A Recipe for Stuffed Peppers

Ok, so a few people have loved my stuffed peppers, so I made them tonight. Everyone has their own version, so this is mine.

Ingredients:
2 large peppers, cut in half, cleaned and rinsed
1lb ground beef
1/2 c rice, cooked
1 med onion
1 med can tomato sauce
8 oz cheese, grated, chedder works, but so does Swiss
Worcestershire sauce
assorted herbs, like Italian, parsley or whatever you like
garlic powder

Parboil the peppers in boiling water. Cook ground beef and onions until cooked through. Cook the rice.

Add about 1/3 can of the tomatoe sauce, about half the grated cheese, worcestershire sauce, seasonings and cooked rice to the beef and onions and stir thoroughly. Lay the pepper halves into a pan to form cups.

Spoon the meat and rice mixture into peppers, top with the rest of the tomato sauce and top with cheese.

Bake in 400 degree oven for about 1/2 hour until cheese melts completely.

Spoon onto plate and indulge!

I'm back!

It was a long holiday season, but I'm back.  Right now I'm mired in paperwork getting ready for tax season,  always a good excuse to completely clean and re-arrange my studio and office.  

Time to regroup.  

The best all-around show I did was the Indie Garage Sale in Utica NY.  It was a 2-day show the last weekend before Christmas and it was by far the best and well-attended.   Many of us were situated in separate boutique-like shops, so it gave an upscale feel to the show.  That's my booth right behind the window with the light green tables. 

I had a wonderful holiday.  This was my tree, and a great tree it was!

Well, Ok I lied.  We went to NYC for a couple days. 

So this is really the tree:

Believe me, it was better than the Charlie Brown tree we had last year!

Wilbur got some new clothes (but he's more interested in the edible goodies)

Carla and the animals had a good time.

We feasted  

 

Christmas buffet





and partied 

and a good time was had by all

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Crazy week and the Pumpkin Festival in Norwich NY

Last week was insanely busy!  I finished an order for a customer who drove up here to pick up her order on Thursday.  Her husband and 2 adorable dogs came with her and they were a joy!  We had a wonderful meal, then relaxed in the hot tub, and they left first thing Friday morning for NYC with probably close to 300 lbs of candles. 

As soon as they left, I started loading the car for the Norwich Pumpkin Festival. 

The show was held in Norwich NY Friday 10/29 through Saturday 10/30.  Friday was set-up starting at noon, so I got there around 12:30.  As I was driving out of my driveway, I saw my street lamp had been knocked over, presumably by the landscapers who mowed my lawn that morning.  

Maybe I should have taken that as an omen, because it was rainy and blustery all afternoon as I tried my best to set up my tent and display on the street.   Both coats I had taken got wet as well as my feet.  I actually went to my car, took off my shoes and socks and sorta dried them out with the heater going full blast.   I finally got set up, but since I was on the street, the back was a lake, so I set my chair on the side. 

Saturday was Much nicer!  A brisk fall day, but no rain.  I was prepared with my winter coat, extra socks and shoes and my insulated and waterproof Timberlands which are 30 years old and have never let me down. 

So on to the pumpkins.  They were all lit and at night they were just amazing. 

Dog custumes!  They were the best.

 And scarecrow competition.

It was a great festival!  Even if it wasn't all handmade. 

I'll probably be back next year.  See you then!

Off to the Holiday Races

Today was the first of the holiday shows.  Held in my new hometown of Whitney Point NY, the Fall Festival was a resounding success.  http://whitneypointfallfestival.com/  I met so many local folks, making connections for future ventures.  One person talked about buying the old railroad station here in town that's been for sale since I've been here to make it into a year-round market.  Another vendor is opening a handmade shop a few miles away and wants to carry my line of Essential Oil candles.   So much energy in the handmade markets around here, and I want to be part of it!


This is the first time I vended with my 4 table set-up.  It gave me more space to spread out my wares to make it look less cluttered.  And I got my new Director's stool just in time.  I ordered brown to coordinate with my booth and it looked great.  Comfy too!  I could sit and be eye level with my customers at the same time, but of course I usually got on my feet when they were present. 

So here's my schedule for the next 2 months!

Norwich Pumpkin Festival October 29-30

http://www.norwichpumpkinfestival.com/PFestBrochure2010Pg2.jpg

MayDay Underground in Rochester NY November 6

http://maydayunderground.wordpress.com/

Holiday Family Festival, Corning NY November 20-21

http://www.holidayfamilyfestival.com/

Holiday Traditions, SUNY Binghamton NY November 27

http://www.qualitypromotions.org/

Old Tyme Christmas, Weedsport NY December 11

http://www.iloveny.com/What-To-Do/Events/Weedsport-Old-Tyme-Christmas/15061.aspx

Indie Garage Sale, Utica NY (pending) December 18-19

http://www.indiegaragesale.org/

It's gonna be a rockin' holiday season!  Hope to see you!

marty

Color matching success

I've been quite the busy candle maker lately. I swore I would never do teal/turquoise/aqua ever again, but I'm not one to give up, ever. After many stops and starts, I finally got it right. The problem was trying to keep the brightness.  I sent off the color samples to my customer last week and feel so incredibly proud.  Color matching is an art, for  sure.

