Friday Favorite: Making Do
There’s nothing I love more than finding a new use for an old item. When we were in Ohio last week, I harvested the remaining sage from my giant sage bush. I wanted to hang it above the wood stove so the warm dry heat would dry it quickly.
Just as I was about to head up the garage to find my hammer and a few nails to put in the beam above the stove, I noticed the old deer racks hanging there. These were left for us by the previous owners, admittedly they need a good dusting, which I hope to do this weekend.
They worked quite nicely to hang my herbs from. Instead of hanging lower from the beam, they’re now hanging up out of the way above the stove. In this climate they’ll dry quickly and be ready for seasoning delicious winter soups and stews! Lucky for me the lodge look is in, next thing you know they’ll be selling antler herb drying racks at Pottery Barn!
Have you found any great new uses for old items recently?
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Friday Favorite: My Laptop
I love my little laptop. My laptop gives me the freedom to travel to Ohio for the holidays and keep up with my work load. It gives me the freedom to work outside on a nice day, or to work by the wood stove when it’s cold. We are an Apple family, so it’s an 11 inch MacBook Air. If you’re looking for a small computer I cannot recommend this little lovely more.
I love that it’s small enough to carry in my purse yet powerful enough to run my photo software. This little machine is worth it’s weight in gold to me!
Do you prefer a laptop or a desktop computer, or do you use a tablet or phone primarily?
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Friday Favorite: My Stove
About 10 years ago I got a new stove. My previous stove had been a hand-me-down from my mom that never worked quite right. You had to turn on the oven before starting to mix anything up because you never knew if it was going to come on or. There were times it would turn off in the middle of baking and not come back on. I’d been saving for a newone for quite a while. I didn’t get the Blue Star I wanted, but I knew this Kitchenaid would be a good stove for many years.
Now that we’re in Maine and my stove is back in Ohio, I’ve been sorely missing it. It’s kind of like being without your favorite tool, or in this case I feel like I’m missing my right arm. I know my stove like the back of my hand, I’ve learned how to cook everything to perfection on it. Getting used to a new stove can be a big challenge, especially when you loved your old one so much.
I strongly believe that a good stove is of great importance for anyone who loves to cook, I realized that when I purchased this beauty. Having a good stove will make cooking much easier and much more pleasurable. These last two months of cooking on a less than ideal stove have really taught me that. I’m actually starting to think that perhaps many people think they don’t like to cook simply because their stoves are less than ideal.
We will have to make a few modifications to the kitchen to get my stove to fit. The one that is here is a small apartment stove. After than an exhaust fan that vents outside is on the list.
Thankfully, my stove will make it’s way back to Maine in two weeks. I’ll certainly be very thankful to be able to use it once again.
Do you have a favorite appliance?
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Friday Favorite: Martha’s Farm
This past week I got to spend some time touring Martha’s Farm in Ashland, Ohio. Martha has been my go-to place for chicken, turkey, eggs and vegetables for the past couple years.
Martha is a wonderful person, she’s friendly, kind and has a real passion for good healthy food and community. It’s a bonus that she’s from Ecuador so we can chat in Spanish sometimes when we get together.
If you live in the NE Ohio area, I highly recommend visiting Martha’s farm and getting your Thanksgiving turkey from her. Her smoked turkeys are to die for. I don’t even like turkey and I ordered an extra one for our freezer!
Martha is a Quechua Indian from Ecuador, so she’s fascinating to talk to. She’s had so many wonderful life experiences and loves to share them. I’m hoping to get over to the week after Thanksgiving to help her write down her story. Mr Chiots and I would also love to make a documentary about her.
This is what I love about local eating. One of my favorite things to do is to head out to the farms and get to know who’s growing the things I eat. There’s nothing better than finding someone who is as passionate as you about good quality food.
Do you have a favorite local farm?
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Friday Unfavorite: Feet
I must admit, I have an aversion to feet. Not my own feet, I don’t mind them. Other people’s feet however kinda make me cringe. Not all the time, just if they get too close to me. If Mr Chiots’s feet accidentally tough me it sends a shiver up my spine.
It’s not that feet gross me out or anything, I simply do not like them. It’s even more strange since I’m a barefoot kind of person.
Do you have any aversions like this?
