Mexican acorn squash, inhaled. Directions: Slice squash in half, sprinkle with olive oil, stuff with garlic (after removing seeds), roast at 350 for 30 minutes. Add diced tomatoes and onions to baking sheet. Bake for 10 more minutes. Remove, add black beans, a dash of cheese and Cholula. Ay chihuahua — que delicioso!

~Kelli

There has been a considerable lack of crafty blogging happening around here lately; with travel, the garden and my appetite for baking, I’ve granted my sewing machine and knitting needles on sabbatical. However, with the holidays right around the corner, I have a feeling their respite will be brief. I’ve got the holiday spreadsheet completed and a lengthy list of projects to match the stack of JoAnn’s coupons in my pocketbook. I am very much looking forward to Thanksgiving in Tucson and Christmas in Denver. I will be able to spend more time with my family in that three week period than I have all year.

I am learning the sweetest gift of the holidays is time with my loved ones. I can’t wait. We have some traditions traveling with us to Cody’s house in Denver, including stockings filled with fruit and sticky buns first thing Christmas morning. I’ve got some holiday traditions I look forward to starting with my own brood one day, including caroling, handing out baked goods to the neighbors and baking a birthday cake for Christ on Christmas day. To bring some of these into being this year, I’m organizing a giant community dinner where we’ll go caroling afterward and am working on my neighborhood baked good plan.

Where I live, many of the residents are temporary. Some are college students or retired folk. Very few of us seem to live in the same spot year-round. I’d like to go by door-to-door with little loaves of bread and wish families a happy holiday and introduce myself, but I feel a bit funny doing so. Suggestions? I’ve also thought about gifting them with small tags that read something like, “With the economy down, it’s time to come together. Bread shared among neighbors makes friends. Wishing you a happy holiday season.” It is pretty cheesy, right?

What would you say? I want to be sincere without being ridiculously sentimental. Send me what you’d say on your bread-for-neighbors tag and I’ll make you a stack of handstamped gift tags for your holiday season. {One person will be selected from comments. Woot!}

~K

* Chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and Reece’s Pieces topping for Ryan’s 29th birthday. I was in a rush and didn’t let these cool long enough; the result was icing that had slid off by the time I reached the party. Lesson learned!

I’m gardening. After taking those classes at the Phoenix Farmer’s Market with the Phoenix Permaculture group, prepping my tiny patio and using my planting calendar to pick seeds that will work this time of year — I’m gardening.

Coffee grounds to help with the pH balance of the soil. I am also asking my carpenter grandfather to whip up one of these compost bins for me. I see worms and lots of gorgeous veggies in my future.

I am hoping this process is much like sewing and baking — yet another hobby I’ve watched Finny use her cunning and cleverness to succeed. I mean seriously, is there nothing this girl can’t do? Have you seen her garden? I think asking her to send me a bit of her green thumb is not too much to ask. You hear that Finny? Send me some of your smarts already!

Thankfully I’ve got Staci in my own hood to help guide me through Arizona gardening. This woman is a pro. Not only does she homeschool five kids, she somehow manages do raise her own veggies to feed her army too. Yeowza. And Stephanie, who isn’t exactly in my hood, but close enough. The girl grows okra like you wouldn’t believe.

So, here we go. I’m throwing my hat in the gardening ring and hoping to eventually expand to chickens and some fruit trees. Not at this home, but the new one I’m still carefully saving my pennies for. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy beets, carrots, onions, garbanzo beans, cilantro and fennel in this little casita. Yet another step toward that sweet little cottage life I dream of. I’m thinking the dog is coming soon too. New Years?

~K

This is Waitress-inspired, “Sorry-You-Got-Laid-Off” chocolate cake. It was delivered warm, with a sprinkling of cinnamon for good luck. The recipient was quick to say, “Guess what! I may have a job offer!” to which I responded, “See you next week with the Congrats-You-Got-A-New-Job!! pie.”

Any excuse to bake, what can I say?

~K

DC was excellent; I had such a great time at the Green Festival with Mike and Sam. Let me tell you — these two know how to hosts guests.

The adorable Tuck home.

They not only drove me around for three days, set up a hotel room in the city so we could walk and enjoy our time without worrying about driving back to the burbs, and spoiled me silly with chocolates on the pillow, awesome food and gobs of time, but they did so graciously. They didn’t make me feel like a guest, but like someone they’d really been looking forward to seeing and I couldn’t be more thankful. We also spent a night in Georgetown singing Billy Joel songs at a piano bar, surrounded by hot men in suits. (Seriously, DC? Good work on the men. Well-dressed eye candy abounds.)
It was a blast, and I’m pretty sure everyone within a five-foot distance — as far as my shouting voice could carry over the piano — knew that there were no such venues in Maricopa County. Phoenix, we need a piano bar, lots of Billy Joel and more suit-worthy weather.

Spicy chicken wrap with local veggie salad: $10. This was about three bites and the one thing I’d change about the festival was the commercial angle. They charged $1 for a cup of water — as in they charged you for the cup and then you used the faucet. Pretty silly.

Africankelli bag being rocked at the festival by Ms. Sam.

