my new fun

i am wrapping up my tenure at the Recreation Director at the island's rec center, this is my last week! i am excited and sad to move on, but it was time to move on. in the fall i'll be starting my master's in clinical counseling, which i am looking forward to with great anticipation! i will be working with my brother-in-law Stephen this summer on his boat the Predator; however i realized that i needed to find something to do until then. i love to make jewelry and have been itching to learn metalsmithing. so... lucky me, i approached my friend and local metalsmith Gail Miller and asked if she needed any help, and boy does she. she has a studio on the island www.millerdesigns.com and i started working for her a week and a half ago. I LOVE IT! i am starting out with some basic and tedious work but i am having so much fun. she has a hydraulic press that i use to cut different shapes out of brass, nickel and copper. recently i have been texturizing the metal, mostly my hammering the metal with various hammers and other instruments. a great way to get some aggression out! while i am hammering away i am envisioning my own designs and look forward to when i can experiment on my own. but first i have more to learn... sanding the metal, soldering and buffing!

rainy rainy days and delish soup!

it's been a rainy few days on the island and the recipe for rain is a good book and some yummy soup. i excitedly indugled in making my soup of choice, a recipe made up years ago with my old lover, parnter and best friend Nick (oh, how i miss this man some days). we somehow named it Cuban Black Bean Soup. i do not know what makes it Cuban, but in our tummies, Cuban it is. we adapted it from a cookbook Nick had and made it our own ~ by adding fattening goodness! no measureing cups necessary just throw it all together. my friend Katie called in the midst of my making and her response was "yuuuuummm"
here is the gist~ give it a whirl!

2 good sized sweet potatoes~ cut up
2 cans of black beans ~ rinsed
onions ~ chopped
garlic ~ chopped ~ a good amount
ginger ~ chopped ~ a good amount

throw all of this in a good sized pot with 6-8 cups of water.
boil for an hour
let cool
puree in a blender or other such kitchen appliance
place back in pot and return to burner
add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon or 2 of brown sugar
heat up!
add shredded cheddar to bowl when served.
enjoy!
seriously good stuff.