Pumpkin Turnovers

I have a recipe posted on They Draw and Cook! I absolutely love this site and I've been meaning to illustrate a recipe for some time. I don't know what I enjoy more about their site - all the amazingly creative artwork or the fantastic variety of recipes.

This is a detail of my illustration - you can view the full recipe here. I sent it in this morning and they posted it this afternoon. That was quick!

And here's what the final result looks like - of course I had to test out my recipe first (I never actually measure anything). My family didn't complain about taste-testing, either.

Food for Thought (And by Food I Mean Dessert, Of Course)

While packing away the holiday decorations, I started thinking about the how we usher in a new year – lots of hoping and resolution-making going on. We follow the same traditions each year, but the years don’t turn out the same. Some years sparkle like stars overhead, others smack you ‘til you see stars.

Some things we have no control over. All we can do is hope for the best. Only, we don’t always figure that out. We go and put all kinds of energy into trying to change those things anyway. We might as well be trying to teach a seal to tie shoelaces.

And then there are plenty of things we can change, but we get so caught up in hoping and wishing, we forget to actually do something.

The tricky part is to know the difference.

Good Beginnings

With a sudden rise in temperature, we thought a New Year's dinner in the garden was a good way to start off the year. We weren't the only ones who liked the idea; right after we sat down we spotted an unexpected guest:

My mom believed a praying mantis was a good luck sign. At least I know it's good luck for the garden. We named him Champollion. He's been spotted a few times already hanging about the yard, so he may as well have a name.

So begins another year. Enjoy all the good things you can!