Thursday, January 31, 2013

Ruby Rose Comes to Town 
Now Available 
also at Stork Landing in Logan, Utah



First, I have to share with you a bit about this stand-up. 
The vinyl work was created by Rex Harris at "Sign This Inc."
&
The stand was created by "Lasting Engraving" - 


On Display


Here's my shelf with my other books.



And finally another view.

For all of you non-locals, Ruby Rose Comes to Town can also be purchased at:


or just send me an email at storyexpress@gmail.com for special purchases. 

And, if you know of any cute baby boutiques near you, please let me know at storyexpress@gmail.com

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Look what I found...



Yes, this beautiful acorn squash was hiding downstairs to keep cool during the winter months. 
I purchased quite a few squashes from the gardeners market last summer, just for this occasion!


How beautiful this vegetable is - don't forget to save the seeds. 
You never know when you might need to plant a garden. 


Usually I bake them in the oven, but tonight, I didn't want to wait an hour for dinner, so upside-down they went into a glass casserole with about an inch of water into the microwave for 10 minutes, then another 8.


 Here's why we need to keep the seeds from every fruit or vegetable we eat. 
I washed the seeds & placed them on a full-sized dinner plate so you could see how many I harvested. Think about this for a minute. If you placed 3 seeds in each garden hole, you'd reap the benefits from what, about 10 -20 squash plants. How many squash would you reap from those plants? Maybe 100-250?

How many neighbors, or friends or family could you feed from just one small acorn squash?
Ah, the blessings from Mother Earth...
A Quick Dinner


What a beautiful presentation! Have you ever created a meal for 2 & compared the two plates? Which one looked better? Clearly many of us need to remember to treat ourselves as well as we treat others & I'll admit, I am speaking from experience. :)



So our left-overs (or food available in the cupboard) included organic cans of 3-blend beans, garbanzo beans, fire-roasted tomatoes & tomato paste (we didn't use the paste), 2 sweet onions (we used 1), & a half box of baby portobella mushrooms. 

In addition I had brought over 2 soy rolls (vegetarian hot dogs) & health-food creme soda. Caroll had never tried either, so I was excited to share. I also brought over an Ezekiel sprouted grain tortilla & hummus. I figured my friend could whip up a quick soup, since she's an amazing impromptu cook & we could chat.  

I thought I had remembered everything, but alas, I forgot the vegetable broth. As a substitute she added a low-sodium can of V8 juice. Can you imagine why they would put 600 grams (milligrams?) of sodium in each can? Also, she added the juice of 1 whole lime & even threw in the skins. I had never heard of adding lime to bean stew before, as I usually add a sprinkle of fructose to balance the acidity, but I truly enjoyed the splash of island flavor. 


Always & I mean always rinse your beans well, whether they're from cans or beans you've soaked & cooked yourself. You will save on tummy aches! 


Now when Caroll brought out this pan, red lights went on! I thought for sure it was aluminum, but she assured me it was old, but steel. She said this pot melts down chocolate perfectly. I do not like using aluminium for 2 reasons:
1. The pores in the metal open up & expand during heat & contract during cooling actually capturing bacteria within its walls.
2. I read & heard enough times that cooking with aluminum adds to your chances of Alzheimers.   


We didn't even shed a tear...


She sauteed the onions in a spray of olive oil she had. 


Mushrooms, salt, pepper & Italian seasoning were added. 


& here comes the lime!


This cooked down to a very tasty winter meal - I hope you try it some cold winter night. By the way, I think adding cubed zuchinni would have added additional flavor too. 

Wednesday, January 23, 2013


Just Released -
in time for your next baby shower!

Ruby Rose Comes to Town
by Marcy Hope Williams
Illustrated by Shannon Horrocks


More at story-express.com (including children's video)