The Pink wasn't a problem, but as you can see, the blue isn't even close to a match.

And this was a perfect match, no problem

But here's the order - violet and pink.

As you can tell, I take color matching very seriously.   It's often and long and labor intensive process, but my customers deserve the best.

Storing up for winter

In between filling orders, I've been busy getting ready for the long winter months ahead.  I've been visiting my local farmer's market, and finally vended there this past week.  It's a great way to buy local produce and meet some really nice folks.

Two weeks ago, I bought some nice looking cabbage and started my sauerkraut. It's really easy! Just shred the cabbage, put it in the crock and sprinkle a couple tablespoons of salt on it, stir it up, and keep adding layers of cabbage and salt.   Cover it up and tuck in a clean breathable cloth and weight it down with a plate with something heavy on top.  Wash the cloth every day with hot scalding water and in about 5-6 weeks, you have sauerkraut ready to can. 

We found a wonderful farmer nearby and bought 130 ears of corn, fresh picked that day.  We blanched and froze some of it the other day, and today we canned 36 pint jars of cut corn.  You need a pressure canner for low-acid foods like vegetables, but it's very easy.  We cut the corn off the cobs...

Then raw-packed the jars, not too tight, added a half teaspoon of salt to each pint jar, then poured boiling water to 1/2" from the top.  Raw pack means you don't cook the contents first.  Hot packing means you add the hot cooked food to the jar.  You can do either with corn.  Once the jars are filled, you place the sterilized lid with tongs (put them in a pan with simmering water on the stove), then screw on the ring finger tight.  Then they go into the canner and processed at 10 lbs pressure for 55 minutes.   

Tomorrow I will probably make cole slaw and corn relish which can be processed in a simple hot water bath.  Since they are acidic and made with vinegar, they don't have to be pressure-canned.  It's a little less intense and can be done in a large pot only, without a pressure canner, which is an investment.  I'd love to find some inexpensive PA peaches, because they are sooo sweet and yummy around the holidays.  Nothing at all like canned peaches you find in the store.   And maybe I'll find some time to make spiced apple rings and harvest the my herb garden and dry my herbs for the cold months ahead. 

It's getting pretty chilly way up here in the north, and I have to order wood soon.  I'm really behind on that and should have had it so the girls could stack it for me when they were here last week.  Busy busy busy!

Kirkwood Town Fair with My New Pop-Up Tent

Well the shows are done for now, so I'm taking a 2 week break to regroup and start building my schedule for more shows starting in September through the end of the year.   I finished up the 3-day Kirkwood Town Fair late last night and spent today relaxing, napping and unloading the car. 

Last week I finally ordered a new commercial grade EZUP pop-up tent with walls (a must for me to shade the candles) with the money I made at the Broome Co Fair.  It didn't arrive until Friday morning, so I used a borrowed tent on Thursday.  We got the top canopy installed when it arrived, then folded it back up and packed it into the car to use Friday and Saturday. 

I arrived early to allow enough time to set it up at Kirkwood, but it was up in a flash.  I had some help stretching it out, but the rest was easy so I had plenty of time to spare.   I took my time attached the walls (love the Velcro!) and made sure the corner zippers were lined up ready to zip up for the night.  Then I spent the rest of the time setting up my tables and displays just so.  I'm still working on uncluttering my displays, but it's getting there.   

I proudly hung up the banner my daughter Nina designed.  I received a couple very nice comments on it and told customers it was designed by my talented daughter who's a graphic designer.  It feels so professional to have an identity with matching banner, business cards and website.   

So this is the entire display, tent and all.  I kept the side walls up for most of the show except during a sunny time and kept the back wall down because due tos a lot of foot traffic for the rides behind me.   

 

I was able to leave everything packed inside the tent on Friday night, so I didn't have to haul everything home and back like I did Thursday night.

 

So the weekend ended with some amazing fireworks that I watched while breaking down.

And I'm packed up and ready to load the car. 

Packed up

I now feel like a professional vendor! I can pick up and go to any show, rain or shine, indoors or out because I'm ready for anything now. I made lots of new friends and met old ones from Broome County Fair.

Lots of suggestions were given for fairs and craft shows in the area, and it looks like home parties are on the horizon because they're very popular around here. Not to mention fundraisers!  So watch out in the next couple months as I expand into these areas.

It was a good show and now it's time to regroup, rethink, schedule more shows for the holiday season and expand the candle business!  I not only had good sales, but a couple potential wedding orders.   It's always a pleasure educating customers about the benefits of soy candles, encouraging them to try them with samples I often give out and adding coupons with their purchase.  When I tell folks I'm local, I know they'll be back for more.   

The entire set-up