started brainstorming ideas and gathering supplies almost as soon as he got his orders. Anyone who knows me should not be surprised by the fact that I have an Excel spreadsheet mapping out what I will send and when. My first attempt at mailing a package to an APO address was pretty mundane. Sure, what's new to me is probably a really common occurrence for the postal worker. She wasn't nearly as friendly as the guy who helped explain the customs forms and different size boxes, but the package got labeled, stamped and is hopefully on its way!

I will post pictures and detailed summaries of each package the week after I send it (it wouldn't be a surprise for Brian if I spilled the beans as soon as I mailed it!), so stay tuned for the contents of the "Oktoberfest" package. I'll also include any recipes for home made goodies, just in case you want to try them out. If anyone has ideas for themes, feel free to pass them along. The big holidays are pretty obvious, but I'm going to have to stretch my imagination for the weeks in between.

During my four hour baking marathon on Sunday, I decided that holiday gifts for friends and family this year will also be of the food variety (apologies to anyone who was hoping for a full sized quilt or cable knit sweater). I'm really looking forward to trying a bunch of new recipes, ones I've cut out of magazines or found in cookbooks that I've bought but seldom used. This morning while reading The Savannah Magazine and enjoying my yogurt and granola, I found a great recipe for shortbread from a local chef. It sounds delicious and made me think of Scotland. Yum!

Etsy Update!

Hello Internet-land!

I just updated my Etsy store! Feel free to stop by and browse for your holiday gifts... and tell your friends and family, too. I will (hopefully) be adding many new and exciting items after Thanksgiving, so check back again soon.

Skye Tyler Designs

Slowing down the crazy train

For those who haven't heard me whining and complaining, October was a crazy month! Dad was installed as Vicar, Brian deployed but is still on layover and trying to get to his base, I spent a week in Rapid City, South Dakota for the American Center for Credit Education conference then flew home with a flu that I couldn't shake for almost a week. I had an insane number of workshops and classes on top of planning three large community events for Protect Your Identity Week. Just thinking about last month makes me tired.

So, for November, I am making a concerted effort to slow down. I'm spacing out my work obligations, and even managed to say "No" to an evening PR opportunity. I'm not beating myself up for taking some downtime in the evenings to read or watch a movie. Sure, I'm way behind where I think I should be with my holiday crafting, but so what? I've started doing Pilates again every night and love the fact that I've managed to make my health a priority over all the clutter that usually clouds my motivation (I know working out doesn't really qualify as "taking it easy" for most folks, but it really helps bring me into balance, so I'm counting it).

There is another reason, besides the potential for burnout, that I'm trying to pamper myself a little this month. The fact is, December is only a month away. December means the first anniversary of losing Mom, Jen, my old job, and the life I thought I was going to be living. While I am very happy with the way my life has shaped up here in Savannah, it's still a bit overwhelming. Grief and transition are similar to tides and the waves at the beach. You can be standing in warm, dry sand one moment and then a big wave washes over you, buries your feet in muck and flings sharp rocks and shell shards of sorrow against your legs. I want to be in as good of a place as possible going into next month; an ounce of prevention and all that.