AfricanKelli

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“Time plays like an accordion in the way it can stretch out and compress itself in a thousand melodic ways. Months on end may pass blindingly in a quick series of chords, open-shut, together-apart; and then in a single melancholy week may seem like a year’s pining, one long unfolding note.”

“I’m reminded of how Mum’s collies used to greet me on the lawn when I’d come home from a term away at school. They’d never jump up; they were too well trained. They’d yip and circle me, not the predatory way they circled the sheep, but with an inquisitive enthusiasm, waiting for me to roll down in the grass and invite them to lunge, wrestle, and lick me. My parents might have had money, loved each other, loved me and my brothers, but it was the loyalty of those smart beautiful dogs, when I was young, that made my home feel like the safest place in the world.”

“I was in the shop well before opening time, browsing self by shelf through new fiction, to see which not-so-new fiction I must relegate to the less prominent novels & stories shelves. Because of that dreary human predilection for the shiny and new, I always feel when I make this shift as if I’m sending so many bright, hopeful creatures out to pasture before their youth is spent. Though I would never condemn them, as other shops do, to a section entitled literature, a word which to my admittedly over-schooled mind is ossified and clubby. I picture a mausoleum, filled with sagging armchairs and lamps that cast inadequate, jaundiced light.”

I’ve been curled up on the couch with the door and windows open, cool Fall weather keeping me company as I knit my latest market bag and savor “Three Junes.” These quotes don’t do the story justice; I am weary of giving any clues. This is one of the most well-written books I’ve ever read, and these quips are just a few that spoke to me for one reason or another. Julia Glass’ words flow so poetically from the page, I found myself telling a stranger in a coffee shop this week, “This is art on paper!” (Ever the poet, I’m not.)
I am allowing myself short bursts of reading so I don’t finish it too quickly. Her words blend together beautifully. I hope these yarns, when felted, will do the same.

~K

If you haven’t seen Nacho Libre, it is my new favorite movie. I don’t know exactly what about it makes me laugh like a little kid, but it does the trick every single time. My friends were oh-so-confused by this when I subjected them to viewing it in the GOV (giant orange mini-van) on the way to Mexico last week. They were only laughing at me. A failed attempt at sharing a fave movie for sure.

Que lastima,
Nacha Libre

Are you absolutely horrible at hobby you still love? For me, this is bowling. Poor Salty didn’t know what he was getting (or better yet, not getting) when he asked me to play in his bowling league last year. Matt and Rebecca regularly kick my butt, as does the 12-year-old who is often playing the neighboring lane. Last night I came in with a whopping 86, 81 and 111. You should have seen how delighted I was to break 100!
And yet? Still one of the most hilarious activities I have on my social calendar. Getting together with these three for a bit of pre-emptive striking is a trip.

~K

Just goes to show you, you can take the girl out of Africa, but you can’t take Africa out of the girl. Look what I found one morning walking along the beach in Mexico? I was looking down, listening to a podcast and enjoying the crisp morning weather when voila! Africa jumped out from the other rocks and caught my eye.

Of course I turned around on the spot and carried that baby back to the condo to photograph my find. First I showed it to Jason to see if I was just crazy. But he looked at me and said, “Dude. That’s Africa.” Dude. It is!

Things making me happy this week:

~The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. What a weird, fun and great read.

~ October weather. Cool air, sleeping under quilts, walking to work and not arriving sweaty. Pumpkins everywhere. If we had trees, the leaves would be falling. (Okay, Phoenix has a few trees, but they aren’t natives.)

~Gangplank. I attended the lunch meeting today on sales and it was great. Nice work Aaron! I look forward to future events. Plus, it was really fun to finally put faces to the avatars I’ve chatted with on Twitter. Weird meeting virtual friends in person. This is a crazy, techie world we live in and it made me uncharacteristically bashful.

~ Fostering a pup. I’ve decided to foster a great dane. The peeps from the rescue agency are coming by this week for the interview, which means the Aussie and I need to do some housecleaning, STAT.

~ Spending quite a bit of time thinking of my future professional plans. I’ve got some big ideas I’m working on and hope to develop. Do you think Macy’s needs a linen’s designer? Hmm…

Hope your week is also going well,
K

My mama’s fabulous meatloaf, with a layer of Hatch chiles through the center, El Pato spicy tomato sauce on top and a side of roast broccoli. Fresh bread, Petite Syrah and an appetizer plate with figs, pears, almonds and Dubliner cheese. A good meal, even better the next day as a cold meatloaf sandwich.

Thanks to the second pan of meatloaf, I am officially looking forward to bringing my lunch to work this week.

~K

I promise this is my last prickly pear post for a bit. I used the remaining prickly pear tunas last night for the latest Jars of Renewal project: syrup! Great in margaritas, other mixed drinks and even on pancakes. Yum.

To local gardeners, a reminder that tomorrow’s veggie class series at the Phoenix Farmer’s Market is worth the drive and $10. I’m thinking a big bowl of oatmeal at Matt’s beforehand is just what the happy hippie ordered.

