it’s a summery day here in los angeles, on this the first day of daylight-savings time.
i started my day with a berry smoothie and here’s what i put in it: frozen blueberries & strawberries, 1 banana, 5 fresh whole strawberries with their greens still attached, flax, equal parts orange juice/almond milk, 1/2 cup of toasted oats. if you have a good smoothie recipe you wanna share i’m all ears!
on friday evening i made a coconut corn & potato chowder in my new instapot. it’s perfect for a lazy person like myself. there are a wide assortment of instant pot cookbooks on amazon for plant-based and regular recipes.
last week i made a bean & baconless pot of white beans. i have loved bean & bacon soup since i was a child and wanted to see if i could make something that tasted similar minus the bacon. oh so delicious!
the cherry blossoms at the huntington are in full bloom and the japanese garden is sublime. my early morning jaunts put me in a state of deep smacked-out bliss. minus the smack.
i almost felt as high when i opened my package containing these vintage composition books from ebay. aren’t the covers fabulous?
i have some future visual journal ideas, but in the meantime i think i’ll paint the stack.
i also found this 1940’s scrapbook irresistible.
i’m thinking it will be fun to paint the word “scrapbook” into my black paper sketchbook with gouache!
some of the images pasted inside will be fun to paint!
whoever clipped out these advertisements and images from seed catalogues seems to have been enamoured with these color illustrations.
thanks for the donations to my classroom via the wishlist. within 24 hours everything had been purchased and i had requests to add more! the only thing i needed that wasn’t on the list was patterned paper so i added some this morning. last time i checked there was only 1 item left. i can’t wait to give our new student her very own sketchbook and watercolors. she’s going to be thrilled! thank you so much for your continued generosity. please know how much we appreciate it!
xo
Love a good smoothie. I like to use the liquid Better Now French Vanilla stevia in my spinach, half banana, frozen peaches, 2 or 3 tablespoons of whole fat yogurt and water smoothies. I like to throw in a handful of walnuts too which I really don’t like, but can’t taste in the smoothie. I once accidentally made frozen yogurt in my ninja. Because I was almost out of everything I used frozen strawberries, milk, some of the french vanilla stevia and yogurt. When the ninja started making a scary sound I turned it off and opened it to find frozen strawberry yogurt. Yum!
Last week I made corn chowder that was very good. I chopped up a medium zucchini, an onion, a big handful of matchstick carrots, scraped the kernels off 4 ears of corn, added one can of sugarless Trader Joe’s corn, one can of petit chopped tomatoes, one chipotle pepper from a can, some of the sauce, chicken broth (not sure if you are eating meat in any form, use Veggie broth otherwise), some chopped garlic, red bell pepper and I tossed in some canned refried beans to thicken it up. The secret is to chop the veggies up small. Top with chopped green onions and cilantro when done. You can add cheese and sour cream if you are eating those.
I love the old scrapbook. I find it relaxing to “artfully” arrange bits of paper, sketches and tear-outs from magazines and glue them into a cheap sketchbook. I’ve got one in progress that is made up of faces I find interesting. I made another from decorating bits I have saved over the years. I’m like a kindergartener when it comes to cutting and pasting.
The artists in your class are quite impressive. After a year of making art with you, I am sure they will never look at a piece of paper the same. Keep up the good work.
I’ve so been enjoying the paintings of your bookshelves and sometimes spot a book that I also have. I noticed “Queen Victoria’s Sketchbook” which I have checked out from the library – so interesting since I was fascinated by the “Victoria” series on TV. Have you seen the movie “Mrs. Brown” about Queen Victoria (played by Judy Dench) after her husband dies? Your bookshelf paintings remind me of the article “Desktop Art” in Issue 16 of Flow magazine, about Marion de Man, an Amsterdam artist who photographs & paints her desktop books, journals, brushed, writing tools, etc. Check it out. The article also mentions “De Poesenkrant”, (Cats Gazette) – a Dutch periodical about cats – something else that you might enjoy.
I have a scrapbook with wood covers tied with leather that belonged to my mother. She had only filled about 1/3 of it with pictures, quotes, short articles she liked, portions of the church bulletin, etc., but there was also a pile out things in the back that she had saved to add later. I recently decided to finish it using her items and some things I’ve found that remind me of her. It was so interesting to look at your recent scrapbook find. Thanks for sharing.
In a couple of weeks we are headed to the beautiful Oregon coast for some camping, clamming, beach combing & seafood eating. I’m looking forward to seeing blogs about your next adventure.
dying of excitement to go investigate marion de man!
awwww….your mom’s scrapbook – that’s dear.
enjoy oregon!
Here’s some info on Marion de Man from the Flow article:
Flickr: bisybackson
Instagram: @_mdm_bisy_
Pinterest: bisy
Cool ebay score. Smoothies…ditch the juice and the banana …they are just disguised sugars…I make mine with coconut water, spinach blend till a pulped. Add FULL FAT greek yogurt..its not sour. Berries-strawberries, raspberries and blueberries in any combo. Blend it all up in my ninja. You can add stevia if you need it sweeter but since the full fat greek yogurt is not sour and the berries (LO SUGAR) are sweet you might not need it. The greek yogurt also gives you alot of protein. I lost about 30 lb in 8 weeks drinking this in the am and its still off 6 months later. Based on Dr. Michael Mosleys Eight Week Blood Sugar Diet because diabetes runs in my family and I DONT want it!! I also drew and painted what I ate for 56 days which is on my website back in September and October.
