Dior Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2021 Collection

Perhaps the best find from our E-vacation in France, hope you enjoy. The future of fashion shows? B

 Lovely nature themed needle art. B 

The Link: patchwork fields and embroidered landscapes by victoria rose richards

Snowstorm & Icy Cold River | Falling Snow & Polar Wind | Sounds of Winter

Pretty cool drop into existing space. B 

Link to Suspended Nest Concept

 So, we are SO tired of 2020 and have decided to live in 18th century simplicity in 2021, and that includes living an experiment for the next 12 months of the music, the clothes, the food, and a much slower, more spiritual lifestyle. Still working on the specifics, but there will be a LOT of Y's cooking, and my woodworking, and indoor/outdoor lifestyle in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Found this today on tea culture. So done with the 21st century, this will be a staycation from. Blessings Be. The pic and the link. B

The Link: https://theteamaestro.com/category/colonial-tea-history/

Beautiful Zen retreat, love the soft lighting, the low furniture, the plunge pool, the honest textures. B

The  link: Peaceful Wellness Retreat by Z_lab

This is how a real, moral, compassionate, intelligent, informed, decent leader sounds. After 3+ years of the other guy, Biden has my vote. We miss you Obama! B

A dose of the damn happy, on this day of social distancing. Love how people are pitching in to make a difference to each other's lives. Original Hamilton Cast sing Alexander Hamilton with Emily Blunt on SGN. Take care! B

Good concert, in case you are needing some entertainment suggestions while we are locked down. The National - Live at Sydney Opera House. Stay safe! B

One of the Best Mutual Funds you can buy for Wealth Building - Potential to double your Nest Egg in 5-years.

I know I am all over the map here, but I'm a 4D person, living in a 3D world, in other words, I'm complicated. :). Part of what I would like to accomplish in this blog, is to explore wisdom on sound, old-fashioned, Geo. Washington-style wealth building.

Today I wanted to share some investment research I recently completed (in case you don't know, I'm a research junky) hoping it is a value to some of you. The email I sent family earlier, FYI:

Dear Family,

I've mentioned a mutual fund to you that has been a really good investment for us over the years, having doubled our modest 401k/IRA in 5 years, it was John Hancock's Blue Chip Growth Fund JBGAX or JIBCX, depending (same fund, one is IRA, the other 401k).

In case you've considered that investment, or even invested in that fund, I wanted to tell you about an even better fund, and one I've moved our retirement funds into this month, and that is the T.Rowe Price Blue Chip Fund symbol TRBCX. It has the same fund manager, and a very similar investment profile, indeed, it appears the top 10 investments are the same in each fund, as I recall. The reason it is better, is that it has outperformed JBGAX over the years, AND, importantly, the fees are 40% less, which adds up A LOT over time, considering compounded returns.

Here's a snapshot of the investment trend, with a top rated Lipper score of 5, and good reviews which I'll copy you on. I thought, just in case you have invested in JBGAX on my recommendation, I didn't want to leave you out of this better opportunity for growth.

Review links:

Zacks - 3 Top-Rated Mutual Funds for your Retirement Dec. 2019

Motley Fool - 10 Best Mutual Funds to Buy in 2020, Jan 2020

You might note the historical 111% growth over 5 years on the graph above, in other words if it performs as it has historically, which is no guarantee [and you should seek a 2nd opinion on this investment considering your appetite for risk (moderate in this case), and life stage], you will double your investment in 5 years. Not too shabby :).

Expect this fund to rise and fall over time, but ultimately it is likely to have an upward trajectory as you see in the graph over the long haul, which is what I, like Warren Buffet, seek in an investment. Trust in investing in strong, well-managed, profitable American companies long-term, and don't sweat the short-term corrections, which are inevitable. Later life stage folks may have to be careful about how much of their nest egg to put in this fund, since it can be somewhat volatile short-term (Warren, for example, has suggested his wife invest in index funds when he shuffles off this mortal coil).

If you've questions, please let me know.

Found this on Designboom, wanted to share the beauty of this, and keep this for my own inspiration. Hope you enjoy.

The link: Dreamscape mural by oscar oiwa

THE WEEK IN RECIPES

CRANBERRY PUMPKIN BREAD

3 cups all purpose flour

• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups canned pumpkin puree
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil 
• 1 2/3 cups buttermilk
• 1 large handful (or whatever amount you like) fresh cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease two 81/2 by 41/2 inch loaf pans, set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine pumpkin puree and both sugars.  Mix on med. until well combined.  Add eggs and oil, mix until combined, scraping down the bowl.  With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with the flour.  Gently stir in cranberries with a rubber spatula.

