irene...

http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at201109_sat.html

looks like she's heading right for us folks...i'm doing my best to hold down the fort and prepare the house and the studio. keep you fingers crossed for us... everyone stay safe out there. wishing everyone the best!

staycation with the hubs....

i feel kind of bad for playing hookie this week! 

"The first week of August hangs at the very top of the summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning. The weeks that come before are only a climb from balmy spring, and those that follow a drop to the chill of autumn, but the first week of August is motionless, and hot. It is curiously silent, too, with blank white dawns and glaring noons, and sunsets smeared with too much color. Often at night there is lightning, but it quivers all alone. There is no thunder, no relieving rain. These are strange and breathless days, the dog days, when people are led to do things they are sure to be sorry for after." 

-Natalie Babbit, Tuck Everlasting

i need to be making pots....lots and lots of pots. but oh well, it seems i never get enough quality with my hubby. i fit in a few mornings here and there at the studio but the boat and some fishes were calling my name.  i'm excited to be back at it today. i ve missed the studio!


wishing you well and thanks for reading!

love this!!!

i often start or finish my day reading other blogs of people who inspire me. this is a blog post by one of my favorite artists, jenny mendes. check out these super cool illustrations!

Jenny Mendes: Venturous Vegetables etc.: "I love these illustrations by T. Benjamin Faucett! I found them after I had been painting my own tomato people. Now I feel even more..."

 T. Benjamin Faucett

new!

adventures in fishing

what's for supper yall...
okay last post, vegan. this post doesn't get more "local" than this...

yep. we ate stingray! while we were out at "shack" fishin on friday evening, nick caught a monster stingray.. our friend dave was with us ( a life long carteret county native) and explained that string ray was some pretty good eatin'. he was right! we fried it up and put in some fish tacos (yum!). nick, wasn't the biggest fan, but i gave it two thumbs up. who knew?

what is on my mind today...

http://blueridgedreams.typepad.com/journal/page/2/

"...the view stretched on and on across rows of blue mountains, each paler than the last until the final ranks were indistinguishable from sky. It was as if all the world might be composed of nothing but valley and ridge." Charles Frazier, Cold Mountain

whats for supper....

the somewhat-mostly-vegan strikes again:

finding vegan foods my meat and potatoes hubby like to eat is sometimes a challenge (eg "really? stir fried variation of tofu again??"). mexican anything, spelt crust pizza, spelt crust calzones, lasagna, lentil cakes and vegan gravy, pad thai and stuffed portebella mushrooms are always good, but i still need more recipes...

my momma came to visit this week. she brought me a whole mess of her "mountain pride" tomatoes fresh from her garden. yu-um. figured they would be awesome in a tomato pie.
here's the basis of my recipe:

(i re figured it to be vegan with a spelt pie crust, of course):

ingredients:
one 9 inch pie shell
4 or 5 medium tomatoes peeled, sliced and drained (use a paper towel to remove excess moisture)
3 spring onions chopped
1/2 onion chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
chopped basil (optional)
1 ½ cups extra sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
1 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper (to taste)

directions:
bake pie crust according to directions and cool. Next, cover the bottom of pie shell with sliced tomatoes.Salt and pepper tomatoes and sprinkle with basil and onions. Then, in a small bowl, combine cheese and mayo. Cover tomatoes with cheese mix and spread over entire pie. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until cheese is melted and golden brown. let cool for 5 minutes.

http://www.keepitsimplefoods.com/vegetarian/southern-tomato-pie/#comment-1487

i served it with a side of crunchy oven baked kale chips.

i think its a keeper!

try it at home. thanks for reading!

between this guy









and this girl...



it has once again been an unproductive week so far. spooky with an infected bite wound to the head and ophelia with the general ins and outs and aches and pains of just plain old age has spent some quality time in morehead city visiting bridges professional park animal hospital. i love my vets, i really, do but NO ONE loves their vet this much!!! sheesh!!!
i am happy to report ophelia is feeling better and spooky is..... heavily medicated....but on the mend.
taking pictures of pots and putting on handles and throwing today. stay tuned. maybe i'll take some photo documentation!
for now, happy wednesday.
as always thanks for reading!
wishing you well
~trista

where i live

taylors creek, beaufort nc

my dogs eat more meat than i do...

lots of folks have been askin me about my home made dog food...this is my jumping off point.
.
 here's the link.

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/buddys-and-bubbas-homemade-dog-food/Detail.aspx   Buddy's and Bubba's Homemade Dog Food

Rated: Submitted By: BKBISHOP Photo By: Chantelle Prep Time: 45 Minutes Cook Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes Ready In: 2 Hours 15 Minutes Servings: 10

"This is a healthy addition to, or replacement for, your dog's daily meals that he will happily devour."

Ingredients:

2 chicken leg quarters 1 pound ground beef 2/3 cup rolled oats 1 (10 ounce) package chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry 2 cups frozen chopped broccoli, thawed

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans - rinsed, drained and mashed 2 carrots, shredded 1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:

1.	Place the chicken leg quarters in a large pot, and fill with enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 40 minutes. Remove the legs and allow to cool. Strain and return the cooking liquid to the pot. Once the legs have cooled. remove and discard the skin and bones; chop the meat, and set aside.
2.	Stir the brown rice into the reserved chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, 45 to 50 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid, and add the rice to the bowl with the chicken.
3.	Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add the ground beef. Cook and stir until the beef is crumbly and no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Pour off any excess grease, and place the beef into the bowl. Stir in the oats, spinach, broccoli, kidney beans, carrots, and olive oil. Store the dog food in resealable containers in the freezer. Thaw the daily portions overnight in the refrigerator.  because i have 900 million dogs i do 50 servings and freeze it.... i have learned to start by cooking the chicken and the beans all day in the crockpot, and add the veggies and oatmeal in last. i mix up the veggies everytime. i often use black beans as well as kidney beans. i also usually get stew meat, a very lean pork, lean ground turkey or fish to mix up instead of the 1 lb of ground beef. they also all get a multi vitamin (calcium is muy importante!!) and fish oil. its so good, even my hubby will eat it! hope someone atleast finds this enteratining!