Hart 2 Heart

One of my ducks is in a coma.

It's a sad tale. I was working like crazy to finish an order (that's part of it above) for a fabulous boutique in Redondo Beach (more about that later), when my Bernina artista 185 came to a sudden stop. I did not panic. The computer screen was blank. I turned it off, then back on. It seemed fine. I carefully pressed the pedal. . . no go. It went blank again. AAaaaargh! This is when I panicked. Well, not really. What can you do. I pulled out my old trusty Bernette that my parents got me when I went away to college more than a couple decades ago.

 

It is basic, but sturdy, and works great on all the normal stuff. Unfortunately I use a lot of the fancy stuff on my Bernina, i.e. applique stitches, for my product line, INCLUDING the order I'm trying to finish! So I take the comatose Bernina to the not-so-local repair shop and get the bad news. I was hoping it was just a short in the foot pedal, but NOOOO. The dang thing needs to be sent to the FACTORY to have the computer or some part of it, REBUILT! AND it will take 2 to 3 weeks. Naturally, this is my busiest time of year.

Notice how the appliques on the above dresses have not been APPLIQUED! They are supposed to look like this:

. . . so the dresses can be delivered to the cute boutique, sold to a gushing grandma, to be worn by a darling little girl. . . such as this. . .

One little glitch in the system and all hell breaks loose. Slight exaggeration. But you know what I mean. Fortunately my friend Cathy owns a Bernina (fancier than mine!) and she says I can come over next week and use it! What a pal. There is always a way--my new motto. Hopefully the order will be done and delivered by Wednesday. 

About the boutique. . .  Abbracci is a wonderful day spa and boutique in Redondo Beach (California), that carries the most unique array of gift items, from jewelry to children's clothes. They are also carrying my friend Carrie's fabulous lavender drawer liners. 

It's getting late, and I still need to make dinner, and prepare for a trunk show I'm having at a friend's house tomorrow. I made cookies (gift with purchase) and they are drying, and need to be packaged. They should be dry by midnight. No problem. I'll tell you all about the trunk show Monday, after I recover.

Keeping my ducks in a row.

It has been a very long week. Wait, it's only Monday. Actually, I didn't have a weekend to relax, so I'm not sure what day it is. The Manhattan Beach Hometown Fair was fabulous. I had the best sale ever. I was nervous going into it, but it worked out great. The fair was packed with mothers and babies, and pregnant mothers-my target audience! Everyone was so nice and receptive towards my new fall designs. You never know what people will like. The best seller this season has been this outfit. . .

Street fairs and outdoor craft fairs can be really fun and profitable, but, let me tell you, it is exhausting. The hours are very long, and you're on feet for most of them--that is if you're lucky enough to have customers. Then there's the weather. On Saturday we had short bouts of sprinkles, and had to make sure everything was under the tent. Sunday was beautiful and all went well. Then of course there's the tear down.  I just wanted to sleep. Fortunately my dear boys came out to help load the van (thank you!). 

On top of the fair preparations, I had two cookie orders to fill. One was for a 10 year old girls hockey team--the Lady Ducks! (see photo above) How cool is that! So those had to be packaged Saturday night after a day at the fair. 

Did I mention the black out on Wednesday night? Oh yes, I was getting ready to make the cookies for the orders, when the power went out for 3 hours! That put me behind just a little.

The other order was for a baby shower. This is one of my favorite cookie designs.

As usual, it all got done. 

Now if I can just keep those ducks in line.

Taking the Show on the Road

I can feel it. The craziness of the fall sale season is looming. After I squeeze in this post, I'll be packing up the shop to head off to the Manhattan Beach Hometown Fair. Today is set up day, and the fair runs Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

My booth will look something like this. It's always a challenge, arranging all of my goods in a pleasing manner, in a tight space. I usually spend the whole show, rearranging.

This is an awesome fair, with lots of activities for the kids and family, including a beer and wine garden! There will be around 200 arts and crafts vendors, including my friend Carrie! Everything is handmade, and it is a juried show, so the quality of work is wonderful.

If you're in the neighborhood, stop by and say hi! Don't forget to support your local artisans! Buy handmade!

"The best chili I've ever had!"

That's what my husband said when I made this chili for him a couple weeks ago. Now, it's not your typical Texas chili, or the chili my mom made, but we LOVE it! Even the 12 year old ate two bowls. So this time, I documented the making of and recorded the recipe. 

You could use all fresh ingredients--soak and cook your own beans, stew your own tomatoes, but for a busy mom/entrepreneur, I suggest the open and dump method. There are a lot of delicious canned products out there that work great for a lot of recipes. I usually buy whatever brand is on sale and keep these sorts of ingredients on hand in my pantry. Of course when my tomatoes are at their peak in my garden I do use fresh. The little onions up there, as well as the big bell pepper are from my garden.

The Best Turkey Chili

Ingredients:

3 wee or 1 medium onion (color of choice)

1 big fat bell pepper (red is best)

3 cloves garlic

1 pound ground turkey

2 tsp. ground cumin (secret ingredient)

1 tsp. cayenne pepper (more if you want super spicey)

salt and pepper to taste

1 - 16 oz. can chili beans

1 - 16 oz. can black beans

1 - 16 oz. can white beans

1 - 14.5 can zesty diced tomatoes with mild green chilies

1 - 14.5 can diced tomatoes with peppers and onions

1 - 11 oz. can white shoe peg corn 

To Make:

In food processor (or by hand) mince onion and bell pepper. 

Saute in 2 tablespoons of canola oil, until translucent, on medium high heat.

Finely chop garlic (by hand or processor), and add to veggie mixture. Saute for a couple minutes more. It's important not to overcook garlic, or it will become bitter.

In a big pot (preferably your favorite blue Martha Stewart cast iron pot), cook up the ground turkey, breaking up into small bits.  I don't like big chunks of meat.

I add the seasoning to the meat at this point--it seems to taste better. Stir in the cayenne pepper, cumin and salt and pepper.

Add the sauteed veggies, stir and then start dumping! Drain the beans first.

Stir and simmer for 20 or 30 minutes on medium heat.

Well, I took this picture after we ate half the pot, and chili isn't too photogenic anyway, but oh, my is it delicious! It's even better the next day after the flavors meld-if it lasts that long (we're just a family of 3).  It's also good served over rice. I'm on a torturous low carb diet, so I skipped that. In any case, it's healthy and delicious, and perfect for fall dining. Of course it is now 90 degrees here in Southern California. So much for fall.

Enjoy!