Divide the batter between the prepared pans.  Place the pans on a baking sheet.  Bake, rotating the sheet halfway through, until a cake tester comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes.  Remove loaves from pans and cool completely.

RUSTIC CRANBERRY ORANGE TART

• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1 cup good orange marmalade
• 1 generous handful of fresh cranberries, cut in half
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 small orange, sliced thin, seeds removed

Preheat oven to 350.  Cream the butter with the sugars until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and egg, beat until smooth, then add dry ingredients except nuts and cranberries.

Set aside approx. 3/4 cup of the dough and press the rest evenly into a 9 inch pie pan.  Spread the marmalade over the top.  Add the cranberries.  Mix the reserved dough with the nuts and oats and crumble it over the top.  Decorate the tops with the orange slices.  

Bake until lightly browned on top, about 40 minutes.  Let cool, then cut into wedges.

• 
  

THIS WEEKS RECIPES

Dear friends, I must apologize for the lack of photos this week.  Either I am having a bad day, or my computer is.  Let's blame the computer, shall we?

MARINATED MANCHEGO

• 2 small tangerines, cut in half, then sliced thin
• 1 whole head of garlic, peeled and separated into cloves
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp dried rosemary (or more, because it's pretty!)
• 1/2 lb manchego cheese
• 1/2 lb cheddar cheese

In small saucepan over med. heat, cook the tangerines, garlic, and OO, until garlic begins to turn golden, 10 minutes.

Put in med size bowl and allow to cool.  Add rosemary, salt and cheeses and gently toss to coat.   Cover and chill for 12 hours to 3 days.

Good luck with that last part!  We ate ours right away, and it was awesome!

COUNTRY HAM BISCUITS

• 1 small package country ham pieces.  ( I found this in my local Kroger with the other country hams.  It was much less expensive than the country ham slices)
• 1/2 cup butter, or 1 stick
• 2 cups self-rising southern flour
• 3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk

Cut away the fat from the ham pieces.  Cut into a small dice. Set aside.

Cut butter into flour.  Add diced ham.  Add buttermilk.  Stir until just moistened.  With a rubber spatula, scrape the dough onto a floured surface and knead 4 or 5 times.

Flatten to about 1/2 inch and cut out biscuits.

Place biscuits on greased cookie sheet, allowing them to touch.  Brush tops with melted butter or buttermilk.  

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, or until golden.

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

Cranberry-Grapefruit Muffins

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 ruby red grapefruit, sectioned and membrane removed

1/2 cup frozen whole cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray muffin pan with non stick oil.

In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients, up to, but not including the sugar.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs.  Add sugar, oil, and vanilla.  Cut the grapefruit pieces into small chunks, add to egg mixture.  Add the four mixture, and stir to combine.  Fold in the cranberries, using a rubber spatula.

Divide the batter among 10 greased muffin cups.

Bake until golden brown, approx. 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.  

Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

If desired, ice the muffins tops with whipped cream cheese and decorate with cranberries.

Recipes of the week

CRANBERRY BREAD

3 Cups all-purpose flour

1 scant cup sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon salt

1 beaten egg

1 1/2 cups milk

2 tablespoons salad oil

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cranberries

1/2 cup chopped dried papaya

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Sift together dry ingredients.  Combine egg, milk, and oil:  add to dry ingredients, stirring just till moistened.  Stir in fruit and nuts.  Turn into greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.  Bake at 350 degrees about 1 1/4 hours or till done.  Remove from pan; cool on rack.

Gluten Free Drop Biscuits
1 3/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick cold butter, grated with a cheese grater
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp. each, garlic powder, onion powder, sesame seeds, poppy seeds

In a large shallow bowl, whisk together rice flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add grated butter. With clean hands, mix the butter into dry ingredients making certain all pieces of butter are coated with flour mix.  Make a well in center of dry ingredients and pour buttermilk into well.  Using a rubber spatula, gentle incorporate the wet and dry ingredients until just mixed, adding more buttermilk if necessary.
Mix together the garlic powder, onion powder, and seeds in a small bowl.  Add half of the spice mix to the batter.
Lightly grease a cookie sheet.  Using a small ladle, place scoops of dough onto sheet.  Brush the tops of the drop biscuits with buttermilk, the sprinkle with the remaining spices.
Bake at 425 degrees for 17 minutes.

