Feliz Navidad

Dear City Mouse,

    Your recipes are so wonderful and your food truck looks so cool!

I wish I was there with you now.

   I made this Dia De Los Muertos Christmas ornament for my favorite customers from the pub. They have a pink tree with an all Day of the Dead theme, so I know they will love it.

   I made the skeleton sculpture from Sculpey clay over wire with a skull bead for the head. I was thrilled when I found the tiny wood coffin at Michaels and painted it with acrylic paint.

   I will photograph some other ornaments and send you photos soon.

I hope you have the Merriest Christmas.

I love and miss you all.

Love, Country Mouse

Making Stockings from Sweaters

Dear Country Mouse,

Missing you and wishing we could play together soon.

I am writing you a quick post because I thought this project I've been working on might be right up your ally. I've been making stockings from sweaters. Pictures to explain themselves:

Sending so much love!!!


City Mouse

Vegan Sweet Potato and Lime Soup Recipe

Dear Country Mouse,

Oh my gosh it is so dark and rainy up here. I do love it, but seriously it is rain, rain, rain right now. I'm trying to send some of this dripping, wet, goodness southward, but I have yet to succeed.

Your succulents are so wonderful! How fun to find the old pieces of ceramic-ware to turn into pots. Come spring, I think I will do that with a couple of my cracked tea pots I've been holding on to.

I made a nice sweet potato and lime soup today. Just note, I kept it vegan for the sake of some of my regular customers that I was expecting, though it would be lovely with chicken stock instead. You'd think my food truck was vegan as lately all the recipes I send you tend to be vegan. But truth is, as you know, we are far from it. 

Vegan Cream of Sweet Potato Soup

Bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes or until soft:

2 lbs sweet potatoes

In a decent size pot sauté for several minutes:

1 teaspoon safflower oil

1 large sweet yellow onion chopped

Add and continue to sauté for several more minutes:

2 cloves garlic chopped

Add and simmer for 20 minutes:

4 cups vegetable stock

Once the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and blend with:

1 14-ounce can coconut milk

Continue to blend adding the soup stock and add:

2 limes zest and juice

3 tablespoons molasses

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste

1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper 

Return to the pot and bring to a desired temperature.

Also, I liked it with tabasco and  fresh parsley or cilantro on top. 

Anyway, I love you to pieces! Thanks for the cool idea on plant pots, I will be on that soon.

Hugs and hugs again,

City Mouse

Succulent Pots

Dear City Mouse,

  Those muffins were amazing, thank you.

I have been working on my dolls, all 11 are nearly finished, then it's onto sets and props. I will soon be sending more photos.

  I have been on a succulent CRAZE.

I recently bought a bunch of mid century vintage vases, and drilled drainage holes in them, to turn them into pots.  I used a ceramic drill bit I purchased at the hardware store.  The trick is to start it at a 45 degree angle, then once you get an indentation, drill straight.  I've also been starting succulents successfully from their leaves alone.

 

  I can't wait to see you all soon.

We love and miss you.

Love, Country Mouse.

 

Vegan Banana Muffins Recipe

Dear Country Mouse,

I want to pass on this recipe that I think might be nice for the cold weather coming up. I already posted in on Wasabi Honey Bee, so sorry if you stopped over there and it is duplicate information. Anyway, it's a vegan banana muffin recipe that I have been making at the truck, and thought maybe all the kids in your world would be excited about. It's a little healthier than some muffin recipes as it has ground walnuts in addition to flour.

VEGAN BANANA MUFFINS

In a large bowl mix:

3 ripe bananas 

1 cup orange juice 

1/2 cup grape seed oil

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup ground walnuts

In a separate bowl sift together:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup white flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

Mix both sets of ingredients together. Pour into an oiled muffin pan and bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes and then rotate the the pan and bake for another 12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Anyway, how has everything been going? Have the doll faces you are working on been coming out as you are wanting? I can't wait to see pictures when you are done... hint...hint!

As always, I love you and miss you and send hugs a thousand miles over mountains and hills, rivers and valleys, and—uggg—dust bowl deserts. Hope the rain is on its way and that I see you before too long.

XXOO
City Mouse

P.S. What will we do if Henry and I decide to move out to the wilderness to homestead. Will it be country mouse and field mouse then?

A Much Needed Hug

Dear City Mouse,

   There really are no words for how much I needed that hug.  It really was short but so sweet.  Your pies were also so amazing.  I so miss the days where we were able to spend them crafting, baking

and watching our kids grow together.

  I really need to make an effort to spend more time with Genevieve, among so many of my other wonderful female friends.  The fact that life is moving so fast is really the proof of that.

   I'm working on my little dolls.  I can't wait to show you the others.  

  I love you, and hope you are doing well.

Love, Country Mouse

A real hug... Finally!

Dear Country Mouse,

It was so nice to hug you in person, FINALLY!!!

I really enjoyed the bit of time we had together and wanted to send on these pictures I took of your work:

I was seriously blown away by how detailed and incredible these dolls are. I can't wait to see more!

Anyway, hugs and love,

City Mouse