Books for sale a the fest. I didn’t buy any books. I spent my cash on an ionized foot detox instead. The photos are here, but be forewarned, they are horrifying.

We also heard Marion Nestle and Amy Goodman speak. Nestle is one of my public health heroines and she did not disappoint. Goodman gave me an entirely new perspective of the media. I learned gobs and felt right at home with my fellow Birkenstock-wearing, earth-loving, tree-hugging friends.

My notebook, ready for some Marion Nestle insight…

Dr. Nestle, who within five minutes of taking the stage made me reconsider everything I eat. In a nutshell: the US now imports the majority of our foods (and preservatives and pharmaceuticals) from China, India and Mexico — noteworthy because of their lack of quality control in areas such as preservatives and pharmaceuticals. Or so she and the recent dog food/melamine/baby formula scandals would suggest. Scary. Her talk made me sit up straight and think of all the foods I’d eaten in the last two hours that had countless preservatives, most of which probably came from an unregulated source. Yikes. Time to make some serious pantry changes.

In response, we decided not to go out for dinner after the conference. Instead we celebrated with a homemade meal and lots of local incredients:

Roast acorn squash filled with apples and garlic…

Turkey, sage and squash simmering with onion and olive oil.

Voila — the perfect meal to end a fantastic weekend. We included local Tarara wine, which was excellent.

There is certainly something to eating fresh, local and eventually vegan.

Three cheers to the Tuckers at Washington DC. I’m smitten.

~K

Yesterday I received another pretty incredible stroke of kindness from the craft world. KatyRenee had a contest a while back on her blog and I won. I was able to select an image and she said she’d whip something up for me. Of course, I looked to my creative idol — Ms. Kahlo.

Why yes, I am in love. Thank you Katy!

To see why Frida inspires me, check out some of these images. I have tentative plans to spend some time in San Miguel de Allende with mi amigita Alma next Fall visiting Frida’s studio. Holy guacamole, that would be the trip of a lifetime. Frida’s story, and many others, do make me believe that many great artists often find inspiration from tragedy. Thankfully, I admire their work in my sphere of happiness (while wearing awesome accessories.)

Cheers,
Kelli

{NaNoBlogMo is officially kicking my butt. Who knew blogging everyday for a month would be tricky for a girl who never shuts up? Yeah. I’m surprised too.}

Yesterday Carl called to see if there would be anyway I could help him out in a pinch: he had his 3-year-old daughter P for the afternoon and needed to go into work. Would I mind spending time with her?

Are you kidding me? Look how cute this kid is, especially in her Alice in Wonderland Halloween gown. How could I mind? I love her to pieces and after seven hours of nail painting, hair braiding, movie watching, cookie eating, trick-or-treating and repeating “Kelli is my favorite auntie,” she was upset when I left her. I’d say the afternoon was a raging success.

~K

{NaNoBlogMo, entry 1 — writing is November’s new black.}

This truly is the week of focus. It’s working! Not only did I get that market bag done and wrapped, I started reading a new book for NaNoWriMo and got a fair amount of plotting done for novel #2 this morning. I did not, however, swim. I’ve got to do something to revive my zest for swimming. Getting up in the dark to haul myself to a pool that is regularly left uncovered, and is therefore freezing for this Arizona native, is getting old. I am considering rejoining my previous Masters team. The expense isn’t that big of a deal; I am a teensy bit worried it will take me a couple months to hang with the group. I am not swimming 3000 meters in an hour right now, more like 2000 in 40 minutes and calling it good. I am also worried about abandoning the few masters swimmers I coach at the Y. I don’t have a huge group, but they are dedicated and I get a good bit of feedback on the workouts I post. Oh, the silly things I’m pondering this week…

Additionally, I read this article yesterday and wow, does it make sense. Common sense, that is. Hope you are also finding the focus you need this week, even if it is just focusing on good television and a comfy spot on the couch.

~K

Delaney mentioned the other day that she wanted to learn how to kayak. I’ve been spending more time with her sister Madison and not as much with her, so I thought this would be the perfect chance to balance things out. Elaina and Nick have a kayak and huge hearts. We had fabulous weather this weekend and ready access to Tempe Town Lake. I threw all of these together and voila — a fabulous afternoon of me sitting on the bank reading a magazine, taking photos and watching an 8-year-old in kayak heaven.

And then, of course, there was the requisite ice cream before she was returned to her family.

Can’t wait to do it again. Next time, I’m getting a kayak for me and am going to stroll around the lake. I haven’t been kayaking since Costa Rica last year and man, do I love it. If I thought I could fit a single person kayak in my tiny car, I’d put it on my list for Santa. Do you think they make kayak trailers for bikes?

~K

I have two friends who are new moms and have been saving their baby food jars for me. I have a vision of making a path of tea light luminaries through my garden this winter. In the meantime, we are all about celebrating autumn, pumpkins and cooler weather for the time being. $4 later, I have treats for today’s staff meeting. Jars of Renewal recycled jar count: 40+.

~K

P.S. If you are thinking about the holidays, buying small, supporting artisans and local business — check out Funky Finds. Jess does such a fantastic job with finding the coolest handmade stuff online. If you have a second, check out the site and drop her a line. She is a great girl in need of some much deserved support.