the Sunday Special - Black Bean Salsa

Salsa is pretty healthy as far as snacks and condiments go and I eat quite a bit of it actually. I wanted something fairly easy and savory like salsa but with a little more nutrition. That's how I came up with this little concoction that I'll call Black Bean Salsa, for lack of a better name.

Black Bean Salsa

1 can Black Beans drained
Juice from 1 can of diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 or so tablespoons of Sour Cream
1/2 a Tomato
5 Baby Carrots
1 handful of Baby Spinach
1 or so tablespoons Harvest Grains blend (couscous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans, & red quinoa) cooked


Blend in food processor or blender. Grab some tortilla chips and get munchin'

fun photoshoot today

One of the funnest photoshoots we have done it quite some time. A Wild Wednesday for sure. =) I got all colorful and spunky, and Nick did a great job taking the pictures.






So far these are my very favorite and I am totally keeping them if they don't sell!

Shop update

I have created what I call my Spunky Series. They are sort of Punky Brewster inspired. She was one of my idols as a child...ok, still is :)
I wanted to link to a picture of her so I started browsing. I could totally see Punky wearing my leg warmers and headbands, but I now realize they are more of a "Punky Brewster gone Hippy".
Anyways, they are super fun and colorful. I have already posted these 3 items.





And here is a sneak peak at the rest of the Spunky Series soon to be in the shop this week.


Next I'm doing a Sexy Series for Valentines day!

the Sunday Special - Acorn Squash Soup

I have made quite a few versions of acorn squash soup and honestly all of them have been delicious. This week I made some starting with this recipe and altering it to the following.

Acorn Squash Soup

• 1 whole Acorn Squash
  
• 2 Shallots left whole and peeled
• 2 Garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 and 1/3 cups low-sodium Vegetable Stock
  
• 1/2 can Cream of Chicken
  
• dash of Paprika
• dash of Creole seasoning (salt, red pepper, garlic and other spices)
• 1 little squirt of Sriracha Hot Chili sauce
  
• nickle size chunk of Brown Sugar
  
• dash White Pepper
• a dash or 2 Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the squash in half on the equator and remove the seeds with a spoon. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and arrange the squash, cut side up. To one of the squash halves, add the peeled shallots and to the other one add 2 garlic cloves on each. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the hot oven until very tender and starting to caramelize and collapse (between 1-2 hours). Remove from oven and when cool enough to handle, remove the squash from the skin. Reserve the roasted shallots and garlic with the squash.

In a medium size pan, heat the vegetable stock and cream of chicken on medium-low. Add in the reserved squash, roasted shallots and garlic. You can mash up the squash in the pan a little and then add the Worcestershire sauce, creole seasoning, white pepper, paprika, chili sauce and brown sugar. Stir to combine, and heat slowly over medium-low heat. When the mixture seems warm enough to melt the parmesan, stir it in leaving 2 pinches for garnish. Allow a few minutes for the parmesan to melt, then puree with a food processor. The mixture will be very thick. If the mixture is still warm, then serve. If it has cooled off, then warm in the pan a bit before serving. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan on each bowl and enjoy.

Media Monday

I am looking for some "get up and move" music to snowboard to. As an example, I love the Beastie Boys. I can not help but get up and move when I hear 'Brass Monkey'.


If you have some favorite songs or albums that you like to dance to, ride to, exercise to, or that just move you to be fearless and take action.... please share. I want to fill up my mp3 player with music that moves me.

Project Thursday

How 'bout a tour through my studio and see where all my projects unfold? Well come on :)

Welcome to the spunkidoodle studio!

This is the little nook that is a step down from the main room. There is a sliding glass door behind the desk so I can watch the sun set. And it is quite beautiful right now.

cozy corner

I found this turquoise hanging display in the condo we are renting. I thought it was special enough to make a finger knitted 'rope' to hang it from the skylight...but I can't figure out what to hang from it. Any suggestions?

The roller skates I found at a thrift store this past fall. I almost did a whole post about them entitled "omg! omg!" because I could not stop saying that for at least an hour after I found them.


A few of my camp creations made it on display here. I just finished this rainbow of to-do's and the paper bag schedule yesterday. I have them color coded by priority. My attempt to be more organized and task oriented.

Looking back into the main room. My sewing center :)

Remember those 2 twin beds from the before pics? Well, I stacked both mattresses on one frame and put the other frame in the closet. The mattresses are foam so they are flat and pretty firm, making them a pretty good work space.

shipping center :) ha ha

That's it kids. Hope you enjoyed the tour around my studio. I sure love it!

jessie b

the Sunday Special - Pineapple Stack

Pineapples were on sale so we snagged one. Some of my favorite pineapple combos are pork, poultry, or fruit salad. Often up for trying something new, I did something a little different with the pineapple this time. You know those free recipe cards at the grocery store? Well, I snagged one of those too and used it as inspiration. It is titled "Pineapple Stack with Blueberries and Coconut Cream". Not wanting to purchase any extra ingredients, I used what we had on hand already and improvised the rest. So here's what I did.

Pineapple Stack with Yogurt n' Blueberries

1 Pineapple
about 72 Blueberries
6 tablespoons Greek Yogurt
1 teaspoon Sugar (next time I'm gonna try Honey)
Splash of Vanilla Extract (called for Coconut, but didn't have it on hand)
Cinnamon
about 1 tablespoon Milk
Dab of butter
6 tablespoons Peanut Butter

To cook the Pineapple, you could grill it. With no access to a grill, the stove works just fine. Turn the burner on to medium high. In a small frying pan, use a little butter so it doesn't stick to the pan, and cover while searing both sides of the pineapple slice. You should get some pretty 'grill' lines like this.


While the pineapple is searing, mix the yogurt, vanilla (or any other extract), sugar (or honey), cinnamon and milk. Chill the mixture til ready to add. After the pineapple is seared and still warm, smear with peanut butter and allow to melt/soften. Add an inner ring of yogurt. Arrange blueberries and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Enjoy!