Mary Ann, while you are working in that groovy scrapbook, please see if you can free that gorilla because he looks so unhappy…mebbe he could at least play with the kitten (like Koko and Ball). Just a thought… xo
DONE! the gorilla is FREE!!
You find the coolest stuff 😊
Hi, MAM–I’m a vegetarian and would love to know your recipe for white bean soup. I used to have one but I can’t find it. 🙁
Also, was wondering if you might be interested in some small pockets with old microfiche sheets in them. I work in a library and they were throwing them out so I grabbed handsful (handfuls?). Lots and lots. Some have info typed on them and some are blank. They make great pockets for pasting into journals. The microfiche sheets can be used as bookmarks or painted on with acrylics and altered. Maybe we could trade something? PM me if you’re interested.
In the meantime, we are expecting a nor’easter with 14 inches of snow, so I am very very envious of your blossoms!
small white beans – dry – cooked in instapot with: chipotle chilie powder, sauteed onion & garlic in water, pepper, salt, 1 can tomato sauce, liquid smoke, chopped carrots
that’s it basically. v.v.v. good!
your cards sound tempting, but i have no storage space so will pass for now. trying to just get what i know we’ll use between now and year’s end. thank you though!
Hi Mary Ann! I’ve been meaning to comment for a while, but I’ve been too distracted by life’s challenges. Great-looking food … gorgeous photographs … spirited writing, as usual! I put together a scrapbook a little like the vintage one you just received, but I’ve incorporated some art and doodles with the pics. I just love color. I must have more than 1,000 pins in my Color board. I go bonkers when I review that board! Glad you got what you needed for your class. Take care/Deb
PS: I did start a new blog on Blogspot, but I wish I could write with you exuberant personality! Maybe if I practice??
your name links to something else..not a blog? is there another link? you can leave it here in the comments…
I love the scrapbook . It’s fun to know that we are continuing the act of cutting and pasting images into a book that future generations may enjoy looking at and wondering what were we thinking :-). Your photos of the succulents are gorgeous! And I look forward to hearing about your visual journaling ideas. Have a great week!
I always love reading your blog and seeing your wonderful photos but I think my favorite photo this time is the one of the succulents that is right before the white flower. The soft colors in that photo are just sublime.
Hi Mary Ann – I too loved Bean with Bacon Soup when I was young, but having been a vegetarian for over 25 years I have a few “baconless” tricks up my sleeve. The solution is chipotle in adobo – use sparingly (or not) and/or smoked paprika – both are addictive so BEWARE😺😺
I have a soup business in Mpls. My Smoky White Bean Soup is a big seller and contains – Navy or Great Northern Beans, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, smoked paprika, chipotle in adobo, salt, pepper and chopped fresh cilantro, lime juice and cream. Send me an email to birdsongsoups@gmail.com and I will send you my soup list to inspire you with more soup making ideas.
Excited you mentioned a possible new visual journal. I miss your visual journaling hodge podges!
Best from Mpls. Pam
i love the chipotle chilie powder! just got some smoked paprika yesterday. next time i’ll add in celery.
I think the liquidy chipotle in adobo is more flavorful than the powder myself…it comes in a can and you can freeze what you don’t use. also so good stirred into some mayo and slathered on ANYTHING 😺😺.
you and your traveling self will appreciate I am on my way home from 3 glorious weeks traveling through Mexico Mary Ann – Mexico City, Puebla, Oxaca, San Christobal de Caucus, Palenque and ended in Playa del Carmen…wonderful!
I think the liquidy chipotle in adobo is more flavorful than the powder myself…it comes in a can and you can freeze what you don’t use. also so good stirred into some mayo and slathered on ANYTHING 😺😺.
you and your traveling self will appreciate I am on my way home from 3 glorious weeks traveling through Mexico Mary Ann – Mexico City, Puebla, Oxaca, San Christobal de Caucus, Palenque and ended in Playa del Carmen…wonderful!
****FORGOT TO MENTION in original list of soup ingredients- small diced tomatoes!!
I have a bunch of patterned paper also. Let me know if you would like some mailed to you. I would need an address to do so.
Aloha, Kate
thanks Kate, i’m good for now, but next school year if the offer still stands…i don’t have storage space.
Banana
Frozen Blueberries
spinach fresh or frozen
2 large teaspoons of almond butter
coconut or almond milk – I prefer unsweetened coconut milk
Add fresh strawberries or mango or pineapple to sweeten naturally
mango! thrilled to try all these recipes you guys are leaving me. thanks !!
My favorite smoothie right now is berries, spinach, an avocado, almond milk and a bit of orange juice. Makes my cells sing with all the goodness. The good fat in the avocado makes it stickier in the stomach than a just fruit smoothie, so I’m not hungry til lunch. Sometimes I’ll throw in some peaches, too.
I have soooo much patterned paper. I’d love to send you some if you’d like.
avocado?! will try!
i’ll email you privately about the patterned paper. thanks laurie!
love, love that 1940’s scrap book! Your smoothie recipe has my mouth watering. Here is one of my favorite smoothie recipe a friend gave me. He is vegan so the original recipe calls for all organic ingredients but I buy what ever works with my budget.
2-3 hand fulls of spinach
1 hand full kale
1 banana
5-6 strawberries
8-10 black berries
3-4 spoonfuls of almond butter
1/2 -3/4 cup vanilla almond milk
So freaking good…..but then again I love nut flavors in food, hope you like it!
sounds like those other ingredients will camouflage the taste of the kale. i’ll try it!