Happy Friday friends!
Kelli

There are people who walk into your life, make you drop everything your doing and take notice. They make you stand up a little straighter, tuck in your gut, chew with your mouth closed and just want to be better. Junie Moon is one of those peeps for me. She is an incredible friend, talented, creative, generous and a woman I admire a thousand ways. Today is her last day of blogging and she is going out with a splash of grace that only a Tucson Mermaid could. If you get a chance, drop by today and wish her well!

~

There has been a considerable lack of crafting and cooking going on at my house the last week or so. (For example, I didn’t make the journal in yesterday’s entry. It was a thoughtful gift from Tuesday. I will, however, be selecting the 10 lucky winners this weekend and getting on those vision journals. Thanks for your sweet and thoughtful comments!) Instead I’ve been riding my bike, fighting allergies and entertaining house guests who are currently living in my art studio. So, next week — more creativity. This week, more time with Ms. Olive and my new best friend Zyrtek.

This weekend’s dance card is full. I’m taking a veggie gardening class at the farmer’s market, going on a long bike ride downtown, seeing movies with friends, hitting the Weston show and hopefully finding time to do a wee bit of sneaky prickly pear harvesting in the neighborhood. I can just imagine myself getting caught with a bucket of prickly pear tunas and trying to talk myself out of trouble. Ha!

I’ll be back with photos soon. Hope your weekend is peaceful, relaxing and just what you need.

Cheers,
Kelli

I’m working all weekend at a leadership retreat and spent much of the last week preparing for this event. With a dozen other young leaders from Tempe, we’ll spend the next two days focused on how to best work together to improve the well-being of Arizona’s refugee community. And of course, we’ll eat. My mom’s arroz con pollo recipe beat out the week’s plan of cooking ginger-stuffed chicken breasts. I did, however, bake the vegan chocolate cake as planned. I’d show you a photograph, but then you’d see the missing corner. Not sure where that corner went but I’m thinking it may be in my belly.

The icing on the cake of this weekend, so to speak, is my dad will be here for dinner on Sunday. It has been so long since I’ve seen my papi and I cannot wait to sit down for dinner with him and catch up. Yay!

~K

* Recipe:
Karel’s Arroz con Pollo:

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds chicken, skinned
1/2 cup drained Italian canned tomatoes
3 ounces uncooked long grain rice
1/3 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives
1 1/2 tablespoons capers
1 1/2 tablespoons cilantro
2 chicken bullion cubes
2 cups of water
1/4 tablespoon oregano
Pepper to taste
1/4 cup of chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 tablespoon salt

Directions:
Combine vinegar, garlic, oregano and pepper in a small measuring cup. Brush mixture over chicken and place in a sealed container in the fridge for at least one hour. Over night is even better.

In a 3 quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat, add chicken and cook turning occasionally until brown (6-8 minutes). Remove chicken and set aside on a place. To same pan, add tomatoes, onion and bell pepper. Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until onions are softened (5-7 minutes). Add water, rice, olives, capers, cilantro, broth mixture, salt and 1/4 tablespoon of pepper. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and return chicken to pan. Cover and let simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender (25-30 minutes). Makes 2 services, or if you use 1 cup of rice, 4 servings.)

When I heard of a friend who was going through a rough breakup — including moving across the country and having to to leave her crafting supplies behind — I knew just the remedy. When once doubled over in mind boggling heartache, my smart mama lifted my chin, put knitting needles in my hands, and talked me through the next six months. The first few weeks and projects were ugly. By the time I’d created something worthy of sharing, I was on the mend and had a cute little shrug for to wear to happy hour.
Hence, a crafty girl’s miracle cure for heartache:

Voila — love from Arizona, all wrapped up in some turquoise happiness.
~K

Some people receive business cards when they start a new job. Others place an order, wait a couple weeks and show up to as many meetings in the meantime with baked goods. Business cards may get thrown away after a meeting, but I doubt these gingersnaps ended up in the trash. I’m always trying to figure out a way to make my mark in the business world. I’ve met so many new people during the last two weeks and managed to feed more than a dozen. I think it is safe to say they either think I’m crazy or I’m going to quit to complete my Martha transformation. Regardless, they are sure to remember my name.
Plus, Martha would have hand-stamped her business cards and calligraphied recipe cards to go with the cookies. Not a bad idea, actually…

~K

P.S. Rebecca recently mentioned her sister Shelley made the best gingersnaps ever. Challenge accepted. This recipe isn’t quite there, but I’m working on a couple new variations. When I get the alchemy just right, I’ll post my findings. On another note, it only took me knowing Rebilou some 20 years before I heard her say gingersnaps were her favorite cookie. Mine too. I have fond memories of grocery shopping with my mom as a little girl and her buying a big brown bag of gingersnaps and letting us eat them in the cart. We thought she was so brazen to eat before paying for them. Funny, the things you remember.
What is your favorite cookie?