CHEESY STUFFED BISCUITS

Welcome back to my blog.  It's been a while, and I admit that I have forgotten quite a lot about how it's done.  Please be patient with me, as I relearn.  Also, I need to apologize for the poor quality of theses photos....something else I seem to have forgotten how to do!

This is the finished product.  As you can see, they are light and fluffy, but the cheese decided to escape from the sides!

As promised on instagram, I will be walking you through the process of making these stuffed biscuits.  I will include the recipe at the end of the post.

This is my preferred brand of flour.  Use the flour of your choice, however, I definitely recommend using a southern (or winter wheat) flour, which will improve the lightness of your biscuits.

I have recently discovered the ease of shredding my butter into the flour, rather than using my pastry knife.  Obviously, your butter will need to be cold enough to shred, in fact, you can take the butter right from the freezer!

Once I had my biscuit dough, I divided it into two equal parts, and shaped each into a round of equal thickness.  

Placing the cheese blocks on the round of dough.

Covering the bottom round, and cheese, with the top round of dough. Then feeling for the blocks of cheese, (awkward!) I used my biscuit cutter to cut my biscuit shape.

When all biscuits were cut out, and placed on my greased cookie sheet, I generously brushed the tops with buttermilk.

Recipe for Cheesy Stuffed Biscuits.

1/2 cup (one stick) cold butter

2 cups self-rising flour

3/4 cup buttermilk

12 small blocks of cheddar, or cheese of your choice.

In a wide shallow bowl, measure two cups self-rising flour.  Using a cheese grater, or pastry knife if you prefer, grate one stick of butter over the flour.  With clean hands stir the butter around so each piece is coated with flour.  Add 3/4 cups of buttermilk, and stir with a wooden spoon until a dough forms..

Sprinkle a clean cutting board with flour and tip the dough onto the board.  With clean hands, knead the dough five or six times, until all flour is incorporated.  Form the dough into a ball, and with a sharp knife, cut the  ball into two equal halves.

With hands, or a rolling pin, roll out each ball of dough into equal sized rounds, approx. 1/4 inch thick.  Place two blocks of cheese on one of the rounds (refer to photo for placement), then cover with the other round, gently patting with your hands.  After feeling for the placement of the cheese, cut out biscuit shape, keeping the cheese block centered in the biscuit cutter. Roll up the leftover dough and repeat until all dough is used.  Whew, still with me?

Place biscuits on a lightly greased cookie sheet, allowing biscuits to touch.  Brush the tops with buttermilk and bake in the preheated 400 degree oven for 15 to 17 minutes.

I know this sounds a bit complicated, so please don't hesitate to ask for guidance.  

The end result, was a light fluffy delicious biscuit with a center of gooey melted cheese!

My finished biscuit.  Next time, if there is one, I'll use a much larger block of cheese.  The end result was not as cheesy as I had hoped. 

 This

Cheesy Green Onion Cornbread

As promised, Cheesy Green Onion Sour Cream Cornbread.

• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 15 oz. can cream corn
• 1 small bunch green onions, chopped
• 1 tbs. dried chives
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 6 oz. sharp white cheddar, grated
• 6 oz. pepper jack cheese, grated
• 1 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 vegetable oil, and more for the pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat eggs in large bowl.  Add all other ingredients apart from one handful of grated cheese.
Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake 30-35 minutes or until done.
Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Master Biscuit Recipe

 

Master Biscuit Recipe

• 1/2 cup cold butter (one stick)
• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 cup buttermilk

Measure flour into large bowl.  Cut cold butter into flour using a pastry knife or your fingers until it resembles corn meal.

Add buttermilk to flour and stir until just moistened.

Tip onto floured surface and knead 4 or 5 times.

Roll to inch thickness and cut into biscuits.

Place on lightly greased cooking sheet.  They should be touching.

Cook at 400 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes. 

Brush the warm tops with melted butter if desired.

Enjoy!

Thought I would share a new playlist for 2018 we put together on Spotify, in case you need an dose of optimism for a kickass year. I had a lot of fun putting it together. Still needs some editing, but it's definitely trending with 6 followers and counting! :) Here's the link in case you want to give it a shot:

Mojo Mix Link

The Human Cameleon - Bodypainting Camo as a Muse for Design

And NOW for something completely different. 

I love waking up to an idea and researching things as muses for design. Research is fun, at least to me, when it involves the visual and art and design. 

Who knows where it may lead? In this case, I was thinking of Suburban Camouflage as an alternative to the military or hunter variety. The art is amazing, and there are bodypainting competitions as it turns out. Hope you enjoy the photo essay. Braxton